Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Archer Oda Nobunaga, a follower of the Spring Dawn Book Company.

A prominent figure in the Warring States period, she constantly disrupted established concepts while striving for national unification, and was also known as the Sixth Demon King.

He, along with Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who later became rulers of Japan, are collectively known as the Three Great Unifiers of the Sengoku Period, and are considered great heroes of Japan.

Because they were compatible, he often met with Ms. Okita at the Spring Dawn Society, and over time, the two became a close-knit, bickering couple.

Having just been rescued from the brink of crisis, Okita Souji showed no sign of relief. Before even landing, he urgently warned his friend.

"Be careful, that guy is dangerous..."

Almost at the same moment the young swordswoman spoke, the smoke in the courtyard intensified violently, and a figure rushed out with lightning speed, his raised right leg lashing out from the side like a whip.

The speed was so fast that Oda Nobunaga had no time to react.

"Springtime is best at dawn, summertime is best at night. Everything in the world is interesting!"

"Autumn is best at dusk, winter is best at dawn. The world is still the same today, it's quite exciting! Exciting and delightful!"

Just as Oda Nobunaga and Okita Souji were trapped, urgent waka poetry came from the bridge, carrying a hint of anxiety and excitement.

"Things that gleam, things that surprise, even in their decay, lie here! Forever and ever!"

Sei Shonagon shouted, flicking her wrist forward, and characters generated by magic shot forward like a meteor shower.

For those who follow literature, words are their power.

However, the man did not dodge or avoid the oncoming characters, but charged straight ahead.

One after another, magical bullets of words struck him, only to be instantly annihilated. They not only failed to stop his advance, but couldn't even lift the corner of his clothes.

This guy……!

Sei Shonagon's expression changed repeatedly, and she instinctively cried for help.

"Arong!"

However, before Sei Shonagon could speak, the young female painter on the other side was already splashing ink and wielding her brush in mid-air with a serious expression. Her eyes, which reflected the starry sky, became deep and dreamy, and her moving lips murmured indistinctly as if she were possessed.

“Om Sudristih Sriye Svaha, Om Maha Sriye rbhave Svaha!”

Oh, the Mysterious Emperor who sees through all things, the King of Stars who embraces the eight directions from the North Star! I offer this masterpiece! Please take a look! Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji—A Nostalgic Visit to the Great Wave off Kanagawa!

Suddenly, with a stroke of ink, the ukiyo-e prints that faintly appeared in mid-air swept up the lake water in the courtyard, turning into endless waves of fury that separated the two sides about to meet, and crashed against the oncoming Samael.

The figure who had been protruding forward glanced to the side, his eyes catching sight of a strange octopus climbing onto the head of the young female artist. He finally stopped, and for the first time, a serious expression appeared on his face.

As expected, the Outer God Priestess!

Arong, whose real name was Katsushika Ōe, was the third daughter of Katsushika Hokusai, a famous Japanese ukiyo-e painter. She served as Katsushika Hokusai's assistant for a long time and had amazing talent and skill in painting.

It is widely known that in the mysterious world, artists, with their active minds and sensitive and rich emotions, are the group most easily influenced by those indescribable things.

Similarly, the Katsushika Hokusai family, which also had a profound influence on overseas painters and musicians such as Van Gogh and Debussy, was also affected.

The father and daughter's ukiyo-e works, while stunning, often possess a wild and bizarre imagination.

This is especially true of the twenty-first installment, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa".

The artist's profound study of nature, as if possessed by a divine spirit, imbues his brushstrokes with a mysterious substance, impacting the viewer's mind and body.

As he knows from history, Katsushika Hokusai, whose behavior became eccentric in his later years, has clearly come into deeper contact with the evil god of the abyss, thus awakening and gaining the insight to step into a deeper realm.

Furthermore, this forbidden power also affected Arong, the daughter who was the inheritor.

The brushstrokes, imbued with a madness originating from the deep sea and starry sky, were very familiar to Samael.

He had similar experiences with Abigail and Lavinia more than once.

Unfortunately, he had already beaten up all the real Outer Gods, let alone a mere Outer God priestess.

Samael crossed his arms and swung them down, instantly tearing apart the endless, pale waves.

The destruction of the painting was a shock to the mind, causing Ah Rong to feel dizzy and stagger backward. Her face turned pale, and her body was blown into the air by the surging air currents.

Left! Right! Forward! Backward! Backward!

Seeing that her employee was about to crash, Sei Shonagon on the bridge quickly moved her small body and opened her arms to try to catch A-Ei.

However, in her haste and nervousness, the female writer stumbled and fell to the ground.

boom!

Unfortunately, the falling A-E landed squarely on Sei Shonagon's back, which indirectly cushioned the fall for the boss.

"This is terrible..."

Sei Shonagon, who hadn't been able to get up for a while, turned back to look at A-Ei on his back and forced a bitter expression.

"Aren't you on a diet? Honey..."

"It's Father!"

When faced with the serious issue of weight, Ah Rong took it very seriously and decisively shifted the blame.

Meanwhile, the octopus perched on the female artist's head rolled its eyes in exasperation.

However, at this moment, the two, who had briefly caught their breath, had no time to worry about this issue. After exchanging glances, they reached a consensus.

That guy is too strong, we have to attack him together!

But before the two could get up from the bridge and rush back to the battlefield, a long shadow fell over their heads, and a drooping face was filled with a joyful smile.

"Chess (General)!"

At this moment, the man was holding Okita Souji and Oda Nobunaga, who had rushed forward first, in his hands.

Done!

Realizing that the strength of the person in front of them was almost overwhelming, the two heroic spirits' hearts sank to the bottom.

"So, have you decided what to say?"

Samael smirked as he looked at the two people on the scene, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"Or, I'll pry your mouths open myself..."

Amidst the soft whispers, strands of transparent light extended from beneath the ancient serpent's feet, winding their way toward Arong and Sei Shonagon.

Gu——!

The two girls lying on the ground moved their dry throats, trying to swallow a mouthful of saliva. Their bodies stiffened, and their little faces gradually turned pale.

Just as the light was about to wrap around the girls, it suddenly exploded, turning into specks of light dust.

hum!

In an instant, the air vibrated, and the scenery in Samael's eyes instantly distorted and deformed, as a strong tearing force came from all directions.

Again?

The ancient serpent frowned, its demonic power surging within it, trying to erase this distortion.

But just as he was about to raise his hand, a strange sense of heaviness and constraint followed.

The jet-black vertical pupils split open, and beneath the spiritual vision, the transparent air was suddenly filled with interwoven streaks of scarlet.

All around, something resembling a red thread was burning and swirling.

Not only his hands, but his entire body, including the area around him, was covered by red lines, as if he were trapped in an invisible prison.

Samael didn't detect it immediately because this thing seemed to deprive the target of heat and senses, and create a mirage-like interference.

As he looked around, the scarlet threads around him seemed increasingly familiar.

This is... hair?!

In a daze, Samael found the answer in his mind, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Don't do it yet!"

A sudden, furious shout came from the small house at the end of the wooden bridge. The trembling voice was clearly strained, indicating that the person had reached their limit.

"Go together!"

Once they came to their senses, Sei Shonagon and A-Ei immediately flipped themselves up from the bridge, grabbed Samael's legs, and used all their strength to knock him down.

As the target touched the ground, Okita Souji and Oda Nobunaga, who were being held, broke free from their restraints and grabbed the ancient snake's arms to counterattack.

"boom!"

At the same time, the door panel burst open, and a swift figure rushed out like a cheetah.

Beneath her neat short hair, a pair of black eyes revealed colorful spiral patterns, and a gleaming dagger slid from her sleeve into her right palm.

The Dharma says that emptiness is the state of freedom.

There is no binary opposition; it is the mind that observes the principles and existence of the world in its true form.

Looking up, the sky is distant and its colors are muted.

That graceful figure stood amidst this beautiful scene, the sharp edge in her hand cutting through the air in an elegant yet chilling arc, severing the line of death that severed life.

"Shiki? What, it's you guys?"

A startled cry echoed, and the cold blade stopped abruptly at the target's neck. The black eyes, adorned with colorful spiral patterns, were filled with confusion and vigilance.

"you……"

"It's me!"

Samael looked at the divine son who had almost stabbed him, the god-king, and immediately released the cognitive distortion from his body, revealing his true form with a look of both laughter and tears.

"Lord Samael?"

Upon seeing that familiar face from her memory, Ryougi Shiki's breath hitched, her tense expression becoming extremely unnatural, and her right hand, gripping the short sword, instinctively retracted behind her back.

Samael recognized the familiar pattern and style, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

If I remember correctly, Ryougi Shiki had hidden this short sword on her person when she was a child.

During their two encounters, from Misaki City to Shinjuku, Ryougi Shiki almost stabbed him with this thing both times.

What is this? A god-slaying weapon?

"Father!"

At the same time, a figure dressed in a black-purple kimono, with long purple hair cascading down her shoulders and slightly reddish pupils, rushed out of the dilapidated wooden door and knelt down in panic before Samael, appearing somewhat at a loss.

"Are you alright?"

"Ha, if something happens to us, nothing will happen to Him."

Immediately afterward, a girl of similar age, wearing a black headband, with long black hair tinged with red, a dignified appearance, and blue eyes, stepped out of the threshold, glanced at Samael on the bridge, and spoke sharply, as if she were covered in thorns.

Samael's gaze swept across the three girls' faces, his expression a mixture of crying and laughing.

"Shiki, Fujino, Akiha, the three of you are all here..."

The three people in front of him were none other than the divine children he had tricked into signing contracts in Misaki City.

No wonder there were three different forces suppressing him just now.

If I'm not mistaken, the first one to appear was Asagami Fujino's [Mystic Eyes of Distortion], followed by Tohno Akiha's [Red Hair], and finally Ryougi Shiki's [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] plus [God-Slaying Weapon].

It's like the water washed away the Dragon King's temple; family members don't even recognize each other.

"M...Master, he...he...he's your dad?"

At this moment, Sei Shonagon, who was clinging to Samael's leg, looked back and forth between Asagami Fujino and Samael with a bewildered expression.

Clearly, Sei Shonagon narrowly defined the term "father" as referring to blood relations, forgetting its religious connotations.

It's unclear how Asagami Fujino explained it, but after listening to her Master's account, Sei Shonagon's gaze towards Samael became awe-inspiring and strange, and she unconsciously took a few steps back.

"Master?"

Similarly, Samael was also taken aback.

“The three of them are my, Asakami’s, and Tono’s Servants.”

Ryougi Shiki subtly slipped the God-Slaying Weapon into her sleeve, then, while explaining in a deep voice, reached out and pulled the "Father" up from the ground.

"You own Chunshu Bookstore?"

"Strictly speaking, this place should be called the Tokyo branch of Garan no To. It's that woman Orange's business. We were just brought here to work for free. She said she couldn't support us for nothing."

Tono Akiha crossed her arms and snorted coldly, her eyes filled with deep resentment towards a certain unscrupulous boss.