[Part 4/4]
"Tomobe..."
"...We're almost there. The first safe zone is right in front of us."
In response to the princess on my back calling out, I answered to reassure her. I plastered on a smile, not caring about the burnt flesh on my face tearing.
"..."
After a few moments, the grip around my neck tightened. But it was still a child's strength, far from enough to strangle someone to death. Still, I found some comfort in the mere presence of that pressure on my neck. I even thought that it wouldn't be so bad if I were strangled to death like this.
...Haha. This is no good, it's already broken."
"If you have any resentment, direct it towards me."
"Princess?"
Whether sensing something or not, I was forcibly brought back to my senses by Aoi's voice, which had killed her emotions.
"It's my fault that the situation has deteriorated this far. So, resent me. It's completely misplaced for someone like you at the bottom to suffer from guilt."
"But..."
"'But' is not an acceptable response. Stop talking back. Don't misjudge your own position and abilities. Are you planning to further humiliate me?"
The powerless girl who depended on me for everything scolded me harshly. Well, maybe it was more like comforting.
"Aren't you a bit insolent for a child?"
"Is that the words of someone who can't beat that child if they were at their best?"
"Haha. Indeed, I suppose so."
I laughed a dry laugh. Then, silence descended upon us. Still, we continue forward in silence. But how much time has passed? Suddenly, the words slipped out.
"I want power."
"..."
"If I were stronger... I could reach much, much farther, and carry the burden."
My words spun like nearly soliloquies, whether they were an excuse or the correct answer to the emotions swirling in my heart, I couldn't tell. To understand that, my emotions had become too jumbled, overwhelmed by various feelings. I needed to organize my thoughts. I needed time.
But before that...
"...Was it too soon?"
As I entered the boundary, I took a deep breath in response to the call I had been preparing for since the beginning of this commotion. Aoi, whom I carry, recognized this and hugged me tightly as if he were frightened. Then I turned to face the situation.
A bonfire at a campsite. I recognized the figure wearing an oni mask, sitting on a log, and the members of the Onitsuki family's servant, Yun-shoku. Everything was within expectations.
"Yun-shoku..."
"Well, please have a seat... Shall we talk?"
Kaede Tomoe, the servant of the Onitsuki family, removed her oni mask and with a weary but enlightened smile, offered me a seat.
...That was probably the closing of this terrible play, the final act.
"'Korobi (Collapse)'"
The incantation resounded, and the muddied flames licked the earth.
"'Shizuku (Droplet Strike)'"
The incantation resounded, and the swiftly launched water strike gouged the great tree.
"'Tsuchikemuri (Dust Cloud)'"
The incantation resounded. The sandstorm it summoned, sweeping the surroundings, instantly stripped the flesh of demons and fiends.
"Aioi Aikoku (Confront), Hiwa (Compare)... haa, haa, once more, Aijou Soubou (Amplification), cough. Fundamental art secret - 'supernova'...!!"
And then everything exploded. It was blown away. It was destroyed. The earth was gouged, and the forest withered. Flesh and blood, pulverized beyond recognition, rained down from the heavens. A hellish scene, staining the surface of the earth with a dark red.
...After a while, the bloody downpour finally stopped. And that individual emerged.
"haa, haa... you damn beasts. Don't underestimate people... you weaklings...!!"
Rising from countless corpses, the man appeared, spewing words of deep hatred. With labored, trembling breaths, Onitsuki Junshuuro Takaragen returned from the battlefield.
The aftermath of the battle was evident from the countless remains scattered around him. Easily five or six great youkai could be counted, while there were countless lesser youkai. However, the severity of his own injuries told a more vivid tale.
His arm was taken from the elbow down, and the opposite ankle was also lost. The flesh of his side was scraped, and even his scalp was partly peeled back. Even white bones faintly peek out. There were innumerable cuts, bite wounds, and the like.
Nevertheless, the man survived. He removed the poison along with the blood, regaining his freedom. Most of the techniques he employed were basic, but he annihilated the swarming creatures with overwhelming power. His final grand technique was similar. Amplifying, repelling, fusing, and releasing the five elemental attributes, although the intermediary techniques are achievable even by apprentices, simultaneously activating the five types was not difficult. It's just that due to the enormous amount of spiritual power poured in, what would normally be a technique capable of killing only small youkai became large-scale and highly powerful.
And he survived. Frankly speaking, it could be called a great accomplishment.
...There was not a fragment of joy on the man's face, though.
"D*mn it, d*mn it, you fucking b*stards!!!!"
A roar more befitting a demon than a human echoed. Overwhelming rage that makes even the pain of wounds fade away. It's no wonder, for Takaragen, the current situation is nothing but humiliation.
"All of you! Every single one of you! You f*cking underestimate me!! Don't you dare mock me, you idiots!!!"
The urge to kill and the anger are not directed at the monsters, but rather at the brats who belittled him. There is not even a trace of remorse for their own actions.
Yes. There is no reflection on underestimating the enemy too much, showing too much mercy, disregarding trust, or abandoning allies. Not even a hint of remorse for piercing the belly of his own 'daughter', his own flesh and blood. Rather...
"Heh, heh, heh... You, who dare to scoop up your parent's legs, you disrespectful offspring. Ha! Enjoy the sight... Right about now, they must be in a panic!!"
Thinking about the insurance he set up in case of a trap, the man sneers. He doesn't care what happens to his own family as a result. He simply laughs maliciously. It's a satisfying feeling. It's just a shame that he won't be able to witness their suffering as they perish in agony.
"But I don't care... And there are plenty of means to scratch beneath the surface of a contract!"
Laughing heartily, Takaragen envisioned the faces of the remaining two targets of his hatred. He chuckled surprisingly, even in his near-death state. Anticipating the future, he reveled in dark joy at the thought of their faces contorting with despair and pain.
Then, the man burning with revenge momentarily concealed himself, obscuring his whereabouts to rise again...
"In a story, who needs unnecessary side characters?"
"Huh?"
A shadow darted. An alluring sneer echoed. The impending and ominous 'cursed anchor' was the last sight Onitsuki Takaragen witnessed. His head flew without even a chance for a reaction, bouncing like a kicked ball. Bouncing, bouncing, bouncing, into the bushes and rolling further away. Glancing at this scene, a light and satisfied smile, a demon (oni)'s grinning smile.
"Well, that's that, all clean and clear, refreshingly... something like that?"
Blue demon (Oni)'s tone was light and light throughout. With a mocking tone, she sang a Haiku. A truly, truly terrible song with not a hint of charm.
...But it didn't matter to the demon.
"Well, well, well. Anyway, let's taste it first... Oh, this is impossible. It's too bitter!"
Without hesitation, the clawed fingers plunge into the cross section of a headless skeleton, kneading it repeatedly, picking up the flesh, and commenting with a mouthful. She grimaces and spits it out.. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like it would get a single star.
"The spiritual power is good. It's very strong. But hey, I'm tired of eating that. And it tastes bad. It's unhealthy, the blood is too thick. The texture is unpleasant. You understand, right? Will it be even better next time and start again?"
The blue demon continues to shower the skeleton with harsh criticism while squatting like on the toilet seat. Of course, the skeleton doesn't respond, and it's impossible for him to start again. The self-centered demon, without a care, continues to passionately explain her personal obsession with her food, even though no one is listening.
"Totally, young people these days are hopeless, aren't they? They're all so obsessed with brand names! The other day, I ran into that Red Demon guy after a long time, you know? Their cooking is just terrible. They're completely consumed by information. They think adding strong flavors to expensive dishes will make them taste good. But it's gotten worse since the last time I saw them. I absolutely won't go to their place for a meal anymore! Kuhaha!"
Ranting and jumping to conclusions, satisfying herself without any regard for others. That's just typical of her, a demon (oni). Demons don't adapt to others.
"Well, with that being said... why don't I takes this?"
Twisting the conversation and ruining the flow, she casually ask for permission from the person she killed, using a cursed tools. With the spirit sword and curse spear, which the injured young man had left behind, she declares herself. After making her declaration, she casually turn on her heels.
She then gazez at the young man who has left the scene with her clairvoyant eyes. Observing him.
"Just as I expected, he was quite impressive. The one who perished... well, I guess they were just a substitute for spices? The performance was quite good too. Tragedy is the first condition for a hero, after all, right?"
Now, the question is how this act will come to an end...
"Ah, this is getting boring with the usual developments, isn't it? We've come this far; I hope he can impress me nicely."
With anticipation swelling in hr chest, the demon eagerly awaits the masterpiece's iconic scenes. Licking her blood-stained fingers with a red tongue, she wears an expression that flushes her cheeks, a shy and girlish face. It's like that of a pure maiden, overflowing with elegance.
...But it was so twisted and detached from the topic, disappointing.
"You made me wait. Don't disappoint me, okay?"
Will this candidate be a big shot devouring her, or just a second-rate delicacy that's been eaten enough times?
"Well then, shall we go for the final interview?"
The original idea for the arms-chan might have been the Spirit King's arms.
Hello, we have a new project about someone who has returned from an isekai. The main character is a hero who has defeated the Demon Lord. However, for some reason, the human-demon war has resumed and will take place in the MC's original world. The MC, unaware of this, meets a Saint from that world and asks them to join the war. But what does the MC say? They refuse. Is it because their love was rejected by the princess when they adventured together in the past or are they simply fed up? And are the MC will join later? You can find out by clicking on the following => [Link]
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