Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Chicken Soup for the Soul!

As the sun sets and dusk falls, birds return to their nests.

On the mountain path covered with fallen leaves, two figures traversed the steps, climbing upwards.

A petite girl in a gorgeous purple kimono, with an indigo sake gourd at her waist, walked barefoot in front.

A hideous, blue-green, one-horned demon with bulging muscles followed behind, carrying a stone knife.

Beauty and ugliness, petiteness and stature, form a clear chasm, creating a strong sense of contrast.

Throughout the climb, the blue-brown unicorn demon kept its head bowed, not because of the effort, but because of fear.

"We've arrived. Open the door, Kazekoshi Maru."

The petite and beautiful girl stood on the old platform at the bend of the mountain path, lazily waving her hand. Upon hearing the command, the blue-horned demon quickly followed, inserting its stone knife into the gap in the center of the platform, its bulging muscles bulging as it twisted the handle.

Instantly, dense incantations lit up on the ground, forming a pentagram-shaped magic array, with interwoven and rhythmic lines outlining the contours of a vermilion gate.

The girl habitually untied the indigo gourd from her waist, about to take a sip, but then seemed to remember something, hung the gourd back up, pushed open the door, and stepped out, her petite body disappearing into the eerie red light.

As the light faded, the spatial undulation ceased, and the girl stood on the main keep platform, constructed primarily of large stones, gazing at the towering castle tower ahead.

The castle tower (tenshu) is the highest, most important, and most representative part of a Japanese castle. It served as a lookout and command post, and was also one of the symbols of power in ancient times. The term "tenshu" is sometimes written as "殿主" (denshu), "殿守" (denshu), or "天主" (tenshu). After the Meiji era, the new name "tenshukaku" (tenshukaku) appeared.

Its function is similar to that of a royal palace, and it is the residence of people of high status.

The castle tower in front of us is a series of watchtowers. It occupies the top of the mountain and can directly overlook the foot of the mountain. The walls are equipped with pairs of protruding bastions, which are interspersed and overlapped with the eaves.

The castle's exterior is made of thick whitewashed walls, solemn and majestic, with layers of magical runes engraved on the surface, greatly enhancing its fire resistance and bulletproof capabilities.

The stone wall beneath the girl's feet is steep and sloping outwards, making it difficult for ordinary people to climb. The upward view further enhances the grandeur of the castle tower. Along the stone steps leading to the main gate, there are torii gates that are often seen near shrines, adding to the sacred atmosphere.

It's hard to imagine that such a magnificent and massive building is hidden deep in the dilapidated and remote mountains.

"All line up! Front row! Good!"

The crisp commands came one after another, resounding and powerful, like a majestic lord reviewing his troops.

The girl turned her head slightly and looked at the left corner of the castle tower.

As dusk fell, a black-haired girl with purple eyes, wearing a simple pink and black military uniform and red-framed goggles, stood in the center of an empty square, holding a submachine gun in one hand and a megaphone in the other, issuing orders to the dark mass of "soldiers" below the steps.

"Tonight's patrol: First Division to the east, Second Division to the west, Third Division to the south, Fourth Division to the north. Hermit Crab tanks will guard the coastal beach, Flying Fish fighter jets will be responsible for aerial reconnaissance, and the emergency response team will remain in place. Everyone, keep up the good work!"

"Wow!"

Off the field, a thousand soldiers raised their arms in unison to the wind, responding enthusiastically, before dispersing like a tide.

The entire unit was highly disciplined and acted swiftly.

However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that those so-called soldiers are actually paper creations.

Their shapes are also incredibly varied.

There are a series of small animals such as chipmunks, rabbits, foxes, hermit crabs, sparrows, and bats.

They were wearing small paper bulletproof vests and holding paper submachine guns and rocket launchers.

In addition to the hermit crab-shaped armored vehicles and tanks rolling on the ground, and the flying fish, bat, and sparrow fighter jets in the sky, the equipment is complete, resembling a well-trained and powerful army.

Although this origami looks a bit off and there aren't many pieces, its combat capabilities are undeniably real.

These papers were not only given life, but their surfaces were also outlined with incantations and imbued with properties such as defensive solidification, magical nerve mimicry, and aura concealment.

Once deployed to the battlefield, the fighting power of this origami army is no joke.

On one hand, miniature soldiers fly fighter jets through the sky and drive armored vehicles on land, firing shells or launching bombardments. The destructive power created by magic is enough to give the enemy a hard time.

On the other hand, they are not only numerous, but also, because they are all made of paper, they can easily evade physical attacks, making them easier to stealth around and almost unrestricted by terrain.

Of course, the drawbacks are also obvious. No matter how many of these surprise troops there are, they are still just paper at the end of the day and are very fire-resistant, just like the castle tower in front, which is mainly made of wood.

Incidentally, the foreman in charge of supervising the construction of the castle tower on the mountaintop was none other than this girl in military uniform who was reviewing troops at the parade ground.

And she is none other than the god-type yokai known as "Master Hachiten of the White Heron City"—Gyobu-hime.

As a deity, she is regarded as the God of Gyobe, the Goddess of Mount Himeji, and the guardian deity of Himeji Castle. As a yokai (supernatural being), her true form exists in various forms, including bat, rabbit, fox, and tanuki (raccoon dog).

However, in different stories, Princess Gyobe appears as someone who resides in the castle tower.

Legend has it that she would appear on the roof of the castle tower with her maids, appearing only once a year to the lord of the castle to inform him of the castle's future fate.

At the same time, in the version featuring Miyamoto Musashi as the protagonist, she also has a record of being defeated by Miyamoto Musashi, so her combat power is not top-notch among monsters and demons. Compared to offense, she seems to be better at defense.

Perhaps due to this skill, his job mainly involves guarding the house and maintaining the castle tower, making him a unique security captain in front of the main hall.

After arranging the patrol work as usual, Ji Xingbu's capable demeanor vanished instantly, and she appeared dejected and listless, much like a shut-in otaku girl who had revealed her true colors after finishing her work.

"If I had known they were so interesting, I would have asked you to send me two to play with."

Just as the security captain was about to reveal his true colors, a light, amused chuckle came from behind.

Just as she had lowered her shoulders, Princess Xingbu jolted awake, straightened her chest and raised her head, pretending to be nonchalant, and coughed as she turned to look behind her.

"Well, these whole sets won't do, but Assassin, if you really want one, I'll make one for you separately whenever I have time."

"I don't care, but Ibaraki would rather not do such noisy things..."

The sound stopped abruptly, and the faint smile on Shuten-dōji's face vanished, replaced by a somewhat gloomy expression.

Sensing the growing chill around them, Princess Xingbu, who was standing to the side, didn't dare to make a sound. She cautiously shrank her neck and took a few steps back.

However, by the time she turned around, that small figure had already stepped onto the steps leading to the gate of the castle tower.

"You're late, Shuten-dōji..."

"Better late than never."

Shuten-dōji's face was unusually less drunk and more aloof.

Ugly Gozen, who was guarding the door, frowned, said nothing, and stepped aside, leading the last two of the last seven riders into the main hall.

Inside the castle tower, which was both grand and ethereal, five figures had gathered early and occupied their respective corners.

"Little Kiyohime! I'm here! I'm right here!"

After entering the main hall, Princess Xingbu looked around and quickly spotted her close friend gently waving a folding fan in the eastern corner. She happily went over to her.

A female demon with white horns on her head, long blue hair, and snake-like vertical pupils smiled and nodded, making some space to welcome the arriving Princess Gyobu.

His elegant demeanor suggested good manners, but the subtle smile in his eyes couldn't hide the madness in his bones.

The demon race is born from humans and is transformed from humans.

The stronger their obsession, the more powerful and unique their transformed strength will be.

In the story of Konjaku Monogatari, it is said that in ancient times, two ascetic monks, one old and one young, came to Kumano to practice asceticism. The hostess who provided them with lodging was Kiyohime, but she fell madly in love with the handsome young monk, Anchin, that night and tried every means to make Anchin stay.

However, Anchin left first, using the excuse that he was going to Kumano to pay homage first and would definitely come back to visit Kiyohime after that, leaving Kiyohime waiting in vain.

After waiting for many days, unable to suppress his longing for the girl any longer, he visited her late at night, only to be met with a heartless rejection.

The man who once made a vow to her fled in terror upon seeing her.

Kiyohime pursued relentlessly, running constantly while she still had legs. After her legs disappeared, she began to crawl. When she reached the ferry crossing, there were no boats left, but she still jumped into the river without hesitation. As a result, she transformed into a human-headed snake/dragon and continued to chase after the enemy to the shore.

The woman's obsession took form in her body, eventually transforming into a venomous snake. It crossed the great river, rushed into Dojo-ji Temple, and caught up with the man who had broken his vow.

Unable to obtain what she desired, she unleashed flames, burning the man to death, burning herself to death, and burning away the love she once shared.

Although she is a stubborn person at heart, Kiyohime is usually quite calm and elegant unless she encounters something that bothers her too much. She has the temperament of a virtuous wife and loving mother, and can even get along well with a socially awkward god-type yokai like Osakabe-hime.

"Everyone's here? Ladies and gentlemen, shall we begin?"

A soft, elegant voice came from below the steps.

The speaker was a handsome man with a unique style and a refined demeanor.

His hair was divided into black and white in the middle, his pupils were like polished obsidian, and he always wore a cruel yet perfect smile on his face.

Beneath the open collar, muscles were clearly defined, containing an explosive power, so intense that it could tear an enemy's flesh apart with bare hands.

At first glance, it seems to be a beautiful, humanoid monster.

This is a sorcerer, onmyoji, and magician from the Heian period, and is our Caster.

A strange man who could rival Abe no Seimei, the strongest heian master, and who mingled with yokai and demons in order to defeat that yin-yang-headed man.

Quite unorthodox, quite wicked and insane.

"I plan to use that tonight..."

As soon as Caster finished speaking, his cool whisper echoed throughout the hall. His words startled everyone present, and all the Servants turned to look at Shuten-dōji, who had spoken.

In the shadows on the other side of the steps, a pair of scarlet vertical pupils slowly opened, casting a scrutinizing gaze at Shuten-dōji.

The tall woman with jet-black horns, long blue hair hanging down her back like a snake, and skin shimmering with a faint black scale-like sheen, parted her lips softly.

"reason!"

The sound echoed, as if a cold current had swept through the hall, the atmosphere suddenly froze, and a sense of oppression arose.

Faced with this immense pressure, Shuten-dōji remained unmoved and did not answer. His gaze swept past the figure who had asked the question and looked up at the steps.

"I am weary of this pointless waste of time, and besides, our time is running out, my goddess..."

"Really, is there absolutely no other way?"

The figure behind the curtain was half hesitant and half expectant.

However, all that responded to her on the field was silence.

Finally, after hesitating for a long time, the goddess bit her cherry lips, and her last bit of hope turned into a helpless sigh.

"In that case, do as you please."

However, the figure behind the curtain then added another sentence.

"But you mustn't forget what you promised me!"

Shuten-dōji nodded slightly, and after receiving an affirmative answer, he did not linger. He turned and walked towards the outside of the castle tower, his body gradually blending into the pervasive darkness.

Meanwhile, in Shinjuku, at the Gun Tower.

"You did all this?"

Samael looked at the sumptuous meal spread on the table with a hesitant expression.

"Yes, to entertain you, I did everything myself, from selecting the ingredients to cooking."

In the kitchen, Yustisa, wearing an apron, came out carrying a pot of chicken soup and announced it with a hint of pride, looking every bit the virtuous wife and loving mother.

Hearing this smug reply, Samael quietly put down his chopsticks.

Yustisa, who had just pulled out a chair and sat down, paused for a moment, then very considerately placed the chopsticks back into Samael's hands, urging him with a smile.

"Don't wait for me, the dishes are all ready. Eat up, why aren't you eating, Father?"

"I'm currently on a diet and need to control my weight."

Samael forced a smile onto his somewhat stiff face and placed his chopsticks back on the edge of his plate.

"What? You're afraid to eat it? Are you afraid I'll poison every dish?"

Seeing the other side's reaction, Yustissa narrowed her ruby-like eyes slightly, raised her eyebrows, and gave a teasing snort.

"Don't worry, I made them all myself."

That's exactly what I'm afraid of!

Samael remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was screaming with rage.

If it really is poisonous, given his resistance to poison, what difference is there between him and someone who drinks water and has no problems? At most, his breath might be a little pungent when he burps.

However, if it's a dinner prepared with heartfelt love from the other side, then you have to be wary.

Among the women he knew, those with gray hair could always conjure up all sorts of strange and wonderful things once they got close to the kitchen.

Athena, Natalia, Irisviel... these are all typical examples.

I really don't know what ingredients these women put in the food. Sometimes the power of those things is so great that even I, as a god, can't withstand them.

After several painful experiences, Samael had basically given up hope on the cooking skills of white-haired women, and even developed a phobia of lovingly prepared meals.

"It smells so good! What's that smell...?"