Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

Fujimaru Ritsuka also looked back at the carnival banquet that had gathered nearly a hundred people. Although she felt it was utterly absurd, she didn't miss the little things she was supposed to do.

With his hands behind his back, he quickly made a few tactical movements. Sasagawa Yagi nodded in understanding and passed the gestures to the people behind him.

Everyone was ready and planned to proceed as scheduled.

But the moment he stepped onto the third floor, he had no time to think about the meaning of the revelry on the second floor, nor did he intend to carry out the plan anymore.

A subtle sensation, like a bubble bursting, swept through her entire body. Fujimaru Ritsuka was certain that after taking this step, she was no longer in the Tojo Clan headquarters building of the present world.

It is a complete otherworldly demon cave.

The entire third floor is spacious, with nearly a thousand square meters of space, and is home to a series of large arenas.

Yuuma Goto stood on the central stage, filled with joy, and was about to find an excuse to get Ritsuka Fujimaru to come over, but he never expected that he had already lost control of himself.

He opened his mouth in vain, unable to utter the excuse he had prepared to get Fujimaru Ritsuka to come over. Itsuki Yuuma spoke in disbelief: "Then, let the martial arts tournament begin. Warriors, let our brains and blood stain every inch of the land. Distinguished guest, please join our revelry."

What the hell have I been doing?!

Yuma Itohori strained his eyes, but still couldn't stop himself from pointing at the group of people who had just entered the third floor.

Sasagawa Yagokoro and his group were already itching to make a move, but seeing that Fujimaru Ritsuka hadn't made any move, they naturally held back.

What happened to the promise that you would find the target, rush over and abduct him, and then start the fight?

Fujimaru Ritsuka stood calmly in place, waiting for the next turn of events.

He abandoned the plan for a simple reason: the place he was in was no longer what it appeared to be.

At this point, some sharp-eyed members of the task force noticed the subtle change.

At this moment, the third floor was like being caught in a distorted vortex, or like a scroll that had been burned, revealing the truth that had been covered up.

The concrete jungle has faded away, and the interior spaces of high-rise buildings have long since disappeared from sight, replaced by a mountain.

And they were standing at the foot of the mountain.

"Sigh, I was still a step too late," Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed.

"Tsk... Is Itohori Yuuma alright?" Sasagawa Yagoko, having witnessed the situation, couldn't help but ask his boss.

To their slight surprise, Fujimaru Ritsuka gave an affirmative answer: "That guy hasn't actually turned bad yet. Just now, it was less like he was speaking and more like this demonic abode was using his master to speak. Of course, if this drags on any longer, things might change."

After saying that, Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced around at their current location, searching for something.

He hadn't forgotten what the guy on the phone had said—that there was a unique puzzle here that could help him. His original plan was to kidnap Itohori Yuuma, destroy this place, get rid of Sasagawa Yagokoro's team, and then explore another den of demons. But since a quick victory wasn't possible now, he might as well kill two birds with one stone.

Since we're already here, let's make the best of it. Fujimaru Ritsuka asked the people behind her with great interest, "Have you noticed any clues?"

Most people shook their heads, but one guy who looked rather burly hesitated for a moment before raising his hand: "Boss, I feel like I've been here before?"

"Huh?" Everyone looked at him in surprise. "How come you've been here before?"

The burly officers also looked puzzled, their expressions quite subtle: "This place looks like Mount Tanba."

"Tanbayama? That sounds familiar." Sasagawa Yagokoro rubbed his hair, trying to recall something.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, whose memory was a tiny bit better, raised an eyebrow: "Mt. Tanba, in central Kyoto Prefecture, also known as Mount Yosa or Mount Ōe?"

196. A Debauched Feast (6K1)

Mount Tamba is, to some extent, one of Japan's most famous tourist attractions. Unlike Mount Fuji, its fame stems entirely from a unique added value—it is an indispensable part of the Onmyoji (yin-yang master) legends of the Heian period.

The Oni group residing on Mount Ōe, a group of demons led by Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji.

"In legends, demons are terrifying creatures in our stories. I don't know when it started, but we began to believe that the gate to the underworld is located between the ox and the tiger, so we gave them the horns of the ox and the skin of the tiger as aprons. We also incorporated the Rakshasa from Buddhism into the legends. This is what is called an oni, what is called a demon." Before going up the mountain, Fujimaru Ritsuka did not act immediately, but first gave his underlings a brief explanation.

"Boss, there must be a deeper meaning to your explanation. Are you trying to hint at something? But we're too dense to understand your intentions." Sasagawa Yagoko said blankly, but one listen to the content and you knew he was a sycophant.

This person must be well-versed in famous works such as "108 Ways to Flatter Your Boss" and "How to Praise Your Boss Without Leaving a Trace".

Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced at the tree-lined hillside above, smiled, and shook her head: "You guys don't really understand the reason for explaining the origins of these strange things. If we assume that there were no ghosts in our world, and these are just realities derived from legends, then we would naturally understand the characteristics revealed in their origins."

"Both the ox and the tiger possess immense power, while the fusion of the Rakshasa endows the demons with a ferocious and warlike nature. But in essence, if we ignore their warlike nature and ferocious abilities, we can also see a characteristic: their intelligence is actually not very high."

So, if we go up there, we just need to follow their peculiar nature and avoid a major fight. We'll see if we can rescue the target.

Fujimaru Ritsuka gave them a wink, trying to convey her unspoken message through her eyes.

The reason they didn't speak was because the footsteps were already loud.

"Yo ho ho~~ Outsiders have arrived! Ah, and they all seem quite formidable!"

A noisy commotion arose, and one after another, people with blue-gray outer shells, or rather, small ghosts, rushed out, carrying iron bars and frolicking.

Fujimaru Ritsuka twitched her lips. She wanted to speak first, but everyone was so disgusted by the scene before them that they couldn't say anything for a while.

These small ghosts... no, they shouldn't really be called ghosts yet, because they still retain a mostly human-like form.

The one leading the group was the old man who was dancing and entertaining on the second floor.

Its body was completely hunched over, its back unnaturally arched, like a hunchback. The layers of skin, heavily wrinkled, had turned a ghostly blue-gray. Coupled with the two small, grotesque horns that had sprung from its forehead, it looked nothing like a normal person.

However, it retains a human face, and its face does not seem to have completely lost its human appearance. Even its hands and feet have long and sharp nails on one half and the other half look like an ordinary person.

"...Old sir, we are the Chaldea group who just came up from the second floor to discuss something with Goto Yuuma and the others. What's going on with you?" Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke slowly, trying to test whether the other party still had any memories of the past, or had simply transformed into an alien.

The old man and the little devil hesitated for a moment, as if they had been touched on some strange question, and then spoke in a sharp voice: "Hmm? I'm fine! The team leader appointed me as the patrol team leader! Oh, I'm so happy. Even though I'm so bad at fighting, I still have a position. It seems to be a privilege I received when I was human."

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Sasagawa Yagokoro exchanged a glance, neither sensing anything amiss.

Even if it's due to being bewitched by ghosts or forcibly transformed, such confusion or distortion of memories is quite common in various events. Therefore, they probed again:

"Then why are you surrounding us with so many people?"

"Of course, it's to welcome our distinguished guests! Are you all confused? Didn't you say you were going to participate in our martial arts tournament and witness the birth of our new king?" The old ghost waved his spiked club in confusion, the whistling sound of which was enough to show that he had gained great power and was no longer as weak and powerless as he was in his old age.

Leaning on his spiked club, he chuckled wickedly: "Anyway, I've done a great job this time~ I can stay and watch the martial arts tournament later. So let's go, guest, I'll lead the way."

"Well, let's go then." Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't say much, but followed the old man's footsteps and walked up the mountain with his subordinates.

The ghosts that were transforming behind the old man saw this scene and seemed disappointed as they scattered and pushed each other to other places.

Observing everything discreetly, Fujimaru Ritsuka surveyed her surroundings.

It was so realistic. The appearance of the surrounding mountains and forests, the fresh mountain breeze blowing from the lush green forests—it was almost identical to the feeling of climbing a mountain in real life. But this made him even more curious: why did the Demon Cave completely mimic the situations that might occur in reality this time?

The only difference from reality was the dense mana in the surrounding environment, which made him feel out of place.

Taking advantage of the lull in the journey, he asked the old ghost who was focused on his path, "Excuse me, sir, where are we headed now?"

"Aren't you a distinguished guest here to participate in the martial arts tournament?" The old ghost almost turned his neck 180 degrees, his bloodshot eyes staring intently at him.

Those were venomous eyes, with almost all the whites of the eyes taking up the majority of the area, leaving only bean-shaped irises, filled with a sense of greed and hunger.

The old ghost stopped in his tracks, seemingly waiting for him to explain something. Perhaps if things went wrong, he would pounce on the fresh flesh in front of him, tear it to pieces, and then fill his restless stomach.

Ignoring the old ghost's strange movements, Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked his chin calmly. He was long past the stage of being afraid of horror movies. Rather, back in his childhood, to overcome any discomfort that might arise from tension, he had watched horror movies like "Sadako," "Ju-on," and "The Haunted Cop Shop" dozens of times, plus his morgue adventures, making him completely immune to even simple jump scares.

However, because he had a knife in his hand and was quite confident in his abilities, he deliberately remained silent for a while, teasing the evil thoughts of the demon before him, before finally speaking leisurely: "What kind of stupid nonsense are you spouting! We, the Chaldea, are the superiors of your East City Group, how could we not know? I'm asking you, where exactly are you planning to hold this event? You're such a waste! Can't you even understand this simple question?"

He even placed his hand on the hilt of the Red Dragon Cutter Muramasa's sword, and the aura of having slain a great monster instantly overflowed, the tangible pressure causing the old demon to tremble.

It cried out in agony, "Spare me, sir! I... I just don't know what I ate wrong, my mind is all muddled! Yes, I don't understand what you mean at all. We're going up to the platform at the top of the mountain to attend the banquet before the martial arts tournament."

"Hmph. You dare to talk back? I'll kill you in the next moment."

"It's 0..." The old ghost looked at him in alarm as he lowered his hand, then breathed a sigh of relief and slunk away as he led them upstairs.

"Boss, you're a bit of a bully, aren't you?" Sasagawa Yagokoro whispered to Fujimaru Ritsuka.

“Small demons, that’s how it is. They are easily controlled by larger demons and are weak themselves. But why would they naturally treat us as honored guests?” Fujimaru Ritsuka answered Sasagawa Yagokoro without turning her head, but she was secretly pondering to herself.

After briefly intimidating the old ghost, it unconsciously quickened its pace. Although it looked like a hunched old man, its steps were incredibly fast, almost matching the speed of a small car traveling in the city.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and his group were mostly superhumans, their physical abilities far surpassing those of ordinary humans, allowing them to easily keep up. Before long, they reached their destination.

At the summit of Mount Tanba lies a nearly open area offering panoramic views of the sea of ​​clouds flowing between the mountains, creating a serene and natural landscape with the distant forests. For hiking enthusiasts, this would be a wonderful experience.

However, looking at the current situation, it's no longer a pleasant experience.

At the summit sat groups of ghosts, some enormous, some diminutive. They drank rafts of wine and occasionally tore into roasted meat made from unknown prey. Here and there, a few beautiful, slender ghost women lay on the chests of the larger ghosts, laughing idly.

Some of the ghosts even got so drunk that they grabbed the ghost women next to them and did some shameful things that were against the rules of modern times. The ghosts watching just clapped and cheered, and then discussed when it would be their turn.

Most of the ghosts present only had a slight human appearance, having transformed into large or small demons. Only Goto Yuuma, who sat in the most honored position at the banquet, remained completely human.

He was trembling with fear but trying to remain calm as he clinked bowls with the large ghost beside him, continuously chugging down wine as if trying to numb his senses.

Only then did he notice Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others who had rushed over, and he gave them a look of desperation, like a bandit who had been beaten half to death by the hostages seeing the police.

Hmm... he was indeed almost dead from being fucked, because the ghost woman sitting next to him was being groping him and was about to tear his pants apart.

"Oh! Fujimaru Ritsuka-sama, you've arrived!" Itohori Yuuma hurriedly stood up, pulled up his trousers, and rushed over in a few quick steps. With a bitter face, he whispered, "If you hadn't come, I was afraid I would have died soon."

"Died of a sudden stroke?"

"Stop fooling around, Fujimaru-sama. That demon woman keeps saying that if we win, she'll pull out all my bones and soak them in wine."

Just as Itohori Yuuma was about to complain, a crimson hand almost the size of a human head slapped Itohori Yuuma's shoulder: "Hey, team leader~~ Why didn't you inform me, Sohara Yudai, that Chaldea's distinguished guests have arrived? I'm their good friend."

The red demon's sharp claws seemingly accidentally grazed Wu Hu Yuzhen's shoulder, drawing blood: "Ah? Haha, sorry, sorry. I say, team leader, how come you're still so weak! You're the slowest developing member in the team. If you don't get stronger soon, you'll be crushed when you go on stage. Then, we'll have no choice but to eat you. Come, let the distinguished guests sit down first, we'll go back and have a couple more drinks."

Fujimaru Ritsuka narrowed her eyes, then drew her sword without a word.

"Goo ...

The noisy scene immediately fell silent, and even some of the slapping sounds stopped.

Fujimaru Ritsuka listlessly brandished her sword, wiping away the blood: "I say, Mr. Sohara Yuta, friendship is friendship, and rules are rules. Don't interrupt when I'm talking to your team leader, or I'll have to reluctantly take action to punish you, you lowlife."

Zeng Yuanxiong covered his bleeding wound with his hand, his face flushed red: "You!"

"How did you do that! Such a fast knife! Such strength! I admit defeat!"

?

Fujimaru Ritsuka, the person involved, Goto Yuuma, and the enforcement team members behind them all had a big question mark on their faces.

Hey kid, what's wrong with you?

Fujimaru Ritsuka was already prepared to face a relentless attack; after all, the hostages were right in front of her, and she couldn't be easily dismissed with a single sentence. As for the observation mission... well, things would work themselves out. She could just find another one when she got back.

But his opponent's unpredictable behavior left him somewhat bewildered. However, looking at Yuta Sohara's expression of utter reverence, it was undeniably genuine. If he were acting, after a few years of honing his skills, he could easily be considered for an Oscar.

"Aren't you... in pain?"