Chapter 093: Explosions Are Art
Heian Period.
Here, Göll discovered a truth that differed slightly from historical records.
It was said that Dōma Hōshi lost to Abe-no-Seimei, but what she saw was the opposite.
Abe-no-Seimei lost.
So why did Abe-no-Seimei oppose Dōma Hōshi? Was it simply because they served different factions?
That wasn't the main reason. The real cause was that Dōma Hōshi had targeted a certain fox spirit, which led to Abe-no-Seimei's hostility.
But Abe-no-Seimei, who exorcised demons—why did he show such favoritism toward that fox spirit?
Was it a good fox spirit?
Not at all. Göll had seen that fox spirit wreaking havoc among humans.
The reason for his favoritism? Abe-no-Seimei was the child of a fox spirit.
Defeated by Dōma Hōshi, Abe-no-Seimei even borrowed the so-called power of the Eight Million Gods, eventually going so far as to summon the Seven Lucky Gods to the mortal realm.
Yet, even the Seven Lucky Gods were no match for Dōma Hōshi. Instead, they were toyed with, even manipulated into fighting among themselves when the pursuing gods arrived.
So was Dōma Hōshi truly evil?
And was Abe-no-Seimei truly good?
From what could be seen, Abe-no-Seimei was a somewhat selfish man, while Dōma Hōshi was a capricious figure who walked the line between good and evil.
One day, Abe-no-Seimei challenged him to a duel once more—if he lost, he would surrender his status and the nation to Dōma Hōshi.
Thus, Dōma Hōshi accepted the challenge.
No matter how wicked Ashiya Dōman had been in the past...
Brunhilde was more than happy to have this wicked onmyōji take the stage.
And it was clear just how powerful this Dōma Hōshi was—hadn't they seen Sakata Kintoki bound up like that?
That proved Sakata Kintoki was truly no match for him.
Moreover, he had even managed to manipulate one of the Valkyrie sisters—though not a full god, she was a demigod. The fact that he could do this spoke volumes about his strength.
What surprised Brunhilde even more was Zerofuku's reaction—the sheer, bloodthirsty hatred he showed toward Ashiya Dōman, as if he wanted to tear him apart and drink his blood. It was clear that Zerofuku must have suffered greatly at Dōma Hōshi's hands, to the point of harboring such an irreconcilable grudge.
And so, the moment Heimdall declared the start of the battle—
Zerofuku instantly charged at Ashiya Dōman, his massive axe splitting him in two in an instant.
Was this an instant kill?
No—the bisected Ashiya Dōman turned into a paper doll, while the real one appeared without warning atop Zerofuku's head.
"You bastard!"
Zerofuku swung upward at his own head—but once again, all he cut was paper.
"How unfortunate!!"
"Truly unfortunate indeed."
The taunting words of Ashiya Dōman came from all directions, for he was everywhere.
"Watch me tear you apart!!!"
Swinging his massive axe wildly, Zerofuku shredded the detested onmyoji before him into pieces.
"The more I fight, the more they multiply, and they're all just paper dolls—how truly unfortunate!!!"
Zerofuku's cries seemed endless, giving the impression of a child throwing a tantrum.
"This is—!"
Brunhilde frowned as Zerofuku's axe grew larger and his attacks faster.
Hmm? Her phone vibrated. She picked it up to check.
"I see."
It was new intel on Zerofuku: this god absorbed misfortune to grow stronger.
Every missed strike, every failure to land a true hit on Ashiya Dōman, was—misfortune for Zerofuku.
Thus, he absorbed that misfortune and grew stronger by the second.
In the blink of an eye, the arena was littered with shredded paper, and Ashiya Dōman seemed to have exhausted his substitutes—or perhaps he couldn't produce them fast enough to match Zerofuku's destruction.
But just then, Ashiya Dōman snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the scattered paper fragments glowed, and the ground writhed before giving birth to countless chibi figures—miniature versions of Ashiya Dōman himself.
This dense swarm charged straight at Zerofuku.
Seeing this, Zerofuku naturally swung his axe.
"BOOM—!"
A massive explosion erupted—not from the sheer force of Zerofuku's swing hitting the ground, but a genuine explosion, like that of a bomb.
Thick smoke and dust momentarily obscured Zerofuku's vision.
The next moment, something shot through the smoke and latched onto Zerofuku—those tiny figures.
With infuriatingly smug grins, they began to glow.
"BOOM—!"
"BOOM—BOOM BOOM—!"
"Th-these are all suicide bombers?"
Heimdall gulped nervously, noticing two of them clinging to his legs, flashing the same unnerving grins that sent chills down his spine.
But these two didn't explode—only the ones near Zerofuku detonated.
Suddenly, Heimdall's pupils contracted, and he hastily retreated further back.
The remaining suicide puppets surged forward in one overwhelming wave.
"BOOM—!!!"
The deafening blast sent a terrifying shockwave crashing into Heimdall, slamming him against the wall beneath the spectator stands with a pained scream.
Grimacing as he stood, rubbing his aching back, Heimdall turned his attention to the explosion's epicenter.
Thick black smoke billowed—then was instantly blasted away, revealing Zerofuku standing in a massive crater, his body covered in wounds but radiating an even more terrifying aura.
Moreover, his weapon had transformed—now resembling a stack of over a dozen massive axes fused together.
"How truly, truly unfortunate!!!"
Shouting his lament once more, Zerofuku spun his body 360 degrees, his axe carving a deadly arc through the air.
In an instant, not just the remaining Ashiya Dōman clones, but the entire arena itself was sheared away by a massive chunk.
Then, amidst the sound of clapping, Ashiya Dōman landed lightly atop Zerofuku's weapon.
This guy was acting as if he'd never been truly hit, toying with Zerofuku from start to finish.
"If your misfortune is only to this extent, then this is as far as you'll go."
The moment these words fell from Ashiya Dōman's lips, the daytime sky was instantly painted over by night.
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