"Wind Magic, Wind Gust!"
A scream filled with rage came from somewhere deeper into the cave. It was the voice of the chief who had previously beaten the Abura Sumashi. Soon after, an unusual wind blew from inside the cave, sweeping away the smoke that had collected in that spot.
When the smoke was cleared, the chief could finally see what was happening, and his eyes rested on Souma and his companions on the ground who were bleeding.
"YOU!" shouted the leader with his eyes turning red with anger, "You really messed up, kid. Don't hope to leave here alive. "
The man, therefore, ignited his spirit power, and a layer of light covered his body. Seeing this, Souma cursed within himself.
'Shit, a high third stage apprentice rank… we're even on cultivation. He is also able to use Wind Magic. If I had known this earlier, I would have aimed to take him out sooner at all costs, even if it meant dealing with others at the same time.'
The chief took something from behind his back and placed it on his hands: it was a pair of what looked like brass knuckles. However, these brass knuckles were peculiar as they had four metal points in the shape of a bear's claw attached to an oval-shaped ring. After that, the leader ran at full speed against Souma, waving his arms as if they were blades.
Scratch!
Souma quickly dodged the first blow, letting the metal claws strike the cave wall. The claws dug easily into the rock, making four holes in the wall.
'The power behind its claws is high. It's not just because of his muscle strength; he is imbuing the Wind Magic to increase the cutting capacity of his weapons. As a result, I can't get hit.'
Souma immediately analyzed the enemy's strongest point, but even if he had guessed correctly, it didn't change the danger of those claws. Meanwhile, seeing Souma dodge his first blow, the chief waved the other claw as he released the one stuck in the cave wall.
Slash!
The claw hit the air, making a soft ripping noise as if the air itself was being cut. Fortunately, Souma had a strong physique and good reflexes, so he was able to dodge the incoming blow as well as the others that followed.
'He's gaining momentum… his hits are getting faster.' thought Souma, realizing that the intensity of the claw blows was increasing. At the moment, he was having a hard time dodging attacks.
Peng!
One of the chief's claws landed on Souma's sword, forcibly backing the young man.
"You are mine!" shouted the leader, waving his second claw, ready to strike from above.
"Fire Magic, Burning Blade!" Souma shouted in turn.
Souma's sword caught fire, generating powerful reddish flames. After that, the sword collided with the approaching claw.
Peng!
Sword and claw collided. Souma was pushed back again, but this time his enemy didn't attempt to attack him. Instead, he was holding his right hand, the one he had attacked with earlier, in pain.
"Fuck!" the man cursed as he waved his hand in the air. Small burn marks could be seen on his hand.
'I see; the wind on his claws served as a shield. Yet, it didn't completely block my flames. This means that his synchronization with the Wind Magic is less than mine with the Fire Magic.' Souma analyzed.
Realizing this, Souma smiled slightly and set off to attack. Although they were even in terms of their cultivation level, having a higher synchronization rate now, he had the advantage in the fight.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
The leader continued to attack left and right with his claws. It was as if he had become a mad beast. In fact, he realized that his opponent was more dangerous than he thought, even though he was still only a kid.
Souma was also responding and attacking without sparing himself. The force behind the claw blows was high and would make him back off. Thus, his arms were taking a lot of pressure to make the sword keep pace with the enemy's series of attacks. However, with each exchange, he could feel the force behind the claw strokes diminish.
'The fire is taking effect. His hands are starting to feel burned. Time to pick up the pace.'
"Fire Magic, Flame Burst!"
The flames on Souma's sword burst forward, wrapping the man's figure in claws. The latter screamed in alarm as he summoned his Wind Magic.
"Wind Gust!"
His spirit power created a wind that lessened the flames' intensity, but his synchronization and familiarity with the Wind Magic weren't enough to completely cancel the attack. Moreover, he was now completely exposed, at the mercy of Souma's attacks.
Stab!
Souma's sword struck the man from behind the back. The blade that had been rekindled with the flames penetrated the defensive layer of spirit power and the flesh, coming out on the other side.
"Flame Branching."
Although such a blow was more than enough to kill a person, Souma didn't want to risk it. So he activated his Flame Branching technique. The flames on the sword spread like branches of flame within the man's body, burning the internal organs.
"Aaargh!"
The man let out an inhuman scream that calmed down shortly after. Souma then put out the flames and brought out his sword. Without worries, he cleaned the blade of his sword on the clothes of the now dead man and put it back in its scabbard.
"And now only the yokai is left."
Souma took a deep breath and went deeper into the cave. Shortly thereafter, he was able to see the yokai responsible for the theft huddled in a corner clutching something: a teapot.
But this teapot had a strange shape. It had, in fact, small arms and legs while the lid had taken the shape of a hat. Additionally, in the front part, the one opposite to the handle, it had two protuberances similar to lips from where a small flame came out from time to time.
"That's-" Souma exclaimed in surprise. Although he didn't know the type of yokai, he generally guessed what it was.
'A tsukumogami. An inanimate object that has come to life. Some say that tsukumogami are possessed by spirits and then come to life, while others say that it is the emotions that create the spirit of the tsukumogami. For example, an object held with great affection can awaken and become alive, as well as an object that is used to kill people. However, it is rare for this to happen; otherwise, every object would become alive after some time.
Although they aren't born as yokai, the moment they become tsukumogami, they become so, even if only partially. I have heard that they don't possess spirit power, but they need an external source. However, they have a yokai core, and these cores are particularly good for creating alchemical products. So if I killed him, his yokai core would undoubtedly make me gain a lot.'
After thinking that, Souma shook his head. Even though the yokai were the enemies of the human race, and his job was to kill them, he didn't feel like doing it.
"Souma, my little one. The yokai aren't all bad, just as humans aren't all good. In the future, you may run into situations where you will have to choose whether to kill or spare a life. In those moments, I want you to keep in mind what I told you."
The words of his deceased mother rang in his mind. His mother had taught him that not all yokai deserved to be killed, just as not all humans deserved to be saved.
'The yokai from the mansion attacked the place, injuring the people who lived inside. Fortunately, no one has lost their life, but it was just a coincidence. A massacre could very well have taken place. For this reason, even if they had decided to stay in the villa, they had to be eliminated. Who knows if they would later decide to move and attack other people.
However, these yokai… From the way the first yokai holds the tsukumogami tightly to it, it seems that they are friends. Considering how the man from earlier beat it, is it possible that it was forced to steal the barrels of oil because its friend was being held captive? '
After some thought, Souma made his decision. In his heart, despite having experienced firsthand the ferocity of the yokai against humans, he agreed with what his mother had told him. Furthermore, the main reason behind the yokai attacks wasn't due to hatred but because they were hungry. However, that didn't diminish their responsibility for killing humans.
However, weren't humans guilty of this crime either? How many animals were killed to feed humans? How many yokai were killed to feed humans' desire for power?
"It's okay; I'm not going to hurt you," Souma said aloud as he put his sword back in its sheath. Then, he untied the scabbard from his belt and placed it on the ground, a few meters away from him.
Noticing Souma's actions, the Abura Sumashi raised its head. It could feel the sincerity in Souma's words, unlike the many humans it had met. However, part of it still mistrusted Souma.
"I'm what you've been waiting for: I'm the person in charge of investigating the theft of oil barrels. You left the footprints on purpose, so I could kill these men for you, right? So you can free your friend." Souma said, pointing with his finger at the tsukumogami held in the arms of the Abura Sumashi.
Hearing this, the Abura Sumashi finally decided to get up. Slowly, he began to move towards the cave exit. However, at some point, it stopped. It put down the tsukumogami and walked over to Souma.
"What's up?" asked Souma, who thought the yokai would run away immediately.
The Abura Sumashi rummaged through its frayed robes and pulled out a rock. It set the rock down and then walked away.
"This is ..." Souma exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes. "It is undoubtedly an Elemental Stone. It is an object that has acquired within itself the energy of one of the Eight Elemental Magic. Although the concentration of spirit power inside doesn't rank the Elemental Stone at the highest level, according to my calculations, it could help me increase my Elemental Synchronization by up to 3%. The only flaw is that the element inside is the Earth one. But I could very well exchange it for an Elemental Stone of Fire or Light."
The Eight Elemental Magic were the Elements into which Magic was divided. Those who awakened their spirit power and learned to use magic possessed an affinity with at least one of these Elements.
Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Poison, Light, and Darkness. In addition to these eight, there was also the Magic of Space and Time. However, these two types of magic were something that only those who had reached the last rank of cultivation could begin to understand. After all, the synchronization with these two types of magic was incredibly difficult, if not impossible, because there were no external objects that could accelerate the process.
"Thank you very much. It will help me without a doubt." Souma thanked the yokai, placing the Elemental Stone he had received in his bag.
The Abura Sumashi nodded and returned to its friend tsukumogami. However, Souma stopped it, "Wait."
The Abura Sumashi stopped and looked at Souma with wary eyes. It had given the Elemental Stone as a thank you for helping it to free its friend. However, it feared Souma could ask it to give him more.
"Can I know what kind of yokai are you?" Souma's request was simple: to know what kind of yokai the two of them were.
'In the future, I may come across similar yokai, and it isn't certain that they will be as friendly as these two. However, if I know what kind of yokai they are, I can look up the information in the Exchange Centers.'
The Abura Sumashi thought for a moment, then replied by pointing first to itself, "Abura Sumashi," then it pointed to its friend, "Abura-Tokkuri."
After answering Souma's question, the Abura Sumashi took the Abura-Tokkuri in his arms and ran out of the cave before Souma could ask him other questions. Souma let him go and turned his gaze instead to his surroundings.