I, Wang Ha, the Three Red Unparalleled Assassin

Chapter 141 Slaying Demons

"Ugh, running into a monster right away is bad enough, but it's a demon too! Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

Tamamo-no-Mae looked at Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who was holding a katana and whose body was trembling, and did not intend to stop him for the time being.

It's good to make a fuss. If the old man of the mountain happens to be in this area, and if he senses the magical energy emanating from Minamoto no Yorimitsu or the fluctuations of his Noble Phantasm being unleashed, he will surely come to investigate.

"If the monsters we encounter are evil, then we can let General Raikou deal with them. But if they are not, I will have to step in to control the situation."

Tamamo-no-Mae made up her mind, while Minamoto no Yorimitsu had already started running, rushing towards the place where he sensed the strong demonic aura.

For Minamoto no Yorimitsu, slaying demons and monsters was a lifelong pursuit, especially in exorcising evil spirits, for which she devoted countless hours and efforts.

Although the original conflict between her and the Oni clan had disappeared after she became a Heroic Spirit, she would still habitually slash at them, which would then lead to a great battle in which they would throw Noble Phantasms at each other.

Although the aura was slightly different, Minamoto no Yorimitsu was still able to accurately perceive the other party's identity. He was just puzzled as to why there were a few traces of immortal energy mixed in with the ghostly aura, and there was not even the scorching heat of the flames.

"Ibaraki-dōji of this world? Does that mean that Shuten-dōji also exists?"

"No wonder they sent me here. It must be from another world. The King of Heroes must have made an excellent arrangement."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu understood, realizing for the first time that Gilgamesh's 'Omniscient and Omnipotent Star' was quite useful.

Although its functions have been partially suppressed in the sandbox, it can still glimpse many things outside the world and then take corresponding measures in advance.

"Of course, it would be great if it wasn't that dead fox who came along, but Kintoki instead, then we could happily slay demons together again."

At the other end of the village, Ibaraki Kasen, unaware of the impending disaster, was leisurely counting the harvested grain before directing her demon subordinates to carry the bundles back.

"Lord Ghost King, thanks to your protection last year, our village was spared from the invasion of demons, and we even reaped a great harvest. Otherwise, who knows how many people would have frozen and starved to death during the winter."

The middle-aged man who served as the village chief followed closely behind Ibaraki Kasen, explaining the grain delivery status of each household from time to time, as if he were reporting to an inspecting leader.

Ibaraki Kasen didn't really care about these things, but since the other person was willing to talk about them, she might as well listen. Anyway, it would just go in one ear and out the other, and she wouldn't remember anything.

Even though Ibaraki Kasen was so careless, no one in the villages and settlements under her jurisdiction dared to try to evade taxes.

It's one thing to fool people, but to fool ghosts is just asking for trouble.

There was a village that, after being protected by Mount Ooe for so long, felt that life was so peaceful and that no monster would dare to come looking for them again, so why should they continue to pay protection fees?

Jin Jieluo, who went to collect the grain, said nothing and led his demon subordinates directly away from the village to the next location.

After losing the protection of the Ghost King, the village initially enjoyed a relatively peaceful life.

But later, when other monsters discovered that they were stealing people to eat, the demons acted as if they hadn't seen it and didn't intervene to protect them.

Then, the village was leveled overnight by a pack of cannibalistic monsters, leaving not even a single intact bone fragment. It's a classic example of "if you don't court death, you won't die."

Having learned a bloody lesson from the previous incident, the other villages that originally intended to follow suit and not pay protection fees became completely obedient, and even unprecedentedly paid significantly more tribute.

Just as Ibaraki Kasen finished taking inventory and was preparing to take the food to the next village, the menacing Minamoto no Yorimitsu arrived.

"As expected, they are the Oni race. Although their specific appearance is different from the Oni race in the Type-Moon world, their fundamental nature is undoubtedly the same."

Looking at the group of ferocious demons carrying thick cloth bags behind Ibaraki Kasen, and the somewhat obsequious middle-aged human in front of him.

Although Minamoto no Yorimitsu found it strange that nothing like burning, killing, or looting had happened, he still imagined a tragic scenario based on his past life's experience: the demons oppressing humans and robbing them of food.

"The time for annihilation has come!!"

Sensing the chilling killing intent emanating from Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Ibaraki Kasen's eyes immediately sharpened, and her previously languid posture instantly became sharp and ruthless, as if she had encountered her greatest enemy.

"A human samurai? No, this feels more like an exorcist or demon hunter. Tsk, what an annoying fellow."

Seeing that Minamoto no Yorimitsu's long sword was about to strike, Ibaraki Kasen immediately stepped forward to meet it, while urging the oni behind him to retreat quickly, fearing that the aftershocks of the battle would destroy the precious food.

Although Ibaraki Kasen did not carry any decent weapons, she dared to take the blow of Dojigiri Yasutsuna from Minamoto no Yorimitsu's hands with only the shackles on her wrists.

The legendary sword that beheaded Shuten-dōji, Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, is a tachi famous as one of the Five Great Swords of Japan.

"Bang!!"

Ibaraki Kasen, without dodging or evading, swung her right fist, which was wrapped in chains, and clashed fiercely with the long sword that descended from the sky.

"What!?" X2

With a simultaneous exclamation from both sides, the recoil from the collision of the chains and the blade sent them flying backward at the same time.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu, whose strength was at the A-rank, was slightly surprised, because Ibaraki-dōji from the Type-Moon world was a whole rank lower than her in terms of strength, and could always steadily overpower her with his various attacks.

However, Ibaraki Kasen was even more shocked than Minamoto no Yorimitsu, because this was the first time since she became the Demon King that she had suffered a slight loss in a real clash of power with another race, especially since the other party looked to be just a human.

This completely overturned Ibaraki Kasen's worldview, because in the minds of the oni, humans had always been synonymous with weakness, and there had never been a human strongman who could fight the oni head-on in close combat.

"Interesting, this is really interesting."

At this time, Ibaraki Kasen, who had not yet embarked on the path to immortality, was not as indifferent as she would become later. Having not encountered a worthy opponent for a long time, she was immediately ignited with fighting spirit.

With her hair in a bun and wearing a bright green dress, Ibaraki Kasen clenched her small, white fists a couple of times, producing a cracking sound like popping beans, and her pupils turned a deep blood red.

"Hey, what's your name? You're good enough to hold your own against me with just your physical strength. You deserve to be remembered."

Chapter 142 Shakra (the Vajra)

Hahahahahahaha—

"A mere insect dares to want to know human names? But an insect can only be an insect; even if it learns etiquette, it cannot change its fundamental nature."

When Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who was carrying Dojigiri Yasutsuna on his right shoulder, heard Ibaraki Kasen's question, he covered his cheek with his left hand and burst into laughter, his eyes revealing coldness and contempt.

"The conflict between humans and demons has a long history, so what is there to talk about? Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts, so we must kill them!"

"Humanity must be protected by humanity itself!!"

Minamoto no Yorimitsu's thoughts gradually became extreme, as if he had returned to the time when he was the strongest and most mysterious assassin.

His words and actions revealed the domineering presence of a general leading an army to protect human cities, as well as his unwavering determination to defeat any demons or monsters he faced.

Lightning-attribute magic surged and raged around her, with bright purple arcs of electricity flashing frequently, causing the ghosts to secretly tremble in fear.

Despite Minamoto no Yorimitsu's extraordinary strength, Ibaraki Kasen was not someone to be easily manipulated; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to sit on the throne of the Demon King despite being a woman.

The Ghost Clan is a brave and fierce race that only admires and obeys the strong. Otherwise, they would rather die than abandon their dignity and live a life of ignominy.

Therefore, the Oni race never harbors much hatred towards their fellow Oni who have signed contracts with Onmyoji and become Shikigami; in fact, they often strike up conversations with them in a friendly manner.

Because if the Onmyoji didn't subdue the demon with their own strength, earning the demon's respect and willingness to follow them, then it would have been impossible to successfully form a contract.

This is why, in the world of Onmyoji, an Onmyoji who has a powerful demon as a shikigami under their command will receive a great deal of respect wherever they go.

If ordinary ghosts are already so violent, how could the Ghost King possibly be soft-hearted? Otherwise, how could he control the situation?

Ibaraki Kasen, who was already somewhat angry because Minamoto no Yorimitsu had suddenly attacked her without any reason, completely exploded after this added fuel to the fire.

"Hehe, this is the first time a human has dared to speak so arrogantly in front of me. In the past, those who dared to say such things were all ignorant monsters."

The demon king girl leaped out of the ground and punched Minamoto no Yorimitsu in the abdomen. Her wide-ranging fighting stance was even more like that of a berserker than a berserker.

With his unique skill 'Infinite Martial Arts', Minamoto no Yorimitsu had long since reached the pinnacle of the unity of mind, skill, and body in combat, and naturally, he clashed head-on with Ibaraki Kasen without any hesitation.

Tamamo-no-Mae, who followed closely behind, stood not far away, observing and not yet deciding what to do next.

Ibaraki Kasen dodged the horizontal slash of the blade, and after landing, he crouched down and swept his leg across Minamoto no Yorimitsu's shin, kicking up pebbles and fallen leaves on the ground.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu leaped into the air, gripping the hilt of his katana with both hands, and brought it down with the force of splitting a mountain, but Ibaraki Kasen nimbly dodged it.

The long sword cleaved a deep trench in the ground, but Minamoto no Yorimitsu wasted not a second. After drawing his sword, Dojigiri Yasutsuna, he continued to advance, aiming straight for Ibaraki Kasen's neck.

The silent battle, seemingly magnificent yet incredibly dangerous, escalated further after the initial probing exchange between the human and the ghost ended.

"Hmph! You do have some skill. Since you're so eager to fight, I'll gladly oblige. Come, let's leave the village and have a proper contest!"

After Ibaraki Kasen finished speaking, she withdrew and leaped away from the village in a few bounds. Minamoto no Yorimitsu naturally did not object to the suggestion.

"It's really not easy to unleash Noble Phantasms in this village. Even a single Noble Phantasm could raze this place to the ground. It would be best if we could leave this place."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu followed Ibaraki Kasen's retreating figure, leaving behind a group of villagers and oni who were still standing there in a daze, while Tamamo-no-Mae had already followed ahead of him.

With no more restraint, Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Ibaraki Kasen fought with increasing audacity, cutting large swaths of trees in half or uprooting them with their fierce fist and sword strikes.

In the blink of an eye, an area within a kilometer radius was razed to the ground.

The deafening roar of the clashing attacks startled the wild beasts and little monsters in the mountains and forests, and their rampaging demonic and magical power killed countless unfortunate creatures.

The sudden disaster caused panic among the monsters and birds and beasts, who all began to flee in panic, causing eagles to fly and tigers to leap about.

After wreaking havoc in the forest, the human and the demon moved their battleground to a nearby lake.

Both sides ran across the water, their high-speed movement creating waves and splashes.

The water droplets scattered in the air were crushed into mist by the force of the fists and swords before they could fall into the lake, and the figures chasing each other appeared and disappeared in the mist.

Before long, the mist was dispersed by the aftershocks of the fight, but Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Ibaraki Kasen were still evenly matched.

"It's been so long since I've had this much fun playing, it was so satisfying!"

Ibaraki Kasen stood with her hands on her hips on the bare ground, exuding a powerful demonic aura, clearly already in the mood for a fight.

She looked at Minamoto no Yorimitsu standing opposite her, the bloodlust in her eyes deepening, and said with a heroic air:

"Bring on whatever tricks and methods you have, I'll take them all!"

"Oh? You ghostly creature do have some guts; you're certainly more advanced than ordinary insects."

Seeing this, Minamoto no Yorimitsu smiled in return, sheathed his katana, and placed his hands flat in front of him as if he were holding something unseen.

Abundant magical power erupted from her body, and surging lightning enveloped Minamoto no Yorimitsu's entire body, making her appear like a thunder god descending to earth with overwhelming power.

"Since that's the case, then let me show you..."

Meanwhile, in another direction from Mount Oe.

As Ibuki Suika walked halfway there, she suddenly looked up at the dense forest to her right rear and felt the aftershocks of the collision between two powerful forces.

"Tsk, something's happened to Huashan."

"And who exactly is this person or monster who has been at odds with Kasen for so long? We haven't offended anyone in Mount Ooe lately, and we haven't heard of any particularly powerful characters emerging."

Ibuki Suika, who was still a little drunk, immediately sobered up, hung the sake gourd on her waist, ordered her subordinate demons to follow, and then rushed to the battlefield ahead of her.

Hoshiguma Yuugi and Kinkara, who were drinking in the mountains, had long sensed the aura of the released power, but they had no intention of making a move and continued to drink their wine.

"Well, it's been a long time since we've seen such a courageous guy. He dares to go head-to-head with our Ooeyama Oni Clan. He's got guts."