Nura Clan headquarters.
Rihan Nura, who had just returned with his wife, frowned slightly upon noticing Yukari Oikawa standing to the side as he entered the reception hall. Without comment, he addressed Nurarihyon directly:
"Old man, why did you have Karasu Tengu summon me back so urgently? Has something happened?"
Nurarihyon remained silent, only casting a wary glance at Wakana Nura beside Rihan.
Sensing her father-in-law's hesitation, Wakana Nura calmly said:
"I still have yesterday's laundry to finish. Please excuse me."
Once Wakana left, Rihan turned to his father with exasperation:
"What's going on that even Wakana can't know about?"
Nurarihyon sighed, pulling out the documents Luo Shu had left earlier from beneath the low table. He placed them on the surface and tapped them:
"See for yourself."
"Hmm?" Rihan picked up the documents and scanned them.
His expression froze instantly:
"Otome?!"
Nurarihyon discreetly observed his son's face twisting from shock to fury before bellowing:
"Where do you think you're going, Rihan?"
Almost the moment he spoke, Rihan Nura had grabbed the documents and turned to rush out of the room.
But at that very shout, his footsteps faltered, his movements freezing momentarily.
At the same time, Yukari Oikawa, as if anticipating this, blocked Rihan's path. Her cheeks puffed slightly before she exhaled a blast of icy breath.
The crackling sound of freezing ice swiftly followed.
A wave of white frost surged forth, encasing Rihan's legs in place. Though he could easily break free from such restraints, the sight of the old man even drawing his beloved sword, Nenekirimaru, left Rihan momentarily silent.
"Old man, why stop me?"
Nurarihyon bristled at being called 'old man,' hopping in agitation. "Brat, what kind of attitude is that?"
"If I'm stopping you, it's for your own damn good!"
"With the state you're in, did you really think you could just charge into the Hagoromo Group's stronghold alone?"
Rihan, however, remained unfazed, even disdainful. "So what? You think those yokai from the Hagoromo Group can stop me?"
His arrogance only infuriated Nurarihyon further. "Oh, so I can't control you anymore, is that it?"
"Fine! I'll go wake Yōhime right now!"
With that, he turned as if to head straight for the clan's ancestral shrine.
Seeing his father genuinely prepared to disturb his mother's resting spirit, Rihan finally backed down.
"Alright, alright! I won't go. Just don't drag my mother's ghost out of the shrine. It's bad for her."
The first lady of the Nura Clan, Yōhime, had been a human princess with healing abilities in life. After her natural death, Nurarihyon used secret arts to transform her into a ghost. However, as a human-turned-ghost, she required time to consolidate her spectral form, which meant she usually slumbered within the clan's shrine.
Awakening her prematurely risked damaging her still-fragile soul, potentially erasing her existence entirely—a fact Rihan knew all too well.
As much as his wife's situation mattered, losing his mother in the process was a price he couldn't pay. His impulsive fury had to be reined in.
Hearing Rihan's surrender, Nurarihyon snorted triumphantly and turned back, a smug expression written across his face.
'Thought so. Still got you under my thumb.'
With that, he returned to the low table and sat down.
After a brief hesitation, Rihan shattered the ice at his feet and joined him, sitting opposite the old man. "Where did this intel come from, old man? I refuse to believe Hagoromo Gitsune—that cunning fox—would let something like a plan to control my ex-wife and assassinate me slip so easily."
Seeing Rihan regain the composure befitting a yokai lord, Nurarihyon saw no reason to withhold the truth. "It was sent by Director Luo of the SDS Hidden Management Department."
Rihan's eyes widened. "The Hidden Management Department's Director? That ruthless bastard who wiped out an entire race the moment he debuted?"
"The very same." Nurarihyon nodded. "Seems some of Hagoromo's underlings have set their sights on the fresh livers of SDS reserve members."
"What?" Rihan was stunned. "You're sure Hagoromo ordered this? Since when has she been this brainless?"
Though the SDS was considered an external force, Rihan Nura knew exactly what capabilities this 'dragon crossing the river' possessed.
The department heads of the SDS all possessed combat abilities at least on par with a Great Yokai.
Not only that, each director-level figure carried two or more powerful Abyss Artefacts. The methods of certain directors were so bizarre that even Rihan Nura found them extremely troublesome—dealing with just one required meticulous planning.
And even if you want to deal with them, the SDS directors weren't some fools.
Whenever director-level figures are truly mobilised, they typically deploy between two and five Special Operations Groups, a battalion of 500 troops, and the latest cutting-edge weaponry.
Under such circumstances, even if the Nura Clan wanted to eliminate an SDS branch, they'd likely need all their executives to mobilise and form a Hyakki Yagyō to guarantee success.
But the moment they attacked an SDS branch, Rihan Nura wouldn't even need to think before realising the Nura Clan would next face the Supreme Chairwoman, wielding the Kusanagi Sword.
That pink-haired enchantress's power to nullify abilities, combined with state-of-the-art modern weaponry, was practically every mystic side practitioner's nightmare.
"Has Hagoromo Gitsune gone stupid after reincarnation? Actually provoking those people?"
Rihan Nura rubbed his chin, sensing something fishy about the situation.
Hearing this, Nurarihyon calmly replied:
"Hagoromo Gitsune just reincarnated. It probably wasn't her order—more likely her subordinates acted independently."
"That explains it."
Rihan Nura suddenly understood:
"Those Kyoto yokai who spend their days dealing with Onmyoji are completely steeped in outdated traditions. They've probably never experienced the brutality of modern weaponry."
"Tch. Hagoromo Gitsune's about to get royally screwed by her subordinates' conservatism."
Having lived in Tokyo for years, Rihan Nura knew full well the destructive power of modern military equipment.
Bombers, incendiary bombs, aircraft carriers—he'd seen all these human creations countless times during his years in Tokyo.
It was precisely by witnessing these human inventions that Rihan Nura realised the era of yokai ruling the night had passed.
Thus, compared to the complacent Kyoto yokai, the Nura Clan naturally understood the disparity better and acted far more prudently.
Nurarihyon didn't deny that Hagoromo Gitsune was about to suffer. In fact, he agreed completely:
"If that woman wants to use Otome against you, there's a high chance she's hiding in Tokyo right now."
"But before we act, I need you to do something first."
Hearing this, Rihan Nura immediately caught on:
"Old man, have you struck some deal with the SDS?"