Shota is surrounded by monsters!

"How could I do something so beneath me..."

"I can take care of you!"

Kagura said with a serious expression, "Three meals a day! And POCKY as a snack."

"Uh."

Shota was stunned for a few seconds. If she had brought this up a month earlier, he probably would have just walked away and been seduced. But now he was a high-ranking member of the Nura Clan who could support himself, and these offers weren't enough to lure him away.

"Let's forget about it."

"Eh..."

"Haha, Kagura, stop thinking about that and get in the car."

Huang Quan smiled and pulled Kagura onto the car, saying, "We still have a mission to do."

However, before reaching their destination, Shota still ran out of the car with Mashiro. As a yokai, he didn't want to have too much contact with the main force of the Countermeasures Office.

"It's a big guy. It's a pity it's a spirit. And it's not the aura of the wind I felt that day."

Shota scratched his chin. He had clearly smelled a faint demonic aura before, which was very similar to the aura from that day. How could it have suddenly disappeared?

Or is the appearance of evil spirits also related to them?

Chapter Sixty-Three. Snatching Food from a Tiger's Mouth

When Shota discovered the monster, the others from the countermeasures office did not arrive, so it seems that Yomi and the others were the first to arrive.

"That's scary..."

Mashiro, who rarely goes out, immediately hid behind Shota when she saw the spider-like monster that was over ten meters tall. Judging from the monster's demonic power, it should be at the B-level. Rea should be able to defeat a monster of this level after training, but Mashiro probably would never be able to defeat it in her entire life.

The tragedy of slimes.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. This kind of thing is just food on the plate."

Shota patted Mashiro's head. Having been given a slime that could be considered his symbiotic companion, he naturally had to protect this weak little youkai. He watched the spirit wandering aimlessly through the jungle, like a newborn child, carrying out destructive activities solely on instinct.

"Well."

Mashiro was still a little scared. After all, the primary criterion for judging a yokai's strength was its size. How could her small size possibly defeat someone so large? If, if there were a lake...

Mashiro imagined herself absorbing all the water in the lake and then turning into a slime.

"Hehehe..."

The thought of being able to unleash her divine power and crush humans made Mashiro let out a strange laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"nothing."

Mashiro quickly shook her head.

“Let’s wait a bit. Let them make their move first, and then I’ll just go up and eat that monster.” Shota found a good spot to lie down and said to Mashiro, “Since I got an extra meal today, you’ll get double the drinks tonight.”

The two, engrossed in their wonderful fantasy about food, were unaware that someone was watching them.

"Those two are also from the Nura Clan?"

"Ah, boss. Judging from the information, there should be no mistake. That man seems to be Taotie, a great demon from the Central Plains. A high-ranking member of the Nura Clan."

"Taotie? Ah, since it's a Nura Clan yokai, it's probably only that level. It has absolutely no sense of vigilance. It looks very weak."

"That……"

"Hehehehe. I originally wanted to test the strength of the exorcists here, but I didn't expect to find an even bigger fish."

A group of demons stood on the tree branches, and a strange wind enveloped their demonic aura, their figures, and their voices.

"A spider? No need to wait for anyone else, let's take it down in one go."

On the other side, Yomi Isayama, who had just gotten off the car, drew her treasured sword, Lion King, directly from her bag. The sword, which had been re-polished, was once again at its peak condition. Gripping Lion King tightly, Yomi felt a surge of power welling up within her once more.

"I'll go too..."

Just as Kagura was about to join the fight, Senjougahara abruptly blocked her path, preventing her from advancing.

"Huh?"

Kagura had no idea where Senjougahara's hostility came from. However, she could definitely sense that the other woman seemed to dislike her a little. Although Senjougahara was usually cold, it was just that—coldness. Never before had she felt such a targeted attitude towards her.

"Um, Senjougahara..."

"Master, leave the cover to me."

Battlefield Principles ignored Kagura, interrupted her, and nodded towards Yomi.

"Okay, then I'll leave the cover to you. Be careful. Kagura, provide support from the rear as usual."

After giving the order, Huang Quan summoned the spirit beast Luan Honglian. The twelve-eyed snake-tailed spirit beast, which had not appeared for a long time, let out a long howl as soon as it appeared. Huang Quan patted its neck and then flipped over to fight on its back.

"Attack, Raging Crimson Lotus!"

"Roar--"

Senjougahara also rushed towards the monster, while Kagura remained standing there, stunned.

"What exactly happened?"

"When women get angry with each other, it's usually because of jealousy."

Uncle Iwabata, now armed, got out of the car, stood next to Kagura, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "Maybe you just said something you shouldn't have."

"Huh?"

Kagura still looked innocent; she hadn't said anything she shouldn't have.

"Oh, oh, oh, it's here! Every time I see that lion, I have this urge to eat it up!"

Shota swallowed hard after watching Ran Honglian pounce on him, then explained to Mashiro, "That thing is called a spirit beast. This is probably the first time you've seen one, right?"

"Terrifying..."

It's bigger than Shiro, so Shiro is still scared.

"Actually, they're just domesticated. To put it bluntly, they're only at the level of kittens and puppies, although they're very powerful kittens and puppies."

Shota shrugged. A B-rank evil spirit couldn't withstand the combined might of the Yellow Springs and the spirit beasts for long. Not long after the battle began, the evil spirit was already showing signs of being overwhelmed. Shota stood up, handed his coat and wallet to Mashiro, and transformed into his Taotie form.

For something this big, it's more comfortable to swallow it whole.

"call."

Shota shook his enormous head and said to Mashiro, "Stand behind me obediently."

"Oh."

Mashiro nodded obediently and grabbed Shota's tail as before.

"Well... I'll start eating now."

"The final blow!"

Using the force of gravity, he fell to the Yellow Springs and with a swift stroke of his blade, cleaved his opponent in two.

"Disordered Red Lotus".

Huang Quan, who landed easily on Luan Honglian, had no intention of looking back at the evil spirit that was about to disappear. Just as she was about to go back, a sudden surge of demonic energy startled her.

What followed was a somewhat eerie wind.

Is it Shota Kosaka?

Just as this thought flashed through Huang Quan's mind, a gust of wind suddenly swept past her.

It wasn't him! It was another monster!

"Chaotic Crimson Lotus!"

"呲-"

Even after she had reacted, the opponent's attack had already torn her sleeve open with perfect accuracy, and a trail of blood flowed directly from the wound.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

A strange laugh echoed through the forest. Huang Quan turned his head warily and saw a slender man in a suit and hat standing on a tree branch.

"I'll play with you later, human exorcist."

A mocking smile appeared on the man's lips, while Yomi glared at him with fury, for she saw Kagura, Senjougahara, and Iwabata lying on the ground.

"You bastard!!"

Without even considering how the enemy had appeared in the Yellow Springs, she raised her sword and charged towards the enemy alongside Luan Honglian, however…

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. They're just like you, they've been poisoned by me."

"What kind of poison..."

Oops……

Huang Quan suddenly felt a strange numbness coming from her wound, causing her right hand, which was holding a weapon, to lose its strength. Without the spiritual energy transmission, Luan Honglian suddenly disappeared into the air, and Huang Quan, before she could react, fell directly to the ground.

"I need to treat the Nura Clan yokai to a meal first, hehehehe."

With that, he pulled up the brim of his hat, then transformed into a gust of wind and drifted off to another part of the forest.

"Waaaaah—"

Mashiro, seeing the group of men in black suddenly appear and surround her, grabbed Shota's tail in fear and refused to let go.

"..."

Shota stared blankly at the evil spirit that vanished into thin air, feeling as if something precious in his heart was slowly slipping away.

He had just opened his mouth and taken a deep breath when several gusts of wind, like whips, lashed out at his mouth. He instinctively closed his mouth to protect his soft oral cavity and gleaming teeth. However, in that split second, the evil spirit vanished into the air, turning into countless starlight. Just as he was about to inhale even a little air again, another strange gust of wind blew away all the remnants of the evil spirit.

Then four men in black with ill intentions appeared before him.

"If you don't court death, you won't die. Why don't you understand?"

Shota practically gritted his teeth as he said those words.

"That's terrifying. No wonder he's a high-ranking member of the Nura Clan..."

"Bam—"