Chapter 81.2

Chapter 81.2

My next action was also a sort of conditioned reflex. I hurled the hilt of the broken sword at the attacker's face and jumped off the tree, landing on the ground with my spare spear ready. I hadn't put much thought into it until then.

...So, no wonder, the thrown sword was easily deflected, and now, the attacker landed on the ground just like I did, from the treetop.

(They're coming...?!)

In the darkness, I caught a glimpse of the attacker's face. It was a child's height, with a neutral face wearing casual chestnut-colored clothes that could be found anywhere.

But on top of that head were weasel-like beast ears, a tail, and, above all, silver blades grew from their hands. Blades like sickles from the base of the fingers, eight in total across both arms. The creature grinned at me with a sneer.

...At the same time, their reddish eyes glared at me with a pomegranate-like poisonous glow.

(That figure, and that features, is that a kamaitachi? Or maybe a honey badger, a wolverine! ...No, it's still a member of the mustelid family, right?)

As I ponder this while trying to distract myself from the killing intent emanating from my attacker, suddenly a gust of wind blows, and the nearby trees are cut down as if sliced by a blade. A large tree is sliced through and falls dramatically to the ground.

"Oh, did I miss? Is it the effect of some cursed tool?" the youkai taunts.

"No way!?" I exclaim as I watch my prayer beads, which were wrapped around my wrist, break and scatter on the ground. The talisman given to me by the daughter of the Tachibana family has been rendered useless after deflecting just one attack.

"Well then, one more time!" the youkai jeers and swings their arm to strike again.

"......!!!"

But almost simultaneously, I jump into the air and summon my shikigami, two simplified crows that charge forward.

"Heh, you're going to avoid it? But that's no fun at all!" the youkai exclaims.

The Shikigami that charged at the youkai were immediately cut to pieces, and at the same time, they emitted light. It is natural, since I had given it the function of a flash bomb.

"Small fry, don't you dare!" yelled the youkai.

Blinded by the bright light, Kamaitachi wildly swung both arms, cutting through the air with gusts of wind that tore, sliced, and cleared everything in their path. But I wasn't there. There was no way I could fight the calamity youkai head-on...

"How can I fight a calamity youkai...!!!" I thought to myself.

And so, I disappear with a Matagama and hid behind a nearby object, observing the calamity youkai. After a bit of struggling, Kamaitachi finally adapted to the surroundings and looked around.

Before I knew it, I found myself surrounded by all kinds of youkai. The monsters who entered one after another from the reopened underground passageway glared at me fiercely, eyeing me up and down. It was for nothing that I had listened to the mouth of the monster in front of me for so long. It was simply because I couldn't escape. I mean, the exit had been blocked without me realizing it.

"...This is indeed a magnificent presentation of your research, I'm very impressed. You are quite clever for a youkai, aren't you?" I said.

"I'm happy to be praised. A monkey like you speaks in such a superior way," Kamaitachi replied.

In response to my slightly hostile words, the youkai's encirclement shrunk one step closer. However, they still didn't attack. They were controlled or trained, maybe.

"It's interesting that a servant acted on their own, and moreover, you knew about our existence. But also strange. You know you can't do anything significant on your own, right? So, how about making a deal?" the youkai said.

"A deal?" I repeated, pondering the word. At my reaction, the weasel-like creature flashed a smile that instinctively made me uncomfortable.

"Yeah. It's not a bad deal. I just want you to explain everything in detail. But, it's not easy for me either. If you don't agree to the deal, you have to meet their demands and deal with their anger," said Kamaitachi, as the circle around me tightened. The youkai all drool from their mouths and continue to growl.

"Hahaha... and what is my benefit if I agree to this deal?" I asked.

"I'll squeeze you gently and carefully so you won't feel any pain," Kamaitachi replied, showing the sickle in their hand with a hateful, innocent smile.

"Oh? You don't look happy. I don't think it's a bad deal. You wouldn't want to be slowly eaten alive, would you? I've heard among your people that the easiest way to die is with kindness," the youkai continued, tauntingly.

"Aren't you know a lot?" I responded, with a hint of disdain. What is kindness, really?

"I know a lot, huh?"

Of course, in a negative way.

"...Now, what do you say? Give me your answer," the youkai monster presses me for an answer. Their tone was light, but it was clearly a request and an order. And the youkai knew. I only had a few weapons on me already. Even my main weapon, a cheap spear, was now useless and I had thrown it away earlier to draw my dagger tantō.

If this continues, I will surely be eaten alive. I will be skinned all over my body, my muscles will be shredded, and still I will be devoured little by little without being fatally wounded. It was horrifying, even just imagining it. In that respect, the reward of a quick death was certainly tempting. That's why...

"Okay. ...But I wouldn't talk too much for a beast. It's an insult to language, you know?" I said as I took a beat and responded to their kind offer with respect and civility. The monster smiles at me with their clouded red eyes and I smile in response.

"Devour his limbs!" the weasel commanded with a smile, and all the monsters around me pounced towards me in unison. But I clenched my teeth, steeled myself, and grinned confidently, certain of the success of my plan.

At the same time as I do so, in an instant, a whirlpool of dirt and debris swallowed up all the attacking monsters.

"What!?" exclaimed the calamity youkai in surprise, but I was already smiling with delight. I had been waiting for this moment and had timed it perfectly.