As Shuten-dōji gave the order, countless spirits began to crawl out of the pillar of light.
Tsukumogami, mountain spirits, water ghosts...
All sorts of strange and bizarre demons began to appear and advance in all directions.
"This good show can go on for a long time," Shuten-dōji said, reclining on the soft cushions of his palanquin. "Some nice wine, please~"
A giant purple sake gourd rose from Shuten-dōji's shadow. The lower part split open, revealing a mouth with fangs. It aimed downwards and sucked in with a gulp.
Seeing this, Mo Chuan's expression changed drastically. He quickly said, "The Hyakki Yagyō has begun! Everyone must be careful and stay safe!" After speaking, he rushed out of the "base" and sprinted towards the outer city wall.
"Brother!" "Brother Chuan!"
"Mo Chuan! What are you doing?! Come back!" He Lanxin shouted towards Mo Chuan's direction.
"What else can I do... sneak in some stacks while they're fighting..." Although he thought this in his heart, Mo Chuan still chose the option that men must choose—showing off.
"My strength is very weak, but I want to protect my small home."
With that, he turned and continued to rush towards the outer city wall.
He Lanxin's mouth opened and closed, but she had no words to persuade Mo Chuan to return.
"Protect... home..." Tang Jingjing was stunned upon hearing this, and something in her heart seemed to be touched.
"I'll go with you!" Mo Fei wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye and also stood up from the "base," striding to catch up with Mo Chuan.
Just as Mo Fei left the base, a strange suction force suddenly appeared, pulling Mo Fei, He Lanxin, and Tang Jingjing towards the giant sake gourd.
"Brother!—"
Hearing Mo Fei's voice, Mo Chuan was startled. He looked up and saw that many young women, including Mo Fei, were being sucked away by the sake gourd. Mo Chuan, who was near the military camp, could clearly see that there were even some soldiers and high-level espers among them.
He instantly panicked. In his confusion, he threw a grappling hook and a lantern towards Mo Fei and Tang Jingjing's direction, while Zhang Hanshan immediately leaped up, trying to pull He Lanxin back.
Fortunately, they weren't flying too high. Mo Fei and Tang Jingjing grabbed the chains Mo Chuan threw, and Zhang Hanshan grabbed He Lanxin's ankle with one hand and a sturdy tree root with the other.
"Pull harder—! Hold on—!" Mo Chuan felt the suction force gradually increasing, gritting his teeth as he kicked off a stone, trying to pull the two back with all his might.
Seeing Mo Fei and Tang Jingjing getting closer and closer to Mo Chuan, Mo Fei even reached out her left hand, intending to grab Mo Chuan.
Suddenly, the suction force of the sake gourd surged again. The five people, who had just slightly loosened their grip, were immediately caught. The three women were pulled towards the sake gourd in the air by the suction force.
"Brother—!!" Kuai Shu Ge
"Fei'er!!—"
Mo Chuan's eyes were bloodshot, and his red eyes were about to crack, tears streaming down his face.
Looking at Mo Fei getting farther and farther away from him, Mo Chuan gritted his teeth and rushed towards the military camp behind the outer city wall with the fastest speed he had ever achieved.
...
Zhao Qingfeng spat out blood with a pale face. The spear was within his reach, but he no longer had the strength to pick it up.
Otake-maru twisted his neck with dissatisfaction, making a creaking sound. "What? You can't get up already? Why are the humans who come to deal with us getting weaker? The last one at least made me draw out Rokumei..."
"Alright... don't kill him. If he's really the strongest among these people, you won't have any fun later," Aragawa no Aruji said with a frown, fanning himself.
"This time... the landing spot... seems... different from before..." Yamata no Orochi, who was devouring the soldiers' corpses, said intermittently. "I... don't feel... the annoying aura of those old monks from Ling Shan Temple..."
"Ask Tamamo-no-Mae, she's the one who teleported us here."
As Ibaraki-dōji finished speaking, the seven oni kings simultaneously turned their gazes towards Su Daji.
"This is Longguo, west of Nihon. The two countries are separated by a sea."
"Longguo? Good place, good place... lots of food here!" "These people are indeed tastier than those in Nihon..."
As they spoke, hundreds of girls were sucked towards the sake gourd.
Shuten-dōji chuckled and threw a few of the girls into the sake gourd's large mouth. Amidst the girls' screams, the sake gourd chewed on the humans in its mouth. In a short while, a stream of blood-red liquid flowed from the gourd's spout. Shuten-dōji used his oni power to form a large sake bowl and collected this "fine wine."
Soon, the "fine wine" filled the bowl.
Shuten-dōji drank it down in one gulp, exclaiming with satisfaction, "What excellent wine~ It's been a long time since I've tasted such a delicacy~"
"Audacious demons, how dare you cause trouble here! Surrender quickly!"
A thunderous voice came from the sky. The demons looked up and saw three figures riding a dark cloud, rushing from the north.
The tall old man leading them had white hair and beard, like a proud lion. His muscles were as firm as coiled dragons, radiating power.
Behind him stood a short, stout old man with red hair and a young woman with light green hair.
"It seems we have new guests... Otake-maru, Umi-bōzu, Aragawa no Aruji, go meet them." Upon hearing this, the three oni immediately floated towards the sky.
...
Jibei City
"Attention all residents, this is a black oni disaster alert. This is not a drill! Please proceed to the nearest shelter immediately and remain there until this natural disaster has passed! Repeat, attention all residents..."
The shrill alarm sound echoed through the sky of the city, breaking the ancient city's original silence.
The streets were filled with damaged vehicles, convenience stores on the roadside were destroyed and looted clean, and in the heavy rain, distant skyscrapers were even burning, with wisps of black smoke drifting in the dark sky.
An apocalyptic atmosphere oppressed the entire city.
In the basement of Qingzhou First Middle School, which served as a shelter.
Principal Liu looked at the silent and crowded people in the basement with a pale face, numbly distributing some cold medicine and bandages.
"Principal Liu..." Teacher Hu said with a grave expression, "Our supplies are running out... We've taken in too many people, and now no one can get a share of the supplies..."
"Don't make a fuss, it will cause panic. I'll find a way," Principal Liu replied in a low voice.
After speaking, he looked out at the heavy rain and the rampant demons through the skylight, muttering to himself, "The military camp must be alright..."
Suddenly, the ceiling of the shelter seemed to be stomped on heavily by something, making a creaking sound.
The people in the shelter began to scream, and panic spread among everyone like a plague, breaking their psychological defenses invisibly.
Principal Liu's pupils contracted, and he immediately shouted, "Don't panic! Otherwise, you'll attract it!"
However, it was of no use.
It was only when all those who maintained their last bit of calmness spoke out together that some semblance of quiet was restored in the shelter.
Everyone listened to the footsteps from directly above in unease and fear.
Ominous footsteps.