Chat group: My Fist of the North Star will never lose!

Chapter 416 Damn it, my teammates are incompetent, it seems I have to come out of retirement!

The Hakurei Shrine Maiden of today, dressed in an adult red and white shrine maiden outfit (referring to an outfit that exposes the armpits) and with a huge pink bow tied in her hair, has officially become the first shrine maiden of Gensokyo. Compared to her previous unremarkable shrine maiden outfit, this can be considered a new fashion.

People then referred to this girl named "Hakurei" as "Hakurei the First Generation," placing her alongside various other first-generation characters.

"Hmm...it's quite convenient for moving around."

I nodded with considerable satisfaction, seemingly having no major objections, whether to the clothes or the way I was addressed.

"Hey! First Generation, aren't you scared?"

The Demon King, who commanded all the demons, asked curiously. Before returning to the old hell, she really wanted to know what kind of person could serve as the witch of this outrageous place.

Suika Ibuki knew that her strength was among the best in the world, but she still dared not say that she could become the shrine maiden of Gensokyo.

"Ha, Suika, you didn't actually intend to run for the position of shrine maiden of Gensokyo from the beginning, did you?"

The Heavenly Demon couldn't help but burst into laughter, but as time passed and the Strange Ghost King's expression remained completely unchanged, her laughter gradually subsided, and she asked hesitantly in a strange tone:
"No...no?"

"Don't you think the shrine maiden outfit actually suits me quite well?"

Few people know that the ancestors of the Strange Demon King were once wealthy and kind people.

—The Nine-Headed Dragon God.

Of course, this "Dragon God" is not the same as that "Dragon God," and it has nothing to do with the "Nine-Headed Dragon Flash."

The Nine-Headed Dragon God is the land deity enshrined at Togakushi Shrine in Togakushi Mountain. Legend has it that after being influenced by Buddhism, he was subdued by the manifestation of Kannon Bodhisattva and reformed, thus protecting the area.

The Nine-Headed Dragon God not only has a shrine on Mount Togakushi, but is also the mountain god of Mount Ibuki. In a sense, he is Ibuki Suika's father. Before she became the Demon King, she worked as a shrine maiden at the shrine on Mount Togakushi for a period of time.

Looking at it this way, Ibuki Suika has quite a lot of experience as a shrine maiden. In the entire Gensokyo region, who else could be better than her?
In fact, the Nine-Headed Dragon God is an existence even older than the legends suggest. Its original form was the giant serpent Vasuki from India. After arriving in Japan, it underwent localization and transformation, taking on a completely different appearance... transforming from a giant serpent into a nine-headed, human-bodied demon.

The combination of these attributes—snake, dragon, and demon—with faith gave birth to the monstrous demon king, Ibuki Suika.

Rather than saying she is the daughter of the nine-headed dragon god, it would be more accurate to say she is the demon side.

However, because of her special origin, Suika is forever frozen in the appearance of a child. Even after hundreds or thousands of years, she will probably not change in the slightest, and humans would not be able to accept a demon who has not changed at all.

So, she's actually not qualified.

But does this seemingly delicate human girl in front of her, who might not even be a fraction of her age, have the right to do this?

Ibuki Suika refers to qualifications in terms of strength.

Hakurei is the surname passed down through generations of the Hakurei Shrine, as is a spiritual power comparable to that of ordinary great yokai... Perhaps in the outside world, this is already an extraordinary level, enough to be recorded in history and leave a lasting mark on the world.

In this fantasy world where monsters, magic, gods, and the dead coexist and madmen roam everywhere, merely being able to match ordinary great monsters is not enough, far from enough.

In this newly established Gensokyo, where order and rules are not yet fully established, the original group of veteran powerhouses, as well as the new youkai who will continuously disappear from the outside world and enter Gensokyo due to the "boundary between illusion and reality," are bound to experience a great deal of friction and conflict, as well as struggles for faith between humans and youkai, and between humans themselves...

Even if a wise person is willing to help her, there will always be times when they are powerless to help her. If she herself is not strong enough, it will be very difficult to handle the situation.

As a mediator, Hakurei must demonstrate her own strength in order to subdue the powerful yokai, and cannot continue to rely on others.

"There's nothing to be afraid of..."

The first generation smiled gently, their tone soft:
"If it's my responsibility, then I have no reason to shirk it. Protecting Gensokyo is a responsibility I chose myself, and I won't regret it even if I die."

This is not only Hakurei's unique perspective, but also what makes this girl so adorable and admirable.

The ghost kings received an unexpected answer; they nodded and left thoughtfully.

The remaining first generation leisurely played with the little creature she kept in the jar, enjoying her last peaceful moments before fulfilling her duties.

Inside the jar was a fluffy ball the size of a walnut. The little guy was lazily circling around the girl's finger, like a puppy rubbing its furry body against it.

Ding Ding Ding Deng~
A burst of rapid drumbeats came from inside the newly renovated Hakurei Shrine. Suddenly, a strange crack appeared behind Hakurei, and a graceful and noble woman in a Taoist robe slowly stepped out. She looked with great interest at the girl teasing the hair ornament in front of her.

The drumbeats came from the darkness behind Yukari Yakumo. Before anyone was seen, the sound preceded it. Hakurei paused slightly, only to hear a man's incessant complaining:
"That Sariel, that giant bonebreaker, really doesn't hold back! She's just a washed-up BBA (BMW, Benz, Audi), but she's so tough. I feel like she's going to break my nose. And Shinki too..."

That's right, Ganjagi and Sariel had a fight in the Demon Realm, they clashed, and as for the winner...

"Hey, guess what? No win, no loss."

Because he smashed too many holes and damaged the environment of the Demon Realm, Jagi was forcibly isolated by Shenqi and thrown out. Although he didn't suffer any losses, it can't be said that he won either.

If the Dragon God is the second strongest being in Gensokyo, then Sariel is the second strongest being in the Demon World. It is said that she was once an archangel in the heavens, but now she has come to the Demon World as a fallen angel. Her direct combat power and destructive force may be even stronger than that of the Demon God.

It's reasonable that the two fought to a standstill, and since they didn't have any deep-seated hatred for each other, they might as well pause halfway through.

"These days, there are hidden talents everywhere... If the Beer Fairy gets drunk one day, who knows what amazing old man will make a grand entrance, crushing all the characters so far and turning them all into stepping stones for the newcomers..."

As Jagi stepped out of the gap, he suddenly realized why Shenqi had intervened to stop the duel—at this point in time, a certain superhuman monk who loved riding motorcycles seemed to still be sealed away in some corner of the Demon Realm… No wonder…

The Red and White Priestess gazed at the man behind the Sage with a puzzled expression.

The other person is clearly human, yet he keeps saying things that Hakurei can't understand at all... But since it's the Hokuto no Otoko, who even youkai are afraid of, it's normal that she can't understand him.

She vividly remembered the scene where the other party pinned the Dragon God to the ground and beat him up.

From the moment she first saw Jagi, Hakurei sensed something with her exceptionally high psychic abilities—it was best to stay away from this man with seven scars on his chest.

"Ah! It's Mao Yu!"

Jagi leaned closer, peered into the jar, and looked as if he'd discovered some earth-shattering secret. "They say the core of this little thing is an SSR-level super ingredient. It's delicious no matter how you cook it, and it's crunchy as soon as you remove the head and tail. It has six times the protein of mermaid meat..."

As if it understood his words, the low-level monster he named bristled all its fur, turning into a hedgehog-like defensive form, and angrily charged at his hand.

"Um... Maoyu is so cute, why eat it?" Hakurei's face remained expressionless, but her body subtly took a step back, while confirming her previous thought in her mind: she really couldn't do anything about this person.

"Some shameless shrine maidens will do this when they're starving... Of course, I'm not talking about you."

"Integrity? What's that? Is it edible?"

"Oh, no, this thing is indeed quite precious, but it's also practically everywhere. These two states can coexist; I call it the duality of integrity. Look at Zi, she's the best example..."

As the saying goes: No one in the world has eyes in the back of their head!

However, Beidou Superman, relying on his extraordinary senses, discovered that a power of realm was surging from a certain monster sage behind him whom he had been spreading rumors about, so he quickly changed his words.

"Wait! Actually, I have something important to discuss with the First Generation."

Yukari Yakumo stopped the "Boundary Between Man and Woman" she was about to activate, deciding to give him one more sentence, only to see Jagi become serious for the first time in a long time.

The Hakurei Shrine Maiden is nominally the guardian of the Great Barrier, but in reality, she inherited the Hakurei surname and sacrificed her own future to become the human pillar of Gensokyo. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Hakurei Shrine Maiden is a sacrifice to maintain the balance between fantasy and reality...

If possible, it would be much easier to have his younger brother Kenshiro become the local Hakurei Shrine Maiden; no yokai would dare to cause trouble then. But unfortunately, it's not the right time for him to wear the red and white shrine maiden outfit yet.

"You should have inherited the power of the Great Barrier by now, right?"

Hakurei nodded. She could now briefly control the power of the Great Barrier for her own use, and her physical skills had also improved significantly through training. She could easily defeat two of herself.

"Let me take a closer look."

Jagi seemed to have acquired the Demon Eye of Avatar; precise numerical values ​​appeared on his retina, rapidly fluctuating, before he spoke:
"Hmm, if your current combat power is 6000, then 'Storm Breath' must have a combat power of at least 1..."

"Wait, who is 'Storm Breath'? And who even assigned this combat power rating?!"

Yukari Yakumo interrupted, saying that she was already struggling to keep up, let alone the First Hakurei who was completely disoriented from beginning to end.

"Of course 'Storm Breath' belongs to Reijimaru Irin, or Goenitz, right?"

Jagi glanced disdainfully at the ignorant demon sage, assuming she hadn't yet encountered this kind of knowledge. "Since your combat power has reached 6000, I'll also state my combat power for reference. My combat power is 530000..."

The current First Generation Hakurei should be able to easily defeat a great yokai like Aya Shameimaru, which is quite remarkable for a human, but it's impossible for her to immediately improve and defeat a yokai of the level of Irin Reijimaru.

The monsters are ridiculously stronger the higher you go. It's hard to say normally, but what if Kazami Yuuka gets in the mood and blasts you with a cannon one day?
"Don't worry, I have twenty-two enhancement procedures here... Go through them now, and you'll become a Super Beidou Person immediately!"

Jagi immediately pulled out a beautiful purple energy ball and threw it at Hakurei—this was the most precious thing on the Dragon God's body.

She separated her Dragon Essence... no, the Dragon God separated a portion of her authority, the effect of which was simple—to gain an "invincible" blessing within the Gensokyo region.

The dragon god gave it quite readily, after all, Hakurei was originally her own family's shrine maiden, so she didn't lose out. Moreover, out of sight, out of mind, and she wouldn't have to worry about this place anymore, which was a win-win situation.

The newly born Gensokyo has now established its first rule because of this—wherever a great barrier exists, that is Gensokyo, and within Gensokyo, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden is invincible.

Although this "invincibility" has its limits, it is still quite formidable. To describe it in one sentence, it is extremely powerful when facing strong opponents, and its combat strength is unknown.

This power, named the "Hakurei Power," will be passed down from generation to generation and will grow stronger and stronger.

Every priestess who subsequently obtains the [Hakurei Power] will be favored by this world, possessing fortune comparable to that of celestials, and reaching the pinnacle of potential in all aspects. Even if they only have a lifespan of a few decades, they will never lose to any great youkai during this short time! They can even challenge sages!

If he were to master Taoist arts, he might be on par with ordinary immortals; if he were to master swordsmanship, he could probably contend with Watatsuki Yorihime; and if he were to specialize in physical combat, he should be able to go toe-to-toe with the Demon King of Power...

In any case, the rules for victory have been established!

After a long journey, everything in this world has finally gotten back on track.

Jagi looked at the adorable priestess who was absorbing and fusing with the power of the Dragon God, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face... He suddenly slapped his forehead, as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh no! Where is Rumia?"

Yukari Yakumo's expression froze for a moment. It seemed like she hadn't seen Rumia in a long time, and this incident was also...

"never seen it."

"I haven't heard from her since then."

"It seems they left this island nation by ship, right?"

"It's said that monsters in Europe have seen a large, dark mass floating around... Could it be...?"

Yukari Yakumo asked many people, but they all shook their heads, indicating that they did not know.

As humanity uses light to combat the night, the fear of darkness gradually diminishes. The great dark monster Rumia is probably the most affected, her strength steadily declining, and now she might only be able to bully ordinary people.

Essentially born from darkness, lurking in the shadows, these monsters are utterly incompatible with this era that is about to enter a timeless age.

"However, given her nature, if she weakens any further, she will probably be forgotten by humans and automatically absorbed into the Great Barrier."

Yukari Yakumo was a friend she hadn't seen in a long time. She felt a pang of sadness; what would she be like when they met again?
Everything has changed so much.

Just as Jia Ji was feeling this way, he suddenly received a message.

[Mitsugu: Boss, someone's bullying my dad!! @DaMengShen]

[Great Goddess: Wait, what? I think Shana was with you right now, where is she?]

[Shana: It's so noisy! So noisy! So noisy! Just come here right now!]

No, is the situation that urgent?

Damn it, my teammates are incompetent. Looks like I have to come out of retirement!

(End of this chapter)