Impossible Boss Battle
Hundreds of bad endings later, I'd cleared the Hyakki Yagyo itself hundreds of times just to reach that point. At first, it felt like a tedious grind of yokai hunting, but once I reframed it as a test run to shave down my early-game build and gauge my combat prowess, it actually became pretty fun. After all, you rarely faced overwhelming numbers like that in later episodes. Watching yokai explode under spells and magic was satisfying as hell, and holding your ground with one foot planted amid the horde was a real challenge. Still, it was just mindless fun or a benchmark—nothing worth going all-out for. They called it the newbie shredder for a reason, but once you got the hang of it, it was a breeze. Spend a month dying over a hundred times to master the controls, and you could clear Chapter 2 blindfolded in no time.
I learned late that yokai were swarming outside the spirit vein too, but after trying to intervene about a hundred times, I neatly wrote it off as outside my purview. Just think of it as trimming the early build, I told myself. Or at least, I was about to.
—Ooh, that's a fine-looking sword.
Suddenly, an Oni popped up inside the spirit vein. It was supposed to appear in Episode 3 or 4. This one, a werewolf-like monster, was actually the mid-boss from Episode 4. For the protagonist breezing through the beginner hunting grounds, it was a total spec-breaker—an enemy you had no business facing.
But my trash-game gamer soul ignited, and for the first time in ages, I went berserk from the early game, desperately trying to take it down.
—Raaagh!!!
I threw everything at it: the fantastical swordsmanship I'd honed playing as Kenichi, Eris's perfectly optimized magic combos, even the school's layout I'd memorized in advance.
First clear after, I died in Chapter 2 on the hundredth try.
"Sonna bakana (What nonsense)!"
I despaired. Of course you couldn't beat Episode 4's mid-boss in Chapter 2—that was a given. But facts be damned; my pride was wounded. I researched what triggered its spawn for next time, vowing to kill it if it reappeared. The very next loop, I figured it out. It hadn't shown up in the previous hundred runs because it tied to yokai extermination speed. You had to give it breathing room to climb from the spirit vein. Specifically, five or six random Oni types cycled in. Tough for low specs, but the rest were manageable. Each had traits you could exploit. My hundreds of bad endings gave me the veteran know-how to push through. But that one? Impossible.
"Fuck."
My spite flared. I deliberately dragged out fights with the Episode 4 mid-boss to study it—where to cut to slow it, make it suffer, weaken it. I mapped combos of spells, magic, or divine powers to break it. By the time I cleared Episode 7 and was prepping Episode 8, I faced it again.
Defeated Kaikoku, Leader of the Black Demon Society.
Strategy finally succeeded. Loop 240 of this trash game, night 66 since I started.
Drip... drip... Hot blood poured from the deep gash across his shoulder, splattering the ground. Kenichi felt searing pain torch his mind and his right arm go limp. Muscles slackened against his will.
Grrrr...!
But Kenichi crushed the agony blazing in his skull with sheer willpower alone. He clenched his teeth, gripped the hilt tighter with his left hand. Veins burst in his eyes as he glared at the yokai ahead with fierce intensity.
The werewolf Oni blinked in bewilderment, then grinned with genuine admiration.
"...Heh, not giving up, huh?"
The yokai Kaikoku shook his head, chuckling.
"Then let's see if you can endure losing that last arm."
He raised one hand high, poised to slash down—as if to sever Kenichi's shoulder entirely. But Kaikoku froze. A sapling had silently bulged up at his feet. Covered in thorns, each brimming with unignorable mana.
—Thorn Tree, Art of Punishment.
Kaikoku grimaced and leaped back from the stealthy spell.
—Black Coffin, Art of Punishment.
"...What?"
As if anticipated, a binding ritual materialized in the air—a pitch-black coffin perfectly sized for the werewolf Oni, jaws agape.
Boom—!
It snapped shut, swallowing the prisoner. The prepped thorns fired at that instant.
Krunch—!
Spikes hammered the black coffin. Dozens more followed, then new saplings sprouted, stabbing crimson thorns atop them. Pincushioned from all sides, it resembled a huddled porcupine.
"—Deploy."
Overhead, star mage Eris Betelgeuse compressed her mana to a point. Star-granted power. Mana blessed just by manifesting will, shining brilliantly. Bathed in golden radiance, Eris scowled and pointed downward.
"—Stars."
Transcendent Magic.
Falling Star.
No mere twinkling pretty light—this was a mana meteor to obliterate monsters. Destruction incarnate descended once more. A golden star laden with immense power plummeted onto the black coffin.
Kabooooom—!
A pillar of exploding mana erupted. Stellar Supereruption. Winds whipped in the aftermath, dust clouds shrouding the world.
Sawamura Cento seized the blinded moment to pull the staggering, wounded Kenichi into her barrier. She swiftly inscribed a ritual on the ground.
—Ash Tree, Ritual of Healing.
Crunch—instantly, a sapling burst from the earth, blooming flowers in seconds. Blossoming branches radiated soft light, projecting healing energy onto Kenichi.
"Kenichi, you with me?!"
"...The bastard?"
"Intercepted. But it's not over."
Sawamura Cento had sharp instincts. She clocked it as an Oni—and a rare one at that.
"That yokai's using mana."
"..."
Kitagawa Kenichi blinked blankly, piecing it together.
"...Right. Oni each have yokai power to wield spells."
"No. Not just spells—it's cloaking its body in it."
"...What?"
"Like Shiki does."
Aura only elite swordsmen could wield. Kenichi's face twisted at the revelation—and then boom! A shockwave rippled out. Dust cleared instantly, vision sharpening.
"...Guh!"
Eris flew through the air, kicked by the werewolf yokai. Her leg barrier shattered; the impact hurled her back. She bounced across the ground, thud-thud-thud, landing near the barrier.
...Was this a mistake?
Kenichi flinched, scrambling up against the barrier wall. He checked her intently—no serious injuries, thankfully.
"...Didn't expect another kick!"
Eris Betelgeuse fumed, huffing as she stood, utterly pissed.
...Probably fine, then. Kenichi gave a wry smile, readjusting his sword. The healing ritual had eased his shoulder. The boy bowed curtly to the shaman, then faced front with grim resolve.
"Hmmm, not bad at all?"
They had to kill this yokai eyeing them like prey. Kenichi gripped his sword. His hands shook.
By the time I'd mopped up Koto Ward and neighboring Edogawa Ward...
Tokyo's northeast still had vast Adachi and Katsushika left, but I scratched my cheek and told the shaman who'd come to greet me:
"Cleanup here's done, so I'll leave support to the other exorcists."
"...Pardon? What about Adachi and Katsushika?"
"Hahaha, sorry. Gotta head back pronto."
"...Why?"
The shaman from those wards looked utterly blackened with frustration. Felt kinda bad seeming discriminatory, but what could you do? Not as sharp as Sawamura Cento, but intuitive enough, I smiled brightly.
"Bad vibes."
The shaman's face went blank.