Tales Of Ayakashi

CHAPTER 15

The yokai who resemble humans are known as great yokai, and they stand at the apex of the Underworld and are the rulers of the realm. 

There is no greater distinction between Yokai once they reach immortality and gain a human form. The greatest difference between a stronger great yokai and a weaker one, you could say...lies in the difference of their ages, or shall we say...experience. 

The ninetailed demon fox, Shirakashi Ninetails was one of the most strongest great yokai. Following him was the three-legged crow demon,  Yatagarsu; the red cow, Akabeko, and the white serpent god, Hakuja no Myojin. 

Under these four great yokai, they established their respective clans, Ichizoku no Kyuubi (Clan of the Ninetails fox), Ichizoku no Yatagarasu, Ichizoku no  Akabe, Ichizoku no Shiroi Hebigami. 

Under them, there subordinates built their own clans and served their respective main houses for generations. 

The region the Ninetails clan governed is called, Sen no Kusari (Thousand chains). The name holds a particular meaning to the Ninetails clan because Shirakashi's greatest humiliation took place in this very regions. 

The ninetails clan of today was built on the very site that the Heaven Sovereign once placed thousand chains to chain down Shirakashi and tried to defeated him in honorable combat. This was long before the Heaven Sovereign went on his conquest throughout the ninerealms.  That battle ended up in a draw, and neither brought it up ever again. 

It was said that Shirakashi chose this exact spot because he didn't want to let himself forget that day's humiliation and to make that memory into motivation into growing even more stronger. His efforts finally paid off as by the time the Heaven Sovereign was on the last leg of his campaign, not even the Heaven Sovereign had the confidence to win against the ninetailed fox. 

In these four regions governed by the great yokai clans, there are at least one shrine built for the sole purpose of gathering worshipers. After all, it wasn't just gods that granted wishes. Even demons granted wishes. 

Unlike gods, however, yokai didn't do anything for free. Every wish requires a payment. Hence the sacrifices. 

When travelling in Underworld it was inevitable that human's get affected by the dense evil qi in the air. Such human souls, tainted by pure evil qi make for the best nourishment of many yokai. 

How these greedy humans convinced convinced their followers to willingly sacrifice themselves to yokai, he would never know, Ayakashi thought as he climbed up the stairway to the  Amanojaku shrine. 

Beside him, Umeboshi and Ten, two of his personal guards followed him. 

When they finally reached the top and reached the shrine gate, Aobozu greeted him. Dressed in dark-brown robes with a fan tucked in his belt, Aobozu looked no different from a normal priest found anywhere among the humans, with only one glaring difference. The skin that peeked out from the robe-lapels and sleeves and his shiny, bald head was blue all over.  

If that was all then that would be okay. Problem was that anyone looking at him could practically see through him like air if they didn't focus. it was as if someone was looking at the world through a blue-tinged glass. 

Aobozu was what you might call a living ghost. Neither dead nor alive, but on his way to becoming dead. 

Ayakashi wasn't someone that could easily be disturbed by the macabre spectacles that the Underworld had to offer in abundance. But for some reason, Aobozu always made him slightly edgy. 

Maybe it was because you can't look directly at him because all you would see will be a set of robes standing upright with no sign of its wearer. It was strangely unnerving. If Aobozu noticed his unease he didn't let it show. He gave him a bow and led the way inside the shrine in silence.