Shota is surrounded by monsters!

"Hehe." Huang Quan chuckled and said, "That's true."

"Kousaka-kun, I wish you were human."

"Hmm? In that case, we won't have any contact anymore."

"No, there will be. In my heart, you will always just be that boy who sold cut cakes. Maybe after I transfer schools, we can become even closer friends. I... don't have many friends. That's why I hate you."

"Does hating me mean I'm not human?" Shota knew that Yomi was just joking.

"If you pursue me, maybe I'll consider saying yes."

"..." Seeing the smile in Huang Quan's eyes, Shota could only say, "Are all girls this narcissistic?"

“Every girl hopes to have suitors. Although… my future is already set, and I have no intention of resisting. But until then, it’s not bad to enjoy a free love life. Anyway, that guy Ji has dated who knows how many girls he has.”

I feel that Huang Quan now has no burdens at all, just like a girl who is really having a lot of fun.

"I understand my purpose now. You just want to provoke him by toying with me, don't you?"

Are you angry?

Huang Quan looked at Shota and said, "Eh, is that so? I've really thought about what would happen if you confessed to me..."

Looking at Yomi, who was growing weaker and weaker, and who could only communicate through lip reading in her final moments, yet still had a smile on her face, Shota said, "To be honest, if I were a human, you would certainly fit my aesthetic standards."

"Long, straight black hair...great figure...outstanding appearance...although she seems a bit serious on the surface, she is actually a very fun-loving person."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Faced with Shota's praise, Huang Quan slowly closed her eyes and said in a voice with barely visible wrinkles, "I suddenly realized how wonderful it was to see you at the last moment. At least, I won't feel any burden."

"So you're being too selfish."

"That's why I hate you."

After the two exchanged those words, Shota could feel that Yomi's body was almost losing strength, and she was only able to stand on her own two feet.

"The very last time."

With the last ounce of strength in his body, Huang Quan said, "Please promise me one thing."

"Ah."

"Protect Kagura for me." Huang Quan wanted to say this with a smile, but found that even smiling became difficult, so he could only say softly, "Otherwise, I will haunt you even as a ghost."

"OK Bye Bye."

Shota looked at Yomi and said one last thing.

"No, it's goodbye forever."

"..."

Seeing Huang Quan's body go limp, Shota quickly reached out to support her waist, but he knew that the girl in front of him was already dead.

He died in the true sense of the word.

The first person to die in front of Shota, the person he personally ended.

It's likely he'll never forget Huang Quan's last smile.

At least, let's give her a proper ending.

As he watched as various strange wounds began to appear on Yomi's body, and the Killing Stone gradually dimmed, Shota pulled the broken blade from her heart. Then, using the treasured sword Lion King that she always carried with her, he quickly dug a deep pit large enough to accommodate her body.

He didn't intend to bring her body to those exorcists. It would be better to bury her again on the spot.

Shota carefully moved Yomi's body into the pit, and even then, he noticed a faint smile on her face. Seeing this, Shota placed the treasured sword Lion King beside her, and retrieved the scabbard and broken tip of Kagura's sword, burying them on the other side of Yomi's body.

"Don't worry," Shota said, looking at Yomi sleeping peacefully inside. "I'll come to see you once a year."

As he spoke, after tidying up her somewhat disheveled clothes, Shota placed his hand on the Sesshō-seki (killing stone) on her forehead. After taking a breath, he removed it.

But to Shota's surprise, the Killing Stone turned into dust and disappeared into the air.

Shota frowned. Had the power of this Killing Stone been exhausted just now? Impossible. It was about the same size as that boy's, but the capacity was so different.

However, there was no energy reaction within Huang Quan's body.

Could it be because it has been used too many times?

Never mind. Shota turned around and began to cover Yomi's body with soil. After filling the ground with soil, he clapped his hands three times as if in worship.

"Then I'll be going. If I'm free tomorrow, I'll bring Rei and the others to come and see you."

Without much hesitation, Shota turned and left.

but……

Not long after Shota left, a virtual, ethereal red stone reconstructed on the forehead of Yomi, who was buried deep underground...

A hand, breaking through the ground... no, it shouldn't be called breaking through the ground, it should be said that it completely ignored the existence of the earth, like a ghost that can pass through all objects, and stretched out from the ground.

Chapter 87. Reaping Life

By the time Shota returned to the castle, the battle between the Nura Clan and the yokai of Shikoku had already ended. However, the city had endured so much sorrow throughout the day that a thin, strange mist still shrouded it in the early morning.

Shota smiled as he looked at a certain spot in the city. He sensed a familiar aura gradually gathering there, eventually coalescing into an unstoppable force.

The Nura Clan's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons has reunited, and the yokai aura in Shikoku has been reduced to its lowest level, which means that Rikuo has already won.

Let's go take a look then, after all, there are still many things that need to be finished.

"The old man is back?"

"It's Shota."

"Shouta-san?"

Shota walked over and saw a fat old tanuki and a masked monster next to him—it should be Tamamo-no-Mae. However, the affairs of these two were none of Shota's business. He glanced at them and then looked away, saying to Rikuo who was standing in front of the group of monsters, "Thank you for your hard work."

"You've had it tough too."

Rikuo could tell that Shota must have just gone through a lot of battles. When he was fighting the monsters from Shikoku, he also vaguely sensed that several strange forces were colliding. He figured that this guy who didn't show up today must be fighting somewhere else.

"How's the situation?"

Nurarihyon, who had already returned, asked Shota a question upon seeing him arrive.

"The demon was seriously injured."

"Demon?"

Neither the grandfather nor the grandson reacted at first. After a moment, Nurarihyon asked, "Who did this?"

"They're said to be yokai from Kyoto. Five of them have come. While I'm confident I can handle each one individually, five of them... even if we team up with the Gyūki, we're still..."

"Rikuo." Nurarihyon turned to his grandson and said, "I'm leaving this place to you. Shota and I are heading back now."

"Yes, we'll be back soon."

Rikuo nodded, but Shota gave him a strange look. He felt that Rikuo seemed a little different at the turn of day and night.

It seems like I'm stronger than before, like I've suddenly realized something.

"What's wrong, Shota-san?" Seeing Shota's gaze, Rikuo smiled indifferently and said, "Don't forget our promise."

If Shota is defeated by Rikuo, he has to share a cup of wine with him—that was their original agreement. Of course, although Rikuo has indeed grown, and very rapidly at that, he's still a little short of being able to fight Shota.

The Taotie's fear, in a sense, is the power to suppress the fear of all monsters, because it can absorb anything.

"Then we'll be going now."

Shota and Nurarihyon headed ahead towards the Nura Clan's main headquarters. Fortunately, when Nurarihyon found Gyuki, he had not fallen into a coma and had already woken up.

"Aunt Wakana, aren't you asleep?"

The only human in the Nura Clan is Rikuo's mother, Wakana Nura.

"Oh, it's Shota. Are you back already?" Nura Wakana was preparing breakfast and said, "Actually, I slept for a while. But I figured Rikuo would be back soon, so I came over to prepare breakfast."

"However, there's no share for Shota yet."

Wakana joked, "I can't handle Shota's portions by myself. So you'll have to wait a little longer."

"No need, no need."

Shota quickly waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to prepare breakfast for himself, and instead asked, "Where's the phone?"

"The phone... is next door."

"Okay, thanks, Auntie. I need to let my family know I'm safe."

After all, he'd been out for so long, and it wouldn't be good if Rea and Mashiro started worrying about him. Shota dialed Rea's number, and after a short wait, the call was answered.

“It’s me, Rea.”

"Ah, Shota-kun? Where are you now? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Hearing Rea's somewhat hurried voice, Shota immediately felt relieved and replied, "Yeah, I'm not hurt at all, I just might be a little late coming back, is that alright?"

"Huh? Is there anything else to do?" Rea asked in return, then said, "Okay, as long as you're not seriously injured. Oh, right, Mashiro was a bit agitated last night, so she finished off all the drinks in the fridge. Could you bring some drinks back with you?"

"Ah, I forgot... Shota-kun didn't seem to bring his wallet with him when he went out..."

“It’s okay, Rea,” Shota said into the phone. “I’m with the Nura Clan right now, so money isn’t a problem.”

“Then come back soon…” Rei hesitated for a moment, then said, “Actually, I’m hungry too.”

"Okay okay."

Shota hung up the phone helplessly. He had thought that Rei would say something tender like "I miss you," but in the end, he could only manage to say, "I'm hungry..."

But that's just how Rea is.

After grabbing a random piece of clothing from the Nura Clan, greeting Nurarihyon and the other executives, Shota began walking down the streets again in the early morning.

That must be it. Relying on a sliver of memory, Shota arrived at a quaint courtyard house in the suburbs and rang the doorbell.

To Shota's surprise, the person who came out to open the door was someone else entirely.

It is the rice dish that is recorded.

He looked very down and out.

"..." Upon seeing Shota, he was visibly surprised, but he quickly came to his senses and asked, "You went after her?"

“Yes.” Shota didn’t hide anything and said, “I killed her.”