Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

"Of course it hurts! But you're strong enough, so there's nothing more to say!" Zeng Yuanxiong lowered his head and then spat out flames from his large mouth full of sharp teeth.

With the sizzling sound of roasting meat and the strange aroma of meat filling the air, the bleeding stopped. Only then did it raise its head and give a thumbs-up with its remaining hand: "We, as long as you are strong enough, then there's nothing more to say. We originally thought that the group leader was only admitting to being a Chaldean guest because he was weak, but we didn't expect him to be so strong. You know, there are no rules of hierarchy among demons; only the strong have privileges."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly asked, "But haven't we always been this strong? You know, that's why Chaldea became the superior organization of your Tojo Clan."

"Ugh... That was something I witnessed when I was human, so I don't remember it very clearly."

"But didn't you say that when you led us upstairs? You still remember going on missions with us."

“Upstairs? Upstairs what? Haven’t we always been in Oeyama? There’s no building here.” Zeng Yuanxiong scratched his head, the sharp nails scraping against the tough skin on his head, making a teeth-grinding sound.

"...Alright. Go play by yourself over there. There aren't any rules anyway. I'll talk to your group leader."

"Oh!" Zeng Yuanxiong didn't say a word, picked up the wine jar and ran to the side excitedly, pulling the other ghosts to drink together.

Fujimaru Ritsuka then turned to Goto Yuuma and asked, "Now that we're here, you should understand that the problem isn't too serious. Tell me, what's been going on lately?"

Then, Yoshima Itto let out a long sigh and began to recount his experiences.

In short, it's about the recent Chiba incident, where his former leader and young master, for some reason, decided to join the Dead Apostles and were utterly defeated. Yuuma Itto, a friendly figure with extensive contact with Chaldea, voluntarily stepped in to oversee the situation. Despite his martial arts background, he deeply understands the future direction of the East City Group and therefore strongly supports factions within the group specializing in business and communications.

Although the militant faction might have some complaints, Goto Yuuma was confident and didn't care at all. But at this time, changes had already begun.

From that day on, he discovered that the East City Gang's martial arts club was slowly becoming more indulgent, constantly organizing internal combat training, and then going on a crazy spree of banquets and womanizing.

However, these guys still didn't do anything illegal, so Itohori Yuuma turned a blind eye. But things got stranger and stranger. This trend gradually swept through everyone left at headquarters, and even some non-fighting people joined in. Itohori Yuuma then realized something was wrong and began to observe carefully.

Then he realized things weren't going well—no matter how crazy someone is, they wouldn't demolish the second-floor quiet room without permission. But just as he was about to contact Chaldea, the strange events of the day began.

"Actually... if you really want to say something, they're not entirely like the demons in the legends. Although they're belligerent, love banquets, and indulge their appetite and lust, they're subtly harmless..." Itohori Yuuma shook his head uncertainly, feeling a bit unreal.

"Is it because you're still a human being sitting in the same spot, yet you're not being persecuted at all, that you feel this way?"

"Pretty much." Yuuma Itohori was a little embarrassed when he said this. He had prepared himself to die when he found himself sitting next to a group of big demons, but he was just dragged into drinking and tasting grilled meat.

"Oh dear, you're absolutely right, young man. We're completely harmless."

Everything around suddenly fell silent, and then one by one the ghosts collapsed to the ground. Even Goto Yuuma couldn't maintain his troubled and strange expression, and instead collapsed to the ground in a daze.

The thuds echoed one after another, even coming from behind Fujimaru Ritsuka. But he remained standing, staring at what lay before him as if facing a formidable enemy.

The pink mist had already spread without anyone noticing, and if you stuck out your tongue to lick it, you should still be able to taste the sweetness and pungent flavor.

The culprit behind the anomaly slowly emerged from the ground. She poured fine wine into a large saucer and sipped it slowly: "Ah~~ It's been so long since I've had such delicious wine... Hmm, no, that's not right. It shouldn't be that I haven't had it for a long time, it's just the memory of myself, hehehe."

Her laughter was so charming and alluring that it could make countless men fall at her feet, only wishing that she would gently step on them with her little feet.

But Fujimaru Ritsuka simply took a deep breath: "Shuten-dōji? Was it you who did this?"

Wearing clothes that barely covered his genitals, Shuten-dōji shook his head in dissatisfaction: "No way~~ Why would I have time to play tricks~"

She walked over without any hesitation, raising her slender fingers almost provocatively to touch Fujimaru Ritsuka's face: "Master, your eyes are so sharp, why don't you look at me?"

The Count of Monte Cristo's steely resolve allowed Fujimaru Ritsuka to barely maintain his composure amidst the alcoholic mist brought on by Shuten-dōji's appearance. However, he made no attempt to dodge the hand extended towards him.

There was absolutely no malice involved, and even Shuten-dōji, in this situation, actually evoked a sense of nostalgia in him. Therefore, he decided to take a gamble—though it wasn't really a gamble, since he could activate his Noble Phantasm at the crucial moment, and even if the opponent really wanted to harm him, he could still escape.

His hand had already touched his face, but Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't feel any contact at all. A sudden realization flashed through his mind, and then he opened his golden Eye of Karma.

Amidst the other's chuckling laughter, he scanned her up and down, eliciting a flirtatious glance from Shuten-dōji: "Oh dear, my lord is quite the lecher. That look in your eyes is as if you want to see right through me, inside and out. What sharp eyes you have."

"Stop fooling around! Aren't you see-through inside and out?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka's meaning was naturally not about Shuten-dōji's indecent clothing, but rather about her state—the Shuten-dōji before her was neither human nor demon, but a phantom.

She was like a phenomenon summoned by the mountains beneath her feet, seemingly unrelated to anything other than the alcohol mist.

"As expected of the master~ His eyesight is excellent!" Shuten-dōji stroked his glistening lips with his fingers, full of regret. "If only I were still here, I could have eaten the master."

"You're lusting after my body? You're so shameless."

"Hmph~~ Still so bold. Never mind, the only reason I showed up was because I couldn't stand it anymore, sir. Why are you so stupid now? Is it because you have power that you like to act recklessly?" Shuten-dōji said with a tone of exasperation.

"Oh~~ I wonder what advice you have?"

"Of course! Who told that old woman to try and play these tricks on Mount Ooe? I've had enough of her for a long time! I'll expose all her little tricks and make her cry her eyes out with her pillow!" Shuten-dōji rubbed his fists together, full of energy.

They chatted for a long time amidst the pinkish mist of wine, before Shuten-dōji disappeared into the air in a sweet voice.

Fujimaru Ritsuka thought for a moment, then said to Sasagawa Yagokoro, who was the first to get up as a superhuman, "You're awake. The surgery was a success."

"I really can't flatter you when you're using overused jokes, unless it's the boss!"

"Achuan is really strict."

197. After all, I'm not a devil (5k)

"What's wrong with these guys?" Sasagawa Yagoko kicked the guys lying on the ground; they were as heavy as corpses.

Most of the execution team members had woken up, except for the Tojo Clan members, including Yuuma Itto... well, the humans and demons were still fast asleep. Each of them had a rosy complexion, as if they were having a sweet dream. Especially those few who were lined up together, enough for all sorts of doujinshi, were laughing even more unrestrainedly.

"What's going on with these guys?" Sasagawa Yagokoro also looked bewildered.

One second they were wondering what these ghosts were up to, the next they woke up to a scene of corpses strewn everywhere. They even started to wonder if their boss had suddenly switched sides to another dimension, donned a Shinigami uniform, become the Origin God, and started with a Bankai.

"How should I explain this? Originally, these guys were just elite monsters and grunts left for you to use for reconstruction. After all, we arrived early, so we didn't have to worry about them being overly strengthened. Unfortunately, the legend chosen for this Demon Cave is a bit subtle, which alarmed a certain guy with a nasty personality." Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression was extremely strange, and her captivating and charming laughter was so sweet it went straight to the bone.

The legend of Shuten-dōji has a complex origin. Some say she was a Buddhist or divine being who fell into demonhood, while others say she was originally the Great God of Ibuki Mountain, a descendant of Yamata no Orochi. Naturally, she had both demonic and divine aspects, so it's not surprising that she became a demon.

Therefore, to some extent, Shuten-dōji and the Ōeyama mountain she occupied were inextricably linked, and in a sense, she could even be regarded as the mountain god of Tanba Mountain.

While this world lacks both an awakened Shuten-dōji and the person herself, according to her, some remnants still exist. Therefore, when the Demon Cave, the dream world of Tanba Mountain, and the attempt to turn the Tojo Clan members into demons reappear, her reappearance naturally becomes possible.

Although it has no physical form and not much ability to interfere with reality, it's still not a big problem to treat everyone to a good drink, especially a good drink that can get the demons drunk.

But Shuten-dōji knew perfectly well that the group in front of him was completely unable to stop Fujimaru Ritsuka. The reason he made everyone drunk and asleep was simply to create some space where they could whisper to each other.

"It's also a test, you know. If you can't even pass such a simple test, then don't even think about rebelling. I've always felt that while a foolish hero is certainly enticing, it's still uncomfortable to let someone you know die." The charming little oni took a final swig of wine and then vanished without a trace, like a reflection of the moon in the water.

After thinking for a moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed and said, "Sasagawa Yagokoro, grab Itohori Yuuma and then prepare to run."

"Ok?"

“A friend of mine is planning to give me a big gift. Oh, by the way, have your team catch a few guys who don’t look too different and might be salvageable.”

“Boss, I have a feeling it’s a girl.”

"Stop wasting time! Charge!"

Sasagawa Yagokoro was still a bit stunned. Didn't you say you were going to come in and observe something? What the hell?!

The ground began to shake slightly, and he realized something was wrong. Without saying a word, he grabbed the still unconscious Yuuma Goto and carried him on his shoulder. The other team members who had the strength also grabbed a few more people, and the group quickly ran down the mountain.

Everyone broke out in a sweat, no longer daring to delay. This situation was all too familiar to the residents of Japan. As they ran down the mountain, birds took flight in panic from the forest, and wild beasts fled in disarray. Although they didn't understand why this hellish place had gone to such lengths to create such a complete ecosystem, the signs were unmistakable—an earthquake was coming.

The shaking of Mount Tanba started slowly, but as they ran downhill, the intensity of the tremors increased until the rocks split open, tearing Mount Tanba into pieces with breathtaking ravines. Lava even began to slowly gush out.

"Talismans! Items!" Sasagawa Yagokoro shouted decisively.

Without a word, a member of the execution team threw out a talisman written by the Onmyoji. A gentle breeze wrapped around everyone's feet, turning their running momentum into gliding. As a fishbowl-like object was crushed, everyone, including the one being carried, had something like a transparent bubble covering their heads, allowing them to breathe.

A volcanic eruption, with its scorching lava and earthquake-induced rock fissures, is merely the beginning. The real danger lies in the volcanic ash ejected into the sky. Heated by intense heat and then cooled, it transforms into tiny, glass-like particles. When inhaled, these seemingly harmless ash particles cut open the lungs and respiratory tract, filling them and causing excruciating pain before suffocation.

The execution team's response was perfect, and Fujimaru Ritsuka was very pleased that her subordinates were now fully automated. Fully automated is great; I, the boss, can sit and do nothing while you all do the work. Fantastic.

Amidst the deafening roar of heaven and earth and the cacophony of all things groaning in despair, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others had arrived at the foot of the mountain, at the spot where they had originally entered. From this vantage point, everyone could sense the possibility of leaving.

Especially when the mountain collapsed and the ground beneath their feet was about to crumble, they felt that with just a little effort, they could return to the present world.

However, no one left immediately; instead, they stood there, watching the scene before them.

"Is this what you called the wrath of heaven and earth that Shuten-dōji spoke of?" Fujimaru Ritsuka murmured to herself, recalling Shuten-dōji's words.

She said that before leaving, she wanted to give the old man some new experiences, to see what a small-scale natural disaster looks like, and to think about whether it was possible to face the embodiment of a natural disaster.

"Hmph, although I really want to persuade you to back down, my lord doesn't seem like someone who can listen to advice. So feel it, and then turn the feeling at this moment into the power to defeat that old woman."

"Boss, it's time to go."

Sasagawa Yagokoro's reminder brought Fujimaru Ritsuka back to his senses, and he nodded: "It's time to go."

The Crimson Dragon Cutter, Muramasa's blade glowing with an eerie red light, tore open a rift to the mortal world as easily as a hot knife through butter. At Fujimaru Ritsuka's prompting, they crossed the rift and returned to that place.

Before parting, Fujimaru Ritsuka took a deep look at Tanbayama, then stepped across the rift without looking back.

The Demon Cave descended into irreversible destruction; heaven and earth, and even space itself, resembled a shoddy product, revealing cracks in the glass. The screams of intensely heat-resistant red demons seemed to echo in the wind, but no one cared anymore. After a certain point in time, everything fell into eternal nothingness.

After crossing the crevice, Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't say much. He instructed a few of the officers to bring over the people who remained inside the building, and then waited with a gloomy face.

Many of the people who arrived later were still clearly not normal, some even looking at the demonized figure on the ground with envy. Then, they were given a severe beating.

Without any questioning or communication, Fujimaru Ritsuka simply kept punching them in the face, and she didn't stop even when the execution team brought back a few more normal Tojo Clan members.

Every punch landed with flesh, blood and sweat splattered, and even the bones were deliberately left unbroken, only maintaining a slight fracture. Fujimaru Ritsuka beat up the abnormal guys present for almost two whole hours.

Only then did he let out a slight sigh of relief and shake his hands.

Sasagawa Yagokoro was extremely cautious, barely daring to breathe, and had no idea what Fujimaru Ritsuka was doing.

"Sasagawa, what are you guys standing there for? I'm feeling a bit better, but I'm also getting bored, so it's your turn."

"What...what's our turn to be..." Sasagawa Yagokoro had a vague guess, but it still seemed unbelievable.

"The ones I just beat up, hang them all up and then beat them. You can't stop until I tell you to. Don't beat them too badly so they don't die. If you really go too far, use some healing spells."

"What about the new batch that's normal?"

"Everyone stand against the wall and watch. Anyone who dares to leave will be hung up by me."

Okay... you're the boss, whatever you say goes.

With a melancholy expression, Sasagawa Yagokoro and his underlings pulled up one human stake after another and began grinding their boxing proficiency.

Fujimaru Ritsuka sat cross-legged on a recliner on the third floor, calmly surveying her surroundings. She then observed the expressions of the onlookers—most of them felt a sense of sympathy for their kind, and some were even indignant that their friends and family had been beaten, yet dared not speak out.

Only two of them showed expressions of admiration and envy.

"Oh, right, Sasagawa Yagokoro~"

"Ah, what's wrong, boss?" Sasagawa Yagokoro turned to instruct his underlings to continue hanging people up, then looked at the man and woman Fujimaru Ritsuka was pointing at, "Their names are..."

"I don't need to know their names. I mean you missed these two. Hang them up too."

?

The two were terrified, but escape was impossible at this point. They could only struggle and shout "Ya mero!" before being hung up.