We were all frozen in shock at the sight of Yamata No Orochi’s form. Luckily, I was not taking part in the battle against Shuten Doji. The others who had been in close proximity were too late to react to Orochi’s residue poison.

However, the poison wasn't the only problem. Yamata No Orochi's body emanated such an intense aura that most people were frozen in place, with the weaker ones even losing consciousness. As Yamata No Orochi's aura burst forth, the very foundations of the mountains quivered at the raw power. The radiant light of day succumbed to an eerie darkness, engulfing the land in twilight—a haunting eclipse that defied the natural order.

The overwhelming sensation was fleeting, lasting only momentarily, and the soft sunny light landed on my skin.

"Damn, even the residual energy in a corpse can create something like this? That bastard was truly powerful," Shuten Doji grinned. He was one of those deranged individuals who admired power for its own sake and took pleasure in beholding formidable beings.

Should I just get out of here? Yes, that would be for the best. Because if I had stayed any longer, I might have been obliterated like a mere background character.

Just then, Agon yelled and attempted to attack Shuten Doji from behind. It was a futile effort, resulting in Agon receiving a blow to the face from a spiked bat, which knocked him unconscious and sent him crashing into Orochi's gigantic corpse.

Shuten Doji had a sword in his hands. When did he get that? The weapon was familiar to me—it was Kusanagi, the same blade with which the Magician had sealed Yamata No Orochi's body.

For a moment, worry crept over me. Protagonist or not, this was real life, and Agon was in grave danger. Despite his foolishness, annoyance, and idiocy, he was still a friend.

As I was thinking of my friends and how I couldn’t afford to lose any more, I had forgotten who I was referring to.

What happens when a protagonist faces an overwhelmingly stronger opponent? Well, the obvious answer is to gain a significant power-up in the midst of battle.

Yamata No Orochi's residual poison condensed into a swirling purple cloud that enveloped Agon. This was a potent poison that even most ultimate-class demons couldn't resist, and humans stood no chance against it. But this was Agon, so at most, the poison caused him to sneeze a couple of times. When the purple cloud dissipated, he had a runny nose.

"Ow! Some dust got into my eye!" He rubbed his bloodshot eyes.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw this. It was a strange combination - being blessed by the heavens yet displaying such stupidity.

There was a logic behind this power-up. It was called Demonic Resonance, where one demon can mimic another demon's power due to their similarities. In the original story, Sei experienced it when he was near Tamae No Mae. His hair would flash silver, and he would inadvertently tap into the nine-tailed fox's abilities, surpassing his own limits.

Personally, I thought this power-up was ridiculous. Was it unfair? Yes, especially for Shuten Doji. Did I care? No, I fully supported it!

Keep it up, Agon! Pull out some more bullshit power-ups!

Wait... What if I could be the one to give him a power-up? Even if it wasn't much, anything would help.

I grabbed the cursed sword by the blade, and with Carpy's assistance, I created a ball of water to surround it. I threw the blade, and usually, my throws were terrible unless I was in my Perfect Me state. But with the water guiding it, the sword landed right next to Agon.

He looked at the weapon, tilting his head in confusion.

Did he not remember that this was my weapon? Who was I kidding, of course he didn't remember.

A weapon being thrown at you and releasing malicious energy was clearly something no sane person would even touch. But this was Agon - caution wasn't even in his dictionary.

He grabbed the weapon without hesitation. The curse tried to take hold of him, but he tamed the sword within seconds, and instead, the curse began to enhance him.

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Special Move: Bullshit power-up number 2!

Agon would have been annoying as an enemy. But as a friend, he was like a cheat code. One that I would use to my advantage without reservation!

Well, maybe not the last part. That wasn't what a friend would do. With Bets gone, I needed all the friends I could get.

"Brats keep popping up everywhere," Shuten Doji smiled. "I can feel it in my bones! The Golden Age of Exorcism is about to begin again-"

Before he could finish his grand speech, Agon landed a powerful punch on his face. Surprisingly, this blow caused Shuten Doji to stumble back, sporting a split lip.

"You brat," Shuten Doji's smile contradicted his words, and he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself as he swung his bat. Agon responded in kind, his Ord covering my cursed sword as they clashed.

The shockwave from their clash made the space between them quiver, but due to the poison, no one dared approach the fight to help Agon.

With their mouths agape, they watched as Agon and Shuten Doji clashed on seemingly equal footing.

However, the balance didn't last long. A heartbeat rang through the battlefield, and Agon stumbled and coughed up blood, giving Shuten Doji the advantage to smash him away.

I winced. Even if I had revealed Shuten Doji's special power, no one would have been able to counter defend against it.

Agon struggled to stand but his legs buckled, causing him to fall face-first onto the dirt.

"Sadly for you, kid, you possess only Yamata No Orochi's soul, not his regenerative body. You'll never attain the power that monster had. A human body can't regenerate like he did. Crush all his heads and leave him for dead, and he'd simply regenerate and wonder why he's suddenly sober," Shuten Doji chuckled, his tone shifting to a frown. "That's how The Magician defeated the poor bastard. Yamata No Orochi was always drunk, not caring about winning or losing, because we all knew that if he got serious, none of us would stand a chance."

Agon remained silent, his attempts to rise met with failure. Another beat echoed as Shuten Doji placed a hand on Agon's shoulder, causing him to bleed from his eyes.

Drumming Beat—an ability that amplified one's own heartbeat to deliver vibration attacks that could penetrate any defense. The only condition was that Shuten Doji had to engage in close quarters combat with his target.

It might seem like a weak ability in someone else's hands, given its few conditions and limited versatility. However, Shuten Doji had trained with it for thousands of years, turning it into something truly terrifying.

"Why? Why do you demons kill humans?! What have humans done to you?" Agon asked weakly.

Shuten Doji regarded him with a puzzled expression and replied, "What have cows and pigs done to humans?"

"What?"

"Demons don't need to feed on humans. They can consume other things, and some don't need to eat at all. But humans are just too delicious…" Shuten Doji said with a predatory smile.

"You see this sword?" Shuten Doji crouched down, presenting Kusanagi, a seemingly ordinary katana that emitted an eerie sensation every time it caught my gaze. "Somehow, this blade was lodged within one of Yamata No Orochi's tails, and was imbued with his energy and could handle the corrosive poison. The Magician sealed the serpent's body within it, and I have now unsealed it."

Suddenly, he forcefully pressed his hand against Agon's abdomen, his finger penetrating deeply into the flesh. "Just as I will release the being trapped within you."

Wait, what the fuck did he just say?!

"Carpy! Stop him!" I commanded, panic rising within me. This was unprecedented. If Yamata No Orochi's soul managed to escape along with its body, we would face unimaginable consequences, as the entity would regain its full power!

Despite our frantic efforts, I knew it was already too late to halt Shuten Doji's actions.

***

Yamata No Orochi vividly recalled that fateful night… Okay, maybe not that vividly as he was so drunk he could barely recall faces. But he wasn’t going to tell that to anyone. That damn sake mountain really was the best and worst thing he had discovered in his life.

The day he was sealed, Yamata No Orochi vaguely remembered a human figure who possessed seals capable of resisting his poison. Orochi could sense that these seals were draining the man's lifespan, albeit in small amounts, leaving him fatigued.

In the past decade, Orochi had drowned his sorrows in copious amounts of alcohol following the death of dear friends. Enduring eternity as the strongest being held little allure for him. He had never exerted himself like Tamae No Mae, nor did he seek the thrill of challenging battles. Human affairs meant little to him.

"Why bother saving people?" Orochi mused, finding the prospect to be an arduous endeavor without any worthwhile reward. He much preferred indulging in the intoxicating Sake Mountain.

However, his contemplation came to an abrupt halt when he sensed the moon-like object he was impaled upon quiver, and the wooden stakes that bound him shattered, allowing a foreign demonic presence to invade the young brat's consciousness.

"The seal is broken; you are free to go," a voice from beyond proclaimed.

Now presented with a golden opportunity, Orochi saw his chance to escape his prison and, in the process, get revenge on that brat.