Shuten-Dōji Appears

However, Shuten-doji, possessing the bloodline of Orochi, naturally earned the respect of all the Oni Tribe. It's just that her influence on this country was too great, and the continuation of her bloodline was the most tenacious.

Mount Ooe, Minamoto no Raikō led the Four Heavenly Kings in a desperate battle against Kintoki Oni Tribe. Shuten-doji into drinking poisoned wine and was then beheaded by Raikou. Except for Ibaraki Doji, who escaped, all the other Oni Tribe on the mountain were killed.

After that, the human race prospered, and the Oni Tribe that survived in the country consisted only of the strongest among the strong, who were basically all descendants of the Great Serpent.

However, the descendants of the great serpent are not limited to this one race. Dragons are inherently lustful, and there are other types in the country as well.

The ghosts in this world can be roughly divided into three types.

The first type is the most famous demon of this island nation, an outsider with different bloodlines and beliefs from humans, a rejected person of the gods, and a non-disciplined alien race. Among them, Shuten -Shuten-doji, who inherited the blood of Yamata no Yamata no Orochi who rebelled against Takamagahara, is the most prominent. In the West, there are also vampires who have been rejected by the gods.

In China, such beings are more often called 'demons'. For example, the divine monkey that was born from a stone was called a divine being by the Heavenly Court. When it offended the Heavenly Court, it became a demon.

The second type consists of beings with superhuman strength and abilities, who are outcasts among humans. They may be hybrids with other bloodlines, awakened origins, or mentally corrupted individuals who have altered their physique or even race through various means. They may also be deviant, insane human skin artists, or murderous demon with murderous impulses.

The third type is the more common ghost, a spirit without a physical body, yet possessing various strange abilities. It's like hiding in a house, keeping the living away.

More proactive ones will make phone calls late at night, spread death curses via videotapes, or even crawl out of the television. These are the so-called vengeful spirits or evil spirits, who suffered in their previous lives and, because they died with unfulfilled desires and strong obsessions, could not be reincarnated and thus remained in the human world. However, as ghosts, they have lost their reason and only hysterically carry out curses and revenge.

Yamata no Orochi is looking for descendants who carry her bloodline. Besides the first and second types, there is even a third type. In this world, in Shimousa in Kanto, there are surprisingly many such beings.

"Let's go, let's gather all our compatriots," the black-haired girl possessed by the giant serpent said solemnly.

"Yes! But Ancestor, shouldn't we deal with that puppet hiding in the back? Let me go and chase her away." Tomoe Gozen glanced at the bushes a hundred meters behind her and suddenly spoke.

At that moment, Kengyō, who was hiding in the bushes a hundred meters away, and the red-haired boy trembled almost simultaneously.

Kengyō is a mechanical doll, or mechanical girl, created by a sorcerer from the Warring States period and the first leader of the Fuma clan. Although their technology has not yet reached the level of being exactly the same as that of a living person, Kengyō possesses a powerful combat ability close to that of Servant, thanks to her body which is far superior to that of a human and her exquisite ninjutsu.

She seemed to have lost her power due to years of neglect. Then Ashiya Douman restarted her, so she recognized him as her new master and began to accompany and assist the swordsman Servant.

After the Yamata no Orochi awoke and Mochizuki Chiyome disappeared, Ashiya Douman sent her to monitor and investigate the situation.

Kato Danzo something was wrong. Although she had shut down all the aura of her machine and was very careful not to make any noise, she was still easily discovered.

Tomoe Gozen, with her golden serpentine eyes, picked up the treasure bow, nocked an arrow with her right hand, and released her magic power. The entire arrow was ignited and turned into a raging inferno. She fired the arrow directly at the bushes.

Her current state is a hundred times better than when she was helpless as Heroic Spirit Swordmaster. However, due to Orochi's blessing, the demon blood within her has completely boiled, making her even more domineering in her dealings with others.

The burning arrows, propelled like jets of flame, hurtled towards the grass, exploding with a deafening roar. A large crater was blasted into the ground, and the surrounding vegetation was either burned or blasted away, turning the entire area into a barren, black wasteland.

Of course, Tomoe Gozen didn't intend to kill her; she just wanted to force her out. Although she Ashiya Douman, who had implanted his karma in her, she wouldn't hold a grudge against the ninja who was loyal to his master.

A Black Shadow leaped high into the air, narrowly avoiding the explosion. Kato Danzo bun, billowed high in the blast pressure, and he jumped out just before being engulfed by the explosion.

However, at this point, she had completely exposed herself.

"Oh, so she's not human?" The giant snake looked at the female ninja who darted out of the bushes with great interest.

When Kengyō was stared at by those golden vertical pupils, the detectors on her body turned completely red, constantly issuing the highest level warnings. Faced with such an enemy, it was too late for her to turn around and run away.

"Please wait, Ancestor! She is not an enemy, please let her go!" Fuma Kotaro shouted anxiously. Although Kengyō here did not recognize him, Kengyō was an indispensable family member to him.

"..." Kengyō looked at Kotaro with a puzzled expression, not understanding why this boy, whom she had never met before, would speak up for her. But what was even more strange was that when she saw the boy, she also felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.

"Don't be so nervous, Kotaro. I will not harm any of your human relatives or friends, nor am I interested in the Master of Chaldea," Orochi reassured the red-haired youth.

"Thank you, Ancestor." The red-haired boy, Fuuma Kojiro, bowed and said. He was actually Servant from Chaldea, but before finding Gudako, the call of his bloodline led him to the iceberg. He met the female ninja possessed by Orochi and was willing to help his ancestor.

In return, Yamata no Orochi promised not to harm Gudako. Despite being a brutal and bloodthirsty beast, Orochi was very tolerant and kind to its offspring.

"Ah, my only enemy is those gods. The gods of Takamagahara who sealed me away, don't think you can escape just because you left this place. Once I get my body back, I'll find them sooner or later, then kill them all and devour them! And that white god who wants me to disappear, he won't let that go either!" The serpent said, then glared fiercely at the sky, its eyes flashing with an extremely violent and ferocious light, as if it wanted to tear the sky apart.

"Yes, I will become your strength, Ancestor," Kojiro replied.

"Me too!" Tomoe Gozen replied.

"Don't be so formal. You are my descendants, my family. Speaking of mixed-race children like you, I once had a son named Kojiro who lived in Shimousa," Orochi said.

"Kojiro?" Tomoe Gozen blinked in confusion, and couldn't help but think of the blue-haired swordsman she had seen in the attic who indiscriminately flirted with women and was very talkative.

"Yes, it's Kojiro. He's the child I had with a human on a whim, and he even became the lord of a castle in Shimousa," Orochi said nostalgically.

"Well, let's not talk about him for now. Hey~! You puppet over there, since my descendant is protecting you, then do whatever you want. Leave here, or follow us, it's up to you," Yamata no Orochi said arrogantly.

"Thank you for your generosity, Great God. And thank you, Prince Kotaro." Although Kengyō was not afraid of death, she did not want to die here in vain. She bowed to the giant serpent, then looked at the red-haired youth beside her and bowed her head again.

"No, please... you don't need to be so polite." Kotaro didn't dare accept the gift and quickly bowed in return.

"Then please let me stay by your side," Kato Danzo pleaded. She was still faithfully fulfilling the task her master had given her, and she felt a strong attachment to the red-haired youth, wanting to stay by his side a little longer.

"You're really being too reckless, please go back," Kotaro urged anxiously.

The giant serpent said, "It's alright, let her come along. As long as those Heroic Spirit Swordmaster don't clash with us, let them be for now. Anyway, hell or the human world makes no difference to us. Let's gather our forces first, and then deal with that annoying human brat and that little girl from the gods."

"Yes!"

"Then let's go. Let's go and greet my daughter. Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen her since she died," the serpent said leisurely.

So the three with golden eyes, followed by a black-haired female ninja, headed towards a certain mountain.

In the shadowy attic on the other side, Caster was using his sorcery to monitor the every move of the Servant who had gone out.

As a form of spirit, Heroic Servant have left behind deeply moving stories for humanity because of their past achievements. Some have been moved by them, while others have been inspired by them, thus elevating them to a higher realm and making them guardians of humanity. However, the Heroic Spirit Swordmaster of today might be closer to vengeful spirits than anything else.

They were implanted with the karmic burden of slaughtering everything, which became the sole guiding principle for their actions.

Because of this, the compassionate warrior Hozoin Inshun became a demon who massacred the village;

Originally gentle and averse to conflict, Tomoe Gozen could turn everything in her path into scorched earth.

Broken Heroic Spirit Swordmaster are difficult for even their summoners to control. That's why the sorcerer's subordinate, the Caster, sends out various demonic creatures to monitor these Heroic Spirit Swordmaster.

At this moment, Caster, who was stationed at the rear, was watching Minamoto no Raikō, expressionless, carrying his sword, walk step by step toward the little girl he had kidnapped.

"Hmm..." Then, he saw a flash of sword light before his eyes, and the demon he was using to monitor was shredded to pieces by Minamoto no Raikō. The sorcerer let out a muffled groan.

"Caster? What's wrong?" The sorcerer had already sensed something amiss. Ever since the Assassin of the Swordsman Heroic Servant ran into trouble, things were going further and further off track.

"No, Master. It's just a normal rampage in Black Rope Hell. As a Rider, she's more like a Berserker," the long-haired Caster said, revealing his usual mysterious and sinister smile. "Although Assassin is gone, as long as Saber is still on our side, the plan will be fine."

The sorcerer nodded slightly and said, "That's true. Even though he was once Tokugawa's lackey, he still managed to rise from a minor sword sect leader to the governor of Tajima Province through strategy and tactics, becoming a powerful regional lord."

The caster said, "Well, no matter what, Servant are extremely proud beings. Some of them may have a stubborn attachment to their karma, but that's not a big problem. As long as they still have the spell passed down by Lord Satan, they cannot resist your plan. Please rest assured, Master."

"That's good. The demonic city of the defiled and world-weary land must descend upon this world," the sorcerer said solemnly.

"Yes, please rest assured and leave it to me," Caster replied with a slight bow.

"Hmm." The sorcerer nodded, then turned and left without lingering.

Caster chuckled sinisterly, "Heh heh heh, Master of Chaldea, Miyamoto Musashi, come forth. Under the guidance of my Lord Satan, Chaldea and Human Order alike will be destroyed."

Chapter 378 Shuten-doji Appears

"Sleep, sleep, little baby..."

From the dilapidated temple on the mountain, a woman's gentle voice sang a lullaby.

Before that, the woman walked up to the girl with a knife, and then swiftly swung her blade, turning the monster that was secretly peering out from a crack in the wall behind Afeng into ashes.

The woman put down her knife, opened her arms and embraced Afeng and Tian-Zhu, saying with tears of emotion in her eyes:

"Ah, what lovable children, risking their lives to protect their younger brother, they're just like me... How could I possibly lay a hand on you?"

"Big sister? You're not going to kill Afeng? Or are you going to kill her? What's going on?" Afeng asked, her eyes filled with tears and confusion.

"I won't kill them. How could I possibly kill children?" Minamoto no Raikō said, holding his two children.

Afeng didn't know why, but just being held in someone's arms felt like being in her mother's embrace, a feeling she missed very much.

"Sleep well, Feng is such a good child. She cried herself to sleep. She's such a good older sister who tried her best to protect her younger brother, but she's still a child who's lovable herself." Raikou lovingly stroked Afeng's head, which was lying on his lap, and said gently.

The two children seemed to hear their mother's voice singing a lullaby. Afeng rested her head on Raikou's lap and drifted off to sleep, tears still glistening in her eyes, but a sweet smile graced her lips. Meanwhile, Tadasuke was held in Raikou's arms, sleeping peacefully as she was gently rocked.

In the dream, Afeng and Tian-Zhu seemed to have returned to that peaceful village. After their parents finished working in the fields, they came back to find a table full of simple but delicious farm-style dishes. Since Afeng had learned to cook for herself, she wanted to show off to her family.

Dad was overjoyed and hugged her and Tianzhu tightly, affectionately rubbing them against each other with his beard. This made them giggle and laugh nonstop.

When the last family member returns, it's time to eat. There's Afeng, Tian-Zhu, and their grandfather who runs a blacksmith's shop, always making a clanging sound. But strangely, for some reason, Grandpa looks younger than Dad. Why is that?

All the cruelty and despair of the world were shut out for a moment, making this the safest place for the children.

On another hilltop a few kilometers away from the dilapidated temple, Shirou was leading the way, followed by a pink-haired female swordsman and a girl with orange-red hair, dressed in a way that seemed out of place in this era.

"We're almost there," Shirou said, gazing at the mountaintop. Though he didn't say it aloud, he was inwardly very anxious. Although he had initially been forced into this role by Alaya, replacing his counterpart from another world and a certain Servant to complete a mission.

But when he decided to adopt Afeng and Tian-Zhu, it was his own choice. When he brought the two children with him and moved into his new home, they were undoubtedly his adopted family.

For him, the relationship between Afeng and Tasuke was like his relationship with Kiritsugu. Perhaps others couldn't understand, but for Shirou, this relationship was just as deep and important as that of blood relatives.

Having lost all his relatives in his previous life, Kiritsugu was the one who gave him salvation. Apart from Taiga, there was no other family member or elder with such a relationship.

Shirou understood that he was seen that way by Afeng and Tsuke. Now, the two children he was personally taking care of had been kidnapped by dangerous people, how could he not be anxious?

"Gudako, can you still hold on? Or I'll carry you across!" Shirou asked.

"Hmm! It's alright! I can keep up by myself. When it comes to long-distance hiking, I'm quite experienced." Gudako nodded in agreement. Whether it was hiking across the Americas or racing against the Greek Great Hero in a labyrinth, she had done it all. Gudako might not be the most talented among the Master, but she should be the fastest runner and has the most endurance now.

"Alright, then let's give it our all!" Shirou nodded and continued forward.

"Shirou-senpai, once we cross this mountain, we'll reach the place marked on the letter," Gudako asked.

"Hmm, we'll see it once we get over this hill... tsk, some guys are already coming to welcome us." Shirou said, glancing at the suddenly shaking forest.

"Watch out! Gudako, stay behind me," Musashi warned.

"Hiss!!!"

Leaves and bushes rustled and swayed in the air from the left, center, and right. Then, several snake heads emerged from the left, flicking their tongues. Several snake heads roared from the center, while several more snake heads turned out from the right, their mouths wide open, revealing sharp fangs. Behind them, a series of Black Shadow shadowy monsters followed.

"Yamata no Orochi!?" Shirou was initially startled, but upon closer inspection, he calmed himself and dismissed his initial thought. "No, it's just a clone weakened by more than ten times."

Although these serpent monsters are still enormous compared to humans, their bodies are as large as the mountain of the Yamata no Orochi, and the thickness of just one of their heads is as great as all the other snake heads combined.

"Be careful!" Shirou shouted, charging forward first. He spread his arms, Projection black and white images onto the swords, then enhanced and modified them, making the blades of Gan Jiang · Mo Ye slender and resembling samurai swords. "But thankfully... this isn't an opponent we can't defeat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shirou leaped up, skimming past the snake's body, and landed behind the basilisk.

The snake monster's neck was then severed in several places, but its head remained intact. Having already slain the real Yamata no Orochi, these clones created by others were hardly even worthy of being called qualified.

"Gagaaaaaah!!" The monster underground screamed.

The basilisk's head fell to the ground, its mouth still open and closed, tightly gripping the monster that walked across the ground, and it did not loosen its grip even slightly despite the monster's struggles.

"Come on! Let's see how many heads you have!" Shirou roared. He just wanted to get rid of these bastards as quickly as possible and take Afeng and Tsuke home.

"Shirou-senpai! Don't rush forward!" Gudako shouted worriedly. Even if they are monsters, a large number of them can be very troublesome.

"Gudako, you get out of here first! Leave this to us!" Musashi, gripping the Myojin-giri, stepped forward to shield the girl behind him, slashing away the charging snake heads as he shouted.

"No! No matter what kind of enemy I encounter, I have never run away! I stand here and fight alongside Shirou-senpai and Musashi!" Gudako shook her head and resolutely stepped forward.

She has faced all sorts of enemies; brute force alone would have made it impossible for her to survive this long. It's not that she hasn't had times when she had to retreat in disarray. But abandoning her companions and hiding away is something she has never done! Absolutely not in her lifetime!

Although her abilities as Magecraft are quite lacking, aside from her aptitude as Master, she has no other outstanding qualities. (Monthly membership group 694936135) She doesn't have the Magic Eye to see the line of death, nor can she open Inherent Domain, and she's not naturally connected to the Root.

Before Ramesses II's Zeus cub, a gift to her on Family Day, grew up, the fact that she was able to attain the Cause was already a testament to her considerable achievements. Of course, this was also why the Mage's Association found it difficult to acknowledge the fact that this girl had actually restored Human Order; otherwise, as savior, her achievements would have been far greater.

However, as long as there are Servant present, they can skillfully utilize the magical costumes developed by various local organizations and occasionally produce surprising effects.

"Is that so! Then I'll leave the support to you!" Musashi gripped the Myojin-giri in her right hand and drew her original sword in her left. She turned her body, exerted force at her waist, and swung her two swords in an arc around her body, slashing away the monsters that were in front of her.

"Oh!" Gudako replied. This time, she was wearing a Mystic Code provided by the Atlas Institute. Among the three major organizations of the Mage's Association, the Atlas Institute is a group of Magecraft known for their alchemy and named after their settlement in the Atlas Mountains of Egypt. This place has a history even longer than the Clock Tower, with traces of them already existing in the Age of Gods.

The rotating, simulated Earth in Chaldea — 'Chaldeas' —was created by them.

Gudako's Mystic Code is a masterpiece among masterpieces, originally created as a super Mystic Code to forge the strongest equipment. It possesses three skills, simulating the powers of Egyptian gods and named accordingly: the protection of invincible sands granted by the Sky Dragon of Osiris; the rain of purification from all negative energy by the goddess Isis, the mother of Horus; Mejed's all-seeing eyes, accelerating skill cooldowns.

Hearing Gudako's reply, Musashi rallied, gripped his katana, and charged towards the snake monster ahead, slashing at another snake monster to relieve the pressure on Shirou.

Shirou charged to the front of the platform and, although he severed several snake heads, he was still surrounded by two snake monsters from both sides.

Unexpectedly, an eight-headed serpent suddenly emerged from the ground behind them and crashed directly into the orange-haired girl.

"Gudako! Watch out!"

However, it was too late. Gudako was sent flying. Her small body was sent flying more than ten meters away by the basilisk's long body, like a baseball hit by a bat. Fortunately, because of this, the basilisk's power was distributed to different parts of her body, so she was not seriously injured, but just bounced away.

"Huh? It doesn't hurt that much? Waaaaah!!" Before the girl could even properly feel the pain from the snake monster's attack, she found herself suddenly lost her footing and plummeting downwards.

"Damn it! Gudako!" Musashi unleashed a burst of strength, smashing the snake's head that was biting him with his sword, and turned to chase after Gudako.

"Gudako!" Shirou severed another snake head that lunged at him, raised the Projection pair of black and white katana, and hurled them. They pierced the snake monster's eyes squarely, causing it to fall backward in pain. It then Projection a chain, attempting to entangle the falling Gudako.

The chain grazed past Gudako's clothes from above, but failed to touch Gudako.