Chapter 370
Soul Flame.
Skills came one after another, Yuki evil spirits. As he went deeper into the well, he caught a glimpse of a large patch of thorns growing from the well's opening. A black-haired figure jumped into the well and quickly came to his aid.
I knew there would be a second one.
Yuki grinned. He had already realized that the thorns he had encountered earlier were not the same type as Sadako, and that this ghost should be quite far away. He never expected to find Sadako's true form so quickly.
It's too late!
Telekinesis and his wildly growing black hair were no match for Yuki. He slashed through the obstacle with several consecutive strikes, then reached out and grasped her slender neck.
"Let... let me go..."
His voice was plaintive and sorrowful, but Yuki was as firm as steel.
Burning.
The Soul Flame surged forth, instantly transforming the female ghost in front of him into a human torch, emitting a sharp hiss like fingernails scratching a blackboard.
The bottomless well collapsed. It was all like a dream. There was no well at all. In the blink of an eye, Yuki was back in the ruined square, with only the twisted human-shaped torch in his left palm.
She wanted to escape, but the man's hands gripped her like iron clamps, not even glancing at her beautiful yet pitiful face, only burning her soul.
Ugh--
The sound of something cutting through the air drew closer, and the black and red thorns were less than half a meter away from her body. A woman with black hair, rose-colored eyes, and wearing a gorgeous kimono surged forward along the thorns, her face filled with hatred and bulging veins.
"You dare kill her!?"
The thorns snapped together, transforming into a sharp giant sword, about to pierce through Yuki's vest. But the latter merely held onto the evil spirit tightly, turned his head slightly, and saw the appearance of the newcomer.
Oh, it's you.
Without a word, the surrounding space distorted, and the woman couldn't retreat in time; she disappeared from the plaza along with Yuki.
"Yes, and I'm going to kill you too."
"It's him, Kizuji Muzan Kibutsuji!"
In the distance, Shinobu Kocho, who had been watching the battle, let out a scream, but it didn't attract any attention.
The single-direction hidden barrier is the best vantage point for watching the battle. Everyone is looking out at the battle in the square, seeing Yuki, like an invincible God of War, slaughtering the demons to pieces.
One Transcendental Grade player is nothing, but a group of Transcendental Grade players is a different story. The people present might be able to handle it, but none of them could do it as effortlessly as Yuki.
That would have been fine, since players of Monster IV could easily overpower the opponent, but when Sadako Yamamura appeared, everyone held their breath.
For a powerful player of Monster III or higher, the system rating can only be used as a reference. Sadako is far more difficult to deal with than players of the same level. Even if Hayasaka Ai were to advance a few more steps and obtain the same rating, there would be a 70% chance of her dying in a real fight.
This is the difference between specializing in one aspect and strengthening all aspects. The battle between players is about who has more trump cards and whose trump cards are more unpredictable, and Sadako is clearly a top performer.
Telekinesis, teleportation, clones, reality manipulation, and the most troublesome curse that kills instantly—aside from Satoru Gojo, no one present was confident of defeating their opponent.
Just as everyone was speculating about how Yuki suppressed the curse, he suddenly found Sadako's true form. This was the evil spirit's most terrifying trump card, something even the Demon Extermination Squad was completely unaware of.
"Sadako Yamamura, one of the Twelve Evil Demons, just died like that? And she hadn't even used her full strength??"
"No, he deliberately didn't use his full strength to lure out Muzan Onitsuji. Muzan Kibutsuji terrifying calculation ability! He predicted this demon's thoughts long ago." Misaki Shokuhou licked her lips. If it were her, she would have to go all out against Sadako, and wouldn't have the energy to think about how to deal with a second opponent.
"Is this Mr. Li really not an epic-level player in disguise?"
"No, he hasn't undergone a 'qualitative change' yet, but that makes it even more terrifying. I have a feeling he'll become famous in the Reincarnation Game."
The ability to suppress death likely originated from a special item belonging to the Lost Ones, and ultimately it was some kind of spatial anomaly item, something like 'Night Furnace'.
Hearing the babbling behind him, Satoru Gojo, as an epic-level player, wasn't too surprised; he had heard about Yuki's abilities beforehand.
That was a formidable opponent who had cleared the 'Lost Ones' dungeon, a powerful figure who made Kyojuro lose all desire to challenge him. But only by witnessing it firsthand did he realize that he hadn't taken him seriously enough.
A pure killing machine, capable of writing the script for battle; its planning and calculations are simply terrifying.
"Phew, thank goodness he's on my side, otherwise this battle wouldn't have been necessary." Satoru Gojo breathed a sigh of relief and made up his mind to go all in.
This opportunity is fleeting; who can I turn to next to increase my chances of success by 20%?
"Mr. Li has restrained the two Twelve Evil Spirits and defeated the remaining players. Our combat strength now has an overwhelming advantage." He suddenly spoke, and no one could refute him.
The Captain-Commander hasn't even made a move yet, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons has already lost one-tenth of its fighting force. Doesn't that give us the advantage?
"Kyojuro, have you found Mundus?"
"Not yet, but we've discovered 'Mahito' and 'Kokushibo'." Enju took a deep breath and marked several red dots on the light screen.
They were in a room on the middle floor of the Tenshukaku. Both squads were wiped out as soon as they entered, and only a remnant soul managed to escape and deliver the message.
"Furthermore, the soul-searching technique has yielded results. We obtained crucial information from a Transcendental Grade- level evil spirit: the rooms of the higher-ups in the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' are located on the middle floor of the Tenshukaku."
Since they couldn't find a traitor to hide, the Demon Extermination Squad was also gathering intelligence while fighting, so no one was surprised to hear this.
Evil spirits are known for their cunning, and no one knows where the 'Twelve Evil Spirits' usually live, but having a direction means there's no need to waste time.
"Nearly half of the twelve demons have appeared. Have all squads converge on the middle level and move forward to conceal the barrier." Satoru Gojo didn't hesitate, turning to Taihou and the others, "Everyone, let's prepare for battle. As long as we kill those three demons, even if they have some kind of scheme, we will be invincible."
He refused to believe that Mundus would simply stand by and watch himself become a commander without troops, and that no matter how many outside help he brought in, none of them would be as useful as his own subordinates.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, but seeing Yuki's 'performance', everyone's fighting spirit was also strong, and even martial artists Zuo Qianhu and Terry Bogard had the idea of competing.
"Clear."
"Your Majesty, the food has finally started moving."
At the same time, in the Demon God Palace Tenshukaku, a soft female voice echoed.
Countless pillars supported the enormous dome, shrouded in gray mist. On the high platform, one large and one small chairs were vaguely visible. The chair, the size of a normal human, was empty, while the white Giant sat firmly on the other throne, his three eyes, arranged in a triangular pattern, emitting a red glow.
Its skin was pale, exuding a sense of holiness, yet also radiating an aura of the Abyss Grade.
King of the Demon Realm, Emperor of Demons—that is its title. Just like its blood-red three eyes, conquering everything to fill the emptiness in its heart is its driving force, and there is no place more capable of satisfying desires than the endless Reincarnation Game.
"Your intelligence report doesn't include anyone named 'Li Dan'."
A majestic voice rang out, and everything was under Mundus's watchful eye. He certainly saw Yuki's bravery, and as for his subordinates' mistakes, the Demon King always used the simplest and most brutal method of punishment:
Kill.
"I'm so sorry, the internal vetting process of the Demon Extermination Squad is very strict, and this Li Dan must be a helper that the food just found." The soft female voice trembled, as if she had curled up into a ball.
"Yes, that's the only explanation, but there won't be a next time. This lack of intelligence caused a huge error. In my plan, I didn't want to lose two demons before the war even started." Every word the Demon King spoke was filled with killing intent. With a gentle wave of his hand, the mist condensed, forming hundreds of images that displayed everything inside the castle.
Nearly half of the fighting force was deployed and concentrated in the middle level of the castle. Countless demon players were slaughtered, but this did not cause any emotional fluctuation in Mundus.
Demons don't care about camaraderie; they only need obedient flesh and blood tools. And just as Yuki guessed, Mundus was also preparing to deliver the final blow and completely conquer the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons'.
"I gave the food a chance to fight back, and they seized it. It seems they have no intention of retreating. However, the plan has deviated to some extent. Doubt and suspicion should have troubled him for a few more hours to make the plan more secure."
Mundus muttered to himself, placing Yuki as a crucial variable on the scales, and quickly revised the plan, the core of which lay in the unequal infiltration between the two sides.
It's difficult for humans to infiltrate ghosts, because ghosts would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free. But it's much easier for ghosts to infiltrate humans, because emotions are humanity's greatest weakness.
It already knew that Satoru Gojo's plan was to seek outside help, and even knew some of the specific factions involved, so the countermeasure was quite simple.
Just because you want outside help doesn't mean I can't?
If there's any flaw, it's that the initiative in the attack is in the hands of the Demon Extermination Squad. For example, the timing they chose this time was very clever; Sukuna was away on a mission, leaving one of the two major figures missing.
"But what you don't know is that Sukuna went on the mission alone, and time is almost up."
It looked at the giant hourglass beside the throne, where little sand remained, but the enemy had launched a full-scale attack ahead of schedule.
There was no other way but to start the plan ahead of schedule.
Which reinforcements are in place?
"Lord Genichiro Ashina, the Battle Maniac; Lord Aura of the Aether Particles Monster Front; Aura Shalltear of the Great Tomb of Shalltear; the Golden Guardian Knight of the End World; and Shishio Samurai Kingdom."
Once the menu was announced, the players were already prepared, but they had to enter early because of Yuki.
"That's enough. They're all experts I've worked with before, strong and reliable enough." The Demon King smiled with satisfaction and waved his hand gently, "Notify the 'Thunder Witch' and the others to prepare for the reinforcements to enter. The Void Spirits will place the medium at the designated coordinates to lure them in."
When do we enter?
"When they found this place," Mundus pointed out, pointing to a silver moonlight shimmering in front of the grand hall, where a tall warrior with long black hair and six eyes could be vaguely seen.
This was his temple, his private space, so sturdy that even Satoru Gojo couldn't destroy it, so they could only enter through the main gate.
"Notify the remaining evil spirits to come here and activate the Heart of the Ice Goddess." The Demon King tossed out a sapphire and instructed, "Their task is to guard this item. I'm taking Satoru Gojo with me and will open the Gate of the Demon Realm to divide the battlefield. Remember, let the reinforcements deal with the players they've invited. We'd better not get involved in this melee involving more than a dozen factions."
Should we force them to leave?
Silence fell over the hall. Mundus stared at the dwindling hourglass, lost in thought. His mission was to engage in a clash of titans with Satoru Gojo, and he had no time to command the battle.
"It depends on their fate. If that madman Sukuna comes back, none of them will escape."
The sharp, claw-like fingers scratched its face, making a dull thud.
"Of course, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It might trigger more cross-faction wars. It's been too long since anyone passed the third test since that upheaval, and the Reincarnation Game is becoming increasingly boring."
"Then why not wage a more bloody war of fratricide, a more massive war of conquest?"
"This is my expectation, and perhaps, it's also the game's expectation."
Chapter Four: Kill Muzan Kibutsuji!
It's you, Muzan Kibutsuji.
Yuki stood in the Night Furnace, completely stripped of reality. He killed one of the twelve demons and took another with him. He didn't believe Satoru Gojo and wanted to wait and see.
The kimono-clad beauty looked around, a hint of nervousness flashing across her face. As Monster IV player, she could certainly tell that this was a rather high-level mutation item.
'He directly attacked Sadako; I don't even know how he saw through Sadako's true form.'
Muzan Kibutsuji was filled with apprehension. He saw Yuki's companion burned to a crisp and casually tossed into a pool of blood. He also saw a tuft of thick black hair in Yuuki's hand, a high-grade material that could be used to forge a level 5 item.
"You really don't need to get involved. No matter what benefits the Demon Extermination Squad offers, the dead can't obtain them."
The woman opened her mouth, her voice somber. Having witnessed the entire battle, and even risked Sadako's life, she had already figured out this man's background.
He's strong, but he can't crush me. He's still my favorite melee player, so why should I be afraid?
"Are you saying the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was prepared long ago?" Yuki leaned against the remains of the Asura Witch Spirit, lazily resting his chin on his hand.
"If that were Muzan Kibutsuji the case, how could those creatures have so easily stormed the Tenshukaku?" Muzan raised his chin, too lazy to beat around the bush, and simply said, "It's a trap. Satoru Gojo's every move was predictable. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't win."
"He can't win even if he doesn't struggle; it's just a slow death." Yuki shook his head slightly, having already seen through this open conspiracy.
"That's right, he has no choice but to gamble, and we know he will gamble, but it's just to start a faction war, and we're preparing for it too."
"So, the plan to disperse the troops and buy time was to create an opportunity for reinforcements to arrive?"
"No, this is an opportunity to solve the problem once and for all," Muzan Kibutsuji corrected, his words laced with threat. "You should run away quickly. If you wait any longer, Sukuna will be back and won't be able to escape."
As expected, the script had already been written, but Satoru Gojo couldn't be blamed; it was an open conspiracy, and he had no other choice.
The authority to adjust the frequency of player quests rests with the demons, as can be seen from the difference between the Twelve Demons and players like Yomi Isayama; the former are mostly players of Monster III or higher, a significant gap of one level.
Players dislike dungeons, yet they don't rely on them to hone their skills, because in the Reincarnation Game, the kind of 'harmony' Thorny Rose is extremely rare; returning is merely the beginning of another adventure.
"You want to escalate the faction war?" Yuki asked again. No matter who killed Misaki Shokuhou and the others, the scale of the war would get out of control.
"This has nothing to do with me, and I have no interest in war." Muzan Kibutsuji coldly shook his head, his patience exhausted. "Choose quickly, let me go back, and then escape. Even if we seek revenge on you, finding you in this endless Reincarnation Game will still be very difficult."
"Ha, so you're saying I have no other choice?" Yuki laughed. This Muzan Kibutsuji dared to threaten him, openly stating his intention to take revenge, telling him to run away and hide obediently.
"First, I hate it when people tell me how to do things."
Yuki straightened up and slowly walked forward, causing Muzan Kibutsuji to frown. Before he could speak, he was interrupted by a second finger.
"Secondly, you are not worthy to hunt me down."
To this day, only the Judge has been able to hunt me down. What kind of creature is this 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' that dares to be so arrogant?
"Thirdly, you are the first real boss I've encountered, and I want to take your head."
He knows me!?
Muzan Kibutsuji's face was covered in veins, making him look ferocious and terrifying. He wasn't brainless, nor did he intend to provoke Yuki. He simply knew that players prioritized survival, and in situations like this, it was time to threaten them fiercely.
The ambush plan had been seen through, so these players from other factions had no reason to continue fighting; their best option was to run away as quickly as possible.
Before she could figure it out, Yuki had already disappeared from her sight. There was no need for further words at this point, and the black thorns beneath her feet began to grow wildly.
Swish--