Yamata No Orochi wanted to leave. However on the verge of doing so he remembered the failsafe The Magician had put in place lingered in his mind, which would kill Agon.

‘Why should I care about some brat? I am Yamata No Orochi! The greatest demon born on this side of the world!’ Yet his thoughts didn’t match what he was feeling. He still remembered the brat coming here and giving him that jug of sake.

Would he kill a drinking buddy to escape from here?

What purpose would he have once unsealed and freed from this place? Journey to Sake Mountain and continue drinking? The thought no longer appealed to him. Thousands of years of indulgence had slowly transformed into a curse for Yamata No Orochi.

There was nothing left for him to experience or enjoy! Through tens of thousands of years, he had done whatever he had wanted to do. What more was there to accomplish?

In addition, despite the youngster's foolishness, Yamata No Orochi had developed a fondness for the brat. He no longer desired to depart, realizing that time spent here had granted the ancient demon a sobriety and clarity of thought he hadn’t had in the past several millennia.

"Heh, there are matters I ought to attend to. Perhaps the magician was correct—our era has passed. I should take a passive role and simply observe where this new generation will lead us."

Breaking out now would result in Agon's demise, an outcome Yamata No Orochi wished to avoid. Instead, he chuckled and remarked, "The young one finds himself in a precarious situation. Perhaps it's time for me to stretch my limbs and confront some boisterous challenges. Brat, I don’t care about you at all, but this is payment for the sake so there won’t be a next time."

***

I ordered Carpy to unleash his water blades, but we were too far away for the projectiles to reach Shuten Doji. Deep down, I knew that even if those attacks landed on the ultimate class demon, they wouldn't leave a scratch on him.

While I had been an overwhelming counter against Otakemaru, Shuten Doji was the opposite. He had no real weaknesses, which made him far more formidable than Otakemaru, despite their similar levels of power.

Unlike Agon, if I were hit by an attack like that, it would mean certain death. Even Perfect Me wouldn't be able to save me.

Purple energy started leaking out of Agon, and my heart sank. White scaly skin slowly formed around my friend's hands, and despair crawled into my heart.

Complete possession... something the current Agon had zero chance of fighting against. Even Agon at his peak wouldn't have been able to do much more than momentarily suppress its development and apply some seals.

Had I messed everything up? Yes. It seemed like I had made enough mistakes and relied too heavily on hoping that Agon would pull through. Damn it!

But unexpectedly, Agon didn't rage or recklessly release poison, killing everyone around him. Instead, he simply grabbed Shuten Doji's hand and snapped it like a twig. Shuten Doji immediately backed off, his eyes widening as his hand slowly healed back into place. "Why aren't you escaping?"

'Agon' got up, and all his injuries had miraculously healed, his voice was raspy and sounded what someone would imagine a snake would sound if they spoke. "It just doesn't sit right with me to be led around by a second-rate demon like you."

Even his voice alone was enough to send chills down my spine.

Shuten Doji didn't seem insulted by the words; instead, he said, "Second rate? Well, I can understand where you're coming from. Everyone must seem weak to you. Even when I was a human, one good hit was enough for most-"

"Don't compare yourself to me," Yamata No Orochi smiled arrogantly. "You're just a loser who had to work your whole life and desperately sought power. In contrast, I was born strong. I never had to chase power. Power chased me instead."

"Is that so?" Shuten Doji narrowed his eyes and dashed towards Orochi, who had transformed Agon's body into a snake-skinned humanoid with purple eyes and claws.

Orochi tried to block, but Shuten Doji's attacks rained down like thunder, leaving Agon's body broken and beaten in less than a second. Orochi attempted to get up, but his body slumped back down, and the snake demon frowned.

Yamata No Orochi wasn't accustomed to his human body; that much was clear, and Shuten Doji wasn't going to let such an opportunity pass. He relentlessly attacked Orochi, even while he was down, delivering a brutal beatdown. Agon's contorted body resembled a victim of a horrific car crash, with twisted limbs, bones protruding, and a broken jaw that rendered him unable to produce intelligible sounds.

Orochi unleashed a blast of purple energy from his mouth. Despite being a point-blank attack going for his face, Shuten Doji deftly tilted his head and evaded it. The blast erupted in the sky, tearing a large hole through the clouds.

Seizing the opportunity, Yamata No Orochi swiftly regenerated and attempted to retreat. However, Shuten Doji swiftly struck Agon's legs, obliterating them completely and preventing their regeneration.

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Mocking Orochi, Shuten Doji remarked, "You may be accustomed to ignoring damage, but it's not as effective when you're confined to a human body."

Orochi's arm extended like a snake and slammed into the other demon's face, pushing him backward. However, Shuten Doji wore a smirk. "Wrong move again. In your current form, you lack the raw physical power you possessed before. People with Ord can easily combat creatures heavier than themselves, but weight categories still mean something."

Seizing Orochi's arm, Shuten Doji effortlessly ripped it from its socket. Almost immediately, a new arm slithered out of Orochi's shoulder.

During Shuten Doji's monologue, Orochi fully healed Agon's body and stood back on his feet. Shuten Doji frowned.

I understood his frustration. Despite smashing Agon to pieces, Orochi's absurd regeneration made it feel like no progress had been made.

They clashed once more, and this time Orochi fought back to some extent, gradually realizing the importance of having a weapon, reach, and general experience fighting in a human body. However, Shuten Doji demonstrated superior technique and fighting prowess.

For a split second, Orochi vanished from both my sight and seemingly Shuten Doji's. He reappeared behind the demon, his palms emanating purple energy as he delivered a powerful karate chop, severing Shuten Doji's arms. The severed limbs dropped to the ground.

Shuten Doji's stumps wriggled, and new arms began to form. However, unlike Orochi, whose regeneration occurred in less than a second, Shuten Doji's regeneration process took a dozen.

Rather than attacking during Shuten Doji's regeneration period, Orochi smiled and flicked his tongue like a snake.

Shuten Doji launched another assault, striking Orochi's head with his spiked bat. Ordinarily, this blow would have incapacitated Orochi, but instead, he only suffered a minor head wound.

Was Shuten Doji somehow weakened? Had he been infected with a poison when Orochi severed his arms?

In an instant, Orochi moved with incredible speed, appearing behind Shuten Doji's decapitated body. The head of the ultimate class demon rested in Orochi's palm, his dark purple nails piercing the lifeless skull. With a powerful crunch, Shuten Doji's head exploded like a watermelon.

The nightmare-inducing demon that humans had dreaded was now dead…

It felt surreal. When facing humans, Shuten Doji seemed unstoppable and unbreakable. Part of me still couldn't believe what had just transpired.

Was this the end of the war? A wave of relief washed over me as I finally released a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. However, our problems were far from over. In fact, many of the exorcists were still on guard as they saw Orochi as an even greater threat than Shuten Doji. I, too, shared those concerns.

Orochi scanned the surroundings, his deadly poison serving as a deterrent to anyone daring to approach him. No one interrupted him. Well, even if we wanted to, we couldn't get close. The lethal poison would kill a normal human in seconds.

Finally, Orochi's gaze fell upon the wounded Uwabami, and he let out a sigh. He jumped towards her, appearing in front of her face within seconds.

Fortunately, thanks to having Ord, I could enhance my hearing to surpass that of an ordinary human.

"You foolish girl," Orochi scolded her. "Why would a weakling like you join the war?"

Despite his reproach, he placed his hand on her forehead, and a concentrated purple poison worked its regenerative magic, healing the giant snake.

Poison that induced regeneration? Orochi possessed such a power?

"Ugh, I'm sorry, Master Orochi," Uwabami groggily got up, using her tail to wipe her eyes. "Shuten Doji promised me your body if he won the battle. He would bury you in Sake Mountain... I apologize for my death, Master Orochi!"

Her tears flowed uncontrollably, resembling small rivers running down her face.

Did she think she was dead? Oh, right. She perceived Yamata No Orochi's presence within Agon's body. Her heightened senses allowed her to detect her master, even in his sealed state, but it was such a small presence that she assumed it wasn’t Orochi but something smaller and like her master. But now, she could fully smell him, there was no doubt who she was standing in front of.

Of course, she didn't question how she could sense and smell things despite being dead. Or how her master didn’t look like a gigantic eight-headed serpent any longer. She belonged to a special group of individuals whose minds resonated with Agon's wavelength. All of them shared a brain cell.

"Stupid girl," Yamata No Orochi insulted her, causing the giant snake to scream and cry even more.

While I was pondering my next move, Orochi disappeared from my sight and stood beside me. My body froze in place, a thousand thoughts went through my mind. Was I going to die due to the residue poison? Was he here to kill me? Did his human body have that residue poison?

"You can witness the entire carnage from here. Despite Shuten Doji's demise, mindless demons persist in their battles. Although he is now dead, the war is likely to endure for a while longer," He said nonchalantly.

Carpy flinched and turned towards Orochi, prepared to unleash water blades. But I raised my hand and urgently shouted, "Carpy! Stop!"

Provoking someone like Yamata No Orochi would be certain death. Even if Carpy was an ultimate-class demon, I doubted we would stand a chance against a creature of this magnitude.

"Your demon is quite passionate," Orochi remarked, yawning, and resting his hand on my shoulder.

With him so close, I noticed the small scales on his arms and face. My friend's body was no longer human.

"What? Does my appearance make you uncomfortable?" He jokingly inquired.

Yeah, it did. It felt strange to see Agon behaving like this. "Can you return Agon to his own body?"

It was a foolish question, and I had no way to compel him to do so. Our past encounters had left him with little fondness for me. The fact that he wasn't currently attempting to kill me was already a miracle.

"Anyway, here's your sword," he returned my cursed blade. "Take care of the brat when you can. Otherwise, I'll finally deliver that ass whooping I owe you."

With that, his scales receded into his body, and I caught the unconscious Agon before he hit the ground.

Yamata No Orochi... retreated..?

What? Why?