About Bai's God-Hunting Business / Simulation Over

"What a pity."

You shook your head and focused once more on drawing talismans, saying nothing else.

You had actually wanted to meet Fujiwara Chika, but it seemed you would not get the chance.

The Matter of Bai Ming Hunting Down the Gods

You distributed a large number of talismans to Ashiya Doman and Abe no Seimei, asking them to hand them out to other onmyoji willing to participate in the hunt. You also gave some to the Four Heavenly Kings of Yorimitsu.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu herself had no need for talismans at all. Her superb martial skill was the best weapon she possessed against countless yokai.

Shuten-dōji and Tamamo-no-Mae decided to stay indoors.

In the end, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons had been instigated by Shuten-dōji playing the victim through Tamamo-no-Mae's and her own experiences. She had even promised a nonexistent "coordinated attack from within and without" to convince the yokai of her hatred for Bai Ming.

Yet Shuten-dōji herself knew she did not hate Bai Ming at all. Putting herself in danger was unwise. If the yokai she had deceived saw her among the Night Parade, then once they came to their senses, they would surely gang up on her. There was no way Shuten-dōji would step outside.

Mu Wang, who had surrendered early, was even less willing to go out. Its master, Bai Ming, had told it to cultivate quietly at home and stop flirting with cats—the Two-Tailed Nekomata.

You began waiting for the Day of Omagatsu. During that wait, you resumed your frantic training.

Your mana slightly increased...

Your strength and endurance slightly increased...

Your agility slightly increased...

You stopped training and ordered the system to join forces with its classmates to assassinate the remaining gods of the Seven Generations of Gods as well.

System:?

The Day of Omagatsu arrived. By then, all twelve creator gods of Japan's Seven Generations of Gods—Kuni-no-Tokotachi, Toyokumono, Uhijini, Suhijini, Tsunoguhi, Ikuguhi, Otonoji, Otonobe, Omotaru, Ayakashikone, Izanagi, and Izanami—had died sudden deaths.

Their flesh, blood, and souls were taken away by your system's other classmates, while their divine cores and divine weapons remained with you.

Talent: Greedy Wolf Star, activated.

You felt that Japan's not-yet-declined Age of Gods was still incredibly profitable, so you intended to be even more ruthless. But you also wanted to have more fun.

You had not forgotten that this simulation was meant for entertainment, so your actions became even more casual.

At the Hour of Omagatsu, when yokai power was at its strongest, over a hundred kinds of yokai began to move.

Under your leadership, the onmyoji were already waiting in Heian-kyo for the yokai to arrive. You brought Setanta with you for this battle.

Before this, due to the sudden deaths of the Seven Generations of Gods and Amaterasu Ōmikami, the remaining gods had gone into hiding.

Bai Ming's original plan had not been to repel the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, nor to allow the onmyoji to leave their own records upon the Record Belt of the Boundary—the Throne of Heroes—by defeating evil spirits. Rather, he had intended to use this war to carry out a grand apotheosis of the Heian era and split apart Japan's already discordant religious factions.

But now, Bai Ming's plan had changed.

He would force those Japanese gods in Takamagahara, Izumo, Ōmi, the Land of Night, and Yomi to make a choice: either continue hiding and watch their faith and legacy perish, or emerge from their hiding places to die and have their divine cores taken by him.

In this Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, onmyoji and yokai alike were your enemies.

You could have simply had the system eliminate them all, but you wanted to find something for yourself to do. So you quietly watched the onmyoji and yokai meet head-on.

The setting sun glowed at dusk, and blood sprayed through the air.

Humans and yokai unleashed talismans, onmyoji arts, and mana in every direction.

The hatred between onmyoji and yokai had never possessed any possibility of resolution. Once they met during the parade of demons, there could be no good ending.

Onmyoji and yokai were injured and killed without cease.

Bai Ming merely watched from afar, idly toying with the Five Thunder Command tablet in his hand, ready at any moment to call down heavenly lightning to aid the weaker side.

However, the two sides were nearly evenly matched. Ashiya Doman and Abe no Seimei desperately wanted to know where Bai Ming had gone, but with so many yokai around, they had no chance to search for you.

After a long wait, the many gods finally could no longer remain still.

Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the most hot-tempered among them, was the first to charge out of Takamagahara. He headed straight for the crowd of mingled onmyoji and yokai, but Bai Ming immediately drew the Pojun Divine Lightning Halberd and blocked his path.

"—No passage beyond this point."

Sparks flew as Amenohabakiri in Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto's hand collided with the Pojun Divine Lightning Halberd.

The tachi and battle halberd clashed dozens of times. Bai Ming and Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto each retreated a considerable distance. Bai Ming loosened his muscles, then crooked a finger. "You've got some strength. Come again."

Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto grew even angrier. With a furious roar, he charged straight at Bai Ming, while Bai Ming met him with halberd in hand.

The two exchanged more than a dozen moves. Then, seized by a sudden whim, Bai Ming tossed his weapon aside and ran toward Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto barehanded.

When Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto saw Bai Ming throw away his weapon, delight immediately surged within him. He rushed at Bai Ming with Amenohabakiri in hand.

"Pay for your stupidity, human!"

Amenohabakiri slashed toward Bai Ming's neck. Immense mana swept through the surroundings, but Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto cut only empty air.

Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto felt someone pat his shoulder. He immediately turned and slashed, only to miss again.

"Oh? You think throwing away my weapon was a stupid choice? Rash. Far too rash."

Bai Ming's voice came again from behind Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto. "Do you know? I crave worthy opponents. After giving it some thought, whether they're people of Heian-kyo or yokai, not one of them is worth my notice. So I turned my gaze upon all of you."

Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto twisted around and slashed again, but still struck nothing.

Talent: Full Nature, activated.

Talent: Greedy Wolf Star (Killer Star), activated.

"To be honest, the other pantheons are still a little absurd for me right now. But a pantheon of creator gods like you, where gods can be scalded to death by their own children just because they gave birth—"

The voice came continuously, while Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto had already fallen into a rage. He kept hacking at Bai Ming with Amenohabakiri, but without exception, Bai Ming dodged every strike.

"—is just right for me."

The moment his words fell, Bai Ming kicked Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto flying.

Then, at Bai Ming's command to go, a Shiba Inu became a blur as it raced forward. Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto immediately took to the air, but the Shiba Inu transformed into a dragon and bit down on his arm.

Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto's mind went blank.

He could not understand how that dog had turned into a dragon.

In an instant, one of Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto's arms was bitten off. Then the dragon twisted and slammed into him, smashing Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto straight out of the sky.

Amenohabakiri landed in Bai Ming's hand.

Setanta transformed from his dragon form back into a Shiba Inu and lay sprawled on the other side, looking completely drained.

Bai Ming thought, Could it be that the name Setanta made this stupid dog indulge himself too much, leaving him short on mana?

With a flick of his hand, Bai Ming sent Amenohabakiri into the system space. He walked toward Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto, who had lost an arm. The muscles of his right arm bulged, and then he threw a punch.

Before his body died, before his consciousness scattered, and before his soul escaped, Bai Ming directly stuffed Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto into the system space. He then had the system refine Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto's soul and consciousness into pure soul power and mental power.

Bai Ming looked toward Takemikazuchi, who was approaching from the horizon, then kicked the utterly exhausted Shiba Inu. "Get ready to kill the second one, Setanta. The thunder beast is yours. I don't care whether that thing lives or dies, as long as its body stays intact. As for Takemikazuchi—he's mine."

Simulation Complete

Your battle alongside Setanta against Takemikazuchi did not last long before you killed him on the spot. Without looking back, you rushed toward the place where Japan's gods were gathered.

This was slaughter in the truest sense. In the year 982, Japan's Age of Gods was completely severed by your hand.

The many yokai and onmyoji were also greatly weakened by this war. Mystery declined, yokai withdrew, and Japan of the Heian era seemed to have attained peace—but you had no intention of ending things like this. You still had many things to do.

The yokai Jin Ling chose to submit to you, signing a contract with you. It also brought a list of many yokai willing to submit and signed contracts on their behalf.

According to Jin Ling, Setanta, the fiercest hound under your command, had directly bitten Ōtengu and several rather ugly yokai to death. The remaining yokai then decided to surrender as a group, drafting a contract containing their true spirits as proof of submission.

You obtained the "Heian Yokai Compendium."

Talent: Full Nature, activated.

Talent: Greedy Wolf Star, activated.

You injured Ashiya Doman and Abe no Seimei to prevent them from interfering with your affairs. As for Minamoto no Yorimitsu, her early experiences had made her the kind of woman who spoke of righteous love, yet could disregard social morality and tolerate any behavior for the sake of love.

Sei Shōnagon did not care what you intended to do. She only cared about one thing—whether it was interesting.

So you directly killed the Emperor of Japan, destroyed regency rule, and then departed in carefree fashion. Soon afterward, the five-year-old Emperor Ichijō ascended the throne. You laughed mockingly, while at the same time, beneath the crimson moon, the names of the terrifying divine might, the roaring young poppy of the future, the supreme Consort Yu, and General Bai Ming resounded throughout the entire Heian era, leaving behind a vivid mark.

Although Sei Shōnagon, whose alignment was Chaotic Good, felt that you had gone a little too far, she ultimately dismissed the matter with the words, "Very interesting." She then happily wrote several essays recording the thoughts behind your actions.

In the year 989, you met Murasaki Shikibu. She was very interested in you and Sei Shōnagon, often visiting your residence to see the two of you.

However, because Murasaki Shikibu's original surname was Fujiwara, and because the destruction of regency rule had affected the Fujiwara family, she never revealed her love for you throughout her life. You did not care about that at all. You merely did everything you could to gather materials and train your body during the dead time of this era.

You lived a relatively quiet life with them, then reached a quiet ending.

Simulation complete.

The results you obtained have been rewritten into the Pan-Human History.

The panel and related information have been generated. No further details will be provided here.

Bai Ming got up from his bed without saying anything. He first silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra several times, then let out a breath.

Although the memories from the simulation were truly formed through his own body and consciousness rewriting history, he could not allow that immense volume of memories to affect his own state.

System: Host, be honest. Are the Heroic Spirits you register every time weaker than you yourself?

Bai Ming: Of course. What if some idiot actually uses a holy relic to summon me, and I happen to be bored enough to respond? If I don't hold something back after arriving, should I let them use Command Spells to disgust me?

System: Fair enough—I'll go organize the materials for you first.

Bai Ming: Take care. No need to see you off.

Bai Ming let out another long breath and lay motionless on the bed.

The time in the simulation passed much faster than the time he experienced in reality. By the time he finished the simulation, little time had passed in all of Chaldea, leaving him with plenty of free time. Setanta, Mu Wang, and Jin Ling had been brought in by him, while Tamamo-no-Mae and Shuten-dōji had chosen to register themselves on the Throne of Heroes.

After thinking it over, Bai Ming rolled out of bed again, left his room, and headed for the training room. After releasing Mu Wang and Setanta, he began training on his own.

Setanta looked around, then ran straight out of the training room. Mu Wang quietly curled up in a corner and cultivated.

After a long while, the training room door opened.

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the sweat-drenched Bai Ming in surprise. "Isn't Senior Bai working himself a little too hard?"

"You're the one being too lax."

Bai Ming stopped his physical training and looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "As a Master, not having a good body makes you dead weight in battle. Do you understand that? If you're worried that excessive training will ruin your figure, I have other methods."

"But Senior Akuta doesn't—"

"Go play somewhere else with that immortal old hag who has lived forever, whines about being lonely, and shuts herself away. You're not her. That old fossil has lived for over two thousand years and existed since before the Common Era. Are you going to compete with her over who can live longer?"

"Ah!" Fujimaru Ritsuka cried out. "I understand! I'll start training with you right now, Senior."

Standing at the entrance to the training room, Akuta Hinako quietly listened to Bai Ming finish insulting her. She then silently took out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and began cracking them, saying with a smile that did not reach her eyes, "Why did you stop? Keep insulting me to my face."

Akuta Hinako leisurely cracked sunflower seeds, then asked, "You're embarrassed to insult me now that I'm here? That shouldn't be it. Did you suddenly grow a conscience after sleeping?"

"Huh?"

Bai Ming immediately stopped training and walked toward Akuta Hinako. "Are you, with those glasses of yours and that fake serious act, trying to fight me?"

Akuta Hinako thought, Mainly because I haven't finished the sunflower seeds Bai Ming gave me. You can't bite the hand that feeds you. Let him talk trash for now. Once I finish eating, I'll curse him out like he's my grandson.

"Too lazy to argue with you."

After dropping those words, Akuta Hinako turned and left the training room.

Bai Ming looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Come on. Train your body. We'll start with the basics—running. Follow me through some basic warm-up exercises."

"Yes, Senior!"

Seeing Bai Ming's expressionless face, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately tensed up and followed Bai Ming in working overtime on her training. Yet her body remained rigid, making Bai Ming frown repeatedly as he watched her.

"What exactly are you afraid of?"

Bai Ming thought about it. He had not done anything particularly terrifying, had he? Or had someone in Chaldea been gossiping while he was in the simulation?

"Senior—the big white dog over there... is it all right?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka pointed at Mu Wang, who was curled up nearby. Bai Ming said, "It's fine. That's my mount."

Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a breath of relief. "I thought I was seeing something that Senior couldn't see, something only I could see. You scared me to death."

Mu Wang raised its head and glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka, letting out a disdainful snort. A weak human had actually been frightened by a harmless big dog like it. Meanwhile, in Chaldea's control room, Setanta and Fou began a pet showdown.