Never underestimate the Evil Gods when they make a move. The onmyōji may vary in strength, but every single Evil God is at least Great Saint level—and there are over a hundred of them presiding in the sky right now. Honestly, this is probably the biggest supernatural showdown Japan has seen in a century.
"You Chinese ghosts have some nerve—melt for me!" one of the Evil Gods shouted from above. Instantly, everyone caught in their field felt like they'd been tossed into molten lava. Several Ghost Generals started screaming in agony.
Obviously, these Evil Gods have way more tricks for dealing with ghosts than any onmyōji. When they strike, it's always some killer move.
"Damn, that's some brutal Japanese ghost-melting technique! Zoe!" Out on the perimeter, the Ghost Elder roared—right now, only Zoe Zhong could turn the tables.
"Got it!" Zoe shouted back. Suddenly, her whole body erupted with Saint-light. Human Saints blast out golden light, but when a ghost hits Saint-level, their power shines green.
A surge of fierce green light howled out, blasting away all the magma that had trapped her. The glow binding her was instantly shattered too.
"Damn, that's one wild lady ghost!" Several Evil Gods overhead were stunned by the sight—and a bunch of fat, pig-faced ones actually started drooling.
For a second, they exchanged glances, then started leering: "Take her alive!"
Immediately, waves of Evil God power swept toward Zoe. This was way nastier than the ghost-melting trick from before. The four Ghost Generals backing Zoe couldn't hold out—they crashed to the ground, spitting green ghost-blood. Two of the weakest were melted by magma into charred black ghost bones.
"You Chinese ghosts aren't so tough after all! If you pick a fight with us Japanese Evil Gods, you're just begging to die. In the end, you'll all be wiped out, souls scattered!"
"That's right! Look, you're a real beauty, so why bother fighting us? It's like a mantis trying to block a cart. Just surrender already—we'll treat you great! How about making you queen to all the Evil Gods?"
"Exactly! Awesome idea. With looks like yours, you could totally be our queen—serving us Evil Gods every night. Wouldn't that be sweet?"
......
Right now, Zoe was starting to struggle, and all the Evil Gods were shouting, hell-bent on dragging her into their palace tonight.
"How dare you! How dare you! Nobody in heaven or earth has ever disrespected me! You bastards—I'll kill you all!" Zoe was obviously not someone to mess with. She knew perfectly well why Lord Yama had sent her to Ryan: to be his ace. This was her first battle—no way she was going down so easily!
With that, Zoe shouted again, unleashing another torrent of green Saint-light.
"Trying that trick again? You think one ghost's Saint-light can overpower the Saint-light of a hundred Evil Gods? What a joke!" The Evil Gods sneered, not taking Zoe seriously as she closed in.
"Heh, idiots!" Zoe smirked. Behind that blinding Saint-light, a barrage of razor-sharp spikes suddenly swept out.
"Crap, she's tricking us—those are Savage Ghost Spikes! Fall back, now!" One of the older Evil Gods spotted the move and instantly yelled in alarm.
"Ha! Savage Ghost Spikes are tailor-made to slaughter you Evil Gods! Think you can run? Go die!" Zoe's rage just kept building—after all those disgusting insults, she was dying to rip them all to pieces.
In a blink, Savage Ghost Spikes whipped through the air, nailing a bunch of Evil Gods. The spikes look tiny, but once one hits, the spot instantly starts to rot—and the decay spreads crazy fast, eating through their whole body. It's the ultimate weapon against the nastiest ghosts.
But just as the Savage Ghost Spikes were about to blanket all the Evil Gods—and Zoe was already gloating, thinking she was about to rack up a huge merit—the Ghost Elder's face suddenly darkened. He knew these bastards too well. When they're cornered, there's nothing they won't do.
Sure enough, right then, the Evil Gods on the outer ring started shrieking. Suddenly, all the onmyōji who'd just been watching got yanked up by some invisible force.
The onmyōji with Evil God blood ties instantly became living shields. No one else would ever pull something this heartless—only in Japan, right? That's exactly what the Ghost Elder was afraid of. When things get desperate, these Evil Gods always go places you'd never even imagine.
"Damn it!" In an instant, all those Savage Ghost Spikes nailed the unlucky onmyōji. Dozens of shrine veterans were turned into puddles of blood, and the rest were left trembling in terror.
"Kill her! Rip that pretty girl to shreds!" After seeing their buddies die, the Evil Gods weren't in the mood to joke anymore. Their faces turned savage, and in a flash, they had Zoe surrounded.
"Ryan!" The Ghost Elder knew full well that Zoe couldn't hold off this mob alone. He shot a desperate look toward Ryan inside the main hall.
Right now, Ryan had cleared the first hurdle, and his fusion with the Heavenwood was already seventy percent complete. The Ghost Elder was praying for time to speed up—just a little more!
Ryan knew it too—this was the most dangerous moment. He was just a few steps away from the finish line. The sky couldn't get any darker, but if he could hold out, he'd win it all.
"Fusion!" Ryan shouted, his voice shaking the heavens. Beams of life-light swept out from every corner of the main hall. "Just a few more minutes, Zoe—hang in there!" the Ghost Elder yelled, clenching his fists. His own power was sealed, so he couldn't help. All he could do was watch this junior girl fight alone—and it was eating him up inside.
"Understood! I'll hold my ground—no way these Evil Gods lay a finger on my master!" Zoe shouted, her face grim. Suddenly, a long spear appeared in her hands, and she looked every bit the heroic warrior.
"Wipe her out now! Someone's smashed all the spirit tablets inside the altar hall—they want to destroy the very foundation of our Chiba Shrine!" an elderly onmyōji shouted.
"Baka! All Evil Gods, gather up—attack her together! No more playing nice! The one inside is the real threat—kill him now!" That was Zach Zasu, the Evil-God, who clearly knew who was inside the altar hall.
"Got it! Kill, kill, kill!" All the Evil Gods roared, instantly going berserk.
The Ghost Elder gripped his broadsword tight, knowing that if things got dire, he'd have to fight too.
But Zoe didn't hesitate for a second. She slammed her spear into the ground and shouted to the sky: "Big Brother, grant me the will and glory to slay evil!"
As soon as she finished, a surge of fierce green light erupted from the ground, engulfing Zoe. In an instant, her whole form changed—her features grew sharper, her aura turned ferocious, and she looked like a terrifying red-clad ghost queen!
"Kill, kill, kill!" Zoe went berserk, spewing white mist from her mouth. Her whole body seemed to become a spear, tearing through the crowd—seven or eight Evil Gods exploded in seconds.
"Damn, that's savage!" Even the Ghost Elder was stunned by Zoe's ferocity.
Among the ghost clan, Zoe's looks were legendary—but after all these years, she still hadn't married. Now the Ghost Elder understood why: who would dare touch such a wild, violent beauty?
"Ryan, I wonder if you can handle her!" The Ghost Elder glanced at Ryan, shaking his head.
"All Evil Gods, combine forces—use Berserk God's Slash and cut down that bitch!" The Evil Gods were beyond furious. With so many of them, they still couldn't kill one woman—how humiliating!
In a flash, over a hundred Great Saint-level Evil Gods struck at once, unleashing a brutal slash at Zoe. No matter how fierce she was, there was no way she could withstand it...