Chapter 225

In the chronicle known as Yamiyo no Hotaru, there existed a specific divergent path-a sequence of events that served as the definitive gateway to the "Bad Ending."

To unlock this mission, a player was required to first cultivate a deep bond of "Affection and Trust" with Shirowakamaru

¹, a temperamental youth and former acolyte. Only then could one navigate the "Eight-Ma-Ra Great Serpent"

² affair to secure the favor of the Lord Minister of the Right. From that foundation, achieving a Perfect Rank in both the "Kagemaya Tea House

³ Infiltration" and the "Maiko's

⁴ Clownish Banquet" mini-games would finally trigger the task.

Hotoya Tamaki, a boy blessed with features so delicate they were often mistaken for a woman's, was forced into a masquerade as the Lord Minister's female bodyguard. What began as a tactical necessity soon became a hauntingly perfect transformation; through the grueling experience of the banquets, he was polished into a "beauty" beyond reproach. It was this sight-the Lord Minister and a mysterious "princess" conversing with intimate warmth in the heart of the capital-that the granddaughter of the Lord Minister of the Left happened to witness. To the young woman who was the Minister's betrothed, the scene was a killing blow.

Despite their engagement, the Lord Minister of the Right was a man who never lowered his guard, a cold figure defined by distance and rigid protocol. His fiancée, meanwhile, was a princess raised with equal parts strictness and indulgence. While she deeply admired her future husband, an invisible wall had always stood between them. She had accepted this as the nature of his lineage-until she saw him with another. Seeing him display a richness of emotion he never permitted in public, and directed at a stranger, shattered her. Panic took root, and a dark anxiety began to warp the threads of her fate.

The Lord Minister was dispassionate, but he was not an evil man. He possessed a fierce loyalty to the state and a heavy sense of responsibility toward the citizenry. Though he viewed the world through the cold lens of a realist, he was not entirely heartless.

It was perhaps because of this that he found a strange resonance with the idealistic, dreamy youth, Hotoya Tamaki. Though they seemed as different as water and oil, their inner essences shared a common frequency. Tamaki became the Minister's private confidant, his "hidden blade." During their incognito outings, the "bodyguard" would grumble about his silk disguises while his master teased him with a rare, playful affection. It was a singular, human connection-and for the granddaughter of the Minister of the Left, it was the end of her world.

Exploiting her fragile state, a handsome yet sinister monk-radiating an aura of the supernatural-skillfully manipulated the ailing Princess into a trap. She was taken hostage. A secret missive was dispatched, summoning her fiancé to a remote location. The Lord Minister, ever the strategist, refused to act rashly. Instead, he called upon his most trusted friend. Bound by his devotion to the man he respected as both a companion and a lord, Tamaki raided the temple in the Northern Outer Area alone.

He arrived only to find a living nightmare. The temple had been transformed into a den of depravity-a drug-fueled orgy where apostate monks, fallen priestesses, and vagrants revelled in the Princess's ruin. Her dignity had been systematically stripped away, and she was now being used as a physical shield. Tamaki, caught in the monk's cowardly snare, was overwhelmed.

The true descent begins here. In this defeat, the protagonist finds no mercy.

It is the total corruption of the self. Before the practiced, agonizing techniques of the "former acolyte," the heart of a boy who knew nothing of the world's filth was torn to shreds. He fell, and continued to fall, as his body was remolded through violation.

Perhaps the "former acolyte" harbored a specific loathing for Tamaki's very soul. The destruction of his dignity was excessive, a cruel recreation of the abuse the monk himself had once suffered as a temple youth. Under the weight of the secret technique, The Pure Fetters of Nirvana

⁵, Tamaki's screams were visceral. In the depths of his despair, he was haunted by the terrifying hallucination that he might even be "impregnated"-the final, absolute erasure of his masculine identity.

However, the tormentor made a fatal error in the nature of his cruelty. He broke Tamaki's spirit in the wrong way. In any other "Bad End," the boy might have simply succumbed to the base pleasures of the flesh. But because of his bond with the Lord Minister, he retained a singular hope that kept him anchored to his humanity. He was never granted the mercy of total mental collapse. Instead, he was forced to remain cognizant of his own degradation. Hatred, rage, and shame accumulated in the vacuum left by his stolen pride.

Stripped of his innocence, his self-worth, and his very identity, the boy's last thread of sanity finally snapped. As his body was held fast and his dignity utterly violated, he let out a scream of pure, unadulterated fury that manifested as a physical force.

"None now know the true cause of the calamity that devoured the Northern Outer Area and gouged a hollow into the heart of the capital. The disaster, which claimed nearly one hundred thousand lives, would later force the Lord Minister of the Right to lead a massive relocation of the seat of power. Today, only a moss-covered monument stands as a testament to that inexplicable tragedy..."

"The truth is lost to time..."

The screen fades to black, the tale concluding with white text against the void. A Bad Ending. And yet, one must wonder if it was truly the worst of all possible outcomes.

'So, does that mean... in that future, the Imperial Court might actually survive?' Yuka asked.

"Correct. A relocation and a memorial monument. It suggests a level of national stability was maintained. Though, I find it quite disagreeable that the Lord Minister of the Right apparently survived the ordeal."

In a somber tea room, a ghost and a weasel continued their discussion. The Ghost explained the drastic shift in their plans with meticulous care. The Kama-Kama-Itachi

⁶, Yuka, sat arrogantly with her subordinate, Okuri-okami, using her lap as a pillow, while the Ghost's vessel brewed tea over the brazier.

"It might go deeper than that," the Ghost added. "If no one knows the truth, does that not imply that we-the architects of this scheme-were also erased? Though the details differ from our current reality, who can say how much it influences the final outcome? No one knows."

'So you're saying you're scrapping the plan you've spent years nurturing?' Yuka said, her throat rumbling with a low growl of dissatisfaction. 'Honestly, I don't trust this. Isn't this all just a delusion?'

Yuka voiced her reproach while watching the Ghost. The idea that their grand design had leaked-and to a mere "monkey" of a man like him-was an insult. She picked up a slice of bean jelly and ate it, her suspicion plain.

"It is precisely because it is not a joke that we have a problem," the Ghost said, setting down the tea whisk. Despite not having taken a sip, Yuka's expression soured at the mention of their "Leader." The Ghost offered her a bowl of tea and continued, "I cannot say what trick he used-I haven't peered into his mind-but if our Leader speaks of it, we cannot dismiss it as a lie."

"Perhaps it's a clairvoyant ability... or even time reversal," the Ghost mused. "That white fox is always near him; she may have interfered from some distant future."

Two centuries ago, their plans had been derailed for fifty years by a seer who could look half a century ahead. Given what the young lady of the Miyataka house had endured, it was entirely possible that the nine-tailed fox had woven a grand illusion across time. It was not without precedent.

'You're bringing up some very unpleasant memories,' Yuka said quietly.

"For me as well," the Ghost replied. "That was truly an unforeseen setback."

It had been a disastrous period. The "prize favorite" of the Minister of the Right at that time had joined forces with the Sword Saint, setting their plans back a full century. Multiple executives of the Nine-Demon Sect

⁷ had been purged, and years of plotting had vanished like mist. It was a brush with hell.

The architects of that era were all long dead, and the Ghost-the Nue-had no intention of reviving them. They had learned their lesson after the failure of the plan to resurrect the Sword Saints as jiangshi

⁸. That blunder had nearly ruined everything. It was absurdly unfair how, despite their lack of natural resistance, those warriors had remained immune to both hypnosis and mental control.

"Anyway," the Ghost said with a light cough, "that is why we are repurposing the plan. Since the Lord Minister won't take the bait, that temple and the disciple-kun must be used for a more productive end."

The lineage of the Minister of the Right was formidable. Despite his youth, the current Minister was flawless, showing no openings. In many potential futures, he successfully evaded the destruction of his homeland and led a fierce resistance.

Then there was the disciple-the youth who had risen from the life of a temple acolyte. His silver tongue and talent for manipulation were impressive, and his personality was easy to mold. Above all, his talent was significant enough to be useful, yet not so great that his loss would be felt. Since the original plan to assassinate the Minister had stalled, the Ghost had sought a way to expend the boy's life without waste. This new plan was the result, and thus far, the prOniss was excellent.

'Ah, how tragic. He's nothing but a sacrificial pawn,' Yuka said, taking the tea. She mocked the boy's fate with a smirk, then inhaled the aroma of the rare Golden Needle tea leaves, her mood finally shifting. 'Well, I'll give you this much: for someone who's lived as long as you have, your tea ceremony is impeccable.'

The Ghost's skill in the Way of Tea was indeed remarkable, a product of centuries spent lingering in the world. As Yuka praised his technique, she swirled the vibrant liquid in the bowl several times, admiring its clarity-and then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she tossed it aside without drinking a drop. The bowl, a masterpiece worth a small fortune, shattered against the floor with a merciless crack.

The wolf resting in her lap looked back and forth between Yuka and the fragments on the tatami, his eyes wide.

One does not drink tea brewed by a ghost; it is invariably infested with spiritual parasites. Unlike the foxes, Yuka was never one to leave an opening. Besides, the first cup is always for the floor-at least in Yuka's world. It was the Ghost's fault for not providing a kensui

⁹.

"It's a bit cruel to call him a pawn," the Ghost replied, ignoring the ruined tea and the stained floor. He simply crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Think about it. At best, he was a man capable of inciting a riot in a small town or two. He was already a fugitive; had I not plucked him from the gutter, he would have met his end in some nameless alley."

He would have surely ended up on the gallows. That was the extent of his potential.

"And yet," the Ghost continued, "I have allowed him to transcend his humanity and ascend to the rank of an Oni-a level of power usually reserved for the most devout of monks. I even provided him with a vessel to shoulder the burden of the cost. If anything, wouldn't you say I've been incredibly generous?"

"If you're dead, there's no damn point, is there?" Kama-itachi asked.

"Now, now," the Ghost replied smoothly. "Had you survived this ordeal, I intended to grant you a position befitting your station once our great ambition was realized. I believe I explained that beforehand, didn't I? That is why I asked Benioni-kun

¹⁰ to keep an eye on you."

"What do you mean 'if'?" Kama-itachi snarled. "What's with this 'if' crap?"

The more she spoke, the more Yuka saw through him. She sneered at his paper-thin kindness-a plan so fragile it was practically a hallucination. If he truly intended to treat her well, he wouldn't have let his shadow-like disciple be the only one recovered. His abandonment of her was plain as day. Utterly transparent.

They had been associates for a long time, but as she expected, he was never to be trusted. While his wisdom was undeniable, that was exactly why he was a "snake in the grass." Kama-Itachi felt the truth of it once again, a grim re-confirmation.

"...So? What's the angle with this 'repurposing'?" Kama-Itachi asked.

"A favorable branch of the future, known only to him," the Ghost said. "I intend to draw us closer to it. As for her... well, the fact that she is a maiden actually worked in our favor."

At the question, the Ghost gave a thin, wry smile. A vision flashed through his mind: the girl his fanatical disciple was so obsessed with. It was actually less of a hassle that she wasn't a boy. It meant he could avoid any "major renovations" to the vessel.

"You've got it rough, don't you?" Yuka muttered. "Playing nursemaid to a lunatic disciple like that. How many years has he been stewing in that? You'd think the privilege of being human is that your emotions eventually weather away."

Five hundred years. For a Calamity Youkai

¹¹, for a God, that was the blink of an eye. But for a human... that affection had been distilled and boiled down until it curdled into an obsession. Combined with the weight of the sins he'd trampled over to get here, the madness had reached a fever pitch. The state of that collaborator's inner world was frankly nauseating.

Of course, to beings like Yuka who existed outside human logic, as long as he played his part, everything else was irrelevant.

"True enough," the Ghost said. "Well then, shall we have a look?"

"Haha. Beats sitting here praising the floorboards or your tea-pouring skills," Yuka replied.

She was getting bored of this tea ceremony. She nudged her junior, Rouya-chan, who had been using her lap as a pillow. Rouya-chan stood up in silence, looking slightly disappointed, as Yuka slid toward the tea cauldron.

It was a masterpiece of the highest order-a curse-tool fashioned from a Youkai's skull, adorned with gold leaf and lacquer. The Marrow-Gazing Mirror Cauldron

¹². By meeting certain conditions, the surface of the boiling water would project the vision of a distant living being. More importantly, it acted as a shield, intercepting any curses transmitted through the visual link.

"Now then, everyone," the Ghost said with a theatrical flourish. "Pray lend me your eyes."

He lifted the lid. Steam billowed out, and the rich aroma of tea filled the cramped room. The Ghost, Kama-Itachi, and a moment later, Rouya-chan, all peered into the water.

"Wow," Yuka whispered. "That is one hell of a soot sprite."

* * *

Across the battlefield, it was black. Blacker than the void. A pitch-black, absolute darkness.

Everything was being painted over. Everything was being swallowed whole. It wasn't just an attack; it was a total usurpation-a cosmic robbery. Every living thing was a target, from the beasts crawling the earth to the moss on the stones. Once caught in that bottomless torrent of "Black," everything was wrung dry and reduced to silt.

The fate of the Oni closest to the epicenter-the first to be smothered-was sealed in an heartbeat. The former boy, a failed monk who had cast aside his vows to become a monster, didn't even have time to process the end. His suffering was mercifully brief.

The secret relic stolen from the temple-the mummified fingers of a high priest-were intended to elevate him during the Demon God's Ritual. By consuming those severed fingers, the failed monk had ascended to a rank far beyond his potential. Without it, he would have been a mere Mari

¹³, a petty lust-demon. Pairing that with the Tenkibo

¹⁴-a curse-tool ledger that shifts the price of any ritual onto others-his success should have been absolute. He should have become a master of lightning that could thwart even elite exorcists.

It didn't matter.

The storm of darkness instantly tore through the Youki

¹⁵ (Demonic Aura) he wore as armor. It swallowed his massive frame and squeezed the life force from his bones. Withered into a husk like the very mummy he'd desecrated, the Oni died where he stood. Even his soul could not escape; after a silent scream, it was reduced to raw energy. The curse-tool meant to offload his soul's burden simply couldn't keep up with the demand.

The Oni was devoured and turned to ash. But the darkness did not stop. Its bottomless hunger sought the next meal.

The storm swirled in every direction, a life-drinking gale. In an instant, it expanded from ten feet to a thousand-an explosive apocalypse. The trees withered into gray silt. The ground crumbled as if dissolved by acid. Insects, birds, and beasts tried to flee, but most withered before they could take a step. The "Black" reached a nearby stream and drank it dry; the fish didn't even leave bones behind.

"Cackle! Now that is what I call a big eater," Aoki shouted.

"Da-♪" the child chirped.

Aoki offered her commentary while giving the child a piggyback ride, watching the carnage from the safety of a massive tree. Only an Oni like her could look at a literal hellscape and still act like she was at a roadside attraction.

"I guess the vibe is 'Gimme that, Big Bro,' huh?" Aoki said with a grin. "What a greedy-ass Authority

¹⁶."

"And? How does it look to you, Blue Oni?" the Hummingbird asked, its voice gravelly and provocative. "Surely you aren't getting cold feet now?"

Aoki responded with a savage, predatory grin. "It'd be a real buzzkill if it ended like this. I made a promise, didn't I? I'm going to see it through."

Aoki shouldered her weapon-a massive anchor larger than her own body. It was a toxic, throbbing mix of black and red, pulsing with a malice that rivaled the storm itself. It was a notorious weapon of mass murder that had evolved into a top-tier curse-tool.

"Well then... don't fall off, okay?" Aoki warned.

"Ah-" the child replied.

Aoki was moving before the child could babble a response. She vanished with a clap of thunderous wind. She was already at the event horizon of the "Black" storm.

The "Black" surged toward her, drawn to the massive pressure of her Youki and the faint traces of Shinki

¹⁷ (Divine Energy) she exuded. It swarmed her from all sides, aiming to swallow her whole.

"YOU'RE IN THE DAMN WAY!!" Aoki roared.

She blew the darkness away with a shout. She infused her roar with a violent surge of Youki, layering a Kotodama

¹⁸ technique on top of a shockwave of atmospheric pressure. If you hit an Authority with enough brute force to saturate its limits, you could force a path.

An elite exorcist would have been sucked dry in an instant, but the Oni did it as easily as breathing. A hole was gouged into the "Black." Aoki was already moving at supersonic speeds. She was through before the hole even began to close.

"Where is it... FOUND YA!" Aoki yelled.

She ignored the darkness clawing at her and focused entirely on the ground, searching for the source. The eye of the hurricane. She changed direction mid-air through sheer, ugly strength, kicking the empty air so violently it became a solid surface. The resulting shockwave sent the "Black" cascading away from her like a broken wave.

She dove straight into the source. There, she saw the silhouette.

Black mist poured from her entire body. The girl, Tamaki, was nearly naked. She stood with her head bowed, her unkempt hair hanging over her face. Her eyes were vacant as she muttered a continuous, rhythmic Hex.

Aoki didn't hesitate for a second.

"Hey there, 'Brother'!" Aoki yelled.

She swung the moment she touched down. Dropping from a diagonal angle, she let the anchor fly. She wrapped the massive weapon in a layer of Youki so thick it was practically solid and slammed it into Tamaki's face like she was hitting a home run. Her body took flight like a stray feather. Aoki used the momentum to launch herself back into the air.

For an Oni, this was the only way to fight. The King's Road of combat.

"Tch! This thing's a glutton and a fast eater!" Aoki complained.

She shook her arm, violently scattering the Youki that had been clinging to her anchor. She watched as the "Black" on Tamaki's body began to ravenously devour the traces of her energy. She scanned the perimeter.

Even from her height, her senses picked them up. Several presences were surrounding the "Black"-monkeys who knew how to fight. They were backing off like scattered spiders, staying just ahead of the darkness.

She felt one soul in particular-a completely putrid presence. It was looking up at her with pure loathing. Aoki gave her a wide, shark-like grin. A classic Oni provocation. She could kill the guy right now if she wanted to, but she wasn't that generous. She'd leave that trash for the "Hero Candidate" everyone was so hyped about.

(Alright then...)

She looked up at the sky. As she glided through the air on a ballistic trajectory, the Oni finished her calculations.

"Sturdy, aren't ya!! I bet you've got a hell of an absorption rate, you bastard!"

'Guh… ka!!?'

The first blow from the anchor, then the second. Any top-tier exorcists who had undoubtedly braced themselves would have been turned into minced meat ten times over. Yet, the figure overflowing with 'Black'

¹⁹ didn't lose its shape for a second.

It was the 'life-savings' earned from devouring countless lives, starting with that first demon. Its rate of decomposition and absorption had to be ninety-five percent… the Oni idly chewed on the thought. Even as she thought, she kicked off, compressing the very air beneath her. She closed the distance. She swung for a third strike….

'Daa!!'

"Whoa-ho!? Nice, nice!! I'll let you have a taste of that vixen's tits later as a reward!!"

Suddenly, her horn was yanked like a set of reins. She obeyed instantly, flipping her body in a nimble, violent mid-air pivot. Streaks of 'Black' surged toward her like piercing spears. She threaded the needle, breaking through the barrage by a hair's breadth. She offered a word of praise to the child perched on her head and adjusted her flight path. She closed in on the target.

There she was - a young girl, her face contorted in agony, her gaze hollow. Curled into a fetal position as she fell, the 'Black' that spilled incessantly from her surroundings lunged at the Oni to intercept her. A single touch meant having your life drained away. A downpour of 'Black' hail.

But the Oni didn't flinch. She licked her lips and broke into a jagged grin.

"I've always hated using 'family' as a shield!! I think I'll take a little of my frustration out on you!!!"

The Oni channeled her Youki

²⁰ (Demonic Aura) into the anchor, concentrating it until it was thick enough to make a normal man vomit. Countless eyes snapped open across the anchor's surface. They were awake. The anchor, gorged on so many souls, was screaming in rage. The weight of all those stolen lives, all craving vengeance, added their mass to the Oni's Youki.

Then, with sheer, unreasonable violence, the Oni swung that mass toward the girl wielding that repulsive power.

She struck at the force that demanded tyrannical usurpation in the name of the 'Eldest Brother,' as if finally venting a lifetime of built-up resentment….

* * *

Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade.

Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade.

Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade.

Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade. Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade. Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade. Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade. Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade. Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade. Plunge. Stab. Let it soak into the blade.

Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge.

No one said a word. The scene was so wretched, so gruesome, that no one could even bring themselves to intervene.

Particularly, the agitation of the people of the Yashiki Estate

²¹ who were gathered to make up the numbers is terrible. Some broke down crying, some fainted, some fell on their butts with their mouths trembling, some urinated, and some closed their hearts with expressionless faces and refused to accept reality. Bringing them along just to fill the numbers might have been a mistake.

The master and disciple stood dazed. Shishimai, the external help, bit her lip and looked away. It was a revolting sight - naturally. Her master is detached. His experience was different. The two younger stepsisters are composed and on guard. This is also terrible in its own way. The White Fox watches over the situation with a grave expression.

And that guy… hasn't shown himself. He should be watching from somewhere. Likely for the maintenance and disguise of the Barrier Curse. I'll trust him.

"..."

And there, in a situation close to being a public spectacle, I was indeed stabbing again. Squelch. The edge sinks deep into the meat once more. I yank it out. A spray of dark, reddish-black blood scatters.

A mutation due to some kind of external influence. Something being forced upon him. It naturally subsided, but the corruption wasn't being fed anymore. What remained had to be drained. The pus had to be squeezed out. I possess the means for that.

Akikorosemaru

²², the blade bestowed by the wife of the loathsome man, postpones the curse by stabbing. It accumulates calamity. It accumulates and will one day explode. It will fall upon its owner. This is, at the very least, a parting gift. It's a consolation from the one who stabs to the one being stabbed.

"…Hah. At least, I'll make you look human again!"

Declaring half as an excuse, talking big just so he'd have a reason to hate me, I then stab myself from behind. Already dozens of times. Every time I stab, the 'filth' accumulated within the 'me' before my eyes clings to the blade as blood, and then soaks in.

"……"

The 'me' facing me doesn't even resist anymore. He just leaves it to being stabbed. Because the spear has penetrated his stomach and the tip is stuck into the ground, he can't escape. He just groans, vomits blood, and shudders. Because he is looking down, I can't even confirm his expression.

…Probably, it's distorted with unfathomable hatred, though.

Yeah. Two sides of a coin. Everything is a paper-thin difference. It might have been the other way around. But there's no point in 'what-ifs' now. We both can't start over now. You know that, right?

"…Prepare to withdraw and clean up."

"Roger that!"

"Aye aye, sir."

Plunge. Stabbing from the back and pulling out, I ask. The first to move were the younger stepsisters of the Juuyaku

²³. They slapped the young girls of the Yashiki Estate awake, whispering in their ears to bring them back to their senses. And then they ordered the collection of evidence and cleaning up.

"B-but…"

"It's an order, you know? Can't you obey ssu?"

Several people want to remain, but Kaya-chan takes them out even by force.

"What about that side…?"

"There's the preparation, and also the collection of body fluids and meat. Shishimai-san, you're ready, right? Don't worry, I've modified that body so there's no problem even if weird things are mixed in."

"Could you think about how you say that a bit more? …Yeah. I get it."

Hana calls out to Botan-chan and the others. Botan orders matter-of-factly, and Shishimai responded. Looking reluctant, she turns part of her own body back into a slime and collects the scattered blood and flesh. Mine, and that of the other 'me'. I'm amazed by the efficient work. I stab, and pull.

"You two over there as well…"

"Ah…?"

Kochou-san, who had been left with the blood that erupted from the stomach via the spear on her face, is brought back to reality by Hana's call. She glances at Hana and looks back this way. She looks up with a face that seems about to crumble.

"I-it's… enough now, right? Look, you've done plenty, haven't you? Let's just stop this already, hey?"

"..."

As if flattering, as if entreating, as if coaxing, Kochou-san calls out. I silently thrust the Dagger (tantō). I thrust it and pulled it out.

"Hey, please…. I, I'll take responsibility and keep him locked up, okay? I'll definitely not let danger reach you… okay?"

"..."

I look at Kochou-san who is miserably flattering, and silently continue the work. Stab, pull, stab, pull….

"P-please! Stop it! Don't you see? It's you! That's you! It's not a fake! It's certainly yourself!! No, it's no good!! Something like that… even if it's yourself!"

"Hana."

"Roger."

The voice of Kochou-san is cut off along with the voice of Hana who responded to my call.

"Eh…"

A strike to the neck, terrifyingly fast. Kochou-san is a Shikigami

²⁴ user. She is not good at body reinforcement. Taking her out was easy. Just before fainting, Madam Black Butterfly looks this way sadly, and then collapses to the ground….

"Master…. B-big bro?"

"Take that and begone."

Seeing his master collapse, Shirowakamaru-kun looks this way like a lost child. I immediately gave him an order.

"…I, I understand."

Shirowakamaru-kun responded and summoned a Shikigami to carry his teacher out. Guided by Hana, they withdraw.

"E-err, I am…"

"Nyaha♪ If you can use illusion magic, let's go hide the evidence, okay?"

"Awawawa!?"

Kaya-chan takes Shiro-san away. It was a good judgment. I didn't want to show any more of this ugly sight.

...And then the crowd was gone. No one left but Botan and Shishimai.

"…I'm continuing. You okay?"

"…Wait for me, will ya."

I thrust the Tantō. A voice called out. I stopped. Facing me, the other 'me' let out a twisted smirk.

"I ain't… gonna do anything. Just… talk to me for a second, alright?"

"I know well how bad I am at knowing when to give up."

I stabbed from behind again. My other self gritted his teeth.

"Please. …That's why you cleared the room, isn't it? Dammit… how'd you end up with a harem anyway, huh?"

"Shut the hell up. Just say what you're gonna say."

"Heh… heh. …How many did you let die? Up until today?"

"…Seven. I failed Kashiwagi."

"I see. You useless piece of shit."

He ground his teeth. He had every right to.

"Yeah. …That it?"

"…What happened to… Hayama and Kikyou?"

"Relax. They're safe."

"Wait. That… that depends on how hard you work from here on out, doesn't it? Well?"

"…Right. I spoke too soon. My bad."

"Heh… don't screw it up. You hear me?"

"God… damn it. Your follow-through is pathetic."

"That's because I'm you. …Anything else?"

"…Well, I guess."

Silence settled over the clearing. The 'other me' fought to get his breathing under control. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, bracing himself.

Then… he flashed a smirk, acting tough with his last bit of strength.

"Give 'em hell. …Show me what you can do, ■■?"

"…Hah. I'll make it work. Somehow."

He offered a joking death poem to mask his fear, and then… I brought the Tantō down.

Those were the last words we shared.

And then….

"Murderer."

And then… I accept the hatred of my beloved family.

Just as planned. To the very last beat….

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Summary:

The chapter reveals the requirements and outcome of a specific 'Bad Ending' involving Hotoya Tamaki and the Minister of the Right. It details Tamaki's psychological and physical destruction at the hands of a sinister monk, which triggers a massive cataclysm in the capital. Meanwhile, in the present, the youkai Nue and Yuka discuss why they must abandon their long-term plans because the protagonist possesses knowledge of the future.

The Ghost reveals his plans for a girl vessel to Yuka and Kama-Itachi via a gruesome 'Marrow-Gazing' cauldron. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, a failed Thunder Oni is utterly annihilated by a sentient 'Black' storm originating from Tamaki. Aoki, the Blue Oni, arrives and brutally strikes Tamaki to interrupt the phenomenon.

An Oni battles a girl overflowing with 'Blackness', yanking his horn and maneuvering through a barrage to strike. Following the battle, the protagonist performs a ritualistic stabbing on his doppelgänger to drain away a curse. The scene ends with the protagonist alone, accepting the hatred of those he loves as part of a pre-planned sacrifice.

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Trivia:

- The 'Bad Ending' described isn't the current timeline, but a hypothetical game route.

- Tamaki's 'bag' breaking refers to a Japanese idiom for losing patience/limit, but here it has a literal, violent connotation.

- The Minister of the Right survives in the Bad End future, much to Nue's annoyance.

- The Nine-tailed Fox (likely Shiro) is suspected of being the source of the protagonist's time-travel or prophetic knowledge.

- Yuka smashes the tea bowl because she suspects it contains spiritual parasites.

- Nue previously tried to turn Sword Saints into jiangshi and failed.

- The Ghost has been plotting for 500 years.

- The Thunder Oni was once a human boy/monk.

- The 'Black' storm consumes even souls and curse-tool processing power.

- Aoki is carrying a toddler while fighting an apocalypse.

- The 'Marrow-Gazing Mirror Cauldron' also acts as a curse shield for the viewer.

- The 'Blackness' devours life upon contact.

- The ritual stabbing with Akikorosemaru is meant to postpone and store a curse, not just cause pain.

- The protagonist is stabbing a 'version' of himself that is physically anchored by a spear.

- Shishimai is a collaborator who can turn her body into slime to collect biological evidence.

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Character Insight:

Nue shows a pragmatic, almost clinical cruelty, viewing Tamaki as a 'pawn' whose only value is being used up without waste. Yuka demonstrates extreme caution and a deep-seated hatred for the 'white fox' who has thwarted their plans across centuries.

Aoki demonstrates a complete lack of hesitation and a 'King's Road' combat philosophy—solving magical complexity with overwhelming physical force. The Ghost shows his detachment from human emotion, viewing Tamaki only as a vessel.

The protagonist demonstrates extreme self-sacrificial tendencies, willing to commit gruesome acts on himself and be hated by his family to ensure their safety. The Oni's dialogue hints at a past resentment and a desire to protect the child on his head.

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Behind the Scenes:

The 'Nirvana' technique's name is a direct parody/dark subversion of Buddhist concepts often found in Japanese 'ero-ge' (erotic games) involving corruption tropes.

The term 'Marrow-Gazing' is a dark pun on the Japanese idiom 'Meikyou Shizui' (Clear Mirror, Still Water), replacing 'water' with 'marrow' to signify a more invasive, visceral form of observation.

The repetition of 'Gusari' (Plunge) in the source text is intended to create a rhythmic, numbing effect that mirrors the protagonist's dissociation during the act.

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TL Notes:

1↵Shirowakamaru: A chigo-agari (former temple acolyte) character in the game world.

2↵Eight-Ma-Ra Great Serpent: A play on the Yamata-no-Orochi myth, using 'Ma-Ra' which is a Buddhist demon but also a Japanese slang for male genitalia.

3↵Kagemaya: Historically, a teahouse where 'kage-ma' (young male prostitutes) were available.

4↵Maiko: An apprentice geiko (geisha) in Kyoto/Western Japan.

5↵The Pure Fetters of Nirvana: A fictional 'corruption' technique using religious terminology to describe s*xual/spiritual degradation.

6↵Kama-Kama-Itachi: A sickle-weasel youkai from Japanese folklore.

7↵Nine-Demon Sect: (救youkai衆) The primary antagonist organization in the story.

8↵Jiangshi: Chinese hopping vampires/undead often controlled by talismans.

9↵Kensui: A waste-water bowl used in Japanese tea ceremony to discard used water or tea.

10↵ -kun: A Japanese honorific used for peers or subordinates.

11↵ Calamity Youkai: High-ranking supernatural entities capable of causing large-scale disasters.

12↵ Marrow-Gazing Mirror Cauldron: A high-tier curse-tool (Meikyoushizui-gama) that projects visions and shields against visual curses.

13↵ Mari: A low-tier spirit or demon, often depicted as a petty nuisance or lustful spirit.

14↵ Tenkibo: A necrology or register of the dead; here, a tool to redirect the spiritual 'cost' of actions.

15↵ Youki: Demonic aura or spiritual energy specific to supernatural creatures like Onis.

16↵ Authority: An absolute, law-bending supernatural power or conceptual ability.

17↵ Shinki: Divine energy or aura belonging to gods or god-like entities.

18↵ Kotodama: The spiritual power of words; a technique where speech manifests physical effects.

19↵Blackness (Kuro): A corruptive, parasitic energy in this world that devours life force.

20↵Youki: Demonic energy or spiritual pressure emitted by non-human entities.

21↵Yashiki Estate: A traditional Japanese-style mansion or compound, often associated with noble families or organizations.

22↵Akikorosemaru: A cursed blade designed to absorb and store calamities through the act of stabbing.

23↵Juuyaku: Literally 'Executives' or 'Important Officials', likely the name of the protagonist's inner circle.

24↵Shikigami: Conjured spirits or paper dolls used by occultists to perform tasks or combat.