I, Wang Ha, the Three Red Unparalleled Assassin

"Yes and no."

When asked by Shiki Eiki, the old man of the mountain shook his head, then raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the bamboo house, extending an invitation.

"It's a matter that can't be explained in a short time. Why don't we sit down, have a cup of tea, and talk it over slowly?"

Without hesitation, Shiki Eiki agreed and, along with Onozuka Komachi, followed the old man of the mountain and left the forest along the flat path.

After learning the identity of the Mountain Elder, she was certain that whether it was the Lunarians or the Mountain Spiders, all those who died under such unusual circumstances must have been killed by him.

Eiki Shiki didn't find anything wrong with this, because the Book of Life and Death had already noted that the deaths of those people were all normal and did not involve any means that violated the rules, such as 'defying fate'.

On the contrary, those Moon People who have survived for thousands of years by virtue of the moon's pristine surface are exemplary cases that should be dealt with seriously.

Although they won't be directly cast into the eighteenth level of hell and never be reincarnated, they will be sent to other levels of hell to suffer various severe punishments until they have repaid for their sins in life.

Ordinary people live for less than a hundred years before being tormented to the point of near death by the cold-faced Grim Reaper, let alone these guys who have added countless years to their lives.

"A just judgment from the underworld may be delayed, but it will never be absent."

Shiki Eiki deeply agreed with these words uttered by a certain Yama, but she only thought of them as 'the cycle of heaven and the retribution of cause and effect'.

After hearing what the old man of the mountain said, Shiki Eiki had a different understanding of those words.

If her duty is to judge the souls of the dead, then the old woman of the mountain's responsibility is undoubtedly to bring those who deserve to die before her.

Their work can be described as complementary.

Thinking of this, Shiki Eiki already regarded the Old Man of the Mountain as a member of the underworld, someone who was silently working to maintain the basic operation of the world.

Despite their different regions and pantheons, compared to the ancient struggles between heaven and earth, the realms controlled by the god of death in the East and West have always been relatively peaceful.

Even in the chaotic and unrecognizable world of Mount Olympus, there is Hades, the dutiful and hardworking ruler of the underworld.

Following the old man of the mountain into the bamboo house, Shiki Eiki looked around at the furnishings inside, which were unsurprisingly simple and frugal.

She sat down on a chair, while Onozuka Komachi stood behind the girl, still grimacing and rubbing the spot where she had been hit with the repentance stick.

After boiling the water with ghost fire, the old man of the mountain steeped his homemade bamboo leaf tea in it. He then placed the teapot on the seat and sat down opposite Shiki Eiki, pouring out two cups of tea.

As for the tea containing a slight death power, Shiki Eiki, being Enma, was naturally unafraid and even found it more delicious.

"This is truly excellent tea."

After taking a sip of bamboo leaf tea, Shiki Eiki sighed, her eyes revealing not a hint of flattery, but genuine admiration.

In truth, tea made from ordinary bamboo leaves is certainly not a rare delicacy, but the tea does contain a trace of the pure, deathly aura of the old man of the mountain, which is why Shiki Eiki is satisfied with it.

The old man of the mountain didn't pay much attention to Shiki Eiki's praise, but after taking a sip of tea, he asked:

"Explain your purpose. I have been here for decades, and none of you have ever come to my door on your own initiative. Why have you come uninvited today?"

Upon hearing this, Shiki Eiki took the Pure Glass Mirror from her waist and placed it on the table. She then explained the whole story and asked the old man of the mountain to answer her questions.

Logically speaking, even if the creatures of this region are killed by death gods from other regions, it shouldn't go unnoticed in the Pure Glass Mirror, since this mirror can directly examine everything recorded in this world.

Of course, this feature is only available to the souls of the deceased who are being tried in the Hall of Right and Wrong; matters unrelated to the deceased cannot be viewed.

The old man of the mountain listened quietly to Shiki Eiki's explanation, and faced with the girl's inquiring gaze, he didn't know how to explain it for a moment.

Could it be that the intelligence has been erased?

However, the old man of the mountain did not remember having this inherent skill, because its specific effects were rather useless to him.

The old man of the mountain, who adheres to the belief that "an assassination that kills all witnesses is a perfect assassination," never needs the ability to erase his appearance, abilities, or other information from other people's memories.

"Unable to display the death scene? I have only ever been responsible for ending destiny in the past, and I have never been involved in the subsequent process. I don't know how to answer this."

Shiki Eiki was somewhat disappointed by this, but she knew that this matter would not affect the work of the judges, so she did not pursue it any further.

Her main job is still to adjudicate and sentence, and any unusual matters will be reported to the Ten Kings of Hell, and then the relevant personnel will naturally continue to study and investigate them.

Once she relaxed, Shiki Eiki steered the conversation elsewhere. Since she had already taken the day off, there was no way she would go back to work.

The old man of the mountain was happy to listen to Shiki Eiki tell some interesting stories about what happened in the underworld. He also shared his own experiences from his early years in Type-Moon, but he did not explicitly mention the differences between the worlds.

An afternoon passed quietly in the chat room, and Shiki Eiki felt she had benefited greatly from discussing her views on death with the old man of the mountain.

As her understanding of death deepens, the girl's own strength also improves slightly. Once she fully comprehends the words of the Old Man of the Mountain, she will probably be close to becoming the King of Hell.

"Thank you for your teachings, Lord Azrael. I will remember them forever."

Before leaving, Shiki Eiki respectfully bowed to the old man of the mountain, showing that she had already regarded him as her teacher.

"It is more appropriate to call me the Old Man of the Mountain. I have long since abandoned the name Azrael."

As the old man of the mountain spoke, he couldn't help but recall the time when he swung his sword to sever his divinity and was recognized by the Vortex of Origin as the 'Lord of Death'.

From that point onward, in the face of death, there was no one stronger than him in Type-Moon.

Although Shiki Eiki was puzzled, she agreed and said that she would come back to this place to continue learning from the old man of the mountain during her next vacation.

The moonlit night, the starlight twinkles.

Outside Heian-kyo, behind a deserted hillside, Yagokoro Eirin, with the help of Watatsuki Toyohime, smuggled himself from the moon to the ground.

The woman holding the longbow took out something resembling a compass from her bosom, examined it, and gazed at the hazy outline of Heian-kyo in the distance. She murmured softly:

"You've suffered, Your Highness."

After arriving at the foot of Heian-kyo Castle, Yagokoro Eirin leaped over the castle wall. In order not to attract attention, she did not fly directly, but jumped and ran between the buildings.

As usual, Himari, standing on the roof of Kaguya's house on Mount Hourai, opened her eyes. Sensing a powerful enemy approaching, she began to prepare. Ominous black magic patterns crawled onto the girl's jade-like skin, and her pupils glowed with a scarlet light.

"So they've finally arrived? A monster of great yokai level!!"

Chapter 121 Himari VS Yagokoro Eirin

Yagokoro Eirin successfully evaded the night patrols of Heian-kyo without disturbing the samurai and onmyoji living in the city, and arrived outside the Fujiwara residence following the direction indicated by the compass.

"I remember that the princess was thrown into a bamboo forest. I wonder who found her? Judging from the appearance of this mansion, she should not be living too poorly."

Standing on the rooftop, Eirin Yagokoro glanced at the Fujiwara residence and made a rough estimate in her mind, feeling that its area was probably less than one-tenth of the Sage's Abode.

Although she certainly wouldn't have liked such a small and cramped place given her knowledge and taste, it was clearly outstanding compared to the other, even more shabby, houses around it.

Eirin Yagokoro leaped into the courtyard and hid in the shadows, easily fooling the night watchmen with a few simple spells.

Just as Yagokoro Eirin was about to arrive at the place where Kaguya lived on Mount Hourai, she stopped in her tracks because she could not sense any life force around her. She looked at the empty houses with a hesitant expression.

"This place seems to have been cleared out recently. How could the princess live alone? It's as if she's been isolated."

While the meticulous and cautious Yagokoro Eirin was checking her surroundings for any unusual activity, Himari, who was hiding in the courtyard, had already discovered her presence and slowly drew her beloved sword from its sheath.

"A woman? That's really rare. This is the first time I've ever seen a woman trying to kidnap someone."

"Our Ah Zhu is so charming! She not only bewitches men, but now even female monsters can't resist her temptation."

Himari gasped inwardly upon seeing Eirin Yagokoro's figure clearly. Although she felt somewhat surprised, she also felt that it was not unreasonable, and even felt a little proud.

"But, A-Zhu is the daughter of Suzuki Satoru."

"Having survived thanks to this lord's kindness, I will risk my life to ensure that Ah-Zhu suffers even the slightest harm!!"

Responding to the resolute roar in her heart, Himari took the corresponding action, silently leaping and running to reach Yagokoro Eirin's back, raising her katana high and slashing down diagonally.

The moonlight reflected off the blade, creating a chilling gleam. Himari, having suppressed her demonic power and aura to a minimum, already possessed a stealth ability that allowed her to conceal her presence to some extent.

Just as Yagokoro Eirin was about to go find Kaguya of Houraisan, she felt a chilling aura on her neck and instinctively swung her longbow backward to block the long sword that was right in front of her.

"This is……"

She turned her head and looked back, meeting Himari's blood-red eyes, which were filled with inexplicable, chilling demonic patterns, resembling a vengeful ghost.

"Tsk!"

Seeing that her sneak attack had failed, Himari immediately withdrew her sword and landed on the ground to steady herself.

Taking advantage of the moment when Yagokoro Eirin had not fully recovered, she swung her sword and delivered a horizontal slash, aiming once again at her opponent's vital points.

Seeing the blade coming, Eirin Yagokoro's pupils contracted, she slightly shifted her feet and twisted her body, then her supple waist leaned back, effortlessly performing a perfect iron bridge.

In an instant, a flash of cold light appeared, and the sharp blade slashed past the tip of her nose. Although she had been through many battles, she was still terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

Death was so close, yet we barely passed each other...

Eirin Yagokoro retreated a few steps to quickly distance herself from the attacker, taking arrows from her quiver to prepare for an attack while using the bright moonlight to focus her gaze on the spot where she had just been attacked.

After missing her target twice, Himari had lost the chance to finish off her opponent quickly. Knowing that she could only rely on her strength, she met Eirin Yagokoro's gaze without flinching and adopted the starting stance of a certain kendo style.

"A cat demon? Or a powerful demon at that? Why is it here?"

Eirin Yagokoro glanced at Himari's trembling white cat ears and her swaying tail, and sensed a chilling killing intent emanating from her. Her extremely aggressive posture was like that of a large feline whose territory had been invaded.

“Interesting. The princess lives inside, but there are monsters guarding the outside. Is it imprisonment or protection? It seems there won’t be a chance to sit down and have a proper conversation for the time being.”

A smile played on Yagokoro Eirin's lips. As the Yagokoro Goddess, she had dealt with and suppressed countless ferocious and cruel demons throughout history, so why would she be afraid of this little wildcat in front of her?

However, Yagokoro Eirin still praised Himari a few times in her heart, after all, even she had been fooled by Himari's ability to conceal her aura just now.

If I hadn't honed my fighting instincts into my body long ago, I might have lost my head and suffered a humiliating defeat today.

Although gods can be reborn as long as their faith remains, Eirin Yagokoro couldn't bear the shame, especially since it might be seen by Kaguya Houraisan.

"Let me say hello first! It's only polite to reciprocate, so it's my turn to go first this time!!"

Eirin Yagokoro drew her bow and nocked an arrow. With a sharp whistling sound as the arrow pierced the air, three arrows flew in a triangular formation towards Himari, blocking most of her escape route.

The eerie demonic runes glowed crimson, and Himari, having further unleashed her power, swung her sword to slash down three probing arrows. She then stomped her foot on the ground and shot towards the direction where Yagokoro Eirin was.

Because she was concerned that the aftermath of the battle might harm innocent people, Himari controlled the power she unleashed with extreme precision. Each slash and strike seemed ordinary, yet they contained extraordinary power.

Having lived through countless thoughts, Eirin Yagokoro is also quite skilled in close combat. Although she doesn't have the weapons she usually uses in close combat, a longbow and an arrow are enough for her to block Himari's storm of consecutive slashes.

Bow Fighting Technique, a skill created by an unknown person that uses bows and arrows as close-combat weapons, is probably much more difficult than swords, spears, and clubs, but its lethality is by no means weak.

Of course, while Eirin Yagokoro is skilled with a bow and arrow, her greatest ability lies in creating all sorts of strange and wonderful potions. Only when she combines these two methods can she truly unleash her full combat power.

Otherwise, how could he be called a thousand-year-old sage who defied the heavens with his magic in a pot?

Sensing the aura emanating from the battle between Himari and Yagokoro Eirin, all the yokai and humans who had planned to attack that night wisely retreated, not daring to go forward and seek death.

As for those who try to profit from the conflict between the clam and the crane, they will naturally not have a good ending, because Kaguya of Houraisan is not just a weak and helpless young woman as they think.

"Tonight's opponent seems quite formidable; it's amazing that Himari-neechan has spent so much time trying to secure a victory."

After casually punishing a few lecherous thieves, Kaguya Houraisan sat on her bed in her room and sighed, listening to the continuous sounds of fighting outside.