Chapter 30

But there are no Hundred Ghosts in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo.

Living in groups is the nature of the weak; true ferocious predators all possess vast territories, and intruders must pay the price.

Niishima Yuta is such a predator; he once single-handedly stormed another group's headquarters and cut down dozens of people, and after that night, as long as his name was mentioned, the yakuza of Arakawa Ward would fall silent with fear.

It is said that on that very night the enemy's blood splattered across his chest tattooed with a fierce tiger, which is why he, as the leader of the Shinjima-gumi, earned the nickname "Blood Tiger."

Yet even such a ferocious predator now bows respectfully — one might even say reverently — prostrating himself before the woman lying wantonly on his beloved office desk.

— Aibetsuri.

This is the self-designation of the monster on the desk.

Perhaps right now she looks like a woman beautiful to the extreme, but at first glance one would only feel she does not resemble a human, nor a yaoguai, nor even the likes of yaoguai.

Niishima Yuta knows that what he sees is merely what Aibetsuri wants him to see.

"— Niishima, do you know?"

Aibetsuri's light laughter echoed in the Shinjima-gumi's office: "Everyone grows."

"If you give a person warm hope and beautiful love, let it last a long time, and then at some moment destroy it all."

Aibetsuri, her long white hair flowing, turned her head and gazed quietly at the tall and burly Niishima Yuta, her eyes compassionate: "In that moment, all beauty shatters, transforming into the suffering of parting; human growth comes from this."

Aibetsuri sighed softly: "Therefore all beings suffer."

She sat up, pressing her palms together devoutly: "My coming this time is to relieve the suffering of all beings."

Niishima Yuta listened with his scalp tingling; he discovered that even himself, who kills without hesitation, could not at all comprehend this monster's train of thought.

Clearly before she had ordered him to kill anyone who blocked the way, and had mentally controlled all his subordinates, yet now she actually spoke of universal salvation with a compassionate face.

— If it weren't for gaining the legendary Evil Ghost's power, he would not have stayed a second longer before this monster.

"My Lord, another branch of the Club was destroyed by Nanjo Rituna this morning; all the followers and believers inside perished. Now only four branches remain in all of Arakawa Ward."

He lowered his head, already prepared for Aibetsuri to fly into a thunderous rage.

Because that is the kind of person he is.

But what came was Aibetsuri's delighted laughter.

"Niishima, this is a good thing. So many friends have rushed off to a world without suffering, full of friendship and extreme joy; you should be happy."

Aibetsuri said: "If Nanjo Rituna likes doing this, then let her continue; I also very much want to know just how many people's deaths it will take to reflect the other side of her heart."

To hell with the extreme joy world.

Niishima Yuta thought that if he could beat her, he would definitely draw his sword on the spot and cut this woman in two; she actually renamed his Shinjima-gumi into something like the Friendship Club, it is truly a disgrace.

But this monster… perhaps calling her a Ghost God would be more appropriate; in a mere instant she can kill dozens from a distance, this kind of Ghost God Power simply makes Niishima Yuta completely unable to understand.

Moreover, it seems that as time passes, this monster's power is becoming stronger and stronger…

"Niishima, are you thinking about me?"

Niishima Yuta's train of thought halted abruptly.

In this instant, he even felt his whole body about to turn into a pool of mindless liquid — that was the way those who defied Aibetsuri died before.

The terrified Niishima had no time to apologize before he felt a pair of warm hands help him up; before his eyes, Aibetsuri smiled and said: "I can know your thoughts — that's right, I am indeed much stronger than at the beginning."

"Whether joy, sorrow, fear… the more intense a person's emotional fluctuations, the faster I grow." Speaking here, Aibetsuri looked at him meaningfully, "That is why so many people are at their most delicious at the moment of death."

Niishima Yuta felt as if falling into an ice cellar, even somewhat despairing.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid~"

Aibetsuri lightly patted Niishima Yuta's palm.

Then he felt the fear and anxiety in his heart rapidly recede, replaced by a ferocious, unmatched destructive urge and a bloodthirsty impulse.

"That's more like it."

Clapping her hands, Aibetsuri crouched down, looking expectantly at Niishima Yuta: "You should still have things unsaid; speak quickly now."

"Yes."

Blood Tiger loyally prostrated, retracting his fangs before his only master: "The Spirit Boards sent out the previous days have been confirmed effective; the seal has loosened but not completely."

"And then?" Aibetsuri widened her eyes and asked: "Where is your 'but'?"

Niishima Yuta paused for two seconds before saying: "But the Spirit Boards were also confiscated by Nanjo Rituna."

Nanjo Rituna, Nanjo Rituna again.

She clearly looks like a very boring person, yet she can do so many interesting things.

Then at the moment her emotions collapse and she completely breaks, just how dazzling and delectable would she be?

Aibetsuri grew somewhat eager.

Compared to this, although that Spirit Board could let her strength advance a step further at the very first moment the First Wave arrives, recovering from "Evil Ghost" to "Ghost God," it also appears not that important anymore.

"Additionally…"

"Please wait a moment."

Aibetsuri smiled and raised her hand, then under Niishima's strange gaze reached out and grabbed from somewhere a translucent ghost holding a paper umbrella, her face bearing gentleness and sorrow.

"It's an Ame-onna; I wonder what it would feel like to cross a thousand hardships and reach the present world, only to abruptly step into death at the very moment you are about to see your husband in life?"

Speaking, Aibetsuri tossed the frantically begging Ame-onna into her mouth and crunched her up in two or three bites.

Savoring the fading sorrowful cries within her body, Aibetsuri couldn't help revealing an intoxicated expression.

Niishima watched without reaction and continued: "Besides that, there are two students who survived after contacting the Spirit Board."

"Who is who!"

Aibetsuri's face was full of anticipation.

Niishima took out his mobile phone and showed Aibetsuri the photos of Uesugi Toru and Tokugawa Ririko.

Aibetsuri memorized Uesugi Toru's face with great interest, then narrowed her eyes upon seeing Ririko: "I remember her, she seems to be the swordsmanship tournament champion, right?"

She said slowly: "I hate swordsmanship…"

Niishima immediately shouted for his subordinates, ordering them to go bind Shizuku and bring her over; if they couldn't bind her, bringing the corpse would do as well.

From outside the door came an immediate, neat and uniform "Yes!", the voices loud, sounding full of energy.

"Forget it, I still have some interest in her." Aibetsuri stopped him.

So Niishima waved his hand again, letting all the gathered subordinates disperse, return to their posts and each attend to their duties, going to use the electronic devices specially processed by Aibetsuri to spread the Friendly Religion Doctrine.

The current Shinjima-gumi... no, perhaps it should be called the Demon Nest filled with Friendly Love, was completely and utterly under strict discipline where orders were obeyed and prohibitions observed.

"These two children, they look quite appetizing and tasty."

Aibetsuri patted Niishima Yuta's broad shoulder, making him stand up: "The Special Affairs Division and Rituna Minami need not be paid any mind, let them act as they wish; you only need to do as I say, seek out people of Extreme Joy or Extreme Sorrow, and then spread the Seeds."

Immediately, in Niishima Yuta's eyes, Aibetsuri seemed to split like a dividing thread into three, and then the three Aibetsuri laughed in unison:

"Decided then, before eating the main dish, let's send Clones to go meet those two children first."

End of Chapter