Towa stood with her kendo sword gripped tightly in her hand. The air was thick with tension, as the enigmatic figure cloaked in shadows emerged from the darkness, its intentions unclear. Towa's heart pounded in her chest, but she steeled herself, ready to defend herself against the unknown threat.

The figure moved with unnatural grace, it's every step an ethereal dance. Their presence seemed to warp the very air around them, leaving an unsettling aura in their wake. Without uttering a word, it lunged at Towa, and the fight commenced.

Towa wielded her kendo sword with precision but the mysterious figure was elusive, slipping through her defenses as if they were a mere illusion. The clash of steel rang through the night, creating an eerie symphony of battle.

As the confrontation intensified, Towa's heart began to waver. Doubt crept into her mind, and for a moment, she faltered, leaving an opening for the figure to strike. But just as their blade was about to land, a roar echoed through the clearing, cutting through the tension like thunder.

"ROARRRRR!!!!"

A magnificent white tiger bounded into the scene, its eyes blazing with an otherworldly intensity. With primal ferocity, it leaped at the figure, unleashing a flurry of claws and fangs. The mysterious figure seemed taken aback by the sudden appearance of the majestic beast, its enigmatic demeanor wavering for the first time.

Towa watched in awe as the white tiger fought fiercely, its every movement a testament to its power and grace. It seemed as if the tiger itself was a force of nature, a guardian spirit come to her rescue. For some reason, she felt like she saw the tiger once before. That's right, the tiger looked like it came from life from Riei's tattoo!

The white tiger bites off the hand that was holding the sword causing the mysterious figure to retreat, disappearing back into the shadows from which it had emerged. The clearing fell into a reverent silence, the moonlight casting a soft glow on Towa and the white tiger.

Towa couldn't tear her eyes away from the tiger. The white monster approached the bloodied hand and sank its teeth into the blade. The animal then looked at Towa with intelligence in its eyes.

As if understanding what it mean, Towa approached the tiger.

"Y-You want me to follow you?"

The tiger cocked its head towards the Nura mansion. Towa nodded and jumped upon the tiger's back.

✲'*。.❄¨¯'*✲。❄。*。¨¯'*✲

"Riei-sama... just killed Hitotsume...?"

The yokai's faces were etched with shock and disbelief as they saw what had transpired.

"Riei-sama! What is the meaning of this?! Have you tricked us all along?!" One of the yokai yelled.

Riei scoffed. "You've tricked yourself, you fools."

"How dare you... HOW DARE YOUUUU!!!!" The rebellious yokai screamed.

In response, the demons surged forward. They charged toward the Nura estate, their red eyes burning with a sinister fire, and the very air around them seemed to crackle with dark energy.

"Let's kill him off! Now that the Nura clan has lost its Supreme Commander, we have a chance to finally destroy them!"

The yokai of the Nura clan was prepared to counter the attack when suddenly they heard a familiar footstep.

"That's awful, writing me off like that."

After hearing his familiar voice, everyone looked up to find their Supreme Commander in his night form standing tall and healthy as ever. Next to him was his faithful wife, Tsurara.

"...!"

"Supreme Commander!"

"Rikuo-sama?!"

"How can this be?! How is the Third Commander still alive?" The yokai on the other side was bewildered.

Glancing at his father from the corner of his eyes, Riei smirked. "If I wanted him dead, he wouldn't be standing there."

"Now that's harsh. You could've fooled me, son, if it wasn't for the illusion you cast on me." Rikuo scratched the back of his head as he placed his hand inside his Kimono sleeve.

"So, Riei-sama was not a traitor?" Kubinashi questioned.

"No. But he did this all to fool the mole in the house." Rikuo replied.

Thanks to Tsurara's keen eyes, she realized that her son's demonic residue was actually an illusion to make it seem like the wound was severe.

"Well, to fool your enemies, you need to fool your allies, family included. I didn't think they bought it so easily," Riei said.

"Curse you!" The demons fumed in anger.

"Let's kill him! Along with the Third Commander!"

"Stand back, Riei-sama, we'll protect you!"

Kurotabo and Aotabo immediately emerge in front of Riei, ready to fight off the enemies when Riei easily slipped past them.

"No." Riei walked forward towards the mass of rampaging demons. "I'll handle this."

Riei stood tall, his breath visible in the frigid air. His hands were already on his katana's hilt, and as he drew a deep breath, the icy winds seemed to respond to his very will. With a fierce determination, he summoned his ice powers, and his entire being became infused with a chilling aura.

The hundred demons, grotesque and menacing, surrounded him, their eyes glowing with malice. They snarled and hissed, their feral forms poised to attack. But Riei showed no fear. Instead, his eyes blazed with an inner fire.

"That which envelops my body and skin... Holding every rare cold in my hands. A wind that can't be removed from your hands... Noroi no Fubuki, Yukigeshō!"

In one swift, fluid motion, the boy slashed the air with his katana and unleashed his ice power. A shockwave of freezing energy erupted, spreading out in all directions with astonishing speed. The air itself seemed to crystallize, and the demons froze in their tracks, their monstrous forms encased in ice.

"...!"

The frozen demons shattered like fragile glass, and their malevolent spirits extinguished in an instant. The once chaotic scene fell into eerie silence as Riei's ice power receded. He stood there, his breaths now steady, surrounded by the remnants of his defeated foes. His ice-blue eyes gleamed with a mix of relief and awe at the power he had just unleashed.

"A-amazing..."

"Master Riei defeated a hundred demons in just one attack?!"

"What a frightening power," Gyuuki commented with his eyes closed.

"W-we have no chance against him, run!" The remnants of the rebellious yokai wa left in fear as they turned with their tails behind their legs.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Out of the darkness stepped a shadowy figure sporting white fox ears. Using his abilities, he lit the exit route with blue flames, trapping the demon inside. The fox demon was no other than Gin, one of Riei's secret close aides.

When another demon tried to escape, a shadowy figure entangled the demon with its body immobilizing it. The black figure was Nobiagari, Riei's trusted informant.

Realizing they had no chance to escape, the demon began to turn towards Riei as their last desperate attempt.

"DIEEE!!!!"

The demons, their twisted forms and glowing eyes closing in on him, cackled with malevolence. Their sharp claws and fangs gleamed in the faint moonlight, ready to tear Riei apart. But Riei only stood still with a smirk. Just then, a powerful roar resonated, freezing the demons in their tracks.

Over the sky, emerged a magnificent white tiger, its fur glistening like freshly fallen snow. Its eyes blazed with an otherworldly intensity, and its regal presence exuded an air of authority that seemed to command the very elements.

With a ferocity that sent shivers down the demons' spines, the white tiger leaped into action. Its movements were a blur of grace and power as it swiped at the demons with its massive paws. The demons were no match for the tiger's strength and agility, and with each strike, they crumbled into nothingness, their malevolent forms disintegrating into the dark mist.

The tiger then lowered its head, presenting its regal crown for Riei to pat. Riei gently placed his hand on the tiger's head, feeling the softness of its fur under his touch. 

"Good job, Byakkomaru."

"W-Who are they?" Kubinashi and the other yokai wondered when suddenly another figure descend from the sky.

"Riei!" Towa shouted from the top of a roof.

Without hesitation, she jumped, her body hurtling through the air with the speed of a falling star. As she plummeted toward the ground, her hair and clothes billowed around her like wings.

"Towa?" Riei's eyes widened at the sight.

Just when it seemed like the fall would have a catastrophic end, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her, catching her in a protective embrace. The world spun for a moment, and then Towa found herself cradled securely in Riei's arms.

Their eyes met, and she saw a mix of surprise and concern in his gaze. He held her gently, his strong embrace offering both reassurance and support. Towa's heart was still pounding, but now it was from the adrenaline and the realization of what she had gone through.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again!" She pinched Riei's cheeks until they rivaled that of a pink mochi.

After having her fair share of tormenting Riei's swollen cheeks, Towa stared at him with tearful eyes. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"You're the last person I want to forget."

They stood there, locked in each other's embrace, as if she was afraid that if she let go, he would disappear once more. The world around her seemed to fade away, and all that mattered was the warmth of their bodies pressed together.

"Towa..."

Riei stood in silence for a while before he chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You do realize, this is not the right time for this."

"Eh? Huh...?" Towa backed away for a second before realizing that everyone was staring at them with wide eyes. Some of them even blushed at the sight. Noticing that she hadn't released her hand from Riei's neck, Towa's face flushed.

"Kyaaa!"

Though the silver-haired girl was busy bowing for apologies, Riei turned his head towards the white tiger.

"Byakomaru, did you retrieve the sword?" Riei held his hand out and the tiger placed a sword in his hand.

"Good." He patted the tiger and held the sword in his hand.

Suddenly the blade glowed brighter and pulsated with an intense aura. The remnants of the demons defeated were absorbed within the sword leaving nothing behind.

"W-What just happened?" Towa was bewildered by what happened but Riei only remained calm as he stared at the sword.

"So, it was this sword that they used to frame you for the frost-killing." Rikuo stepped forward.

Riei turned towards his father and handed the sword to him. "It's the Zanseiken. It had the power to absorb and conceal demonic energies, mine included."

"But that's impossible. Young Master Riei had been in Tono for five years--" Kubinashi was cut off by his young master.

"It was indeed from five years ago."

"...!" The yokais present had their eyes widened.

"With this cursed sword, they took Ritsura's eyes and Haku. But for me, they took my demonic energy. Whoever made this blade is involved with what happened five years ago."

✲'*。.❄¨¯'*✲。❄。*。¨¯'*✲

A/N

I think that's pretty much the end of this arc, except there'll be an epilogue explaining what's what. To be honest, I'm not good with mysteries and detective stuff, maybe that's why you'll be pretty much confuse on what's happening. Besides, I want my OC, Riei to be a mysterious character that even the readers cannot guess what his real intentions were. I'm sure a lot of you couldn't guess what's on his mind, but rest assured, he always had his family first, especially his precious sister Ritsura.

Did you noticed that the Zanseiken was introduced earlier in this story? 

Yup, it's Kirinmaru's sword that Towa used. Now there's some entanglement between their stories. I guess Towa and Riei's fate are intertwined after all.

I had a rough idea of how the next arc will be, but I need some time to solidify the plot. If you know my writing style in my other story, you'll know that the plot will be different that the original anime. I'll try to make it short and interesting as I don't want to end up writing 90+ chapters and leaving the readers hanging for months. I think that's all from me for now, hoped you enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned for the epilogue!