Great, we're doomed now!

Chapter 365: No, you didn't say that either (4.5K)

What kind of god is Enma?

It is important to distinguish that the "King Yama" of the Far East and the "King Yama" of the mainland are not the same deity.

The Chinese system of eighteen levels of hell is a fusion of folk legends, Taoist culture, Buddhist mythology, and many other elements. It borrows many terms because they sound cool.

A typical example is Avici Hell, and the classic opening gesture of Amitabha Buddha goes without saying.

It is clear that "chuunibyou" (middle school syndrome) is a common problem that has run through human history. It has even penetrated into the inner workings of religions. For otaku and anime fans, it is just the beginning.

In Hinduism, there is a god named "Yama," also known as Yama, who is in charge of death and judgment. When he was incorporated into Buddhism and then introduced to China, he became "Yama" or "King Yama."

Ancient Chinese mythology has a tradition of "conferring titles upon gods," where people spontaneously commemorate or the government bestows titles upon them, and they enjoy the continuous offerings of incense from generation to generation, gradually becoming deities.

Thus, the deeds of famous historical figures were combined to form the "Ten Kings of Hell," among whom the most famous is "King Yama Bao Zheng"—who was also in charge of judgment and prisons.

It is worth mentioning that most of the characters in the Ten Kings of Hell were famous ministers from the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. Therefore, it can be roughly determined that although Buddhism was introduced early, it only truly flourished at the end of the Han Dynasty (it is also possible that the Great Teacher of Virtue really frightened many people, so the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties strictly controlled Taoism).

The Eight Great Hells and Ten Kings' Halls in Japan are basically copied from mainland China, but they also incorporate their own elements, so they can be seen as fan works.

According to Xiao Hei, he was the one who initially suggested that Japan's hell system should be what it is today.

As a self-made demon with no background, he went to study in mainland China in order to obtain a formal position. After returning, he participated in, or even led, the reform of Hell and successfully obtained the high position of Yama's assistant.

Nominally, his official rank is below that of the Ten Kings, but his real power is immense. Not only are the main forces of various departments recruited and trained by him, but even Enma himself is subject to his strict discipline.

His "authority" is similar to that of Yama, second only to the Queen of the Underworld.

So he was also very curious about how he had fallen into the cycle of reincarnation. Although he had many enemies, not many of them had the ability to do this.

However, the crucial memories were lost during the reincarnation process, so even if he wanted to investigate, he would have no way to do so.

"King Yama?"

Walking on the stone-paved road, a magnificent and majestic Chinese palace can be seen ahead. It should have been full of awe-inspiring spirit, but now it is completely shrouded in murky miasma.

Ye Shou and his group had already passed through the first to fourth halls of the Ten Kings Hall, namely the territories of King Qin Guang, King Chu Jiang, King Song Di, and King Wu Guan. This ranking order has nothing to do with strength, but is like a medical examination in a hospital with different specialties. Each hall is used to judge different "crimes".

They witnessed halls and courtyards of vastly different styles, even the instruments of torture, and the scenery in each place was impressive. But surprisingly, none of the first four halls had a "master," only some lowly servants who dared not stop Ye Shou and his companions.

They occasionally encountered some unruly spirits and demons, but Beelzebub and his companions easily dealt with them, and overall, their journey was smooth.

And just ahead lies the Hall of Enma—the place where "dark history is unearthed."

Before and after it, investigations were conducted on a specific type of crime, but the Enma Hall alone cracked down indiscriminately, demonstrating its keen insight and involvement in all kinds of crimes.

Yama, the King of Hell, uses a divine mirror that can communicate with the mortal world (in mainland China, it's called the Mirror of Karma) to examine the life and deeds of the deceased, and even their relatives' evaluations of them.

Looking from a distance now, the murky and filthy air almost solidifies, and you can smell the strong stench of alcohol even from this far away. It's clear that it can't be an empty city like the previous ones; there must be a large number of ghosts and spirits dwelling inside.

Xiao Hei was ready for battle, but upon hearing Ye Shou's curious question, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

"I didn't realize it before, but after going through a cycle of reincarnation, I have a new perspective on many things. Looking back now, I may have been too closed off in the past."

King Yama... is a bit of a fussy man.

"what?"

"Although I am usually quite harsh on him, it is for his own good. He is a demon that everyone fears, but his nature is inclined to be kind, so he is not able to properly deter those evil villains."

"It is precisely because Your Majesty often reduces or waives punishments that I have moved the Yama's Palace, which was originally ranked first, to fifth."

"Sounds like a good boss." Jinglong was also drawn in.

"On the contrary, as the commander of the entire hell, I hope he can show some of the courage of a demon king."

As Xiao Hei spoke, a smile appeared on his face: "However, even with all his flaws, I will still serve this king, after all, only he has the capacity to manage the eight great hells."

“Capacity? I don’t see it.”

Beelzebub said bluntly, "Compared to you, my Lord Satan is far superior. Your King Yama seems far too weak."

For rulers on earth, mercy may be a virtue, but hell is teeming with wicked people and demons, from jailers to prisoners; only an iron fist can subdue them and keep them in line!

"That's right, so Yama is better than Satan because he has both characteristics at the same time."

Xiao Hei retorted, "He's in charge of mercy, I'm in charge of iron fist—do you understand?"

"..."

Beelzebub was speechless. Judging from his displeased expression, he must have suffered at the hands of Little Black before.

"You'd actually stand up for someone? That's quite unusual," Ye Shou asked kindly. "You must have a very good relationship with King Yama, right?"

"...I guess so. It wasn't exactly a harmonious relationship. He must have both feared and disliked me, but he couldn't do without me at work. And I didn't like the King of Hell either; it's just that we've known each other for too long..."

When I first arrived in the Netherworld as a ghost, it was a chaotic place where the strong preyed on the weak. Yama, the King of Hell, was busy trying to establish order, and that's when I met him.

"Sigh, this is way too early. You guys seem like old friends, don't you?"

"Friends? I don't think so. I don't think there are any personal feelings involved. If I had to say something... it's just that they helped me give me the name 'Hozuki'."

Xiao Hei scratched its face with its paw and said in a cold tone, "But that's all."

"You still care about it, don't you?" Jinglong smiled meaningfully.

If this were placed in the mortal realm, it would actually be a very Japanese-style adoption relationship. The relationship between King Enma and Xiao Hei is not as superficial as he claims.

A stout and powerful ruler, an adopted son with off-the-charts fighting skills—what a harmonious combination!

"You'll understand when you see him. In short, although King Yama is huge, he still looks very kind."

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace in the distance suddenly shook, the roof was broken open, and a figure soared into the sky, landed heavily in the smoke, and grew taller in the wind. With a sway, his body transformed into a ghost god who was more than fifty meters tall!

"Hahahaha! Who are you brats, come and die!"

--call!

A strong gust of wind swept by, and Xiao Hei squinted and raised its paw to block it. After the wind subsided a little, it focused its gaze and couldn't help but twitch its lips after seeing what was happening.

His imposing and robust physique was vastly different from the obese Yama King of my memory. His attire had also changed from the Han-style official robes and crown to a disheveled suit of armor, especially the two characters "King" on his chest, which were so glaringly obvious they hurt my eyes...

"Is that you? How dare you disturb my drinking! You are truly unforgivable!"

I've been a judge for so many years, can't I even enjoy a few days of peace?

The evil spirit that kept forcing me to work overtime has vanished; no one can restrain me now—*glug*!

The ghost took out a gourd from his waist and took a big gulp. Then he opened his mouth and spat out a burst of flames that threatened to engulf Ye Shou and the others.

This is more than ten times the size of Obik's Breath!

"careful!"

A blue light flashed in Ye Shou's eyes, and a powerful surge of telekinesis erupted, even compressing the air into a semi-solid state, forming a towering city wall in the void to block his path.

--call!

The sea of ​​fire seemed to have crashed into an invisible reef, splitting into two streams that flowed to the sides, just avoiding Ye Shou and the others. But the air instantly rose, and rolling heat waves kept rushing in.

"Huh? It actually blocked it?"

King Yama wiped his mouth, straightened his spirits, put his hands behind his back, and took out his demon-headed broadsword and one-handed round shield.

"Hmph! I'll chop you all to pieces!"

Having said that, it stomped on the ground and charged forward fiercely amidst the tremors—its momentum was even stronger than that of most ancient monsters!

"Hey, is that thing Yama?"

Beelzebub's expression changed: "This doesn't look like the same person at all!"

"Although I had considered the possibility that he might have fallen into depravity, I really didn't expect him to turn out like this... It's truly unbearable to watch." Xiao Hei sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Master Ye Shou, Mr. Jin Tian... whoever it is, just hurry up and kill him, don't let him embarrass himself any further!"

"I am but a mere mortal; would it be too much of an honor for me to fight against the God of the Underworld? Hahaha~"

Jinglong laughed heartily, but instead of immediately drawing his sword, he looked at Ye Shou and said, "It would be too much for me to deal with an opponent like this right now. You're probably holding back a bit, aren't you?"

"After all, it would be troublesome if we damaged Hell." Ye Shou took out a timer and began to transform.

Jinglong closed his eyes, his body gradually becoming transparent, releasing countless shimmering particles that drifted around Ye Shou—

hum!

A silver-black giant appeared in hell, facing the imposing Yama from afar.

But this time, the giant appeared with a long sword in his hand. The broad hilt was covered with animal hides and fur, and the bold blade, unlike the slender swords of ordinary samurai, perfectly matched his majestic and imposing figure.

Hu~hu~

Facing the Yama who was already close at hand, Ye Shou held the sword in one hand, swaying it back and forth a few times as if weighing its weight, before finally gripping it tightly and using the force of the rotation to lift it upwards, thus deflecting the Yama's falling sword.

Clang!

Before the sparks had even died down, Ye Shou's longsword had already cleaved them in two. The thin red light and the air were cut off together, and it seemed as if space itself was shifted, with a momentary refraction of light and shadow.

"Well!"

In a moment of haste, Enma instinctively raised its shield, and the heavy impact was transmitted through the steel to its body, pushing its massive, tens-of-thousands-ton body backward.

"Feels good~"

Ye Shou swung the sword twice with a "whoosh," then slung the back of the blade over his shoulder. Seemingly influenced by Nishikina Keiryu, he also adopted the air of a ronin.

—He already possessed the ability to [command spirits and ghosts], and could borrow the power of spirits; the level of understanding between Jinglong and him goes without saying.

Ye Shou gripped the longsword, using its exorcising power as smoothly as if he were controlling his own body.

In the unique environment of Hell, the stats of [Dark Radiance] are far superior to those of the normal Bayeri. Combined with this longsword that is particularly effective against ghosts and spirits, it is like a fish in water!

King Enma is undeniably powerful; in a home-field battle, even the Kirieloids would be no match for him.

Unfortunately, after experiencing "One-Punch Man", Ye Shou can freely switch forms, so Yama no Yama has no advantage at all against [Dark Radiance].

"Ugh... How hateful!"

King Yama was still intoxicated by the wine brewed by demons and ghosts, completely unaware of the enemy's strength. He shook his head violently to wake himself up, then roared to the sky and charged forward again with his sword and shield in both hands, seemingly knowing no other tactics besides a direct confrontation.

Ye Shou smiled calmly, switched his longsword to another hand, and instantly approached with a sharp whistling sound!

Clang!

-

"Ultraman, Warrior of Light...Bayeli!"