Mob Yandere

[Part 1/4]

It was a remote area, untouched by the influence of central civilization. A truly uninhabited land, with no records of the barbaric tribes even in literature.

...Yes. A land of no "people."

(Is this place too?)

Sensing countless physical and Curse Art traps laid out, along with the lurking presence of youkai and shiki guarding the area, the former head of the Omnyouji Bureau──a tanuki woman──snorted silently. She sighed at the uselessness of the maps she had once studied.

Then, she effortlessly slipped through the many traps and gazes. She infiltrated without anyone noticing. Calmly, confidently, she blended in and showed her stealth.

...Azuma Hibari had already broken through similar security lines 7 times.

"How trivial. No, I should say it's like a game?"

For this half-youkai, skilled in illusions and stealth, her words weren't arrogant──they were simply facts. In past chaotic era, she'd infiltrated a monster general's lair and scouted the sacred grounds before she took down a dreadful evil god. She knew that even the slightest slip in her presence could mean a terrible fate... or worse, a living hell.

Compared to those experiences, getting through this tight security was almost child's play. She was confident she could handle being caught, too. If it were okay to go in roughly, she'd have no problem charging straight in. There was a real difference here.

...So, now, the Tanuki arrived there. Deep in the mountains, hidden within the jungle, she stood before a cave. But no, this was──

(An ancient ruin... quite old. Could it be from before the establishment of the court?)

When she was younger, it might've been different. But now, after living so long and even serving in high positions, she'd had plenty of chances to learn. She knew from history about times before the court was established.

Was this the hideout of some ancient tribe, wiped out ages ago? Or maybe the remains of a slave dynasty that disappeared without a trace? It could even be a temple for some evil god. Whatever it used to be, it was clear this place wasn't used for its original purpose anymore──and had long since changed owners.

Without hesitation, she stepped into the depths of the cave, slipping through every trap without setting them off. No surveillance could detect Azuma Hibari. Her presence, footsteps, and even her energy were completely hidden. Yet, in the dark, she moved as if it were broad daylight, pushing forward with no hesitation. The difference in skill was clear.

And almost too easily, she arrived. She had reached a forbidden, terrifying place.

"What... is this...?"

Azuma's eyes widened as she took in the scene, left speechless by the sight before her. It was that shocking.

At the far end of the cave was a large, damp but strangely clean area. Hitodama floated around, lighting the place up like daytime. In the deepest part, a huge spider youkai sat, surrounded by cocoons on the walls──inside were human-like figures, sleeping.

People? She quickly dismissed the idea when a disturbing noise caught her attention.

From deeper in the cave, a group of kappas emerged, dripping wet, with bits of human flesh clinging to their slimy skin. There were dozens of them, fresh and clumsy like newly-hatched eels. Obedient but grumpy, they approached the giant spider, growling.

'...'

The giant spider quickly caught the first kappa. The kappa struggled for a moment but soon passed out after the spider injected something into it. The spider then wrapped the sleeping kappa tightly in thread. The other kappas did not react to their comrade's fate. They just stood there, looking blank, as if they weren't thinking at all.

The spider hung the cocoon on the wall and quickly caught its next prey, finishing it off in the same way. Still, the kappas did not respond. It was like an assembly line, like machines and materials.

(Not food storage... no.)

There were thousands of cocoons hanging on the wall... and it wasn't just in this space. Azuma sensed that the cave extended much deeper and was divided into sections. Could there be tens of thousands?

"Hibernate... that obedience, are they modified? They're like soldiers."

That control. Management. Leadership. No, it felt even more like a farm. For her, who had seen countless Youkais armies in her job, this was strange and, above all, nostalgic.

Yes. It was just like the armies of the youkai leader she had scouted many times when she was still a young girl...

"!?"

Just then, Azuma dodged several thrown blades. She avoided them and closed in to counterattack. She struck at the shadowy figure, targeting what seemed to be 16 vital points with her kunai. Each one was coated with a deadly poison or had a curse placed on it. She aimed to kill for sure.

...But there was no response.

"...!!"

She made an immediate decision and silently disappeared into the darkness. Observing from the shadows, the figure shrouded in mist bent their knees and tilted their head. Then, they quickly scratched their head to realign what must have been a broken neck. They grumbled, as if their destroyed body had scattered and reformed anew.

Is this really the one she has only heard about? If so, will it take time to take them down...?

"Ugigigi... no, wait, wait. You're so ruthless, aren't you? Isn't this a bit too much for self-defense? For the head of the bureau, is this your casual greeting!!?"

Despite launching a surprise assassination attempt and receiving a deadly counterattack of several hits, their words were surprisingly light. As for Azuma, there was no response to that. She simply decided to withdraw from the scene.

Among all the heads of the Omnyouji Bureau, she was not particularly skilled in pure combat or extermination. Now that her presence had been detected, she had no choice but to leave the monster's den. She retraced her steps through the cave system, moving swiftly and without a trace. As she exited the cave, a massive horde of kappas awaited her.

"...!"

Tanuki stopped in her tracks without making a sound. Her attention was drawn to the thousands of kappas in front of her, especially one at the front. Their head was swollen, as if something was parasitizing it. As if they had been waiting for this moment, the strange creature opened their mouth.

'As expected of the head of the Omnyouji Bureau, one of the best in stealth. A true master of concealment. To slip through all the traps and security to get here is impressive, even if it was expected.'

"..."

The Kappa, with their appearance so mismatched, spoke fluently and intelligently. However, Azuma did not respond to the call.

'Are you trying to hide? I know you're there. Greetings are important. It should be written in the Kojiki (T/N: Japan's oldest historical text, compiled in 712 AD, detailing myths, legends, and the imperial lineage.) too. It's not good for a noble courtier to lack manners, right?'

"..."

At the urging words, Azuma still doesn't respond. Kappa, with their head puffed up like a balloon, shrugs their shoulders.

'You're cautious. As expected of the Emperor's eyes and ears. That's why Emperor Gyokuro supports you. "The palace walls have ears, and the palace doors have eyes. Yet, the Tanuki does not show its tail."'

Realizing it failed to trap Azuma, the strange Kappa sighs. Azuma had noticed the Kappa's gaze. It was clear that they were not fully aware of where she was. This was a game of strategy to completely reveal her presence. That was the reason for the silence.

'...Hmm. Well, that's fine. You're probably around here, right? Isn't it strange how you got noticed? Let me tell you why your presence was detected in the cave. It's not that difficult. It's an application of this.'

Then the strange Kappa pulls out a piece of paper. Long ago, its contents were developed as a low-level curse tool. 'Illusion Paper Talisman'...

'In the cave, I mixed chemicals to help youkai grow. I also set up spiritual energy meters to check the concentration. Illusion users and ninjas often overlook this. After all, you can't deceive everything around you.

Quality control means measuring the energy in the air regularly. Even if you hide your presence and power, you can't hide your footsteps, body heat, or weight. These things are tied to you and your environment. You can't control everything, especially outside events influenced by you. Even a small drop in spiritual energy in that area can't be disguised.

It's like a container full of water. Even if you don't know what's inside, you can see the water level rise on the scale. You can also figure out how much mass or volume an object has sunk.

The 'ghost' predicted where the intruder would stop. In fact, he intentionally set up the interior, expecting the intruder to pause. The attack by his stealth disciple (Azuma) was almost a random guess based on the spiritual energy concentration and the design of the space.

'Well, to be honest, I wasn't very confident either, but wow, it fits so perfectly...'

"...!!"

Azuma, who had likely sensed that this was an explanation to distract her, immediately made a decision upon recognizing the countless presences approaching from behind. She dashed forward. And then, she struck quickly.

'Kik!?'

'Kie...!!?'

In an instant, the drawn sword had cut down dozens of Kappa. Yet, there was no splatter of blood. Without any blood on her, Tanuki cleared a path.

'...Ah. So that's it. You really are sharp.'

Screams echoed one after another. Before understanding what was happening, the bodies fell, and the 'ghost' possessing the Kappa felt a sense of admiration once again. He had intentionally thinned out their formation, setting up a special trap designed for stealth types, but it seemed like it wouldn't catch anyone.