I'm just an ordinary person passing by.

But that's where it ends.

The last Fushimi Inari Shrine was useless, and Nino's last hope was gone. Plus, she already ran into her room yesterday, so I guess I'll have to have a heart-to-heart talk with her today.

She won't live to see the next day.

She didn't know what would happen to her sisters after she died, but she left them a letter and left after her death. She searched all over Kyoto but couldn't find a way to get rid of the evil spirit. All she wanted was to leave Kyoto.

Leaving Kyoto won't completely eliminate the danger of being targeted, but it will at least buy some time.

This was probably the last thing Nino could do for her sisters.

"Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki... I'm sorry, it seems I can't continue to accompany you."

"But even without me, you can definitely manage! I'll be watching over you from up here and won't let any evil things bully you!"

"You can do it! Go for it, Nino Nakano!"

Nino was worried about her sisters while also encouraging herself.

Perhaps because that demon had been training her these past few days, Nino, who should have been trembling in the dark forest, actually had the leisure to cheer herself up.

They've seen it all.

Just as Nino was encouraging herself, a cold wind suddenly blew in from the forest.

The cold wind pressed down the grass, shook the branches, and even blew Nino's long hair up. But that wasn't a big deal. The real problem was that the cold wind gave Nino goosebumps.

It wasn't the coldness itself, but rather the profound and icy sensation.

It's here...

That monster is here!!!

My heart suddenly tightened, and the fear that I had finally managed to calm down involuntarily resurfaced, and this time it was different from before.

No matter how frightening it was before, there was always an invisible barrier between them. Even when she was right next to the bedside, Nino Nakano still had a feeling deep down.

It is far away from me.

But now, that barrier has disappeared.

That monster could actually touch her!

Nino's body stiffened. Her intuition told her that the monster was right behind her, staring straight at her. If she dared to turn around, she would definitely see an ugly monster face that would make her scream in terror.

She didn't dare to turn around.

Rather than turning around and getting scared again, it's better to just stay here and wait for it to make its move; that way, you won't be too afraid.

However, her body was somewhat out of her control at the moment.

Even though I was determined not to look back, I still found myself looking back uncontrollably, as if I were being forcibly controlled...

And then, in the next moment...

She saw a monster...

Among those tall trees, not far in her field of vision, lurked a demon... a monster taller than a house, with no eyes, only empty eye sockets...

Its hair, like venomous snakes, danced in the air, and at the ends of its hair were connected to indistinct figures. By the moonlight, Nakano Nino could vaguely see many more figures in the dense forest. The presence of figures wasn't the main problem; the real issue was that those figures didn't resemble humans...

It wasn't just one monster that came; it was countless monsters that came!!!

No, I'm just an ordinary person. If you want to eat me or kill me, you can just be a monster. What's the point of summoning so many monsters all at once?

Are you giving me this much face?

Nino couldn't help but mutter this to herself, but as if noticing the look in her eyes, the arrogant monster slowly lowered his head.

The eye sockets without pupils met Nino's eyes, and even though there were no pupils, it gave people the feeling that it was staring at them.

Then......

A menacing aura, filled with resentment and even more so with anger, rushed towards them. In that instant, Nino's mind went completely blank...

A feeling of suffocation gradually enveloped her... She couldn't breathe... She herself didn't even realize that she couldn't breathe.

Like a drowning person gradually losing consciousness, the cold and fear robbed her of her last remaining ability to think...

Chapter Three: The Demon King Shuten-dōji

"system."

【I am here. 】

"Tell me, isn't it a bit too unfair of me to use this template...is it a bit too unfair to ghosts?"

"To deal with a ghost like this, even a weakened version that has lost its memory and power would be more than enough. Using this is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, isn't it?"

[As requested by the host, a template change is now in effect: Mount Oe Demon, Hoshiguma Doji!]

[Host, are you sure you want to make the change?]

"Hmm... Hoshiguma Doji, well, it's not impossible, but it would be a bit troublesome to deal with, wouldn't it?"

"If I were to transform into Hoshiguma Doji, would I gain a stun skill, like the kind that stuns them when they fight each other?"

Based on common sense, dizziness does not exist in the real world, and being dizzy does not necessarily lead to attacking friendly forces.

"Oh? So that means I won't be able to kill eleven people with one punch anymore?"

[Returning to the host, the style of Mount Ooe is not included here.]

"..."

Wow... I didn't expect that even in a different world, I still couldn't avoid this situation.

As expected of the style of Mount Oeyama.

It's a bit of a pity, though, because my template is immune to control. As long as I stand up, I can even be immune to the golden flower of Indra.

If it weren't for this characteristic, we would all want to see what the grandeur of Mount Oeyama is all about.

Forget it, let's save the Oeyama style for another time. Right now, it's better to save people.

Bai Mu silently uttered "hensin" in his heart, and then a red pillar of flame descended directly from the sky, enveloping his entire body!

The sky was dyed red by the flames...

------

Let's move back two or three minutes.

On a remote mountain peak, Nino Nakano was trembling uncontrollably.

When she faced that demon and felt the fierce aura rushing towards her, Nino's mental defenses, which she had spent countless hours preparing, suddenly crumbled.

Originally, she wanted to die with some dignity. What was so scary about a ghost? She had already called out to it face to face last night.

However, when the demon actually appeared, Nino was so scared that she dared not move, only thinking that she would turn her back to the demon and be killed by it.

However, the evil spirit wouldn't touch her first; it insisted on making her turn her head so that it would stare at her like this.

And in that instant of eye contact, her defenses crumbled.

How could a girl living in a peaceful era, who has never experienced the trials of blood and fire, possibly face such a ferocious demon?

The so-called psychological defenses are nothing but paper, easily broken with a single poke.

There's only one thing on her mind right now.

Run! Run! Run to where the monster can't see you, call your sisters and father, and get out of this city!!!

However, she couldn't move... The fear and death she felt after seeing the true face of the evil spirit terrified her so much that even taking a single step seemed like a pipe dream.

She had lost control of herself...

As she stood there blankly, the demon suddenly grinned, as if mocking Nino's cluelessness or rejoicing at her disheveled state.

Then, its snake-like hair began to dance, and in an instant, it bound Nino together.

A bone-chilling cold emanated from her hair, robbing Nino of her warmth and energy, making her feel as if she were in the North or South Poles for a moment.

Its already hard body became even harder at this moment.

At this moment, Nino also clearly realized it.

She is facing death, step by step, step by step... moving towards her own death...

I'm going to die... Am I going to die here?

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably; the girl, who had never witnessed such a scene before, finally broke down in tears...

I'm sorry, Dad... I'm sorry, Ichika, I'm sorry, Miku, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...

All living things in the world yearn for survival, and survival is the highest objective of all living things. They are born with a desire for life and a desire to survive. Whether it is a human or a blade of grass, this is an instinct in their blood.

They have a natural fear of death!

But at that moment, a flame suddenly ignited.

"call!"

In the darkness and silence, the flames illuminated the surroundings, and the coldness and loneliness, as if the world itself were imperceptible, vanished in an instant.

Nino fell from mid-air, and flames, as if possessing their own consciousness, surrounded her.

The chill brought by the cold air was slowly dispelled, and the girl who had just shed tears stared blankly at the flames, unable to react for a moment to what had happened.

But there was no time for her to think. The moment after she landed, a dazzling pillar of fire descended from the dark sky not far away.

The blazing flames burned across the sky, and a powerful heatwave swept across the entire world.

It was nighttime, but the flames made it as bright as day!

Not only was the mountain peak illuminated, but even the city center, far beyond Kyoto, was clearly visible...

That flame that devoured the sky!

At the same time, a voice came from within the flames.

"I was wondering which guy was running rampant here, not knowing how to restrain his ghostly aura at all... I didn't expect to encounter such an interesting fellow."

"Is this the arrangement of the gods of this world? Ha, although it has nothing to do with me, since I've seen it, it doesn't hurt to lend a hand this once."

A sound like laughter came from the sky. It was a speech without any force, like discussing lunch with classmates on a normal day. But for some reason, the dull and oppressive coldness surrounding Nakano Nino disappeared without her noticing.