Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

"Father!"

The samurai's helmet, pierced through the chest, fell off, revealing a head of silver-white hair. He was already seventy years old.

The elderly superhuman pulled his family crest from his robes and placed it in the young warrior's hand. "Forward! Forward! Forward..."

The young warrior watched his father's pupils gradually dilate, then gently put him down, tucked the family crest into his pocket, mounted the warhorse whose hooves his father was still neighing, and charged toward the endless demons ahead.

"Forward! Forward!" he roared as he launched his final charge. In just half a minute, his figure was swallowed up by the demons and never to be seen again.

A priestess chanting kagura while casting a spell not far from the front lines was suddenly confronted by a monster formed from smoke. The monster pierced her heart with a grotesque dagger.

Although Yanluo was killed the next second, the priestess was beyond saving.

Her companions could only place her on the ground with tears in their eyes and grit their teeth to continue casting the spell.

She gazed unsteadily at the dark, gloomy sky above, her thoughts drifting to her lover who was still fighting on the front lines.

The two had known each other since childhood, but she was just a shrine maiden serving the gods, an orphan. Her partner, on the other hand, was a descendant of a famous sumo family and a genius sumo wrestler.

She had originally planned to persuade his family after the battle so that she could marry him...

"Let my last bit of psychic energy accompany him." The priestess closed her eyes, and her remaining psychic energy transformed into a beam of light that flew towards the front lines of the battlefield.

A young sumo wrestler, tall and strong but not at all bulky, with even a hint of abdominal muscle definition, unleashed a powerful gust of wind with a single palm strike, blowing away seven or eight small monsters.

Then he raised one foot high and slammed it into the ground, causing the ground to shake violently and immobilizing the giant bull-headed spider monster in front of him. Then he charged forward, thrust his arm, flipped, raised it high, and smashed it down!

"Boom!" A large crater appeared in the ground, and the Black Iron 5-star peak bull demon was finally killed.

In the process of killing this bull demon, three people died on this side, and the young sumo wrestler from the Yokota family was also panting heavily, with very little spiritual energy left.

Suddenly, a beam of psychic energy descended from the sky and landed on his shoulder, transforming into a red magatama.

Yokota, the sumo wrestler, had mostly recovered from his injuries, and his psionic energy had returned to about 80%. But he couldn't be happy. He stood there, stunned, as if he could hear his lover's voice amidst the whistling wind...

As everyone watched Yokota's retreating figure, still marveling at the young man's talent, they noticed his massive body trembling slightly.

Yokota, his back to the others, was already in tears. He wiped away his tears, ignoring the shouts of his comrades behind him, and charged towards the demon's lair further ahead...

Although the superhumans continued their advance, the casualties were too great.

In every corner of the battlefield, tragic deaths were unfolding.

The upper class of Japan is conservative and outdated, but the extraordinary individuals in the lower class suffer heavy casualties in order to ensure the survival of the country and to pave the way forward.

On the giant aerial chariot, Chika was observing the battlefield through the Yata Mirror.

She saw that the bronze-level adults were desperately entangled with the three bronze-level demons.

The battle between the Bronze Realm experts was inconclusive for the time being. In order to prevent the Bronze Demons from causing incalculable damage to the army of superhumans, two or even three times the number of Bronze superhumans were needed to hold them back.

Even with the remaining Bronze Saints helping to cut down and kill the demons, the progress of the Superhumans was slowing down, and casualties were increasing.

Chika stared blankly at the poignant deaths displayed in the mirror... Her hands were clenched tightly, and the blue veins on the back of her fair hands were almost bulging.

If she were to use the Three Sacred Treasures, or even just one of them, she could minimize casualties and clear the path to Mount Fuji.

But she couldn't. The power of the Three Sacred Treasures was limited; they could only be activated once in a short time and had to be reserved for the possible resurrection of Yamata no Orochi.

But the deaths and injuries before her eyes were like a knife stuck in her heart, constantly reminding her of this excruciating pain.

……

"Sigh! I really can't just stand by and watch," Zhao Hao sighed as he secretly observed the battle.

Originally, he wanted to deplete the power of the Japanese superhumans as much as possible, and only take action himself if necessary.

This approach serves two purposes: firstly, it underscores the game's importance and elevates its status; secondly, it creates more space for its players to thrive, facilitating the game's rise in popularity in Japan.

However, Zhao Hao was not the kind of true ruthless hero who regarded human life as dirt and believed that the success of one general was built on the bones of thousands.

He couldn't bear to watch these fighting men die in vain, when he could have saved them...

Did those who died not have relatives, friends, or lovers?

Behind every dead person are countless cries of grief.

If you have the chance to save them, are you going to watch them die for your own purposes?

They didn't die by his own hand, but Zhao Hao was still upset.

Perhaps everyone would make different choices in this situation, but he decided to take action.

"I can't become that kind of person! The kind of person I despise the most!"

"Boom!" The ground behind the demon camp suddenly collapsed, covering an area the size of half a football field.

Two or three hundred flightless monsters fell into the ground and were crushed into a pulp by the moving earth and rocks.

Meanwhile, the Stone Demon Mountain, its body dripping with demon blood, emerged from the ground. Its two hands transformed into two meteor hammers, sweeping across the center of the demons! Vast numbers of demons were reduced to blood and gore!

The sudden appearance of bronze-level combat power caught the demons off guard.

Why is this bronze-level earth-attribute yokai fighting its own kind? Could it be a shikigami from some Onmyoji?

On the other side, many demons began to scream as they melted into the liquid beneath their feet.

The small thing softened into a large puddle of liquid, enough to cover an entire football field. All the monsters that came into contact with it were melted and absorbed by it.

Zhao Hao, riding a crane, arrived from the horizon and landed on the carriage where Qian Ge was.

"Your Highness, I've arrived."

"Lord Yasuo!"

"Please forgive my lateness."

"No, you've come at the perfect time. In Kyoto, many lords are holding the Black Mountain Lord Festival, which will break through this miasma veil and suppress the rampant demons," Chika said excitedly.

That's good. It turns out the remaining bronze was used for a large ceremony in the back; that explained why there were so many missing people.

Yes, back when facing the Lord of Lava, Ame also chose a large-scale ritual to suppress the enemy's power.

"Alright, I will lead the charge!"

Before Qian Ge could continue, Zhao Hao jumped off the carriage and flew towards the front line.

He paused mid-flight, then suddenly stopped in his tracks: Wait? The Black Mountain Lord's Sacrifice? Are you sure you're not mistaken? Who are you sacrificing to? The Black Mountain Demon?

Chapter 456 The Sacrifice of the Black Mountain Lord

Zhao Hao was completely bewildered.

He did know that in Japan, especially in Shintoism, there was a long-standing tradition of worshipping and believing in Taishan Fujun.

The famous Mount Tai Lord Festival can even be seen in anime.

After all, the Lord of Mount Tai was the first ruler of the underworld in the Celestial Empire, and his influence over Japan was profound.

But what is the situation with the Black Mountain Lord Festival?

You guys can't pull any tricks at this crucial moment!

Zhao Hao suspected that the Japanese might be repeating their old habits. They always seem to resort to reckless tactics at the last minute, betting everything on the nation's fate.

But you're worshipping the Lord of Black Mountain... could it be the Black Mountain Demon? How can that be?

However, that's not actually the case.

The Black Mountain Lord Festival is a secret ritual that has been passed down within the Japanese imperial family for over a thousand years.

Legend has it that this Lord of Black Mountain once wiped out all demons in the underworld and reshaped the rules of the underworld, making him an existence of immense power.

Strangely, however, there are very few records of this being in the world, both inside and outside.

The only information circulating among the people is about the Demon Messenger in Hokkaido.

That group of oddballs who claim their ancestors came from the moon do indeed have a long history, but their origins are unknown.

In their clan's records, there was once a very powerful magic-powered mech called "Mantis Shrimp," which is said to have a close relationship with the Black Mountain Lord.

These are the folk records about the Black Mountain Lord. However, the Japanese imperial family has more legends, saying that the Black Mountain Lord wielded a sword of light to vanquish the demons of the underworld and even married a goddess of the underworld... We don't know if it's true or not.

However, regardless of who this "Lord of Black Mountain" is or whether he is a demon god, it is enough that the sacrifices are effective.

To date, Japan has only held this event in secret three times, and each time it has helped Japan overcome its difficulties.

This was a last resort, forcing the Emperor, who doesn't have many days left to live, to preside over the ceremony...

That's right, this thing requires the Emperor to preside over the ceremony, and all the attendants are Bronze Saints, including more than a dozen Bronze Saints such as Tsuchimikado Sensaki.

……

Zhao Hao couldn't care less about the Lord of the Underworld anymore. He glided through the air like a bird and arrived above the monster's territory.

Looking down, a massive number of monsters crashed against the "reef" of the superhuman stronghold like a black tide. And this reef still had to stretch out into the sea of ​​monsters.

Many yokai can fly, not to mention cursed spirits.

Many lowly cursed spirits are born like flying insects, able to float in mid-air; flying is purely instinctive for them. However, this changes later on. Many become more powerful but also solidify their form, losing their ability to fly.

Seeing Zhao Hao swaggering above their position, the monsters could not tolerate it.

In less than ten seconds, a giant "cursed spirit egg" made up of various small cursed spirits, each five or six meters in diameter, rushed over.

That's how cursed spirits evolve—they devour each other, or consume negative emotions, to progress to the next stage. So, given a suitable environment, these cursed spirits will gather together, forming a terrifying force.

Not only this cluster of spirit eggs, but also several fully formed flying spirits behind it.

A bird-shaped cursed spirit with two heads and three legs, its tail consisting of countless ribbon-like things, each feather shimmering with eerie iridescent light, dazzling and mesmerizing.

This one's a bit weak, 4-star Iron rank. The rest are quite strong, 5-star Iron rank.

A cursed spirit shaped like a flying carpet, resembling a fleshy blanket covered in all sorts of mouths, was flying in the sky. It was so large that if you were wrapped in it, you would probably be eaten up in no time.

There was also a cursed spirit shaped like a six-winged dragon, which was over ten meters long, and a cursed spirit shaped like a winged flying snake.

Besides these, there are some flying monsters, but they are all quite cunning. They wait for brainless cursed spirits to act as pawns, and then they pick up the scraps from behind.

Within ten seconds of Zhao Hao flying over, twenty or thirty cursed spirit monsters surrounded him!

Zhao Hao simply raised his hand and stretched out his palm: "Thunder!"

"Sizzle~~~~" A piercing electric shock rang out, and azure lightning erupted from his palm, transforming into a grid tens of meters long in mid-air, covering half of the sky.

Then, with a crackling sound, all sorts of charred remains fell to the ground.

In this one move, Zhao Hao not only killed the twenty or thirty cursed spirits that surrounded him, but also killed dozens of flying cursed spirits further away.