CH 97.3

"Plan, huh? It's not a word that a youkai like you should be throwing around so confidently. ...What kind of plan is it?"

"I can't tell you that. Well, you should be able to guess to some extent even without me saying, right?"

"......"

Kamui was right. There was no need to chatter away in a place like this, especially with just a servant. It would be best to quickly turn him into food for the calamity youkai in front of him. Not doing so would mean something else entirely.

"But then, it was unexpected that Namahage b*stard would make a move different from usual. I switched the target to the second one to avoid a confrontation... but it's fortunate that you showed yourself too."

Kamui truly thought it was fortunate. His superior was rational and level-headed, but genuinely insane. He didn't mind if his pay was reduced, but he didn't want to be forced into nonsensical experiments as a punishment.

"The second target, huh? You mean Tamaki? Are you that interested in that black thing of hers? Even though you're similar in a way."

"I don't know about that. If you have questions, ask the boss. ...And that's enough chitchat. I'm going to deliver this straight from the source anyway, so you can ask the boss anything you want over there."

And so, Kamui continued to spread the darkness beneath his feet. It looked like he wanted to swallow Yamanba and the servant too, to take them somewhere.

In other words, this was the opportune moment.

"Hold on, hold on. Before you sink me into that creepy thing, let me ask you one last thing. Can't you at least give me a little something extra? It's not a bad idea for you either, right?"

Upon the target's pleading, Kamui temporarily halted the activation of his abilities. With a slightly strange expression, he inquired.

"Not a bad idea, huh? Don't get your hopes up too much. I'll hear you out, though. What do you want?"

At that moment, the guy wearing Hannya mask fell silent. It trembled for a moment, and Kamui noticed the slight anomaly. However, before he could understand its meaning, the guy wearing Hannya mask spoke.

'Was my puppetry impressive?'

It spun a mocking remark, exuding a malicious air.

"Gh...!?"

In sync with that voice, Kamui fell silent, and then he understood. He realized the true nature of his suspicion. However, it was already too late.

A sharp spear suddenly shot out from the mouth of the Hannya-masked figure that was about to get crushed. It was launched with the force of compressed air and swiftly pierced through Yamanba's head. The old woman, whose forehead had been impaled, jolted back and accidentally dropped the Hannya-masked figure onto the snowy ground. As a result, the shikigami wearing the Hannya mask fell onto the snowy plain, and then... its abdomen burst open.

'Gyeh...!?'

Along with the sound of the explosion, a net sprang out from its abdomen. The net was made of a smooth and shiny silver thread, almost like the silk spun by spiders. But this wasn't just any ordinary silk—it was divine spider silk. It had the power to trap and ensnare prey, just like a spider's sticky web...!!

It was a custom-made curse tool that the servant had requested from Sarujirou, pleadingly for targeting Kamui. It contained the sticky threads of spiritual power emitted by the spider deity, carefully woven into the throwing ball, with gunpowder igniting and scattering the outer shell, causing the threads to shoot out like a net and restrain the movements of the target.

Originally designed as a measure against Namahage, it utilized the precious threads of a divine spider to buy time for evacuation. It proved to be fully effective against Yamanba as well. Even though Kamui had stopped binding Yamanba, Yamanba found it increasingly difficult to move due to the entangling and adhesive threads that clung to her every time she struggled. And then...

"You son of a b*tch!! It must have been cold in there!!"

Emerging from the snow, draped in a blanket, a figure continued to lurk. He then discarded the black outfit and removed the Hannya mask, revealing a battered appearance. Kamui's real target had finally shown up. And using a rounded shovel he had brought to dig a hidden snow hole, he made a sudden move forward.

"What!?"

Kamui also turned around, wielding his dagger (tantō). The blades clashed, creating a sharp metallic sound.

"Well, this is surprising!! So, that thing before was actually a shikigami!?"

Kamui expressed genuine astonishment. It made sense when he thought about it. Despite awakening the inner Youbo (youkai mother)'s factors and transforming into a youkai, there were no obvious signs in how he looked, spoke, or acted. He had suspected that the spider had been used for blood-sucking and deception, but perhaps it was the shikigami that allowed him to evade the pursuit of the calamity youkai thus far.

"But still, quite a daring move...!!"

To think the servant would discard his mask, outfit, and even valuable equipment like the cursed dagger (tantō) to disguise the shikigami. Perhaps he had tampered with the puppet from within, deceiving even the powerful spiritual power unique to a youkai transformation. This was not easy to see through.

"Not bad, right? Thanks to that, I almost froze to death, though!!"

The servant kicked up the snow beneath his feet while locked in a stalemate. He threw the snow directly into Kamui's face, taking a step back, deflecting the opponent's blade, and then swiftly slashing at Kamui's neck with the edge of the shovel.

"You're too naive!!"

Immediately, Kamui generated darkness from his arm, causing the shovel to partially disappear.

"You b*stard!! That's a custom-made item, you know!?"

The servant clicked his tongue, hurling insults along with the handle, but it too was swallowed entirely by the darkness. Taking advantage of the gained precious time, the servant enhanced his body with spiritual power and leaped backward, creating distance. He was breathing heavily and panting.

"Haa, haa... D*mn, seriously? Is she going to snap that thread too?"

Facing Kamui, the servant observed each other's movements and became bitter when he saw it. The Yamanba, restrained by the spider thread, was gradually but surely pulling and tearing the threads that bound her.

(I underestimated her. At this rate, even dealing with Namahage as originally intended would have been troublesome.)

At worst, if he couldn't buy enough time and ended up on the same bad ending route as the original story, it might have been a direct burial... no, direct delivery. That's why he thinks.

"...In the end, this is somewhat like a blessing in disguise, huh?"

He sarcastically muttered such words with a deep irony.

...Amidst the falling powder snow, he declared it as if he had won.

"What are you talking about...!?"

Kamui, facing him, momentarily showed a perplexed expression at the servant inexplicable attitude. However, he soon realized the meaning behind it. He couldn't help but be aware of the presence that he sensed from deep within the forest.

"No way, it can't be that one...!!?"

Kamui widened his eyes in astonishment and looked at the servant. In response, the servant met his gaze with a sadistic smile. The falling snow had already intensified rapidly.

And amidst the snowfall that seemed to engulf everything, a tremor like the rumbling of the earth began to echo from a distance. The approaching footsteps were so loud that they felt deafening. And along with it, a dense power of youkai and divine energy was drawing near...!!

"Hey, hey, wait a minute! Are you kidding me!?"

Kamui's face contorted once again. He directed his gaze towards the depths of the forest, where the presence was coming from. And then, it appeared...!!

'Hehehe! I've kept you waiting, the main actor has arrived!!"

'ヽ(illﾟдﾟ)ﾉ Papa, help meeee!!!!'

Emerging from the deep forest with a burst of energy was a huge black wolf. It had a white spider on its back, and the spider looked like it was crying. With a loud roar, the wolf jumped into the scene and bit the servant's neck. Then, it quickly ran away as fast as it could, leaving the area. Kamui tried to chase after them, but he didn't know whether to follow the wolf or look in the direction where the wolf or the spider had come.

"D*mn it, the only choice is to run, huh!?"

Faced with the impending danger, Kamui had no choice but to resort to escape. He quickly turned into darkness and evacuated from the spot at full speed. And an instant later, 'it' appeared, fully prepared.

*A thunderous roar reverberated through the air*

Captivated by the divine energy of the spider, Namahage charged ahead, knocking down trees as it went. In the process, it pounced on the Yamanba, landing a powerful blow right on her face...

* * *

They say if the front gate is guarded by a tiger, the back gate is guarded by a wolf. But in this situation, it was even more complicated. Our enemies were not ordinary creatures, they were calamity youkai. And to make matters worse, they were all heading towards different targets before.

Naturally, we didn't have the time or ability to deal with two calamity youkai at the same time. And frankly, we didn't even possess enough power to handle one calamity youkai.

Of course, giving up is not an option. Ironically, the fact that there were two calamity youkai in this situation became a double-edged sword and a turning point.

For Namahage, I used the white spider as bait. Then, Iruka, in her transformed state, held the bait in front of Namahage. I also used a cloth soaked in my blood to lure it further. As for Yamanba, I utilized the puppet of the old man's shikigami. And then, synchronizing the timing, I collided the two calamity youkai together.

Both calamity youkai carried remnants of divine essence, but they were pretty dumb and irrational. When they realized they could eat each other, they went all out in a brutal fight until one of them died.

"Hahaha! Just kill each other, you monsters!"