The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

After taking seven or eight photos in a row, Shi Bai finally squeezed out of the lively environment, satisfied.

Previously, his impression of Xigua was only that of a drunkard and an eternally cute girl, but now it seems that perhaps the word "domineering" could be added to her description...

Just as Shi Bai was putting his phone away and hadn't yet decided what to do next, he vaguely noticed certain gazes fixed on him. Shi Bai turned his head thoughtfully to look at the pavilion behind the arena.

..................................................................

"Hey, you've finally shown up again!!"

Hearing Hoshiguma Yuugi's slightly joyful voice, Shi Bai couldn't help but feel a toothache.

"Ahem... Passerby A is my nickname, my real name is Shi Bai."

Shi Bai coughed a few times, making a fist and placing it near his mouth. To avoid the Demon King continuing to pursue such trivial matters, Shi Bai casually flicked a Senzu Bean from his hand.

"I heard you're injured and your injury hasn't healed yet, right? Here, one pill works, two pills will keep you full... Also, don't mention wanting me to be your partner anymore. I'll reiterate, I only like lolis."

"So what exactly makes me seem unlike a loli?"

Hoshiguma Yuugi's brow furrowed slightly before relaxing quickly, and he popped the Senzu Bean that the other person had thrown into his mouth.

"Wouldn't it be better if you just went straight to being my partner?"

"Feelings can't be forced. Aren't you being a little too hasty? Wouldn't it be better for a girl to be a little more reserved?"

With a slight pout, Shi Bai sat down at the table.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: if you give up on this spur-of-the-moment idea now, we can still be friends."

"When it comes to feelings, can't we just cultivate them gradually as we get to know each other? After all, besides you, I probably can't find another man who can defeat me."

Although he had personally experienced the powerful healing effects of this thing called "Senzu Bean" before, Hoshiguma Yuugi was still shocked when he realized that the injuries that had troubled him for nearly several months had been completely healed in an instant.

"Also, the fact that you could so easily give me something as precious and rare as a Senzu Bean shows that you still have feelings for me, right?"

"Hmm...it is indeed very rare..."

Shi Bai glanced thoughtfully at the storage ring on his hand, which contained three large boxes of Senzu Beans, and nodded in agreement.

"But I'm the kind of person who would go to great lengths for my friends. What's a few Senzu Beans compared to that? Don't you Oni ​​believe in making friends through fists? So this is just friendship... Also, no matter how you look at it, you absolutely cannot be called a loli."

Suppressing his urge to point at a watermelon on the stage, the person earnestly emphasized it again.

"Absolutely, absolutely cannot count!!"

"...In that case, I'm willing to be your friend."

Feeling inexplicably frustrated, Hoshiguma Yuugi nodded hesitantly, determined to find out exactly what "loli" meant.

"In short, thank you for your help this time. In fact, our demon clan is currently being targeted by a conspiracy..."

Without any intention of hiding anything, Hoshiguma Yuugi told everyone about the predicament she was currently facing.

After all, no matter how powerful Ibuki Suika is on the field, she absolutely cannot stop multiple great yokai from attacking at the same time. If that really happens, this Oni King succession ceremony may very well become a huge laughing stock in the history of the oni race.

Hoshiguma Yuugi was willing to trust the man in front of her, whom she had a strong liking for and who was also exceptionally powerful. What's more, the man had solved the problem of her injuries that had been bothering her for quite some time as soon as he arrived.

"...That's the current situation."

After recounting everything, Hoshiguma Yuugi sighed.

"Constantly facing increasingly stronger and more numerous opponents is a considerable test of Suika's physical strength and power. Originally, this kind of test would be a beneficial training for those who are qualified to be elected as Demon Kings, but under the current circumstances with considerable malice, the situation has become quite bad."

"Hmm... so what's your strategy?"

Turning his head to look at the arena below, Shi Bai looked thoughtful.

In reality, as time slowly moved forward and the number of matches increased, the time it took for each arena battle to end also became longer and longer, since none of the challengers encountered later were so easy to deal with.

Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes, and the Ghost King succession ceremony will become increasingly difficult as it progresses.

"It's very simple. When an unexpected number of powerful yokai appear, we will send our own people to the field as well. And the limit for the number of powerful yokai is... ten."

Yuugi Hoshiguma looked very serious.

"As long as the number of powerful demons in a single arena battle does not exceed ten, we will not take any action. If a Demon King cannot even handle this level of power, then he does not deserve to be called a Demon King."

"...So, your minimum standard as a Ghost King is to be able to take on ten people at once?"

Rolling his eyes, Shi Bai couldn't help but feel speechless.

Although the minimum standard is ten, don't forget that those who participated in the Ghost King's succession ceremony were all veterans. The actual difficulty was many times higher than the one-against-ten challenge.

Perhaps only someone possessing such immense and convincing power could be called a Demon King? Seriously, is it really okay to be so ruthless to one's own people...?

Shi Bai suddenly started to worry about the watermelon on the arena.

"If Huashan had come, and Jinjieluo hadn't gone to hell, I wouldn't have been so badly injured... Of course, I'm all better now, and things might not have turned out so badly, but it's a pity."

Yuugi Hoshiguma frowned deeply.

"...Hmm, do you have a guess as to which race is targeting your Oni clan?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai tentatively asked Hoshiguma Yuugi in front of him.

"Since the problem cannot be solved, why not try to address the root cause of the problem...?"

"There are too many demon races that have a grudge against our demon clan, it's impossible to count them all."

Hoshiguma Yuugi shook his head quite decisively.

"So we still have to solve this situation ourselves. After all, no amount of trickery will work against a powerful force... Anyway, thank you for your Senzu Bean."

"But the current situation can't be resolved by pure force alone, can it?"

Shi Bai pursed his lips, his expression unconvinced.

"However, I do have a good suggestion... Do you see those monsters watching below?"

"I saw it, what's wrong?"

Hoshiguma Yuugi glanced at the arena below, looking puzzled.

"Haven't all your injuries healed by now? If you ask me, why don't you just go down and drag those big monsters out one by one and beat them up? That would perfectly solve your manpower shortage problem, wouldn't it?"

Shi Bai gave a thumbs-up to Hoshiguma Yuugi, who was clearly a little dazed, and mentally gave himself 666 thumbs-ups, not afraid to be proud.

"I'm truly a genius, one in a billion years, to have come up with such a perfect solution!"

"...If we really do that, then it would be our Ghost Clan actively breaking the rules we ourselves set."

After a moment of silence, Hoshiguma Yuugi answered without a word.

"That makes things even easier! I'll go with you, and we'll sneak off and take care of those big monsters!"

He suddenly slammed his hand on the table, his face radiating an air of heroic pride.

"Cheating isn't considered cheating if it goes undetected. Similarly, breaking the rules isn't considered breaking the rules if it goes undetected. The principles behind these two are completely consistent and interconnected!"

"...I have already sent people to look for Hua Shan."

He turned his head rather uncomfortably, his expression slightly stiff.

"Furthermore, stabbing someone in the back is the behavior that our Ghost Clan detests the most. Whatever we Ghost Clan do, we do it openly and honestly... Don't say such things again."

"Uh... okay, I apologize for what I said earlier."

Shrugging, Shi Bai spoke.

"But if that's the case, then your situation... never mind, let me ask you a question first."

He suddenly changed his mind halfway through his sentence and asked Hoshiguma Yuugi in front of him with a serious expression.

"Now that Jinjieluo is leading a significant portion of your demon clan members to eternal damnation in Hell, have you ever thought about the future of those demons who remain on the Demon Mountain?"

"future?"

Turning his head to look out the window, Hoshiguma Yuugi spoke silently.

"Although Hell is indeed more suitable for our demon race to live in compared to the Demon Mountain, I and that guy Jin Jieluo are just naturally incompatible... The future is inherently uncertain, so who can accurately predict the future?"

With a self-deprecating laugh, Hoshiguma Yuugi picked up the sake bowl on the table and took a big gulp of sake.

"While it's just talk, I suppose that at some point in the future, I'll lead the other demons to Hell. Kjinkara was right; a new era is dawning, and things are no longer the same. It's time for our demon race to exit the stage of history, but I always feel a little unwilling..."

"Hmm... Since your Oni clan is going to relocate to Hell as a whole, what about the Tengu clan, which is subordinate to your Oni clan?"

"they?"

Hoshiguma Yuuichi glanced at the man in front of him with a slightly strange look, taking it all for granted.

"They're not suited for the environment of Hell; they definitely can't go to a place like that. So I plan to return the Demon Mountain to them, as for the subordinates and such..."

Hoshiguma Yuugi poured himself another bowl of sake, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

"...That's their own opinion. I've always considered them my best drinking buddies."

My girlfriend.jpg

P.S.: When you think I've skipped it, I actually haven't.

球票

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Secret History of the Oni Clan and the Tengu Clan

"A drinking buddy?"

To be honest, Shiro wasn't surprised by Hoshiguma Yuugi's answer; rather, he would have been surprised if he had received a different answer.

After all, he had previously learned from a white wolf tengu that even the demon king among the demons could drink with an ordinary white wolf tengu. If he really considered the tengu clan as subordinates, how could he possibly do such a thing?

"But just because you demons think this way doesn't mean the tengu clan thinks the same way."

He poured himself a bowl of wine as well, then shook his head.

"After all, in the eyes of many demons, the Tengu clan is, to put it nicely, just subordinates of the Oni clan, and to put it bluntly, just servants of the Oni clan."

"Perhaps that is indeed the case, but... what does this have to do with my demon race?"

Turning his head to look at the arena below, Hoshiguma Yuugi's words, though extremely calm, clearly carried an undeniable arrogance.

"Status is earned through strength. But before that, if you don't have the arrogance to become a strong person, then you are just a subordinate. Although I treated the Tengu clan with fairness and equality, they have always considered themselves subordinates from the very beginning. So this situation is entirely of their own making."

"Hmm... what you said makes sense."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai nodded thoughtfully.

"After all, among so many demon races, it seems that only the Tengu clan is your vassal... Sure enough, 80% of the reason for this is due to the Tengu clan itself, right?"

"...Myself? It really is myself."

As if recalling some past event, Hoshiguma Yuugi suddenly sighed.

"After all, the Tengu clan lacks a core leader, so it's only natural that they've fallen to this state. Although the Great Tengu of the Tengu clan is an extremely competent manager, she is absolutely incapable of taking on the responsibilities of a leader."

"The core leader... the Heavenly Demon?"

Shi Bai raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised.

"Hmm? So you knew about this secret after all. You know, in this day and age, there aren't many people who know about this kind of secret anymore."

After a moment of surprise, Hoshiguma Yuugi nodded.

"The Heavenly Demon is the absolute core of the Tengu clan. A Tengu clan with a Heavenly Demon and a Tengu clan without a Heavenly Demon are completely different concepts. In the distant past, the power possessed by the Tengu clan was comparable to that of the Oni clan."

"So, a long time ago, the Tengu clan was a race that could drink and make merry with the Oni clan?"

Shi Bai showed great interest in this kind of secret matter.

"Of course, do you think that any race can become a drinking buddy of our Oni clan? Back then, our Oni clan and the Tengu clan were very close friends."

Hoshiguma Yuugi smiled nonchalantly.

"It's a pity that after the last Tengu demon in the Tengu clan died in battle, the Tengu clan quickly declined. Even now, they themselves have forgotten their glorious past."

"I think I understand now. The current relationship between your Oni clan and the Tengu clan is probably related to that period, isn't it?"

After listening to Hoshiguma Yuugi's words, Shi Bai nodded thoughtfully.

"The Tengu clan, having lost its Heavenly Demon, rapidly declined in power, while your Oni clan ensured its survival. However, over the long course of time, because no new Heavenly Demon has emerged from the Tengu clan, coupled with various factors causing them to forget their past, they have fallen to their current state, completely subservient to your Oni clan..."

At this point, Shi Bai suddenly recalled what a certain white wolf tengu had said and what it was thinking, and couldn't help but shake his head with some regret.

“That’s right. They have completely forgotten their past glory. Most of the beings in their race are even willing to become subordinates of your Ghost Clan.”