「Well then, I’ll be going now.」

「Have a safe trip.」

At the entryway of the apartment, I was squeezed tightly and then I saw Rin-chan off.

Although, immediately after she left the building, an armored-car-like vehicle stopped by to pick her up. It was probably an armored car that Rin-chan’s father had custom made and cost billions of yen to manufacture.

I waved at her until she got in the car, and once the car was no longer in my sight, I turned to go back inside.

Now then, it was already decided what I would be doing today and tomorrow.

I had an ongoing goal to catch up with Rin-chan, but during the time when I was interacting with the kijin players yesterday, I was able to get some rather important info.

Like where the kijin village was. The chat also ended up giving me some good information about the rare skill. I would make regular visits to it……….that was something I wouldn’t actually be doing, but it looked like it would be interesting to check the BBS sometimes.

☆

A distorting boundary in every direction, and then a huge shrine grounds.

After logging in, it looked like I was once again dragged off by Shuten to the Underworld, where I first met her. Hmmm, this feeling of being forced…

「It looks as if you have met with Kohaku.」

Shuten, who appeared with a grin, looked the same as when we first met. Which meant she was still using the appearance my avatar had at that time, beaten up and with a huge hole in her stomach.

「Why didn’t you heal those injuries?」

「It could not be helped. Being sealed, it is considerably difficult to manifest myself, you see. It is more efficacious to use something I have already made. It is what you might call being -ecologically friendly.-」

She was referring to someone’s body as if it was just an object.

Then, did that mean every time I was dragged off by Shuten I would end up seeing my body in such a beat up state…?

「If you do not like it, then just hasten to release my from my seal.」

「Sealed, is it…..is it true that Shuten can only act through a Douji?」

「You are not mistaken. In the first place, it was originally impossible to intervene with the present world from the Underworld. I used the loophole called jobs and even then I could scarcely interact with the present world.」

Though she said that, it seemed she at least had enough power to abduct me, though.

Well, since Shuten herself was an existence that stood atop the Douji, I didn’t really have to keep interrupting things by talking about that.

「Though anyway, so Shuten knows about Kohaku. Since I heard that you couldn’t intervene with the present world, I had the image that you could only see the world through the eyes of the Douji.」

「I sometimes have the freedom to view the goings-on of the world. Though in exchange, it was set in stone that I would become incapable of intervening with the kijin.」

「That guy that puts at least 1 bonus point in their wisdom?」

「That is correct. I am immensely displeased by that. Even though Kohaku was a kijin that had more talent than I….」

She had a really annoyed face, and then she snapped the folding fan in her hand shut.

Yeah, based on her story, I kind of figured that Kohaku’s strength was worth the reverence she got, but this confirmed it. Kohaku’s strength was absolutely out of the ordinary.

Probably, if it was just Kohaku’s strength, it wouldn’t be lesser than Shuten’s at all.

After all, Douji was a job that was specialized in 「physical abilities」as a whole, it was never a job that specialized purely in strength.

Well, if you looked at the bigger picture, then Kohaku saying that she was no match for Shuten was probably not a mistake at all.

And also, in the first place, wasn’t that ridiculous system created because you were peeking on the world? Although, thinking about it like that also made me think that Shuten had just reaped what she had sown.

Well, if something was made so that you could peek, at some point you would certainly end up peeking.

Moving on from that topic, as if officially starting the conversation, Shuten urged me to sit down.

After pouring something like an alcohol on a huge sake cup, she also slowly sat on the floor.

「Ppuhaa…..and so, Sukuna. Did Kohaku have her show you《Final Formation (Tsuishiki)》?」

「Tsuishiki?」

「It is the final technique in《Dance of the Oni (Oni no Mai)》, you know. What, did you not hear about it?」

「Yeah, I don’t know anything about it.」

Saying you write it like this, Shuten used her drink to write and drew the characters 「終式」on the ground.

This final technique’s name gave me such a blunt impression. It even gave the feeling that you would need to sacrifice your life or something to use it.

「Sukuna, in what way did you have Oni no Mai explained to you?」

「It is completed after performing five dances, and it’s a skill that strengthens yourself, it’s something like that.」

「That is not wrong. However, that Kohaku, she has not yet explained to you the Oni no Mai’s main purpose.」

Saying that, Shuten sighed, slightly disappointed.

The《Oni no Mai》skill was an exclusive skill for kijin, and the description of the skill said that it was specialized for「self-strengthening.」

After reaching a certain amount of strength, you would be able to acquire it, and after learning the five dances, you would be able achieve peerless strength, Kohaku said.

Just simply looking at its effects, it was something like the Ravenous Wolf skill.

「Listen well, Sukuna. It is not a mistake to say that the Oni no Mai only exists for the user to be able to use《Tsuishiki》. Although the form that the skill takes sprouts from the oni themselves, but…all Tsuishiki become an oni’s certain-kill trump card. It is that kind of a final technique. It is also the reason why Kohaku was dubbed 《Castle Crusher》, and the reason I was called《Kishin》. If you look at the history behind these names, you will find that what I have said is not an exaggeration of Tsuishiki’s power at all.」

From the extremely passionate explanation, I could feel a chill crawl through my spine.

So what she was saying was…

That there was a possibility for Tsuishiki to become a certain-kill trump card with enough power to destroy a castle.

「If your teacher, Kohaku, has not said anything about it already then I shall also seal my lips regarding her Tsuishiki. Someday, there will certainly be a chance for you to witness it.」

「Even though you’re the one that started talking about it…..」

「Fuahahahahahaha!」

When I glared at her, Shuten laughed and drank her sake as she strayed away from the topic.

Since I had come to this place, I had some things that I wanted to ask.

Since I didn’t know how much time I had here, let’s ask her as many questions as we can ask.

「Shuten, do you know about Requiem?」

「It is a song for the repose of souls, is it not?」

「…..」

「I-It was simply a jest. One of the Seven Heavenly Kings, Requiem of the Sky Pivot, correct? Of course I am aware of them.」

Seven Heavenly Kings. A new term appeared again…

「Now that you have defeated Aria, you will not be able to avoid fighting against Rondo and Fantasia. You could say that you have already been marked. Well, as you enjoy fighting against strong opponents, I have no need to worry about such a thing.」

「The Rondo and Fantasia you mentioned just now, they’re the black one and the white one, right?」

「Umu. I do not recommend fighting either of them alone. Especially not Fantasia. In the first place, there is a reason that you absolutely cannot win against her alone.」

The black one was Rondo and the white one was Fantasia.

The ones that Kohaku mentioned to me yesterday, The Black Wolf of Congregation and the White Wolf of Illusions, it was great to be able to hear about them here.

Yesterday on the BBS, I had gotten info that there seemed to be a black wolf not far beyond the sixth town. Hesitantly speaking, depending on the situation, I might only need to search for the white wolf.

It seemed you could get the information itself from the fifth town, so once I made it there, I could just ask for it again.

However, I wonder what Shuten meant when she said I absolutely couldn’t win「alone.」

Was there some sort of reason that I had to do it with someone else, or was the opponent just that overwhelmingly strong?

For now, I should just keep Shuten’s warning at the back of my mind. Either way, once I met up with Rin-chan there would be no need for me to fight it alone, after all.

「I will tell you the story of the Seven Heavenly Kings as well. Listen well, Sukuna.」

When I was groaning from the effort of trying to digest Shuten’s story, she put down her sake cup and started talking with a serious expression.

「The lands of beginnings that were stopped started moving, the world’s quickening has begun. The Named among Monsters shall stride throughout the world. The stagnation had already been cleared away. With one’s own hand, you have defeated an aspect of the Seven Heavenly Kings in haste, and They are gradually starting to move. There is still time, however, you cannot stop the flow that has already started moving.」

W-wait a sec. That’s an all-you-can-eat world lore combo, right!!?

Uuum, the moving of the land of beginning is probably referring to the function where the players are summoned, the world’s quickening is the start of the service of the game, and then the named monster is Aria which I–….. guffu.

「I may have bestowed upon you some guidance, but do not place an overabundance of attention upon releasing me from my seal. Right now, the most important thing you must concern yourself with is continuing to improve your strength. You, the other Douji, and the kijin, strengthening yourselves will aid in releasing me from my seal.」

From Shuten’s words, it was hard for me to judge if I should just easily nod along.

「But, I also have my promise to Kohaku too…」

「It is not as if I do not sympathize with what you are feeling. However, that girl, just how many years do you think she has been awaiting this? She would not mind it if you had her wait a spell after so long. Rather, since she decided to teach you Oni no Mai, she should also be thinking as I am.」

Nuu, being told that, I think that it certainly is right.

Since my time in the game had been so eventful, I sort of forgot, but it had only been one week since I had started WLO.

Shuten’s quest and Kohaku’s quest. Both of them probably required me to have a triple digit level to even be able to reach their starting lines. Those quests most likely had just that high a level of difficulty.

And also, the last time I came here, I heard that there was something beyond《Douji》. Regardless of what I wanted to work towards at this point, I needed to level up and strengthen my skills first.

And moreover, this was a game. Though I might have gotten special goals, it would be a waste to just speed past the fun parts.

If I just had fun and developed along the way then I would naturally get closer to fulfilling the promises I made to the both of them.

After reflecting on my own impatience, Shuten’s words felt like they went through my chest and calmed me down.

「Fuu, that is a nice look in your eyes. Thought, it is a bit disappointing that I will not be able to see it for a while….」

「Eh?」

「Since I have communicated with you, I used much of my power in a short time. Thus, there is a need to accumulate more power.」

「Ah, so that’s how it is.」

Since she had gone out of her way to explain it.

It was probably just about time.

The moment I thought that, Shuten and I and all of the grounds dissolved and started to morph into particles of lights.

「So it is time.」

「Yeah. I wonder when we will be able to meet each other.」

「Who knows when it shall be. Fufu, right now, you have Kohaku with you, and right now there is no need for me to give you advice and such……..Ah, right, I have one last thing to say to you.」

As the both of us had mostly disappeared, with one last word, Shuten had some words she wanted to leave with me.

「To Kohaku, tell her that I shall be looking forward to meeting her.」

「Ahahaha, roger that. See you.」

And after that, we weren’t able to say anything more to each other.

The Underworld had dissolved, and it became particles of light as it disappeared.

———————————————————————

Author notes:

Basically to use the ultimate final technique, you need to strengthen yourself, which is the concept behind Oni no Mai.