Chapter 923: The Oni Gate

The Oni Gate was not simply a hidden city or a small magical territory located somewhere in Japan. It was an entire dimension, created by the Japanese gods themselves at the end of the great Heian Era, when the relationship between humans, deities, and supernatural creatures had reached a point where direct coexistence was no longer possible. As humans began expanding their territories, destroying ancient shrines, and increasingly treating supernatural creatures as legends or threats, the three great gods of Japan—Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo—decided to create a place where deities and non-human races could continue to exist without depending on the understanding or acceptance of mortals.

The creation of this dimension was not carried out by the three alone. Inari Ōkami, the Goddess of Prosperity, known among humans for her countless manifestations connected to foxes, also participated directly in the construction of the new world. Inari was an extremely ancient and powerful goddess, as well as one of the most important figures among the Yokai. Her influence over Japan’s supernatural creatures was so great that, after the creation of the Oni Gate, she eventually took the position of Queen of the Yokai. Under her authority, the various races that had once lived scattered throughout Japan found a territory where they could establish their own communities, preserve their traditions, and continue to exist without having to completely hide their nature.

The result was a reimagined version of Japan itself. The Oni Gate had mountains, forests, rivers, cities, villages, temples, roads, and large urban centers that resembled human Japan, but everything there had been adapted for the existence of supernatural races. Some regions were dominated by enormous Oni cities, while others belonged to communities of Kitsunes, Tanukis, or Bakenekos. There were territories where Kappas built their own villages near rivers, forests where Nekomatas roamed freely, and mountainous regions occupied by Kijins and other more aggressive creatures. There was no single dominant culture, because the Oni Gate had been built precisely to preserve hundreds of different peoples whom humans had turned into stories, legends, and folklore.

Among the best-known races were the Kitsunes, famous for their spiritual abilities, illusions, and the various forms they could assume. The Tanukis had their own communities and traditions, while Bakenekos and Nekomatas occupied different regions of the cities and forests. Onis and Kijins formed some of the dimension’s most physically powerful populations, although they were not necessarily hostile. Kappas dominated regions near rivers and lakes, while the Goryōs, beings associated with vengeful spirits and supernatural phenomena, had territories of their own where they could exist without being mistaken for mere human souls. Creatures such as Kirins, Nue, Baku, and Hakutaku were also part of that world, each with their own territories, customs, and positions within supernatural society.

As the centuries passed, the Oni Gate ceased to be merely a refuge created by the gods and became a complete civilization. The races that had been separated from the human world developed their own cities, governments, markets, academies, military organizations, and trade systems. Some communities maintained close relationships with the Japanese gods, while others preferred to remain completely independent. Inari herself had influence over a large part of the dimension, but she did not need to personally manage every village or territory. The structure of the Oni Gate functioned because its inhabitants had learned to coexist within that space, despite the inevitable disputes between such different species.

To modern humans, all of that continued to be nothing more than folklore. Kitsunes were stories about magical foxes, Tanukis were mischievous creatures, Onis were monsters, Nekomatas were supernatural cats, and Kirins were legendary animals. People had turned entire peoples into children’s stories and old tales without even imagining that those creatures continued to exist in another dimension, living their own lives.

And it was precisely to that place that Vergil was about to go.

At the mansion, Viviane finished explaining the situation when Raphaeline let out a tired sigh.

"So he really decided to go after Miyamoto Musashi?"

"He did," Viviane replied as she put a few things away on the table. "Scathach recommended that he look for Musashi in the Oni Gates. Apparently, Vergil intends to go there."

Raphaeline closed her eyes for a few seconds and rubbed her forehead.

"My husband is going crazy. That ridiculous old man isn’t going to help with a damn thing."

Yamato, who was sitting nearby in her human form, tilted her head.

"Why is that man so important?"

Raphaeline looked at Yamato and then seemed to remember something obvious.

"You don’t know Musashi."

"No."

"That makes sense. You were practically born as a sword and never lived in the human world as an ordinary person. So you never had contact with their history." Raphaeline rested her arm against the back of the sofa and began to explain. "Miyamoto Musashi was an extremely famous Japanese swordsman. A warrior who became known not only for winning countless duels, but for developing his own understanding of combat, strategy, and the use of the sword. He became famous for fighting with two swords, writing about strategy, and spending much of his life seeking to perfect his technique."

Yamato listened attentively.

"To humans, he became an almost legendary figure," Raphaeline continued. "There are far too many stories about him, some true, others exaggerated. But among practitioners of the sword, his name is still taken very seriously. Scathach probably believes he can help Vergil understand what she tried to explain."

Yamato nodded slowly.

"Then it sounds exactly like something Vergil would do."

"Yes."

"If he believes someone can help him, he’ll go after them."

Raphaeline let out another sigh.

"That’s not the problem. Preventing Vergil from doing something once he’s decided to do it is practically impossible. The problem is Miyamoto himself."

Yamato frowned.

"What’s wrong with him?"

"He’s retired."

"What do you mean?"

"Musashi abandoned the life of a warrior a long time ago. Thanks to Inari’s influence, he was able to live peacefully inside the Oni Gate. He currently lives in a simple bungalow on the banks of a river, far from the big cities, and apparently spends his days doing absolutely nothing related to swords." Raphaeline paused briefly. "He doesn’t train anyone. He doesn’t participate in wars. He doesn’t seek opponents. He doesn’t use his sword anymore. And he certainly doesn’t seem interested in teaching the Path of the Sword to someone just because Scathach told him to."

Yamato thought for a moment.

"Then Vergil is going to waste a trip."

"Probably."

At that moment, footsteps began coming down the stairs.

Raphaeline turned her head and saw Vergil appearing on the upper floor. His hands were in his pockets, and his expression was much more neutral than before, although there was still something different in his eyes. He heard the last words of the conversation and let out a sigh.

"Don’t worry," he said as he approached. "I don’t expect much from this visit. I’m only going for my own peace of mind. If Musashi doesn’t want to help, at least I’ll be able to say I tried."

Raphaeline studied him carefully.

"Are you okay?"

Vergil stopped in front of them.

"I am."

She did not look convinced.

Yamato looked at Vergil and decided to answer for him.

"He took a much worse beating than I described."

Vergil let out a short laugh.

"I’m not affected by it."

Raphaeline raised an eyebrow.

"I’m just tired," he added.

She continued staring at him for a few seconds, clearly not believing him, but decided not to push. Instead, she crossed her arms and spoke in a more serious tone.

"Then don’t go."

Vergil looked at her.

"Especially now."

"Why?"

Raphaeline picked up the phone that was on the table and opened a few pages before holding it out to Vergil.

"Because your reputation is already complicated enough."

Vergil took the device.

"What reputation?"

Raphaeline pointed at the screen.

"You’re literally among the most talked-about subjects on supernatural social networks. There have been discussions about you on practically every major forum for months."

Vergil scrolled through the screen.

There were images, comments, speculation, and numerous reports about events he didn’t even know had been observed by other people.

Raphaeline continued.

"There are even pictures of you and Hela entering a five-star hotel in Venice."

Vergil stopped scrolling.

"How did they get that?"

"You really think you went unnoticed?"

He remained silent.

"There are also reports from people who saw you using Mjölnir in the Underworld," Raphaeline continued. "Now they’re calling you the Thunder Thief."

Vergil moved on to another post.

A hashtag was among the most discussed.

#AbsoluteDemonKing

He stared at it for a few seconds.

"Ridiculous."

"There’s more."

Raphaeline pointed to another post.

"Apparently, they also know you stole the Bifröst."

Vergil’s expression hardened slightly.

"And the Valkyries," she added. "People are trying to figure out exactly how many were taken to Sparda, who joined you, why they abandoned Asgard, and what happened to Odin."

Vergil continued looking at the screen.

Raphaeline watched his reaction before adding, in a calmer tone:

"So if you enter the Oni Gate now, you won’t arrive as some unknown man looking for a retired old man. You’ll arrive as the Demon King who stole the Bifröst, took thousands of Valkyries, fought Thor, survived Odin, appeared in the Underworld with Mjölnir, and was recently photographed going out to dinner with Hela."

Vergil slowly lowered the phone.

"When you put it that way..."