What came into the group's view was a traditional Japanese mansion, with long corridors, inner gardens, and tatami mats so clean they reflected the soft light of late morning.
As soon as the group crossed the threshold, the youkai guards immediately dispersed in silence, taking up discreet yet strategic positions at the exits and entrances of the main hall. Aside from this sudden movement, the mansion exuded a certain calm and tranquility. Small bells hung from the ceiling beams, tinkling softly with the slightest breeze. The scent of lotus incense lingered in the air, mingling with the smell of aged wood and freshly treated tatami.
"This way…" said Yasaka, sliding open the doors to a spacious room.
The floor was lined with new tatami mats, and cushions were arranged around a low table made of fine wood. An inner garden was visible through the open windows, with a solitary cherry tree at its center and a small pond where koi fish swam under the filtered sunlight.
Ishtar let out a low whistle.
"You live well, Yasaka-san."
"Thank you…" she replied modestly. "It's more functional than luxurious, but I like the tranquility here."
"Tranquility is the best…" murmured Kazuya, sitting down with a slight creak of his knees.
Ereshkigal settled beside him, adjusting the kimono she wore, her reddish-brown eyes scanning the decor with restrained appreciation. Ishtar, on the other hand, flopped sideways onto the cushions as if it were a casual gathering. Shuten, meanwhile, sprawled against a side pillar, still swinging her inseparable gourd as if she were at her childhood home.
Artoria was the last to sit, with her usual military discipline. Her posture was impeccable, legs elegantly folded beneath her kimono.
Kunou rushed to sit beside her mother.
"I'll bring tea and fresh fruits…" announced a tanuki servant, entering silently with her head bowed.
Soon, the table was filled with decorated trays: green tea in delicate porcelain, traditional sweets, and seasonal fruits.
The subtle steam from the tea seemed to relax the atmosphere like a gentle spell.
Kazuya thanked her with a brief nod, picking up a cup.
Yasaka wasted no time.
Once everyone was settled, she brought her own cup to her lips, took a small sip, and, with the serene posture of a leader accustomed to ceremonies and conflicts, spoke:
"So… may I ask the reason for your visit, Kazuya-dono?"
Kazuya didn't hesitate for even two seconds to respond.
"I want an alliance with the Youkai Faction."
The silence that followed wasn't tense… just… normal.
The kind that happens when someone says something important, but no one panics.
Yasaka set her cup down slowly.
"I see." She cast a brief glance at Shuten: "That's exactly what Shuten Douji mentioned when she showed up here after saving my daughter."
Shuten swung her gourd.
"I have my moments."
Kazuya raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Though he hadn't spoken of his purpose to the Oni, she could have guessed based on his request, and so she had already informed Yasaka… He found it a bit surprising, though, since she wasn't supposed to talk, being too busy drinking in bars…
Yasaka turned her gaze back to him.
"You already have the Grigori on your side. And the angels too, don't you?"
"Yes…" Kazuya nodded with a slight blush.
Yasaka raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "So, what's your goal with this? I don't see why you'd be interested in my faction… From what I've heard, your interest is in protecting humans internally and creating a better world where none of them are hunted or used for anyone's ambition. You must know that most Youkai and humans don't get along so well, right…?"
It wasn't just because of the Five Principal Clans of Japan that there was conflict between humans and Youkai.
The reason the legend of the Youkai existed was because things hadn't always been this way; humans weren't always unaware of their existence.
Before the Heian Era, there was a time when Youkai and humans shared the land under the same sky, without fear or mistrust. Spirits and men shared rivers, forests, and mountains like brothers of different blood.
The definitive break began with a mistake. They say it was an arrogant and greedy feudal lord who tried to capture a powerful youkai named Tsukihana, an entity born of water and full moons. He wanted to use her for immortality, for war, or simply out of pride. No one knows for sure. What is known is that the ritual failed, and with it, the conflict between humans and Youkai was born.
Since then, their relationship has never been the same.
In other words, one could say both sides have a certain "bad" history.
And everything that happened with the Five Principal Clans over the last few centuries only reinforced this conflict…
"Yes, I know about that… But…" Kazuya picked up another fruit from the tray. "I don't want to be an enemy of the world just because I chose to protect humans."
Yasaka remained silent for a moment before asking, "What do you mean? Can you explain your perspective better, Kazuya-dono?"
Kazuya nodded slightly and began to explain slowly.
"After I defeated Sirzechs—"
Ishtar and Shuten exchanged a discreet glance, as if thinking here we go again.
"—and sent a direct warning to all factions to stop treating humans like pieces on a chessboard… things started to change."
The room fell silent again.
He continued:
"After that, one of the girls in my group defeated Lugh. Yes, that one—the Supreme Hero of the Celtic Pantheon."
Yasaka raised her eyebrows slightly but said nothing. She had already heard of Scáthach, the God-Slayer of the Chaldea faction…
"And that's not all," he added. "Another one of my group defeated Indra."
"…the faction I founded ended up being seen as a threat. A rising giant. I realized that if I continued alone, I'd soon become the enemy of the entire world. Not because I did anything wrong. But because the fear of other factions affects their pride, and usually, the recipe for trouble is having someone with wounded pride…"
"To avoid being seen as the world's enemy, I knew I needed allies. Heaven. The Grigori. And now, you."
Yasaka leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowing subtly.
"And what's your interest in these alliances? What do you seek with them?"
Kazuya shrugged, the simple sincerity in his voice contrasting with the weight of his words:
"I wanted access to Azazel's research on Sacred Gears, and he wanted to know more about my Longinus, so we reached a mutual agreement…"
"And Heaven?"
"Heaven… well, they tolerate me because my best friend is from there."
"An angel?" Yasaka asked, slightly surprised.
"Gabriel. She's my guardian angel. Literally."
Kunou, who had been watching in silence until then, widened her eyes.
"You know Gabriel-sama?!"
"More or less… our history is complicated…"
Kazuya held the teacup for a moment, as if reflecting on the right words.
"I know many Youkai hold deep grudges against humans. And I understand you have your reasons. I'm not here to deny that or to play anyone's savior."
He looked at the inner garden, where the koi swam slowly under the light. A gentle breeze stirred the bells under the ceiling beams, creating a delicate sound, like the tinkling of forgotten memories.
"But… even with this past, even with all the mistrust between our species, I'm willing to make an effort for us to be allies and help each other."
His eyes returned to Yasaka. There was a firmness there, but not blind stubbornness. It was the firmness of someone who carried the weight of their choices and was willing to see them through to the end.
He set the teacup down on the table, slowly.
"I don't expect immediate trust. I just want you to give me a chance to prove I'm serious. I promise that on the human side, none of them will hunt any Youkai, and all would help them… it may seem utopian, but it's not impossible… I already have an idea of how to make it happen, but it'll take some time…"
Yasaka crossed her hands over her lap, her expression neutral, but her eyes carefully weighing every word. It was hard to read her thoughts.
Kunou, sitting beside her, looked at Kazuya as if seeing him in a new light.
Artoria said nothing but nodded discreetly. To her, what he said was simply… natural. Honorable.
Ishtar snorted, but there was a half-smile at the corner of her mouth.
"You should sell speeches, Master. You'd make a fortune with that."
"It's cheaper to just tell the truth…" he replied, not looking at her.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Yasaka remained quiet for a few seconds.
"I understand… And hearing all this…" She sighed lightly, as if letting go of an invisible burden: "…then, in the name of the Youkai Faction, I accept your alliance proposal."
Kazuya showed no surprise, only nodding with a slight movement of his head.
On the other hand, Ishtar raised an eyebrow with a satisfied smile, while Ereshkigal simply closed her eyes briefly, as if silently giving thanks, and Artoria Lancer gave a faint smile. Shuten spun her gourd in her palm and commented in a sing-song tone:
"And here we go… another knot in the web."
But Yasaka raised her hand before the mood became too light.
"However… there's one condition."
Kazuya turned his eyes to her, attentive.
"I cannot seal this alliance without first involving Amaterasu-sama."
"I'm not saying you need to ally with the Japanese Gods…" Yasaka continued calmly: "But… her support is essential. As I am her priestess and all…"
"Even if I personally accept this alliance, I cannot ignore the fact that a formal union between your faction and ours without consulting her could be somewhat disastrous. If she supports you, there will be no resistance. But if she's against it, well… not even I could keep you under our banner."
"And is she usually hard to deal with?" Kazuya asked bluntly.
In his old world, Amaterasu was an unparalleled monster. In fact, there's a significant divergence in her story compared to this world, as Tamamo-no-Mae wasn't an evil nine-tailed fox but rather an aspect of the sun goddess Amaterasu, a fragment of her soul resembling a fox, a maiden with a tragic fate rather than a villain. Curious about mortal life, Amaterasu relinquished part of her immortality and memories to reincarnate a portion of her essence as a young mortal named Mizukume, who eventually caught the Emperor's attention and was named his courtesan.
Though beloved by many, her divine origins were her downfall, as her fox-like traits began to emerge over time, and Tamamo-no-Mae was falsely accused of sickening the Emperor. Realizing humans feared her despite her innocence, simply because she was different, she was forced to flee. Even as she tried to proclaim her innocence, no one believed her, and she continuously killed her pursuers who once claimed to love her, eventually giving up and accepting her death fighting an army of eighty thousand men.
Instead of being called a Goddess (Divine Spirit), though classified as such, Amaterasu is an Evil Spirit capable of easily defeating 100 or more Heroic Spirits. Even her avatar, Tamamo-no-Mae, claims that if she regained her original strength by regenerating her nine tails, she would become a Great Demon strong enough to destroy "3,000 worlds." She would be an avatar of the apocalypse itself, a threat comparable to the King of Magic and his Order of Human Incineration.
In other words, she would be as absurd as Solomon himself, who, by collecting enough energy with [Ars Almadel Salomonis], could reverse time on a planetary scale to rebuild Earth with new concepts and manipulate time freely, as lesser mages could do so with magic derived from his system. He could also travel through time freely, send his ring to the future, and destroy the Earth's surface in the past, present, and future simultaneously.
This was an utterly absurd feat in his old world due to the conceptual defenses called Alaya and Gaia.
From what he recalled from his first life, in *Fate/EXTRA* and *CCC*, Arcueid Brunestud (Berserker), with her sanity restored, is said to be the only one capable of bringing [Golden White Face] to a level where defeating Amaterasu is possible, however slim the chance, due to her ability to reduce an opponent's power to one-sixth of its normal level. This confirms that Amaterasu's power reigns supreme, unattainable even by entities like Buddha, Kiara Sessyoin, BB, or Hakuno's Servants like Nero Claudius, No Name, Tamamo-no-Mae, or Gilgamesh, even when enhanced by the Mythological Mystic Code.
Amaterasu is a Divine Spirit of such a high class that the axis of time has virtually no influence over her. In a distant era in the past, long before 2030 AD, she awoke from a deep slumber upon sensing the disturbance caused by Hakuno Kishinami coming into contact with Tamamo-no-Mae's Origin, the Mythological Mystic Code of the Sun. Glimpsing the future, Amaterasu saw the folly of her future self and decided to summon her Master to the past to confront them. Within the temple where she manifested, Hakuno observed that the place was saturated with True Ether, a type of Magical Energy completely alien to a spiritron world mage. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would immediately realize that place was an impregnable sanctuary, a cannibalistic demonic temple with no return. Her tails are described as an immense vortex of Magical Energy radiating the golden light of the Sun.
As the true nature of Tamamo-no-Mae, the incarnation of the courtesan who ruins nations, Amaterasu transcends human knowledge and understanding. This is natural, as her existence is based on an offering to the Sun, making her scale of being equivalent to it. Her mere gaze can reduce a person to ashes. Hakuno describes her as an existence impossible to define easily. Her titanic and overwhelming presence confused Hakuno's sense of distance; though she seemed colossal, it was clear they were still far from her.
And from what he had read in *Highschool DxD*, Amaterasu in this world didn't even appear in the story; she was so irrelevant that the Japanese author had discarded her… But since this was the real world, he couldn't help but compare her to the monstrous entity from his old world. Well, he doubted this world's Amaterasu could compare to that horrific monster from his old world…
But it didn't hurt to ask, hence his question.
Yasaka smiled faintly, as if weighing the most diplomatic response possible… but opted for honesty.
"She is… herself."
A polite way of saying Amaterasu did whatever she pleased.
"But, to be fair, Amaterasu-sama is not guided by whim. If she senses your cause is genuine and your effort legitimate… then she will listen."
Kazuya brought the teacup to his lips one last time, savoring the delicate bitterness, before commenting with the casualness of someone merely suggesting an exchange of ideas:
"Then I think it'd be good to meet her in person. Nothing like a direct conversation to avoid misunderstandings, don't you think?"
Yasaka raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised by the calm with which he said it, as if he weren't talking about the oldest and most powerful goddess of the Shinto pantheon. But her expression soon softened.
"If that's what you wish, I can make the arrangements. I can call her."
Kazuya nodded calmly.
"Feel free. Seriously. How long do you think it'd take for her to respond?"
"With luck, one or two days," Yasaka replied. "She doesn't always answer the call… but I believe she'll be curious enough to at least listen, considering the one requesting to meet her is the strongest of humanity…"
"Then we'll wait," Kazuya replied with a slight, ironic smile. "I'm in no hurry."
Ishtar let out a short, nasal laugh, resting her face in her hand.
"You never are. Have you noticed, Eresh? The world could be crumbling, but our dear husband always talks like he's picking flowers for a bouquet…"
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Ereshkigal replied with a gentle smile, her eyes half-closed in appreciation. "We can enjoy Kyoto too…"
"Yes, fufufufu… it'll be fun…" Shuten commented, spinning her gourd and taking a lazy sip.
Artoria Lancer spoke for the first time in a calm tone:
"Having this tranquility in the face of the unknown is what makes him worthy of respect. It's not reckless courage… it's confidence grounded in his actions."
"Thanks for the compliment, Altria," Kazuya replied with a small smile. "But I just don't like acting out of fear. If the sun goddess decides to burn me… well, let it be after she hears me out."
Kunou watched everything with wide eyes, as if witnessing a legendary scene.
"You're going to… talk to Amaterasu-sama in person? Wow… not even my mom does that without thinking it over a lot first."
Yasaka sighed lightly. "It's not that simple, Kunou. And that's why I'm considering it carefully. But… he's not wrong. Sometimes, looking someone in the eyes is the best way to resolve any deadlock."
Ishtar snorted softly.
"And if she pulls a temperamental goddess move and tries to turn you to ashes for daring to have opinions?"
"Then I hope you all avenge me," Kazuya replied in a casual, sarcastic tone, drawing a muffled laugh from Shuten.
"If she does that to you," Ereshkigal said, "there won't be a single temple left standing in Japan."
"Yeah," Ishtar added with a grin, "let her try messing with the wrong wives."
Artoria Lancer merely nodded in agreement.
Kazuya turned to Yasaka once more. "If you want to start preparing the ground, we'll stick around until she responds. Of course, if that's not an inconvenience."
"Not at all," Yasaka replied with a restrained smile. "It'll be an honor to have you as guests for a bit longer."
"Great." Kazuya leaned back slightly, as if he were in his own home. "We can take the chance to rest a bit. It's been… tiring."
Kunou tilted her head. "Can I show you the garden later?"
"Sure, Kunou-chan~"
Suddenly, something happened—
A deafening explosion cut through the air like a thunderclap, shaking the mansion's walls. The ground trembled beneath everyone's feet. Then came the sound of something shattering, wood splintering, human screams, and the roar of fire consuming the world with fury.
An orange light flooded the room through the open windows—not the gentle glow of the sun, but a violent flame licking the sky, followed by a wave of heat so dense that the room's screens began to crackle.
Yasaka was the first to stand, her once-serene demeanor now as firm as stone.
"Kunou!" Her voice was sharper than any military command: "To the secret room. Now."
"But, Mom—!" Kunou leapt up, her face pale, hesitant.
"Now!" The cutting tone of the Youkai Faction's leader left no room for argument. It was the order of a mother, but also of a commander in the face of chaos.
Kunou bit her lip, her eyes welling up, but seeing Yasaka's resolute gaze, filled with authority and concern, she ran. One of the walls slid open with a subtle touch of magic, revealing a hidden corridor. The little fox disappeared through it without looking back.
The momentary silence was replaced by another explosion, and a wave of heat rattled the sliding doors, now partially scorched at the edges.
Ishtar rose, her eyes glinting gold. "That was magic… and it wasn't small."
Ereshkigal narrowed her eyes: "…Yes. It can only mean something powerful attacked the city. It wasn't an accident."
"Agreed." Artoria was already standing, her expression serious.
Shuten, in contrast, simply tilted her gourd, downing the rest of the liquid in one gulp. Her mischievous expression gave way to a serious, predatory smile.
"Smells like blood in the air… hmm, who'd dare attack Urakyoto?"
Yasaka turned to the group, her voice still firm but now tinged with urgency:
"I'm sorry. I can't entertain you any longer. I need to see what's happening."
"Go," Kazuya nodded and said calmly: "We'll do the same."
"I… understand. But please, stay here. I don't want you getting involved in a conflict that might not be yours."
Ishtar snorted loudly.
"Do you know us that poorly?"
Ereshkigal stood unhurriedly.
"If something threatens this city, it also threatens our home, since we're your guests."
Artoria Lancer stepped forward, serious.
"And if it involves innocents… then we don't have the luxury of sitting and waiting."
Yasaka hesitated for only a moment but then nodded with a brief gesture. She knew arguing would be a waste of time.
"Good luck. I'll organize my forces." And with that, she left, sliding the doors with a fluid motion and disappearing down the corridor, leaving only the scent of incense and urgency in the air.
Kazuya sighed, his eyes faintly glowing with his [Clairvoyance] activated, knowing everything that was happening…
Ishtar, on the other hand, seemed excited.
"If this is a declaration of war, we'll return it in kind."
Shuten licked her lips, her eyes taking on a crimson gleam.
"Finally, some fun…"
Ereshkigal, with a much more sober look, approached Kazuya and murmured: "What are your orders, Master…?"
Kazuya merely responded with a faint smile.
"Time to find out who had the stupid idea of attacking the Youkai Faction in my presence."
And with that, he turned toward the door.
Followed by his Servants.
___________________________
(A/N: Author's Note
Hi, everyone!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 🌸
This was an important moment in the political worldbuilding — the kind of scene that blends diplomatic tension with character development. I worked to show the weight behind Kazuya's decision and how he deals with powerful figures like Yasaka and, soon, Amaterasu herself. I want him to be a good leader, and for that, he starts with alliances, not wars.
The explosion at the end was a deliberate twist, bringing back the looming danger that lurks even in the most peaceful moments. Who attacked Kyoto? What's the purpose behind this sudden assault?
If everything went as planned, that tension should have turned into curiosity. 😏
In the next chapter, the Heroic Faction takes action.
💬 And hey — want to just read ahead a bit?
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Let me know:
✨ What did you think of the pacing in this chapter?
✨ Did the development of Yasaka and her relationship with Kunou work?
✨ Was the political tension and the weight of the past between humans and youkai clear?
As always, feedback is more than welcome. It helps A LOT!
See you next time!