The Red Hand

Chapter 119 – The Night Parade.

The following day was used to prepare for the impending attack on the Tomogawa family's compound. Akagi's agents detected an uptick in activity at the base, and figured they were prepping for the attack. Several other individuals began to enter the compound, their descriptions matching other members of the family. Akagi's estate was a flurry of the activity, as a large number of family members were recalled to join the attack. She didn't need this many to assault the base, but the Demon demanded flare and pomp, and that was exactly what she was going to get.

Akagi would lead the attack, naturally, and accompanying her would be ninety-nine members of her clan. This was a number far in excess of what was required to defeat the ten Onmyoji they were facing, but the opportunity to lead a real Night Parade was too tempting for the Demon to pass up. Kana had gone to Hishya's earlier in the morning as requested, and would stay the night. Akagi hoped this would relieve a bit of her sister's anxiety and take her mind off events to come, but was certain Kana would still have some issues the next day.

The attack would begin during the gloaming, the time of day most associated with Yokai and monsters. Today would be stormy, and it was expected that a massive rainstorm would blanket the Kansai region just after sunset. The perfect time for a Yokai attack on an Onmyoji base. Whether Akagi may or may not have manipulated this weather pattern is unknown.

Around four PM local time, Akagi gathered her followers and began the trek across Kansai. The Tomogawa family compound was a bit west of Kyoto, and by five, they had taken up positions around the perimeter. Now all they had to do was wait for the signal, and everyone was oozing with excitement.

{Never thought I'd get to lead a genuine Night Parade like a certain Nurarihyon I watched when I was a kid. But well, I'd say its par for the course. My kind are technically suppose to be the supreme commander of all Yokai, and I'd say that's an accurate assessment.} (Akagi)

With each passing minute, the sun got lower, and the rain clouds rolled in. By five thirty, the sun hung low in the sky just barely peaking over the mountains as the distant shadows grew ever closer and a few areas became blanketed in darkness. Rain began to drip down over the compound. Slowly at first, but it picked up with each passing minute.

*CRACKLE* *BOOM*

Lightning and thunder began to roar overhead as the storm picked up, and just after six, the sun went down completely, covering the land in an inky black night, the natural home of the Yokai. Lights turned on at the compound in an attempt to keep vision in the surrounding woods, and spot lights scanned the area around the perimeter. The Onmyoji knew the attack was coming, but not from where or when.

One younger Onmyoji stood at a window in one of the buildings, looking out over the forest. As he stared into the darkness beyond the searchlights, he noticed a pair of red eyes among the trees, which startled him. Calling out to a younger woman nearby, she came over and took a look for herself. But what she saw was not one pair of eyes, but ninety-nine peering back at them. The two panicked before turning one of the mechanical lights to get a better look. But they found that no matter how many they honed on that location, the darkness would not fade and they could see nothing more than eyes starting directly at them. After a few moments, one final pair of eyes emerged, this one a deep orange, and it seemed to stare directly into their souls.

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Akagi turned to her left and right. Her followers were itching to go and prove themselves to her. This would be the first time they'd fought as a family, and the first time they'd come together for a common mission of this scale. They were disciplined, not moving a muscle without her command. She slowly raised her hand into the air in front of her.

"Begin." Akagi said as she flicked her fingers downward. In a flash, everyone charged forward through the darkness. Akagi's ability disrupted any attempt to shine a light on her group, and she commanded a thick dark fog to engulf the base.

"Shall we?" Akagi looked to Yumi, who nodded with a smile. Akagi was taking this seriously and had opted to come as the Demon Lord, though she chose to wear her normal attire, while Yumi was wearing her formal Hakama. She wasn't going to fight, and Akagi asked her to look nice for the occasion.

The two began their slow walk toward the base. Her family had already breached the perimeter wall and fanned out inside. Fighting between the Onmyoji and her people erupted, with the family deploying dozens of shikigami and other summons to shore up their numbers. They could have easily slaughtered the Onmyoji, but Akagi explicitly requested they all be taken alive. Not because she intended to show the family mercy. No, she wanted them alive so that she had the pleasure of showing them just how weak they really were, and well, the Demon wanted to have a bit of fun.

Chaos erupted all around them as they walked into the base, but Akagi and Yumi were completely ignored. She'd extended her ability to walk unseen to Yumi, and the two strolled towards the main building where Kenji, Miyabi, and Juichiro were waiting. The two casually entered the main house, which was empty, and the three Onmyoji seemed to be waiting downstairs. They likely understanding that Akagi would head straight for them and were preparing to face her together in a favorable environment.

Finding a door leading to the basement, Akagi and Yumi walked deeper into the base until they came across what looked like a large underground sparring arena. At the center were Kenji, Miyabi, and Juichiro, all with their weapons at the ready and stern looks on their faces.

"How nice of you to wait for me." Akagi walked closer, her geta clicking against the dirt floor. "You even prepared a stage for your doom. How thoughtful." She stopped walking as she got the half way point in the arena and stood across from them, with Yumi standing behind her.

"You truly are a fool, Demon." Kenji said. "Walking straight into our home, you must either be naive or a complete idiot." He snapped his fingers, and a circle appeared under Akagi. Moments later, she found herself surrounded by an energy field, trapping her.

"That is our family's most powerful Demon sealing barrier. Even the mightiest Yokai from eras long past couldn't escape." Kenji laughed. “You've lost Demon.”

Yumi was outside the barrier but didn't flinch.

"Oh no." Akagi threw up her hands in defeat. "Whatever will I do? You've defeated me. My hubris got the better of me. I walked right into your trap. How could I have fallen for something so obvious. Oh woe as me." She said in a monotone voice.

{That was terrible my Lord...} Yumi sighed at Akagi's delivery.

"Laugh all you want, Demon! But you're never getting out of that barrier! It's of the same kind that the Tokugawa family sealed our sacred weapons with! You have no chance of escape." Juichiro was confident that Akagi was trapped. "See Miyabi. I told you that we'd win. That girl was stupid, even before being turned into this monster. No wonder Shima thought so low of her."

"Y-yeah, you're right." Miyabi wasn't entirely convinced that the barrier would hold Akagi. "But how do we kill her?"

"I will prepare an exorcism ritual. She cannot move from that spot, and once it's done she will be purged." Kenji was quite happy with himself.

"What about the girl?" Miyabi asked about Yumi. Who was standing behind the "trapped" Akagi. “What should we do with her? She isn't a Yokai.”

"Kill her." Kenji said. "She will suffer the same fate as the rest of the Demon's followers. Yokai or not, she's become tainted by the monster and must be destroy."

As he said those words, the ground started shaking violently for a few seconds before stopping.

{Oh dear.} (Yumi)

"It's funny." Akagi's face turned dark. "I know you idiots can't actually harm her. But for some reason, hearing you talk about killing Yumi right in front of me... has made me just a tiny bit angry." She stared at them, her eyes glowing brightly.

{S-she really is trapped right?!?} Miyabi was growing increasingly nervous.

"Be angry all you want Demon. It won't mean anything once we purge you!" Juichiro laughed. "You and your kind must be destroyed. Good must triumph over evil, and our light shall banish your darkness, Demon!"

"Unfortunately for you." Akagi reached out and touched the barrier, causing it to spark with blue energy. "You don't have enough light to banish the darkness that I am." Akagi gripped onto the barrier causing it to crack and explode into a shower of light particles. “It's going to take much more than a little candle like you to drive me away.”

"That's impossible!" Kenji was stunned. "That barrier is unbreakable! You shouldn't have been able to touch it, let alone break it! Not even the ancient Demons our clan fought could do something like that."

{What's going on?!?} (Kenji)

At his words, Akagi started cackling. "Muhahahahahhahah." She laughed and laughed and laughed as she allowed her aura to crash down on the three of them, freezing them in place. "You might have been right. Had I been some ordinary Demon." She locked eyes with Kenji. "But you see, you're not dealing with the average Demon, Kenji." Akagi slowly walked closer to them, black aura poured out from her body and enveloped her in something akin to black liquid fire. "Allow me to tell you what I am. What kind of being now stalks your world, and what kind of creature you've drawn the ire of, Kenji.” Akagi stood mere feet from the three of them “I'm a being born of pure darkness. I am evil, malice, and hatred gave form. I am the terror you've heard of in legends, a being corrupt to the core and nourished by the darkness in men's hearts." Akagi's mouth turned into a horrifying smile. "But more than that. More than anything else, Kenji." Akagi let out a demonic laugh. "I am a monument to all your sins."

{W-what kind of evil has been unleashed upon our world?!?} (Kenji)

Once she was finished her little monologue, Akagi had her shadow leap onto each of them. The three of them began to panic as they frantically cast spells to remove it, to no avail. Slowly the darkness engulfed the three of them before they were swallowed inside. They would not die, yet, Akagi still had much more planned for these three.

She was quite happy with how things turned out, and was equally happy with how well she delivered her carefully prepared speech. Akagi grabbed onto Yumi and began to spin around in the center of the arena, as the two danced to music only they could hear. The battle outside soon came to a close, though calling it a battle would be to give the Onmyoji far too much credit. The 'battle' had been easy, and the entire Tomogawa clan had been subdued, with minimal effort.

"Did you get that on video?" Akagi asked Yumi, who was startled by her sudden question and nearly tripped.

"How did you-" Yumi was cut off by Akagi placing a finger over her mouth.

"Do you really think you can get anything past me, Yumi?" Akagi asked as she spun Yumi around, revealing a small recording device in her right hand that she'd snagged from her. "I noticed this thing quite early on." She sighed. "That Kana... she asked you to record my little speech, didn't she?"

"It's unfair that only I got to hear it, I was going to share it with the others." Yumi stuck out her tongue as she walked back over. "Are you embarrassed?” She asked playfully.

"Not in the least. Go ahead and show everyone for all I care." Akagi laughed. "I worked hard on that one. Combining a corrupted version of a famous speech from a blonde-haired warrior with one of the most memorable quotes from an amazing series. I'd say it's my favorite so far, especially since it was all true." Akagi smiled as she grabbed onto the priestess to begin their dance anew.

The two spun around in each other's arms as the storm raged outside. All that was left was to pass judgment upon the clan's members and finally bring things to a close.