Chapter Text
Prologue: The Beast Who Lives Off Of Greed
“Hurry, hurry!” An eagle spirit panted, hastily moving through the Hell of Blood Pools as another scurried beside it.
“What’s the big rush?” The second spirit asked, not sounding too tired in regards to their contemporary.
The first one didn’t even turn to face them. “I have important news to deliver to Toutetsu!”
“Hurry up then!” The second exclaimed, as they both increased their pace.
The leader of the Gouyoku Alliance is, to say the least, a rather greedy youkai. Her sharp-toothed grin accompanied sleazy red eyes over her bright face, with a cloud of white-blue hair on top of her head, two blood-red goat-like horns protruding from the topsides. Handling with her right arm, over her right shoulder, was a large silver spork, resting lightly. Her blue tunic & dress, accentuated with red outer sleeves, gives off a very…playful-looking vibe.
Underneath all that, however, is someone whose modus operandi is to consume and control all.
[ The Gouyoku Alliance’s Unfettered Mastermind ]
Yuuma Toutetsu
“Well…?” She inquires with a wicked, raspy tone towards the two eagle spirits that have approached her, turning around to face them. “Anything new?”
“We’ve learned something interesting from the surface, Toutetsu!” One piped up.
The other elaborated. “A mysterious treasure has surfaced!”
“Treasure? Bah. I mean, it could be any old treasure.” Yuuma snorted.
“What if we said that it could grant someone the ability to increase their wealth of anything ten- or even a hundred-fold?”
The taotie youkai leaned forward slightly, intrigued. “Come again?”
The first eagle spirit answered, “Rumor has it that this crown could multiply the riches of whatever its wearer desires!”
Yuuma licked her lips. “Fascinating. Have the other matriarchs learned of this?”
“Everyone has.”
The youkai is perplexed. What did the spirits mean by “...everyone?”
“Down below here, on the surface, above the clouds…even the moon!” They proclaimed. “Some have already sent out their finest to claim that treasure for themselves!”
A welling bubble of excitement rose to Yuuma’s surface, as her toothed grin became a sharpened smile. Now that she knew there’d be competition for something like this, she had to get involved. And for something that can potentially make her have an endless supply of petroleum, without the need for people to die and decompose? That was something that could only make her salivate.
“Eagles, hold the fort! I’m gonna go and investigate this matter myself.” Yumma barked the order loud and clear, as she began walking out of the Hell of Blood Pools.
The eagle spirits, which began to multiply in number as their master left, looked on in concern.
Little did Yuuma or the spirits know, this was about to become an incident solved by an unlikely source.
Much of the Animal Realm is a sprawling metropolis inhabited by animal spirits and other damned animalistic youkai. Human spirits were normally relegated to a district known as the Primate Spirit Garden, led by the haniwa goddess Keiki Haniyasushin. The remaining vast number of them were run by the four main Matriarchs, the rivaling rulers of the realm. Of these four, Yuuma, who is in charge of the Gouyoku Alliance, held the least ground here, but that’s because her own private sector, in the form of the Hell of Blood Pools, makes up enough space for her to compete with the other leaders.
Little is known about the 4th matriarch, but Yuuma knows the other two all too well. Those being Saki Kurokoma & Yachie Kicchou, the leaders of the Keiga & Kiketsu families, respectively. She practically hates their guts, and no, I don’t mean their physical guts & intestines. What I mean is that she just flat out hates them given that they rule a different batch of spirits all together, but is at the very least far more tenuous with Yachie over Saki, given that the former teamed up with Yuuma teamed up during Keiki’s uprising.
What Yuuma has over Saki & Yachie, as well as Keiki for that matter, is the fact that she has some really powerful backers by her side- er, mostly. For one, she’s in league with one of the Sages of Gensokyo, the absolute secret god, Okina Matara. This came about as a result of the sage’s meddling with Yuuma’s initial incident, manipulating the “black water” in order to get others’ attention and take her down.
Speaking of defeating Yuuma, she is also on good terms with, of all factions, the group hailing from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Reason being that it took Okina sending in Flandre Scarlet of all people to take the taotie down a peg. Seeing that Flandre was more than happy fighting someone as strong as Yuuma, the rest of the mansion would quickly see themselves allied with the Gouyoku Alliance, if not because Flandre is such a huge counter to Yuuma herself.
Alongside those two would be Yuuma’s partnership with the mountain goddess of the surface, Kanako Yasaka. Despite her massive ego and booming voice, Kanako is one negotiator that the taotie seems to be on equal footing with, as both are well versed at trying to one-up each other’s deals. In return for the Moriya Shrine keeping the down-low on Yuuma’s activities, she in turn has to supply them with her petroleum.
And she would need these connections now, as a Gensokyo-wide treasure hunt is on.
Yuuma takes in the sights of the city as she traverses, weaving through crowds, tight alleyways, and food stands and the like on her way to Higan and out of the Animal Realm. As usual, despite more hells being opened up, the Outside World & Gensokyo seems to be continuing to flood these with more denizens, and even the Ministry of Right & Wrong have considered opening up new hells just to accommodate. The Matriarchs and Keiki have anticipated when this would be made official, but no word has yet to reach their ears.
For now, however, she would simply take a stick of grilled lamprey from a vendor, imported from above the Animal Realm, and pop it into her mouth before she tosses the stick aside. She was on a quest for a mysterious crown, and nobody was going to stop her-
“Ah, Toutetsu!” A familiar, slimy voice calls out from beyond, at the outskirts of the city.
Yuuma stares ahead with disappointment, seeing the aforementioned matriarchs standing side-by-side.
[ Breadwinner of the Kiketsu Family ]
Yachie Kicchou
[ The Keiga Family’s Crown Jewel ]
Saki Kurokoma
“I was just in conversation with Kurokoma here.” Yachie explains, letting her tail swish slightly. “Nothing like a good rumor to pass the time, is it not?”
“If you think you’re seriously out to get that crown, you’re mistaken, Kicchou.” The taotie growled.
Saki folded her arms as her gaze fell upon Yuuma as well. “That’s what’cha think, goatie. I oughta have ya gutted right ‘ere!”
“Bold words from someone who’s a bitch to a queen posing as a king.” Yuuma snarled, readying herself to fight.
“COME HERE!” Saki rocketed towards the taotie with extreme prejudice, wings unfurled as she attempted to dive kick into her.
A grin flashed across Yuuma’s face as she cared not to move from her enemy’s path, instead charging right back, spork drawn and at the ready. Just as they were about to collide, Yuuma jams her spork into the ground, using it to pole vault right over the incoming pegasus, causing Saki to panic and end up eating dirt & concrete while the taotie takes absolutely no damage whatsoever. Yachie raises an eyebrow at her rival’s effortless technique, as they both stare at the dumbfounded leader of the Keiga, confused at what just happened to her.
“You sniveling cunt!” Saki roared, as she whipped herself back up and launched danmaku at Yuuma, who responded by spinning her spork and blocking the incoming barrage.
Yachie watched the duel unfold between the two, and noted just how tricky of a fighter the taotie is- preferring not to attack unless it is necessary, but is still one to engage in battle nonetheless. She sees Saki rushing and trying to kick Yuuma, but is quickly met with either a miniature geyser of petroleum or a blocking motion by a spork, but neither seems to be taking too much damage. Just the usual scruff between old foes it is, at least in Yachie’s eyes.
Saki would then attempt a high kick and swing down on Yuuma, but being the combat pragmatist she is, Yuuma jams her spork into the ground again, causing a geyser to spring up and splash the pegasus yokai in her nether region with a scalding liquid, causing her to screech in agony.
“YOU DAMN BITCH- AAAGH…” Saki cried, rolling on the ground with her hands tucked between her thighs, whimpering.
“That ought to calm you down,” The taotie gloated, as she changed the direction of her gaze to the other matriarch. “And you. You wanna fight, too?”
“You know…” Yachie considered, putting her power into action, attempting to sway her rival with her honeyed words. “I would consider fighting you, but after you easily reined in Kurokoma…”
“...yeah, whatever. I’m off to look for that treasure, anyways.” Yuuma shrugged, before resting her spork on her shoulder once more and trotting off, apparently uncaring about whether or not she was controlled by Yachie.
Watching the taotie make her exit, Yachie sighed. I suppose I’ll have to rely on her hardiness to achieve my goal of attaining that crown.