I, Den-O, the Contract Urban Legend

According to Hanako Natsukawa, she originally had the ability to absorb the "fear" in the tea kettle to further enhance her own strength, but she disdained to accept this power that was created at the cost of countless lives.

"Damn Hanako!" Yanagita said gritting his teeth.

"No matter what you say, it's undeniable that Hanako broke the shackles of fate herself. She is a miracle, surpassing your strength and mine, and transcending the limitations of the tea kettle. Is it really possible for such a work to be created again?"

In any case, Jingsai no longer has this confidence. Hanako's birth is like an accidental miracle, and there is no possibility of replicating it no matter how you think about it.

"Forget about that traitor. I think your recently created 'Red Ghost' is pretty good, isn't it? Its strength rivals that of a real ghost. Not only can it help you collect 'fear', but it can also capture new inspiration materials for you. Most importantly, the created monster has no intelligence at all, so we don't have to worry about it betraying us!"

"Hmph, it's just a soulless work. A puppet is still a puppet after all. If it weren't for the resurrection of Master Yamamoto, I would never compromise and draw such a shabby work!"

Jingsai was a little dissatisfied with Yanagita's statement. It was simply an insult to his dignity as a painter!

As if he had noticed the change in Jingsai's mood, Yanagida had to restrain himself a little and decided not to bring up the topic anymore. After all, there weren't many monsters left in the Hyakumonogatari group, and Chagama had almost collected all the "fear" recently. The resurrection of Lord Yamamoto was just around the corner, so there was no need to cause trouble because of things in the past.

Suddenly, two different phone calls rang almost at the same time.

After all, they are the "Hyaku Monogatari Group", and creating and spreading strange rumors is their daily behavior. In this information-rich age, it is very reasonable for them, as monsters, to carry one or two mobile phones with them to spread strange news and complete tasks.

Yanagida checked his phone. The caller ID listed the name "Yamamoto's Brain." "Hmm, could it be that Yuanchao-sensei and the others have already found the whereabouts of the "Devil's Hammer"?

When the call was connected, Yanagida heard not good news, but the slightly panicked voice of "Yamamoto's Brain".

"Yanagi, can you hear me? Forget about the Devil's Hammer for now, and come back quickly! Something went wrong with the Teapot. A pale blue flame suddenly appeared out of nowhere and burned all the fear we collected with great effort!"

Hearing this sudden bad news, Yanagida looked like he had suffered a serious blow and showed an expression of disbelief. The mobile phone in his hand fell to the ground unknowingly.

Chapter 191: I will definitely win!

Back to Inoue Ueya's perspective, when Kuin finished chanting the spell, nothing happened at the scene.

"How is it? Did you succeed in finding the other party's location?" asked Kotoko Iwanaga.

This behavior of manipulating monsters to attack humans and monsters is a bit bad. Kotoko Iwanaga wants to find the culprit and stop him from continuing this behavior.

The relationship between monsters is not as peaceful as that between humans. In addition to being able to gain "fear" from various emotions, killing monsters and plundering their "fear" is also a means of doing so. The efficiency is much lower than the former. After all, monsters stronger than oneself are difficult to defeat, and weak monsters do not have much "fear". In addition, they may be retaliated by the monster group. Although until now, there are still some idiots who think they are invincible and will come out to attack other monsters because of this.

Inoue Ueya frowned and murmured softly, "Well, 'that guy' is a bit far from here, but there's a new show on TV today that I want to catch up on..."

Kuin originally planned to help Inoue Ueya defeat the red demon and then go home to watch the new anime he had been looking forward to for a long time, but the location of the "manipulator" he found was too far away, and the round trip would definitely take longer than he expected.

After thinking for a while, Kuin decided to tell a little lie, "No, I can't find the exact location. I can only feel that the clay man has some connection with an unknown existence..."

Kotoko Iwanaga nodded. This was enough to prove that this incident was planned by someone. The problem now was how to find and stop the other party's actions.

"Well, if you want to defeat the mastermind behind this, there's no need to go to so much trouble to find someone. I have a quicker method!"

【Full Charge】

Using the belt to charge again, "Inoue Ueya" once again recited an unknown spell, and the broken clay figure began to repair itself to its original state at a speed visible to the naked eye. Then, suddenly, pale blue flames emerged from its entire body. Incredibly, the flames did not cause any effect on the clay figure at all.

Kuin is now casting a spell similar to the "Substitute Doll" spell. Normally, it is a spell that uses something to replace one's own injury, but this time she is doing the opposite. Since she can use the doll to bear the damage instead of herself, it is not impossible to cast a spell that transfers the damage borne by the doll directly to the target.

Since there is some connection between the clay man and an unknown existence somewhere, Kuin decided to take advantage of the situation and transfer the damage that the clay man, as a puppet, is currently suffering to the "mastermind" who is far away. Unless the other party can react immediately and sever the connection, that person will have to bear the damage of Den-O's full-strength attack.

"To put it simply, I'm just using this clay figurine as a 'cursed doll'..."

After a while, the flames on the clay figures finally went out, but what they didn't know was that at the same time, the "tea kettle" placed somewhere was also destroyed. After learning that their efforts were destroyed again, the members of the Hyaku Monogatari Group fell into a brief state of mental breakdown one after another.

"Well, the next thing is to get rid of this clay figure." "Inoue Ueya" nodded secretly, then reached out and patted the clay figure.

With just one slap, an unconscious strange woman came out of the clay man's body and lay motionless on the ground. The clay man's body fell apart again, but this time the black mud scattered on the ground did not repair itself.

"This is……"

Kotoko Iwanaga walked forward and looked at the woman's condition. Although she was dying, it seemed that she could still be saved.

"Inoue Ueya" pulled out the belt on his body, and the transformed state was immediately lifted, and Kuin separated from Inoue Ueya's body.

"As you can see, this is what the clay figure originally looked like," Kuin explained.

Living sacrifices were not unfamiliar to the witch Kuin, especially as many black magics needed to be cast in this way. Although they said so, they only used insects and beasts, while the other party used humans as consumable "sacrifices."

"This 'monster' wasn't born too long ago, and the transformation process hasn't been fully completed. That's why it turned from a red ghost into a clay figurine. The human being used as a sacrifice wasn't completely devoured, so I rescued her..."

Upon hearing this, Inoue Ue, who had regained control of his body, fell into deep thought.

Is this a coincidence?

Transforming female humans into monsters, demons, and the like, this method feels a bit familiar...

"Well, anyway, it's great that we were able to rescue the missing victim. Let's use the Den-Liner to get her to the hospital first."

Iwanaga Kotoko hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and replied, "No, Ueye-kun, you go alone. I plan to investigate nearby. If this clay figurine is a monster transformed from a human, then the humans the red demon kidnapped back then might also be..."

"No, isn't this a bit dangerous?"

Inoue Ueya couldn't help but frown when he heard this. Although the "Red Demon" had been defeated, it didn't seem like a good idea to let Iwanaga Kotoko act alone.

Not to mention the mastermind behind the scenes that Kuin mentioned, since the other party had used the "Red Demon" to kidnap some humans, there might be monsters like the Red Demon on the move, and she might be in danger.

"Don't worry, let me accompany her for a walk."

Natsukawa Hanako's voice suddenly rang out at the scene, and then a flash of red light appeared, and Hanako appeared beside him. "Originally, I just came here to check on Kuin's battle situation, but I didn't expect you to run into those guys."

Hanako's expression was less calm than usual, and a hint of ferocity was evident on her face. "The Hyaku Monogatari Group, I never thought they would still be doing such disgusting things. We can't let them get away this time..."

Seeing this, Inoue Ueya sighed, "Ah, so the mastermind behind this incident is that Hyaku Monogatari Group?"

"Do you have the confidence to deal with them when you can't transform?"

"Don't worry, unless the other party runs away, I will definitely win!" Hanako said without hesitation.

Inoue Ueya nodded. He believed Hanako. Since she said so, there was no need for him to worry.

"I understand. Kuin, the three of you should just work together for now. I'll be back after I send the victim to the hospital."

Chapter 192: Yay!

Located deep in the sewers of Fukagawa, that is where the Hyaku Monogatari group placed the "One Hundred Demons Tea Kettle". After experiencing the lessons of Nurarihyon and Natsukawa Hanako twice, they decided to put the tea kettle in an extremely inconspicuous place to prevent the tea kettle from being destroyed again.

Well, but there is no point in talking about this now.

"Yamamoto's Brain" collapsed to the ground, and the tea kettle in front of it ignited with pale blue flames, and the "fear" and tea in the tea kettle completely evaporated.

"This is the 'fear' that the Hyaku Monogatari team has spent years collecting with all their might, and now it's going to disappear right before my eyes!?"

The scene transmitted through his "brain" made Yamamoto Gorouzaemon, who was in hell, a little frustrated.

Three years after three years, whenever Yamamoto Gorozaemon was on the verge of resurrection, an accident would always happen and his tea kettle would be destroyed.

At this moment, Yamamoto Gorozaemon's heart was filled with despair. The last time Chakama's "fear" was close to full was decades ago when the urban legend of Hanako began to spread. Although the rapid development of information technology in recent years has allowed the spread of their ghost stories more efficiently and the speed of collecting "fear" has gradually increased, the number of cadres in the Hyaku Monogatari Group has been constantly depleted...

Yamamoto did everything he could. In order to prevent any accidents, he even moved the tea kettle into the sewer. However, it was burned by a ball of blue flame that appeared out of nowhere. The results of his years of hard work were once again wasted.

If I continue like this, can I really be resurrected successfully?

After facing many failures, Yamamoto Gorouzaemon began to doubt his life.

"I guess I should give up after all. There's no way I'll succeed anyway..." "Yamamoto's Brain" said in a decadent tone.

Suddenly, light and steady footsteps were heard, and then an elegant man in kimono walked into the Hyakumonogatari-gumi base in Fukagawa.

"What? It's you, Yuanchao..."

Yamamoto looked up to see the identity of the person who came, then lowered his head again and continued to be depressed.

The elegant man's name is "Machuo", the Mouth of Yamamoto. He inherited Yamamoto's knowledge of monsters and is responsible for spreading the monsters in the group in the form of stories. He has the powerful ability to drive the spirit of words and is good at strategy. Most of the actions of the Hyaku Monogatari Group are planned by Machuo and Yanagida, and the latter even calls him "teacher".

Yuanchao glanced in the direction of the tea kettle, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but the expression on his face was surprisingly calm. He didn't seem as excited as others about the destruction of the tea kettle.

"What a shame! I didn't expect the 'fear' collected by that tea kettle to have completely disappeared..."

However, this matter was not a problem for Yuanchao, because he had no intention of resurrecting Yamamoto Gorozaemon from the beginning.

Although Encho, Kagami, and Aojizo are monsters transformed from various parts of Yamamoto's body, they have "personalities" different from their original bodies, or their behavior patterns vaguely carry some ideas derived from Yamamoto Gorozaemon's subconscious. They have their own ideas and pursuits. Compared with the concept of "avatars", these monsters are more like Yamamoto's children.

For Yuanchao, "telling terrifying ghost stories as a storyteller" is his pursuit, but the day of Yamamoto Gorozaemon's resurrection is the day he returns to his original form and disappears completely, which is something he cannot accept.

In fact, Yuanchao was also secretly guiding Hanako's defection. He didn't want to be swallowed back like this. Even if the collection of "fear" was really completed, he would take action to prevent the resurrection of the original body.

Even Yamamoto Gorozaemon, who was in hell, probably never imagined such a situation. There was a traitor in the Hyaku Monogatari group who could stab him in the back at any time.

"Well, it seems like leaving the tea kettle here isn't particularly safe..."

"I feel like nothing matters anymore now. Why don't we just disband the Hyakumonogatari Group?"

"Yamamoto's Brain" lay dejectedly on the floor. It seemed that it would not be able to recover from the blow of the damaged tea kettle in a short time.

Hearing this, Yuan Chao smiled coldly in his heart. Although he said this, he didn't think that this fat man who was afraid of death would really be willing to give up resurrection. This was not the first time he heard such decadent words.

The Brain sighed, then continued, "Let's not talk about the tea kettle for now. I just asked the people who were looking for the Devil's Hammer to return home for now..."

Yuanchao nodded, agreeing with the Brain's approach. He responded, "The tea kettle was clearly destroyed deliberately by unknown means. This also means that the Hyakumonogatari group has been targeted by a hostile unknown entity. The enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light. Safety is paramount. We need to relocate our base as soon as possible. There are only a few youkai left in the group, and we cannot afford to lose more members due to accidents."

"Well, you're worthy of being Yuanchao. You said everything I was thinking of!"

Although Yamamoto just wanted others to come back to protect the safety of the "Brain", the overall situation should not be much different from what Yuanchao said, probably.

As a result, due to Kuin's accidental attack, the Hyaku Monogatari Group was severely damaged, and there was also an imaginary "unknown enemy", and now they are preparing to move their base.

……

"Hey, you think you can defeat me at this level?"

"Iwanaga Kotoko" grinned and dodged the sneak attack of the giant blue demon. She picked up the Naniwa cane with a red glow in her hand, used it like a sword, and swung it at the blue demon.

"watch out!"

Just as Iwanaga Kotoko said, Natsukawa Hanako and Kuin found the whereabouts of other victims near the area where the red demon appeared. The monsters that were created locked the victims in a rented warehouse near the sea.

The goalkeeper is the giant green ghost in front of them. It is probably one of Jingzhai's works transformed from his victims.

Unlike the red demon, the blue demon this time was incredibly agile, and it seemed to have a certain degree of thinking ability. It aimed at the weakest Iwanaga Kotoko from the beginning.

Considering the safety of Kotoko Iwanaga, Hanako Natsukawa had to possess her body to fight.

[Aiya! Don't treat this cane so roughly! It's a gift from Ueya-kun!]

Seeing Hanako picking up her precious cane and waving it around, Iwanaga Kotoko felt a little distressed.

Chapter 193: My ultimate move, the crutch version!

"Why did it become like this?"

Taking advantage of the gap when Hanako and the others were fighting the monsters, Kuin walked into the rented warehouse where the victims were. While observing the physical condition of the victims and watching the scene of Iwanaga Kotoko fighting the monsters, she couldn't help but sigh. She had obviously dealt with the red demon and burned the "culprit" of the incident directly along the "network cable", so why couldn't she escape the fate of overtime in the end?

"Wow, Pretty Cure is about to start airing at this hour, I really want to go home right now..."

"Iwanaga Kotoko" frowned unconsciously while fighting with the Aoki. First, her right eye couldn't see, and then when she exerted a little force with her legs, it would bring a burden to her body. Hanako now experienced the troubles that Iwanaga Kotoko had always faced.

Hanako Natsukawa likes a bold and aggressive fighting style. She doesn't need any sophisticated fighting skills. She just needs to use the endless "fear" in her body and crush the enemy with her strength when facing him. However, in the state of possession, she will still be subject to physical limitations.

"Hey, hey, are you serious? Do you usually carry out commissions with this body?"

Kotoko Iwanaga lost her right eye and left leg after becoming a god. The power she gained after becoming a god seemed to be enough for her to move like a normal person, but "like" is still "like" after all, and the lost body parts could not have no effect on her. For example, going up and down stairs, which puts a lot of strain on the legs, is still a bit difficult for her.

For someone who fights frequently like Hanako Natsukawa, she can more clearly feel the inconvenience caused by Kotoko Iwanaga's physical condition at this time.

"What do you mean by 'this body'? Hanako, you're being rude! I don't think my physical strength is any less than that of an ordinary person. I can even rely on the little monsters to help me with my daily activities. And I'm a beautiful girl with enough charm to charm Ueya-kun!"

Hearing this, Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head in disdain. "Ha, how can you be so charming with your small stature? Besides, it's not that difficult to charm that stuffy otaku. I can do that too!"

Unlike the red demon, the blue demon held a knife in each hand this time and launched a violent attack on "Iwanaga Kotoko" like a storm. Both its strength and speed were several levels higher than that of the red demon.

I have to say that the Namba Cane produced by the system is really useful. The cane has the characteristic of "not being damaged by attacks other than knee strikes". I saw "Iwanaga Kotoko" constantly waving the cane in her hand, calmly blocking all of the attacks of the blue ghost.

"Well, it's just a matter of getting used to this body. It's no problem for me anyway, and—"

After a brief battle, Hanako realized the strength of the crutch in her hand and was no longer timid. Iwanaga Kotoko continued to pour large amounts of "fear" into the crutch, and the scarlet color wrapped around it became more and more conspicuous...

"I've almost figured out this weird beast's movement pattern."

Ever since Hanako Natsukawa defected, the Hyakumonogatari Group has been quite wary of the intelligent monsters created by Kagami. However, these monsters are powerful tools for collecting "fear" after all, and it is impossible to abandon them because of a defection. So, at the request of everyone, the created monsters were all given "constraints", a constraint that prevents them from disobeying orders.

The blue ghost was locked by the strong murderous intent of "Iwanaga Kotoko". Even though its intelligence had not yet fully awakened, it still unconsciously took two steps back at this moment, and its body instinctively produced an urge to escape. However, its mission was to guard the warehouse, and the "restrained" blue ghost could not choose to escape as it wished.

Despite this, the Green Ghost finally paused due to the conflict between its survival instinct and restraint, revealing an obvious flaw.

"Watch out, this is my ultimate move, the cane version!"

Iwanaga Kotoko seized the opportunity, took a step forward, and the fear that had been ready to strike suddenly broke out. She slightly raised the crutch in her hand and suddenly stabbed at the blue ghost in front of her, like a red lightning. The speed of the stab was even faster than the blue ghost had expected. It was unable to dodge for a moment, and had no choice but to raise the two swords in its hands and cross them in front of its chest, trying to take Hanako's serious attack.