How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

"Leave it to me, sir!"

Although her body was trying to keep her away from the monster, how could she possibly back down without a fight after making such a bold claim? Besides, hadn't the master told her that while strength was an important factor in winning, it was definitely not the only one?

As long as the difference in strength isn't so incomprehensible, there's always a way to win.

She was confident that her strength was enough to barely keep up with this monster.

So, after taking a deep breath, the shrine maiden looked at her teacher.

"Sir, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

"...Then you should be careful."

Shimizu Asahi hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded gently without objecting.

"Ok!"

After responding, Cangzi walked towards the shore.

The girl walked quickly and soon arrived at the shore. Her gaze immediately fell upon the ruins on the coast.

However, the moment her gaze fell upon him, she was stunned.

This...this is the monster she's going to fight this time?

As the daimyo envoy had said, what appeared before her was a small demon... not a small demon in terms of strength, but a small demon in the literal sense.

—Although it exuded a terrifying aura that made people tremble, the monster looked to be only seven or eight years old, with red lips and white teeth, and a youthful face, just like a child who had not yet grown up.

"Although the news said that the one who was disturbing the port was a little guy about the size of a child, I didn't expect it to actually be a little guy."

Cangzi couldn't help but show a hint of surprise, but soon her surprise turned into solemnity and seriousness.

It's not just because of the aura he exudes, but also because he has such great strength at such a young age!

She had just realized that this little guy was so strong at such a young age. If he continued to grow, wouldn't he become an unimaginable giant in the future?

Not only Kurako thought so, but Reiko and the others who followed her to the coast also thought so.

Especially Lingzi, after carefully examining the little guy, suddenly frowned with a serious expression.

"Shimizu, this monster... is very strong!"

"Tenjou Kurako is definitely no match for her. If they were to fight seriously, she probably wouldn't even last a few rounds."

Should we bring her back?

She uttered a soft voice, but after a while she didn't hear a response, so Reiko couldn't help but look at Shimizu Asahi.

"Clear water?"

Beside her, her fiancé stared wide-eyed at the monster on the water column, his face filled with astonishment.

It's like knowing it.

In fact, Reiko's guess was correct; Shimizu Asahi did indeed know the monster.

Although the siren had shrunk considerably, he would never forget its demonic horns, pale yellow eyes, and arrogant gaze, no matter how much time had passed!

The second leader of Suzuka Mountain, and the ruler of the sea kingdom three hundred years later—the Lord of the Sea, Ōtakemaru!

That's right, this is Ōtakemaru, this is Ōtakemaru from three hundred years ago!

"This... Ōtakemaru... the monster disturbing this place is actually Ōtakemaru!!!"

He was so shocked that he couldn't help but tremble. He never expected to see Ōtakemaru appear in this era!

"Wait, could this be the scene where Ōtakemaru and Reiko first met?"

A sudden thought startled the black-haired boy, and then his gaze involuntarily shifted to Shimizu Reiko. The next second, he suddenly realized that his fiancée was also looking at him.

"......??"

Their eyes met, and the black-haired boy paused for a moment, then instinctively typed a question mark, seemingly wondering why his fiancée was looking at him. Reiko seemed to sense his confusion and said, "I'm asking whether we should bring Tenjo Kurako back. She's no match for that monster."

Qingshui Chaoyang blinked and instantly understood.

He quietly suppressed his shock, then gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Sorry, Reiko, I was thinking about something and didn't notice..."

After apologizing, the boy paused slightly before continuing, "But don't worry, although that monster is strong, Cangzi is not weak either. We can keep an eye on things for now."

"If anything unexpected happens, it won't be too late for us to take action."

Reiko thought about it for a moment and realized that it made sense, so she nodded and said nothing more.

As for the speculation she just made... she wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, Shimizu was right beside her, and she could ask her anytime.

Thus, their gazes once again fell upon the coastline. And the situation there was also on the verge of erupting... Chapter 364, Section 361: Kurako vs. Ōtakemaru

The young Ōtakemaru and Tenjō Kurako were facing each other, their solemn and oppressive atmosphere enveloping the entire space within a hundred meters. Even from a distance, it gave people an indescribable sense of suffocation.

This standoff did not last long; it was abruptly broken a minute later.

The siren above the ruins laughed arrogantly and wildly. With a heavy stomp of its foot, its young body instantly transformed into a howling gust of wind, arriving in front of Cangzi in an instant.

Without any fancy moves, the siren clenched her fist, concentrated her power within it, and then unleashed it directly!

The powerful force caused the air to explode, and the priestess narrowed her eyes before calmly retreating.

Her movements were not fast, in fact, they were quite slow. Even an ordinary person could catch her movements, but it was precisely this slowness that allowed her to accurately evade Ōtakemaru's attack.

The future Lord of the Sea was slightly surprised when his attack missed, but he did not stop what he was doing because of this surprise.

As the force dissipated and his body landed, Ōtakemaru's bare feet once again unleashed tremendous power, and his right leg, capable of crushing everything, slammed down like a steel whip!

The speed of this sudden burst was extremely fast; the previous speed was not even half as fast as this strike!

Is this Ōtakemaru's true strength?

Cangzi's gaze grew increasingly sharp.

Although she could sense the other person's speed, her body couldn't keep up with the reaction.

There's no way to dodge it... this attack can only be taken head-on!

Then, a deep blue talisman appeared in her hand—a blue shield materialized out of thin air without warning!

"boom!!!"

A dull sound reached the ears of the human and the demon. The right leg, like a steel whip, slammed hard against the shield. Then, Ootengu and Kurako's expressions changed simultaneously.

The former felt as if he had kicked an incredibly hard steel shield. The hard and heavy shield even made him feel a slight pain, and the heaviness felt as if he had been hit by a mountain. The shield, which was supposed to be an absolute defense, almost couldn't withstand the blow!

"This (human) monster... is so strong!"

The same thought simultaneously crossed the minds of Kurako and Ōtakemaru.

The two of them stepped back simultaneously, creating distance between themselves, and then looked at each other warily.

However, Kurako, who noticed Ōtakemaru's actions, had a question. In the previous clash, he should have had an absolute advantage, so why didn't he press his advantage?

The shield in her hand was already at its limit after blocking that one attack; if it were to come again, it would definitely shatter!

...Could it be that this guy thinks my shield can still be used?

Unconsciously, Kurako's gaze fell on the shield in her hand.

Although she felt that the shield was about to shatter, in reality, the shield did not show the slightest sign of wavering. Even during the collision just now, it remained as stable as a mountain.

I see......

The priestess, realizing the answer, couldn't help but smile.

It seems that putting on airs isn't entirely useless.

Taking advantage of the fact that the little guy was afraid of the Word Spirit Guard and dared not attack rashly, I quickly mobilized my spiritual power to reinforce the defense.

As long as she can establish an absolute defense, she can find the key to victory.

However, just as she was thinking this, Ōtakemaru, who was not far away, suddenly revealed a triumphant smile.

"!?"

The moment she saw that smile, a bad premonition suddenly welled up from the depths of her heart, and then... a tremor came!

Beneath her feet, deep within the heavy earth, something was rapidly approaching!

"not good!"

Her expression changed drastically, and almost instinctively, Cangzi leaped upwards. At the moment she jumped, something sharp and intense pierced the ground, raising dust, and hurtled towards her with undiminished momentum!

Black eyes pierced through the smoke and dust, and Tenjo Kurako immediately saw what was approaching her.

"That's... a soil cone!?"

A hint of surprise and astonishment appeared in her eyes.

Although the daimyo provided information that Ōtakemaru could control the earth and the sea, in her mind, Ōtakemaru's real strength should be controlling the sea, after all, he was a sea monster. But she did not expect that he would use the power of the earth first, and with such a powerful aura!

The monster before me is stronger than I ever imagined!

The surprised gaze turned serious again, and the loosened hand involuntarily clenched.

From the very beginning, there can be no room for complacency. If there is any complacency, then absolute defeat will be what awaits her!

The blue talisman reappeared in her hand, and a soft incantation rang out. Then, in the next moment, the talisman transformed into a stream of light, striking the earthen cone like a blue lightning bolt!

The two forces collided, and an explosion occurred in an instant. The huge earthen cone was blasted into pieces, and fragments of stone fell to the ground like cannonballs, causing countless sorrows.

However, while Kurako was dealing with the earthen cone, Ōtakemaru had already silently appeared behind her.

A defiant smile graced his young face, and his fist, powerful enough to shatter a mountain, clenched tightly before he unleashed it once more!

If this attack hits, then without a doubt, Cangzi will lose the ability to fight!

However, the girl's voice rang out at this critical moment.

"Word of Power: Lock!"

Without warning, as these words fell, chains appeared out of thin air, intertwining and binding each other, trapping Ōtakemaru within them in the blink of an eye.

That powerful and terrifying fist also stopped in mid-air.

However, the attack did not stop. Even though he had trapped Ōtakemaru, he could not relax for a moment. This demon was very strong, stronger than any demon he had ever seen. If he relaxed even slightly, he would be the one to lose!

A blue light shone from the girl's hand. Without hesitation, she turned around and unleashed several talismans imbued with powerful energy.