Celestial Demon? Nurarihyon?
This impostor posing as the high priest was actually the grandfather of the juvenile Nurarihyon, the leader of the Nurarihyon clan, the elderly Nurarihyon himself!
But wasnât this creature supposed to be sealed within the shrine? And why did it have no faith-based prefix?
If the great yokai before him bore a prefix like Origin-Tracing, Fire-Worshipping, or even Extreme Evil, Lin Xun would not have been so astonished.
The absence of a faith prefix meant this great yokai did not belong to any faction.
Recalling how Nurarihyon had secretly stolen Incense Power for years, a terrifying thought surfaced in his mindâŠ
Lin Xun realized that a battle was now inevitable.
He opened his inventory and used the Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Mother Gu.
[You put on an expression of resolute righteousness, secretly crushing the Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Mother Gu in your hand, and spoke up in rebuttalâŠ]
[You were no yokai, you were a mage from a distant land, who had come to Sakura Falls to exorcise and eradicate yokai. Now, having encountered a lackey of the Evil God, it was your duty to eliminate this menace for the sake of the people!]
[The Celestial Demon Nurarihyon laughed boisterously, saying that after the defeat of the Chaotic Origin Dragon, who could no longer protect its yokai kin, the yokai had been forced to scurry like rats in gutters, hiding from humanityâs relentless pursuitâŠ]
[The Chaotic Origin Dragon no longer deserved to be the faith of the yokai!]
[He explained that during the many years he had endured humiliation in the No-Illusions Shrine, he had secretly stolen the Incense Power of the Pillar Gods under the Ancient Heavenly Enma. In another hundred years, he would use that Incense Power to attain divinity and become a new god!]
[Under his leadership, the yokai race would once again rule the world!]
[The great yokai before you seemed utterly deranged, speaking to you in a loud voice, as if venting countless years of suppressed emotion.]
[You shouted back, demanding why, despite having such power, he had watched coldly as the evil remnants at Dharma-Aspect Temple were captured and tortured, letting his own grandson suffer torment.]
[The Celestial Demon Nurarihyonâs face darkened, murderous intent flashing in his eyes as he said in a low voice that for the sake of the yokaiâs glory a century hence, such trifling sacrifices were nothing!]
[He declared that he had escaped the sealing formation, disguised himself as a human, and borne countless indignities all to become the new yokai god and bring about the resurgence of his race. How could he allow petty personal attachments to compromise such a grand undertaking?!]
[The Celestial Demon Nurarihyon exhaled deeply, shaking his head with a laugh. Speaking it all aloud, he said, truly did feel so much betterâŠ]
[Since you understand everything now, you may go to Yomi with no regrets!]
[The old man slowly closed his eyes, drawing in a long breath, as if about to reveal his Celestial Demon true form and kill you on the spotâŠ]
[âWait!â you shouted, claiming there was still something you did not understand.]
[You pointed at the massive creature bound by chains, demanding to know how the true high priest had been turned into that monstrous form!]
[The Celestial Demon Nurarihyon suddenly opened his eyes, took out a battered-looking censer, and smiled faintlyâŠ]
[âYou, too, have stolen the Incense Power of the gods, why bother asking me?â]
[As he finished speaking, an unimaginably terrifying force erupted outward with the old man at its centerâŠ]
[With a heavy bang, the main hallâs doors slammed shut. The once-overbearing twisted monster clasped its head in both hands and crouched down, whimpering like a frightened dog.]
[You felt an overwhelming, suffocating pressure!]
Seeing those words on the screen, Lin Xun knew he was about to be obliterated.
The bloody character for âNoobâ flickered in and out of view before his eyes.
[Just then, a brilliant sword light filled the entire main hall!]
[The searing, blinding radiance of the sword light possessed a might like the dawn of creation, wherever it pointed, nothing in this world could resist!]
[When the light finally faded, a small figure in a bamboo hat landed at your side.]
[The Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja Master sheathed his blade, the emerald jewel at the pommel of the Dragon Sword Masamune glowing faintly.]
[When you looked again at the Celestial Demon Nurarihyon, you saw that under the force of that world-shattering strike, it had been split cleanly in two from head to groin.]
[Just a single slash had reduced it to two severed halves!]
[Joy welled up on Tsukishiro Murasakiyoâs face. It seemed her masterâs injuries had completely healed⊠No! Not merely healed, he was now even stronger than in his prime!]
[With such strength, your group could destroy every last demonic abomination and escape alive!]
[She was just about to speak, when she noticed that neither you nor your master wore any expression of joy. Instead, your faces were filled with heaviness.]
[Tsukishiro Murasakiyo looked toward Nurarihyon, only to see him standing there perfectly intact, hands tucked into his sleeves, as if that scene of being cleaved in two moments before had been a mere illusion.]
[The Celestial Demon Nurarihyon chuckled darkly. Another to die alongside you, very well⊠He would kindly see to your passing, one by one.]
[As he spoke, he suddenly pushed off with both feet, lunging forward. He raised the wooden scepter in his hand and jabbed it toward the Ninja Masterâs browâŠ]
Lin Xun knew, this battle would decide everything.
If they failed here, and the Ninja Master perished, they would never be able to defeat this Celestial Demon boss.
[You opened a single pink eyeâŠ]
[Special Skill Pleasure-Hazed Sight activated!]
[The Celestial Demon Nurarihyonâs body stiffened, but soon, faint motes of light began to drift around him.]
[Within the glimmering light, it seemed countless people were burning incense, praying, chanting scriptures, and bowing in worship.]
[An utterly pure Incense Power surged forth, and in an instant, Nurarihyon recovered completely and continued his attack on the Ninja Master.]
[You felt a trace of fatigueâŠ]
[Although you had only controlled Nurarihyon for the briefest instant, it was still enough for the Ninja Master to ready his swordâŠ]
[Brilliant sword light flared once more, dazzling white radiance flooding your vision.]
[When the sword light faded, the Ninja Master had retreated several steps, only managing to steady himself with his back against the divine platform.]
[Meanwhile, the wooden scepter in Nurarihyonâs hand had been cleaved cleanly in two by the slash, and not only that, the great yokai holding the scepter had also been split neatly in half.]
[The Ninja Master showed not the slightest sign of relaxing. He turned silently, then vanished with a flicker of escape art.]
[You knew the Ninja Master was secretly gathering strength for the next strike.]
[You drew out the Refined Copper Sand Maraca and shook it. The Battle Angel â Valkyrie stepped forth from the voidâŠ]
[The Valkyrie pulled out the Arrow of Dragon-Slaying, drew her bow until it formed a full moon, and gathered blazing golden sunlight at the arrowheadâŠ]
[Tsukishiro Murasakiyo gripped her great naginata and moved to stand protectively in front of you, her gaze locked on the two severed halves of the corpse.]
[You raised your palm, and the Stored Spell Treasure Ring began to shineâŠ]
In this situation, four against one, Lin Xun felt not the slightest sense of confidence.
From the gameâs text prompts alone, he could tell that the great yokai before them was in no way inferior to Shuten Doji or the Nine-Tailed Fox at the height of the yokai raceâs power.
The probability of victory for the four of them was vanishingly close to zero!
[The two halves of the corpse fused back together at frightening speed, and in the blink of an eye, the fully intact Celestial Demon Nurarihyon stood before you once more. He sighed deeply, saying this human form was still far too weakâŠ]
[As he finished speaking, the world spun violently before your eyes, and the scenery around you transformed beyond recognition.]
[âŠ]
[The sky was dark and heavy with thunderclouds, flashes of lightning splitting the gloom as torrential rain poured from the heavens like a waterfall.]
[Raindrops the size of beans stung your cheeks, and the howling gales made it impossible to stay upright.]
[You now stood on a desolate little island, with Tsukishiro Murasakiyo and the Battle Angel â Valkyrie at your side.]
[Before your eyes could adjust to the sudden darkness, a blazing violet lightning bolt crashed down onto the churning sea.]
[In that instant of illumination, everything was laid bareâŠ]
[Several colossal tentacles, thicker than any ship, rose out of the waves. Amid the driving storm, a massive beast revealed its true form before the tiny island!]
[Its two monstrous eyes glowed like beacon lights atop a lighthouse, and its enormous mouth was sharp and hooked like a birdâs beak.]
[One enormous tentacle slapped onto the islandâs soil, countless disc-shaped suckers the size of millstones dragging away swathes of sand and rock. The impact alone sent tremors through the ground as if an earth-dragon were turning over, making the island shudder on the verge of collapse.]
[This was the true form of the Celestial Demon Nurarihyon â the Deep-Sea Colossal Octopus!]