Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

“Moo~~!”

Intense pain shot through him. The heavily armored, mountain-like bull demon cried out in panic, instinctively widening its scarlet eyes and glaring fiercely, intending to repeat its previous trick.

Legend has it that the Ox Demon possesses a "fierce eye." Once it sets its sights on someone, that person will experience hallucinations of falling leaves, flowing stones, neighing oxen, and howling horses. Soon after, they will bleed from all seven orifices and die suddenly. This is the Ox Demon's innate curse, a type of demonic eye.

However, from afar, the figure atop the tower also opened its eyes. Its dark, serpentine pupils cracked with star-like cross-shaped patterns of light, and a terrifying pressure swept over them.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Instantly, accompanied by two sounds of water balloons bursting, the bull demon's pair of lantern-sized, blood-red eyeballs exploded, blood spurting from their sockets, leaving only a bloody, mangled hole in the center.

"What a coincidence, I have the Demon Eye too."

Samael sneered incessantly, and the pair of claws covered with black carapace in his hand gradually twisted and deformed, with turbid blood and foul-smelling bodily fluids gushing out.

“Moo…!”

The bull demon's face contorted violently, his voice trembled, and he hurriedly opened his mouth to spew out clumps of foul-smelling venom.

Its superhuman strength is no match, its demonic eyes are useless, and its lightning is unstoppable; this is its last resort to defend itself.

However, the moment it opened its mouth, a pebble hurtling through the air pierced its venom sac with lightning speed, and before a large amount of venom could be expelled, it poured into its throat.

Instantly, a strong burning sensation and tearing pain spread from my throat all the way to my stomach.

"Ow!"

The demon let out a shrill scream, its upper body twisting incessantly.

"Even though I've stacked up a lot of poison resistance, spraying me with saliva is a bit much, isn't it?"

Samael rolled his eyes at the monster who had suffered the consequences, snorted coldly, and at the same time, he rooted himself to the ground and pulled his arms back with a roar.

"Come here!"

In an instant, the mountain-like monster struggled to be pulled out of the night, its tens of thousands of tons of body moving uncontrollably toward the gun turret.

From a distance, the figure on the top floor of the tower, the size of a normal person, appeared to have dragged out a monster the size of a mountain.

The stark contrast in size and weight made it seem as if an ant was lifting an elephant, creating an unparalleled visual impact that left onlookers near Shinjuku speechless.

The fierce-looking bull demon watched in terror as he was being pulled inch by inch toward the horrible demon.

However, just as Samael was about to drag the bull demon in front of him, a sharp blade flashed down.

Samael's expression suddenly hardened, and his hands immediately changed from pulling to lifting.

In an instant, the power of a landslide and a tsunami erupted, and Samael actually managed to lift the monster, which was the size of a mountain, off the ground. Then, he twisted his body and exerted his strength, throwing the bull-demon over the high wall and flinging it hundreds of feet away.

"Boom!"

The onlookers, feeling the ground shake violently and looking at the smoke and dust billowing across the wasteland, were almost speechless with astonishment.

Surprisingly, it was lifted up!

At the same time, Samael, who had successfully broken free from the stalemate, suddenly turned around, raised his hand and grabbed the naginata that was about to be chopped down on his forehead, his face grim.

"Are you crazy? I'm trying to help you!"

Faced with the questioning, Tomoe Gozen remained unresponsive. Her crimson eyes were almost unfocused, and from her mouth, which sprouted sharp teeth, she uttered indistinct and violent murmurs.

"Those who cross the line will be killed...without mercy!"

Accompanied by a high-pitched and furious final note, her arms gripping the naginata pressed down with all her might, and even as flesh tore apart, she did not falter in the slightest.

Damn it, another one's gone mad...

Moreover, it seems to be even more serious.

Samael gripped the hilt of his naginata with one hand and rubbed his forehead with the other, feeling utterly frustrated.

"Kill...kill...kill you!"

During the stalemate, Tomoe Gozen seemed to be completely enraged. The demon blood within her body burned fiercely, and scarlet flames spewed from her pores, instantly melting away the outer armor.

Unfortunately, her fair skin and exquisite figure were only revealed for a moment before they were stained with the crimson skin of the demon race. Her two claws, covered with hard keratin, abandoned the naginata and, like a wild beast, reached for Samael's abdomen.

"I'm sorry!"

Samael's eyes flashed with a fierce light. As Tomoe rushed over, he did not hesitate to sidestep and then delivered a powerful chop to the back of the shogunate general's head.

In his berserk state, Tomoe Gozen swayed and collapsed heavily to the ground, the crimson color on his skin fading rapidly.

Samael glanced at her, then quickly looked away, muttering "I'm sorry" to himself. He then stuffed the unconscious Tomoe Gozen into a compartment on the top floor of the tower and inscribed a protective spell on her in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

After he settled the female general of the shogunate, even more troublesome problems followed one after another.

With Tomoe Gozen no longer in command, the group of Black Warriors who were exterminating the demons also vanished, plunging Shinjuku back into chaos.

Samael glanced at the writhing shadow outside the city, then turned his gaze away and looked towards the sweltering Shinjuku district. He sighed helplessly, then jumped down from the tower while grumbling.

So when will the shogunate award me, a good citizen who's just passing by, a medal?

Under the night sky, a figure blended seamlessly with the darkness and swept across the sky. Before any of the wreaking ghosts could react, they were instantly reduced to a pile of minced meat.

The surviving heroes and residents wanted to find their target to express their gratitude, but when they realized what was happening, all that remained was silence and death.

At this moment, near the Spring Dawn Bookstore, Ryougi Shiki, Tono Akiha, and Asakami Fujino, who were working together to clean up the demons and ghosts in the vicinity, all instinctively covered the slightly burning divine seal on their chests, feeling the familiar aura of the Dao that was flying through the city, and their tense heartstrings couldn't help but relax.

It was him! [Father] made his move!

Meanwhile, Samael, with overwhelming force and efficient speed, swept away the battlefield, completely quelling the unrest in most of Shinjuku in just half an hour.

Among them are both nocturnal demons and out-of-control heroic spirits.

Of course, you'll occasionally encounter those audacious human villains who want to take risks and profit from the chaos.

If it weren't for the concerns about these goals and the city beneath his feet, which couldn't withstand his antics, Samael could have gone even faster.

However, the result is the same, and everything is not much different.

Samael took a deep breath and was preparing to quell the remaining unrest as quickly as possible when a familiar cry for help faintly drifted over.

In...Yoyogi-e 2-chome?

With his keen senses, Samael immediately pinpointed the location, then leaped to a high point on a nearby building. Looking into the distance, he was astonished to see two familiar figures running down the dark street.

Their movements were distorted, and their bodies swayed unsteadily.

One arm hung limply, dripping blood; the other was pale, with a charred patch on its lower abdomen.

Clearly, both of them had sustained serious injuries.

Why are they?

Samael looked surprised as his gaze fell on a pair of faces in the darkness.

At that moment, a low, mocking laugh came from the end of the road behind the fugitives.

"Hehe, humiliation is indeed pleasurable, but I'm tired of it now. Game over, human!"

Flames erupted from the night as a massive, scarlet ghostly claw swiftly reached for the two men's backs.

Chapter 53: A Crushing Blow to My Teammates (4.3k!)

On the dark street, Hua Lin staggered as she ran, her arm bleeding profusely.

But this long road shrouded in night seems to have no end.

The worst part is that, as time went on, waves of dizziness came over him due to excessive blood loss.

And the familiar fiery aura behind him, accompanied by a demonic laugh, was right there.

It's over, it's over, it's over!

The young girl realized that the monster behind her had caught up. Like a cat dragging a mouse with nowhere to escape, she let out a helpless cry, her heart filled with bitterness.

Why is it that this kind of thing happens to me when I've never been in a relationship, never married a handsome guy I like, and never had a cute child?

I'm so unwilling to accept this! I'm really so unwilling to accept this!

By Amaterasu Omikami, isn't it often said in novels that whenever a beautiful girl is in danger, a handsome prince on a white horse will come to her rescue?

Please! Please!

Please find me a handsome prince! If you can grant me this wish, I'll give you all my allowance every month!

As her life experiences flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern, Hana Rin, who was somewhat delirious due to excessive blood loss, began to have uncontrollable wild thoughts.

Note that he must be a handsome guy!

Otherwise, I will die with regrets!

At the very end, this ultimate aesthetics enthusiast reiterated the most important point.

Then, under the blazing light, Hana Rin, who could no longer run, pushed her friend aside, stood in a martyr's pose, and prayed devoutly.

This idiot!

Seeing her friend about to be smashed into a pulp by the ghostly claw that fell from the sky, Eriyo staggered back to her senses, gritted her teeth, and cursed under her breath.

Immediately, the exorcist girl turned around, bracing her exhausted body, and tackled Hana Rin, pinning her beneath her. At the same time, she squeezed out the last bit of magic power from her body, trying to act as a human shield and leave her friend with a final chance of survival.

Sooner or later, I will kill you all!

Having done the only thing she could do, Eri suppressed her resentment, reluctantly closed her eyes, and awaited her impending fate.

However, after waiting for a full seven or eight seconds, the expected burning and excruciating pain did not arrive as promised.

Realizing something was wrong, Eri looked up instinctively and was shocked to see that the huge, burning, scarlet demon claw was being lifted up by a familiar figure, who was gripping its wrist.

"It's you?"

The young exorcist looked bewildered, her voice filled with disbelief.

At this moment, Hana Rin, who was also aware of the situation, struggled to push away her friend who was pressing down on her. Her orange eyes looked at the tall and elegant figure in the firelight, as well as the handsome profile. Her eyes lit up and her heart was filled with excitement.

My Goddess Amaterasu, no way? She really came!

I just don't know why, but Prince Charming looks kind of familiar.

"Hey you two, isn't the ground cold? How long are you going to lie there?"

The figure in the firelight turned to look behind them, offering a helpless reminder.

"Samael!"

Upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, Hua Lin was first stunned, then her eyes lit up with joy. She scrambled to her feet and rushed towards the handsome older brother in front of her as if she had seen a relative.

"Do you want to die? Come back!"

Seeing her friend act so recklessly, Eri scolded her and pulled Hana back, decisively creating distance to avoid being caught in the impending battle.

Wow, that was close...

Seeing that the somewhat dazed, infatuated girl had been successfully dragged away, Samael breathed a sigh of relief.

"You...you...you're pretty strong, kid..."

At this moment, the figure opposite, who was remotely manipulating the ghostly claw, tried to speak casually, squeezing out each word through clenched teeth, but his body was trembling uncontrollably.

Samael turned his head at the sound, looking ahead. The gentleness in his eyes disappeared, and his gaze gradually became sharp.

The attacker under the cover of night was a child no more than 1.5 meters tall, with golden hair, golden eyes, red and black horns resembling those of a ghost on his head, and crimson ghost patterns spreading across his arms and ankles.

It's actually her...

As his gaze swept over that still-childish face, a hint of surprise appeared in Samael's eyes, and the corresponding real name flashed through his mind.

Ibaraki-dōji was one of the notorious demons who appeared in Kyoto during the Heian period and committed many evil deeds. He was also the right-hand man of Shuten-dōji, the leader of the Ōeyama demons.

Legend has it that the forces of the Ōeyama Oni were wiped out by Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his Four Heavenly Kings. Ibaraki-dōji escaped after Shuten-dōji and the others were killed, becoming the only survivor among the Ōeyama Oni.

Later, in order to avenge her companions, she hid in Kyoto and ambushed Watanabe no Tsuna in the Rashomon Gate at night, disguised as a young girl. She failed, and the two fought again. During the battle, her right arm was cut off, and she eventually transformed into Watanabe no Tsuna's mother to take it back.

This story was written into a ballad called "Rashomon," and the "demon of Rashomon" described in the ballad is also believed to be Ibaraki-dōji.

The right arm that was severed by Watanabe no Tsuna, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Raikou, can be tightly stuck together normally after Ibaraki-dōji becomes a Heroic Spirit, but it can also be freely separated and operated at any time. It can fly in the air and can also be used as a weapon for attack.

This right wrist, infused with the fiery power of the demonic seed, danced like a will-o'-the-wisp in the enemy ranks, easily shattering gold and jade.

Samael glanced down at his hands, a subtle expression appearing on his face.

Oh, if I remember correctly, that thing should be the one I have in my hand.

"Hey kid, you look down on me!"