My name is Levi, and I work in anime.

Shuten-dōji didn't seem to be listening much: "It's just a matter of you winning by a single move, so you can say whatever you want."

“That’s not it. You still haven’t realized why you failed.” Li Wei sighed, denying the young ghost’s words.

Seeing the puzzled look in the other person's eyes, he said seriously, "I know a powerful mage called Old Man. He once said something very true: 'The wise seek power within, the unwise seek power without.'"

The Holy Grail you wield is indeed powerful, but ultimately it doesn't belong to you. Over-reliance on it means you'll be powerless when I sever your connection. Only your own power is true strength.

"Even mana replenishment counts," Li Wei silently added in his mind.

"Hmph, my own power?"

The defeated dog, lying on the ruins, looked at the boy in front of him with an extremely happy expression. He didn't look like a loser at all; instead, he looked like a victor looking up and down at the spoils he was about to obtain.

This is the man Hagoromo Gitsune has her eye on; he's certainly a promising young man.

This made her desire for him even stronger.

Hmph, that's great, that's great. I should definitely spend more time with such beautiful young men. Look at that fox, look what Sword Art Online has become.

Li Wei felt a little uneasy; Shuten-dōji's appearance was too strange, so it would be better to finish him off decisively.

At the very moment he made his decision, in Kyoto, the demons of the Ōeyama Oni Kingdom, represented by Ibaraki-dōji, transformed into countless strands of power and surged into Shuten-dōji's body, unleashing an astonishingly powerful magical force.

"Very well, then I will show you the true magnanimity of a demon king after making a pact with all evil spirits, as the lord of all demons and monsters!"

As the power of countless demons surged into his body, Shuten-dōji's body suddenly swelled. In the blink of an eye, his petite and delicate figure disappeared, replaced by an impressive physique that was hard to look away from.

Standing nearly three meters tall, her ample bosom was unlike anything Li Wei had ever seen in his life, the huge, hemispherical breasts rising and falling with elasticity. Her buttocks were large and wide, and the high slit of her hem revealed legs of an unnatural length. Her smooth black stockings exuded a suffocating sexiness, full of eeriness and... divinity?

The Holy Grail, which was originally meant to provide energy to Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji respectively, has deeply merged into her body, providing her with a continuous source of magic power.

"Is this the second stage of Shuten-dōji?" Li Wei looked at the fox sister, trying to get an answer.

It's no longer surprising that bosses have a second phase; it would be strange if there wasn't one.

Although Hagoromo Gitsune didn't say anything, the meaning in her eyes was clear: I don't know either; I've never seen her use this move before.

"This is another side of me, another possibility that combines the power of all demons and gods, named Ibuki-dōji." Although her size has increased a lot, her voice still has the childlike quality of Shuten-dōji, which makes people feel deeply uncomfortable: "This is the first time that I have shown a new form to others."

Ibuki-dōji, another possible aspect of Shuten-dōji, is more like a god than a demon—but Shuten-dōji is undoubtedly in control now.

As someone who directly faced her, Li Wei could sense that Ibuki's strength far surpassed that of Shuten-dōji.

A new battle has begun.

……

Compared to Shuten-dōji's close-quarters combat and unstoppable speed, Ibuki-dōji prefers a style that is simple yet profound, like a heavy sword with no edge.

She didn't care much about how exquisite her attacks were, because under her offensive, anyone was firmly locked in place, making escape almost impossible.

Whether in speed, strength, technique, or experience, Li Wei was completely at a disadvantage and was completely suppressed from the very first moment of the battle. This situation did not improve even after Saint Byakuren joined the battlefield.

"Hey, hey, hey, where did this guy come from? His combat power is way off the charts." The monk seemed quite displeased. The punching bag he had just found had vanished, and now another powerful figure like this had appeared. Even in a certain fantasy world, he would at least be at the top level among sages.

"Less talk, more fight." Li Wei had already switched to his spearman form—Ibuki-dōji is immune to Dōjigiri Yasutsuna's special attack, but fortunately, his spearman form has a special attack against divinity.

For some reason, this form called Ibuki-doji seems to have an unusually high number of special attacks. You could probably even trigger a special attack against snakes by catching a chicken on the roadside.

Even so, given the vast difference in their strength, Li Wei could only struggle to hold on. As for the demons who originally belonged to Hagoromo Gitsune, few of them even had the strength to watch.

"No, no, you're still far from good enough."

Facing the onslaught, Ibuki-dōji showed no anger, only playful pleasure: "Your stance is weak, your counters are poor, your eye movements are loose, and your movements are sluggish! Not a single move is decent! You think you can compete with me? Keep dreaming!"

After saying that, he slashed out with his sword. Li Wei could only react hastily and was blasted away by the overwhelming power.

However, this time it didn't fall to the ground, but was caught in mid-air.

Li Wei: "?" There are helpers too?

"Excuse me, do we know each other?" The tall, blonde beauty, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, looked at the handsome young man in her arms and felt that he was inexplicably handsome: "It's like this body rushed up to me uncontrollably, as if it's very worried about you."

"Uh, you might not believe it, but I'm actually your father," Li Wei said seriously, looking at Renxiaxin.

"I see, then that's not surprising." Amusement flickered across his face. "Hello, Dad."

Saint Byakuren: "So they've already recognized each other as family!?"

Volume 6: Chapter 36 A Frustrating Ending

As expected of a bizarre killer, he has seen countless strange things. Even when he suddenly met a handsome sixteen-year-old boy who claimed to be his father, he did not show the slightest surprise.

“Your shadow,” she said. “I can smell my scent in your shadow, and it’s very strong. You must have lived here for a very, very long time.”

So, a person's shadow can smell too? It's true what they say, you're never too old to learn.

"We later found a spouse like that, and they're quite good."

After carefully examining Li Wei from head to toe, Acerola nodded with great satisfaction: "As expected of me, you have excellent taste."

Speaking of which, she happily stuffed him into her thick front armor, rubbing him repeatedly, expressing satisfaction with the feel and texture of the boy's head.

Yes, she did the same thing hundreds of years later, the only difference being that after becoming Shinobu, she preferred to ride on her own neck and rub against herself.

Li Wei was slightly embarrassed.

Normally, if no one was around, it wouldn't be a problem, since they were acquaintances he'd known for a long time, and he'd seen plenty of people bigger than him. But this was a battlefield, and Sister Fox was right there beside him. Rubbing against her like this might cause trouble.

Sure enough, the fox sister's eyes sharpened: "Don't be so arrogant, you little brat who loves donuts. Do you think you can steal men just because you're an adult now?"

“Exactly.” Saint Byakuren chimed in, equally dissatisfied: “While it’s cute to pull Avi into your arms and rub against him, or even tie him to your robe and walk around doing ‘beep’ or something, it’s still wrong!”

"..." As soon as she said this, everyone's eyes turned to her at the same time.

It's roughly like this: I knew monks were actually more cunning; so this is what a saintly white lotus is like?

"No, no, no, that's not it!" The monk blushed. "I only thought about it for a moment. He's my disciple's man. Do you think I would be thinking about this status being better while also thinking about having an affair with him in Kikyo's room?"

"..." This explanation was so ineffective that even Ibuki-dōji sat down on a stool to watch, as if this was much more interesting than fighting.

One word means monk; two words mean monk; three words mean ghost musician; four words mean lustful hungry ghost.

"Wow, I really didn't mean it that way, you have to believe me!" Saint Byakuren almost burst into tears on the spot.

I don't know why, but ever since I moved into the hotel in Kyoto, I've been acting strangely. I always find myself wanting to get close to the boy, and my mind is filled with all sorts of [beep] things. One night, I even woke up to find myself lying in Li Wei's bed.

Could it be that I sleepwalked and attacked him at night? I didn't do anything, but it's like I'm possessed by some beast of love and lust, thinking about lewd things all day long.

So much so that when I tried to say something, all I could come out of my mouth were even more vulgar words.

"Could it be that I actually really like this guy? Is this what it feels like to have a crush?" Saint Byakuren touched her wildly beating chest, a little confused: "I've lived for hundreds of years and never been in a relationship. Will Buddha be angry with me?"

"Alright, alright, we can talk about it later. There's no time to deal with those things now." Seeing the atmosphere getting increasingly strange, the boy steered the conversation back on track.

If we discuss this any further, Saint Byakuren will probably faint from shame and indignation. He was already no match for her, so wouldn't he be even less likely to win now?

"Tsk, you guys are done."

Ibuki-dōji, who hadn't managed to launch an attack, was slightly disappointed.

She didn't take the opportunity to attack just now, which made her seem like an absolute strongman who would never kick someone when they're down or attack someone who wasn't ready to fight. She seemed like a very upright and honorable gentleman.

But Li Wei felt that she was just too bored. It was a rare treat to see women fighting over men, so she had to watch a few more episodes.

What entertainment options are there these days? You're lucky if you can watch a play or listen to music. What more could you ask for?

Naturally, Ibuki, who was just about to continue watching the drama unfold, was still quite unsatisfied. How could a man be so quick? It's practically deceiving the audience!

Where's the machete? Where's the nice boat? Where's Bai Xue? Where's the quintet?

Although this body is dominated by Shuten-dōji's consciousness, it is still influenced by Ibuki-dōji. If it were the real Shuten-dōji, he would not have let go of such a good opportunity.

In other words, she can actually communicate?

"I'm so sorry, Miss Ibuki, I'm sorry you had to see this." Li Wei patted Acerola's head, gesturing for her to put him down, and attempted to communicate.

During the process of being released, Da Ren took advantage of him quite a bit.

"It's alright, I'm quite interested in you now." Ibuki Douji said with a smile, "I've decided, I won't kill you all, that would be too wasteful. Kid, you can be my subordinate and help me pass the time."

"What about them?"

"Others can be your chamber pots, but that fox must die."

"It seems there's no point in negotiating." Even under the influence of Ibuki-dōji, his true form is still Shuten-dōji.

"Hmph, so you choose to fight me? I guess I need a little punishment after all."

With things having come to this point, without needing any orders from anyone, Li Wei and his two companions simultaneously launched an attack on Ibuki-dōji.

Li Wei donned the Sword of Light once more, and its imposing sword energy coalesced into a long river of sword energy, surging forth amidst a tumultuous, turbulent roar.

Saint White Lotus stood firmly on the ground, her back bent as she rode a horse, as if endless lightning from all directions converged into her palm, forming a huge fist-shaped aura that she unleashed like a cannonball.

Yaserola wielded her Heart Crossing technique, unleashing a terrifying and overwhelming aura that could terrify even the most powerful beings. The blade's energy was as red as blood, and the malevolent energy soared into the sky.

"I'll have to show some real strength soon, otherwise people will really think I'm some weird little boss. Do they think a bunch of people can defeat me just by shouting about friendship and faith?"

Ibuki-dōji wielded the giant sword, which was over ten feet long, and with every move he made, it was as if Japan had just begun to open up, enough to cut Kyushu Island in half.

She is the goddess of Mount Ibuki, the incarnation of Yamata no Orochi, and the pinnacle of Japanese demons.

When the sword of light clashed with Li Wei's, time seemed to stand still. Li Wei's eyes met Ibuki's snake eyes, and it seemed like only a moment had passed, yet also like an eternity. Ibuki, who had been exuding an overwhelming demonic aura, suddenly lost all her magic.

The enormous snake's body was actually cut into several pieces!

"This is……"

"This is the result of forcibly fusing with the Holy Grail." Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief: "This thing has never been a good thing. Sister Mei Li has suffered a lot from it before. The result of forcibly relying on it is that she suffered a terrible backlash."

"Is that so? That's really not enough." Ibuki sighed as she spoke, but she didn't seem to feel any regret.

"If we have the chance, let's play again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ibuki-dōji vanished into the world.

Is this battle over?

Volume 6: Chapter 37 We need to get the scalp out first before saying such things.

The day after the great battle between demons and monsters ended, in front of the gates of Kyoto, Hagoromo Gitsune was seeing off Li Wei and his companion who were about to leave.

Because Yamabuki Otome completed the fusion, there were three people when they came, but only two left when they left.

"It's time to say goodbye."

The fox sister's voice was slightly melancholy, clearly indicating that she didn't want the boy to leave.

Having absorbed memories from the future, she knew very well that after this separation, the next time they might meet might not be for another four hundred years. Just thinking about it made her reluctant to part, even though she had been replenishing her mana to the point of vomiting last night.

"Don't be too sad, maybe we'll meet again soon." Based on the previous experience, this unrecorded timeline won't last forever.

Everything will be alright as long as Icarus launches an attack.

"Maybe, you little ingrate, are priestesses and monks really that fun?" The fox sister wasn't very happy.

Correspondingly, Saint White Lotus on the other side was a little embarrassed: "Hey, hey, hey, don't think that just because we're familiar now you can say whatever you want. This kid and I are completely innocent. How could I possibly have feelings for my disciple's man?"

"hehe."

Hagoromo Gitsune didn't say anything, but the meaning behind her laughter was basically—don't be so ungrateful after getting the benefit. Does pure friendship even exist between men and women?

Maybe so, but I don't believe you can stay so innocent around this kid.

"Hmph, after all, he is still a demon, and he has no understanding of the solitary cultivation of us monks."

Lotus Mom took a deep breath to calm herself down, but Yu Yi Fox's next words immediately broke her composure.

"Who was that person who watched from the tree outside the bedroom all night last night?"

"That was an accident!" The monk's face flushed red. "Who told you to shout so loudly last night? I thought something had happened. I just accidentally looked for a little too long."

"If you say so, then so be it." The fox sister was too lazy to argue any further. "If things are settled, remember to come back and visit me."

“I will.” Li Wei nodded.

"Then farewell, fox. If you ever do anything immoral in the future, this humble monk will come and kill you." With these words, Saint Byakuren pulled Li Wei onto their horses and turned to leave the rebuilding capital.

This journey was very fruitful; not only did we obtain a large number of monster heads, but we even recorded the heads of Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji.

Yes, it even has the signatures of the Emperor and many nobles as proof, so it's quite valuable and anyone who sees it would have to acknowledge it.

If this were placed hundreds of years later, it would at least be enough to obtain a top-tier relic, with some kind of special attack against ghosts or monsters.