Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (WN) Chapter 413

Chapter 413

Abyss Lord Chapter Three A Violent Tremor Run Through the Fairy World (In the Future)

「GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

Killing intent, malice, hatred, and rage. Every kind of negative emotion was packed in concentrated amount into the thundering roar.

The air that was mixed with dust was blown away in a round wave with just that. The air was rattling as though it was electrified, and human’s will got pulverized instantly.

In fact, most of the onmyoujis of Fujiwara and Tsuchimkado turned pale and fell on their knees. Even Taisei, the elderly n.o.bleman, and f.u.kube were unable to move although they were still standing.

That was just how gruesome the pressure that was coming from the great oni of calamity that the woman turned into. They were also holding their breath seeing her external transformation. There wasn’t any trace of woman anymore from her. The tanned skin, muscular body, and black miasma that was radiating from her whole body looked truly terrifying.

However, the biggest reason they couldn’t move was surely because of shock.

The proof of that was how even Hinata who didn’t look disheartened even against the great oni’s pressure was looking dumbfounded with her mouth hanging open.

After all, such incarnation of calamity, its rush that was like a truck trampling everything in its path was,

「Unsightly.」

Disregarded by a single word.

The great oni of disaster was squirming with his neck tightly grasped with just one hand. He roared even more and made his muscles bulged to snap the opponent’s slender arm.

But, the arm didn’t even twitch.

White hair, three horns, kimono with black cloth and embroidery of red spider lily, worn slovenly as though to temp other people’s carnal desire and lure them into ruin. She was a female oni with bewitching charm that sent chills to your back.

――Oni chief Shuten Douji of Ooe Mountain

The whisper of Hinata who saw through her true ident.i.ty with her spiritual instinct mysteriously reached the ears of everyone there.

This being made everyone’s eyes got fixated on her by her beautiful existence that could enthrall anyone.

It was completely incomprehensible just what was going on right now.

How was Shuten Douji able to accomplish manifestation this easily even though such feat shouldn’t be simple at all? Why were two fellow oni opposing each other? Why Shuten Douji had woman form?

Questions were flowing out endlessly before vanis.h.i.+ng inside blank amazement.

But, there was just one thing that everyone there understood.

That beautiful oni, she was……

「Ye are making the legend of Ootakemaru crying ye know?」

The “status” of her existence was different.

Shuten Douji turned her wrist. From a glance it looked like she was caressing the opponent’s lower jaw teasingly with her fingertip. Then she lightly flicked up her fingertip.

With just that, the great oni of calamity――the legendary oni G.o.d that was also counted as one of the three most atrocious great youkai of j.a.pan who rivaled Shuten Douji――Ootakemaru lightly floated in the air.

Ootakemaru was just slightly hit with the lightness like someone playing beanbag juggling, but he wasn’t permitted to attack just because he wasn’t restrained anymore.

Thunderous sound and shockwave burst out right after that. And then the huge body of Ootakemaru vanished.

Hinata and others covered their face with their arms to protect themselves from the impact. What they saw from between the gap of their arms was the figure of Shuten Douji as finished swinging her hand as though she had just brushed away an insect. However, that hand was clenched into a fist.

Yes, it was a single backhand.

With just that the oni’s huge body was sent flying.

The trees along his path were all snapped. An improvised path into the dark forest was created. A beat later, even more thunderous sound rang out from quite far away. Most likely, the great oni had finally crashed on the ground just now.

It was an overpowering physical strength that was impossible to describe with words.

It penetrated the consciousness of the people who could only watch whether they wanted it or not, freezing their heart. The sound of someone gulping could be heard faintly.

Only one person, Hinata was making a grim expression as she turned her gaze judgingly toward Shuten Douji. It was an astonis.h.i.+ng courage even though she was the strongest onmyouji of this generation.

There,

「Oo~i! Yaya no Hidzuki-saaan? It will be great if you can lend me a bit of help here thoughhh?」

A very idiotic sounding voice was ignorantly trampling the seriousness under its feet.

Shuten Douji reacted to the calling voice and crouched at the edge of the hole of light――the “Dragon’s Den” with a graceful movement. The bottom of her kimono got largely opened, so her plump thighs and what laid deeper could almost be seen……no, that deeper part was superbly lying just beyond sight! Was it calculated?

“The one who change the moon crimson with the tragedy every night” “That figure that dyed her white hair crimson every night is bewitching like another moon” ――Therefore, she was “Yaya no HidzukiCrimson Moon of the Nights”.

That true name that came from such origin hadn’t been called by anyone for more than a thousand years. Even calling that name without her permission wasn’t permitted.

Yaya no Hidzuki was turning a gaze of ecstasy toward the only man who was permitted to do that in this era. She put one hand on her cheek and let out a heated sigh while seductively looking down on Kousuke’s twitching expression.

「What shouldst I do heree?」

「Eh!? You aren’t going to help me!?」

You said that you’re going to a.s.sist right!? Kousuke muttered in agitation. In respond Yaya no Hidzuki made a dramatic sigh.

「What a horrid person are ye.」

「What is!?」

「Ye wouldst not whisper even a single word of love to me even after making me wait for that long. Even though I hath been waiting for what was like an eternity……am I just a convenient woman to ye?」

「I’m really sorryyyy!!」

The way she hid her mouth with her sleeve and tilted her head was lovable. But, her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Gloomy emotion could be felt from her golden pupils. They were staring fixedly in rebuke at an unfaithful man! Perhaps even the fact that Kousuke had half forgotten the contract had been exposed too.

「I-I apologize! I apologize! I’ll listen to anything you want so help me out here!」

「Hm? Just now, ye said anything?」

「Ah, no, there is a limit to it okay?」

「Hmmm? Then……」

Yaya no Hidzuki sported a lively but restrained smile. She immediately made Kousuke who was filled with trepidation to make an apology.

「Mine name, call it one more time. As it’s a name that I have often allowed ye, my beloved to call in the past……and so, call mine name, Hidzuki.」

A given name, affectionate name that was only allowed for Kousuke.

It must have the purpose of hiding her true name too. But, even more than that, the legendary oni wished for Kousuke to speak that name exactly because it was him. Her appearance right now, rather than looking like the “AnegoElder Sister” who led those numerous Hyahhaa bunches in the fairy world, she looked more like a maiden in love now.

Kousuke was at a loss for words for a moment. However, he immediately sported a smile although it looked troubled. Then he spoke the name with a tone that cherished every single syllable.

「Hidzuki」

「Fufufu. Very well.」

Hidzuki’s tone lively bounced. But, their talk was ended there. The matter of pulling up Kousuke was also postponed for a bit.

After all, it wasn’t just the onmyoujis who got dumbfounded. This time of silly talk was more than enough time to recover from a state stupefaction.

『Impossible. This is absurd. There is no way this can be true!!』

The man in black. His eye sockets that already lost both eyes with only mud mixed with blood and tear flowing from there were capturing Kousuke and Yaya no Hidzuki――or rather “Hidzuki”.

His tone could be clearly felt changing from astonishment to rage.

It was only natural. The trump card that he saved as his second best hand unbelievably became the hand that allowed his opponent to reverse the situation. Who could possibly imagine such thing to occur? Furthermore, from the looks of things that hand was even related to his enemy. Certainly, it was absurd.

Kousuke somehow thought. If the Vexingledy of a certain great dungeon that had troubled him to death was here,

『You thought it was a trump card? Too baaa~d! You fumbled ittt! Hey heey, how do you feel right now? How does it feel to self-destruct after acting all c.o.c.ky like that? Hey heey! Come on tell meee! Pugyaah!!』

It felt like she would say that. He still had a bit of trauma from that place so he hallucinated her voice in this situation.

『You b.a.s.t.a.r.dddd, what did you do-!! What did you doooo!!!』

Not only the earth tentacles. The nine tails were also materializing even clearer in proportion to the man’s rotting body as time pa.s.sed. Those tails stretched out with a will behind them.

Kousuke let out 「Ah, c.r.a.p」 while Fujiwara clan member who were hanging down below him let out a despairing expression.

「How boorish.」

Hidzuki’s eyes narrowed slowly. With just that a vast amount of blood colored demonic aura swelled up. It knocked down the earth tentacles and nine tails like the pressure of a waterfall.

「A fellow who got in the way of the tryst between a male and a female in love with each other shouldst just get kicked to death by a horse.」

Hidzuki completely ignored Kousuke’s objection 「Wait. You should amend the part about in love with each other――」 and pulled the iron string Kousuke and others were hanging on with a jerk.

『You won’t get awayyyy!!』

Six of the nine tails spread out to the surrounding and stabbed. The light filled the area making it hard to see, but it seemed that the hole was also opened physically.

The tails anch.o.r.ed the body in place, then the man controlled the remaining three tails and twined around the three Fujiwara clan members at the bottom most.

From there miasma flowed into the three. Their eyes lost color in the blink of eye and they began to struggle to drag down their comrades above them. In addition, the three tails kept moving to rob the sanity of the people below in turn.

「s.h.i.+t, this guy is really obstinate!」

「This is pathetic, for the great Kyuubi to let itself to be used by a human as he pleased liketh this.」

While Kousuke was cursing, Hidzuki sighed from the unsightly sight she witnessed. The difference in degrees of enthusiasm between their hearts was wide. For her, surely the man in black and the Fujiwara clan members were similarly worthless existences. They weren’t a subject of her interest.

That was why, as though to say that human should protect themselves.

「Gyokutei YuuchokuWith the Emperor’s Imperial De Toumetsu YoukiMelting the Ghastly Aura Saika ShoujoCatastrophe Elimination Jako TaisanRepelling Wicked Fox Kyuukyuu Nyoritsuryou-!!」

Words of power with piercing fighting spirit despite the voice’s youthfulness poured down. The three tails were deflected and the black miasma fell out from the three Fujiwara clan members and dispersed. Sanity returned into their eyes.

「Hinata-chan, nice!」

「……Oho」

Hidzuki looked back across her shoulder and narrowed her eyes.

From a slight distance away, Hinata was standing with vigor as though to say that she wouldn’t take even a step back despite her tense expression. She was forming a sword hand seal and making white light surging from her body.

Despite the distance, she accurately judged the situation and protected her clan members by repelling the curse from the Kyuubi as her opponent who although it was still only partially manifested, its seal had been broken and it had obtained sacrifice to power it. It was truly a splendid and praiseworthy feat.

Perhaps that was why. The legendary oni Shuten Douji finally recognized her as an “individual” at that moment.

It felt like a chill caressed Hinata’s spine. Her human instinct naturally tried to make her to step back.

And so, she stepped forward instead and glared back.

Hidzuki’s golden pupils were entangled with Hinata’s glare. They s.h.i.+ned mysteriously.

In a blink of eye, Hidzuki siled thinly as though she had seen something that convinced her and suddenly took off her gaze from Hinata.

「Dear me. This is why human’s world is so interesting.」

She spoke out those words with her fangs exposed. There was delight contained somewhere in her voice.

She swept out her sleeve and lifted up her arm.

And then,

「I shan’t allow a mere base animal to touch mine beloved.」

A fist attack. To the edge of the dragon’s den.

Thunderous sound and intense tremor broke out. But, the impact didn’t spread out. In exchange.

『Guaa!?』

The six tails that were fixing the man in black in place were simultaneously smashed up.

(Impact diffusion!? Furthermore that delicately-!?)

Kousuke’s eyes widened reflexively.

Even during that time, the body of the man in black that had mostly changed into earth was also at the receiving end of the impact destruction. His body was crumbling.

「Here we go, I’m pulling ye now.」

「Nowaaah!?」

The weight of Kousuke and the others including the man in black was worth ten people, but Hidzuki paid no mind to that at all and she pulled the iron string once more. She pulled like a fisherman reeling in skipjack tunas before the man in black could try anything else.

Kousuke and others flew out from the dragon’s den *poo~nn* like a joke. They floated in the air. The people of Fujiwara were screaming 「Waaaaaaaaaa~~h」 loudly.

Three tails and twining earth tentacles were chasing them, but Hidzuki dispersed them with a hand chop like it was just a trivial matter.

Naturally the man in black who was separated by himself in midair was falling alone. He just barely grabbed at the edge of the dragon’s den.

『d.a.m.n you, d.a.m.n you!! Now that it has come to this-!!』

He directed the revived nine tails and earth lumps toward Hidzuki in the blink of eye.

He did it while letting go of teh edge and dropping himself to the dragon vein.

Even his human speech had become uncanny sounding. His flesh body wouldn’t stop crumbling. He wouldn’t even last for a minute.

It was impossible for him to come up on the ground once more to capture the people of Fujiwara. That was why, he showed a last struggle to at least bring Shuten Douji to accompany him.

Of course,

「Hidzuki!! Don’t let that guy fall――」

「Filthy!!」

She knocked him down. It was only her gesture that was elegant, but her slap generated outrageously strong wind pressure.

It seemed that she hated the nine tailed fox so much that she even ignored Kousuke’s words.

The result was obvious.

『d.a.m.n ittt, curse you-, I offer mine flesh and blood to the ancient seal-!!』

The man in black prattled some kind of curse at the end before getting swallowed into the torrent of light.

It was truly an end that was worthy to be called “gruesome”.

Like that.

(I got a bad premonition somehow――wait!?)

He rolled in the air while taking a landing stance while trying to use wind tonjutsu to soften the landing of the eight Fujiwara clan members who surely had no composure to break their own landing.

But, in that moment the iron string wrapped around his right arm got reeled in with absurd force.

The culprit went without saying, the oni woman who looked truly obscene with her blus.h.i.+ng cheeks and moist eyes.

「No-, waiiitt」

Kousuke spontaneously got fl.u.s.tered. Most of it was from his instinctual anxiety, but his left arm was connected to the Fujiwara people through iron string, so if they also got pulled together with him, the coordinate of his wind tonjutsu would get out of order and they would go splat on the ground.

Kousuke desperately unwound the iron string on his left arm while fixing the s.h.i.+fted falling coordinate of his wind tonjutsu.

Because of that, he was unable to escape from the oni Anego who widely spread open her arms in welcome.

「Offuu!?」

「Aahn」

The people of Fujiwara barely managed to land on the ground without injury. At the same time, Kousuke’s face dived into the finest quality cus.h.i.+on that had gone past being splendid and into the realm of brutal instead.

Aa, it was like the dream.

No, he didn’t mean the man’s dream or that kind of thing, this was the same like the dream that he had been seeing day after day. By dream he meant like a dream that also happened in real life. He sent that thought to someone that he wouldn’t name, only that it was professor girl with blonde hair tied into side tail whose eyes tended to turn dark.

「Fufu, I finally caught ye.」

「Nnmuuuh!?」

The difference in height between them was around 1.5, so the scene looked like a mother hugging a son. Kousuke’s feet that weren’t touching the ground were kicking back and forth, while his hands tried to push aside the twin hills that were pleasantly restraining his face, but they also got buried.

「Mine beloved. Aa, ye are bursting with so much s.e.xual appeal like this. Ye are really a no good person.」

「Nnmu? Nn!? Funmuu!?」

A wordless shriek (?) came out from Kousuke. A soft and warm sensation slithered up from his arm.

He understood even without looking. Her tongue was crawling on the blood trickling from his arm that got wounded by the iron string.

Was it just an imagination that a slight amorousness got mixed into Kousuke’s voice? If he got shudders from getting licked by another woman, than another girl who could make him shuddered in a different sense might attack him.

And then, perhaps because that helpless scream of Kousuke got heard, the nearest girl raised a tense voice.

「Get away from Endou-sama.」

With that Taisei and the elderly n.o.bleman and others, and even f.u.kube came back to their senses. They raised their guard to the new powerful apparition who ruled over this place. No hostility or malice were directed to them, but regardless they desperately restrained their heart that wanted to run away immediately from here.

Hidzuki didn’t even glance at Taisei and others and only sent a sidelong glance to Hinata.

「Don’t ye know how to speak politely, little girl?」

The air was critical. No, with Hidzuki her atmosphere felt more amused than serious.

In any case, this wasn’t the time for him to get buried into b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

His right arm that was getting *chupa chupa pero pero* was already useless in various senses, so he ignored it while trying to throw a teleportation pebble with his left arm.

But, before he cold, unexpectedly.

「Although, ye have a nice look there little girl. Ye can at least defend against oni’s aura right?」

Hidzuki suddenly said such thing and *poon* tossed Kousuke softly toward Hinata.

Hinata called out 「Endou-sama![ in worry, however she immediately gasped and threw her gaze into the forest.

――GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!

Many trees that were snapped from the middle became improvised cannon sh.e.l.l that attacked them.

「Ootakemaru-, he is still alive!!」

「Well, he wouldst not become a legend if he ascend to heaven just from that ye know?」

While Hidzuki deflected away the first bombardment with one hand, Hinata swiftly formed hand seal with both hands even while making a bitter expression. She wrapped the index finger of her left hand with her right hand and yelled 「On Abiraunken!!」.

The mantra that pleaded for protection toward Vajradhatu Mahavairocana immediately became an invisible barrier that protected Kousuke, f.u.kube, Taisei, the elderly n.o.bleman and the others from the miasma that flowed like a muddy stream from inside the forest and Hidzuki’s crimson ghostly aura that suddenly heightened.

At the same time, Hidzuki’s lips split into a wide grin. She bent backward to dodge the next log bombardment, then she spread her right hand like eagle’s claw and grabbed a log before it pa.s.sed through her completely.

The log made a lot *mekya-* sound. The five fingers of her right hand sunk into the log and the grabbed part got compressed and changed into something like a handle.

Hidzuki pulled her right foot far to the back and planted it on the ground as though to gouge the soil. Combined with her arm strength, she completely neutralized the power of inertia that came from the log’s powerful speed.

And then, she swung the log with a single arm to pulverize the log that came next like a joke.

Looking closer, the log that she caught was being enveloped with an aura that had similar color to blood. Most likely its toughness was increasing from that. The logs that flew at her got one-sidedly pulverized.

Impact after impact reverberated. Thunderous sound after thunderous sound rang out. The battlefield that instantly occurred there was filled with raging storm blowing madly from the log getting swung around.

Taisei and the elderly n.o.bleman almost got blown away and kept their body low to the ground. They yelled with a pale expression.

「T-this is bad! We need to evacuate them!」

「Taisei-dono! We will go!」

They were alright from being protected by Hinata’s barrier behind Hidzuki, but Fujiwara clan members along with Takehiko and others were still lying on the ground near the dragon’s den. They might die inadvertently from the battlefield’s stray shot.

They might lose their life even just from the thick ghostly aura. It was further added with the log debris that scattered everywhere like shotgun sh.e.l.l, so their lives were also threatened by physical danger.

The elderly n.o.bleman was about to give an order to the pract.i.tioners of Tsuchimikado clan, protect them with your life. Just like how the currently unmoving Takehiko yelled out before this.

But, people with rear support cla.s.s rus.h.i.+ng into a battlefield of the onis would accomplish nothing except suicide.

「Stop! I’ll do something about it!!」

「B-but! It was our blunder that caused this――」

「I don’t give a d.a.m.n! I promised Hinata-chan to let her slap all of you! I’m not going to let you guys die after this far!!」

Four pract.i.tioners of Tsuchimikado clan had already vanished into the dragon’s den because they were protecting Fujiwara clan members from the man in black.

He couldn’t allow any more loss than this. Kousuke forcefully stopped the argument and took out all the teleportation pebble artifacts that he had on him.

He tossed them toward teh crowded together Fujiwara clan members and Takehiko and others.

The pebbles fell scattered and fell down on them. He threw as many as he had hoping that some would reach them. Even though there are more than thirty of them, but surely every one of them would get placed inside the effective range by one of the pebbles. Or rather, please get into the range! Kousuke prayed while activating all the artifacts for switching the spatial coordinates with the user simultaneously without the slightest calculation error.

「Hiee!?」

「Endou-samaa!」

Fujiwara clan members along with Takehiko and his men appeared around Hinata. In exchange Kousuke appeared smack dab in the middle of the storm area.

The instant his field of vision changed, a deflected log was approaching right before his eyes. Kousuke screamed while desperately doing limbo dance.

There was just a hair’s breadth of distance. If he was just an instant later, not to mention Kousuke, several of the Fujiwara clan members would become mince meat.

「What are ye doing? Ye seem to be tired, so I told ye to escape near that little girl.」

The logs still had branches and leaves attached, so the surrounding was starting to get buried under the tree’s broken remains.

Hidzuki seemed to feel irritated by that and lazily kicked them away while walking toward Kousuke. She tilted her head in puzzlement.

「Mine beloved, ye can just take it easy back there ye know?」

「No no no, a lot of corpses almost got ma.s.s produced just now!」

「? What’s the problem with that?」

「……Right. This person, she is an oni.」

It seemed that she recognized only Hinata as “relatively useful little girl”, so she thought she could entrust her with the defense against immaterial attack, but as expected, she was an oni. She didn’t feel any deep emotion toward human death.

「Hidzuki, I want to move the battlefield.」

「Hmmm?」

「Even if they are just some pebbles at the roadside for you, I’m risking my life for their sake. If you say that you’re a.s.sisting me, please don’t ignore my feeling.」

The log bombardment had stopped before he realized it. But the ghostly aura gus.h.i.+ng out from inside the forest was increasing to an incomparable degree than before.

In the middle of that, Kousuke whipped his exhausted body and stared right at Hidzuki. That straightforward gaze made her s.h.i.+ver and a moan nnn slipped out of her lips――

「That’s impossible.」

「Eh!?」

An unexpected refusal. However it wasn’t because she was disregarding Kousuke’s will,

『oOOOOOOOO–!!!』

It was because it was already too late to change the battlefield.

The roar came from diagonally above. The huge oni was falling to here like a meteor with muddy black miasma trailing behind him.

「Ee!? It’s getting bigger than before!? Or rather, isn’t he adjusting his trajectory!?」

「It looks like he has recovereth his strength for a bit.」

“Free flight” was one of Ootakemaru’s legend. And it seemed the manifestation of his flesh body was also progressing. His height was already increasing until he was already surpa.s.sing Hidzuki slightly.

However, Hidzuki didn’t look that surprised. Rather she looked a bit happy. Her maidenly expression seemed to be returning (?) to the face of “brawl lover Anego who was wors.h.i.+pped by the Hyahhaaa bunches”.

Kousuke’s collar was suddenly grabbed violently. Then he got thrown *poon* again to the back.

「Aren’t you carelessly tossing me around too much!?」

「Fighting together might also be amusing if ye are in a perfect state mine beloved.」

After all, although she was in a maddened state and also exceedingly exhausted at that time, Kousuke still defeated her by fighting her head on. There was no room for her to doubt Kousuke’s strength.

Although, right now Kousuke was the one in a terribly exhausted state.

He asked her for help in such state. He called out for her. (Or to be more accurate, he was half forced to call for her)

Then,

「I fully understood what ye asked, mine beloved. And so alloweth me to show off.」

Yaya no Hidzuki’s female oni’s heart now wanted to answer the expectation of the man she was in love with.

She showed a smile that affirmed the saying that to fall in love was to lose. She was going to give her best effort to charm him.

「――tsu」

There was this famous painting called Mikaeri BijinThe Beauty Looking Back. Kousuke, no, even Taisei and others gulped and forgot the situation they were in seeing her smile when she turned around. They were entranced.

From the start she was already a beauty that was worthy for the t.i.tle of a country toppling beauty, but when it came to the glamor residing in that smile,

Rather than an oni, she looked more like a celestial maiden……

「Go to oblivion」

『GRAAAAA――!?』

No. An oni, she was an oni just as expected.

She spewed out scathing words while at the same time she twisted her upper body before returning it to face to the front like a bouncing spring. She focused the energy from that movement wholly into her right arm. Ootakemaru who attempted to tackle her from above was violently met with extremely magnificent Shouryuuk*nUppercut.

A thunderous sound like metal clas.h.i.+ng against metal resounded. Ootakemaru’s huge body was drawing an arc in the air. It was like a dream.

A tremor ran through the ground the moment he fell down.

Ootakemaru immediately stood up, but his neck was clearly broken. And his whole face, not just his jaw was annihilated. A beat later *thump thump* his extra thick arms also fell on the ground. Yes, Ootakemaru’s both arms were blown away.

Most likely, he immediately guarded with both his arms against the uppercut, but it was in vain. No, if he didn’t guard, then perhaps his whole head would have been blown off from the neck.

「I couldst not bear to see this. It’s like ye are just a beast.」

Ootakemaru howled once more in the place of a reply. His miasma explosively burst out and his arms along with half his face regenerated in the blink of eye. At the same time, his eye glint――was turned toward Taisei and others.

「He is still aiming at Fujiwara even now!?」

Perhaps, the obsession of the woman who became the sacrifice was still remaining.

*DON* Ootakemaru stepped forward with explosive force. Hinata tried to chant a mantra to intercept him. But, there wasn’t any need for that at all. A kimono of black background and red spider lily embroidery fluttered in front of her.

「Ahah」

Hidzuki instantly leaped behind Ootakemaru.

She was laughing. Her fangs were bared in enjoyment. Her pupils shrunk in madness.

The way she was dancing boisterously in battlefield and strife was truly that of an oni.

But, she didn’t knock her opponent flying from there, she launched a fist strike to the side of Ootakemaru as though to gouge the flesh there. Surely even though she was drunk in battle, she was doing that tokeep her promise with Kousuke to not allow anyone to die.

「For an oni to turn his back against his opponent, know shame.」

Was he able to understand those humiliating words? Or was it simply because he got hit? Ootakemaru came to a halt as he gouged the ground. His oni eyes were filled with even more intense fury.

A roar. The air around Ootakemaru immediately froze. *Crack crack* Swords and spears of ice were created and launched with such sound.

「Eh? Oni can also do something like that!?」

「Y-yes. It’s one of Ootakemaru’s legends. That oni is extraordinary even among the legends of oni.」

The image of oni and magic didn’t connect with each other in Kousuke’s mind that he spontaneously let out a voice of surprise.

Tens, hundreds of ice swords and ice spears rushed at Hidzuki. However, she received them without dodging in order to not allow even a single one reaching Kousuke and others behind her.

No, in the first place she didn’t even need to dodge. After all she wasn’t even defending. She allowed the swords and spears to hit her defenseless body as she advanced, but not a single scratch was scored on her.

Hinata explained even as she gulped seeing that sight. How Ootakemaru could also do other things like controlling storm, lighting, rain of fire, and even making things like clone.

His existence was like a manga last boss who caused inflation of combat strength. Tamuramaru who sent him flying right from the front even with the divine protection that he received from G.o.ds was also amazing. (TN: Tamuramaru seems to be a character in Ootakemaru’s legend)

But, facing Ootakemaru who originally should be an opponent of equal status,

「Hidzuki is obviously overwhelming him huh……」

The reality was just as Kousuke surmised. The battle between legendary oni was so one-sided that he didn’t see any need to lend a help.

The ice weapons didn’t work. Ootakemaru who allowed his opponent to get close let out a war cry while punching forward.

Hidzuki took the challenge head on.

Hit hit hit. Multiple hits.

Ootakemaru’s strength seemed to be swelling up the more he fought. The exchange of fiss was something fierce that already pa.s.sed the count ten punches per second.

The graphic sound of flesh being punched was echoing endlessly. Each punch created shockwave that blew away the air spherically.

Just the shockwave was like a storm of violence that could turn ordinary person into pieces.

Even just the ghostly aura that rode that storm and blew ragingly was deadly. Hinata who was thinking to close the dragon’s den using this moment considered the risk of exposing an opening no matter how brief and she was forced to focus on maintaining the barrier.

But, the one being pressed back was Ootakemaru. A part of his flesh would get blown away from each hit. His regeneration was also gradually slowing down.

「There are various opinions and theories, so it’s impossible to say with surety which one of them is stronger but……」

Hinata was sending a fearful gaze toward Hidzuki. She questioned Kousuke while Taisei and the elderly n.o.bleman and other people who were relatively near were obliquely listening attentively to her.

「Endou-sama.」

「Y-yeah?」

「What in the world is that?」

Hinata’s spiritual instinct was telling her that it was Shuten Douji.

But, it was simply impossible.

「Why is her form female? You seem to be acquainted with her, but what kind of relations.h.i.+p you have with her?」

There wasn’t any legend anywhere that said Shuten Douji had female form. And even if she accepted that fact as true for argument’s sake, why was such legendary existence connected with Kousuke? Furthermore, it was a strong connection where the oni was fixated to him.

And most of all, the strange thing here was how Shuten Douji was too strong.

Certainly, the sacrifice that Ootakemaru obtained was just a single woman. It was an insufficient medium for him, so it was only natural that his physical spec was inferior to his legend. And perhaps because of the forced seal breaking, he still didn’t even have a clear sense of sel. He also couldn’t use his authority of storm and lightning and fire.

But, the same should also apply for Shuten Douji. Rather it was extremely questionable how she could even manifest from just a single horn. Bluntly speaking it was incomprehensible how she could be so overwhelming with Ootakemaru as her opponent.

Look, even now when Ootakemaru finally split himself to increase his number by one,

「My goodness, just how frail it is!!」

She easily grabbed each of their face with both hands, raised the two Ootakemaru to the air for an instant, then she slammed them on the ground.

When she mercilessly stomped on the head of one of them, the head splattered as easily as crus.h.i.+ng a tomato.

Ootakemaru’s clone body melted and returned to be miasma. However, the second and third body immediately came out. But, as expected, with a kick that was like a swing of a scythe, all of them were pulverized together.

Ootakemaru was getting stronger the longer the fight went on, but he still couldn’t match her even then.

Ahaha, ahahahah, she let out a loud laugh, her cheeks were blus.h.i.+ng from the exultation of battle, as though she was drunk from the blood that her enemy spilled. The way Hidzuki looked was truly that of an oni……

「I am ill informed of a legend of such oni.」

Hinata glanced at Taisei and the elderly n.o.bleman for confirmation. They surmised the meaning of her gaze and shook their head.

「Endou-sama. Just what in the world is that?」

Kousuke made a troubled frown by the repeated question and scratched his cheek.

「That’s Shuten Douji. However, she is the “real thing”.」

「Real thing? What does that mean……」

「What you call apparition was born in other world. That other world absorbed concepts from many worlds and mixed similar concepts with each other. From such mixing a single life was born.」

Shuten Douji was a woman perhaps because of the influence of similar legends from other worlds. This wasn’t the fault of j.a.pan’s subculture by any means. Or so he wanted to believe.

He could see how Hinata and others were bewildered by the explanation that he gave with a wry smile. Obviously. After all this talk was just too offbeat.

Although, there was no time to explain everything from start to finish right now.

「The apparitions in this world’s history are like the clones from the home world of the apparitions where the originals sent them through the flowing stream of concept.」

「E-err?」

「But, she is different. Hidzuki is the real thing. When I was summoned to the world of the apparitions, well, various things happened and it looked like she felt obligated to me. She promised me that she will help me if I call for her.」

That was why, in this battle where an offshoot apparition who was in a state of malnutrition from being sealed all this time, facing an authentically genuine apparition, it was only natural for there to be such difference in specs fundamentally. Kousuke told Hinata of his own hypothesis.

Hinata’s gaze wandered in the air. She turned a troubled gaze to Taisei and others for help. But, Taisei and others also looked like they didn’t know what to think.

「Aa, just in case, let me add one more thing.」

It was f.u.kube who suddenly made a remark. He offered them information here as a government agent.

「The government is acknowledging, although only confidentially, that the supernatural power that returnees possess originated from other world.」

The expressions of Hinata and others were increasingly become more troubled. This was a talk where it was impossible to tell the people listening to understand and swallow it immediately, so it couldn’t be helped.

「Forgive me, Endou-sama. There is too much information that understanding it immediately is……」

「Aa, yeah. I’ll explain it again later in more detail. For now――」

「Endou-kun. You have gained the actual Shuten Douji as your ally. Can I consider this situation to be like that?」

「I guess. As long as she doesn’t change her mind.」

「She doesn’t look like she will change her mind though. ……To make an oni of the strongest cla.s.s falls in love with you. All the onmyoujis in history will cry if they heard that.」

The onmyoujis of Fujiwara and Tsuchimikado all nodded together at the words of the elderly n.o.bleman who had a faraway look.

Impossible. Just what the h.e.l.l are you/ Rather the scariest thing here is you……they thought.

「R-rather than that! It’s going to finish soon!」

Kousuke felt really uncomfortable and diverted the topic.

When they returned their gaze to the battlefield, Ootakemaru had finally become unable to regenerate anymore. Hidzuki’s low kick struck him and his two feet were blown away.

*ZUGAN* A terrible sound of pulverization reverberated, then Ootakemaru’s large body fell face up.

「Are ye finished already?」

『Guh, gaah』

「It has been a long time. I wish that ye can remember one or two words, but if ye are still mad even over there then mayhaps it canst be helped……」

Ootakemaru groaned and glared.

Although weakened, perhaps it was just to be expected from an oni. There wasn’t any sign of his fighting spirit weakening at all. His oozing killing intent was just like in legend, when he leaped even when reduced to only his head to bite his opponent.

And so,

「Aha, that’s how an oni shouldst be!!」

Hidzuki-san mounted him while looking truly delighted.

Punch punch punch punch punch!! She kept punching as though to say that she wouldn’t stop until he turned into minced meat!

「Come on! Come oon! Try hitting back! Where is yer guts when trying to make me submit at the other sideee!?」

*DOPAN ZUDON* Impact sound like a cannon shot that was impossible for a punch kept resounding over and over.

Quickly a sight of minced meat that should be covered with mosaic and a sign of “This scene can’t be showed to the viewer!” was formed. The punching sound was gradually turning into the sound of *doguchaa, zuchurua* that shaved off the sanity of the listener.

Her pure white hair was dyed crimson from the blood splatter that splashed on her.

Coupled with her ghostly aura that was s.h.i.+ning in blood red color, made anyone convinced that indeed, no wonder she was the “Yaya no Hidzuki”.

「E-Endou-kun. Just to make sure, she is fighting for your sake isn’t she?」

「P-perhaps……」

Kousuke replied to Taisei’s trembling voice with a shaky voice. He sounded terribly anxious.

He had somehow sensed it.

Because, even though she was overwhelmingly stronger she didn’t immediately overwhelm her opponent. It was like she was waiting for Ootakemaru to get stronger.

She wanted to answer Kousuke’s hope. Her feeling was genuine.

However, it was the nature of oni to find joy in strife.

Both aspects were facts that shaped Hidzuki.

Therefore, it couldn’t be said that she wasn’t “playing”. His only worry was if she got too high spirited and inadvertently splattered them too.

But then, Ootakemaru who was rus.h.i.+ng headlong through the path of minced meat produced a spark. On top of that,

「GUAAAAAAH, YOU b.a.s.t.a.r.dDD!!」

Human language came out for the first time from him.

It seemed that he recovered his sense of self slightly along with his authority to control storm and lightning.

Hidzuki was made to step back for the first time from being hit by lightning and compressed storm from point-blank.

Ootakemaru floated up with his authority of “free flight”. He had lost his regeneration ability and even his four limbs were gone. He was truly in a state of being wounded all over. He also looked like he was far from being able to use his authority completely.

But, that was exactly why, it seemed that oni G.o.d was awakened after his “offshoot” was done in to such unsightly degree.

「SHUteen-. you b.i.t.c.hh, HOW, DAre youu, do THIS TO YOUR HUSBANDD-!!」

If they didn’t mishear, it seemed that Ootakemaru styled himself as Hidzuki’s “husband”. He howled with a fury that pierced the sky.

「So ye have finally woke up. Ye are slow like usual.」

「AA!?」

Hidzuki covered her mouth with a fan that she took out from somewhere and sent a gaze that was filled with contempt to the brim toward Ootakemaru.

But right after that, her expression did a one-eighty.

She put on a bright and charming smile and snapped her fan close. Then she pointed at Kousuke with it.

「This is my dear husband.」

He said such unbelievable words.

For a moment Ootakemaru’s eyes opened wide like saucer. Even his rage was blown away. Next, his gaze turned to Kousuke slowly.

Kousuke-kun jerked. He immediately despaired thinking why did he have to make an excuse「It’s a misunderstanding!」 to a legendary oni like a married woman’s secret lover. Even so he still tried to say it but,

「Ye realize right? This is mine true body.」

「……」

「I cometh here crossing the world to meet mine beloved.」

「……」

「And of course, I have divulged it to him. Mine true name that ye and the other obstinate fools greedily desired.」

She was speaking out torrent of words that weren’t the complete truth but also weren’t that off from the mark.

Hinata and others were confused of what was going on, but Kousuke guessed it.

So that was why, she didn’t finish it instantly in part because of her nature as oni, but it seemed Shuten Dous.h.i.+-san was also really popular back in the fairy world with a lot of persistent men――perhaps, Ootakemaru who professed himself as her husband was at the head of such men――and in order to cast them away, she intentionally beat him up until he regained his mind.

Surely, through this offshoot, the real body of Ootakemaru-san who had regained his sanity in the fairy world would make a great ruckus. And then he would vent out his anger indiscriminately.

He would scream out of his lung that Shuten Douji had a boyfriend!

Kousuke’s eyes became clouded from imagining the tragedy that couldn’t be undone. Meanwhile Hidzuki-san dealt the finis.h.i.+ng blow with a lively voice that was filled to the brim with joy.

「I’m going to become happy together with this person!」

*Snap*, there was a sound of something snapping.

「YOU b.a.s.t.a.r.dDDDDDDDDDD-」

It was a reproduction of a legend. Although Ootakemaru still had his upper body, he had lost all his limbs. In such state he soared and attacked toward Kousuke with his jaw.

Of course it turn out like thissss!! Kousuke was on the verge of tears. Hidzuki stood in front of him with a fearless smile and blocked Ootakemaru’s way.

*Zun* She stepped on the ground with a sound like a stake being drove in, pulled her right arm back like drawing a bow, clenched her fist to be as hard as a rock, her blood colored ghostly aura explosively burst out――

「Sayonara」

The ghostly aura converged into her right arm like a tornado. The formed gigantic blood colored fist punched the rapidly approaching Ootakemaru head on.

The thunderous sound that resulted from it felt like it was going to tear apart everyone’s eardrums. A shockwave that was funneled to a single direction plowed the ground on its way and blew away the trees from their roots.

Ootakemaru was annihilated without even leaving behind a scream of death agony, with not even a single bit of flesh of him remaining.

Hidzuki stayed unmoving in her wonderful posture of right straight punch.

A beat later, *fwoosh* her kimono’s bottom and her white hair obeyed the gravity.

Hidzuki turned around. She showed a bashful smile toward Kousuke. The way she toyed with her hair a bit shyly was really lovable.

If only her whole body wasn’t bathed with blood splash.

「I see. This is just horrible.」

While the majority of the onmyoujis starting from Kiyotake were unable to stand from fear, Taisei was muttering those words with various meaning in it. Perhaps the biggest meaning in it was his sympathy toward Ootakemaru. Because he wasn’t an existence that should just fade out after being treated like gag component like this by any means.

Hidzuki looked like she had already forgotten completely about that Ootakemaru. She gracefully walked toward Kousuke.

「My beloved. Have I managed to fulfill yer expectation?」

「Ah, yes, completely. It’s more than I expected in a bad meaning, perhaps, the number of my enemies has absolutely increased needlessly right now but……well, for now let’s just think about that later.」

The hateful oni lady only tilted her head while going Hm?. Kousuke sighed. He shook off the despair from his future of getting recognized as love rival by the innumerable great onis or perhaps even G.o.ds and demons who were fans of Shuten Douji. He switched mood and smiled.

And then,

「Err, I still haven’t said it huh. Thanks for coming here. You are a great help.」

「……Fufufu」

The legendary oni who crossed over world to give her a.s.sistance looked really happy by Kousuke’s thanks. She showed a smile that looked like a girl.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.

Like that, she moved to embrace her beloved.

「……」

「……」

A small obstruction hindered her.

The one who faced her without faltering right from the front was naturally.

Hinata.

Taisei papa & the elderly n.o.bleman as well as all their relatives, they all fell into mini panic.

AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

※There were several people who asked, so just in case, Shuten Douji-san’s first entrance was at the first half of chapter 389「Demon King & Hero Arc Sequel⑧ Hero, Returning Home」.

※Correction: Nee-san=>Anego (From chapter 389)