Chapter One: Even the Mightiest Demon Must Bow Before Me!
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In the early years of the Sengoku period in the East, the northern region of the Musashino Plain along the Tokaido was a place of vast, sweeping lands.
Tonight, beneath the shroud of darkness, an army of staggering grandeur had halted in this prosperous corner of the world.
The campfires blazed so fiercely that they seemed to turn night into day, illuminating the encampment's surroundings.
Clad in armor, their numbers exceeding eighty percent, foot soldiers and banner-bearing samurai patrolled ceaselessly, the clatter of their armor echoing through the night.
Yet even amidst this formidable protection, at the heart of the camp beneath a great banner emblazoned with the three-rhinoceros crest, stood the lord of the army.
Tall and handsome, Hojo Akitoshi!
His brow furrowed and his face troubled, he stared blankly at a scattering of crystal-clear jade fragments laid out before him.
“Is this the obstacle of knowledge?”
Hojo Akitoshi muttered, gazing at the jade fragments, his worries etched deep.
He recalled that he had once been a promising young man from Blue Star, versed in the heavens and the earth alike.
But one day, he awoke to find himself in the early days of the Hojo clan during the Sengoku era.
From infancy, he began scheming to unify the realm under military rule.
At nineteen, after finally displacing Hojo Ujiyasu, the expected heir of the clan, he awaited victory in the current battle of Kawagoe to rightfully claim leadership of the Hojo family.
Next, he would strike down the Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen, kick away the Dragon of Echigo, Uesugi Kenshin, and ultimately defeat the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Oda Nobunaga, dispatching the monkey and the turtle with ease.
Thus, he would become ruler of this land!
But who could have foreseen—
The more he stared at those jade fragments, the clearer the look of unexpected misfortune grew on his face.
“Sigh, this is not only the Sengoku period of the East, but also the world of Inuyasha?”
“Are those rumors about monsters truly as they say?”
Silent and forlorn, Hojo Akitoshi, who had lived here for nineteen years, only now began to understand his true identity.
“That Hojo who secretly admired Kagome, failed to win her heart, and replaced her with a random girl he found on the street.”
“To make matters worse, he insisted the girl change her name to Kagome!”
Hojo Akitoshi sighed again.
What sin had he committed?
“Lord, Lord, why have you halted our advance at this moment!”
“Kawagoe Castle is just ahead; the Takeda and Imagawa armies are besieging it day and night!”
“If our great army cannot arrive in time and the castle falls, how will you realize your ambition to unify the realm?”
While Hojo Akitoshi continued to lament his fate, a loud voice rang out from outside.
Despite the guards' attempts to restrain him, the owner of the voice burst in.
“Oh, it's Mitsuhide!”
Upon hearing this, Hojo Akitoshi composed himself, setting aside his momentary gloom brought on by the realization that he was in the world of Inuyasha.
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A palpable aura of ambition rose within Hojo Akitoshi, as he fixed his gaze on the one who had barged in from outside.
It was Akechi Mitsuhide, whom he had recruited early on. Hojo Akitoshi smiled, signaling him not to act rashly, especially not to lose composure in front of the samurai at such a time.
“My deepest apologies, my lord.”
Seeing the intimidating aura of Hojo Akitoshi, Akechi Mitsuhide immediately knelt, as if to atone for his actions.
After bowing respectfully, Mitsuhide looked up, his confusion evident.
“My lord, Kawagoe Castle is within reach. With the might of our Hojo forces, crushing the combined armies of Takeda and Imagawa should be effortless.”
“But why?”
“Why?”
Hearing Mitsuhide boast of their military strength, dismissing the Takeda as mere rabble, Hojo Akitoshi felt a surge of pride—his years of hard work had not been in vain.
But...
“Monsters.”
What must be faced cannot be avoided. Though Hojo Akitoshi had seemed troubled moments before, now, understanding his predicament, he was not one to retreat easily.
Otherwise, how could he be about to ascend as head of the Hojo clan?
Was Ujiyasu, the original heir, merely a pushover?
Quietly, he uttered the word “monsters,” and saw a flash of astonishment on Mitsuhide’s face.
“My lord, you mean...?”
Mitsuhide’s tone softened. As an Eastern noble, the likelihood of encountering monsters was far lower.
It could be said that the higher the nobility, the less likely monsters appeared nearby.
Except for rare cases like Naraku, who lacked any sense of propriety, it seemed an unspoken pact existed between the monster world and the human nobility.
They did not interfere in each other's affairs.
This was the reason Hojo Akitoshi, after nineteen years in this world, had only now realized its true nature.
“Would the Takeda or Imagawa really dare defy the world and collaborate with monsters?”
“Those monsters may occasionally snatch a few people, but why would they dare intervene on a large scale in our human wars?”
Furious, Mitsuhide struck the ground with his fist.
“Heh.”
Hojo Akitoshi smiled at Mitsuhide's indignation.
“The Takeda and Imagawa have not allied with monsters. But when you walk, do you care about the ants beneath your feet?”
“In the same way, powerful monsters, when passing through, can easily wipe out any human army blocking their path. It means nothing to them.”
“What?”
Mitsuhide’s voice rose in shock. Though indignant, he was not oblivious to reality.
“Are we the ones blocking their path, or—?”
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The implication was clear: if it were the Takeda or Imagawa, it would be a stroke of fortune.
But if it were the Hojo—
Then, even if it meant dishonoring the samurai’s code, one must bow to necessity. They would have to yield.
At worst, they could later recruit monks, onmyoji, and priestesses to restore their dignity.
“It’s the Imagawa.”
Hojo Akitoshi quietly named the unlucky party—the army that was wiped out when Sesshomaru first appeared, seeking trouble with his brother Inuyasha.
Watching Mitsuhide’s reaction, Hojo Akitoshi knew his subordinate’s response was correct.
But that did not mean he himself would bow to the era’s conventions.
After all, if he could defeat the Tiger, the Dragon, the Demon King, the Monkey, and the Turtle, should he also tolerate a dog and a spider on his head?
Wouldn’t that make his victories over the Tiger, Dragon, and Demon King meaningless?
“My lord!”
Noticing his master’s displeasure, Mitsuhide bowed deeply, his forehead touching the ground.
“For the sake of the Hojo’s grand cause, please endure this brief shame. Even the First Emperor of the ancient Eastern empire once granted a title to Lao Ai, and Liu Bang suffered the siege of Baideng. Once you become ruler of the realm, monsters will be nothing—swept aside with ease!”
“I know.”
Hojo Akitoshi calmly signaled Mitsuhide to rise, idly picking up some roasted soybeans set out as a snack.
“Give orders to return to the Hojo’s main castle. Search for the Celestial Robe of Feathers presented to us long ago, and bring me the Blade of Heaven from the secret Naginata of Heaven and Earth.”
“Send ninjas to seek out the demon-slayer village where a woman named Sango lives, and the monk Miroku, who bears the Wind Tunnel curse.”
“Also, summon High Priest Shinsen, who sealed the demon horse Flame Hoof and the Infernal Oni, and the wandering priest Cloud Cliff, who travels with his disciples to exorcise demons.”
“Find the priestess Tomoko, whose spiritual power rivals that of Kikyo in her youth, and the black priestess Stake, who once competed alongside Kikyo.”
“Gather them all and bring them to me!”
“Yes!”
Seeing his lord’s resolve, Mitsuhide knelt and answered with a bow. He quickly repeated Hojo Akitoshi’s orders, and as he rose to relay them—
“Send more men to scout for a place called Maple Village, where the famous priestess Kikyo once lived.”
“Find the residence of the Immortal Peach Hermit as well.”
“Assign surveillance to the Demon Priestess Ritao.”
Before Mitsuhide left, Hojo Akitoshi added these final instructions.