Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Stop!"

Seeing that the cooked duck was about to fly back to the mouth of the defeated opponent, Tamamo-no-Mae could no longer hold back. She immediately pushed aside Izanami-no-Mikoto and grabbed Samael's hand with a big smile.

"I still think we shouldn't let Darling down. We should accept this gift and cherish it!"

"Aren't you forcing me?"

"No need to force it!"

"you sure?"

"Sure!"

The more hesitant the other side was, the more certain Tamamo-no-Mae became.

"Alright then, sorry Eri, you're out."

Samael sighed, gave Izanami a helpless look, and then took Tamamo-no-Mae's hand to inscribe the mark of divine authority on the Destiny Tablet that connects to the foundation of the world.

The contract is reached.

Sensing a subtle connection between the present world, the land of the dead, and herself, Tamamo-no-Mae, whose wish had been fulfilled, beamed with joy and was overjoyed.

It worked! It really worked!

I never imagined that after just taking a nap, I would wake up to find myself the biggest winner in this battle of gods!

Sure enough, my dear still sides with him; asking him for help was definitely the right choice.

With the matter settled, the candidates, including Izanami, Anubis, Nzanbi, the Rainbow Serpent, and Yustissa, all harbored their own ulterior motives and looked dejected and depressed.

Meanwhile, the spirits and anti-heroes present were worried about their future.

Samael ignored the various gazes around him and placed his hand on Tamamo-no-Mae's shoulder.

"From this moment on, you are the ruler of this divine kingdom."

"Uh-huh!"

Tamamo-no-Mae nodded excitedly, and was even eager to experience the privilege of being in control.

For example, getting a Y-shaped tattoo on your mother.

"If you're ready, let's move on to the next step."

"Uh-huh?"

The sudden continuation startled Tamamo-no-Mae, who was lost in her reverie, causing her to look up in surprise at the person opposite her.

His handsome face was beaming with an exceptionally bright smile, and his voice was warm and gentle.

"Bear with it, it might hurt a little."

In an instant, the talisman that could shatter all laws drew a graceful arc behind Tamamo-no-Mae.

"Puff puff!"

Three luminous fox tails fell to the ground, their golden divine markings and pure ether transforming into specks of light that merged into the entire Land of the Dead.

"Ow~!"

Three full breaths passed before Tamamo-no-Mae, as if waking from a dream, felt the pain that seemed to tear her soul apart. She clutched her tailbone, grimacing and weeping in agony.

"My tail, my tail...!"

"Out with the old, in with the new, stay calm, stay calm..."

Samael patted Tamamo-no-Mae on the shoulder with a forced smile, while simultaneously sketching on the Destiny Tablet.

Instantly, the golden radiance originating from the sun god tore through the darkness that shrouded the sky, illuminating the stars.

Amidst the mountains, the broken surface has been mended and repaired, greenery has spread throughout the entire Tanba Mountain, the underworld has become clear, and the once decaying soil of the dead has burst forth with vibrant life.

On the plain, towering buildings rise from the ground, and the rows of houses are modeled after Tokyo, recreating the appearance of the Holy Grail City.

Immediately afterwards, beams of golden light pierced through the clouds and shone down on the earth.

The heroic spirits who died in this divine war, including Ibaraki-dōji, Ibuki-dōji, Uesugi Kenshin, and Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori, reassembled their forms and were revived in flesh.

Om-!

With a tremor and a slight shaking, the Netherworld, which had been dormant beneath the surface of the abyss, began to connect with the mortal world.

As the true sunlight shone down, a Holy Grail city, created by heroic spirits and for them to live in, was quietly stitched into the real world.

Standing on the modern street, breathing in the air of reality, Samael contentedly retrieved the Destiny Tablet and flashed a bright smile at the fox spirit jumping around with her buttocks beside him.

"You're welcome……"

God's authority is given at birth; God's duty is from beginning to end.

Since you have chosen to become the supreme god of this land, you will be responsible for everything within this realm.

Including the price of washing away the filth and restoring life to this world...

Rest assured, as a demon, my professional ethics when it comes to fair trade are absolutely impeccable.

A certain demon leader raised the corners of his lips and stretched comfortably in the sunlight.

The so-called devil's work ethic, of course, means that he can satisfy all your demands, but he will never give you what you really want.

To be fair, he strictly adhered to justice and had absolutely no intention of taking the opportunity to retaliate.

Well, absolutely not!

Big asshole!

Realizing she had been tricked, Tamamo-no-Mae looked at the six tails that remained behind her and felt a faint tearing sensation coming from her buttocks, and couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

Ouch! Tamamo wants to go home...

In the majestic city, the spirits, gods, and anti-heroes who have returned to the mortal world celebrate their rebirth with great joy.

In a gloomy corner, the sun goddess, grieving the loss of her three-tailed fox, squatted on the ground, angrily drawing circles and cursing someone.

Both parties, bathed in the same sunlight, experienced drastically different joys and sorrows.

Volume 8: Sailing to the Other Side, Using Stars as Boats

Chapter 1 Tonight we're having snake soup

Early morning, Grail City, Akihabara District.

A sliver of golden sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, streaming into the dimly lit bedroom and landing on the headboard, illuminating a youthful face that exuded a subtle yet dignified air as she slept soundly.

Its daybreak?

tsk...

Awakened, Utsumi Eriyo glanced at the sun leaping over the horizon outside the window, angrily pulled the blanket over her head, and wanted to continue sleeping under the covers.

However, as she tossed and turned, the young goddess, who had lost all sleepiness, became increasingly restless.

Finally, Utsumi Eriyo suddenly sat up in bed, a hint of annoyance on her pretty face. She jumped out of bed angrily, pulled back the curtains with a whoosh, and glared at the golden sun outside the window, her eyes filled with disgust.

Sure enough, she still disliked this thing.

And that woman!

While inwardly grumbling, Utsumi Eriyo reluctantly put on her clothes, unlocked the door, and walked out of the bedroom.

Since I can't sleep, I have no choice but to get up early.

As Eri Utsumi stepped into the living room, a familiar, rich aroma wafted into her nostrils, accompanied by the crisp sound of a spatula flipping a pot.

Breakfast? Could it be...?

Suddenly, Eri Utsumi's heart skipped a beat, and a look of excitement flashed in her eyes. She rushed into the kitchen and peered at the stove.

"Hmm? Why are you up so early today, Eriyo-chan?"

Before the stove stood Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, with her hair in pigtails and dressed in loose white loungewear. A blue ribbon was tied around her lower chest and arms. Hearing the noise, she looked towards the kitchen door in surprise.

"It's nothing, I just can't sleep." When Utsumi Eri saw her close friend in front of her, the expectation in her eyes disappeared, and a trace of gloom filled her brows. Her voice also became somewhat listless.

Hestia, completely oblivious to her friend's odd behavior, excitedly pulled Utsumi Erise into the kitchen: "Perfect timing, come and try my toast sandwiches."

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Eri Utsumi reluctantly picked up a delicate toast sandwich from the stove and took a small bite to enjoy it, under Hestia's expectant gaze.

The savory bacon, the crisp pickled cucumbers, the delicious salad dressing, and the soft, fluffy bread slices make for a truly delightful meal.

Furthermore, there is a subtle sense of familiarity about it.

However, Eri quickly regained her composure and gave a fair assessment: "Hmm, it tastes good."

Then, she looked at Hestia, who was staying at her house, and said with surprise, "I didn't expect you to have such a skill."

For a moment, Hestia, as if insulted, indignantly put her hands on her hips and protested: "Hey, what kind of look is that! I am the goddess of the hearth on Olympus, and my duties clearly include family banquets and meals! Is it strange that I can cook?"

Faced with her friend's protest, Eri raised an eyebrow: "Why didn't you do it when we were roommates before?"

In an instant, Hestia, who was indignant, fell silent, an unnatural blush appearing on her cheeks, and her gaze darted away.

Uh, could she say it's because she's too lazy?

Fortunately, Hestia did not delve too deeply into this matter. She glanced at the empty living room and frowned as she asked.

"Where is Chitose?"

"still sleeping."

As Hestia placed the two golden-brown fried eggs onto a plate, she casually replied,

Then, realizing that it was a bit disjointed, the Stove Goddess added another sentence.

“The city hall has been quite busy lately, and she’s been working very late every day. Let her get some more sleep.”

Eri Utsumi glanced at the closed door of the innermost room and nodded.

Although the Holy Grail City was stitched into the real world by "that person," it is, after all, a fusion of two different worlds, and many things urgently need to be resolved.

For example, the truce between heroic spirits and anti-heroes, the resettlement and restraint of the heroic spirit community, and the investigation of outsiders are all tasks that require a great deal of effort.

Currently, all these tedious matters are handled by the Shogunate.

In order to adapt to the times, the former shogunate was given a new name - [City Hall].

Similarly, that "General" was promoted to "Mayor" and became the official administrative head of the Holy Grail City.

However, to prevent the abuse of power, the Shogunate Heroic Spirits of Gun Tower, the anti-heroes of Mount Oe, the idlers of the Golden Deer Bar, and several ancient gods of Tama Ward... were all given positions to coordinate and manage all aspects of the city.

Eriyo Utsumi is a representative of the ancient gods.

Or rather, Izanami, the former "Goddess of Impurity in the Underworld," should have been clocking in at the city hall.

But when she finally broke free from those constraints and returned to reality, Eri Utsumi suddenly lost her motivation and had no desire to get involved in those daunting official documents and affairs.

Therefore, this power and responsibility naturally fell to Chitose Masuru, who served as the agent.

Asking someone who's more adept with a knife than a pen to settle down and work in an office is indeed a bit much for this outstanding magician.

In addition, with everything in its initial stages, many tedious tasks naturally fell to Chitose Masuru.

Therefore, leaving early and returning late, leaving both physically and mentally exhausted, has gradually become the norm for Shinzuru Chitose.

The adult world is truly not easy.

Fortunately, I didn't choose to grow up.

Looking out the window at the bustling crowds and heroic spirits going to work, Eri Utsumi couldn't help but secretly rejoice at her own wisdom.

As the dust settled on that divine war, after much deliberation, she ultimately chose to return to her previous life.

After all, for her, the life as "Utsumi Eriyo" was far more worth cherishing than the experience of "Izanami no Mikoto," filled with betrayal and shrouded in darkness.

However, although I returned to my previous life, something was still missing.

Eri Utsumi looked towards the kitchen, pursed her lips, and took a big bite of the sandwich in her hand as if in a fit of rage.

That damned fox, it stole my things again!

"Eat slowly, don't choke. There's a carton of hot milk on the stove, don't forget to drink it."

Seeing her friend's barbaric way of eating, Hestia couldn't help but give her some instructions while taking off her apron, changing into a tight-fitting office lady outfit, putting on high heels, and walking out the door.

"I'm not going to say anything more, my shift is almost over, and I have to go to work."