Hyakki Yakou main variant

"Don't know, but be careful... the concentrating bits are——"

She paused there, and descended from the sky towards Takeru.

"...Beneath us!"

The moment Ouka landed, the vibrations beneath that spread every time Hyakki Yakou wriggled had come to stop.

Silence. Silence appearing in this situation felt nothing but sinister.

About five meters in front of Takeru something was wriggling inside the crack.

It was a life-sized demon that looked like a woman.

Clad in dark red miasma thick enough to be visible with the naked eye. Her hair was long enough to reach the ground and she had four arms with long claws. She had cracked pale skin, unthinkable to be that of a human's. Her appearance wearing a blood-stained white kimono made Takeru think of an ancient princess.

She wasn't a cell with undetermined form nor incarnation and felt like a proper individual.

Her appearance was somewhat reminiscent of Kiseki, but Takeru understood at a glance that her essence was completely different.

A fear he had never felt before had penetrated him from his feet up to his brain.

This one's dangerous. Takeru's soul warned him to run away, and at the same time unconsciously called for him to destroy it. He did not know why was his soul so contradictory, but it was something caused by the fact he was born into the bloodline called "Kusanagi".

The clan of demon-hunters, Kusanagi.

And the variant that appeared in front of him——could only be described as a "demon".

It wasn't a demon like Kiseki or other Kusanagi women, where they became ones as a result of curse. The curse was kneaded and hardened and concentrated on one point, completing this variant.

She wasn't part of Kiseki's body, more like the root of Kiseki's power, the source of Hyakki Yakou. The curse put on Kusanagi had reproduced a demon that was destroyed by Kusanagi's long ago.

[It's a true demon, making Takeru (someone completely used to Hyakki Yakou) feel true dread. Visible miasma around it, etc: maybe make it look like Eurydice?]
- 13, 4
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With the long hair flowing down her back, the demon opened her mouth.

Her mouth was lined with a number of small teeth, opening it so wide it seemed like her jaw was dislocated, she turned her face towards the sky. Raising a slender hand, the demon made a vermilion magic circle appear beneath her feet.

Unlike on magic circles used by Mari and others, numerous letters that seemed like cursed symbols have invaded the ground.

《"HATEFUL KUREHA CHILD OF DEMON BLOOM'D CRIMSON CHILD OF DEMON FEAST ON A WEEPING CHILD AND BLOOM CRIMSON THE PREGNANT WOMAN, THE UNBORN CHILD WHEN WILL THE CHILD OF DEMON COMETH FORTH?"》


Hyakki Yakou started chanting using old language.

It wasn't just Takeru who trembled, unable to move. The other three members of the platoon also had their conscious blown away by fear.

Takeru clenched his teeth and lowered his hips.

That thing is dangerous.

He had to stop it before activating, otherwise the entire location would be eliminated.

[Fear manip?]
- 13, 4
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He didn't know where were her weaknesses, or whether they even existed in the first place. He attacked her head at full power with the full-powered Unicorn Destructive Lance.

However——before the thrust reached Hyakki Yakou, it was blocked by a red barrier.

The stake Ouka had fired right after Takeru also was defended the same way.

《"Protective barrier... so this is the "Demon" property magic...!"》

"If it's magic——then...!"

《"Activating "Twilight Enchantment"!"》

He mitigated the recoil from having his attack blocked by standing his ground, then once again charged at the Hyakki Yakou.

The blade clad in azure-colored flames had slashed onto the barrier at once.

A moment after the impact, the flames started absorbing magic.

No magic could stand up to Mistilteinn. It's all absorbed and becomes her power.

《"——?! Aghh——!"》

And yet, Lapis who was absorbing magic – screamed, and the 《Twilight Enchantment》 was interrupted. Demon magic power that was being absorbed had spouted from the blade. It was as if the sword had rejected and spat it out.

Again, the attack was blocked and Takeru took a step back.

"Lapis, what happened?!"

Takeru asked. Lapis answered him even while panting in pain.

《"I-I don't know... the absorbed magic power, it... it tried to erode me..."》

Although she was in the shape of a sword, he could feel Lapis tremble slightly.

This has never happened before. The undetermined ancient property "Demon". It was an unknown power that was uncertain to even be magic power. When they were in God-Hunter form nothing happened when they absorbed it, so why now...

《"...Its nature might have mutated when... the magic was formed. It's my first time seeing something like this...!"》

Even while fixing his sword stance, Takeru grit his teeth.

Absorption with enchantment was too dangerous. It was unbeatable against magical opponents so far, but no one would have thought the absorbed magic power would fight back.

[Forcefield thing deflects full power Takeru and Ouka, absorbing the magic is the worst thing you can do as it erodes the user - God Hunter form is mentioned, implication that it could resist the existence erasure?]
- 13, 4
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Ouka moved to Hyakki Yakou's side and tried to pierce it with a stake, but everything was blocked.

"Crush it by force!"

She had the guns disappear and made a stake-releasing mechanism appear instead.

"Wait, Ouka! That barrier is——!"

Before Takeru's voice reached her, Ouka had pierced her fang into the barrier.

The fang pushed against the barrier.

《"...Such density...! But I'll force it down——!"》

Ouka focused her gaze as she attempted to break through the barrier.

Cracks appeared on the barrier as it was near breaking, but then.

——A chill ran down Ouka's back.

Eerily, an eye appeared on the tip of the fang colliding with the barrier.

Numerous eyes emerged on the fang's surface, like bubbles.

"——What?!"

Ouka hurriedly released magic and the fang disappeared.

That decision was correct.

《"It eroded magic...!"》

Were she to continue, the fang would have been eroded by Hyakki Yakou. With its magic power eroded, even a Relic Eater would be eroded by Hyakki Yakou. If that happened, it was unknown what it would result with.

[The barrier actively erodes the magic that hits it and corrupts it, very bad]
- 13, 4
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Seeming to have sensed Ouka's movements, the demon acted. Spreading out another pair of arms she made a magic bullet appear and stretching her hand she pressed it against Ouka. It seemed like it was possible to pass through the barrier from the inside. The female demon's arm extended and bent like a whip as it slipped through the wall.

Ouka gasped. Arms extended up to her side started glowing with vermilion color.

[Can attack from within the barrier with stretchy arms]
- 13, 4
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Takeru moved.

Ejecting magic power he closed the distance to Ouka in an instant and cut the demon's arm from above. He wasn't able to cut it off, but the arm was pushed away.

[Takeru can't cut the stretchy arm in half]
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Ahead of where it extended to, the magic bullet burst out and along with a sound of a woman's scream, something that looked like a mass of human bodies had burst in all directions.

Takeru landed, raised his face, and immediately leaped again.

There was one more arm with a magic bullet in hand.

Ahead of where it extended to, were Mari and Usagi.

Seeing Ikaruga turn into an elf and try to create a barrier, Takeru yelled.

"Don't use magic! Usagi!"

Ikaruga stopped moving, instead, Usagi raised her rifle.

"——Fhh...!!"

Adjusting her breathing to one particular for snipers, she squeezed the trigger. She fired an anti-magic bullet at the demon arm that extended while wriggling and was near them.

Were she to be late even if just by a second, the magic bullet would directly hit them and exploded. After waiting for the moment arm's movement stopped, Takeru leaped. After moving next to Usagi, he kicked away the arm powerfully.

[You cannot interact with the demon via magic - Usagi's anti-matter bullet seemingly only stops the arm, doesn't destroy it or anything]
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Were she to be late even if just by a second, the magic bullet would directly hit them and exploded. After waiting for the moment arm's movement stopped, Takeru leaped. After moving next to Usagi, he kicked away the arm powerfully.

The arm was blown upwards and the magic bullet burst in the sky.

However, this was a mistake.

《"——Host!"》

Although he was able to prevent the magic bullet's explosion, there was an abnormality on his right leg he used to kick the demon's arm.

Numerous eyes appeared on the armor he had on his right leg.

Lapis instantly released the Witch-Hunter form and scattered the armor. Losing Witch-Hunter's strengthening, Takeru landed on the ground and staggered before holding his body up by using the sword instead of a cane.

The arm that was blown away had returned to Hyakki Yakou with a slithering sound.

The crystallization of demons inside the barrier that the demon was trying to activate, was already as big as a car.

Takeru breathed roughly as he thought of what to do.

《"Witch-Hunter form is also magic... it appears its invulnerable to everything else but physical attacks."》

"So we won't get eroded if we attack physically, huh."

《"Most likely. My main body that is the sword was not eroded. However..."》

Though, just by understanding that their situation did not improve. While the demon built big magic with one pair of arms, it used the other pair flexibly.

Takeru resolved himself and raised his sword. Ouka must have guessed what was he thinking, as she released the vampire form and pulled out the handgun from her waist.

"...We have to beat her without using magic."

His hand clenching the sheath trembled.

It wasn't shivering due to fear, it were convulsions. Takeru himself, no longer had the sensation of holding a sword.

[It insta-corrupts physical attacks imbued with magic: you need to attack it physically without magic to avoid the corruption]
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Her power, even a little of it, did erode everything in existence and created new demons. Old Japanese took this characteristic as reincarnation and feared her.

[The power of the gigademon erodes everything it touches]
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The power of demons could not kill the God, but it was enough to kill Kusanagi Takeru.
[Apart from Sougetsu]
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While maintaining a spherical barrier that covered her entire body, the demon prepared some unknown large-scale magic and protected herself from physical attacks with the second set of arms.

The moment anyone approached within ten meters of her, she swung her arms at high speed like whips.

It would be safe to say that it was a perfect defense. Despite being a demon, she fought like a witch.

['Perfect' defence against non-magical guys]
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Although the erosion has stopped, even as the demon was casting the big magic, the leaves falling from the giant tree continued to turn into demon incarnations and attack.

Stopping them, were Mari and Ikaruga. Ikaruga created defensive barriers and Mari wiped out the demons that passed through the imperfect barriers. Mari's magic power hasn't recovered in such a short time, so just like with Mother Goose, she inscribed 《Drain》 seal on Ikaruga's body and used magic by absorbing magic power from elf-turned Ikaruga.

[Gigademon being around doesn't stop other demons from being created, and Mari's consistent Aurora use has no lasting impact, soul manip aspect completely ignored - should be noted that Haunted's immortality was backed up by at least 12k souls and Mari's aurora attacks would've one shot him had they hit]
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The power that defined him——his swordsmanship.

"Unicorn's——Destructive Lance!!"

Kicking off the ground, Takeru set free the gathered energy. Taking advantage of the springs all over his body he charged at Hyakki Yakou.

Inside the slow-motion world Takeru felt his bones crack, but he had no time to bother with that.

Concentrating his power in a single point he struck the barrier. Takeru screwed in the sword inside the gap through which the bullet has passed.

With a loud sound, the crackle made by Usagi in the barrier has spread throughout the barrier.

Hyakki Yakou has wound back the arms it used to attack Usagi and Ouka, to use them to push Takeru away from the barrier. But her attack was hindered by Usagi and Ouka.

The sword and the barrier collided, struggling against each other.

It wasn't enough. He needed one more decisive step until the barrier is completely crushed.

[Takeru in full super speed mode can't break through an already half-broken barrier on his own]
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Takeru too, restarted breathing he had stopped.


——Something touched his cheek.


"——?!"

He immediately raised his head and found what has touched him.

It was——the thing the female demon was trying to activate. Unable to maintain its body, it turned into a melting mass of flesh. The thing which appeared like a freshly-born fetus took Takeru's head in both hands and brought its dead-looking, huge face closer.

A failure of a demon child. The unknown product of magic that the female demon was trying to activate. It showed its last attempt to resurrect itself into this world.

Takeru couldn't move even though he wanted to.

The reason for that was because his touched cheek has already started its erosion. He could hear the voice of his comrades screaming behind him, but the screams faded away. The erosion wasn't affecting his body.

Takeru felt his consciousness leaving his body.

Before he could understand it was what was called "soul", a voice sounded in his head.


Give it back.


Was that the will of the demon whose body and soul were divided and sealed?

What the demon child desired from Takeru, was his soul.

[Soul manip/body stealing through soul yoink]
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