Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01 during the Spirit Awakening Era

"Let's not talk about these dirty things anymore." Yakushiji Ryoko looked at her subordinates. "Although there are indeed some risks and hardships waiting for us, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the enemy will not know we have arrived. We must arrive before it gets completely dark so that we can provide the people behind us with sufficient information."

"understand!"

Chapter 252 The Little Yama's Approval

"Looks like it wasn't easy for them either." Looking at the Urameshi team, all of them were covered in bruises. Oh, except for Genkai, who had no injuries at all. Shinji Ikari leaned against the door of his room and joked with them. Since there were more demons participating here, Shinji and his team had stayed together from the beginning. After the competition, Shinji watched Urameshi Yusuke and the others return from his door.

"Hmm, it tastes pretty good. Where did you buy it?" Under the watchful eyes of the people behind him, Yusuke Urameshi snatched the milk tea from Shinji Ikari's hand, took a sip, and immediately began praising it (Japanese people really like bubble tea, after all, they are the country that created bubble tea yakisoba). Then, he peeked into the room and immediately understood, "You made it yourself? That's great!"

"Come in and have a drink, everyone, feel free to chat?" Shinji Ikari said with a smile. If nothing unexpected happens, Urameshi's next opponent will most likely be the same ninja team they faced in the original work, so another tough battle awaits them. However, the battle that will likely cause them the most trouble has already been defeated by Shinji and his team. They only need to prepare to face the most brutal Toguro team directly. And unsurprisingly, Shinji and his team's next opponent is a team called the Demon World Berserkers.

“Let’s go, perfect timing, I have a lot of questions to ask.” Unlike Kurama and Hiei, who were somewhat hesitant (after all, Shinji Ikari’s attitude towards demons was evident, and the strong aura of ferocity emanating from the little guy, Misaki, made them a bit wary), and Kuwabara Kazuma, who hadn’t yet realized what was happening, Genkai went straight in. Her questions and curiosity about Shinji Ikari were about to explode.

"Oh! Wait for me, Granny Huanhai!"

"..." Before closing the door, Shinji Ikari suddenly glanced at a corner by the window, narrowed his eyes slightly, but said nothing and closed the door.

"They actually discovered us. Should we eliminate them?" Toguro said calmly. "That brat seems to be causing some trouble."

"The most troublesome one isn't that brat; that woman who hasn't made a move might be the strongest." Toguro-nii tilted his head slightly and said with great certainty. To him, Shinji Ikari seemed very strong, but he was still quite confident in defeating the current Shinji Ikari. However, he wasn't so sure about the woman next to him, who wore a veil and whose information was blank except for the character "Mist."

"Oh, that vase?" Toguro asked excitedly. In his eyes, there might be some monsters that were very troublesome, but he and his brother were invincible. In this world, there were few opponents stronger than them. As for some opponents who might threaten them, "Hehehe... I'll go and try them today!"

"If you want to die, you can go ahead," Toguro said bluntly. Shinji Ikari might be strong, but the others in his team were all formidable opponents. The fleeting, terrifying demonic aura, and that unknown aura that instinctively made him, now a demon, feel uneasy, were undoubtedly no weaker than Shinji Ikari's terrifying destructive power. And that woman who hadn't made a single move...

Although it was just a slight probe of demonic power, enough to kill an ordinary C-level demon, it was directly shattered by a strong resentment. Then the woman glanced at him, and just that one glance sent chills down his spine, as if he had encountered the demon who had slaughtered all his disciples years ago.

"Are they really that strong?" Toguro asked in disbelief, but he knew his younger brother wouldn't lie to him about such things. Shinji Ikari, who shattered half the arena with a single blow and killed and injured the demon of Dalang, was considered a formidable enemy by all the participating teams. Perhaps he really wasn't as strong as the girl who had only been watching the entire match and whose only action was to pat the forehead of the first girl to step onto the stage.

"Hey!" Toguro's younger brother was too lazy to explain, turned around and left, and the two of them went down the stairs.

"It looks like the people watching you and us have left." Huanhai sat down on the sofa with a serious expression, took the cup of milk tea handed to him by Himuro Mimori, took a small sip, and nodded. It was a very good taste, slightly warm but not hot, slightly sweet but not greasy, with a strong and prominent tea flavor, no bitterness, but with a unique fragrance of black tea. Moreover, the taro balls in it were chewier than the tapioca pearls in regular milk tea.

"Thank you, kind little girl." Kurama smiled at Himuro Mimori after taking the last cup. Himuro Mimori nodded to the handsome older brother while holding the plate, indicating that she was very happy. Then she ran back to sit in front of the TV and continued to battle with Isayama Mei, who was chewing on the chocolate-covered liquor made by Shinji Ikari like candy.

"The taste is really good! Your milk tea shop will definitely be a big hit!" After finishing Shinji's cup, Yusuke Urameshi took another cup from Mimori Himuro without any hesitation. Then, noticing that there were some left on the side, he said, "Shinji, I'll order these few cups. I'll let Keiko and the others try them later."

"Then just open the door." Shinji Ikari pointed to the doorway. Koenma and Yusuke Urameshi's entourage had already arrived. Judging from what he sensed, Koenma's attitude didn't seem particularly friendly.

"Hey, who are you?" Yusuke Urameshi opened the door to a remarkably handsome young man. However, the boy was sucking on a pacifier, and Yusuke, who had never seen the boy before, didn't recognize him at first.

“This is Lord Yama!” Botan, who was following behind, said to Yusuke Urameshi.

“…It doesn’t look like it at all! Eh!” Yusuke Urameshi, who was closely observing the little Yama, was almost immediately punished by Botan with a folded paper fan.

"I am indeed Little Yama, there is no doubt about that..." After entering the room and scanning the room, Little Yama's face instantly became tense. He exaggeratedly revealed his defensive posture, and his face was covered with black lines, clearly indicating that he had been greatly offended.

"Huh? What happened?" Botan, who was waiting to watch the dramatic interaction between Yingzi and Yusuke Urameshi, noticed Koenma's actions and looked around the room with curiosity. It didn't seem like there was anything particularly special going on; it was just a few members of Team NERV.

Mei Isayama and Mimori are turning the ridge race into a bumper car race; Emi Yusa is drinking milk tea and reading a book on the side; and Kirie Himuro is sitting by the window like a beautiful sculpture.

"Ahem..." Coming to his senses, the Little King of Hell quickly regained his air of authority, cleared his throat, and pulled Shinji Ikari aside. The two whispered together, "Shinji-kun, although I understand that she is close to you, can you explain why Ms. Kirie is here?"

“My sister.” Shinji Ikari glanced at Kirie Himuro. Kirie Himuro gave Shinji a sidelong look. Because the room had suddenly become noisy with the arrival of many strangers, she gave Shinji a disapproving look. “To keep an eye on Mimori and me, to prevent us from doing anything reckless. Of course, if someone does anything reckless…” Shinji gave Kirie a knowing look.

"...She wouldn't be like you, would she?" A bead of cold sweat trickled down Little Yama's forehead. The Mountain God Festival made everyone realize one thing: when a fierce god unleashes its power and has no scruples, it can cause terrifying damage. At the entire Mountain God Festival, a large number of powerful figures could only barely escape disaster by hiding under the protection of another fierce god.

"The same as me?" Shinji Ikari looked completely bewildered. What did he mean by "the same as me"? Then his expression suddenly turned deadpan. "You mean accidentally hurting the audience?"

"...How dare you even mention the word 'accidental injury'?" Little King released Shinji Ikari, having roughly understood his meaning. Himuro Kirie wouldn't act rashly, but if the lives of Shinji and Mimori Himuro were threatened, then sorry, Himuro Kirie wouldn't hold back! Eliminating whoever she could get her hands on would be the only outcome. "Seriously, how did the judges even let Himuro Kirie participate in the competition!" Little King complained, dissatisfied. If there were any decent judges, such a blunder wouldn't have happened.

"If Himuro Kirie really registers under her real name, do you think they would disagree?" Shinji Ikari asked a question that left the little devil speechless.

Yes... If Himuro Kirie registers using her real name and her true identity, would the Dark Martial Arts Tournament object? Or rather, would they dare to object? The organizers of the Dark Martial Arts Tournament would be overjoyed!

For most of them, the stronger the fighters this tournament can attract, the more attractive the Dark Tournament will be. A participant at the level of a ferocious god will directly elevate the tournament to its maximum level, and its symbolic significance will be unparalleled!

“That’s right… that’s how it is.” Koenma sighed. “I understand. Congratulations Shinji on your victory in the first match. The Spirit World is proud of you.” As he spoke, Koenma shook hands with Shinji and handed him a USB drive. “Although the Dark Tournament is indeed under the jurisdiction of the Spirit World, it is not managed by the Spirit World. Don’t worry.”

"Understood, I will tell you the truth." Shinji Ikari understood immediately upon hearing Koenma's words. The Spirit World didn't mind humans causing trouble at the Dark Tournament. After all, for the Spirit World, fewer demons among humans would indeed reduce a lot of work pressure.

"Shinji, take it easy. If the Demon Realm really gets serious, things won't be easy."

"The problem is they've already sent people! You should know about Mr. Huang Quan's advance party."

"Well... it could be considered that they provoked us first."

Chapter 253 Someone must be talking about me behind my back!

"..." Himuro Kirie frowned, got up, dragged and pulled the unwilling Himuro Mimori back to the room, and closed the door.

"My one-on-one duel isn't over yet..." Mei Isayama sighed, rubbing his forehead, then glared at Shinji Ikari and Koenma beside him. "You two idiots, can't you go outside to talk about this? Shinji Ikari isn't afraid, but Koenma... it's not good to be nagged by a fierce god."

"Eh..." Little Yama was instantly speechless. Although he was the future heir of the Spirit World, it was still uncertain whether a fierce god would pay any attention to the Spirit World. Himuro Kirie, who was squatting in the Himuro mansion, was an opponent that the Spirit World absolutely did not want to confront head-on. Therefore, this whisper between the two was really just them complaining in front of everyone in the room.

"Don't worry, I'm not that petty, nor that idle." Shinji Ikari looked speechless. Mei Isayama, you're really trying to sow discord between my sister and me. All she did was lose to Himuro Mimori, and the little girl who was dragged away defiantly flashed a V-sign at Isayama, hence the sour look on his face. If Himuro Kirie is going to nag, it'll be you first. "Alright, now that the boss's finished asking, it seems Master Genkai has something he'd like to discuss?"

"Little guy, didn't you call us in to chat?" What she had just heard left Huanhai somewhat dazed. A fierce god, a fierce god walking among humans, and seemingly quite close to them? This was simply challenging her worldview!

However, Genkai had already sensed a terrifying aura emanating from the little guy who had just served her milk tea. This was not good news, as she had just been planning to remind Urameshi Yusuke that his friend was no ordinary person.

“Oh, that’s true. I need to remind you of something. I see that Urameshi seems to have made some demon friends. So, I hope he understands one thing: his friends are not on our side. Although they have good personal relationships, they still need to have a stance.” Shinji Ikari glanced at Yusuke Urameshi a few times and sighed. “You can remind your friends not to waste time on the island.”

"Hey... your expressions are a bit... ferocious!" Kazuma Kuwabara glanced at the expressions on Shinji Ikari's and the other two's faces. Although Emi Yusa's face was expressionless, the smiles on Shinji Ikari and Mei Isayama's faces were truly bloodthirsty.

"Shinji really doesn't hold back when it comes to dealing with demons." Botan, standing to the side, gave a wry smile. Shinji Ikari's "Super, Rending Purple Flame Bullet" had caused thousands of casualties, and the entire arena fell silent for a few seconds. Even when Shinji left the arena afterward, no one dared to boo him.

After all, for demons, everything else is secondary; strength is the key factor in their ranking. They dare to yell at Yusuke Urameshi, who isn't very strong, but when it comes to Shinji Ikari, who has torn apart countless demons, all they feel is fear. Shh at him? What if this guy suddenly attacks again?!

“When you witness these guys slaughtering humans like livestock, just for a bite of a hot heart—and not just any human, but preferably young men and women, with virgin girls being the most valuable. They can chew on a girl's heart right before her eyes, while she's still breathing, and take pleasure in it.” Shinji Ikari glanced at Kurama and Hiei, who were leaning back on the sofa in silence, clearly indicating that what Shinji was saying wasn't anything new. “Then you'll understand why I'm so ruthless towards them.”

"...So you're like Sensui Shinobu?" Genkai suddenly interjected, but after speaking, she looked at Isayama Mei, who had packed up her game console and re-adjusted the screen to the broadcast of the fighting match. Isayama Mei had a strong demonic aura and seemed to have a rather familiar resentment. "But you seem to be a little different from him. You seem to lack some of the obsession."

"No one is perfect, and there will never be a savior in the world," Shinji Ikari said with a smile. "I'm doing what I can, and how many of the demons here today do you think are innocent? A bunch of low-level demons, their appetites are the most important thing to them."

"Heh!" Hiei chuckled. "What you cleaned up today is probably enough to clean up for several months under normal circumstances." Hiei's sneer was barely concealed. Shinji Ikari's meaning was clear: demons eat people, so there was no doubt that the relationship between humans and demons would be difficult to resolve. He glanced at Mei Isayama beside him and was glared at in return.

She doesn't need to eat people; as a half-demon, she just has a larger appetite and doesn't feel any necessity to eat people.

"Shinji Ikari, I think I've figured out the reason for the request you gave me." Kurama interjected in time, preventing the conversation from veering into an awkward situation. After all, whether or not they eat people is something that is often unstoppable for low-level demons, but at their level, they can generally control such desires (Raizen was able to starve himself to death).

"What is this thing?" Shinji Ikari really couldn't remember this little plot point, and he really couldn't understand how this thing worked. But coincidentally, there was a Demon World botanist right here, wasn't there? So after the match, Shinji handed this thing directly to Kurama in front of him.

"Judging from the remaining liquid, it's the juice of a very rare fruit in the Demon Realm, diluted and then vaporized. The fruit is called the Fruit of Time. While that Tamatebako (Jade Box) is quite effective, it's really not much of a magical artifact." As Kurama spoke, Shinji felt an immediate urge to retort. Such a casual naming style! He wondered if there was also the Sands of Time? Seeing Shinji's strange expression, Kurama asked curiously, "Shinji-san, have you heard of this?"

“No, no, absolutely not, I never even imagined there could be such a strange thing.” Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes. “And isn’t the name a bit too casual? In a sense, this thing should be sold to women; they would go crazy for it.”

"No, it won't. Although this thing can reverse the flow of life, it consumes positive life force. Although it's not much, it doesn't preserve youth forever, so its value is actually higher for some old guys." Kurama said softly, and then for some reason, everyone's eyes subconsciously turned to Genkai.

"Trading lifespan for a fleeting youth? Such a strange thing is indeed very tempting." Genkai didn't mince words and commented very directly, "After all, people of my age are most likely to encounter the situation where time waits for no one. At this time, if there is a choice, what's wrong with burning off the remaining life? But you, Shinji Ikari, what's your situation?"

"It seems like I took a really big breath back then, and then I went back to my past life." Shinji Ikari shrugged, he couldn't figure out how he could jump through several lifetimes in one breath. Was his lung capacity that terrifying? Did he take the equivalent of four lifetimes' worth of air in one go?

"There's such an ability?" Genkai tilted his head slightly. Wasn't this effect of directly recalling a past life a bit too powerful? Now, everyone's gaze, including Koenma's, returned to Kurama once again. The effect that Shinji Ikari had displayed was not just a simple matter of recalling a past ghost.

“Theoretically, it does exist. As for why one would be recalled specifically…” Kurama took a deep look at Shinji Ikari. Although Sergeant Lancer’s outfit seemed like something that modern humans could make at first glance, the gleaming energy blade alone clearly indicated that it wasn’t modern technology.

"Don't ask me. Although I have some more memories, they weren't from Earth." Shinji Ikari shrugged. He wasn't lying about that. Sergeant Lancer was born on a distant colony planet. His initial reason for joining the Hellscream was simply to find a job, until he died in battle on Reach.

"This is truly an unexpected situation." Genkai glanced at Shinji Ikari. This little guy seemed to be hiding a lot of things, but oh well, she wasn't particularly interested in these kinds of things anyway. Apart from Kazuma Kuwabara, everyone's eyes lingered on Shinji Ikari's face, but no one seemed inclined to delve deeper. People can't have too many secrets.

Moreover, Mei Isayama was already secretly laughing. She could already foresee the situation where Ritsuko Akagi would block the door and check the room, and that woman from the Babem Foundation would come to visit with a smile. These people were clearly not from this era. Could it be that, as those scholars said, there really was a previous civilization before human history?

"So this stuff works, and it seems the other side hasn't quite gotten the dosage figured out yet." Shinji Ikari shrugged. "So, may I ask? Where in the Demon World can you find this stuff?"

"The Fruit of Time is indeed a treasure in the Demon Realm, very rare." Kurama shook his head regretfully. He had seen it before, but it was in someone else's hands, and he hadn't had a chance to get his hands on it yet.

“I do know of a place we might be able to try,” said Mei Isayama, stroking his smooth chin and frowning.

"Who?" Several people, including Little Yama, asked.

"Achoo!" Fengyuan Honganji sneezed in the sea breeze, then took a handkerchief from a little girl next to him. "Thank you, my good daughter. Humph, those idiots on the field must be starting to regret it and are talking bad about me. I wish them happiness on their deathbed."

Chapter 254 Showdown

"That rat over there..." Shinji Ikari frowned. Mei Isayama's statement was indeed reasonable and well-founded. This guy had a special field where he grew a lot of strange and unusual things. So far, the only thing people could not buy from him was the price they couldn't afford.

"We'll find out when we ask him, but that madman's asking price is disgusting!" Mei Isayama rolled her eyes. "Even Nekobozu is more reliable than him." Mei Isayama's comment perfectly illustrated Shinji Ikari's thoughts. It was indeed the case. Money was one thing, but this swindler would often take advantage of your urgent needs and come up with a whole bunch of exchange conditions. In short, it was extremely disgusting.

"We'll deal with this guy later. If all else fails, we can just forget about it." Shinji Ikari shook his head with a wry smile. He had already excluded buying things from this guy from his plans. It would be better to wait until he and Mei Isayama were stronger and then simply take the Demon King out for a trip.

"Hmph..." Genkai could clearly see that Shinji Ikari's thoughts were not as simple as he made them out to be. Give up? As a martial artist, it would be good if he gave up that easily. "Since you've decided to leave it at that, then it's between you and Kurama."

"So, Master Genkai, you're finally going to ask me about Holy Light Aura?" Shinji Ikari shook his head slightly. "Actually, Yusuke Urameshi saw me in this state a long time ago, but unfortunately, he didn't know it was Holy Light Aura." Shinji Ikari said nonchalantly. Anyway, he already knew what he needed to know. He had released it in front of so many demons, so he wasn't worried about their revenge.

"Looks like you were prepared?" Genkai tilted his head to look at Shinji Ikari, his eyes sharp. When Sensui Shinobu suddenly fell from grace, it caused a major earthquake in the entire martial arts world and the Spirit Detectives, because their identities often overlapped. The Spirit World would inform the martial artists about the crimes committed by demons smuggling from the Demon World, and the martial artists would be responsible for dealing with these criminals.

Therefore, many of the martial artists who died in the massacre that Sensui Ninja took action were these martial artists. Several of Master Genkai's friends died in that catastrophe. If Holy Light Aura is Sensui Ninja's signature move, then Spirit Light Splitting Fist is the foundation of Sensui Ninja's skills. Undoubtedly, the combination of these two techniques has forged Sensui Ninja's illustrious reputation.

"So I don't need to ask, right?" Genkai looked at Shinji Ikari. "Although there are some other power techniques involved, your foundation is the Spirit Light Crack Fist and Holy Light Aura. Can you explain that? If there are any traces of Sensui Shinobu, that would be even better."

“My master is not Sensui Shinobu. If we’re really going to count, Sensui Shinobu should be from my grandmaster’s generation.” Shinji Ikari did not deny it and said in a very relaxed tone, “My master is Honda Shinichiro.”

"!" Yusuke Urameshi suddenly looked up. He had heard of this name before. Yes, the most low-key and mysterious person among the Spirit Detectives. It wasn't until he stood in front of Sensui Shinobu, who wanted to open the Demon World passage, and fought him to the death that everyone was surprised to find that they had been ignoring such an outstanding talent for a long time.

So the Onmyo-ryo (Bureau of Yin and Yang) had been guarding Honda's grave. Then they suddenly discovered a boy who, after moving to the vicinity, suddenly began to sweep the grave every year. One day... he directly unleashed the Crimson Autumn Wave at the attacking vengeful spirit, killing the spirit and shattering the worldview of all the Onmyo-ryo officials.

"This is..." This answer was within Genkai's guess. After all, Sensui Shinobu's apprentice was also a celebrity. In the end, no matter who it was, no matter how much hatred they had for Sensui Shinobu, they had to give a thumbs up to show that Honda Shinichiro was a real man.

“…How interesting.” After taking another sip of milk tea, Genkai looked at Shinji Ikari with a complicated expression. Has Honda Shinichiro’s apprentice grown to this level?

"To be honest, if I run into Sensui Shinobu, this battle will be inevitable because of that foolish, hero-seeking older brother. He'll come looking for me anyway," Shinji Ikari said with a smile. At that time, it would be a good opportunity to settle all the grudges and entanglements.

“Sen-sui Shinobu might not actually come looking for you.” Mei Isayama, who was eating snacks, glanced at Shinji Ikari. “After all, the important person standing behind you won’t be as aloof as others, right? It’s great to have a reliable older sister!”

"It's impossible to rely on Kirie for something like this..." Shinji Ikari sighed. Kirie was indeed a powerful figure, but if he just blindly came to her for help regardless of the situation, what difference would he make from being a useless person?

Furthermore, there's something Shinji Ikari didn't mention: the Rising Sun and EVA, representing Human Instrumentality, represent two different reboot mechanisms. In a sense, the Rising Sun's reboot mechanism is even more perfect than the Human Instrumentality Project. The Human Instrumentality Project is almost like a system that's so bad it's practically unusable; if a bug gets stuck, well, it just keeps getting stuck and you can't get past it.

The world that the Rising Sun Echoes recreated seems to be more complete than the Human Instrumentality Project. Although Shinji Ikari doesn't want to gamble on this, he is still guiding the somewhat confused and disoriented boy. Even if one day Shinji Ikari pilots Unit-01 and has a good fight with the fully liberated Rising Sun Echoes, they will decide whose dream will determine the path of humanity's progress!

But before that, Shinji Ikari must correct Ayato Kamina's thinking. Although the world he created later seems good, this damned world is not the same as the MU Empire's world back then, which was a peaceful and idyllic place as long as it didn't come. It has peeled back the skin of modern society and is now a bloody and gruesome scene.

"It's a responsibility I should bear." Genkai nodded and stood up. "I have no other questions. That brat from last time... if he comes to me again, I will wholeheartedly guide him." Genkai didn't seem to have misunderstood something, but he still decided to wholeheartedly guide Ayato Kamina, even though he lacked some of the necessary conditions to become a true powerhouse.

"Thank you very much!" Shinji Ikari nodded. According to his conversation with Helena, TERRA would probably send Ayato Kamina to Genkai for training every weekend. Of course, if there were no other commitments, it might take a few more days. This was because when Shinji participated in the Dark Martial Arts Tournament, Sene Winged God fought against a Dolem sent by the Mu race. Her fighting skills and combat power surprised both TERRA and the Mu race, although they experienced different feelings of surprise and joy.

For some reason, after watching the battle video that Babem gave to Shinji Ikari, Shinji felt that Ayato Kamina had definitely gone astray in his training. The fighting techniques didn't resemble Shinji's Eastern style... "Himuro-ryu," nor even the techniques he learned from Genkai. Look at that final, wide-open attack that sent his opponent flying, tearing off his arm with a single claw, and then smashing his head with a double (forbidden word triggered) ear-piercing blow... Mei Isayama, did you take on a second apprentice?

Incidentally, this scene also gave Asuka, who was watching the video with NERV, a strange sense of crisis. How could she always fall behind others in everything? It's one thing for a monster like Shinji who has trained since childhood, but this guy who has only just started training, how can he display such smooth fighting skills?

“It seems it’s my turn to speak now.” Shinji Ikari glanced at everyone present. “Then I hereby formally announce to you that human armed forces are ready and may land on this island at any time to destroy all the alien species on this island. If you have any friends, please secretly inform them to leave the island as soon as possible.”

"What!" Little Yama slammed his hand on the table. "Are you all insane! This is... an act that disrupts the balance!"

“That’s right, this unfair balance for humanity really needs to end.” Shinji Ikari said, tilting his head. “The balance maintained solely by martial artists results in demons causing chaos everywhere in the human world. The Spirit World agreed to hold this Dark Martial Arts Tournament precisely because they considered the immense panic and anger caused to the demons by the Mountain God Festival. That’s why they agreed to such a large-scale gathering in the human world, with a large arena that can hold tens of thousands of people packed to the brim.”

"..." Fei Ying was taken aback and frowned.

“You guys…” Kurama was at a loss for words.

"Putting everything else aside, Kurama, you owe the Countermeasures Bureau a favor, right?" Isayama Yomi pushed open the door and walked in, a little bloodstain on her skirt. Behind her, several elites from the Countermeasures Bureau had large patches of blood on their bodies, and they also seemed to have suffered some minor injuries.

"That was fast!" Yusuke Urameshi was stunned and immediately looked at the person in front of him in shock.

"Some minor characters, not even a fraction as strong as your opponents." Isayama Yomi said with a smile. The training before the match was very valuable; they became much stronger during that time! Moreover, they received a lot of handmade liqueur chocolates from Shinji Ikari. Rin's influence is really great.

"Yes, thank you for what happened to my father and mother." Kurama's opponent was a very despicable character who wanted to send people to kidnap Kurama, or rather, Minamino Shuichi's adoptive parents, which made it difficult for Kurama to act. However, things went wrong when that guy made a phone call trying to escalate the threat.

"This is the Countermeasures Bureau, Squad 5. Those few demon scum have been dealt with." The voice that came through the communication was unfamiliar, but it made the demon break out in a cold sweat. Then he was bound by Kurama's whip, and the seeds of a blood-sucking plant were planted directly into his body, causing him to die in the most painful way.

"Then please don't stop this. They've finally managed to gather together so readily; it would be a shame not to do something about their sincerity." Yomi Isayama had already received the call, and Rin instructed him to speak according to the order of precedence set by Shinji Ikari.

"Hey! This little girl~" Like a lovesick woman, Izumo no Okuni pulled Hiei's sister into his arms and smiled. "Are you interested in joining our Izumo Taisha Dance Troupe?!" A Yuki-onna dancing at Izumo Taisha, what's the difference between that and bringing a money-printing machine to the Onmyōryō? In the summer, the entrance fee will be whatever you want.

"Huh?" Setsuna looked completely bewildered. "Me, go dancing?"

"Yes, you see, this way you can get the protection of the Yin-Yang Bureau, and no one will force you to cry. Most importantly, your freedom is absolutely guaranteed! No one will force you. Girls, it's best to have some ambition!"

"You've already finished your match?" Shinji Ikari looked incredulous. Wasn't that a bit too efficient?

"No, it's just that there's no need for me, as a general, to fight. So, I found your place interesting, and that's why I came over." Izumo no Okuni proudly opened his robe, covering the lower half of his face, his eyes crinkling as he stared at... Hiei beside him!

"..." Hiei's heart sank, but he immediately relaxed. That's right, Yuki-onna's abilities and beauty were coveted by many demons. If she could be protected by the Onmyōryō, which is a powerful force in Japan, that would be a good thing. At least these women seemed to just want Yuki-onna to dance on stage!

"Diamond Horn!" On the television screen, the roaring demon slashed through one of the demons in front of him with ease, then slammed another demon to the ground and began smashing it repeatedly. The other three women from the Onmyōryō were carefully covering their naginatas again with cloth bags. Behind them lay the shattered corpses of demons—another crushing victory…

"Oh~ it seems my colleagues are quite capable. They chose the fastest group battle and ended the fight so quickly. How about coming back to the mountain with your sister~" Izumo no Okuni was like a wolf in sheep's clothing trying to lure a little girl, perhaps only missing a tail wagging wildly on the ground.

"So this is your collective opinion?" Little Yama slumped onto the sofa in a deflated manner. Humans have been unruly for a long time, not to mention they have many complaints about the practices of the spirit world.

“Yes, since they want to show off, we’ll give them a chance. If they can defeat us and tear apart humanity’s military might, then it’ll be a real show of force, won’t it? Otherwise, they’re just a bunch of fools entertaining themselves behind closed doors.” Izayama Yomi glanced at Koenma. She didn’t know who he was, but he was clearly someone in a higher position, though she didn’t know where he came from.

"Hmph! You've gone too far." With a thud, the little Yama King, who had transformed back into a child, crossed his arms and sighed, "Fine, it's your own decision, you have to bear the consequences."