"Really doesn't listen to advice."
Seeing Ushi Oni's audacity, the young man drew his sword, lightly swung it, and a beam of sword light surged toward Ushi Oni.
"Klang!!!"
Feeling the threat, Ushi Oni's eyes suddenly narrowed. He quickly raised his long blade in front of him. With a clear sound, Ushi Oni's long blade shattered, but the swing of the sword light was not weakened in the slightest.
At the moment the sword light was about to hit him, Ushi Oni raised his hand, and a spider leg condensed from demonic energy appeared in front of him, but it lasted only a moment before collapsing. Still, it bought Ushi Oni enough time to flicker and dodge the strike.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Ushi Oni's reaction, Nakano Yu raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised that Ushi Oni had managed to evade the attack.
"I've lost. What do you want to do next? I'm at your disposal."
After dodging the attack, Ushi Oni touched the bloody scratch on his cheek left by the sword light, his expression serious.
The young man in front of him was undoubtedly the strongest human Ushi Oni had ever seen, even comparable to Nurarihyon!
"I have no grudge against you. I came to the mountain because this guy attacked my friend, and I came to seek an explanation."
Ushi Oni relaxed, and Nakano Yu didn't press further. He lowered Joyeuse and got to the point.
"What exactly do you mean, sir?"
Ushi Oni frowned slightly. He remembered that Tengumaru and Mezumaru had gone to find Nura Rikuo, right? So why would they attack this young man's friend?
"Maybe this guy can explain."
After saying that, Nakano Yu turned and looked at Mezumaru.
At that moment, Mezumaru was still immersed in shock and fear from his Lord Ushi Oni not being able to withstand even a single strike from Nakano Yu, completely unaware of what was happening around him.
"Mezumaru, aren't you going to explain?"
Seeing Mezumaru silent and unresponsive, Ushi Oni snorted coldly and asked.
"Ah! Lord Ushi Oni! That is… actually, we didn't expect Nura Rikuo's group to know about this… this gentleman. Originally, we only wanted to bring a few of Nura Rikuo's friends up the mountain."
Regaining his composure, Mezumaru, in fear of causing an even bigger problem for Ushi Oni, quickly explained.
Hearing that, Ushi Oni nodded.
After listening to Mezumaru's explanation, Nakano Yu also felt helpless. When he learned he was coming to Mount Nejireme, he had assumed he might encounter Nura Rikuo's group here. After all, when it comes to causing trouble, Seiji Kiyotsugu's group is definitely at the top.
"Today's incident was a mistake of my Ushi Oni group. Please, forgive us, sir. You may take Ushi Oni's life if you wish, but please spare Tengumaru and Mezumaru! I beg you!"
Just as Nakano Yu was absent-mindedly thinking about where Nura Rikuo was, Ushi Oni's voice rang out. When he turned, he saw Ushi Oni falling to his knees with a loud "thud," bowing and apologizing to Nakano Yu.
Seeing Ushi Oni in such a state, the young man frowned. The Ushi Oni he knew was not a monster who would submit to the stronger; he was a true fighter from the Nura group!
However, Nakano Yu ignored one thing: in front of slightly stronger force, humans still think there's a glimmer of hope, but in front of absolute power, that glimmer of hope is reserved for the main character. Obviously, Ushi Oni was not the main character.
"Forget it, I have no idea how to communicate with you who have lived for hundreds of years. For seven days, keep the monsters of the Ushi Oni group away from descending the mountain."
Seeing Ushi Oni like that, Nakano Yu no longer intended to seek accountability. This guy's target was Nura Rikuo, and he had no special relation with Nura Rikuo.
"Understood."
Hearing that, Ushi Oni raised his head and looked at Mezumaru, who had at some point been thrown in front of him, while the young man had already jumped onto the head of the bull-headed monster beside them.
"I don't care about your business with the young master of the Nura group, but don't let me see you harming my friends, or else!"
Nakano Yu's eyes narrowed. As his words fell, the aura of the Demon King fully unleashed, as if the air in the entire Meiryōji Temple was instantly sucked out, making breathing extremely difficult.
Under such terrifying pressure, Mezumaru's head immediately tilted to the side, he lost consciousness, and fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
"Consider this a warning."
After saying that, the young man kicked the monster beneath him. It understood the command, immediately stood up, and with trembling legs, carried the young man down the mountain.
After Nakano Yu left, Ushi Oni looked at Mezumaru foaming at the mouth and felt a mixture of emotions.
For thousands of years, humans had been incomparably weak beings to him; even the man who led the Onmyoji and the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons a thousand years ago was only half-demon, half-human.
And now, a pure human possessed such terrifying power, enough to drench him in cold sweat just from his aura.
Perhaps he should no longer look at humans the same way as before.
"Hey! Everyone! Those in pairs, stand together two by two! The next group starts three minutes after the previous one!"
In the front yard of the inn, a group of Sobu High School students who had come to Woodland Cottage gathered. These were all the students who came to participate in the test of courage, wanting to prove their bravery.
At the very front of the group, of course, was the famous popular team of Sobu High School, led by the ace of the soccer club — Hayama Hayato!
Speaking of which, Hayama Hayato truly justified his reputation as a popular leader. His light golden messy hair, handsome face, and sunny, youthful spirit clearly showed his status as a popular figure. Yet, at this moment, Hayama Hayato was frowning, as if worried about something.
"Sho, is the route you gave really okay?"
Standing next to his good friend Tobe Kakeru, Hayama Hayato asked anxiously.
"Hayama, don't worry. This route only goes around the inn once, it won't be too far."
Tobe Kakeru, holding a megaphone and organizing the students, turned his head and waved his hand as he spoke.
"No, I'm talking about that special part. Hiratsuka-sensei already clearly said that going to the fourth floor is not allowed, right?"
Frowning, said Hayama Hayato.
In fact, this test of courage had two parts. One part was a normal walk around the inn, where students would play the role of monsters and scare passersby. The other part was something that Tobe Kakeru and a few others had heard of from the legend of the inn.
It was a rumor about an evil spirit sealed in a room on the fourth floor of the inn. According to his idea, he wanted a few students to go upstairs and investigate the mystery.
"Ah, that fourth floor thing, don't worry. When we first arrived at the inn, a few friends and I went upstairs to check. It's just an ordinary corridor, nothing there, just one door sealed with talismans."
Tobe suddenly realized what he meant and explained.
"You didn't remove the talismans, right?"
Hearing that, Hayama Hayato quickly grabbed Tobe by the shoulder and pressed him to answer.
"Hahaha! Kakeru, you're too nervous. We've watched so many horror movies over the years, we wouldn't do something so suicidal! We just went up to the fourth floor, walked around, and came back down. By the way, when we went earlier, there was a broken rope that tripped me!"
Seeing Hayama Hayato so serious, Tobe was momentarily stunned, then laughed loudly, calming him down.
"You didn't remove the talismans? That's good, but I still think we should remove the part about the fourth floor."
Hayama Hayato let out a slight sigh, but still spoke with a hint of fear.
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
Giving Hayama Hayato a reassuring look, Tobe raised the megaphone and shouted:
"Now, the test of courage officially begins!"
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