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"You know, this still isn't enough."
Yuto's calm, indifferent gaze met the desperate eyes of the long-haired man.
"The benefits you're offering are far from sufficient."
"What must I do to satisfy you?"
Keikain Hidemoto's eyes reddened as he knelt in a dogeza, pleading. As the head of a once-proud family, he had no choice but to cast aside his dignity. The family was crumbling, with only Keikain Yura, a young girl with potential, left to carry its legacy. But she was too green. Now, with ancient enemies like Abe no Seimei and Hagoromo Gitsune unsealed, Hidemoto had to beg Yuto for protection. In this chaotic world, the weak sought shelter from the strong.
"Even if I offer myself as your concubine, it's still not enough?"
A sweet voice cut through the tension.
Yuto turned to see Keikain Yura, pale but resolute, stepping into the room. She had overheard everything.
"Yura, I…"
Hidemoto's face twisted with guilt as he looked at the unsteady girl. The family's decline had forced them to this, even offering their own blood for survival. It shamed him as an ancestor.
"Don't say it, ancestor. I would have offered it myself."
Yura took a deep breath, her eyes hardening with determination. She approached Yuto and bowed gracefully. "Yuto, if you promise to protect my family, I'll give myself to you. It's the only way I can save them."
Yuto's heart stirred faintly at her resolve. Seeing his reaction, Yura rose and nestled into his arms.
"Ahem!….Very well, I accept."
Yura's eyes lit up with relief as Yuto nodded. In truth, protecting the Keikain family fit his grand design. He had already crushed most of the supernatural world's factions and aimed to rule it all. To do so, he needed loyal, capable subordinates. The Keikain family, with its history and influence, was a perfect piece on his board.
'I need to build my forces, stabilize the chaos, and expand my reach. The remnants of the three great families still linger. And according to Isayama Yomi's report from the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division, the Twin Horn Syndicate is troubling that little Tsuchimikado shrine maiden. I'll have to deal with them all in one sweep.'
A flicker of killing intent gleamed in Yuto's eyes, making Yura shiver in his arms and Hidemoto's heart skip. They knew that when Yuto's bloodlust surfaced, someone would pay.
"See you tonight."
He patted Yura's firm butt, then vanished.
...…...
The Onmyo Agency oversaw the supernatural realm. Unlike the Exorcism Bureau or the Public Security Demon Special Division, it followed onmyodo, mended spiritual disasters, and monitored all supernatural beings.
Inside the director's office, Kurahashi Genji sat with a grim face, reading a report. As head of the Onmyo Agency and the Exorcism Bureau, he was the top "Heavenly General" among the Twelve Divine Generals, the greatest onmyoji of his era, with vast political sway. But now, the report darkened his mood.
"A disaster."
Last night, a joint operation across multiple agencies collapsed. The young man dubbed "the Tyrant" had single-handedly slaughtered the three great curse families and every onmyoji and curse user sent by the government. Genji had never witnessed such carnage.
"Japan will change. So many couldn't stop this Tyrant."
He set the report down, his expression heavy. He had opposed collaborating with the wicked onmyoji Ashiya Doman from the start; a notorious figure from a century ago, working with him was like begging a tiger for its hide. His fears had proven true: Ashiya was dead, and the plan had backfired.
Would Yuto retaliate? Of course. The Tyrant was ruthless and would strike back hard.
"Sir, it's bad! Someone's attacking our members who were directly or indirectly involved in last night's incident… so many are dead!"
A panicked subordinate burst in.
"Calm down. Who is it? How many?"
Genji's heart sank, but he stayed composed.
"A boy with two girls broke in… one has a fox tail."
The subordinate steadied himself, reporting clearly.
"A boy with two girls, one is a demon?"
Genji rushed out, only to find a bloodbath; walls smeared with blood, bodies strewn in pieces. Nearby, onmyoji retreated in terror from a leisurely strolling boy.
Genji saw Kagami Reiji, the "Ogre Eater" of the Twelve Divine Generals, pierced on the wall. His trusted aide, Kogure Zenjirou, had escaped death with his four tengu shikigami but lost an arm, kneeling pale from blood loss.
"Even Zenjirou fell?"
Genji trembled with fear. Kogure, master of the "Heavenly Demon Sword," was a match for Genji himself, yet he couldn't withstand Yuto's assault.
"Oh? You're the boss here."
Yuto kicked the wounded Kogure aside and approached Genji, his words cutting like blades.
"I've already crushed the Exorcism Bureau, the Public Security Demon Special Division, and the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division. You're the last."
"Short version: submit or die. Choose."
Yuto's tone was flat, but Genji felt crushing pressure. 'One wrong word, and he'll kill me on the spot.' The carnage around him proved the cost of defiance.
Genji swallowed hard and said. "I submit."
"Good." Yuto said as he patted Genji's shoulder with a smile.
Yuto smiled and walked past. After a long silence, Genji looked up. The room was a graveyard of corpses, the stench of blood overwhelming. He stood on shaky legs, drenched in sweat. His calm had shattered before Yuto's ruthless precision.
"Master, are these people idiots?" Nero trailed behind Yuto, exasperated. "They knew they couldn't win, yet they rushed in."
"It's normal. These supernatural fools are used to looking down on everyone."
Yuto stroked Nero's golden hair. "I want a safe, stable world for you all, so I must sweep away the trash that won't obey."
"So cool!" Sora's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"We have other stops to make. Let's go. We have other stops to make."
...….
The Twin Horn Syndicate, fanatical followers of Tsuchimikado Yakou, had spiraled into madness after his resurrection and death. Tsuchimikado Natsume was tied to a cross, her pretty face etched with fear and helplessness.
Gifted as an onmyoji from youth, she was named the next head of the Tsuchimikado family. Rumors claimed she was Yakou's reincarnation, making her a target for his worshippers. But Natsume had no memories of Yakou and dismissed the story. Now, these fanatics planned to sacrifice her to revive the already slain Yakou.
She struggled against her bonds, but the syndicate tightened their curses.
'Is there no way out?'
Though skilled, she was outnumbered and outmatched. Defeat came swiftly.
"Tsk, tsk, the danger of cults."
A clear male voice sounded in her ear.
"Who's there?"
Natsume glanced around, seeing nothing.
'Am I hearing things?' Fear crept in. She was already kidnapped and now haunted too?
"Shh, don't look around. I'm beside you."
The voice rang again, making Natsume sure that she had not heard it wrong.
"How are you doing this?" Natsume asked, shocked but hopeful. "Can you help me escape?"
"I can, but everything has a price. What can you offer?"
The playful tone made her pause. "I have 1000 yen in allowance. Is that enough?"
Yuto laughed. "No way. Do you think you're worth just 1000 yen?"
"You're right… I'm worth more." Natsume blushed, embarrassed. "I don't have anything valuable… maybe Hokuto?"
Hokuto, the Tsuchimikado family's dragon shikigami, was rare but very hard to control, draining her energy. Even now she couldn't summon it.
"I have a suggestion. Want to hear it?"
Yuto's voice was warm.
"Sure, if I have it, you can take it."
Natsume was desperate.
"Then I won't hold back. If I save you, you owe me ten dates."
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