Book Eater

Chapter 362: Seimei’s Legacy (3)

Theo’s eyes sharpened as he heard the name Shuten-doji. That was the name of one of the great yokai Seimei had mentioned. Shuten-doji was one of the top three yokai among the hundreds on the mountain. He was the leader of the Oni and someone worthy of being called the strongest! Even Theo, who had become transcendent, felt his skin prickle when Shuten-doji neared. It would be difficult for the current masters of Japan to endure Shuten-doji’s presence.

If the yokai of the mountain were let loose, it would be a greater disaster than what happened in the Central Empire.

Most mutants were driven by instinct and simply sought to satisfy their appetites. They might be strong, but they were simple beasts. One could eventually find a way to break through or kill them. However, Shuten-doji and the yokai were different. They were cunning creatures who had lived for nearly a thousand years, and grown into monsters that could skillfully use their strength. They were so terrible that Seimei had sealed them up. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a single weed left in Japan.

“I am Theodore Miller. I have something to say to you.”

Theo subconsciously spread his feet. His intuition was warning him that the yokai in front of him was like an apex predator. The moment he stepped back, the beast would take advantage to prove its superiority. If Theo exposed the slightest weakness, Shuten-doji’s hidden bloodlust would rise and his fangs would try to close around his neck. Would it be the prey’s blood or his own blood that spilled in the end? Either way, it wasn’t the ending that Theo wanted.

“Hrmm? Did you want to speak to this old man?” Shuten-doji had a friendly smile on his face.

Theo didn’t waffle. “I want to speak to everyone.”

Shuten-doji laughed. “Kuhat! It must be a big topic. How long has it been since someone called me out like this? Well, good. I’ll acknowledge the owner of the Heavenly Sword!”

Theo’s eyes narrowed. “... How did you know?”

“I don’t know about others, but I can’t not know it!” Shuten-doji raised a hand to trace a large scar that crossed his own torso. “Seimei, that swindler, used the sword to drag my intestines out! He managed to slice up a body that couldn’t be cut. Kuhaha! I can’t forget such a hot and wonderful strike!”

Theo replied simply. “You didn’t die.”

It wasn’t a taunt. Instead, they were sincere words coming from Theo. The Heavenly Sword’s power towered over aura blades, and just like Magoshiro, it could cut 8th Circle magic like paper.

Shuten-doji grinned and nodded. “It was too good an attack to be content with one blow. Thus, I came to this Oe Mountain while believing in the promise of a rematch...”

But then the humor died from Shuten-doji’s face. “That damn fox! Abe no Seimei! I have waited a thousand years while he forgot his promise! I knew his nature was close to a scammer, but to think he actually dared to trick me!”

Kurururung.

The mountain trembled and the trees shivered as the yokai’s anger soared. The monsters around Theo and Shuten-doji cowered, while the yokai braced themselves as they waited for the tsunami to pass. It was truly a lion’s roar!

Shuten-doji’s eyes started to blaze as he focused on Theo. “Okay! I won’t wait any longer! Tell me what you have to say, master of the Heavenly Sword! If it doesn’t make sense, I will throw you off Oe Mountain and grind you into dust!”

The leader of the Oni was serious. In a crisis where one wrong word would turn the whole mountain into his enemies, Theo contemplated the use of the word ‘master’. It was Seimei’s treasure, the one who had forced a mountain of yokai to submit to him. If Theo used it, even Shuten-doji would have to comply with his words. However, was that truly the right decision?

There is a limit to his authority. The burden will grow tremendously if I try to control so many monsters.

Theo changed his mind. “A fight.”

“Hoh?”

Theo met his gaze squarely. “I will give you a battlefield and an enemy worthy of you. You can trample, crush, and eat the monsters without holding back. How about it?”

“Kuhat, it is tempting.” Shuten-doji saw how sincere Theo was, and a part of his good humor came back. The yokai, who had waited in Oe Mountain for the sake of fighting Seimei again, had been born of violence and impulses. Theo’s proposal was no different than a luxurious meal. However, he wasn’t the only yokai on Oe Mountain.

“That’s enough, Shuten-doji.” A giant crow landed between them and spoke with a deep voice. “I acknowledge that you are stronger than us, but you aren’t qualified to represent all of us.”

A spider yokai materialized from the shadows. “I, Tsuchigumo, agree with Daitengu.”

Shuten-doji frowned, “I never asked for your opinion! Birdie, spider! Do you want to fight today?”

Daitengu cocked his head. “Well, you won’t be able to deal with both of us at the same time.”

Tsuchigumo was more direct. “I would rather die than submit.”

The air seemed to crackle as the strongest three yokai of the mountain seemed poised to fight. The other yokai were either thrown back or spat up blood from the pressure. Shuten-doji was clearly the strongest, but he couldn’t guarantee a victory if the other two battled together. But no matter who won, Theo would lose out.

That can’t happen.

Kiiiiing!

A wave of pressure crashed down on the three yokai. It was a strength that could wreak havoc on the entire mountain. The three yokai stopped glaring at each other as they turned to the source of the pressure, Theo.

“Are you going to fight without listening to the rest of my proposal? You might regret it.”

Daitengu growled, “Human! Even if you are strong...”

“Freedom.”

That one word was enough to silence both Daitengu and Tsuchigumo. They had been trapped on Oe Mountain for a thousand years, desperately longing for freedom. Could Theo really promise them their freedom?

Theo took advantage of the sudden silence. “If you cooperate in my battle, I will provide you with a place to live freely, away from this narrow mountain.”

Tsuchigumi spoke for them both. “How can we believe you?”

Theo shrugged. “If you don’t believe me, I will give you a vow. How about it?”

Shuten-doji wasn’t that interested in a free life, but the other two great yokai were immediately on board. They would become allies depending on the severity of the vow. If a transcendent vowed using their name, it wasn’t unusual for them to die if the promise was broken. So, it was a promise that even the great yokai could trust, despite knowing human malice.

Daitengu probed, “Can you explain in detail? I will listen and decide.”

Tsuchigumo nodded. “Me too.”

Theo acquiesced easily. “Okay, I was already going to do that.”

Daitengu, Tsuchigumo, and the other yokai focused on Theo. The hundred or so yokai paid rapt attention, drawn by the promise of freedom. Theo’s lips curved at a pleasant thought.

The southern swamp will be able to accommodate all these yokai.

It wasn’t something he had come up with on the spot. He had started thinking about it ever since he heard of Oe Mountain. Despite Sloth’s banishment, the swamp was still unstable. It had been the epicenter of a truly excessive amount of mana, so it would take time for the ecosystem to return to some semblance of normalcy. Average people still couldn’t enter it, and the nearby ecosystems were still suffering the monsters’ depredations.

But the yokai can adapt to this ecosystem.

Yokai were a phenomenon, rather than creatures. The high concentration of mana in the swamp would just be life force for them. It would be a place where they could relax and wouldn’t have to eat each other to maintain their existence. Of course, there were a few violent ones who would attack humans, but he could easily place a few conditions to keep the problem ones confined to the swamp. In any case, humans would need several centuries before they were ready to open up the southern swamp. By that time, the yokai that moved to the swamp would’ve disappeared due to the greatly diminished mana concentration.

Daitengu agreed. “... Okay. We will be your force if you keep your promise.”

The spider yokai nodded. “I, Tsuchigumo, will follow you.”

Once the two great yokai agreed, the rest of the yokai howled in agreement. It felt like the entire Oe Mountain was crumbling.

“I swear by the name of Theodore Miller!” His right hand shone golden as Theo proclaimed the liberation of Oe Mountain in a loud voice, “Follow me!”

The thousand year prison, Oe Mountain, had finally opened.

***

Wuuuong-

A hole hung in the air, and a black-haired young man slowly walked out. Theodore Miller, the greatest magician of the present age, according to Seimei, had returned from Oe Mountain. He didn’t even get a moment to enjoy the blue sky as people rushed toward him.

“You are back!” The crowd split apart as Seimei spoke in a bright voice. “Is the story good?”

Theo smiled. “Well, it is okay.”

Seimei mused, “It wouldn’t have been difficult to convince Shuten-doji, but how many others did you convince to come along?”

Theo nodded and gestured at the hole that had yet to close. “All of them.”

Seimei stilled. “... What?”

“They all said they would follow my orders.”

“Don’t tell me...” Seimei’s eyes widened with astonishment as a palm appeared through the hole. The purple skin, ugly face, and violent aura had given many Japanese people nightmares in their childhood.

“Kuhuhu, the outside air after a thousand years isn’t bad.” Shuten-doji looked down at the frozen humans behind Seimei and laughed. Then he saw someone who shouldn’t have been alive.

“Seimei! You damn bastard! You’re still alive!” Once Shuten-doji saw his enemy, he roared loudly, and the air became several times heavier.

An explosive aura emerged, and most of the people fell to their knees aside from Nobutsuna, Toman, and Suzuka. The power that Shuten-doji spontaneously emitted was horrifying.

However, Seimei just laughed. “No, look carefully. Why would I send him if I had been alive all this time? I’m not without conscience.”

“... Damn fox!” Shuten-doji ground his teeth as he realized Seimei’s condition. “You broke your promise to fight again because you died! I have nothing to talk about with a person like you!”

Seimei winced, “I didn’t want to break it. I’m sorry.”

“Shut up!” Shuten-doji snapped. He looked angry, but his back gave off an odd melancholy as he pushed past the abashed Seimei.

Theo sent Seimei a subtle look, but Seimei just shrugged. “I thought we would fight once more before I died. I didn’t know I would be defeated in the empire.”

Theo replied, “Don’t make excuses.”

Seimei said quietly. “I’m not. I didn’t mean anything. You should know that.”

Seimei might be shaped by the power of the Eight Jade Magatamas, but he was still just a fragment of his soul. He might be able to act independently, but he could never go far from Theo. He was in no state to keep his promise with Shuten-doji.

Kung. Kuuong. Kung.

The yokai filled the courtyard after Shuten-doji. Each one was a national threat stronger than the top ranked monsters. Daitengu and Tsuchigumo were surprised to see Seimei, but they politely passed by once they realized his state. Shuten-doji’s reaction had been the outlier.

As the yokai quickly filled the area, Seimei spoke with half surprise and half excitement, “You did a lot better than I expected. The more you have, the better. This should be enough.”

“What are you thinking?”

“It is impossible to use humans and yokai in the same unit. So I will do the opposite.”

The best shaman, Abe no Seimei, had been named as a great master, and there were countless records about how he had tricked the yokai. Strange trickery was usually a synonym for Seimei.

“I will split the troops into two forces between the north and the south, and use a blitz attack to crush each base!”

It was the earnest start of the war.