The little fox's name was Yasaka, daughter of Kyoto's youkai leader and the young princess who oversaw the city's hidden world.
Although she revealed her identity to Yoru, the girl still seemed only half-convinced, not fully believing his words.
Yoru could only shrug helplessly before calling Azazel and Gabriel.
This was the kind of matter better left to professionals to handle.
Both Gabriel and Azazel treated his report with utmost seriousness. By the time Yoru and Yasaka emerged from the shrine, the two were already waiting for them.
As for the crow tengu and fox priests who had attacked Yoru earlier, they were still frozen in place in the same poses as before.
"Aren't you going to lift that evil spell you cast on them?!" Yasaka said unhappily upon seeing the state of her attendants.
"This isn't an evil spell—just a little trick, that's all," Yoru replied. With a casual wave of his hand, the frozen figures instantly returned to normal.
Freed from their restraints, everyone gasped for air as if they had narrowly escaped death, all the while casting wary glances at Yoru.
Seeing Gabriel and Azazel, they understood that this man was not an enemy—but that didn't make them any less intimidated.
"Hmph! Who knows what kind of trick you used… Gabriel-sama! It's been so long!"
The little fox's annoyed huff vanished the instant she spotted Gabriel. Her eyes lit up, and she called out joyfully—it was clear she knew him.
"Hehe, long time no see, little Kuzuha. Last time I saw you, you were still in your mother's arms, begging for attention," Gabriel said warmly.
"Uuuh… Gabriel-sama, my mother was taken away! And this bad guy bullied me!"
Upon seeing Gabriel, Kuzuha immediately threw herself into his embrace, crying.
"Don't worry, little Kuzuha. We'll definitely find your mother," Gabriel soothed her, though even the Archangel's expression grew heavy.
"Could it have been the Khaos Brigade?" Yoru raised an eyebrow, voicing the name.
"Most likely, yes," Gabriel admitted with a helpless nod.
"By the way… who exactly is this bad guy?"
Seeing how familiar Yoru and Gabriel seemed, Kuzuha tilted her head curiously.
"Him? He's the strongest soldier in the history of the Underworld. With him around, your mother will be rescued in no time," Gabriel reassured her.
"Hmph, so he's just a soldier," the little fox muttered, clearly unimpressed. Gabriel merely smiled faintly, unbothered.
"I haven't done anything to you—how did I suddenly become the bad guy here? Be reasonable," Yoru complained.
"Hmph! Bad guys are bad guys!" she said stubbornly, hiding her face in Gabriel's arms.
"Alright, this isn't the place to talk. Serafall from the Underworld is here too—let's go discuss this together," Azazel said.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Led by Gabriel, they stepped into a place completely different from the outside world.
It resembled an Edo-period street, with rows of old-style houses. Strange creatures peeked out from doors, windows, and narrow alleys.
"Didn't expect a torii gate hidden in the quiet grounds of Kinkaku-ji to lead into a whole other world," Yoru murmured in amazement.
His harmless demeanor made the smaller youkai curious, but with the Archangel Gabriel and the Governor of the Fallen Angels Azazel at his side, none dared approach.
The space here felt darker, the air different from the human world—it was, after all, the domain of youkai.
"Welcome, Gabriel-sama… and Azazel-sama," a mature fox spirit girl greeted them politely.
"Lady Leviathan is already inside, awaiting you both."
Following the fox girl, they passed through the lined houses into a wooded area split by a small river. Deeper in, a massive red torii gate came into view. Beyond it stood a huge, imposing mansion that radiated ancient authority.
In front of the gate, dressed in a kimono, stood Serafall.
"Oh, you're finally here! Ya-hoo, I've been waiting forever. Yoru, you didn't bully little Kuzuha, did you?" she teased playfully.
"Of course not! I'm a fox spirit, after all—this little devil here would be no match for me!"
Kuzuha's face flushed at Serafall's pointed remark, and she hurried to deny it.
"As long as you're okay, that's what matters. When we heard even the little princess had been captured, the youkai were in quite the uproar," Serafall said.
What exactly did I do? I didn't do anything! Yoru thought irritably, rolling his eyes.
Inside the mansion, they all sat together in the main hall, and Yoru finally learned the full story.
Kyoto's youkai leader—the Nine-Tailed Fox Yasaka—had left the mansion a few days ago to meet with an envoy sent by Indra of Mount Sumeru.
However, she never arrived at the meeting location. Suspicious, the youkai began an investigation, eventually finding one of her crow tengu escorts near death.
Before dying, the crow tengu reported that Yasaka had been attacked and kidnapped.
The youkai then began a thorough search for suspicious individuals in Kyoto, and a worried Kuzuha had immediately attacked Yoru the moment she saw this unfamiliar face.
"So, I'm requesting the Three Factions' help to rescue my mother," Kuzuha declared, sitting in the seat of honor with the dignity of a princess.
"Sigh… whenever the factions try to work together, something like this always happens. Like with Odin—did Loki show up then? And now, the enemy is the Khaos Brigade," Azazel remarked, glancing at Yoru. The last time, this man had single-handedly taken down both Loki and Fenrir.
"It's no surprise if it's the Khaos Brigade—they've been our old enemies for a while now. I just wonder what their goal is in kidnapping Kyoto's youkai leader," Yoru said casually.
His words made everyone present fall into thoughtful silence.
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