A few hours earlier——
Netherworld Hakugyokurou.
Near the west garden, on the veranda, the pink-haired woman sitting there, Saigyouji Yuyuko, finished eating the sakura jelly sent by Yakumo Yukari.
The delicious flavor blooming in her mouth left her extremely satisfied.
In high spirits, Yuyuko immediately ordered Konpaku Youmu to go to the kitchen and make some more delicious things, while also planning to find some interesting ingredients later to give to the restaurant owner, Luke, to help her cook.
While waiting, Yuyuko looked towards the garden.
The garden was open to the public, without any restrictions, so many ghosts would come to admire the elegant garden design.
Right now, one could see ghosts floating in mid-air, wandering around everywhere, curiously staring at the cherry trees meticulously cared for by Youmu.
Just then, Yuyuko noticed a portion of the ghosts seemed to be lining up, moving uniformly towards a certain direction.
Oh my? What's going on?
Even though Yuyuko had managed this place for a long time, she had never seen such a strange situation.
Even during periods of rampancy, that was usually due to a fight breaking out somewhere, causing many casualties.
But even then, the situation in the Netherworld would only tend towards disorder, not order.
The past incident was just like that.
Due to a large increase in the number of ghosts from the outside world, coupled with the phenomenon of the barrier weakening over time, all the flowers in Gensokyo bloomed simultaneously regardless of the season, and a large number of ghosts appeared in Gensokyo.
The Shinigami Onozuka Komachi didn't send these ghosts to Higan for judgment, so the ghosts with nowhere to go could only possess the flowers, causing all sorts of flowers to bloom.
This incident wasn't man-made; simply waiting for time to pass would allow Gensokyo to slowly return to normal, ending the incident.
So what was it this time?
The ghosts had suddenly become docile.
This reminded Yuyuko of a festival once, where a long queue formed in front of the Kappa stalls.
Unfortunately, she didn't get to eat the Kappas' cooking...
"I should go take a look."
There was still some time before Youmu returned with the food, so Yuyuko stood up to investigate.
She arrived at a familiar side of the garden and followed the ghosts' footsteps.
"What's ahead?"
Yuyuko asked one of them.
But the other party didn't answer.
Like a manipulated doll, it continued walking forward.
Puzzled, Yuyuko quickened her pace.
The ghosts didn't complain about an outsider cutting in line; they were quite law-abiding in this aspect.
When Onozuka Komachi sent them for judgment, they probably wouldn't have to worry about going to hell.
Yuyuko continued forward.
Before she knew it, she had left Hakugyokurou.
Slowing down, Yuyuko looked ahead; there was still no end in sight...
"Hm?"
Just as Yuyuko was considering turning back, she noticed the line gradually splitting ahead, forming a circle.
She sped up again and walked over.
"This is..."
Appearing in Yuyuko's field of vision was a semi-transparent, amber-colored crystal.
Inside, it seemed to seal blooming cherry blossom petals and faint blue phosphorescence.
This was something she had never seen before...
Just as Yuyuko was wondering what it was, some ghosts around suddenly started laughing or crying loudly.
"You guys..."
Yuyuko looked at the crystal before her; it seemed to be emitting some kind of fragrance.
The ghosts were enveloped by the fragrance, lost in some kind of illusion.
Some ghosts opened their mouths, speaking of their happiness, which were memories of the living;
Some ghosts cried loudly, recalling past regrets, which were the obsessions of the dead.
These emotions mingled, making the light of the crystal in mid-air even more dazzling than before.
Worried that the ghosts might go berserk, Yuyuko grabbed the crystal.
At that moment, she smelled a clear sweet floral scent.
But it quickly changed to the pungent smell of decaying earth and cold iron, finally leaving a lingering burnt bitterness of incinerated paper ash.
As if foretelling rebirth and destruction...
Although she felt it was dangerous and wanted to throw it away, Yuyuko didn't do so in the end.
She felt an inexplicable allure from the crystal in her hand.
"I'll be taking this first, okay?"
Making an announcement to the ghosts lost in their memories, Yuyuko took the crystal and flew towards Hakugyokurou.
By the time she returned to the garden, the crystal in her hand had unknowingly changed.
Unlike its previous hardness, it had become soft, like a gummy candy.
"Oh my, what a strange thing..."
Yuyuko's eyes lit up, instantly intrigued.
"Could it be like that tree sap from before?"
Looking at the softened crystal in her hand, Yuyuko remembered the ingredient she had previously entrusted Yakumo Yukari to deliver to Luke.
Thinking this, Yuyuko sniffed it again.
Besides the floral scent, the crystal's aroma also carried a hint of honey.
Sweet, tempting, making one unable to stop.
"Yuyuko-sama, I made rice cakes. Would you like to try some?"
Youmu, carrying the snacks, returned to the garden corridor.
The first thing she saw was the master of Hakugyokurou sniffing a strange-looking object...
"Yuyuko-sama? What are you..."
"Youmu, you're back. Do you know what this thing is? I found it outside."
"Um... I hope Yuyuko-sama won't casually pick things up anymore. A few days ago, you brought back something that explodes, making the room full of dirt."
"That was probably one of the Kappa's tools, right? Left behind near Hakugyokurou after attending a Netherworld banquet in the past."
Youmu nodded, agreeing with her master's guess.
Yuyuko then changed the subject.
"Never mind that, look at this. When I first found it, this crystal attracted quite a few ghosts."
"Attracted ghosts? Isn't that Yuyuko-sama's ability?"
"Now its effect seems to have changed, and its shape and hardness have changed too, like that konjac from before~"
With that, Yuyuko placed the crystal on the table.
Youmu also smelled a pleasant aroma at that moment.
For an instant, it was like seeing some kind of illusion.
Youmu felt this thing was somewhat dangerous, so she placed the rice cakes on the table and warned,
"Yuyuko-sama, perhaps we should dispose of it first."
"Let's wait and see, Youmu, it's not dangerous right now~ Rather, this smell reminds me of the sakura tree sap from before."
"The thing you entrusted Yakumo-sama to deliver to the strange restaurant?"
"That's right~ That owner used it to make very interesting snacks."
Youmu knew Yuyuko was referring to the sakura jelly.
She had tasted it too; the flavor was indeed delicious.
"Next time... let's find some more interesting ingredients for that restaurant owner."
"I don't think there are any more strange ingredients in the Netherworld."
"What if this thing is one?"
While tasting the rice cake, Yuyuko casually picked up the softened, suspicious crystal.
"We're missing some tea, Youmu. Could I trouble you?"
"I understand..."
Glancing worriedly at the crystal, Youmu decided to fetch the tea first.
After sending Youmu off, Yuyuko, having taken a bite, leaned against the corridor railing, picked up the crystal again, and observed it.
Under the Netherworld moonlight, the crystal seeped mist, wrapping around her wrist as if pleading.
"Ah well, even inanimate objects have learned to tempt the dead?"
Yuyuko realized the crystal in her hand might not be a special ingredient, but something even more special...
As she chuckled softly, the fragrance drifting from the crystal had already seeped into her soul.
At this moment, the cherry blossoms in the garden suddenly danced wildly, each petal turning into a skeletal butterfly upon landing, converging towards her pupils——
Yuyuko saw images that existed and didn't exist in her memory.
The lingering image of Youmu practicing swordsmanship, the collapse of Hakugyokurou's pillars, the white kimono curled beneath the roots of the Saigyou Ayakashi...
Some... she had never seen before.
The incomprehensible illusions transformed into ropes, winding around her body like chains.
"It seems you aren't exactly from a safe place around here…"
Yuyuko put the crystal into her robes.
"Then let's go look for it. I believe there are more of you and more memories..."
With that, Yuyuko looked outside Hakugyokurou, stood up, and left.
"Yuyuko-sama, I brought the tea!"
Youmu returned to the side of the garden, only to find her master wasn't there.
"Yuyuko-sama? Did she go to rest?"
Puzzled, Youmu noticed the strange crystal from before was also gone...
She immediately put down the tea in her hands and began searching throughout Hakugyokurou.
Her calls echoed everywhere, but received no answer.
Becoming anxious, Youmu recalled what Yuyuko had said earlier.
Finding ingredients for that restaurant owner.
Could she have taken that strange crystal and gone there?
Even so, she wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye.
Confused, Youmu planned to leave the Netherworld and head to Gensokyo to investigate.
But before she could act, a gap suddenly opened in front of her.
Space tore open, and the figure of a blonde woman emerged from within.
"Am I too late?"
"Yakumo-sama?"
"Youmu, Yuyuko is missing, isn't she?"
"Yes, why Yakumo-sama are you..."
"Because I noticed some abnormalities, you see. The Netherworld was originally connected to Higan, Hell, and Heaven through barriers. After I re-established them, the barriers that should have remained balanced suddenly showed some problems."
Yakumo Yukari looked at the cherry tree in the garden.
"This imbalance created gaps between the Netherworld and the living world, potentially allowing living souls who shouldn't be here to arrive."
"Living souls..."
"The desires of living souls are very strong, you know."
The souls of the living are full of desires.
After the reminder, Yakumo Yukari instructed,
"Go find Luke, that restaurant owner. I will also start investigating on my end."
"Does that Luke-dono know something?"
"No, but he will become the key~"
After saying this, Yakumo Yukari fully opened the gap, pulled Youmu inside, deciding to give her a ride.
...
Luke's Restaurant.
The moment Konpaku Youmu arrived——
After the reminder from this half-human half-phantom, everyone instantly noticed the situation outside the restaurant.
The clear afternoon sky had turned dim, as if a heavy rain was about to come.
Against this backdrop, throughout the forest, ghosts and vengeful spirits that had escaped from the Netherworld floated about.
They seemed aimless, but most were wandering near the restaurant Luke had opened.
Confirming this was an incident, Reimu stood up from her seat.
Marisa also fiddled with her magician's hat, preparing to cooperate with Reimu for the upcoming extermination work.
"Looks like we'll have to close for the day."
Luke's expression also turned serious.
Nakiri Erina and Kobayashi Rindou, who had never seen such a bizarre situation, cautiously approached the window.
Ghosts, vengeful spirits, they had only seen them in manga and movies.
Even though they understood Gensokyo's peculiarity beforehand, seeing it with their own eyes now still dealt a certain shock.
"Luke-san, there are many ghosts near the restaurant. We'll deal with them first."
Reimu walked towards the door, followed closely by Marisa who took out her Mini-Hakkero.
"Don't worry! Luke-san! Reimu and I will handle it! We'll make it quick, daze!"
The duo was considered experts at resolving incidents in Gensokyo.
However, Luke didn't just sit back.
His gaze was fixed beyond the forest path, on the road connecting to the Human Village.
With ghosts running rampant and vengeful spirits on the loose now, the Human Village would definitely be affected.
"Reimu, Marisa, I'll leave the problem around the restaurant to you. Suika, you get up and help too. I need to go out for a bit."
"Go out? But it's dangerous outside."
Kobayashi Rindou stared at the chaotic scene outside.
Lacking powers, she could only stay inside the restaurant and watch.
Nakiri Erina also reminded him,
"It's best to wait until things pass, Luke-san."
"I have no objection to that. If it were safe here, one shouldn't go out."
Kagarino Kirie held the same opinion.
She was a vampire, but she didn't have the means to deal with ghosts or vengeful spirits.
Facing the girls' concern, Luke's answer was simple:
"I'm just going to take a look and solve a small problem. The real core still needs investigation."
After saying this, he opened the door and walked out.
Seeing this, Reimu and Marisa didn't waste words.
Following him, they prepared to move to the sides to deal with the surrounding vengeful spirits.
"Have a safe trip!"
Marisa, activating her Mini-Hakkero, waved at Luke, then flew into the sky on her broom.
"Yeah."
Luke responded softly, then started moving towards the Human Village.
However, 'moving' was just a simple description.
The reality was completely different from the literal meaning.
The moment Luke confirmed the direction, he vanished from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already near the Human Village settlement.
But there was nothing here...
Or rather, the Human Village simply didn't exist originally.
"Keine did this..."
As Luke thought this, the scene before him suddenly changed.
The non-existent Human Village reappeared.
Along with it came curious human crowds and a white-haired figure mixed within.
Kamishirasawa Keine handed the children beside her to the adults, then rushed in front of Luke.
"Why did you come?"
"As expected, it's Keine-sensei's ability."
"Yes, I just slightly changed the village's history."
Just like the past Eternal Night Incident.
To protect the village, Keine would conceal its history at night, making the village temporarily history-less, preventing anyone from seeing the Human Village as a way to guard it.
This time, facing the spread of ghosts and vengeful spirits, she chose the same method to avoid danger.
However, after seeing Luke, Keine released her ability.
"The village wasn't in danger, right?"
"No, but once the ability is released, trouble will appear."
As she finished responding, her gaze fell behind Luke.
The crowd on the other side also noticed the danger outside and hurried indoors under the leader's call.
Facing the human commotion, Luke turned around.
He saw youkai and oni possessed by vengeful spirits, with ghosts mixed among them.
Their numbers exceeded a hundred, marching mightily forward.
In Gensokyo, ghosts were relatively docile, but vengeful spirits were very dangerous.
Sometimes even careless great youkai could be possessed by them.
"Leave it to me."
Luke looked straight ahead at the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
The possessed beings, some came from Youkai Mountain, some from the Netherworld.
Luke raised his right hand at this moment, reaching towards a vortex that abruptly appeared in mid-air.
Then he pulled out a weapon from inside.
It was a sword.
The blade had pure gold patterns, inscribed with the names of heroes from the history of a certain world.
This scene reminded Keine of the day she first met Luke.
The person chosen as king had come to Gensokyo.
What changes would he bring?
Keine didn't know, but one thing was certain now.
Luke would achieve victory.
And the reality was just so.
Luke charged into the enemy formation, facing the hundred demons, lightly wielding the weapon in his hand.
The possessed monsters and ghosts were banished to another dimension amidst the fierce impact.
In just a few seconds, with no more than five sword swings.
The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons surrounding the Human Village completely vanished!
---
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