Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 241, Page 239: The Final Solution

"As expected, we still can't rely entirely on the players."

"Fortunately, as a gaming legend, I'm still as sharp as ever."

Hokkaido, Sapporo.

Gasma Plaza Hotel.

While soaking in the hot spring, Higashiyama Shin closed his eyes and watched the game's countdown timer in the system.

Five days is the time allotted for players to play, based on their current progress and the fact that they have three playtimes per day.

Even if you use up all the Holy Spring Water from the entry reward, the chance of achieving the perfect ending is very slim, practically nonexistent.

Although they figured out some of the correct approaches, namely, when Daoman Xiaoche went into seclusion, he devoted his time to Buddhist teachings and formations, abandoning Yin-Yang techniques.

But that's far from enough. Even if you clearly tell them what to do, it's still difficult because their biggest problem is that they're wrong from the very beginning.

That's right, players actually made a mistake with those three time portals.

This conclusion was drawn by Shin Higashiyama based on all the clues from the players and his own experience of playing the game.

Most of them didn't realize that the three time portals and the main game's timeline were actually inherited from each other.

In other words, what you do at different times in different years will have an impact on the future.

It's just that because of the mandatory task requirements and the same ending, it seems fixed, and you can hardly feel this impact.

However, in reality, these three time gates do not necessarily have to be exactly the same as history. At least the combat-related aspects are controllable, and this is the path to the perfect ending!

The first thing to do is to plant the seeds of doubt about the plan to rebuild the underworld in the hearts of the three characters: Doman Akemi, Doman Tadakatsu, and Doman Shigemitsu.

Each of the three of them has their own important milestones in their timelines.

Doman Hikō's final mission was to persuade Nichiren to join the demon sword and become the new Jizō.

Here, you can guide the conversation to achieve the goal of getting Nichiren to agree while also influencing Doman Himei with Nichiren's philosophy of saving all beings.

Daoman Tadashi could start by showing how his father and uncles sacrificed themselves for the family's goals, thus guiding him to develop self-doubt.

Domitsu Shigemitsu is even simpler. He experienced an internal rebellion, and even during normal travels, his heart is wavering. What Higashiyama Shin needs to do is to tip the scales in his heart to one side.

In addition, the three of them must complete their demon-slaying mission with the minimum required amount.

Players of Souls are quite qualified to speak on this point.

Unless I absolutely have to fight, I'll just parkour. I'll eat my hat if I even glance at you.

And at the end of the game, you should keep the suspicion level high.

Yes, skepticism can also be utilized, not only as a limitation but also as a tool.

The reason he is so certain is because he has already been doing it and has seen initial results.

Then guide the three heads of the Dōman family to think in the direction of Ashiya Dōman, making them suspect that they are merely tools for Ashiya Dōman to pursue his own selfish desires.

Next, it was Doman Akatsuki's turn to use his secret technique, Talk-no-jutsu!

The game's combat isn't just about fighting; you can also engage in verbal sparring, and it offers greater freedom without arousing suspicion.

Theoretically, one can say one sentence per round. As long as one can hold on, one can go from the oath of brotherhood among the three heroes in the Peach Garden to Jia Yucun's conclusion of Dream of the Red Chamber.

Whether the enemy can understand it or not is another matter.

A tribute to the perpetual motion machine of turn-based comedy.

Because this function is basically useless under normal circumstances, and monsters won't be affected by your nonsense, it's basically just for show.

Even if players try, they won't be able to persuade the other player because they didn't do a good job beforehand.

Higashiyama Shin has already mastered the game to this point and is confident that he can persuade all three guys to switch sides today.

"elder brother?"

"Get to the point." Higashiyama Shin snapped out of his daze without opening his eyes.

Higashiyama, traveling alone, came over, looking worried: "You think something really might have happened in Tokyo?"

Shinichi Higashiyama knew he was worried about his girlfriend.

He squinted and glanced at the top of his younger brother's head. Hmm, no fierce look.

"Then why don't you invite her to come to Hokkaido with you?" Shin Higashiyama asked casually.

Dongshan Du's eyes widened suddenly: "What! I can invite her to come?! Do I... do I have that right?"

He never expected that he would have such authority.

But after thinking about it, he sighed again: "Her parents are government officials, so it's not convenient for them to leave. Besides, how could I possibly let her come to Hokkaido with me?"

“She’s not an official, so if you invite her over, her parents will be grateful to you.” Shinichi Higashiyama shook his head.

Just as a look of surprise appeared on Higashiyama Toku's face, Higashiyama Shin continued, "But it's too late now. I think they've already made arrangements. If you go to ask them again, they probably won't agree."

Three sentences can make a boy's mood fluctuate wildly.

Higashiyama Shin got up from the hot spring: "I'm done soaking, don't faint in there."

"Gurgle, gurgle." Dongshan Du exhaled bubbles listlessly.

Stepping out of the hot spring, I felt refreshed and invigorated.

The hotel's hot spring is open 24/7, but it is not a natural hot spring; it is an artificial one.

But he preferred this one, which had no rust or sulfur smell.

As I returned to my room and was about to open the door, the door diagonally opposite mine opened.

It was Chiba's mother. Her hair was tied up, and she came out wearing a navy blue yukata. She smiled and asked, "Higashiyama-kun, are you hungry?"

Chiba's mother's name is Mizuki. She is a workaholic, but not the kind of strong woman that people usually imagine.

If she weren't wearing a uniform, she would give the impression of being a gentle, full-time housewife.

"Not hungry yet." Chiba Mizuki walked towards him, and Higashiyama Shin's eyes were impossible to avoid; they were something that even the loose, dark yukata could not conceal.

"It's good that I'm not hungry. Shion just said she wanted to play cards with you, and you're back. Where's Higashiyama-chan?"

Chiba Mizuki affectionately brushed aside Higashiyama Shin's slightly damp hair, then casually turned his body around.

He could already see Ziyuan sitting at the foot of the bed, her body tense, through the open door.

This definitely wasn't said by Shion.

"He's the only one still at the hot spring."

"Then let's not wait for him. The three of us will play cards together. The loser will be punished, and we'll make sure Shion suffers a loss." Aunt Chiba whispered the last part of her sentence as she leaned closer.

"Then let's play a few rounds." Higashiyama Shin didn't refuse.

(I'll put this part in the extra chapter.)
Back in his room, Higashiyama Shin rubbed his face.

The aunt was too proactive.

He's having a hard time.

Other people's wingmen are usually their best friends or something, at most they can create some small opportunities.

Aunt Chiba was like a bomber, wishing she could give up her bed to them tonight and then go to the next room to listen to the noise.

He suspected that she had already thought of names for their child.

I went back to my room and didn't sit down for long.

Dongshan Du came back with his whole body flushed red.

This guy has probably been soaking in the hot spring for two hours; even a hot spring egg couldn't withstand that.

"Brother, I feel so dizzy."

"You'll feel better after lying down for a while."

"Oh."

Dongshan lay limply on the bed, as if he were dead.

Fortunately, the sound of even breathing soon followed.

It wasn't late, but Shin Higashiyama was already prepared for a fierce battle.

Since he got the Holy Spring Water, he can basically spend the whole day in the game if he has enough time.

There are 24 hours in a day, which is equivalent to 24 lives.

This is his strongest confidence in achieving a perfect victory. The game starts; let's continue.

The current players' approaches of either giving up or not giving up are not entirely correct. Only he can achieve the perfect ending to this game.

In the game, Doman Akatsuki battles his ancestor, while Higashiyama Shin constantly tries to advance by using words to test his skills.

"Grandpa! Don't you really understand? We are just tools, just pawns! We were forcibly given the mission of rebuilding the underworld, but it's not for the sake of the human world! It's just for the selfish desires of others. How many people's hopes were burned by the great fire in Edo? I don't believe you don't regret it."

Under Xiaoche's relentless verbal onslaught, Daoman Shigemitsu was defeated, his face ashen, and he gradually withdrew from the battle.

“Ancestor Zhongxing, the deaths of your father and uncles were meaningless! No one cared except you. You spent your whole life working to rebuild Huangquan. Did you ever live a single day for yourself? Did you never have a single doubt in your heart?”

Daoman Tadashi remained expressionless, slowly lowered his head, and let out a long, weary sigh: "I should understand, but... I dare not understand."

After saying that, he too disappeared.

In the end, Doman Hikami did not abandon the battle and self-destruct as he had done before. Instead, he silently entered the battle.

"For this plan, he deceived the serpent's eggs, causing them to suffer the pain of childlessness, which is disloyal and untrustworthy; he arbitrarily decided the life and death of more than 100,000 people, causing them to suffer the pain of imprisoned souls, which is inhumane and unjust; he took advantage of Nichiren's kindness, deceiving him into aiding evil with good, which is impolite and cowardly."

"It was I who used Nichiren-sama," Doman Hikō interrupted Doman Shōtetsu's accusation.

"So, knowing that he is disloyal, untrustworthy, unkind, unjust, impolite, and cowardly, yet still stubbornly clinging to his delusions is unwise. Ancestor, are you sure you want to abandon benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, loyalty, and courage, and instead cling to the virtue of filial piety? Your mother never even told you his true identity and true purpose. He is Ashiya Dōman. I think you have already guessed it."

“In his eyes, he never treated you as a real son. You are, I am, and the entire Doman family are all just tools he created to achieve his ambitions.”

"All he wanted was to survive! He was willing to give up everything for that, including his basic human decency."

"Even if it means becoming a demon and wreaking havoc on the world, someone who insists on living on is talking about saving humanity—what a ridiculous joke!"

These are words that Man Xiaoche himself would never say. If he said them outside of battle, the level of suspicion would explode.

Since the game is designed so that the player has full control during combat, it shows that there is a reason for this design.

If it's not used, at best it can achieve an excellent ending, which is to restore history.

Only by altering the first timeline and creating a butterfly effect can a perfect ending be achieved.

After withstanding several rounds of attacks, Shin Higashiyama continued his verbal offensive.

The damage caused by Daoman Huiming was decreasing, and the seeds planted in the past were growing and sprouting rapidly. Under Daoman Xiaoche's aggressive pressure, he could no longer deceive himself.

He stopped attacking, and after several rounds there was no movement, with ellipses constantly appearing above his head.

"Let us end all of this. The Doman family comes from and will return to the same place."

In the end, his inner struggle was over, and the scales tipped completely to one side.

Before I knew it, the battle scene had changed.

Daoman Huiming looked at the figure under the tree with a complicated expression.

Apart from the few remaining family heads who had been manipulated by the game, the rest of the Daoman family were all stubborn and unruly, and were all killed.

“Mother, if you had told the truth from the beginning, I would have agreed even if it meant being the bad guy.”

“But you shouldn’t have taken saving the world as the belief of the Doman family, and then destroyed it yourself.”

Rumble.

The ground trembled, and the old woman's body made cracking sounds as she intermittently raised her arms, like a puppet, and stood up with her head bowed.

Finally, he slowly raised his head, his eyes still trembling, staring intently at Daoman Xiaoche.

He clearly prepared two plans.

Mount Fuji is a sacred mountain in Japan. He and his descendants have collected monsters for generations. The strong ones are merged with to prolong their lives, while the weak ones are melted down by the fire of Mount Fuji to replenish their spiritual energy.

And by using the sacredness of Mount Fuji, they incorporated themselves into the belief system.

Once the Yellow Springs is successfully rebuilt, he can seamlessly control it, become the new Lord of the Yellow Springs, govern the cycle of reincarnation in the human world, enjoy the faith of the world, and then find a way to slowly remove the demon bloodline from his body.

Even if this plan fails, he cannot become the Lord of the Underworld.

It can also allow Doman Hikami to activate the monsters that have been fused into the various bloodlines of the Doman family, so that they all return to Ashiya Doman's body.

This is a last resort, because fusion is not guaranteed to succeed. Even if it does succeed, with the current abundance of spiritual energy, it will only be able to feed on human negative emotions and gradually lose its own identity.

Even so, once the fusion is successful, he can still become a lower-level demon, the Lord of the Underworld.

It's unclear whether he can live forever, but five hundred years is already his limit; he can't wait any longer.

It is said that Man Xiaoche understood perfectly!
The last piece in this plan, surprisingly, ruined both of his plans with just his words!

It's like a domino effect, falling down to the last domino, only to be suddenly pushed back up as if played in reverse.

"I fought for five hundred years. Heh, and it was all ruined by a single pawn." The old woman let out a chilling laugh, her body trembling.

When he finally woke up, it was too late to undo the damage.

Both plans failed completely.

All he could do was go hysterical and take revenge on the world with his final madness.

"I can create the Daoman family, and I can also wipe them out!" His gaze turned to Daoman Huiming, his voice hoarse, "Huiming! Is this... the ending you wanted?"

Daoman Huiming looked directly at his mother: "Mother, I will remember your teachings. If it is to prevent the common people from suffering, our Daoman family is willing."

"What a fine son! What a fine descendant!! What a group of filial sons and virtuous grandsons!"

Ashiya Michiman, in a fit of rage, burst into laughter.

"If I don't exist, then this world doesn't need to exist either!"

Entering the battle screen.

Dongshan Shen's spirits lifted; he had never fought such a rich battle before!
Our side actually has four people, no, including He Ye who didn't betray us, so it's four and a half.

But Shinichi Higashiyama knew things wouldn't be that simple.

Of the four, three have had their bloodlines fused with those of demons. Even though he had instructed them to capture as few demons as possible in the previous timeline, they will definitely be significantly affected now.

After risking his life several times to explore the area, Shinji Higashiyama finally figured out how to deal with Dōman Ashiya.

In short, unite all forces that can be united!

Zhu Hai is to be brought over; its hatred for Ashiya Dōman, the instigator, is no less than that for Dōman Akatsuki.

I just didn't know before, but after I found out, I was filled with resentment.

The demon sword must be brought here. The first owner of the Demon Slayer Crimson Blade was Ashiya Dōman. He had a backup plan and would betray you at a crucial moment, which will also be shown in the excellent ending.

The demon sword can be activated with the ashes of Master Daoman Xiaoche to become the Mystic Art of Exorcising Demons, awakening Nichiren and subduing demons.

More importantly, the more than 100,000 vengeful spirits inside were willing to burn themselves out and transform into an army of ghosts, vowing to make Ashiya Doman pay the price.

"Shortsighted! A bunch of fools! You don't understand that without the Yellow Springs, the human world—"

Ashiya Michiman, trapped in a desperate situation, was covered in wounds, and the strange cherry tree behind him was also extremely damaged.

He seemed about to issue one last threat, but before he could finish, he suddenly laughed.

"Heh, fine, I will witness the collapse of humanity in the void."

Under the combined force of multiple forces, Ashiya Dōman, filled with unquenchable resentment and hatred, was dragged into the demon sword.

In this respect, he got what he wanted.

He did indeed enter the demon sword he had always dreamed of.

It's not the prepared underworld inside, but the eighteen levels of hell.

Inside, he would only suffer endless torment and die.

Nichiren's phantom bowed deeply to Doman Akatsuki, then, carrying the demon sword, plunged headfirst into the exposed lava crater of the volcano during the battle.

With only his head remaining, Zhu Hai laughed maniacally before slowly dying.

The heads of the Daoman family exchanged glances, feeling relieved and liberated. Finally, they glanced at Daoman Xiaoche before throwing themselves into the lava with the demon sword.

Dao Manxiao stood alone on the mountaintop, looking dejected, as the gloom in the sky dissipated.

He stood silently for a long time before picking up Zhu Hai's head, leaving behind a silhouette, and heading down the mountain.

The plan to rebuild the underworld has failed, but Ashiya Dōman's five-hundred-year promise with the Great Serpent of the Other Shore still stands, so let him keep the promise.

You have successfully completed the ending - The Pact with the Underworld.

[Ending Assessment: A perfect ending. All evil has been eradicated; good and evil are revealed in the human heart. Even decaying bones have their fate; though the fuel is exhausted, the fire burns on forever.]

　Thank you to "Book Friend 20180708125110825" for the 500-coin reward.

　　Thank you to "Red Mansion Moon Shadow" for the 100-coin reward.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)