"Shall I go, Master?" Inugami hissed, his head tilting at an unnatural angle. "I want to see the 'Master of All Yokai' scream."

At the Nura Mansion, the atmosphere was uncharacteristically grim. Rikuo Nura sat on the porch, staring at the moonlight reflecting off his tea. During the day, he was just a clumsy junior high student trying to keep his friends out of trouble. But as the sun dipped below the horizon, the "fear" in the air began to shift.

Rikuo’s eyes narrowed. In his human form, he felt the weight of his grandfather’s legacy—a weight that felt too heavy for his teenage shoulders. But deep inside, his blood began to hum.

Back at the mansion, the Night Parade was assembling. Yuki-Onna adjusted her kimono, her breath coming out in cold puffs of frost. Aotabo and Kurotabo stood like twin towers of muscle and shadow.