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Shuten Doji regarded Tamamo-no-Mae with suspicion.

I’d better remain vigilant, as I have no idea what other tricks this demoness still has up her sleeve. Moreover, the absence of Kagami Lily makes the situation even stranger.

“No matter what, Tamamo-no-Mae, you’re a demon who has lived for over a thousand years. I’ll grant you this favor.” Shuten added with an evil glint in his eyes, “Men. Help Ms. Kimiko make the right decision!”

The sisters felt a pang of alarm at his words.

“Allow this old man to handle it, Lord Shuten! Do you still remember me, Tamamo-no-Mae?” Hagewashi Tengu sprang forward, the eyes on his diminutive body shining ominously.

With one hand, he drew out a peculiar, short-handled magic staff, and with the other, he produced a stack of paper dolls.

Whoosh!

Hagewashi Tengu sent the paper dolls soaring with a flick of his wrist, beginning to chant a spell while brandishing his magic staff.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With each resonating clang, the paper dolls morphed into a thick fog of eldritch energy, from which monstrous-looking familiars emerged.

“I had no choice but to flee to a foreign land because of your threats back then, Tamamo-no-Mae! Today, it’s my turn to return the favor. This is what you get for defying Lord Shuten. My familiars, destroy the village before you¹!” Hagewashi Tengu ordered.

Tamamo reacted with alarm, “Shuten Doji, you—”

Her words were cut off by Shuten. He sat down leisurely on a boulder, retrieving a bowl and a flying wine gourd from nowhere. Wine poured into the bowl of its own accord. Between large mouthfuls, he sneered, “What’s wrong, Ms. Kimiko? I gave you time to think over the matter as you requested. Are you unhappy with my decision?”

Despite Shuten’s casual demeanor, the tense atmosphere didn’t dissipate. Hagewashi Tengu’s familiars swarmed, spreading out to surround the sisters. As if on cue, sorcerers in tattered robes began chanting spells, unleashing a volley of magic towards the village and the sisters.

Defending against the magic, Ayaka, Rei, Shimizu, and others brandished their weapons. Despite their best efforts, some spells dodged their defense, striking the village directly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The village was thrown into chaos, purple explosions erupting from within. Cries of terror echoed as villagers and small demons scattered, fleeing from the havoc. Casualties had already been inflicted.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!” In retaliation, Ayaka invoked a snowstorm with a swing of her naginata, sending a series of energy beams towards the flying familiars. Although the familiars were all in the Throne stage, most of them possessing only the strength of a Throned General, they were no match for Ayaka, who had mostly recovered from her injury.

But her attack was thwarted by the powerful old man, Hojo Tokimasa. A golden energy wave from his hand struck down Ayaka’s attack.

Hojo Tokimasa chastised her, “Fujiwara no Ayaka, how could you interfere in this matter after we’ve agreed to give Tamamo-no-Mae the time to think things over? You can’t even keep a promise, you shameless woman?”

Ayaka’s anger flared. “You call me shameless? There’s no one more disgraceful than you in the world, you insolent coot!”

“I was already assisting Minamoto no Yoritomo in seizing power before you were even born, you inconsequential girl! Allow me to teach you a lesson in respect for your elders!” Hojo Tokimasa retorted fiercely. In a swift motion, accompanied by a thunderous boom he transformed into a shadowy figure and charged at Ayaka with extreme speed.

Unfazed, Ayaka flicked her wrist, releasing ribbons of white silk from her sleeves, aiming them directly at the incoming Tokimasa. A golden light flared in his hand, morphing into a massive brass gauntlet as large as his body, fitting seamlessly onto his arm. The enormity of the gauntlet rendered Tokimasa’s right arm nearly as large as his whole body.

Boom!

A forceful punch hurtled towards Ayaka, her white silk ribbons wrapping around it, slowing its momentum. Reacting, Tokimasa tugged forcefully, ripping the silk ribbons apart, their inertia pulling Ayaka forward as well.

In her current state, Ayaka’s strength was comparable to that of a triple-soul Big Dipper expert, but only while she wielded the special blade, Fubuki. Against a double-soul Big Dipper expert like Tokimasa, who specialized in brute force, her strength seemed slightly lesser.

Taking advantage of Ayaka’s brief vulnerability, Tokimasa landed another punch, his brass gauntlet glowing with golden light as it whooshed forward. Ayaka was quick to react, bringing Fubuki in front of her to block the gauntlet.

Clang!

The resulting counterforce of the clash sent Tokimasa flying backwards, leaving a vast crater under Ayaka’s feet.

“Fujiwara no Ayaka, revered as the unparalleled beauty of Heian-kyo. I cannot let old man Hojo have all the fun! Indulge me as well!” Onito, as burly as a sumo wrestler, lumbered forward, his heavy footsteps echoing before he swiftly lunged towards Ayaka.

Despite having successfully blocked Tokimasa’s previous attack, the impact had significantly weakened Ayaka, leaving her with no time to recover before facing Onito’s assault.

“Scoundrel!” Ayaka managed to slash Onito’s palm with Fubuki. However, moments later, a column of light erupted around Onito, causing tremors to shake the earth. The ancient, crude-looking veins on Onito’s dark blue palm illuminated as he blocked Ayaka’s naginata with his bare hand.

“What?!”

It was unheard of for even a quintuple-soul Big Dipper expert to block Fubuki with their bare hands. But Onito was an exception; his fists were his main weapons, his colossal palms were harder than grade nine steel and as tough as the hides of primordial beasts.

Ayaka’s blade only left a faint scratch on Onito’s palm, unable to pierce his rugged skin. Onito was more than just his palms; his entire body was incredibly resilient, his flesh as solid as grade nine armor.

He grasped Ayaka’s blade with his palm and landed a robust kick with his thick leg.

Bam!

The hefty kick sent Ayaka catapulting 100 meters away, crashing into a hillside village. The resulting impact triggered a landslide that demolished many houses, burying villagers alive before they even had the chance to escape.

“Ayaka!” Tamamo cried out in alarm. The strength of the two adversaries far surpassed her expectations. Onito had not only blocked Ayaka’s blade with his bare hand but also sent her flying with a kick as powerful as a grade nine maul.

Flipping her hand, Tamamo revealed an ancient charm that exuded a distinct scent of blood.

“Tamamo-no-Mae!” Shuten cautioned, “Surely you did not request time to ponder merely to incite a war with me? Don’t tell me you plan to betray your words now.”

Tamamo scoffed, “As if you genuinely intended to grant me the time to contemplate!”

Without further ado, Tamamo hurled the charm forward. It morphed into a beast resembling a Big Dipper level lizard beast, mirroring the one Lily had previously encountered in the abyss of the underworld. The beast lunged at Onito, tearing a large chunk of his unusually tough flesh with its jaws.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, Shuten Doji unleashed a golden arrow from his fingers. It flew so swiftly that Tamamo was left defenseless, causing her to cough up blood and collapse, her clothes torn from the energy emitted by the arrow.

Standing up, Shuten Doji conjured Kurokinsui, his halberd, launching it at the lizard beast. The weapon easily pierced the beast, flinging it back and pinning it to a mountain rock. After a few futile attempts to break free, the beast dissipated into a cloud of red mist.

“Lady Kimiko!” Natsu, the cat demon, rushed to help Tamamo who had collapsed.

Tamamo’s outfit was severely damaged, revealing her scar-ridden skin. Though she trembled from the experience, a flicker of weakness apparent in her eyes, her resolve remained steadfast as she glared at Shuten in anger.

“I agreed to do you a favor, Tamamo-no-Mae,” Shuten began, “But I never imagined you’d stoop so low as to ambush my friend from Iyo! You can’t blame me for retaliating!” He tossed away the bowl in his other hand.

“B̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲…” Blood trickled down from Tamamo’s forehead and lips. She was confident that she could face Shuten Doji in combat if she could transform into her original form, even at the cost of her life. But now, despite having narrowly escaped death in the valley, she had exhausted all her powers and was unable to transform.

Tamamo gently stroked her bracelet as she contemplated, “With my current strength, I can’t use many of my treasures. The ones I can use are not powerful enough to defeat Shuten. However, I can still wound him and eliminate a few of his subordinates.”

As her bracelet emitted a faint light, Shuten’s eyes mirrored the ominous glint.

Swoosh!

In a split second, Shuten appeared before Tamamo and Natsu.

Bam!

Shuten’s hand morphed into a large, grotesque, hairy arm, grabbing Tamamo’s arm.

“What?!” Shocked, Tamamo realized she lacked the strength to use her treasures against Shuten.

“Let Lady Kimiko go!” Natsu clawed at Shuten’s demonic arm.

“Get out of my sight, brat!” Shuten dismissed, kicking Natsu away.

Bam!

The force of the kick sent Natsu sprawling across the ground, where she collapsed by the roadside.

“Natsu!”

“La…dy…Kimi…ko…” Natsu muttered weakly, her body twisted into an unnatural shape. Blood gurgled from her mouth, yet she turned her face towards Kimiko, uttering her master’s name.

“NATSU!” Tamamo’s voice was raspy with desperation. Pinned under Shuten’s foot, she was helpless as he ripped her treasure-hoarding bracelet from her hand without a care for the injury he might inflict.

Lifting the bracelet into the air, Shuten’s tone was filled with unabashed glee. “So, this is the famed treasure-hoarding bracelet, rumored to contain as many riches as the human empire? Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”

His laughter echoed through the air, a twisted and triumphant sound that left a chilling impression.

1. Robinxen: Thinking time is over. Time for action!