Nobita's Time Heist

"People call him 'Hundred Eyes,' but... he has far more than a hundred eyes on his body."

"After returning to the demon realm, as expected, all my former underlings also defected to his side. I fought a great battle with him, a battle that shook the entire demon realm, but I couldn't leave any marks on him... No... I should say that the marks I left on him faded away very quickly."

"But the wounds he left on me were fatal."

At this point, Shuten-dōji lowered his head, an unnatural blush rising on his face, and his gaze toward Asur became unfocused.

"Actually, you've already noticed it, haven't you..."

"My 'god'?"

Chapter 265: Killing with Eyes

Asur did indeed notice that the situation was not optimistic.

She herself is not a deity in charge of medicine, healing, or abundance, but she is confident that simple healing magic is not a problem.

Magic was poured in little by little, but the injury wouldn't stop; it merely prevented the strange wound from spreading. It felt like constantly adding paper to a burning pile of firewood—adding more or less didn't seem to affect the flames. The moment he let go, the bizarre injury would immediately spread, devouring most of Shuten-dōji's body.

“Healing magic is useless.” Asur pursed his lips. “What kind of magic is this?”

"Magic... Here, we usually call these kinds of deadly moves 'secret techniques'." Shuten-dōji's eyes slowly closed. Considering that they would most likely face the Hundred-Eyed Demon King soon, she could only grit her teeth and process even the most painful memories. "[Killing with the eyes]."

“A beam of light shoots from the Hundred-Eyed King’s ‘eyes,’ like… pure darkness, an endless abyss, like an unfathomable chasm beneath a calm sea, swallowing up all light sources. This simple attack, once it hits, will instantly penetrate anything that blocks it. Many demons who wanted to challenge him, confident in their superior defensive capabilities, were killed directly by this move.”

“Shields, spells, talismans, shikigami… even equipment with defensive properties, nothing can escape the art of killing with eyes. What’s worse, he has far too many eyes. When all the eyes open at once, the black light they emit intertwines into a huge net that almost covers the sky. I tried my best to dodge, but in the end, I was still grazed on my right shoulder.”

"This is the result."

She shrugged her left shoulder with a self-deprecating smile, her face full of helplessness. This was the first time she had faced such an opponent. Faced with overwhelming firepower, the other party hadn't even moved an inch. Just by rolling their eyes, they had already made her run for her life, looking utterly disheveled.

After being struck by the Eye-Killing Technique, Shuten-dōji immediately lost most of his fighting ability and was caught in a cycle of being besieged by hordes of demons.

As mentioned earlier, the Oni race rarely holds concepts like honor or unity, believing instead in pure power. Seeing Shuten-dōji at a disadvantage, they immediately turned against him, vying to prove their loyalty to the new leader. Hyakume didn't refuse, probably feeling that Shuten-dōji was unworthy of being his opponent, and simply turned and left.

Dragging her increasingly crippled body, she mustered her last bit of strength to kill twenty or thirty little devils who came to besiege her, opening a passage between the two worlds, hoping to bring the news of the impending great war to the human world before she completely turned into ashes.

……

“A spell with penetrating properties, this is a bit tricky.” Asur placed his hand on the empty space on her right shoulder, his expression grave. “Judging from this, the difficulty of analyzing it is exceptionally high.”

"So, my physical body is definitely beyond saving. If this continues, it will be pulverized into spiritual particles. I can only pray that this magic isn't so terrible that it can trace all the way back to my 'spiritual foundation'."

"Whatever you're going to do, you'd better hurry..."

"Boom!"

The sound of a huge object hitting the ground.

The being that had been observing from the shadows for a long time seemed to have finally calculated the advantages and disadvantages of its own side, and leaped down from the height, landing right at the roots of the thousand-year-old cedar.

In an instant, a chilling atmosphere spread, swirling up dust that nearly engulfed them. The newcomer slowly straightened up, revealing a height of over four meters. Its limbs were clearly abnormal, and its straightened body created an unnatural, disproportionate effect. It was draped in a long, pale white cloth, the curves of its body distorted beneath, yet the outline of a woman was still faintly discernible.

Her face was equally pale, yet remarkably beautiful, with exquisitely delicate features, resembling a tall, sophisticated urban woman from an idol drama. However, upon closer inspection, there were distinct stitch marks on each side of her cheeks, and her features were subtly misaligned with those of a normal person. Noticing this, Lingyin quickly averted her gaze, worried that if she looked any longer, the uncanny valley effect might trigger something she did.

Her hair was as long as a waterfall, not even reaching her waist, but dragging on the ground. Even in the darkness, it remained smooth and shiny.

"Ha, what was I saying again? The demon race is indeed all like this, isn't it?" Shuten-dōji's tone was slightly teasing, but it was filled with extremely strong killing intent.

"What did your new master promise you that made you chase after me without a moment's rest, determined to wipe me out..."

"Needle Woman?"

……

"..." Asur frowned deeply. From her perspective, she couldn't discern his eerie yet handsome face at all; he was merely a dense mass of magic energy about to burst from its icy aura, constantly radiating intense hostility, like a cheetah pouncing at any moment. Just as Shuten-dōji had said, demons and humans were completely incomparable. A demon like her, possessing some human qualities, was as rare as a god like herself, possessing some humanity—both were rarity in their respective circles.

"What's that on your forehead? You weren't here before." Even though he was just one breath away from his physical body collapsing, Shuten-dōji still mocked his pursuer with his Kansai accent, "Ah~~~ I know, it's a mark exclusive to pets."

The Needle Woman, like a puppet, stiffly raised her right hand and touched the raised area between her eyebrows. There, a vertical line of black and gold was painted, exuding an eerie aura and looking far from being an ordinary decoration.

"That's actually your sister's face, isn't it?" Shuten-dōji tapped his cheek with his finger and sneered, "To allow that monster to leave a mark on your sister's face, you 'older sister' are truly more absurd than I imagined."

Needle Woman.

These are ghosts that roam the outskirts of Ehime Prefecture, and are well-known horror stories among the locals. Legend has it that there were once two sisters; the elder sister, jealous of her younger sister's beauty, killed her, peeled off her face, and sewed it onto her own. After death, she became a terrifying, vengeful ghost. She enjoys wandering the streets and alleys, using her appearance to lure young men, asking them, "Am I beautiful?" No matter their answer, death is the only outcome for them.

In a sense, she's a veteran among ghosts like the Slit-Mouthed Woman, greatly increasing her interactivity with humans. Simply scaring people isn't enough; she also adds a touch of romance before taking action, creating an unexpected twist. Perhaps deep down, she simply wants revenge on those who covet her beautiful face?

But at this moment, she had no time for such little pleasures—Shuten-dōji's provocative words had precisely struck at what she cared about most in life and death.

"ah----!!"

The Needle Woman let out a classic ghostly shriek, sharp, shrill, and extremely penetrating, like scratching a blackboard with a fingernail, producing unsettling noises. Her long, cascading hair instantly floated up, as if it had come to life, splitting into strands that changed from smooth black to a metallic silver-white, with a faint sound of metal clashing.

She didn't answer, but silently plucked a hair, gently brushed it with her hand, and a fine needle, larger than a palm, appeared.

Chapter 266: The Vanguard of a Hundred Demons

"Ta-da! Ta ...

Like a downpour falling on a car window, Needle Woman exhaled softly, and her hair swung behind her, scattering a dense rain of needles.

Asur still pressed his left hand against Shuten-dōji's wound, while extending his right hand to summon a shield spell composed of hexagons in front of him.

Although she was prepared, the speed and intensity of the opponent's attack far exceeded her expectations, and sparks immediately flew from her shield. Even worse, because of Shuten-dōji, she couldn't move and could only further expand her shield magic to cover as many angles as possible; the price of doing so was, of course, consuming even more magic power.

"Eh? You can't even hold on like this? I've never seen a god with so little magic before... No wonder I didn't feel anything when I first met you. As expected, you are a 'banished' god."

Sensing that Asur's condition wasn't good, Shuten-dōji shook his head with a smile, "Don't worry about me anymore... Take this child and leave quickly. Right now, you're at best a slightly skilled Onmyoji. If you encounter any slightly stronger demons, you won't even have the strength to fight back."

"Thump—!!"

"Boom!"

"Boom-!!"

"when----"

Seemingly sensing that Asur's magic was being rapidly depleted, the Needle Woman immediately changed tactics, binding her hair into bundles and striking the shield from different directions like knives and scythes.

"?!" Hearing the sounds that rose and fell, yet were completely different, Asur was first shocked, then realized that she was applying pressure to the shield from multiple angles with varying degrees of force. She had thought that the Oni race were all mindless battle maniacs, but she never expected that this girl would see through the physical weakness of the shield magic in just a few seconds—it could not withstand too much uneven force at the same time.

"Tsk, this guy..." She clicked her tongue, clenched her teeth, and had to divert more magic power to thicken the shield.

This action, however, only strengthened the Needle Woman's conviction in the correctness of her tactics. A cold smile crept across her pale, human-skinned face as she spread her hands, as if chanting a hymn, drawing more hair into the fray. Silvery metal poured down from all directions simultaneously, the unequal force conducting wildly across the surface of the spherical shield. Right before Asur's eyes, a tiny crack appeared, like a glass tank under excessive water pressure.

"Oh no!" She already had a premonition. "It's going to break!"

……

Under the relentless attack from all sides, the shield magic couldn't hold for long and shattered. Asur immediately used a one-sided shield to protect Rin from being accidentally injured by the Needle Woman's hair. He then raised his hand, fingers spread, and precisely blocked Shuten-dōji's face.

"when--!!"

A dull thud.

The hair, gathered into silver needles, pierced his palm, several strands immediately snapping off due to the recoil, falling to the ground with a clatter. Asur wore a cold smile, not even moving a step; his left hand remained on Shuten-dōji's wound, his right hand alone stopping the thrust. His palm seemed coated with a thin, luminous film, appearing fragile, yet powerful enough to break the rapidly thrusting steel needles.

In the nick of time, she compressed her magic to its limit, covering her body. This move was extremely energy-consuming, requiring a masterful control over the flow of magic. In the girl's current state, covering her palms with compressed magic was almost her limit. But it was precisely this move that finally made the Needle Woman turn her head in an incredibly stiff posture, turning her gaze towards her.

"You've been fighting all along, but it seems like all you care about is this old boss... Do you think I'm that worthless?"

Asur raised her head, looked at her opponent who was at least three times her size, and sneered.

A faint red light flickered in his emerald eyes, standing out starkly in the darkness.

Her long, smooth hair began to lose its jet-black color, gradually revealing a crimson undertone. The girl's aura also changed accordingly. Although she was still at a disadvantage in height, the disdain in her eyes became increasingly evident, as if she were looking down on a slightly stronger ant.

"Or do you think I'm just a dish to be enjoyed whenever you want?"

……

"……ah----!!"

Having been detached from human form for so long, the Needle Woman seemed to have forgotten human language, able only to express her emotions in the most instinctive way. She mobilized more of her hair, conjuring a sharp blade out of thin air, and brought it down heavily, only to have it deflected expressionlessly by Asur, who once again concentrated his magic. The heavy diagonal slash missed its target, instead striking the ground and scattering large chunks of rock. Had this attack truly struck an ordinary person, it wouldn't have been as simple as "cutting them in two"; its effect would likely have been comparable to a sniper rifle shot with a high-mass bullet, shattering the person to pieces…

"Snapped!"

Asur strolled leisurely, clasped his hands together, and clapped them against the Needle Woman.

"boom----!!"

In an instant, the rubble generated by the ground slash was captured by the psychic power, changed direction, and flew towards the Needle Girl with an astonishing whistle in the air!

Being hit by several fast-moving pebbles and clods of earth, each the size of a car headlight, at such close range is no different from being hit by a cannonball.

The massive body, standing over four meters tall, became an ideal target. First, a boulder struck its abdomen, sending it staggering backward through the forest, its feet carving deep furrows in the earth. Facing the oncoming rocks and clods of earth, the Needle Woman roared, gathering her hair into multiple strands and slashing and hacking. Amidst dull thuds, flashes of light appeared as her blade sliced ​​through these large attackers, as if she were playing Fruit Ninja.

The attack ceased, and the hair behind the Needle Woman began to flutter again, transforming into countless tiny, sharp drills. This time, however, she didn't attack first; instead, she stood still, waiting for Asur to strike first. Given the chance, these drills could, in the blink of an eye, carve dozens of transparent holes in a living person.

"Have we reached the endurance test yet? You ghosts really have a lot of talent..." Asur said irritably, complaining, "Because I can't judge the timing, I'm particularly bad at this kind of thing!"

"Yes, physical combat... should have been my specialty. In the end, if I were healthy, I could have taken down the demons who fight in close combat in no time." Shuten-dōji sighed, with a sense of helplessness and frustration, like a tiger fallen into a pit. "Fancy battles like those of mages are just too tedious."

"Watch your mouth, little sister." Asur licked his lips, not daring to look away for a moment, and said, "The only one who can save you now is this magician."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

……

"Thump—!!"

"【Material Transformation Lamp】—!"

At the very instant the Needle Woman made her move, a beam of light shone from the other side of the bushes, precisely sweeping across all of her hair. With a "thud," the limp ball of yarn struck Asur's forehead, causing no damage whatsoever, merely announcing her defeat in this Western-style cowboy duel.

"??!"

Startled, the Needle Woman touched her hair, a look of bewilderment on her face for the first time in her life.

Before she could turn around, an ion plasma cannon shot flew from the shadows, tearing Asur's long-fighting opponent in two in an instant.

Chapter 267: First Encounter

This was probably the first time Asur had so directly experienced what it meant for "technology to be the primary productive force." What she couldn't solve with magic for ages, they had simply and brutally taken down with a single shot. Meijin, now in human form, gracefully rolled out from the bushes, his hands already transformed into short guns. He was probably also seeing the Oni race, a species clearly different from humans, for the first time; a hint of curiosity shone through his red optical glasses.

"Asur? Are you alright?!"

Nobita and Shizuka hurried over, and strangely enough, Asur breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the two humans.

"The [buzzer alarm] in my pocket has been going off nonstop. Sure enough, you're in danger... Ouch! You're badly injured!"

It's not entirely his fault; anyone seeing Shuten-dōji's gruesome state would be horrified at first glance. Although Asur was doing her best to stop the injury from worsening, the situation was still dire; half of her body had already burned to ashes. All she could do was continuously fill this bottomless pit with magic power; the slightest lapse in concentration would mean all her efforts were in vain.

“You are…the one I saw in the Golden Village…” Nobita’s memory wasn’t bad, and he quickly remembered Shuten-dōji. He quickly squatted down and carefully examined her injuries, frowning as he asked, “How could she be injured like this?”

"It's not a good habit to poke at someone's wounds, 'Savior'." Shuten-dōji teased with a smile, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so sorry, I originally wanted to try again to avoid it as much as possible, but unfortunately... things developed much faster than I expected."

She began to recount everything listlessly, including the "personnel changes" in the demon realm, how she had become engrossed in playing house with the heroic spirits, and how, by the time she realized it, a new leader had taken over her hometown. She described how this ambitious new king was preparing to disrupt the balance between the demon realm and the human world, recreating the scene of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, and driving humanity back into the shadows. Listening to this, Nobita felt a chill run through him, and he felt utterly exhausted.

It took him three whole months to settle a time-traveling heist, but at least it was a crime committed by humans. Now, why are not only humans, but even monsters are actively seeking him out? Can't he at least get some rest?!

“Nobita…” Shizuka guessed what he was thinking. After hesitating for a moment, she simply said, “Monsters and stuff, it sounds like the situation is very serious.”

"What would happen if that Hundred-Eyed King succeeded?"

"Simply put... King Hyakume wants to create a world where demons can eat people at will. In that world, the status of humans should be similar to that of domesticated pigs and dogs." Shuten-dōji smiled helplessly. "No one knows what that guy is thinking, just like no one knows his origins. His actions are extremely extreme. Compared to him, most demons are emotionally stable doves."

Nobita couldn't help but recall the time he dressed up as Sun Wukong but didn't properly close the machine, causing the demons and monsters inside to escape. (This scene is from the theatrical film "Nobita's Parallel Journey to the West")

Upon returning to the modern era, history has been altered. Humans, as a species, had been eaten to extinction as food for monsters in this distorted and chaotic history. Nobita and his friends are the only four humans remaining in the present. Since the establishment of the food chain, they haven't tasted the flavor of their natural enemies for a long time. The feeling of living in a society of predators, constantly facing the possibility of being eaten... is indescribably oppressive and despairing.

If the "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" leads to such an outcome, then Nobita is indeed more aware of its dangers than most people.

"To be on the safe side, it's better to leave this kind of thing to the Time Police. After all, it's too naive to expect five high school students to resolve a war. Like the Iron Man Corps incident, our frontline battles were completely crushed... In the end, it was only thanks to Shizuka's flash of inspiration that things came to a perfect end, right? It's just too risky."

Shizuka could sense that when Nobita said those words, his true intentions were about half and half.

Indeed, the tone of this matter was clear from the outset: it was a "war." A full-scale invasion launched by the ambitious, newly crowned king of the demon realm against the unsuspecting human world was completely different from the adventures they were accustomed to. And behind every war, there are often intricate and complex distributions of interests at play. Even if they took on this task and went to the demon realm alone, there was only one thing they could do.

A decapitation strike.

Just like killing Demaio and Odorom, kill the enemy leader, King Hundred Eyes, before the war even begins. The risks involved in doing so are simply unimaginable.

They were heading to a completely unfamiliar and hostile land, where everything was unknown. Even if they endured countless hardships to reach the Hundred-Eyed King, judging from Shuten-dōji's description, it would certainly not be simple; a fierce and terrifying battle would likely await them.

Of course, the other half of the reason is more realistic... no one is made of iron.

The impact of the major heist had just subsided, and the Apairon Foundation, lurking in the shadows, was ready to strike. They needed some time to recuperate.

"It's no use. The Hundred-Eyed King is no ordinary demon. Such a being cannot be killed by external force alone."

Shuten-dōji's still lively eyes shifted slightly as he looked at Ōno and said leisurely, "There is a saying in the demon world that it is the most harmful of all, and only a certain branch of the bloodline with special power can eradicate it in one fell swoop."

"It sounds very much like an official appointment..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.