Part 3
—— The feast continued even when the moon reached its highest point.
The war between the seven yōkaiou Shuten-dōji mentioned and Jade Emperor, Daoism, Celestialism, Buddhism, could be considered a war that gambled “Non-human” race’s pride from the start to the end.
The storyteller Shuten-dōji was basked in cheers from thousands of people, yōkai participants all watched him with eyes of admiration.
「Great Sage Equalling Heaven
」 was a demi-celestial spirit that was not given a destiny, possessing enormous strength and spirit power innately, born as a being that was not human, yōkai nor god. Although she was recruited by the Jade Emperor later, it was actually a plot to kill her after using up her talents. Despite being kept in a cage, she was worshipped by many earth deities and yōkai.
Due to keeping 「Great Sage Equalling Heaven
」 close to him, Jade Emperor felt an even stronger threat.
If this beautiful demi-celestial spirit bared her fangs, she might become an existence that would overthrow Jade Emperor.
To pacify the anxiety of Jade Emperor, his vassals framed 「Great Sage Equalling Heaven」, treated her as the most despicable yōkai and punished her, attempted to seal her under the crust of the star.
Those who stood up to prevent such a vicious act of violence, were none other than the Seven Demon Kings that had crossed their sake cups and sworn with their souls as siblings —— the warriors later known as Seven Great Sages.
“Uh huh...Feels like 「Great Sage Equalling Heaven
」 was less sinful than imagination, you decorated the contents right?”
“Of course it’s decorated. Isn’t it always like this if you let one side of the parties tell the tale?”
Gahaha! Shuten-dōji poured wine for Izayoi while laughing. Looking around, the others had already gotten drunk and slept. This could also be said due to Shuten-dōji’s ——
“Only talents that can follow up this old fella’s drinking can listen to my tales! Good, let’s begin the Game of tales!”
—— The reason for such declaration.
The result was like that, corpses laid around everywhere.
Glutton Kasukabe Yō, also slept peacefully like a normal girl. But she still managed to drink two barrels of wine, they could only say as expected of her.
Shuten-dōji finished his drink, revealed a menacing smile.
“Hng hng. Those God Pantheons also selfishly spread legends that favored themselves. This old fella also has the right to speak as I like! Which side to believe, well, the decision is the audience.”
“You got a point.”
“Ah ah. That’s how it is. —— However.”
Shuten-dōji put down the empty cup, showed a longing expression.
“—— Battle of Seven Great Sages, had too many casualties.”
“......”
“Truthfully speaking, the winner had already been decided before the war.
There might be a way if there was only one God Pantheon, but after all the whole Eastern Asian Cosmology was our enemy. It’s impossible to win. To the seven of us, it was a fight to protect self-dignity, so it didn’t matter even if it was a losing battle...However, once remembering the thousands of comrades that accompanied us to hell, there was still a sense of guilt.”
For the sake of carrying out one’s will. That war was supposed to be like that.
But due to the yōkais, spirits, and earth deities that admired them gathered up, it caused the war of Seven Great Sages to become the largest scale war in the history. The lives lost in the process were uncountable.
To carry out one’s will —— but too many comrades had died.
“...Well, if you don’t want to answer it’s fine. Amongst the seven of you, who had survived?”
“Bull Demon King, Kouryuu, Karyou, this old fella, and Wukong, us five.
—— Hehe, such irony. It was supposed to be our fight, in the end five of us survived.”
“Hah? What are you saying? Since five of you survived, isn’t it the same as their victory.”
Izayoi creased his brows and stared at Shuten-dōji. This conclusion made Shuten-dōji open his eyes wide.
“...What do you mean?”
“Am I wrong? Those guys who admired you all and gathered, rushed to their death because they didn’t want you guys to die. In the end you might not have won against the God Pantheons...Despite so, they saved the lives of five yōkaious. Although they didn’t save all, they could still boast before the God Pantheons. They must be cheering banzai at the Yomi Road[5].”
Yōkaious determined to carry out their will. Their vassals pledged to protect their lord, following their will.
And they fulfilled that pledge.
“The most difficult thing in a war is not victory. It is how to end it. Although some may use extermination as an extreme method, it is not very realistic. A war developed into that scale would definitely have a few that slipped through. Those escaped would eventually return if they wanted revenge. ——
To keep the situation from developing into that way, was because it was compromised with the heads of two of the Seven Great Sages. And what caused the God Pantheons to compromise, is none other than the hills of corpse of your comrades.”
“...En.”
Refilling his cup, Shuten-dōji narrowed his eyes.
Shuten-dōji watched Izayoi with his narrowed eyes and laughed aloud.
“How to put it, it’s that. You are indeed Canaria’s disciple.”
“Not some disciple. Just playmate.”
“Hoho. Then you are a respectable playmate. In other words, you are very similar to that little girl.”
Gahaha! Shuten-dōji laughed gallantly after making a joke.
Izayoi grabbed the wine barrel and refilled his cup helplessly.
The moon had past its peak, starting to fall. It was a really long chat.
Izayoi and Shuten-dōji reached out for the third wine barrel together.
At this point a good drinker was unable to describe them. Leaving aside Shuten-dōji, it was questionable if Izayoi’s digestive system had malfunctioned.
“But brat, you really can drink. This is completely different from Canaria.”
“We aren’t blood related, how can we be similar in that kind of area. That fellow’s tolerance is just too low. One cup is all it takes to get drunk.”
“Oh oh, yeah that’s right. Speaking of that little girl, she would not touch alcohol regardless of any feast. When she fell after being forced to drink, it caused a big commotion.”
Gahaha! Shuten-dōji slapped his knee and laughed. Izayoi also chuckled at this point. Thinking carefully, he had never heard about the stories of Canaria in Little Garden. Not interested was one of the reasons, but the main reason was that the only one who he could talk to was that pervert (Croix).
Izayoi knew that he was not the type to be friendly with others. But he seemed to be compatible with this Shuten-dōji.
He was indeed a chivalric Demon King.
The reason he accidentally spilled the beans, must have been from the influence of this man’s character.
“...Well, she might be like that in any place. Regardless of Little Garden or Outer Worlds. She was the same when travelling with me.”
“Hoho. Travelling means?”
“Ah ah. I remember it was ——”
Shaking his cup, letting the reflection of the moon waver, Izayoi began reminiscing the past.
That was, when he was just thirteen years old.
The time when a certain religion extremist assaulted a certain settlement.
Notes and References: 1. Daiyōkai - a high-ranking demon.
2. Kumiho - Nine-tailed Fox spirit.
3. Yōkaiou - King of the yōkais.
4. Kanpai - calling cheers to drink.
5. Yomi Road - Road to afterlife.
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