Nangyo took a peek at the back of the cart to see his master Seiryu still fast asleep. You see the bard got tired of always being on the run from the sorcerer that hunted him. He decided to take a much-needed nap at the back of his horse-drawn cart. In order to do so, he summoned three yokai with the power of his flute: a yatagarasu or three-legged crow for reconnaissance, a komainu or lion dog for guarding the cart from attackers as he traveled, and Nangyo, who was in charge of steering the carriage. For a while, the journey seemed uneventful. But not long after, several beautiful women rode up in horses calling out to Seiryu with loving voices. Upon seeing his komainu companion bark and growl, Nangyo immediately knew that these were not ordinary women but yokai sent by the sorcerer in disguise. After all, lion dogs were known to be able to detect malevolent yokai. Unfortunately, the ladies came prepared. They started tossing fruits into the cart, distracting the komainu as it tried to chase after the fruits.

Nangyo was growing desperate. The ape knew that despite his strength he could not fight off all the yokai with one hand. To make matters worse, he also had to steer the cart in order to avoid getting into an accident. The fact that the horses were starting to panic didn't help. Nangyo tried to shake Seiryu even harder but it was no use. Exhaustion has taken over his master, and he remained stuck in a deep sleep. Nangyo he had to do something or else all will be lost. He watched as two of the lady yokai threw fruits to further distract the komainu. The third lady rode forward to try and snatch Seiryu away from the cart. Nangyo said a silent prayer as he spurred the horses on, trying to create distance. He prayed that it would be enough.

Just then Nangyo heard the sound of an object zooming towards the third lady like a comet. It struck her with full force, knocking her off her steed. As her lifeless body fell to the ground, Nangyo noticed that an arrow had hit her perfectly on the chest. The other two yokai growled in anger, revealing their true horrific forms as they wished to avenge their fallen sister. But before they could even move a muscle, several more of those comet-like arrows flew towards them. The yokai writhed in agonizing pain as their loud shrieks filled the air. All the commotion finally woke Seiryu up. In a flash he leapt out of the cart, slitting the throats of the two yokai with his hidden dagger to put them out of their misery. As Seiryu returned the blade to its flute sheath, he turned to look at the man who had just rescued him.

Standing tall was a man with a handsome face and a long ponytail. He wore a golden armor adorned with a sun motif. In his hands was the magical yumi bow Tengoku, one of the nine weapons of Ina. Seiryu realized that this could only be one man. This was none other than the mighty archer Higure.

"L-Lord Higure," said Seiryu, immediately bowing at the sight of the banished prince. "Y-You shouldn't be here..."

"You're welcome," Higure replied sassily, rolling his eyes.

"I owe you my life my lord," said Seiryu. "But you shouldn't be throwing yours."

He handed Higure the cloak he wears from his cart, which the archer gladly accepted. Higure placed it over his armor, providing him with a disguise to hide his appearance.

"You bring a lot of hope for the people of the clan," said Seiryu. "The Yako corrupted your father, making him abuse his own people."

"Making him forget his own son," Higure added grimly.

"How did you find me?" Seiryu asked.

"Your pet crow flew to me," Higure replied, referring to the yatagarasu "It must have sought for help the first instance it saw you were in danger."

As the yatagarasu made a loud caw, making Seiryu smile.

"Quite handy these creatures," he said.

"Nangyo failed to protect master," the sarugami cried. "Nangyo is sorry."

"Oh no you did well," Seiryu smiled. "But you and your friends should go rest up now okay?"

Blowing a tune on his magical flute Mori, he used its magic to send his three yokai companions back to their homes until he needs to summon them again. That done, he and Higure went to inspect the corpses of the yokai ladies who attacked,

"These resemble villagers who died a couple of days ago," said Seiryu. "Their graves have been defiled."

He led Higure through the forest, stopping at a solitary spot just outside a cave. There, Higure saw the names of numerous villagers written in small slabs of stone. This was a graveyard. On three graves he saw that the relatives of the deceased left peony lanterns to illuminate the stones. Upon closer inspection, he found three small paper mannequins on top of these lanterns, ripped to shreds.

"Shikigami," Higure growled. "Who would dare do such a thing?"

"This is the work of the sorcerer Seikyo," Seiryu muttered. "He had been tracking me down for a long time."

"Seikyo? The court omnyoji?" Higure asked. "He's behind this?"

"Indeed," Seiryu replied grimly, "Ever since you were banished, the Yako's influence over him grew and grew. He became deranged, even going as far as to become his disciple. The man people once relied on to banish demons sought more to subjugate them and use them for his own wicked schemes."

"Like these poor women," Higure said, and Seiryu nodded.

"He was like a father to me," Seiryu said softly, holding back his tears. "He found me when I was just a little boy, an orphan with nowhere to go. He took me under his wing, training me to be omniyoji like himself. He also taught me how to sing and play the flute, so that I could stay in court as a bard while I'm learning his trade."

"I'm sorry," said Higure. "It must be hard for you."

"His specialty was conjuring shikigami to ward off demons," Seiryu continued. "But no matter how many times he warded the yokai off, they kept coming back. That took its toll on him. So, when the Yako offered to strengthen his power by allowing him to control demons instead of driving them away, he immediately jumped on the idea."

"He wouldn't let the dead rest," said Higure, gazing once again at the peony lanterns. "Instead, taking advantage of them in the hopes to capture you."

"The only way to free these poor souls from their fate is to take Seikyo down," said Seiryu. "I can gather a small army of villagers to rally to you my lord. Just say the word and we'll follow your lead."

Just then a villager approached the two Hunters, warning them that the sorcerer Seikyo is advancing towards the forest. To this, Seiryu immediately gave the order to prepare the troops for battle. Turning to Higure, he asked the archer what their strategy should be. Higure smirked as he said:

“Leave it to me.”