I was the fourth disaster in Yokohama and was loved by everyone.

As soon as the competition was announced to begin, she and Gojo Satoru immediately separated and went in two different directions to search for the traces of the cursed spirit.

The fallen leaves made a damp, muffled sound underfoot, and the ancient trees with their entwined vines blocked out the sun, their branches intertwining overhead and cutting the last rays of sunlight into fragments.

As she ventured deeper into the mountains, each step she took startled tiny flying insects. Then, rounding a bend and passing a giant tree, she suddenly caught a whiff of rich sandalwood fragrance.

A small stone shrine suddenly appeared.

The shrine was intricately carved with cloud patterns that had long since faded, while the bronze bells hanging from the eaves were polished to a shine and tinkled softly in the breeze. Three incense sticks were burning in the incense burner on the altar, burning quietly and sending wisps of smoke straight up into the sky, as if guided by an unseen hand.

Zhu Yu stood still, but instead of rushing forward, she turned around and quietly watched a man who had emerged from the deep forest at some unknown time.

"Good day, Lord [Umekawa]."

A man dressed in a black hunting robe slowly appeared. He had ordinary features and a short, thin body. The only noteworthy feature was a centipede-shaped suture on the top of his head, and blue veins were faintly visible under his pale skin, making him look unhealthy.

The stranger gave a standard, mask-like smile and bowed humbly: "I never expected to have the opportunity to meet you again."

Zhu Yu squinted, repeatedly checking the "???" above his head.

Wait a minute, the player has never seen this NPC before.

"who are you?"

"You'll find out soon enough." His gaze drifted to the shrine, and a faint smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

Riddler, get out of the game...

However, given the friendly "green" sign above his head, Zhu Yu didn't immediately launch a fierce attack. Instead, she became suspicious that the other party might be an NPC who could trigger a quest, so she asked politely, "Do you need help?"

The unfamiliar NPC's eyes suddenly became somewhat dazed, and after a moment of hesitation, he raised the sleeve of his hunting robe to cover the smile on his lips.

"You're still the same... I really miss you..."

He nodded with a sigh, then reached into his sleeve: "Speaking of which, there is indeed something I need your help with."

"You can stand still."

The other party pulled out a dark blue-black ancient mirror in the next second.

The mirror was no bigger than the palm of your hand, but the moment it was taken out, it swelled to almost half the height of your body. The patterns on the back flowed like living things in the sunlight, as if they were slowly turning, while the mirror surface was as black as an ancient well, deep and dark.

He turned the mirror, and the moment it met her gaze, it suddenly lit up with a blinding white light, rippling with a halo of light.

"Please don't worry, this is just a little trick to help you remember your past life."

As the words fell, a scene slowly appeared in the mirror: a girl was kneeling on a brocade cushion with her back to the mirror, wearing a twelve-layered kimono, with a rolled-up bamboo curtain and a plain-colored screen.

The girl in the mirror slowly turned her head—

Their gazes met.

Zhu Yu's vision blurred like ink splashed on a painting, and she gradually fell into darkness.

But she clearly saw in that instant that the girl in the mirror had the same face as her.

Zhu Yu: ???

Huh? When did the player wear this outfit? I have no recollection of it at all.

The NPC appears to have an extra memory compared to the player.

The dizziness in her head didn't last long. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back at the system's login screen.

[Game resources have been updated. Please exit the game and wait for the update...]

Do not!

At a crucial moment, the game updated, leaving Zhu Yu feeling stuck and unable to breathe properly, but he had no choice but to log out of the game pod.

I've been playing this game for several months now, and summer vacation is over.

Once school starts, she'll have to go back to campus. It's really inconvenient to keep such a large holographic pod in her dorm room, so after thinking it over, she simply rented a place off-campus to avoid disturbing her roommates when she plays games.

I got up and stretched in my rented room, then found myself something to eat to fill my stomach.

By the time she finishes these tasks, the game will be fully updated.

[Game logging in...]

【Loading......】

The update details are as follows: ...

She glanced at the updated content and found only two points worth noting.

First, Jujutsu Imonroku launched a limited-time map – Jujutsu Imonroku: Heian-kyo Meeting.

Furthermore, to optimize the player's gaming experience, the system will merge various maps to resolve incompatibility issues such as NPCs, ability systems, and players' "factions" in different maps, so as to avoid the annoyance of players frequently switching game maps (Note: Map merging is progressing slowly, please be patient).

Upon seeing these two updates, Zhu Yu thought to himself that this little game really knows how to play its cards right, always managing to release new gameplay when he's feeling a bit tired.

After reading the update, she realized that it had been a long time since she had played Yokohama Story.

I glanced at the level.

Yes, perfect, let's go!

Verlaine, mere mortal, here comes the player!

Select – Yokohama Story Map!

【Loading......】

[Current integration progress: 1%]

Chapter 157 The Dragon King Returns

Welcome to Yokohama Story

Please select your save location.

She opened two save files in Yokohama Story—the first save file was the point of the final battle with Verlaine, and the second save file had already reached the final ending and entered the settlement phase.

It was precisely because she wasn't entirely satisfied with the initial outcome that she decided to explore other maps.

Now, the players are about to announce that the Dragon King has returned (just kidding)!

—Select [Save File 1]

【Loading......】

[Current integration progress: 3%]

[A change in the age of the account character "Meichuan Kuzi" has been detected and is being corrected...]

[Correction Countdown 00:05:00]

As soon as I opened my eyes, the five-minute countdown on the system panel started ticking.

In the map "Tales of Curses", she stayed from the first year of college to the fourth year, and her age on the panel also increased to "17". Naturally, her height also increased, reaching 165cm.

Successfully grew a head taller than the player's initial height when starting the game.

isn't it?

Players work so hard to increase their age and grow taller!

Finally, I'm older than Dazai and Chuuya...

Zhu Yu was a little dejected, but then she remembered that there were still five minutes left...

Well, that's enough.

*

The night wind was like a knife, whipping sand and pebbles against my face. On the distant horizon, the waning moon was obscured by the smoke and dust raised by the fierce battle, leaving only a menacing crescent.

The smoke of the chaotic battle suddenly froze.

The figure of the black-haired girl leaped out from the crowd, her slender profile bathed in a cold light. She quickly approached Verlaine, and when she met Verlaine's somewhat astonished gaze, she remained unfazed.

"younger sister?"

Verlaine never expected that his sister, who had been unwilling to fight from the rear, would suddenly change her mind and confront him.

However... playing with his sister on a whim is something an older brother should do. But why does it feel like his sister has suddenly grown up a lot?

Despite some doubts, Verlaine was about to unleash his special ability to attack Zhu Yu without hesitation.

Zhu Yu then moved, not by throwing a punch, but by simply raising his hand.

In the instant she raised her hand, time seemed to slow down—

"The field expands——"

Her voice was like the still water of a deep pool, calmly and without waves, while her fingertips fluttered like butterfly wings, quickly forming hand seals.

With the spot where she stood as the center, ripples of white light suddenly spread out.

——“Pure Lotus Floating in the Sea of ​​Life”

As soon as he finished speaking, everything around him—the splattering blood, the bullets whose trajectories had changed, the Port Mafia members with terrified expressions—seemed to transform the entire world into a Ukiyo-e painting that had been paused.

People from all realms suddenly floated up as if weightless, watching in astonishment as their weapons slipped from their grasp, isolated from this world.

"Wow—"

Countless water droplets emerged from the void, each reflecting a faint glow, appearing from afar like shimmering starlight. Clear spring water began to seep from the ground, quickly spreading into a mirror-like pool, its surface still, reflecting the still sky.

Clusters of blue lotuses rose from the center of the pond, the sound of the lotus leaves unfurling crisp and clear like wind chimes. On the huge lotus leaves floating around them, the members of the Port Mafia, with their eyes closed in peace, were being carried.

Their furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and their upturned faces, like leaves washed clean by morning dew, were relaxed and peaceful, with only the faint fragrance of lotus wafting through the air.

With the hostility fading, everyone lost their will to fight and only wanted to lie back on the lotus leaves and have a good sleep.

Verlaine was enveloped in transparent water droplets, and his face appeared exceptionally gentle under the soft light of the water, a stark contrast to the coldness he had displayed during the battle.

"Little sister, what have you done?"

As the water droplets slowly seeped into the underground pool, Verlaine opened his eyes and found that all his surging emotions seemed to have been drawn away—desire, struggle, pain, even his own heartbeat had retreated to a distant place, as if separated by a thick barrier.

The mentality of not hesitating to overthrow everything and clear away all obstacles has faded.

Why fight? What's the point of fighting...?

Verlaine's body was resisting killing.

"If your goal was to stop me, then you have succeeded."

Something was flowing in my chest, warm and slow, like the first thawing stream in early spring.

But it was very calm.

He looked down at his palm and suddenly chuckled softly.

It was a gentle, light laugh.

It is difficult to suppress.

*

Since Zhu Yu has already been rated as a "Special Grade Spellcaster", there is no doubt about her special grade strength. As a player, it is also a very smooth thing to have your own domain.

However, expanding her domain is equivalent to a very mana-intensive ultimate move for her. She can usually handle most battles with basic skills, so there's no need to use her ultimate move.

Otherwise, having to use items to restore mana afterward would still be a bit of a hassle for her.

The most troublesome part of the battle against Verlaine is actually how to disable the opponent's mobility while ensuring the survival rate of her teammates (NPCs). In this way, a large-scale domain can well meet her needs.

Fighting is forbidden within her domain, "Pure Lotus Floating World Sea." All outsiders who enter the domain will have their fighting spirit neutralized and their special abilities removed.

At the same time, those who enter can stay in the area to recover their energy and life with her permission.

Of course, this doesn't mean that this is an absolutely harmless area.

After all... banning the opponent's special ability doesn't mean banning the player's, right? :D

Come on, let's play some real-life Kombat!

Zhu Yu glanced at the countdown on the panel; there were three and a half minutes left.

—Unlocking the Domain

Everyone was standing on the ground unharmed, and the atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful, a far cry from the fierce fighting that had taken place just minutes before.