To Hikigaya, who could shake the very foundations of the earth, passing through solid ground was essentially the sa as an ordinary person walking through air. He felt almost nothing.
Passing through layers of earth and stone, Hikigaya entered a vast cavern. The cave was profoundly dark, lacking even a single ray of light. However, that was only from the perspective of ordinary biological sight; Hikigaya did not rely on light to see. He was, in himself, the incarnation of the most radiant light.
He descended lightly, landing upon a flight of stone steps. The steps were long; the section behind Hikigaya led all the way up into Nijo Castle, while before him, massive stalactites hung from the ceiling. So had already rged with the ground, and one could see cliffside openings leading to even deeper underground spaces.
Hikigaya followed the stone steps down, walking through this silent, lightless subterranean world, passing strange geological landscapes shaped by the forces of nature. Then, he saw a pond quietly precipitating and accumulating in the darkness.
What gathered in the pond was not simple water, but a product steeped in so specific substance. This was not important; what mattered was the person currently taking a cold bath in the pool.
The stark-naked Hagoromo Gitsune lay in the water with her eyes closed. If Hikigaya hadn't known what she was actually doing, he might have thought she was practicing the backstroke...
It appeared this was the "Nue Pond" ntioned in the intelligence, the place where Hagoromo Gitsune would give birth to her child, "Nue."
Nue is a relatively famous yokai in Japan—a creature rumored to have the appearance of a crow, the wings of a black swan, the talons of an eagle, the tail of an eel, and the strength of an ox. It is a controversial entity, with lore stating it kills villains with indescribable cruelty while protecting good people. The caveat to this setting is that Nue is the one who judges who is good and who is evil.
In this world, the true identity of Nue is Abe no Seii—the child of a samurai and a fox. By day, he was a high-ranking Doctor of Astronomy; by night, he was the yokai leader who commanded the Night Parade of the Heian capital. He certainly knew how to live.
As Hikigaya reached the edge of the pond along the stone steps, the Hagoromo Gitsune in the pool opened her eyes. Sothing seed wrong with her; her beautiful face was flushed crimson and her eyes were blurred and dazed, yet filled with killing intent. This killing intent felt less like it was directed at Hikigaya and more like a natural, unconscious reaction.
Nine fox tails surged out from the water, extending infinitely as they struck toward Hikigaya accompanied by fierce winds. On Hikigaya's shoulder, Tamamo-no-Mae, who had been acting
as a silent ornant, also opened her eyes. Nine fox tails likewise unfurled behind her, eting the attack in kind.
In front of Hikigaya, eighteen tails clashed and thrashed together with a cacophony of cracks and pops. The originally calm pond was churned up like a surfing beach, the waves roaring. Hikigaya's gaze pierced through the tangle of tails to land on Hagoromo Gitsune.
Beneath long eyelashes, her blurred, beautiful eyes were full of a strange pleasure. Her long, jet-black hair was draped over her shoulders, just barely veiling her "bountiful fruits," extending down past her waist and clinging to her elastic, peach-like curves and slender legs like black satin sewn from the finest silk. Her skin was no longer as pale as before, having taken on a faint, healthy pink hue.
Seductive, enchanting, wild.
The "character setting" had collapsed... she looked like a ghost under the influence of so drug.
However, it was hard for her; how could a mother foresee her own son digging a pit for her? After all, she could never have imagined how warped Abe no Seii would beco after her death.
Seeing that the eighteen tails were becoming so entangled they were about to knot, Hikigaya waved his hand, and the tails were jarred apart. He then stepped directly in front of Hagoromo Gitsune, grabbed her unconsciously flailing arm, and pinned her back into the water.
"Are you sober yet?" Hikigaya looked at Hagoromo Gitsune... or rather, at the fetus developing in her womb. "Either I leave and you cause your trouble later, or I destroy you right now. Choose one."
Hagoromo Gitsune's body was incredibly soft and carried a scent of jasmine, but mixed within it was the aura of the Netherworld. Under Hikigaya's threat, this aura rapidly dissipated. In Hikigaya's eyes, the fetus in her belly quickly lost its "spirit"; what remained was rely a fine physical vessel. Just like Hagoromo Gitsune, it possessed the dual nature of human and yokai—it was man, and it was demon.
Without the interference, Hagoromo Gitsune's eyes quickly regained their clarity, and she realized her embarrassing predicant. She looked at Hikigaya calmly. Her mind was filled with confusion: How did I end up pinned under the Rakshasa King for no reason? Is he going to do "that"?
At this thought, she hurriedly arched her waist and tossed her head back. The ssy hair on her right chest was flung to her smooth back, and the large peaks swayed up and down before Hikigaya's eyes as her body moved. A trace of panic finally appeared in her gaze. In her thousand years of reincarnation, this was the first ti she had encountered such a crisis.
But Hikigaya just wanted to complain. What was this demoness trying to do? She was actually making him feel a bit hot. But regardless of anything else, was he really supposed to do "that"
in this pitch-black, bizarre water? No matter how thirsty one might be, one shouldn't go that far...
Releasing her hand, Hikigaya's body rose from the black water, and he stood before her upon the surface.
"You seem to be progressing smoothly." He adjusted his mood and reminded her: "But do not forget our agreent."
"This Concubine has not taken the initiative to harm humans." Hagoromo Gitsune took a deep breath; her high chest heaved with impressive waves.
Hikigaya observed carefully and reached a conclusion—Tamamo-no-Mae had lost. Truly, there is always a higher mountain.
"As long as you haven't forgotten. I'll protect you once when the ti cos." Hikigaya nodded and turned to leave. The Nura Clan people were likely coming; Hikigaya didn't necessarily like or dislike those yokai, but he was bound to run into them.
Watching Hikigaya's departing back, the Nine-Tailed Fox tidied her scattered hair, the flush on her face still lingering. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as her delicate hand gently stroked her belly—which showed no change despite the impending birth—and her nose exhaled a cloying fragrance.
"Seii, my little darling... do not worry. This Concubine will protect you. This ti, I will definitely give birth to you!"
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