The purplish-red robe flared as Shuten-dōji drew a Cathayan-style long sword from the gourd on her back, blocking the Bone Blade at precisely the right moment.
Crack—
The already overburdened Bone Blade shattered, and amid the fragments flying through the air, Hebe's fist struck Shuten-dōji squarely in the chest.
"Ghk!"
Shuten-dōji's face turned from white to red. Blood trickled from her nose and mouth, and even the blood that fell to the ground carried the scent of alcohol.
"I won't beat you to death." Hebe's voice was carried by the gale to Shuten-dōji's ears. "Just as you're full of questions, I have many questions for you too."
"But before that, I need to show you what I can do, so you'll listen when I speak."
Hebe pulled back her fist, the speed nearly displacing Shuten-dōji's internal organs.
Smack.
Fist met palm.
Hebe stood before Shuten-dōji, covering her fist with her palm as she dipped slightly at the waist.
"Greetings, Demon King Shuten-dōji. I am Tamamo-no-Mae."
Shuten-dōji's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Greetings, fox demon Tamamo-no-Mae. I am Shuten-dōji."
Since Ibaraki-dōji had failed to withstand even the first exchange, it was only natural that she had been beaten until her limbs were broken by the fox demon.
The weak were lowly, while the strong stood proud. That was the creed all oni believed in.
The next instant, the gale struck again. Shuten-dōji did not even have time to pick up her gourd and could only roughly block with the blade.
"Ha."
Hebe bent her arm and threw another punch.
A deep dent appeared in Shuten-dōji's blade.
Another punch.
And another.
Shuten-dōji's feet kept sliding backward across the ground. Even with the body of a Demon King, her arms had gone numb.
Was the legendary Golden-Furred, Jade-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox really this terrifying?!
The Demon King's blood began to boil, scarlet gradually filling her pupils. But before that could happen, Hebe suddenly withdrew her hand once again and calmly lowered her eyes.
Then, fury like the collapse of mountains surged from her heart.
Wrath of the Jagged Rocks.
Ever since she had come from beyond Mount Ōe, she had witnessed countless inhuman atrocities, each one testing the limits of what a person could endure.
Even after experiencing two Lostbelts, Hebe's emotions remained clear. She still had her likes and dislikes, her sense of right and wrong.
Besides, Hebe had never liked oni to begin with.
Power surged forth alongside her fury. Hebe drew back her fist and drove out her elbow, sending Shuten-dōji's petite body flying off the ground.
How could this be called an exchange? This was simply one kind of violence conquering another!
Ibaraki, her limbs mangled, lay on the ground. Tears had already blurred her vision, yet the fox demon's emerald-green eyes kept resurfacing in her mind.
Hebe's earlier answer echoed over and over in her head.
"Why resent me?"
Please Take Care of Me
"Hehehehahaha—You really are full of spirit."
Shuten-dōji had been struck six times in the ribs. Her petite body flew high through the air like a rag doll, blood carrying a rich scent of alcohol spilling from the corners of her mouth. The long sword had been flung who knew where.
"In that case, as the mistress of Mount Ōe, I suppose I'll try a little harder too!"
The laughing Demon King exhaled scorching air, her eyes having already turned completely crimson.
A heavy fragrance of alcohol rose from the gourd behind her.
Shuten-dōji took a deep breath, as though she intended to swallow the whole world into her lungs!
With that strange breathing technique, the wounds on her body rapidly healed, while her claws extended into sharp blades capable of disemboweling a person.
For the first time, her speed barely managed to keep up with Hebe's.
It was a novel experience indeed. In the eastern lands, whether yokai or human, their physical abilities were far inferior to the Oni Host, let alone the Demon King standing at its pinnacle.
But it was not enough.
Even using Cathay's breathing technique, it was still not enough.
The fox demon's heavy fists struck precisely at Shuten-dōji's chest, abdomen, and ribs, interrupting her transformation once more.
Shuten-dōji's breathing cycle, which she had barely maintained while swallowing the alcohol-laced air, was cut off as well.
A powerful hand seized Shuten-dōji by the throat as easily as taking something from a bag.
In the darkness far away, the deserted village was still burning.
The fox demon gripped the Demon King's slender neck and slammed her heavily into the ground.
Hebe raised her foot and pinned the oni's limbs down as though slaughtering a chicken or duck.
Throughout the process, Shuten-dōji kept laughing.
"Now, I ask, and you answer."
Hebe wiped her hand on Shuten-dōji's robe. "Why did you make oni and humans live together?"
"Because... it's interesting?" Shuten-dōji replied with a grin.
Hebe exerted force expressionlessly, breaking the Demon King's left hand.
"Why did you make oni and humans live together?" Hebe repeated her question.
Shuten-dōji was still smiling. Tilting her head, she said, "I provide them with food, drink, and fields. I also give them the chance to take revenge on the court nobles... In the end, there was never much of a boundary between oni and humans to begin with."
The Demon King narrowed her eyes.
"In time, humans will become oni, and oni will become humans... Hehe, that will be the true floating world where dreams are turned upside down."
Shuten-dōji's words were somewhat incoherent.
But considering the overall cultural level of the Oni Host, Shuten-dōji already counted as one of their intellectuals.
Hebe understood what Shuten-dōji meant.
Shuten-dōji wanted humans and oni to mingle, gradually wearing away the boundaries between them and ultimately creating a new race.
That was completely impossible. The desires of humans and oni could not be reconciled; they would destroy themselves before they could ever unite.
Even if "mixed blood" existed, it would only be an exception among exceptions, and it could never last.
"Ignorant and stubborn..." Hebe murmured.
She made no further comment.
Just as fish that crawled onto land had become fundamentally different from their own kind.
Those "humans" who had eaten human flesh and drunk human blood could no longer turn back.
"Have all humans within Mount Ōe's territory who have not yet integrated withdraw," Hebe said. "Whether they head north or south, you are not to interfere."
"..."
The smile on Shuten-dōji's face faded slightly, but in the end, she did not refuse.
Dreams in the floating world were overturned; how wondrous and bizarre it all was.
She was not yet willing to be beaten to death here by the fox demon.
"Then have these so-called new races of yours get as far away from me as possible. Never appear before me again." The disgust in Hebe's eyes was undisguised. "If I see even one more, I'll come back and beat you up again."
"I won't kill you, but the oni race is a society where the strong devour the weak. Guess what those oni who are equally capable of competing for the position of Demon King will do when they see you like this?"
The threat was crude and far from subtle, but it was just right for these oni.
Shuten-dōji laughed. "How heartless, Miss Tamamo... Fine, I accept. But—"
Without another word, Hebe threw another punch.
Shuten-dōji immediately stopped laughing.
She twitched for quite a while before finally steadying her breathing. Trembling, she used her remaining intact hand to wipe away the blood Gushing from her nose and mouth.
The Demon King's voice was much quieter. "Is Miss Tamamo really going to rest easy and let me do as I please?"
"Try answering my question with another question."
The corners of Shuten-dōji's reddened eyes trembled slightly. In the end, she decided not to continue provoking Hebe on that matter.
She only had one good hand left.
Fortunately, Hebe did not make Shuten-dōji answer that question.
"I'll remain on Mount Ōe until you finish the first stage of the work." Hebe smiled. "Until then..."
She leaned close to Shuten-dōji and whispered, "Please take care of me."
The great serpent saw the Heavenly Fox approaching from afar, holding a spear capable of piercing through her scales.
Legend said it was the weapon the gods had used to create the islands.
Its tip gleamed with cold light beneath the sun.
The great serpent stared at that figure as tears gradually filled her amber eyes.
No, don't.
Miss A-Long jolted awake from her dream.
Snakes rarely dreamed, yet snakes were often associated with divine revelations and dreams.
The scene from her dream remained clear. A-Long was certain it was some kind of revelation of the future.
It was just that the figure holding the spear in the dream filled her with unease.
Smack.
The paper sliding door was pulled fully open, then bounced back slightly.
Hebe entered from outside. She no longer seemed to be hiding herself.
Two beautiful fox tails, now completely brilliant gold, extended from beneath the girl's hem and swayed gently.
As if noticing Miss A-Long's gaze, the tip of one tail gave a nimble twitch.
"Tail!" Miss A-Long suddenly pounced toward Hebe.
Hebe shuddered all over as a tingling sensation shot from her back straight to her head. Frowning, she pulled her tail from Miss A-Long's palm.
"Foxy, let me touch it one more time, just once!" Miss A-Long pleaded anxiously, reaching out.
"What are you doing?!"
Hebe knitted her brows. "Doesn't Miss A-Long have a tail too?"
"My tail doesn't have fur." Miss A-Long said pitifully.
"Sigh..." Hebe looked at Miss A-Long. "Five minutes only."
A fluffy, enormous tail stretched toward Miss A-Long and draped itself over her knees.
Miss A-Long cheered. Dreams, the future—she threw them all beyond the clouds and happily reached out to stroke Hebe's fox tail.
The Golden-Furred, Jade-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox's tail was smoother and softer than any silk. When viewed from different angles in the sunlight, it even showed different colors.
Most important was the tip of the tail, where there was a tiny raised spot.
Whenever Miss A-Long lightly scraped it with her fingernail, that inch of tail tip would always struggle faintly. But the great serpent held it firmly, leaving the tail tip no choice but to squirm back and forth between her palm and fingertips, unable to escape.
Hebe sat at the edge of the bed. Whether because of the room temperature or something else, her complexion looked somewhat unpleasant.
Before you continue