Upon entering the demon lord's fortress through the iron gate, Raiko and his comrades were taken aback by the sight of horror there. Inside the fortification was a spacious courtyard. A pile of dismembered body parts lay on one side, while heavily armed demons were watching over some barrels on the opposite side. "What is inside those barrels?" Raiko wondered. Sake? Could be! There were, at least thirty onis in the courtyard. All the demons stared at the heroes as soon as they entered, but none rushed towards them since Kuma Doji was leading them into the fortress. There were dried and fresh blood stains all over the place, and the entire space was filled with an odd, nauseating stench.
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| Image by Kohji Asakawa from Pixabay |
After crossing the courtyard, they came into a huge hall that was packed with onis. There were at least fifty onis there, engaged in sipping sake and squabbling with one another. The room fell silent for a few moments as the heroes entered. The humans' presence in the hallway startled the onis. A couple of maidens were serving sake to the onis in the hall as well. Their intense terror and persistent fear of being slain at any time were evident in their expressions.
The hallway included three doors, one on each side, and the third one, the massive one, was being watched over by two oni guards. The door had a strange symbol on it and was embellished with gold beads. As per Kuma Doji's order, the onis stationed there opened the door, allowing the heroes to make their way into another hall. Despite being much bigger than the last hall, this one was almost completely empty except for a massive table in the middle. Anyone entering the hall would undoubtedly feel uneasy because it was surrounded by an ominous darkness. There was no window, and there were just a few torches in the massive hall, not enough to drive out the overwhelming blackness. The majority of the hall was entirely pitch black, and one could sense that there were potential dangers lurking there.
There was a powerful oni at the end of the table who could only be Shuten-Doji himself. His appearance and armor served as symbols of his power and dominance over everyone else. He had a frightening crimson visage with five horns sticking out of his forehead, but what was even more disturbing were the two big, opaque, and watchful eyes. All of the long, razor-sharp fangs had a crimson hue to them. His arms resembled a tree trunk in size. The heroes all realized that, in hand-to-hand combat, they could not defeat the monster. The only possible option was to kill him while he was not awake.
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| Image by Fabricio Encalada from Pixabay |
There were three more onis on the table. Their attire made it clear that they had the same rank as Kuma-Doji. Raiko surmised that these were Shuten-Doji's'shitenno'. On the table was a huge map and a gigantic bowl full of half-cooked human meat. A few drinking bowls and bottles of sake were also there. A maid in the room was constantly filling the bowls with sake.
Shuten-doji was obviously amused by Kuma-doji's words. "Really. You trespassers have faith in our way of life. Then join in our feast and savor our sake and food."
Seeing that the heroes couldn't figure out what to do, one of his three generals, seated at the table, addressed the yamabushis, saying, "Don't you hear what the lord said? Come, sit here and eat this meat if you believe in our way."
Raiko was prepared to deal with this. "Our order states that you should never refuse food offered by someone." . He approached the table after quietly praying to the gods to pardon him for the sin he was about to commit. A large number of chairs were around the table. Raiko pulled a knife from his bag and sat down in the chair next to the oni, who asked him to devour the flesh. He sliced off a chunk of the mass and proceeded to idly munch on human flesh. Others sat on the seats after him and began to eat as well. The demon king seemed surprised and delighted by the yamabushis' response. He also asked them to try the blood sake.
As told by the elders, Watanabe no Tsuna gave others the dried leaves to chew on before consuming the sake. Although the sake had a strong odor and was certainly excessively intense, its flavor was not unpleasant. The sake lost its potency due to the dried leaf, and no one became intoxicated by it. Even after consuming such strong sake in such a vast quantity, Raiko saw that the demon king and his allies were still fully awake.
"I'm very pleased to see you, folks. You share our strength and ambition. Well, because you support us and cling to our lifestyle, feel free to stay with me and observe our might in the impending battle." The demon king said. "I'm grateful, sir. But did you mention battling?" Raiko responded. "Yes, but first let me know about your order. Why do you favor living the way of the demons? I'm curious about your practices." Raiko was at a loss for words and began to perspire. After all, he was not a yamabushi.
Suddenly, Sadamitsu said, "Let me explain, my lord." We follow in the footsteps of the great monk En no Kimi Ozunu as yamabushis (mountain monks). We adore Fudo Myoo, who keeps us safe from all kinds of dangers as we travel. Despite the fact that we perform shugendo, our order adheres to the unique ideology that holds that there is no absolute right or wrong. Whether a law is good or wicked, we adhere to its strict enforcement. Would you like to know more? Then, allow me to elaborate a little."
Raiko and his colleagues were perplexed as Sadamitsu described the philosophical doctrine to the demon king, wondering how he had learned about the yamabushis in such detail. The demon king, however, was delighted to learn about the practice. "It's a pleasure to meet you humans. I suppose I can put my trust in you all. Would you like to adhere to me and share my words with the world?If so, rest certain that, if it pleases me, you will receive recognition for your efforts as well. I will rule all of Japan in due time. You'll be among my deputies if you prove yourself worthy."
Raiko replied, "Lord, I heard that you were planning a battle; may we know what you are planning to do?"
"I am going to burn down the Enryaku-ji temple complex and the capital city of Heial-kyo with fire. I get a bad taste in my mouth just thinking about Enryaku-ji. Humans, as you are well aware, are wicked. They are weak, dishonest, cunning, and liars. Humans are only useful as my slaves or as our food. As you may know, I used to be a devoted follower of Enryaku-ji. As the most capable student there, I was also polite and obedient. However, everyone became envious of my extraordinary traits and began to harass me. One day, I had to leave the dangerous place in order to stay alive."
Raiko sympathized with Shuten-Doji as he expressed his rage, adding, "It was an injustice that happened to you. Despite being a human, I believe demons to be far more moral and law-abiding, even if people view demons as chaotic beings.They do not, at least, deceive like people. They might seize things by force, but they won't do it via trickery." Shuten-Doji seemed ecstatic upon hearing this. He has some excellent listeners who accept his unique interpretation of the events.
You know, my friend, that we have been living in peace on this mountain for the past one hundred years. We visit the city occasionally to get food. We are constantly targeted by those wretched humans. Just a month ago, Ibaraki-Doji, my dearest and most reliable comrade, traveled to the Heian-Kyo in order to make some acquaintances. Under the pretense of a trader, an unscrupulous human mercilessly hacked off her right hand. She barely managed to make it back alive. For us, this is too much. I'm done with this. We've made the decision to put an end to this terror. We intend to demolish Heian-Kyo for the evil mindset of its people." Watanabe no Tsuna was listening to the demon when, all of a sudden, another oni wearing a white kimono appeared out of the shadows at one corner of the hallway. It was none other than Ibaraki-Doji.
"Why have you let the humans sit with us? I don't trust these creatures." Ibaraki-Doji came close to Watanabe no Tsuna and smelled him. She gazed at him for some time. "No, this human doesn't look like him. This weakling smells like that treacherous Tsuna, but it is not that one. Still, I would love to drink it's blood." Ibaraki-Doji yelled.
"Do not eat these humans. You will soon get plenty of others to quench your thirst, my dear. I shall particularly bring that so-called samurai Tsuna to you. These are our allies. We can use them. Moreover, they follow the demonic path of life." Though Ibaraki-Doji did not approve of the idea of making human friends, she could never ignore the instructions of the demon lord. "Why don't you drink some blood sake instead? Drink from this bottle. This blood sake contains virgin's blood. You monks, why don't you eat? Eat meat and sake as much as you wish. Our sake is beyond comparison, as it is prepared with the best quality rice and pure virgin's blood."
Raiko was waiting for such a moment. "I mean, no disrespect, Lord, but our special sake is much more potent than your blood sake. If you doubt, you can taste it."
"Really. I would love to. But never ever have I tasted a sake more potent than ours."
Raiko took out the bottle of poison sake given by the elders and served the demon king in a cup. Shuten-Doji drank the entire sake in one sip. "Humm, this is indeed very potent. I have never tested anything like this. Serve this to me again and to my four generals...and, of course, to Ibaraki." Although the demon king and his shitenno enjoyed the sake very much, it was Ibaraki who just tasted it with a little sip and left the cup there. She was suspecting something messy. Soon she left the hall as silently as she entered.
As the king and other demons were gossiping with the disguised heroes, Hosho suddenly asked, "Why have you stored so much blood sake in your fortress? I have noticed many barrels of sake outside. Shuten-Doji and his companions started to lough laudly hearing so. "They are barrels full of black powders. They are explosives. We have brought them with the help of an ally from China. We already have twenty barrels of those powders and will soon get another shipment of twenty such barrels. Within a week, we are going to burn down the entire heian Kyo to the ground, enslave all the women, and kill all the men. They will pay for their treachery."
"Perdon me if I am wrong, but I have heard that the imperial army of Heian Kyo is quite strong. It will be a tough battle for you." Said kintoki. "Hah, do you think I am not aware of their strengths and weaknesses? You have no idea how powerful the black powder is. Only ten barrels of such powder can destroy my iron fortress. I shall go there with forty such barrels and an army of nearly four hundred onis and hundreds of allies who were subdued till date by the so-called civilized humans as bandits and unrest. One oni is equivalent to at least one hundred humans, and we have many special magical abilities.
Let me tell you people a secret. As a pupil at Enryaku-ji Temple, I learned about the power of meditation, and for the past the past hundred years, I have improved my abilities through rigorous auterisity and meditation. Not only am I invincible on the battlefield, but I have also taught my companions how to improve special abilities through the use of correct mudra and meditation. These are my four best companions, each having a unique ability. You know Kuma (meaning bear) has enormous strength and can crack a wall of stone with a single punch. This is Torakuma-Doji (meaning tiger bear), who can roar so loudly that weaklings get frightened and start running amok in panic. Hoshikuma-Doji (meaning monk bear) can move faster than lightning, and Kane-Doji (iron demon) is as hard as iron and invincible against any metal weapon. I have learned about a special sign that gives more strength to the onis." As Shuten-Doji stopped, Kintoki said, "Yes, I have noticed a special golden sign on the door, and in some other places the same sign was drawn with blood."
"I see; you are quite perceptive as well," remarked Kane-Doji. Sometimes, the heroes noticed that the demons were all drunk and that they were actually speaking in a slurred voice. Soon Shuten-Doji stood from his chair and said that he was retiring to his bed chamber for the night. His companions also stood up from their places, and they all left, instructing the oni guards to provide a room for the yamabushis to stay in the fortress.
The heroes were escorted to their room. The OI guards licked the door from outside and left. It was a shabby, moist room with wooden walls and a wooden floor. How do you know about the Yamabushis? I am wondering since they Kintoki asked Sadamitsu with surprise. I got a handwritten book in the hut of the monks, and I read the book during this journey whenever we sat to take rest. I was thinking of becoming a mountain monk after retirement. Raiko smiled and said, "Thanks to your retirement plan, we are still alive to reach the age of retirement some day." Suddenly, they heard someone opening the door again. It was the maid they met by the lake. "How could you get the key?" The maid replied, "I have a master key. This opens up most of the rooms in this fortress. I have a friend here. Shuten-Doji himself likes her very much, and the devil himself gave her this key. I have told her about you, and she has agreed to help. She has given me this key. Now listen carefully. Just at the end of the passage outside your room, you will notice a storeroom with a red sign on its door. This key will open that door as well. Go there, and you will find your armor and weapons."
"Thank you, lady. We shall do the rest. But we need you with us, as we don't know this fortress. We need you to take us to the bed chamber of Shuten-Doji by midnight. Don't be afraid. We shall keep you safe." Raiko said.
"I shall come at the proper time. My friend will help you enter the bed chamber of Shuten-Doji unnoticed. You are our last hope. There are many hostages in this fortress. You should rescue them all and end this terror once and for all." As the woman left, the heroes decided to take some rest before embarking on their night quest.
To be continued...
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part I)
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part II)
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part III)
The Legend of Minamoto no Raiko: The Fall of Shuten-Doji (Part V)
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