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The villagers and some demons on the streets observed the approaching group with wary expressions. Though they couldn’t discern the true nature of the strangers, they could sense an unfriendly aura emanating from them. However, there were others who were accustomed to the peaceful existence they had enjoyed in the village and remained oblivious to the impending disaster.

A few young farmers, unaware of the danger, descended from the hills and approached the village gates. In most other places, encountering such formidable arch-demons would have sent the villagers into hiding out of fear. But the residents of this village had grown accustomed to coexisting with demons.

“Hey, how come we’ve never seen you before? Wow! Could you be… the legendary Tengu?” The farmer gazed in surprise at the flying Tengu.

“Why the serious face? Don’t you have anything to say? Today’s a good day. If you’re looking for a place to stay or need help with something, I can assist you,” the farmer continued in an amiable tone.

The peaceful days in this village had endured for too long. Regardless of the chaos in the outside world, Suno had remained tranquil and isolated.

“Get lost!” Fuma Ryuyaku waved his hand in a blur.

“Huh? What?” The young farmer was taken aback.

Boom! In an instant, the farmer’s body exploded into a gruesome mess, splattering the area with blood and flesh.

The farmer’s head, eyes vacant, soared through the air before landing at the feet of the other farmers.

“Ah… ah…”

Stunned, the farmers remained frozen in shock, unable to process what had just occurred.

“Ahhh!” Nearby, a woman who had been drying corn let out a piercing scream, dropping the corn onto the ground.

“Tetsuro? Tetsuro…” A dark-skinned farmer at the forefront shouted in horror. “What did you do? What did you do!?”

“Why did you kill him? Why did you kill him?!”

Annoyed, Ryuyaku reached behind to retrieve his boomerangs. With his supernatural abilities, he could have eliminated these mortal farmers with a mere thought, but he preferred the tactile satisfaction of using his boomerangs to slice through their feeble bodies.

The boomerangs moved swiftly, faster than the villagers could react. They severed the legs of four farmers, and upon their descent, the returning boomerang decapitated all four.

The blood-soaked weapon found its way back into Ryuyaku’s hand.

“Trash,” Ryuyaku muttered, irritated that the blood of these weaklings had stained his weapon.

At this moment, people and demons near and far began to react.

“Ahhh!” Terrified screams, desperate attempts to flee, and angry shouts filled the village.

Panic and chaos ensued.

The colossal sumo corpse fiend walked over and sat beside the frightened woman, lowering his head to gaze at her. He asked, “Hey, little girl, is this your home?”

“Ah… ah…” She sat there in a daze, unable to respond.

Boom! Onito’s hefty, meaty palm came crashing down, reducing the entire building to dust. The impact carried on, demolishing a vast section of the hillside behind.

“Oh, my apologies. Did I hit it too hard?” Onito remarked. “Hmm, why are Akitsu Shima houses so fragile?”

“He-help… Ahh, help…” The woman could only utter helpless pleas.

“Stop!” A crimson blur darted out from the heart of the village!

A gallant red demon fox, youthful and towering, adorned in a loose white jacket soared through the air. His presence exuded the power of a throned sovereign!

“It’s the Scarlet Swordsman!” Several villagers who had been hiding within buildings exclaimed. He was the village’s most formidable expert. With him taking the lead, these wicked villains would surely face justice!

The Scarlet Swordsman swiftly closed in on the colossal blue sumo corpse fiend, his katana gleaming as he unsheathed it in a swift motion.

Bam!

The enormous blue corpse fiend retaliated with a forceful backhand, transforming the Scarlet Swordsman into a mound of minced flesh¹.

“What?!” The entire village, both humans and demons, fell into stunned silence.

“Ah!!!”
“Kyahh!!”

The women erupted in screams.

“Impossible!!” Taiho, a bearded middle-aged human swordsman, couldn’t fathom what he had witnessed. “Master Kurenai, the invincible master who has been my teacher since childhood… He… died with a single random palm strike???”

Plop! Taiho collapsed to his knees, devoid of strength. “This… this person, how unbelievably powerful…”

“Kurenai…Oh Kurenai… my beloved!” In the distance, a delicate fox madam descended into madness as she witnessed the tragedy unfold.

She clutched the hand of a small fox-eared girl.

“Mommy! Mommy! I’m scared!” the little girl cried, gripping her mother’s garments.

“Hana, take your brother and run! It doesn’t matter where, just run!” The madam entrusted the small fox in her arms to the little girl and pushed her away.

Her eyes blazed with a ferocious determination as she clenched a short sword. “I’ll take you down with me!”

This delicate madam had spent years by her husband’s side, observing and occasionally learning the ways of the sword. She, too, was a sword saint. Gripping the short sword tightly, she fearlessly charged toward the towering sumo corpse fiend.

Onito observed the delicate madam rushing forward with an impatient smile on his plump face. Killing this insignificant woman seemed like a trivial task to him.

“Die!” The madam’s eyes brimmed with hatred as she thrust her short sword forward.

“Hmph! Perish, you insignificant mortals,” Onito scoffed and casually slammed his palm down.

The overwhelming force halted the delicate madam in her tracks as darkness enveloped her vision. The colossal palm seemed to engulf the entire world as it pressed down upon her.

“Beloved… I’m coming…” The madam closed her eyes.

Boom!

A radiant white ribbon, resembling a wave in the sky, crashed into the massive mass of flesh, sending the powerful double-soul big dipper hurtling to the ground. The mountains trembled as if struck by an earthquake.

Descending from the heavens came Fujiwara no Ayaka. Clad in a white shrine maiden outfit and black pantyhose, she gracefully stepped on white lotuses.

“Hm? Finally arrived?” Shuten coldly laughed.

Behind Ayaka, puffs of white smoke materialized with a soft poof. The smoke dissipated, revealing several figures on the hillside. Tamamo-no-Mae adorned a yellow kimono, Uesugi Rei wore a blue jacket and short skirt, Minamoto no Shimizu donned a black kimono, accompanied by Natsu Nariaki, Taira no Shizuru, and Shimadzu Inari, among others.

These women positioned themselves on the path leading to Suno, blocking the way of the formidable arch-demon Shuten Doji and his four followers.

Ayaka descended, a white naginata materializing in her hands as she stood beside Tamamo. The other women fanned out behind the two.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Shuten couldn’t help but applaud. “That was an exquisite strike! It seems you have recovered quite well! You, the lady wielding famed Fubuki, must be the legendary strongest human onmyoji, the former Chief Advisor, now the most wanted criminal, Fujiwara no Ayaka, correct? I have long heard of your illustrious name, and today, I finally have the pleasure of meeting you! Have you… also desired to meet me, Miss Ayaka?”

Shuten’s eyes shimmered with a captivating glow. If an ordinary woman were to meet this gaze, she would instantly be entranced and compliant to Shuten’s will.

“Huh, so you are Shuten Doji?” Ayaka’s gaze remained steadfast. Though Shuten’s gaze had some effect on her, her own realm was so formidable that it was negligible. The naginata in her hand was the renowned weapon that a legendary shrine maiden warrior lost to Tamamo in a gamble during the Nara period.

A lower-ranked spirit artifact, Naginata Fubuki. Ayaka had lost all her possessions, so Tamamo had lent her this naginata.

Tamamo looked around at the wrecked village and the tragically killed villagers.

“Even little Kurenai…” Tamamo trembled as anger filled her eyes. Despite her diminished eldritch energy, the anger of a thousand-year-old arch-demon exerted a heavy pressure on Shuten.

Shuten resisted the pressure on his soul, silently acknowledging Tamamo’s power. He thought to himself, “As expected of Tamamo-no-Mae. Judging by her aura, her injuries must be more severe than I anticipated. My luck isn’t bad, but the soul’s coercion is enough to frighten me… The nine-tailed demon fox, an ancient divine beast, truly remarkable. But no matter how remarkable, all ancient divine beasts eventually fall. Throughout history, countless legendary divine beasts more impressive than the nine-tailed fox have been hunted down and slain by ancient powerhouses and demon gods.”

Tamamo was seething with fury. She advanced, and even though she had lost most of her powers, Shuten involuntarily retreated.

This was the majesty spanning several thousand years! The pressure and fear crushed his soul directly.

“Shuten Doji, how dare you intrude upon my Suno and kill my clansmen! The imperial court’s five hundred thousand great army turned to ashes before me. Are you and your ignorant accomplices attempting to follow in their footsteps?”

Tamamo’s eyes glowed with a golden-red hue, striking fear into the hearts of the invaders.

“Ahahahaha!” Shuten suddenly threw his head back and laughed uproariously. “Tamamo-no-Mae! There’s no need to bluff! Yes, we trampled your lair and killed your clan members, but so what? If you had the strength, you would have already attacked! From what I see, the current you can’t even defeat little brother Fuma, right? Why bother, eh?”

Tamamo’s eyes still burned with fury, but a flicker of worry passed through her heart. As expected, she couldn’t conceal her condition from Shuten… Now, what should she do²?

……

Meanwhile, several hundred miles away from Suno…

Boom!!! A crimson streak shot through the dark forests. Lily, her long kimono sleeves fluttering in the wind, stood atop a large bird, her gaze fixed on Suno’s direction where her sisters awaited³.

“Lady Kimiko, sister Ayaka, everyone… Hold on, wait for me!”

1. Robinxen: That was long lived…
2. Yuki: Would be amusing if she pulled out a fake legendary item and said: Shuten, you look down on me too much. This will allow me to temporarily completely recover, but the price I would have to pay is not something I want to pay, but I will pay it if I have to. Now Shuten, I give you two choices, kill those 4 following you and get lost, or I will use this item and exterminate you all even if it means Minamoto no Yoritomo gets a free win.
3. Robinxen: We come to a climax…