After the small incident, Morpheus and his group returned to the hotel.
Dinner wasn't held at the hotel, as its cuisine couldn't compare to the culinary skills of Erina Nakiri or Emiya. Instead, they ate in Morpheus's room.
The lavish meal was, of course, prepared by Morpheus's follower, Erina Nakiri.
After enjoying the feast, Morpheus and the others began a card game.
Everyone played with gusto, and time slipped by amid laughter and chatter.
By eleven o'clock, Hitomi, Saeko Busujima, Miko, and Hana had fallen asleep.
Only Morpheus and the Heroic Spirits remained awake.
As the night deepened, Morpheus noticed Kyoto's atmosphere growing heavier, a faint trace of yokai energy drifting through the streets.
As time passed, this energy grew denser.
Standing by the window, Morpheus gazed down at Kyoto's streets through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
The number of pedestrians dwindled, while otherworldly presences multiplied.
After midnight, the ancient city of Heian-kyo revealed its hidden face to Morpheus's group.
A thick wave of yokai energy blanketed the city, so potent it even obscured the clear moonlight.
Kyoto's streets came alive once more.
But this time, it wasn't humans who filled them.
It was yokai.
One after another, yokai emerged from all directions, gathering in droves and parading through the streets.
Countless in number, they included Nurikabe, Hone-onna, Kubinashi, Hitotsume-nyudo, Wanyudo, and Aoiandon.
There were also Hashihime, Yamawaro, Shiranui, Yatsume, Takaonna, Yamajiji, Amefurikozo, Okubi, Karasutengu, Kagenui, Yuki-onna, Neko-mata, Jorougumo, and many more.
Innumerable yokai roamed the streets.
Some pushed carts, selling wares; others shouted boisterously without restraint.
Some slipped into houses to play pranks, while others soared through the sky.
Hyakki Yagyo.
Without a doubt, this was the legendary Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
But this wasn't an organized or premeditated event.
It was a spontaneous gathering of yokai, reveling in Kyoto's night.
If Kyoto's days belonged to humans, its nights belonged to yokai.
Raikou stood beside Morpheus, watching the lively scene below with a wistful smile. "It's been a long time since I've seen this."
Morpheus glanced at her. "You mean, in your era, Kyoto was like this?"
Raikou nodded, confirming his words. "Exactly. In my time, Heian-kyo's days were for humans, but its nights belonged to yokai."
"Once midnight struck, Heian-kyo was their domain."
"Even I couldn't change that."
Though Raikou was powerful, having vanquished great yokai like Shuten Doji, she couldn't oppose every yokai in existence.
Heian-kyo's nights had always belonged to yokai.
It was an ancient tradition.
Even she couldn't eradicate them or alter this custom.
So, at night, yokai would gather for the Hyakki Yagyo, enjoying their fleeting moments of freedom.
During those times, Raikou would patrol, seeking out yokai who broke the rules.
Morpheus, curious, asked, "What do you mean by 'yokai who break the rules'?"
Raikou explained, "Those who sneak into homes under cover of night, intending to harm or kill humans."
"While Heian-kyo's nights belong to yokai, that doesn't mean they can kill freely."
"Seimei made an agreement with them: the nights are theirs, but they must not kill without cause."
"But there are so many yokai in Heian-kyo, and many ignore the ban, unwilling to comply."
"They often sneak into homes at night to feed on humans."
"That's when we step in, patrolling to find and slay those yokai."
Martha, listening, asked, "And if you didn't find them?"
Raikou replied calmly, "If we didn't catch them, the matter might go unresolved."
"How could that be?" Martha pressed.
Raikou sighed helplessly. "Heian-kyo was vast, with a large population, and there were too few warriors willing to patrol at night."
"Many areas were beyond our reach."
"That's why some yokai dared to defy the rules and take risks."
"As long as they weren't caught in the act, they often faced no consequences."
"Driven by greed, they grew bolder."
"Our patrol teams suffered high casualties as a result."
"This continued until I slew Shuten Doji."
Shuten Doji, the ghost king of Oeyama, was a notorious great yokai in that era.
Many yokai who committed crimes in Heian-kyo sought refuge under him in Oeyama.
Raikou had long found him insufferable.
Eventually, she seized an opportunity and killed him.
When she returned to Heian-kyo with Shuten Doji's body, the entire city was stunned.
The infamous ghost king of Oeyama, defeated? Unthinkable.
From that day, Heian-kyo's yokai no longer dared to act so brazenly.
They feared the warrior who could slay even Shuten Doji.
Time passed, and the era of Heian-kyo gave way to Kyoto.
Yet the nights still belonged to yokai.
This unchanged tradition was, in its own way, a miracle.
"Look, some unlucky souls over there," Oda Nobunaga said suddenly, pointing to a spot.
Morpheus followed her gaze.
Among the throng of yokai, a few humans had somehow mixed in.
By all accounts, it was past midnight. After a long day, most people would be resting.
Yet some night owls wandered the streets, only to stumble into the yokai's procession.
Not just unlucky—catastrophically so.
Nobunaga, smirking with schadenfreude, said, "I'd bet those guys aren't from Kyoto."
Martha asked, "Why do you say that?"
Nobunaga replied, "Kyoto's nights have always been the domain of yokai. Locals know better than to go out at night."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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