Shuten Douji Becomes the Great Onmyoji's Back Spirit

T/N: Sigh... You guys are really losing a lot by not joining my discord channel.

.....

[You have won the battle of Mount Oe.]

[The troops you and Minamoto no Yorimitsu brought were almost completely wiped out in this oni-slaying battle.]

[During this process, many things happened.]

[Watanabe no Tsuna and Ibaraki Douji each had their own victories and defeats, and both were seriously injured in the end.]

[Usui Sadamitsu and Urabe Suetake were attacked by the oni of Mount Oe and were in a desperate situation.]

[Fortunately, Sakata Kintoki risked his life to save his three brothers, so that the situation of the Four Heavenly Kings dying in Mount Oe did not happen.]

[And your situation is also very dangerous.]

[Shuten Douji's lingering regrets after her death greatly affected you.]

[You fell into a coma.]

"Lady, I'm afraid Mr. Abe can't be saved."

"Shut up!"

Minamoto no Yorimitsu rarely showed a violent side.

She held the Hizamaru that killed Shuten Douji and pointed it at the servant who was advising her.

"Stop talking nonsense here, how could my husband leave me like this?!"

"Whoever dares to say such things again, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Since then, no one dared to mention this matter in front of Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

Only the relatively slow-witted Sakata Kintoki would sometimes ask foolishly.

"Will he wake up?"

"Yes, he will."

"He definitely will."

"No one can take him away from me."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu looked at the unconscious Ian, holding the Hizamaru in her hand, and said so.

Her purple eyes revealed a light that did not belong to Heian-kyo.

[Time passed silently.]

[In the blink of an eye, two years passed.]

[In these two years, Minamoto no Yorimitsu took care of you very seriously every day.]

[She also repented for her original decision.]

[If she hadn't made the wish to kill oni in order to revitalize the Minamoto clan, wouldn't things have turned out like this?]

[She regretted it.]

[Talent Strange Couple+ has been strengthened to Strange Couple++: Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who has poured two kinds of feelings on you, only hopes that you can wake up, she cannot bear this life without you.]

[But no matter who it is, they know that you, who have been in a coma for more than two years, basically have no possibility of waking up.]

"Mother, please take a rest for a while."

Watanabe no Tsuna, who had recovered from his serious injury, asked Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

"Let me continue taking care of father."

"No." Minamoto no Yorimitsu shook her head.

"I'll do it myself."

"Tsuna, just continue to do what you should do."

The warrior absolutely did not believe that she could not save her husband.

She would never give up.

[However, what Minamoto no Yorimitsu didn't know was.]

[You can actually hear her call.]

You can't go back.

Ian found that he had no way to return to Minamoto no Yorimitsu's side—at least for now.

Even though her voice sounded so close, he just couldn't respond.

Ian knew.

This was the place where life and death lingered.

If it weren't for the unimaginable power contained in Minamoto no Yorimitsu's call, he might have left here long ago.

[You are looking for a way to return to her side.]

[But Shuten Douji's lingering regrets after her death were too powerful, and you only felt that you were getting farther and farther away from Minamoto no Yorimitsu's voice.]

[You hope there is a way to get back to her.]

[No matter what the price, you are willing to accept it.]

[Fate seemed to respond to your expectations.]

[Just as you were about to leave here completely, a figure appeared in front of you.]

[It was Shuten Douji.]

"Oh my~"

Shuten Douji looked at Ian in front of her, her tone very subtle.

"Isn't this mister?"

"What? Did you die like me?"

"..."

If he could, Ian would never want to have anything to do with Shuten Douji.

This was an oni.

And he was an onmyoji.

Onmyoji must regard oni as enemies.

"Mister, why don't you talk?"

Shuten Douji put her hands on her waist.

"You don't have any reaction when you see me?"

"Heh." Ian looked at Shuten Douji in front of him.

"Then tell me, what should I react to?"

"At least show some surprise!"

Shuten Douji began to dance, and the angry horns on her head flickered—that seemed to be a reflection of her mood.

"The oni king of Mount Oe is standing in front of you!"

"Mister, you should have some reaction, right?!"

"..."

After hesitating for a while, Ian looked at Shuten Douji in front of him and opened his mouth slightly.

"Ah, it's the oni king of Mount Oe."

"Very scary."

"Hey!"

Shuten Douji stomped her feet angrily when she heard this.

"This is too perfunctory!"

"It's like a super bad geisha!"

"But I really don't think I should be surprised."

Ian looked around at the white expanse.

"After all, in this kind of place, it shouldn't be more reasonable for oni to appear, right?"

Ian was not lying.

After all, this was the place where "life and death" lingered.

It was not surprising that oni like Shuten Douji appeared here.

He didn't feel he should be surprised, nor did he think he needed to be surprised.

"What you said seems to make sense..."

Shuten Douji scratched the back of her head—there was an obvious wound on her neck that could not heal.

"This kind of place is indeed very suitable for oni to stay."

"So what do you want to do?" Ian looked at the oni king of Mount Oe in front of him, "Are you here just to let me praise you?"

"Then I don't think it's necessary."

"After all, you have been killed by Yorimitsu once, I don't think my praise can change anything."

Several small veins popped out on Shuten Douji's forehead.

Obviously, she was poked in the sore spot by Ian's words.

"You don't have to say it!"

"I get angry when you say it!"

"She doesn't have martial ethics! She came to deceive and attack me!"

"So you think if you do it again, you have a chance to defeat Yorimitsu?" Ian asked.

"..."

Ian's words silenced Shuten Douji, who was still shouting.

After a long time, she spoke again:

"Okay, I don't think so either."

"That woman is obviously not normal."

"Obviously not normal?"

[You noticed the keywords in Shuten Douji's words.]

[You realized that as the oni king of Mount Oe, she might know something.]

[You decided to continue asking about this.]

"Why do you think Yorimitsu is not normal?"

Ian asked directly.

"That—"

Shuten Douji seemed to want to prove something.

"Do you think I'm powerful?"

"Powerful." Ian answered without thinking.

This was not a compliment he made to get Shuten Douji's answer.

The oni king of Mount Oe was indeed very powerful.

Not only could she control the entire Mount Oe like a chessboard, but she could also set up various traps in it.

The fact that the oni-slaying troops were almost completely wiped out was the best proof.

Although the details were not pleasing, the overall was very powerful.

And to be honest—

If it weren't for Minamoto no Yorimitsu's katana.

Ian was not sure how long he would have to fight Shuten Douji in the sea of fire.

From the perspective of an onmyoji, he admitted that such oni were extremely difficult to deal with.

Shuten Douji was very happy to hear Ian's words.

For her, being recognized by the great onmyoji seemed to be a very happy thing.

"Well... since you admit that I'm strong, you should understand how powerful she was when she broke through, right?"

"This is a power that is no less than that of oni—maybe she is not human at all."

Shuten Douji looked at Ian in front of her.

"You couple are really more outrageous than the other."

"I'm going to have a psychological shadow."

"..."

[Shuten Douji's words reminded you of something.]

[That was what she said after she bit you.]

["You are neither human nor oni."]

[You don't understand why you got such an evaluation.]

[You don't understand why you saw those memories.]

[You are very confused.]

[Shuten Douji quickly understood all this.]

"Mister, are you curious why I said that?"

"Yes." Ian did not hide his thoughts.

"I really want to know."

"Then—"

Shuten Douji licked her lips.

"I can tell you."

"But you have to promise me one condition."

"What condition?"

"Let me leave this ghost place with you."

Shuten Douji looked around and rubbed her hands.

"This way you can know what I'm thinking and leave here, it's a win-win."

"How is it? Very cost-effective, right?"

"Are you afraid to stay here?"

Ian directly exposed Shuten Douji's thoughts.

"Afraid that one day you will really disappear, right?"

"..."

Shuten Douji, who was still smiling just now, suddenly stopped smiling.

She looked at the man in front of her for a long time before revealing her true feelings:

"Yes, I really don't want to stay here."

"Because I found something very interesting and want to know its truth."

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"It's you."

Shuten Douji looked at Ian in front of her and responded.

"I want to know what kind of thing you are."

"Otherwise, I will never be satisfied."

"..."

Ian was silent for a moment, and then realized a key issue.

"But if I take you back, doesn't that mean I didn't kill you at all?"

Shuten Douji shook her head.

"It's not like that."

"My situation is different from yours."

"You have a chance to go back to the lingering state, but I'm completely dead, there's nothing to cling to."

"Then don't you miss your Mount Oe?" Ian asked.

"Of course I miss it."

Shuten Douji answered without thinking.

"But I also thought there would be this day."

"After all, humans can't accept oni, I've tried hard."

[You realized that the chaos of oni in Heian-kyo may not just be Shuten Douji's laissez-faire.]

[She was also trying to find the possibility of oni and humans coexisting.]

[But as a result—it was impossible.]

[Oni are oni.]

[Humans are humans.]

[Separating humans and oni is one of the meanings of onmyoji's existence.]

[But even though you understood this, you didn't agree to her.]

"Let's talk about it first."

Ian looked at Shuten Douji in front of him.

"I want to know how you judged."

"..."

Shuten Douji was very vigilant.

She didn't answer immediately.

"What if I say it and you don't want to?"

"But you have no choice."

Ian answered directly.

"I might have other ways to go back."

"And for you, there is only one possibility left, which is to rely on me to go back."

"..."

Shuten Douji spat—but she really had no choice.

"Okay."

"I'll tell you—my way of judging is wine."

"Oni have wine that they can drink, and humans have wine that they can drink."

"But there is no wine that is suitable for you."

Ian quickly realized that Shuten Douji was talking about the wine breath she released in the fire.

It seemed to be made with the premise of "drinking."

But obviously.

For Ian, it couldn't work.

"Your judgment standard is such a thing?" Ian couldn't help but say.

"Don't underestimate my wine."

Shuten Douji looked at the great onmyoji in front of her.

"Truth comes out after drinking."

"Many things that cannot be described in words can be easily solved with wine."

"So—"

"I'm done, you should give me some reaction, right?"

"..."

Ian looked at the petite oni girl in front of him, his expression a little complicated.

After a long time.

He spoke again:

"Yes... I understand."

"Since you and I want to know this mystery, I should give you a chance."

"But—"

"You must give me all your power."

"Give it to you?!" Shuten Douji looked anxious. "Doesn't that mean I'm turned into a useless person controlled by you?"

"But if you continue to stay here, you are no different from a useless person."

"Besides—"

Ian looked at Shuten Douji in front of him.

"This way, you can also learn what you want to know as soon as possible, what's wrong with that?"

"..."

Shuten Douji fell into deep thought.

Finally, she nodded as if she had compromised.

"I understand."

"But I don't know if you can bear my power."

"You don't have to worry about that."

[You and Shuten Douji reached an agreement.]

[Shuten Douji's blessing acquired: You have acquired most of Shuten Douji's power and controlled her in your consciousness.]

[She became a back spirit that you can control.]

[In this way, you don't have to worry about her causing trouble after returning to the human world.]

[You didn't have any physical problems—this surprised Shuten Douji again.]

[But you don't care about her thoughts.]

[Because your purpose is to return to Minamoto no Yorimitsu's side.]

[But when crossing that line, you felt something was wrong.]

The era of the night parade of a hundred oni has not ended.

Are there any oni as powerful as Shuten Douji?