Chapter 366

"The struggle between the martial world and the imperial court must be to wipe out the other side completely." Zuo Qianhu walked over carrying a wine jug and sighed, "Each camp has irreconcilable contradictions. These contradictions are born from the womb. New and old grudges pile up together, and only the men can truly prove their strength."

"Just like Ghost Hunter?" Yuki looked at the 'strongest human' as if he didn't see Misaki Shokuhou's pouting lips.

"Hahaha, we're a bit lucky. After catching the evil spirit, the overall situation is basically settled, so you don't need to worry about it." Zuo Qianhu laughed loudly, then asked intently, "Do you know what the outcome of 'Forgotten Hidden Jianghu' will be?"

"The players have all perished, and the accumulated wealth has been devoured by the hyenas. After all, most players only care about a chance to make a fortune and don't consider the future of the faction at all." Yuki knew exactly what was going on, so Satoru Gojo learned from the experience of his predecessors and was willing to take more risks to control the intensity.

The premise is that there is no authority to suppress, and expanding the scale of the war is suicidal. Yuki immediately realized that gathering the 'Pioneer' authority was a false proposition. It was almost impossible because the Reaper would find outside help and eventually destroy the territory.

Therefore, most factions will choose to compromise, like the Mechanical Believers or Valhalla, each holding a large portion of authority and discussing matters together; or like the 'Hunters,' with a 'Hunter King' who controls most of the power, forming a tight organization.

"By the way, what was the outcome of 'Forgotten Hidden Jianghu'?"

A thought struck him; the description reminded him of his own Outpost, which had been utterly devastated when it first arrived, clearly having been through a major battle.

"The victors silently lick their wounds, while the losers flee to the Borderlands. Fortunately, players keep coming in, so we'll recover eventually. Hmm? You've also participated in cross-faction wars?" Misaki Shokuhou noticed the disappointment that flashed across Yuki's face and couldn't help but feel curious.

It's different. The Outpost of Thorny Rose is deserted, though there's a chance that Survivors might have fled to the Borderlands.

If I can find the Survivors, I'll be able to completely understand what happened before, and also 'Taiyi'.

Yuki seemed not to hear Misaki Shokuhou's question. In the short time they chatted, he found a lot of inspiration, proving that working in isolation is indeed not a good idea.

Before Misaki Shokuhou could get angry, Yomi, who had just left, strode back, her face full of excitement.

"Everyone, we can prepare to enter. The plan is progressing smoothly."

She handed each person a tablet containing detailed information about the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons,' a top secret for each faction, as no one wanted to reveal any information about their stronghold.

"Listen to me as you watch: we've stormed into the 'Ghost City' and are currently engaged in battle at the Tenshukaku. Those evil spirits are retreating in disarray."

As Yomi described it, the terrain began to appear on the tablet. Yuki then realized that the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' was different from his own territory. It was like a chessboard, divided into more than a dozen castles, one of which was the largest.

Aside from those who go to quests or Borderlands, there are currently about 10,000 players in 'Hyakki Yagyō' (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), but not all of them are either exorcising Demon Extermination Squad or belonging to the demon-hunting teams. The vast majority are just casual observers, and there are also some neutral factions that remain behind closed doors.

Taking advantage of Sukuna and several powerful demons' absence, Satoru Gojo launched a surprise attack, with thousands of players joining in simultaneously and breaching the city wall in one fell swoop.

"Have you spotted any players from other factions?" Yuki snapped his fingers.

"There are players like 'Aether Particles,' 'End World,' and 'Battle Maniac,' but none of them are prepared, and their strength is not great."

Are you sure?

"Well, that's how it seems for now." Yomi Isayama wasn't sure, and she didn't dare say too much to Yuki, knowing that he had a knack for jinxing things.

Yuki didn't ask any more questions and continued to look at the documents in his hand, which made Yomi breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'll open the portal right away, please follow me closely. Don't worry, they won't join you until Mundus and the Demon General appear. Just stay by Gojo- senpai's side."

"As for when you will be deployed, please follow Gojo- senpai's instructions at that time, is that alright?"

No one objected. This faction war was relatively small in scale and short in duration. Everyone trusted the Demon Extermination Squad, and even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to use themselves as cannon fodder.

There are seven factions here, and each one has an epic backer. If they unite to locate and track them down, the Demon Extermination Squad will never be able to do any more missions.

"Moving from one place to another to wait out is quite considerate. It seems that battles between pure players are a king versus king, general versus general, and cannon fodder versus cannon fodder mode."

"That's true. Every player has unique skills and items, so it's impossible for them to be as disciplined as an army. Most players are used to small-team battles. Furthermore, the difference in combat power between players is huge. Although monster-level players can crush Transcendental Grade- level players, they will also consume stamina. If they encounter an opponent of equal strength and their condition is slightly off, they will perish."

Yuki frantically absorbed knowledge. He had already accumulated a wealth of experience by conquering dungeons, but this was his first time fighting a pure player-versus-player war. This was also an additional goal of his trip: to learn from the experience of player-versus-player warfare.

A bright blue halo unfolded in the hall, where dozens of monster-level players were already fully prepared. Hammerhead, the most elite member, would join forces with Satoru Gojo to launch a fatal attack.

Phew, let's see a new twist on the Reincarnation Game.

Yuki took a deep breath, letting every nerve in his body tingle with excitement, and glanced at the overly silent Mena Ryougi.

What did you see?

"Danger, very dangerous." The girl's face tightened, and she hesitated, "Should I tell the Demon Extermination Squad?"

"Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. Do you think they don't know that?" Yuki his shoulders, watching the players disappear into the light circle one by one.

"Stay close to me, I'll show you how to have a good time."

Volume 1: Factional Wars

Chapter One: Training Through Killing

Remove the interference of storyline and dungeons, and let it be purely about players killing each other.

This is also an important part of the Reincarnation Game. No player can escape the vortex of mutual slaughter. Even if it's just out of curiosity, Yuki wants to see the faction war and see what his status is in the endless Reincarnation Game after all his hard work.

A disorienting sensation, similar to being teleported to a dungeon, washed over me. My vision returned instantly, and my eyes opened, my blood-red pupils slightly narrowing.

Is this the Outpost Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?

Above was an Eternal Night, with dozens of familiar vortexes gently swirling in the sky, and the air smelled of sawdust mixed with sulfur.

Yuki was standing on the top of a tall building, which was enveloped by some kind of barrier, making it visible only from one direction.

Looking around, one can see vast slums, some torn apart, some burning. Some affected players silently appear and run away as fast as they can.

A private space can actually be destroyed from the outside?

He suddenly recalled the collapsed buildings when he first arrived at the Outpost, clearly completely destroyed. Later, because the Thorny Rose forbade combat, he was unsure if they could still be destroyed.

Even though these shantytowns occupy most of the area, they are still inconspicuous. On this boundless, dark land, castles are the main characters. They vary in size and style, including Japanese and European styles. Most of them have their gates closed and are covered with various protective shields.

It's novel and has great reference value, but it looks almost identical to reality.

While other players were focused on the battle at the largest castle, Yuki was studying the details and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Why is it that some players live in castles while others live in shanties, even though they are all players?"

"The shantytowns are probably a bonus from the game when you ascend; each faction has a different design, and the size of the interior space is determined by the number of players in the team." Mena Ryougi of binoculars, looked puzzled. Wasn't this common sense?

Yes, this setting is the same as that of Thorny Rose.

Yuki nodded, then asked, "Where did these castles come from?"

"Players repair it themselves. Anyone with a little access can do it. They can change the materials, style, and size. You can think of it like a guild base in an online game, where you can further divide it into private spaces. Some of these spaces are very sturdy and difficult to damage from the outside."

"How do we resolve the land issue?"

"Go ahead and rob them. Just wreck their place. The exclusive space that comes with the game is very fragile; even Transcendental Grade being can destroy it."

Why deploy powerful defensive structures? Why build them?

"Afraid someone will steal it? The castle's fortification is directly proportional to the amount of authority. If the team doesn't have enough authority, of course they'll use defensive items for cover." Mona rolled her eyes. She found that Yuki sometimes frighteningly smart, and sometimes as ignorant as a pig's head.

"As for why it was built, you're using a medium to Borderlands; you can't expect to be surrounded by onlookers as soon as you get home."

So that's how it is. It's part of the "If you're a brother, come and fight me in Sand City" trope. No wonder the Borderlands is so prosperous, and no wonder Frieren has no home to return to.

Judging from its appearance, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons has no restrictions on combat. You just returned from buying a bunch of treasures at the Borderlands, only to have them snatched away by a 'fellow villager' lying in wait.

And that is the medium.

Yuki glanced at the broken sword stuck not far away. In the center of this Outpost, there were several other broken sword sculptures with the same appearance, but dozens of times larger.

Many players appeared out of nowhere, and after a brief moment of astonishment upon seeing their homes transformed, they all took off running towards the various castles.

"And what about this medium?"

"Huh? How can you return from the Borderlands without coordinates? Those are public coordinates granted by the game, and anyone with even the slightest access can create their own. You don't want to be teleported to the enemy's lair for no reason, do you?" Mona gave him a 'you're so stupid' look and shrugged lightly.

"That's why players from different factions rarely visit each other's rooms; nobody knows what's on the other side of the coordinates, or if they'll run into a pig-slaughtering team."

Oh, it's the difference between public and private coordinates. Because Yomi Isayama has the authority, I can appear precisely next to Satoru Gojo, and I need to use this thing to enter and exit.

He suddenly understood the significance of those castles; they were the homes of individual player factions. Traveling back and forth using private mediums was much safer, allowing him to return directly to his home, which had been transformed into a tortoise shell.

Wait a minute, how can the medium for the Thorny Rose be infinite?

Yuki recalled the Outpost of Thorny Rose, where there were countless tall buildings, and each building had a teleportation portal in its lobby on the first floor, which meant that the medium was infinite.

Why? On what grounds?

Yuki had no answer, only relief that he had placed a veil of secrecy early on; otherwise, the numerous anomalies within the Thorny Rose would have inevitably drawn attention sooner or later.

To summarize, aside from the vortex above their heads, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and the Outpost of Thorny Rose are very different. The root of the difference lies in whether or not combat is prohibited. This creates a strange kind of equality, where every player has roughly the same resources and cannot plunder each other.

"If it were like this, they would have beaten you to a pulp long ago. Destroying your private space from the outside and making you homeless, no one would want to live in a shack instead of going to a safer castle."

This created numerous closely-knit factions, which in turn fueled countless hatreds and ambitions.

Sense of security.

This is the core need of the Reincarnation Game. Whether inside or outside the dungeon, every player who does not want to commit suicide seeks a sense of security, and this resource is precisely the most scarce.

So what if you become an epic player? Comparison creates class distinctions, oppression breeds resistance, and games provide ample opportunity for resistance—no, for infighting.

The weaker Demon Extermination Squad then leads a group of foreign enemies back home. Regardless of victory or defeat, blood will flow like a river. This hatred will continue until one side is completely annihilated, and then a new challenger will appear, and the cycle will continue indefinitely.

With disgust, Yuki finally turned his gaze to the core battlefield, a colossal castle that defied description.

The pitch-black city walls are about 100 meters high, and the towering Tenshukaku has golden patterns. It is so high that you can reach out and pluck the stars from the sky. Its area is equivalent to that of a city, and it can't be seen at a glance.

The light left by various energies rose and fell inside and outside the city walls, and afterimages crisscrossed on the walls. Every second, the corpses of demons and humans fell to the ground.

It was a fierce battlefield, but completely different from the Global Insect Calamity. It was a battle between hundreds of player teams, and even with Yuki's experience, he couldn't tell how many Transcendental Grade skills or Chaos Item were colliding.

Energy, physical techniques, curse killing, causality, spacetime, domain...

Yuki watched the special effects blockbuster with amusement. He had never seen so many players perish in such a short time. There was no need to rack his brains to study the settings or crack the secrets of the dungeon; he could just focus on fighting.

It's really simple and straightforward, which is probably the norm for Reincarnation Game.

Turning his gaze away, Satoru Gojo was very busy. A holographic projection unfolded in front of him, covered with dense enemy and friendly symbols. Standing around him were many high-ranking members of the Demon Extermination Squad, their crisp black uniforms exuding an imposing aura.

The handsome, white-haired Kisho Arima; the petite "Insect Pillar" Shinobu Kocho; and Abe no Abe no Seimei from who-knows-which anime series...

There were many familiar faces, but fortunately, Yuki had seen them so many that he had developed an immunity to them. He only glanced at them before turning his head to look at Zuo Qianhu.

"Why aren't there any epic-level player reinforcements? The Ghost Hunter should have some, right?"

This was an unspoken common sense, and the warrior carrying six swords didn't think much of it. He clasped his hands and replied, "It's not that we're not trying our best, but the involvement of epic-level players would expose us and attract the attention of the Judge, making the risk far too great."

Oh, there's this setting too. So the Judge isn't just a simple killer after all, but rather the maintainer of order in this phase of the Reincarnation Game.

He recalled the 'trial mission', where anyone who broke the rules became a virus, Reincarnation Game program would naturally send out antivirus software.

Otherwise, they'd all be crushed by the big shots, leaving no way to raise their venomous creatures, right?

Yuki cursed silently, when suddenly he heard a cheer.

"They've broken through! They've finally broken through!"

Looking ahead, the fierce battle had spread to the massive Tenshukaku, where members of the Demon Extermination Squad dressed as ninjas were running across the rooftops, fighting against evil spirits and vengeful ghosts that had appeared out of nowhere.

The will-o'-the-wisps and demon-slaying projectiles intertwined, instantly unleashing hundreds of fireballs that looked like a string of shimmering pearls.

A chaotic mess, with all sorts of abilities from both the technological and magical sides, it seems this war is destined to be turbulent.

Yuki was an excellent observer, learning quietly without making a sound.

"Issue a search mission for Tanjiro Kamado: remove the public medium and sever communication Borderlands." Satoru Gojo was very excited; the 'teleportation crystal' was a crucial item. "Have you encountered any monster-level players?"

"The Flame Demon appeared, Giyu Tomioka led men to deal with it." Kisho Arima adjusted his glasses and said expressionlessly, "Of the Twelve Demons, only Vergil showed up; he lured Dante away."

Yomi frowned, Insect Pillar chuckled, and many high-ranking members of the Demon Extermination Squad were dissatisfied. Dante was a Monster IV player second only to Satoru Gojo, a vanguard general of the war, how could he abandon his post?

"Oh dear, those two brothers have too deep a grudge. Let Kotaro go help them." Satoru Gojo scratched his head, as if he had expected this. "In that case, send three more squads from the core to help Tanjiro Kamado and cut off contact as soon as possible. There are several monster-level demons left in the Borderlands, and they will cause trouble when they come back."

"Yes, Third, Fourth, and Sixth Core Squads, move out and quickly suppress the first floor of the Tenshukaku!"

Dozens of players jumped off the roof and quickly disappeared into the Eternal Night. There were 20 core teams, all led by monster-level players, forming the core force of the Demon Extermination Squad.

Shinobu Kocho forward. "Captain-Commander, have you found Muzan Kibutsuji?"

"We're still looking. Be patient. You're looking for Muzan Kibutsuji, they're looking for ghouls, and I'm looking for Sukuna too. We agreed to take care of everything this time." Satoru Gojo shook his head repeatedly. Everyone was focused on revenge, so they could only be defeated one by one.

He unscrewed a bottle of Coke, stared at the holographic screen, and nodded repeatedly.

The situation is good. The demons were caught off guard. Many players were still wandering around the Borderlands and came back completely bewildered. The strongest outer defenses were breached in an instant. After killing Mundus, we'll wait for Sukuna to return and die.

After eliminating the demons, the remaining groups were appeased, and the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was finally able to end in peace.

He glanced at the castles, large and small. They seemed to be closed, but in reality, they were all watching. As long as the Demon Extermination Squad didn't intend to exterminate the ghost players, they wouldn't rebel.

There are good demons there, as well as former demon slayers in a state of inactivity, making up a full quarter of the faction's strength.

"The problem now is that only Vergil has emerged from the Twelve Demons; they are the core force of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons."