Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: #1 The Beast of the Incinerator, Battle
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─'That thing' had no intelligence.
It had arisen without any special reason, gaining existence and consciousness, but as a lowly creature without any real intellect, it simply acted on instinct.
It should have been nothing more than that—a weakling that ought to have vanished early on, just like the other stray yokai.
But it survived.
The reason for its survival was nothing special. It was simply that this lowly creature had been lucky.
As the other stray yokai that had arisen alongside it died off one by one, 'that thing' lived on.
As the others lost their nests and wandered, over ninety percent failing to find new ones and crumbling back into dust in the very forms they had manifested, 'that thing' managed to settle in a nutrient-rich spot and eke out an existence.
By pure chance, it had stumbled into a vacant territory that belonged to no yokai.
For yokai, a nutrient-rich place—somewhere a massive amount of lustful energy gathered—was usually the domain of powerful demons endowed with strength and intelligence.
Such spots might sit empty for a brief moment, but they were inevitably seized and claimed by even stronger yokai. Naturally, any pathetic weakling that had originally nested there would be obliterated or devoured in the process, becoming fodder for the invaders' blood and flesh.
Yet that lowly creature was lucky.
A powerful yokai did come and claim the nest where 'that thing' had settled, but it paid no attention to the original occupant.
Lucky.
There was no other way to explain this creature's survival.
Thanks to that, the lowly thing was neither driven out, killed, nor eaten. It was able to remain in its nest undisturbed.
It freely devoured the nutrients there—the unusually dense and abundant lustful energy—and grew stronger.
No longer could 'that thing' be called a mere trifle. It had become a monster.
One that ordinary stray yokai couldn't even stand against, reduced instead to mere prey.
Yet even with this power, 'that thing' chose to rampage no more and hide away. That was because it knew of an even stronger presence.
This mighty yokai appeared periodically in the place 'that thing' had made its nest, then vanished again.
It would occasionally dump trash and incinerate it, then leave as if nothing else interested it.
'That thing' must never reveal itself before this yokai. Following its instincts' warning, whenever the yokai came, it always hid itself from sight.
Because it knew of this powerful being—because it witnessed it every time—'that thing' never grew arrogant. It understood that the power it had gained was still insignificant.
Even though its strength had already surpassed that of an average mid-grade yokai or higher, 'that thing' remained free of hubris. It did not recklessly rampage.
Then one day, 'that thing' discovered it.
In its hidden nest—the incinerator—an object had been discarded one morning.
Amid the ashes left from burning, this object alone remained unburnt.
It brimmed with an energy stronger than any 'that thing' had ever sensed.
This potent, pure energy held a power that enthralled even a yokai left with nothing but instinct.
Just being near it made its body overflow with vigor.
What if it claimed this for itself? What if it devoured it? What if it made this power its own?
─Then even that female could be defeated.
The woman in maid attire who showed her face at this incinerator every morning.
She had a human form and blatantly pretended to be human, but 'that thing''s instincts—from its weak early days—clearly recognized her as no ordinary being.
The current 'that thing' could neither defeat nor resist her.
But with this... If it made the power within this object its own...
Then it could surely claim and dominate this entire territory, violate that powerful yokai, and steal all her strength—
"Step back, Dom."
The moment they arrived at their destination, the alien atmosphere was immediately palpable.
Even from a position where she could just barely see it, she'd barely sensed it—surely due to that fog's influence.
The vast open space in the mansion's rear garden. A plot of bare earth without a single weed in sight.
At its far end should have stood a massive steel incinerator surrounded by a brick wall.
But now, that brick wall lay completely shattered and scattered, and part of the steel incinerator had been crudely torn away.
The ashes that should have been inside were strewn haphazardly around, some caught by the wind and drifting off. Because of that, the air in this space alone felt murky.
No, the murkiness wasn't just from the ash mixed in the air.
The culprit responsible for wrecking the incinerator—or so it appeared—was right there. A monster with an enormous body.
Its head resembled a pig's, or perhaps a cow's. Or maybe it didn't resemble any beast at all.
A muscular giant. Its height seemed around four meters. It had four arms, each one shaped differently.
As the yokai turned toward them, confirming its form, it was a blasphemous, horrific sight that perfectly defied left-right symmetry. Like a patchwork of scraps crudely sewn together.
The energy it exuded—its yokai power—was a chaotic mess befitting its appearance. But at the same time, it was ferociously savage, reeking of blood.
In her personal opinion, it felt raw. And yokai that emitted this kind of yokai power were usually extremely ferocious and dangerous.
Kwachak! Kwachak!
The yokai spotted her and Dom but ignored them, continuing to smash the incinerator.
No, its hands seemed to move even faster now. As if it sensed danger and was hurrying.
'That thing...'
Having found what it sought, the yokai thrust its hand into the ashes inside the incinerator.
But the hand was repelled. The yokai let out a pitiful wail, yet thrust into the ashes again.
And at that moment, she had already kicked off from her spot and charged forward.
She had no intention of letting the yokai do as it pleased.
『?!』
The yokai noticed her approach—she hadn't even bothered hiding her presence.
With speed unfitting its massive bulk, it swung an arm at her.
The sweeping arm gouged a crater in the ground, sending sand and dust flying up.
An arm that tore the iron incinerator like paper. Even a exorcist's body, reinforced with spiritual power, wouldn't emerge unscathed if struck. ─If it connected, that is.
Tat tat tat!
『Buoo...!!?』
She leaped onto the yokai's swinging arm, riding it like an acrobat—stepping and vaulting across its surface. In one breath, she reached the monster's head. Without hesitation, she slammed her spiritual power-infused foot into its skull.
『Gaaaaaaaah!!』
"Oh? It didn't die from that."
It couldn't be because her feet were small as a woman. This yokai's body must simply be exceptionally tough. Yokai that prioritized survival often evolved toward defense over offense.
She leaped down from the yokai's body as it shook its half-collapsed head and began thrashing madly.
As its foot came to kick her where she'd landed, she deflected it with technique, shoving it back. The yokai's massive frame tilted. Its arms flailed through empty air.
With that, she gathered spiritual power in her legs once more. Her target: the yokai's central core.
Moon Offering Kick
The gathered spiritual power scattered light like starshine.
Her leg extended straight, her foot thrusting into the yokai's core and sending it flying.
The yokai's massive body soared. Kicking up dirt, it bounced across the ground like a ball—thud thud!—flying over ten meters before crashing into the mansion's surrounding wall and halting.
The wall crumbled, unable to withstand the impact.
'I meant to finish it.'
She'd expended a massive amount of spiritual power the night before, and wary of potentially demolishing the building, she'd held back a bit.
That, plus the yokai guarding its core with all four arms in that split second, and its specialization in defense from the start, had let it survive.
But that was once and for all.
Two of its four arms were already gone, and the remaining pair were too tattered to use properly.
Even though it had blocked, the core had taken enough shock. Any slight impact now would shatter it.
Yet it showed no intention of dying quietly, attempting to flee. She had no plan to let it escape.
Crack!
From the ashes of the broken incinerator, she immediately spotted and snatched it up.
Finding it was easy. It was hers, infused with her spiritual power.
In her hand was an ordinary-looking wooden stick, about a handspan long.
But it had remained here, untouched by the incinerator's flames. The talisman that had wrapped it had burned away, leaving its potent energy fully exposed.
『Gaaaaaaaah!!』
"Huh? What? You wanted this too?"
And then.
The fleeing yokai had somehow turned around and was charging straight at her. Its beastly rush was unmistakably aimed at the stick in her hand.
Come to think of it, it had seemed to be searching for something in the ashes. This must be it. To a yokai little more than a lump of spiritual power, it was irresistible bait.
But it was stupid. After taking such a thrashing, with its body in ruins—no less against an opponent now armed—it still charged blindly.
『──────!!』
The charging yokai. She lightly leaped, brushing past it.
And in the next instant.
Splurt!
The yokai's massive body split cleanly in two.
