Why is the Demon King like this?

In the tranquil campus, a hidden, cruel spirituality is spreading, and deadly hallucinations, like strands of hair, are entwined around the buildings.

Keisuke Ao put on a mask and climbed over the wall to enter the school.

Because he was still wearing his school uniform, he was more cautious this time and avoided the surveillance area. Fortunately, he already had some spiritual energy to spare, and Aokiji's perception gradually became more comprehensive.

An increasingly clear view, and the secrets revealed within it.

The outstretched hair, flowing from the corners of the walls, windowsills, and treetops, surged like waves and transformed into the eyes of a monster.

And fingers grow out of the grass, in clusters, swaying in the evening breeze.

Even if most of it is just an illusion, it is enough to show that this is a monster that is far more ferocious and terrifying than the parasitic soul.

It is impossible to ascertain exactly how much hatred and resentment was contained within, but a ghost born from such emotions must surely have a tragic past.

If things had gone according to the normal process and narrative development, Keisuke Ao should have gone to find the source of the story, found the existence of things like the murderer, the murder weapon, and the last wish, recalled what had happened on this land in the past, and finally found the monster's true form, put the final coffin on the past events, and ushered in the final ending.

Of course, it would be best to use love to transform this hatred.

Unfortunately, the Demon King had no interest in such matters. After being provoked, he didn't hesitate to borrow the power that could solve the problem.

—We must destroy it completely!

Devastation!

Even if you have many grievances, what does it matter to me?

The dead should do what the dead should do!

If anyone attempts to implicate the living, they should bear the corresponding consequences.

Keisuke Ao smelled the stench in the air, silently revealing a cold smile. "You must have been prepared for this crime of offending the king."

He took out the amulet that the Shinban Yui wore close to his body, infused it with his spirituality, and imprinted his own mark on it, transforming it into his own shape.

"Let me see... what the hell is hiding under your hair."

Aokiji reached out and grabbed a wisp of wandering spirit, and in an instant, his taut hair sent a chill down his spine.

But soon, a wisp of purple flame ignited from the Demon King's hand, dispelling all the cold. Then, Qing Guijie released his hand, allowing the flame to take root in the spirit of the demon, letting it drift in the air.

"Take me to find it."

Under the eerie night sky, a wisp of purple fire drifted into the school building. Although it possessed only a slight spirituality, it brought terror and an invisible pressure.

The glass windows in the corridor vibrated, mosquitoes lay still and low, and the unclaimed spirits were absorbed into the flames, becoming fuel to strengthen Keisuke's power.

The spiritual energy he uses doesn't even exceed 10 points. Once he reaches the most basic spellcasting standard, the options available to Qing Keijie expand infinitely. If he uses it sparingly like this, he can use this amulet for a long time.

The wandering spirit was completely swallowed up by the flames, which gradually expanded and grew larger.

The purple light illuminated Keisuke Aokiji's face, making his originally handsome features appear somewhat effeminate. He closed his eyes slightly, feeling the long-lost power while searching for his goal.

"Arisukawa..."

"It seems they're still at school."

"But things seem a little different from what we imagined?"

In the firelight, Keisuke Ao glimpsed the scene in the remnants of the spirit. After confirming that Asuka Arisugawa was not in immediate danger, he became even more unscrupulous—he hadn't even managed to kidnap a hostage, so this useless snack was perfect for after-dinner entertainment.

Like a leisurely hunt, they unabashedly spread pressure throughout the entire school.

The strands of hair that acted as senses were scorched to nothingness by the flames, transmitting the searing pain. The hairs clinging to the building peeled away bit by bit, and a hallucinatory, mournful wail came from afar.

He then followed the flames to most of the school buildings, and finally, in a subtle confrontation, he caught him out.

A strand of hair that had been intended to sneak up on him from behind was firmly grasped in Ao Keisuke's hand. The physical entity, completely different from the illusion, surged with spiritual energy, and the strands of hair flew about. In an instant, a pitch-black hand even reached out from it and pressed down hard on the back of Ao Keisuke's hand.

"Oh?"

Ignoring the curse spreading across his skin, Aokiji savored it under the protection of his spirit.

"That hatred is truly pure!"

The Demon King gave a word of praise, but that was all.

He raised his hand and summoned flames, unleashing them upon the oblivious traitor.

In the flames, the pitch-black hand curled up, turning into an even deeper black, before gradually turning into charcoal.

The long, thin strands of hair, flowing like water, turned to ash and drifted out the window, as if each strand was wailing and begging for the protection of the host.

Then, it gradually extinguished in the flames, turning into ashes.

"Ah... so you were here."

He looked towards the back of the school building, at the old banyan tree that was over a hundred years old.

No wonder there was an unexpected incident tonight; it turns out they had already met so closely!

Even now, the tree seems perfectly normal. If it weren't for the thin moonlight, which revealed that the banyan roots that were wrapped around letters and ema (votive plaques) had all turned into long black hair, one might hesitate to believe that their perception was wrong.

—These monstrous things are quite clever at hiding themselves.

Before gaining a deeper understanding, the Demon King could only rely on the most basic method of searching through residual spiritual energy.

Keisuke Ao jumped out of the second-floor window, laughing, and said, "We're already at your doorstep, are you still too shy to show your face?"

In an instant, a piercing scream came from underground.

The enraged demon is awakening, its cruel and twisted will instantly illuminating the night sky, casting a terrifying shadow in a realm unseen by mortals.

Let's call this monster that has become one with the old banyan tree the "Long-Haired Ghost". At this moment, its spirituality index reached a terrifying value of 400+.

Her long hair, like a black tide, swept along the tree trunk, covering the sky and the earth.

The pungent, suffocating stench of decay, the twisted branches, the bleeding leaves—it was as if Aokiji had fallen into another world, where only hatred lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.

"I'm so hungry, it hurts so much, I'm so cold—!"

The shrill female voice turned into a howl, and the entire old banyan tree split apart, its trunk stretching out into a hideous maw, connecting downwards to a deep, foul-smelling corpse.

"It's actually a fusion of a hair demon and a banyan tree spirit..."

At the top of the school building, on the iron netting of the rooftop, a figure quietly appeared. She was dressed in a magnificent palace gown, her sleeves fluttering gently in the evening breeze.

"Qinggui-kun, do you actually have the courage to face such a creature?"

Shinbata Yui muttered to herself.

Even for most graduated Onmyoji, such demons are difficult to deal with. After fusion, the monster's abilities are often completely different, and experience becomes useless. The only way to remove it is by using one's abilities.

What surprised her even more was that Aoki Keisuke seemed to have discovered her presence and directly forbade her from interfering in his after-dinner entertainment.

"I'm so hungry!"

I want to have my missing fingers replaced.

"It hurts!"

The body, covered in wounds, was emitting mournful cries.

"It's so cold!"

It's so cold under the banyan tree roots!

The giant tree roared, its thick branches entwined with long, black hair, layer upon layer.

A cold wind howled, whipping up the clothes on Qing Guijie's body.

But faced with this scene, he only responded with a contemptuous sneer, his cold expression showing no pity or emotion whatsoever.

"The Spirit of Resilience—!"

In an instant, spiritual energy formed a siphon in his hand, and the fireball, having absorbed enough spiritual energy, came forth in response to the call.

Purple flames transformed into a torrent and converged on his right hand. Within the surging flames, it was as if a scale-like arm armor covered Aokiji's fist.

The purple flames illuminated his face, and the look of excitement on his face moved Shinba Yui. Then, her body swayed so much that she could barely stand on the iron net.

She longed to fall into Qing Keijie's arms immediately, even if it meant she had to take the punch.

"A determination to always move forward!" he added.

"boom--"

The enormous banyan tree leaned down on him, its massive body and deep shadow carrying a profound, hateful spirit.

The wooden mouth opened wide!

At this point, Keisuke Ao threw a punch forward.

In an instant, countless cracks climbed up the trunk of the old banyan tree, followed by purple flames that flooded into it, destroying everything in their path.

The exchange seemed to pause for a moment, and even Shinbata Yui, who was about to make a move, froze in place.

Then, the immense spiritual energy exploded, accompanied by countless burning banyan tree fragments, turning into a rain of fire that scattered in all directions.

With a single strike, he shattered an enemy whose spiritual power was many times greater than his own into countless pieces!

All the hatred and cruelty came to naught, leaving only humble applause for the Demon King's regained power.

"This is... the Fiery Dragon Fist!"

Keisuke Aoki maintained his fist stance, then laughed with delight—this was the charm of power itself!

With a single punch, at least nine-tenths of the fused monster's body was shattered.

Of the remaining one-tenth, the buried corpse posed no threat whatsoever.

Once you leave this ancient tree, all that's left is your hair.

The spiritual energy burned, dissipated, and a portion of it was absorbed into Qing Guijie's body.

Spirituality index increased from 25 to 50!

"As an activity after the meal, you have done an excellent job."

He stepped forward, ready to end the monster's life.

"Have mercy on him!"

A ghostly female figure, dressed in the uniform of Kukai Private High School, staggered over from the school building, with Hanako, whose roof had been blown off.

His face was extremely pale, fearing that Qing Guijie would kill him with a single punch without saying a word.

"We can't kill him! We can't kill him!"

Like the turtle prime minister in a story, arriving late, but not particularly late.

"Um?"

Looking back, could there be some surprise entertainment tonight?

Under his gaze, Hanako Kukai almost burst into tears—why? She only wanted to find a chance to save Keisuke Ao as well, so why did it suddenly turn into this?

The evil spirit that had occupied the private high school was knocked down with a single punch. If she hadn't shown up quickly, she probably would have been destroyed in both body and spirit.

"Killing Sha Hui will cause trouble!"

"Oh?"

Not daring to invite Keisuke Ao to her home, Hanako huddled in a corner like a doormat and honestly confessed everything.

"Both I and Sha Hui are spirits born from Kukai Private High School. Although I was born earlier, Sha Hui's resentment is much stronger than mine because of the cause of her death, but she has also lost most of her sanity as a result."

I can only barely communicate with Sha Hui sometimes, and sometimes she attacks me if I don't listen. So after you broke the roof and I lost my shelter, I was planning to run away and stay with my sisters for a while.

At this point, Hanako couldn't help but shed tears of grief and indignation—

Even if there is an indelible stench in one's soul, can that be the same as real excrement?!

Who can understand the despair of being hit by a torrent of excrement?

—So that was a barrier to block the enemy.

Aokiji suddenly realized, then changed the subject: "So, why can't we kill it?"

"I once made an agreement with Sha Hui that, in order to avoid attracting official attention, she could not directly harm the prey chosen by the mark, and at most could only secretly remove the prey's fingers..."

Those whose fingers have been swallowed will grow ten new wooden fingers. Before the curse wears off, they won't even feel anything unusual—instead, they'll be pleasantly surprised by their increasingly agile fingers.

But these fingers are also a curse. People who are bound by the wooden fingers will die in accidents one after another within a few months to two or three years. This can both cover up Sha Hui's evil deeds and whitewash the peace that does not exist.

"If we kill Sha Hui now, those whose fingers were eaten will either have their fingers broken off immediately, or die a violent death!"

"..."

Keisuke Ao and Hanako stared at each other, then asked earnestly, "What does that have to do with me?"

Leaving aside the fact that the priestesses of Mingzhi Shrine had already colluded with him, and that none of the people around Ao Keisuke knew had been corrupted by Sae's curse—

So why should he take responsibility for those unlucky guys?

"Huh?" Hanako was a little confused when she heard this—bro, although you're awesome, the official team is obviously awesome!

She was Hanako, a renowned monster in all of Japan, who once dominated the world with her immense power!

In the end, it was divided into countless sisters... scattered in various toilets, each living their own little world, without even the strength to struggle anymore.

I was also delighted to have Hanako number 7274!

"This...this..."

Hanako carefully considered her words, but firstly, she didn't know Ao Keisuke's identity, and secondly, she was worried about being punched to death, so she found it difficult to speak.

"Leave this to me."

Shinbata Yui floated down from the sky and walked smilingly to Ao Keisuke's side.

"What a coincidence, Qinggui-kun, we meet again."

"Hiss—" Hanako gasped, almost jumping over the wall to run away.

"Don't be afraid. You're a harmless girl, but you're actually someone we're protecting."

"Huh? Huh?" Hanako was stunned, then felt a mixture of humiliation and...smug satisfaction?!

I'm the one protecting animals?

"After all, it's hard to eradicate Hanako's true form. With so many of you sisters, you must often discuss restoration, right?" Yui Kamabata said with a half-smile.

"I'm a staunch advocate of a relaxed, easygoing attitude!" Hanako 7274 declared confidently.

"That would be perfect."

Kamibata Yui ignored her and instead took a closer look at the horrific scene created by Ao Keisuke.

The more I observe, the more surprised I become.

It's completely unimaginable how such a small amount of power could be used to achieve this.

But Aokiji clearly had no intention of explaining further. He walked to the edge of the tree hole, reached in, and pulled out the mutilated, rotting corpse.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"In order to distinguish between the mysterious and the public, we have official regulations... In this case, we will probably temporarily seal the power of this ghost, do our best to eliminate the influence of the victim's curse, save those who can be saved, and help those who cannot be saved."

Can you lend a hand?

Are you helping me go to hell?

Keisuke Ao smiled and said, "That won't be so troublesome."

With a surge of spiritual energy, in an instant, scorching flames erupted in Qing Guijie's hands, instantly setting the entire corpse ablaze.

"Ah!!!" The demon screamed in agony as its incredibly long hair fell out and burned away bit by bit.

Hanako covered her eyes in fear, peeking through only her slits.

After expending several times the spiritual energy of the purple fireball, the entire corpse was burned to ashes by Qing Guijie.

But the ghost is still alive; he has not yet died.

After pondering for a moment, Qing Guijie gathered all the ashes and, in the blink of an eye, kneaded them into a pitch-black bone ring.

The last vestiges of the ghost's spirit were sealed within it, responsible for maintaining the connection between the curse and the spirit.

"Here you go."

Keisuke Ao casually tossed the ring to Hanako: "As long as you regularly infuse the ring with spiritual energy, you can delay the curse from taking effect."

"You share the blame, so I'm assigning it to you. Any questions?"

Hanako looked at the two of them; they were weak, helpless, and pitiful, and could only shake their heads desperately to show their loyalty.

"Of course, to commend you for saving Arisugawa, as long as you wear this ring, it will activate another function: the stench in your soul will be suppressed and hidden."

"real?!"

Upon hearing about this benefit, Hanako, who had been trembling with fear, immediately had her eyes light up.

Keisuke Ao ignored Hanako, who was so excited she was standing upside down and her pleated skirt completely covered her stomach, and instead turned to look at Yui Kamabatake with a hint of confusion.

"What's wrong with you?"

"A ring...a ring..."

Yui Kamibata muttered to herself, "Aokei-kun, that's so mean! I want it too!"

Qing Keisuke:?