The parts for Death's Doctor really got me this time. Of course you were a little too tired to make it more sentimental at his OWN death but eh :P
Kejourou, you can deny murderous but not the other parts XD
And the ending scene...well I'm going to be honest, the supposed boss of Rihan's arc came out to be rather underwhelming. He just let his prisoner escape, and did about as much as a docile cat would do, after being fooled for most of the story. He'll probably be too down for his epic fight to be that epic :( I expected SO much better from the canon protag you know ...

(Sorry for the late review! I read it this morning, but couldn’t type a proper review until now)

Ah, Hakuzozu! It warms my heart to see you again, buddy. I spent so long with Kitsune no Mago that now the entire Kyoto youkai clan feels like old friends.

But I want to strangle you for letting Death’s Doctor go!

While you might have feared that the explanation was “infofumping”, I think it was necessary (and in literature, dialogue is action). As the Nuras showcased, the first reaction is “no way!”. The Kyoto youkai already look down on the Nuras as lesser youkai (Hakuzozu’s jab about the craftiness of Edo youkai was a good one), so it would make sense that they wouldn’t even entertain the Urban Legends. Not to mention what the Sanmotos did to them in the past.

However, once heard, the explanation makes sense. Kyoto still has issues with the Nuras; they’re not enemies, but they have legitimacy claims. Shiori doesn’t butt into that. I feel it could even be argued they share a common enemy. No, not the Nuras, but Sanmoto Gorozaemon and his cronies.

And there’s one word that explains it all: Kashaimaru. The middle man. A friend of a friend can forge connections that entire parties can’t.

Nevertheless, Hakuzozu’s actions were a surprise because I genuinely thought that Death’s Doctor was going to die. A last stand against some of the most famous heavy-hitters in the Nura Clan, flashbacks to his backstory, reveals about his true goals and his aides, a meaningful final speech to die with some high ground… But then he escaped. Which, I must admit, leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

While I loved the chapter, the Death’s Doctor “final” stand and Shiori’s final thoughts showcase something that has been nagging me about this arc for a time: the narrative favoritism towards Urban Legends in general and Shiori’s faction in particular. I could write at length about it, but I think it’s more clear in meme form:

Shiori and other Urban Legends: Attack, maim, torture or harass the Nuras since the beginning of the fic (short count) / since three hundreds years ago (long count).

Nuras: Finally lose their patience and launch an all-out attack.

Shiori and other Urban Legends: Surprised Pikachu face.

I don’t begrudge that Death’s Doctor and Shiori would have a, let’s say, conveniently narrow interpretation of the events they themselves have had a part in. It’s human, after all. In Death’s Doctor defense, he acknowledges that Rikuo gave them time, and that “some” (not him, it seems) might have used said opportunity to poke the sleeping dragon. Shiori, not so much. Not to mention that the arc has been very keen on showcasing the Nuras at their worst, but not so much with the Urban Legends, despite the fact that, as Death’s Doctor says, dark Urban Legends tend to be the norm. That the whole plot revolves about saving a “princess” from a “castle” also serves to change the perspective against the Nuras, but I’m pretty sure that symbolism was 100% deliberate ;)

Whatever the case, now THIS is the moment I was looking forward to. The real duel. The real deal. Father versus son. Please, tell me that it won’t have a filler episode in the middle XD

Hey,I just want father and son to reconcile...It seems way too wrong...So please author San,give us a happy ending after all these emotional scenes...

Nice Chapter. Really like the last scene where Heiko tries to heal Hikine / Bakaneko. Still waiting for the grand battle between Rihan Jr. and Rikuo though.

And I would like to ask about one line in Inuta and Kohana's exchange :
"IS THAT A GODDAMN JOJO REFERENCE?"

Wow, this chapter was hard. Heiko was one of my favourite new characters, and the revelations about her are like a punch to the face. The good kind of punch, but painful nonetheless. Still, it's good to clarify things. Long before this, I was wondering what a Urban Legend like Hikine, explicitely created by the HM, could have to do with the Kage Onna, since the latter could not have been created by them. There are several unanswered questions, but at least there's an explanation.

Also want to see Heiko in her new attire ;D

You know, I'm getting the impression that the Nura is crumbling down. Mind you, not about military matters. I'm sure that, on paper, the Nuras are winning. But the moral price is high. Rihan's defection has thrown his family into chaos. The Nura's allies are nasty at best and traitorous at worst. Their actions are giving birth to new enemies like Kohana. And now Ritsura has lost a retainer.

Perhaps it's a matter of perspective. Here, the moral boundaries are all over the place:
-Hikine is downright heroic, but as Heiko and Inuta point out, he serves the most cruel and evil group of yokai in Japan.
-Heiko was one of Ritsura's best allies, but she had a great darkness behind her with a secret agenda. Even now, I don't think she knows what she wants.
-Inuta was behind the massacre that has scarred Kohana, but is very aware of what he and his people have done and shows nobility to his enemies even in death.
-Kohana has understandable reasons to seek revenge, but it's twisting her. Even if she wins, she loses.

Perhaps it's a matter of perspective. If we did as in the manga and followed the most heroic members of the Nura Clan fighting the most evil agents of their enemies, the impression would be different. Which could be the next step, since the Doctor is coming next (we're talking about the Plaguesdoctor, right?).

I also feel this was your most meta chapter yet. The discussion about Hikine's character and nature, Heiko lambasting the writer, Inuta commenting that Kohana was "boring" before... This was good. And now it motivates me to write myself.

One your #$&ing Tease. Pausing this long to get to a confrontation everyone has been waiting to see for 8 years...wow eight years, respect man.

Heiko just got really interesting and love how you explained her powers better. I'm considering this an upgrade. Ok now Ao-ju needs an upgrade. Oh maybe a Alan Quartermain teaching, if you can't do it with one bullet don't do it at all, (Mike drop for effect)

Rihan you gotta do what a man's gotta do.
List of your abilities.
Meikyou Shusui
Sakura
Doku (Favorite, and helped create)
Kuro Hansha
Kyoka Suigetsu
Sword Play
Crude hand to hand combat
Dark Matoi (Forced Equip)
Aggressive Fear Mode
Yuki Obiuko (Snow Boy)
Contact Freezing
Distant Freezing
Ice Spikes
Massive Ice Generation (Only when Fear is powered up correctly)
Youzakura
Tale Telling
Tale Restructure
Fear Amplification
Tale Conscript (Hope Rihan learns soon, be very awesome if he can use the fears of his comrades like a mini Matoi)

You got this man.

One of the best Character intro stories I've read, I liked, fell in love, and rooted for Sarutobi. He is a true Nura Clan Yokai through and Through. And it's about damn Time Ritsura gets a new addition, a mind reading Yokai can't get much better than that. Can't wait to see how what a Matoi would be like for them. Ritsura with mind reading powers that would be awesome.

Yes! This is back!

Definitely a good idea to combine the threads of Ritsura and Sarutobi. You're right, Sarutobi's conflict with his father would have looked like a strange deviation. This way, on the other hand, it reinforces the themes in the main conflict. The new versus the old. Sins of the past. Families torn apart.

At one point, Ritsura is a bit disturbed by Sarutobi's calmness after his father's defeat. I wonder if it's telling of Ritsura's moral strength and Sarutobi's ruthlessness. Or Sarutobi's commitment with justice and Ritsura's lack of determination when dealing with family. Or both. That's the good stuff.

I must admit I'm a bit puzzled by Sarutobi's criticising his father for killing under the Second, or their mutual understanding that it could lead to their family's disgrace. I mean, the manga started with Gagoze boasting in a clan meeting about all the kids he had killed. And everyone around him, Nurarihyon included, was like "you're the man, Gagoze!". I'm not sure Maki's death could have been used to condemn him. Killing during the last fifteen years, on the other hand... That's far more severe, because I'm pretty sure that it would mean disobeying Rikuo's explicit orders.

And yet, my favourite part is the ending. The clash between father and son has been in the works for a long, long time. King and Rebel. It isn't going to end well, I'm afraid (for the characters; us readers will surely enjoy it!).

Finally interactions between Shiori and Rikuo. I love her goal. And I recall I made that guess about her goals a while ago.
Rihan I will always be in your corner. Kill me make me into a Yokai so I can serve you for eternity.
Ritsura get off your high horse. It's like being able to act as a Yokai is illegal...your a yokai you snow pissed ice witch. (Much respect for the writing I just don't agree with her opinion)

Thank the Lord of Pandemonium the alert came to my email, even if I couldn’t read the chapter until now. I was worried for a moment, honestly.

This was a chapter of conversations. And they were very good. In no special order:

1. THE NEW AND THE OLD

It’s always good to have Nurarihyon and Setsura again in the spotlight. Even better with Ritsura around. The clash of viewpoints is stark, even in friendly terms. Nurarihyon and Ritsura belong to very different generations with very different values. Us readers probably side more with Ritsura: harming innocent civilians and killing and torturing others for fun is wrong, whereas stopping those who commit such crimes is not only commendable, but a moral duty. And neither in the human world nor in the youkai world do people tolerate invaders and those who betray the group.

And yet, how could Nurarihyon not have sympathy for Shiori and Rihan? “I sympathize with the thought of fighting the entire world for the woman you love”, indeed. Also, he was Shiori once. As in a new creature in the youkai stage, with no clan or ancestry to support him. A new existence that spoused a new way of organizing the youkai world (the youkai yakuza), who aggressively invaded other people’s turfs, killed their people and took their territories. And with the same boldness, he carved a violent path to the capital of the country and the current Lord of the Pandemonium. We forgive him because he was cool, didn’t kill humans indiscriminately, loved one, and defeated people who were worse than him. But he wasn’t good.

2. THE NEW AND THE OLD 2: THE REVENGEANCE

Shiori has always had a way with words. Even at her lowest, she could at least have the opportunity to mock her rival or get under their skin. And she tried the same with Rikuo, successfully at first (although with false equivalences: literally creating youkai that worship her as their “mother” is not the same as gathering preexisting youkai on their own free will), but then he turned the tables. How? With the ultimate adult tool: condescension born from experience. It’s interesting what he points out: that all the youkai who knew the Old World wanted to change it, in one way or another, whereas Shiori, who never suffered it, wishes to return to it.

And Shiori, you should not discard the idea of youkai going to school with humans in the open. There’s a whole alternate universe who would want to have a word with you…

3. EMERGENCY ROOM

Yeah, I like the idea of youkai taking the fourth floor (that shouldn’t exist) of hospitals to make their own. Still, hospitals are a bit depressing, so it’s no wonder the conversations there are depressing too. The one with Kubinashi and Wakana ends in a very sad note, but the most heartwrenching is arguably the one between Ritsura and Ryuzan. Not just because he’s afraid of her now for no fault of hers, but because it’s evident he’s trying his hardest not to hurt her… and failing at that.

Now, it’s Rikuo vs. Rihan time. And those Housei really think he can use Rihan to get rid of Rikuo, or turn him into the new ruler of the Nura Clan? And yet, now Rihan owes him.

So much going on sitting on the edge on my sit in anticipation of the next war to come. Hope Ritsura gets some new Members soon and I knew Rihan was going to go after the traitors. The Kage-onna are more dangerous then I gave them credit for. I'll have nightmares.

I am curious if Shiori will spill the beans to Rikuo about Nurarhyon being the one who told her to attack the Nura Clan territories... and also the reasons for it.

I could also imagine him accusing her of intentionally seducing Rihan to divide the Nuras.
Which she could however counter by the fact that she had actually been rejecting his feeling for nearly 2 years, something that Ritsura should be able to confirm.

What I could also see Shiori pointing out is that Rihan was getting out of control long before he ever was her ally. Bringing up his needles slaughtering of Urban Legends for a Long time. Something that the rest of the Nuras just ignored and not really cared about, as long as it were only Urban Legends he killed.
Theoretically she could even reveal that Rihan killed a member of the Nura Clan long before he allied with her. That is however something that I can not really see her doing, since it would only made the situation between him and the Nuras even worse.

Rihan breaking with his Clan is something that had been in the making for a long time actually.
He afterall made it clear as far back as Nejireme that he doesnt want to be a clan-member and rather build up his own.

Rihan is a sociopath. I too am starting to think so. From most of his scenes you don't get a lot of feeling from him besides him somehow sparing reactions for what would be awkward for normal teens too so in the scenes he does care about someone other than himself or Shiori, even his family considering how he carries himself around them, it comes across as a surprise.
Don't worry Koku-chan, you don't HAVE much of a soul to steal.

Yes, it’s back!

I must admit I was curious about how the interview between Rihan and Tsurara went. I didn’t expect such understanding from her part, yet, in hindsight, it makes a lot of sense. She understands better than many what it means to sacrifice for love.

[“Something like that could have waited for after things calmed down”]

I don’t know if Rihan is being optimistic or just oblivious. I mean, even after things calmed down, I doubt becoming public enemy of the Nuras would make mother-son encounters easier. Not to mention that he could, you know, die in the upcoming battle.

My favourite part, however, was Tamazuki’s thoughts. Oh, yes, how I missed that guy. And he made for a perfect plot device to introduce the meeting and explain the current state of youkai politics. A good summary that I see myself checking again in the future. It’s also quite funny how he resents the prospect of having Rikuo as his boss, yet when he admits that there are worse masters in the world, his own self came to mind.

Ah, Hakuzozu. I missed you too. I wrote about you so often in the past that it brings back memories XD

Surely it’s spooky to have such an observer joining the meeting… but it’s spookier to have a Gokadoin around. A pity for Ritsura that he didn’t spill many beans, although he was a great cockblocker. Which leads me to the next question: what is the role of this Hotaru? How come he was in the mansion? There’s more to him than meets the eye, isn’t there? (although no matter what, I’ll be a Ritsura x Ryuzan shipper to the very end!)

In the end, it’s all politics. Like how now everyone is seeing Ritsura as the undisputed heiress. Or maybe it’s the economy, stupid; targeting Ichinoe’s facilities was, without a doubt, one of the best moves they could have taken. Too often, heroes and villains battle, and both heroes and villains seem to forget that cutting odd the supply lines is always the best way to win a war. It’s especially egregious when, in many cases, the character’s superpower is basically being filthy rich (coughBatmancoughLexLuthorcough). The same applies to Araya.

[“Of course it is, you’d be a psychopath if you did not.”]

I was wondering about that, myself. Rihan is oddly unemotional about this ordeal, so far. His cold betrayal of his clan is disturbing from both a youkai point of view (since they value loyalty to clan and family quite a bit) and a human point of view (because it’s not that he really dislikes his clan, nor does he like the group he’s joining now). Love can do a lot of things, but it can’t be denied that, since the beginning of the story, empathy has never been Rihan’s forte. If there isn’t a personal connection, the chances he’ll care are pretty low. Which, yeah, makes his power to turn Kashima Reiko from the dark(er) side quite ironic.

Now that I mention dark sides, should I fear for Heiko? Is she going to pull a face-heel turn? And I must admit that I don't have an excellent memory and forgot Hikine came from a novel. Are they real-life novels or is it in-universe fiction?

Now I look forward to Shiori’s and Rikuo’s little chat. Like Tsurara’s and Rihan’s example, somehow I suppose it isn’t going to go as I expect.