Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

"It's practically a grand showcase of races from the 1.54 Cthulhu Mythos..." Fujimaru Ritsuka muttered as she slashed down a Shattrak that swooped down from the sky, "Too bad it doesn't have any phoenix feathers."

Kasumigaoka Utaha summoned a raging wind, which blew a ghoul-like shadowy monster into the sky, where it was then violently slammed back to the ground under Mother Earth's loving care.

She wiped the light beads of sweat from her forehead: "Fujimaru-kun, isn't something strange? How come that fat cat is completely unharmed? I think there's something wrong with it."

Indeed, the shadowy monster that pounced on him didn't attack Aki-nyan at all, as if it completely ignored him.

Anki-neko was so frightened by these words that she bristled: "Don't spread rumors, I'm not the real body, of course I can't be attacked, meow!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka reassured him, "Okay, don't worry, I won't take it to heart. Anyway, I've never completely trusted you."

"That hurts even more, meow." An Yi Meow drooped her ears and reluctantly led the way.

After unleashing several light blades and slaying the unsuspecting shadowy figure, Yukino Yukinoshita approached him with light steps and whispered, "Is this guy reliable?"

"It's alright. Anyway, this guy can't be the leader of the monsters. After all... monsters won't easily attack their own kind unless necessary."

Aki-neko stumbled as he was walking steadily, and looked back at Fujimaru Ritsuka in horror.

Fujimaru Ritsuka gave him a big smile, then gripped the hilt of Twilight Muramasa in her right hand, charged forward, and unleashed a lightning-fast Iai Slash.

Aki-nyan's tail pointed straight to the sky, and the blade with purple cloud patterns rested on its head, holding a heavy vajra that was about to be swung down.

Wind and lightning intertwined on the vajra, clashing with the flames of the twilight Muramasa, shining with an indelible spiritual light.

The elderly monk, trembling with his long, white beard, slowly said, "This old monk has only heard of Haiyin Temple. What do you mean by this, layman?"

He flew into a rage, glaring like a fierce warrior: "Why don't you let me kill this cave master in one go!"

"Meow meow meow?!" Anki suddenly retreated and hid behind Yukino Yukinoshita, then was immediately grabbed by the scruff of her neck and lifted up.

Anki-nyan immediately put on a well-behaved act, after all, what bad intentions could a little kitty like me have?

Haiyin Temple's Kongwen retracted his vajra, then glanced back. The shadowy monster that had rushed at him was easily shattered amidst a deafening roar of wind and thunder. He breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes sharp: "Does the layman know that the cave is a unique place born from extraordinary materials that suddenly appeared, a combination of places where spiritual energy surged and local legends abound. To kill the cave's master here..."

"It's impossible to break through, Master. Do you really think that guy would leave such a huge flaw after luring us all in?" Fujimaru Ritsuka tapped her golden pupils with her finger. "Whether you believe it or not, Master, I've already scouted it out. This guy has already been treated like a garbage dump by that person in the tower. In my eyes, this fat cat's connection to this cave is not much different from ours. So, please be lenient. We'll deal with the fat cat after we beat that guy in the tower to a pulp."

Seeing the displeasure on the monk Kaionji's face, Fujimaru Ritsuka added another factor: "Being able to withstand Aki Tomoya's side and beliefs, among the strange beings I know, it's most likely a [Doppelganger]. This guy might even harm Aki Tomoya during the confrontation. You see, let's just let it go."

"Hmph, since that's how it is... you beast!" Several more shadowy monsters pounced around Haiyin Temple Kongwen, and he angrily turned around to attack.

Fujimaru Ritsuka gestured for everyone to leave quickly.

After walking a distance, An Yi Miao couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly: "Since you figured it out, I'm not going to act anymore—actually, I'm not that good, so please don't cut me up."

Fujimaru Ritsuka glared at the fat cat pawing at her thigh and swatted it away impatiently: "Isn't that obvious? As a supernatural being, a doppelganger can absorb the energy of its counterpart and torture them to death. But whether the guy on top is even human is another matter. You've become a garbage can for him to vent his emotions and longings; don't I know how useless you are?"

Aki-neko, her eyes brimming with tears, exclaimed, "So, Fujimaru-sama was just giving that old man a way out? Ah! As expected of you! I will follow you forever!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka picked it up with a look of disgust and tossed it forward: "Stop talking nonsense, just put away your little schemes and lead the way! Don't think I didn't notice you took the long way around!!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka had only casually tricked Aki-neko, but unexpectedly, Aki-neko, who had been gracefully spinning in the air, lost its balance and crashed straight to the ground with a thud.

So you really did have this plan?

Feeling the death stare from behind, Aki-neko obediently scrambled to her feet: "How dare I! Sir, this way! We'll be there right away! We're going to take down that guy who's interfering with our peace and quiet!"

Yukino Yukinoshita made a gesture to Ritsuka Fujimaru, drawing her thumb across her neck. Ritsuka Fujimaru shook her head, feeling that Yukinoshita had also gone astray.

In this chaotic world, I'm the only innocent and kind person left!

Following behind An Yi Miao's wiggling butt, they soon arrived at the edge of the large lake. The deep green water was serene and turbulent. The bubbling surface made them absolutely unwilling to go into the water. However, the tower in the center of the lake was nearly a hundred meters away from the shore.

Fujimaru Ritsuka struck a pose befitting an old-school imperialist, raising her chin at Aki-neko.

Anki-neighed and bowed, then raised her head and meowed loudly, "Meow meow meow~"

The sound was as irritating as a female cat in heat in spring.

After a call, cats of various colors appeared in the open space around the lake and on the ruins of the remaining temple.

They meowed incessantly, asking the elder cat why it had summoned them.

Aki-neko declared with high spirits: "To uphold love and justice, everyone, let's build a bridge for each other."

The three onlookers: ?

"Okay, meow!" "Coming, meow!" "Remember to sleep with me this time, Elder Meow! You still owe me five times, don't try to renege on your debt."

!

Wow, so you actually sell your body? I thought you relied on your prestige.

An Yi Miao coughed awkwardly: "What are you saying! Didn't we agree to wait until tomorrow? Hurry up and get moving."

"Okay, meow!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others were wondering what these cats, who couldn't lift a finger, could do, when they saw them standing on the ruins with their eyes closed.

The remaining stones and foundation stones of the temple trembled and shook, slowly breaking free from the earth's constraints, rising gently, and then crashing heavily onto the lakeside.

The deep lake water made a squeaking sound as it came into contact with the stone, seemingly eroding it. But the temple's building materials gleamed with a faint golden light, making the erosion seem incredibly slow.

"That's right, it really works. As the city center, the temple represents the most positive forces in the subconscious, and its materials are of the highest quality. Even on nights with reversed energy, it's still effective." Anki-neko shouted loudly, beaming, and instructed her subordinates on how to place the stones. "Come on, another one over here. Wait, we don't need that one anymore, put a stone forward..."

Under its erratic movements, the scene was slightly chaotic, but generally proceeded in an orderly manner. About ten minutes later, a simple stone bridge leading to the center of the lake had been built.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others were not idle either. After easily dealing with the shadowy monsters that appeared every minute or two, they also tried to rest and prepare to face someone on the stone tower.

Seeing that the stone bridge was built, Aki-neko dismissed the other cats, wiping imaginary sweat from her forehead: "I haven't failed you. Well then, I'll go first..."

Before I could finish speaking, it was lifted up again in the familiar position.

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled kindly: "Don't rush off, let's go see your Primarch together and have a chat."

"Let me go, let me go!" Accompanied by the pitiful meows of a cat, the three stepped onto the stone bridge.

36. The Shadow of the Slothful God, the Diligent Chaldea

As they crossed the stone bridge and stepped into the stone-carved, alien Tokyo Tower, many people in the city were still struggling to reach the city center.

"Pah, this is never going to end." Sasagawa Yagokoi unleashed a torrent of bullets from his magazine, riddling the massive Kug Giant in front of him with bullets. He took the bandages handed to him by his teammates and began to bandage the wound on his thigh. He had been unable to dodge in time and had been slashed on the right leg by a swooping Shattrath.

"Hahaha, serves you right for not running naked with us! Now you're suffering!" The Russian teammate patted his shoulder forcefully, only to be met with a disdainful look.

"Stop talking nonsense. Right now, it's all about going it alone. Teammates are just buff machines and medkits."

His Russian teammate playfully elbowed him, saying, "Go tell that to that girl over there, and see if she'll still give you the buff later?"

Sasagawa Yagokoro glanced over and saw Matsudaira Shinji wielding a naginata, hacking a mindless ghoul to pieces. He couldn't help but shudder—even if he had eight times the courage, he wouldn't dare say such a thing to him. Even if the other man didn't possess any decent healing or status-enhancing Shinto magic, that brutal naginata was far beyond what his thin arms and legs could handle.

Matsudaira Mako breathed a sigh of relief, holding the naginata upside down, and resumed his serene and peaceful Shintoist demeanor. He asked Sasagawa Yagokoro, "Mr. Sasagawa, how are the Chaldea members you mentioned earlier doing? I hope they can get there first to delay the ceremony."

After the Chaldea members left, Sasagawa Yagokoro still managed to defeat the attacking shadowy monsters, successfully reuniting with her former teammates and finding Matsudaira Mako and the others, forming an even larger team. Although they jokingly called the shrine maidens of Higashino's Uesugi Shrine melee mages, their buffs were still quite effective. Plus, Sasagawa Yagokoro and her group had some mana-restoring items and potions, so everyone used what they needed.

Sasagawa Yagokoro shrugged with a wry smile: "I don't know either, but based on the current situation, it will take us at least another hour to get there. If the Chaldea members aren't up to par, it might be too late."

Matsudaira Mako nodded, hoping things would turn out well. She looked up at the dark, cloud-covered night sky, her heart filled with worry.

Boom!

No lightning flashed across the night sky, yet a series of thunderless roars echoed. The dense, dark clouds, as if driven away by an invisible hand, dispersed. The clear night sky revealed its true form; the bright moon was now only a fragmented shape. The stars, which should have been obscured by the bright moonlight, unusually displayed their grandeur. Strange echoes reverberated between the illusory mountains that embraced the city, like a storm raging among ancient rocks. Yet, there was not a breath of wind in the air; even the lingering smells of gunpowder smoke from the battle and the pungent stench of the strange bodily fluids from slaying the shadowy monster remained.

"...We have to move forward quickly, this is like a sign that the ritual is about to begin." Matsudaira Mako's spiritual senses as a shrine maiden were frantically warning her, like feeling the oppressive force of a colossal creature rising from the deep sea, triggering the fear buried deep in the ancient genes of humankind time and time again.

Hearing the warning, the crowd, still not fully rested, dared not delay and forced themselves to move forward. Meanwhile, in other parts of the city, many others quickened their pace.

-------------------------------------

"Hurry up, meow! The night sky is clear and cloudless now. That guy must have used weather manipulation. At this rate, all the elements for the ritual will be ready soon—a towering stone tower in a wide-open space, a clear, cloudless sky. If he manages to get the right beacon offerings, the [Yog-Sothoth Summoning Ritual] can begin soon." Aki-nyan, perched on Fujimaru Ritsuka's shoulder, glanced back at the sky and nervously gripped Fujimaru Ritsuka's right shoulder with its paw.

"If you're in such a hurry, why don't you just leap to the top of the tower yourself? Or come down and walk!" Fujimaru Ritsuka replied irritably, while casually supporting Kasumigaoka Utaha's thigh with her hand, and continued sprinting up the steps of Tokyo Tower.

"Oh my, Fujimaru-kun is such a pervert~ Does he always grope people before the battle starts?" Kasumigaoka Utaha exclaimed, leaning on Fujimaru Ritsuka's left shoulder.

Although it is indeed quite comfortable to have something soft and fluffy behind me, I did it to prevent you from falling!

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes sharpened again. Please stop talking!

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed. Although neither his individual agility nor that of Murasaki Shikibu and Senji Muramasa was high, at least Senji Muramasa had an A-rank endurance. In terms of stamina, he had an absolute advantage over Meltlilith, so in order to preserve his fighting strength, he had no choice but to carry Kasumigaoka Utaha uphill.

That damned Tomoya Aki turned the entire Tokyo Tower into stone, rendering the elevators completely unusable. Now you have to climb to the 450-meter-high platform on foot.

While enjoying the unexpected back massage, Fujimaru Ritsuka was also a little confused, pondering Aki Tomoya's intentions. They had now left the first observation deck 150 meters away and continued up the stairs. They had expected to encounter an ambush at the first observation deck, but their previous careful maneuvers had been completely in vain.

"Instead of using piecemeal tactics to delay the enemy, you're concentrating your efforts on a final defensive maneuver? If that's what you're thinking, you're sorely mistaken, Aki Tomoya!" Fujimaru Ritsuka came to a somewhat unreliable conclusion for the time being, leaving her doubts to herself.

The 100-meter staircase ends in an instant, and you can already see the crystal-clear night sky at the top of the stairs.

Yukino Yukinoshita stopped staring at Ritsuka Fujimaru. She pushed off with her feet, unleashing A+ agility, and transformed into an indistinct phantom, sweeping towards the entrance with a whirlwind, wanting to clear out the minefield first.

Two jet-black whip-like shadows lashed out like venomous snakes. They were two fleshy, protruding structures, like pseudopodia on crawling, writhing amorphous cells, but with countless tiny mouths covered in sharp teeth.

The air that the pseudopods passed through left behind chilling white vapor trails, highlighting their frigid temperatures.

Yukino, still suspended in mid-air, remained unperturbed. Like a swan twirling in the air, she gracefully flipped over, her sword-like feet carrying blades of light, forcing the false feet back.

The sharp blades failed to tear through the pseudo-foot's skin, but instead forced them to retreat continuously, their momentum relentlessly hurtling towards the pseudo-foot's owner.

The figure, dressed in the armor of an ancient warrior, silently drew his katana and blocked the incoming blade of light, but was still forced to retreat, his feet leaving long, corrosive black marks on the ground.

Fujimaru Ritsuka leaped up and stood at the top of the stairs with Kasumigaoka Utaha and Yukino in her arms.

"Clap clap clap." A crisp clapping sound rang out, and a certain madman spoke in a maniacal voice, "Alas, even Nyarlathotep's avatar, the Shadow of Evil, was defeated in the contest. In the end, it was the lazy good-for-nothings of the Special Affairs Bureau who dragged it down. But as expected of you, diligent Desu!"

37. The Clown Was Actually Me

Tokyo Tower, once the tallest building in Tokyo, remains a landmark even though it has been superseded by Tokyo Skytree. The typical second observation deck is actually quite small, only a few dozen square meters. It was originally a warehouse or workshop, but was later renovated and fitted with outward-extending transparent glass windows, offering a panoramic view of the entire city of Tokyo.

The second watchtower has been completely transformed – the surrounding windows have long since disappeared, and the spire above it has been demolished and replaced with a platform extending outwards from the first watchtower. The entire second watchtower has become a high platform of several hundred square meters, similar in size to the first watchtower, with a stone altar in the center surrounded by a ring of stone tablets of varying heights.

The monster that had attacked Yukino Yukinoshita had retreated to the side of the altar, clad in traditional Japanese samurai armor. The areas not covered by the armor—head, hands, and feet—were deep, dark, writhing shadows. Crimson blood dripped continuously from the armor and the samurai sword, corroding the ground and creating small pits.

On the altar, an elderly man who had fallen into a coma was hanging upside down on a wooden frame, next to the corpse of a middle-aged man whose head was reduced to just below the nose.

Meanwhile, Aki Tomoya stood on the altar, welcoming the uninvited guests: "Welcome, everyone. It is truly an honor for me..."

At this moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka raised three fingers on her left hand behind her back and swung it down forcefully.

"Otil the Demon Who Tempted the Prince!"