Kamiya Makoto didn't know how he left the Imperial Hotel.
His soul seemed to have been extracted from his body, leaving only a numb shell, wandering through Tokyo's icy night like a lonely wild dog.
The designer suit borrowed from Chizuru now clung tightly to him, no longer a symbol of status.
Instead, it was a prisoner's uniform covered in thorns; every fiber relentlessly reminded him of how lowly and ridiculous he was.
Everything in the banquet hall was like a bizarre dream.
And at the center of the dream was that man.
It was Lu Cheng's calm and effortless dominance; it was Chizuru's dazed and intoxicated expression in his arms.
Chizuru's cold and cruel words echoed repeatedly in his mind, again and again, grinding his already shattered heart into dust.
"Click."
The apartment door was pushed open, then slammed shut by his backhand.
The narrow and dim room formed the most ironic contrast with the splendid banquet hall.
This was his world.
A dark, damp corner.
"Thud!"
Kamiya Makoto could no longer support himself; his knees buckled, and he fell heavily to the floor.
Slowly, in an almost masochistic manner, he took off the expensive suit jacket, threw it on the ground, then raised his foot and stomped on it fiercely!
Once, twice, thrice!
As if to completely crush the deep-seated humiliation, along with this suit!
"Ah… ah ah…"
Jealousy!
Incompetence!
Hatred!
These most primal, darkest emotions erupted in his heart.
There was no logic in this world at all!
The only logic was power!
The power that could make even the Yukinoshita family head bow down!
The dominance that could make Chizuru submit!
"Power…"
A terrifying crimson glow lit up in Kamiya Makoto's eyes in the darkness.
He suddenly looked up, as if grasping at a last straw, roaring out the name of the existence that had changed his fate.
"System!"
A ghostly blue light screen unfolded before him in response.
[Host: Kamiya Makoto]
[Level: Demon (High-tier)]
[Spiritual Power: 1150 / 1500]
[Shikigami: Zashiki-warashi, Kamaitachi, Shadow Warrior]
[Status Alert: Mind unstable, showing signs of collapse]
Seeing that status alert, Kamiya Makoto not only didn't calm down but let out a morbid, wild laugh.
"Heh heh… Hahahaha!"
"Collapse?"
"Then let it completely collapse!"
"The old me is dead!"
He reached out, scrolling on the system panel, searching for any way to make him stronger!
He would spare no effort to hunt demons and devour their power!
He would make that man pay for his arrogance!
He would make Chizuru watch with her own eyes how he trampled her so-called "master" underfoot!
Just as his 瘋狂 thoughts reached their peak.
A blood-red window suddenly popped up on the system panel!
[Ding! Detecting host's strong obsession and desire for deep binding with the system, special trial mission now activated!]
[Urgent Purification Mission: Whispers of the Abyss]
[Mission Description: In the abandoned underground area of the city, ancient resentment is awakening. Go, chosen Onmyoji, purify the source there, and you will receive a "gift" from the abyss!]
[Mission Location: Abandoned subway platform.]
[Mission Rewards: Spiritual Power Cap +5000! Nether Core x1! Unlock "Ancient Onmyoji Bloodline" Phase One!]
Kamiya Makoto's breathing instantly hitched when he saw the outrageously generous rewards!
A massive increase in spiritual power cap!
Rare materials that could evolve Shikigami!
And… unlocking his mysterious bloodline!
This… this wasn't a mission!
This was a gospel sent by a god in his most desperate moment! It was fate's trumpet call for his counterattack!
"Abandoned station…"
Kamiya Makoto murmured, he had heard of this name; it was one of Tokyo's most famous urban legends, rumored to be a one-way entrance to the underworld.
Danger?
The last thing he feared now was danger!
No pain, no gain!
"I accept!"
He almost roared, using all his strength to click the "Accept Mission" button… At the same time, in the presidential suite.
Lu Cheng leaned comfortably on the sofa, Ruzuki Rin knelt beside him, her fair, slender fingers peeling fruit for him, then respectfully bringing it to his lips.
"Only a wild dog driven to a dead end will desperately bite anything offered to its mouth."
He clearly saw all of Kamiya Makoto's reactions through the system's backend.
That so-called urgent mission was nothing more than something he personally edited and then forcibly pushed out.
"That abandoned subway station nearby, isn't it a quasi-god-level restricted area marked by the Amaterasu Group?"
Lu Cheng asked lightly.
"Yes, Master."
Ruzuki Rin replied respectfully.
"There, a peak-level monster demon is entrenched, commanding hundreds of vengeful spirits, almost forming a small ghost domain."
"Very good."
Lu Cheng's lips curved into a cruel arc.
"Then let's see how long this highly anticipated Child of Destiny can last in there."
…Cold, damp, putrid.
These were Kamiya Makoto's first impressions upon entering the abandoned subway station.
The air was thick with strong resentment, making him feel as if countless eyes were silently watching him from the depths of the darkness.
"Come out! My servants!"
Kamiya Makoto roared, and three magic arrays lit up simultaneously!
Zashiki-warashi, Kamaitachi, and Shadow Warrior, three Shikigami appeared with roars, firmly protecting him in the center.
He walked step by step towards the depths of the platform.
The battle erupted instantly!
"Hiss—!"
Sharp hissing sounds came from all directions!
On the walls, on the ceiling, in the shadows of the tracks… countless translucent dark figures surged towards him like a tide!
They were vengeful spirits!
The sheer number was enough to make one's scalp tingle!
"Kill! Kill them all for me!"
Kamiya Makoto, like a madman, commanded his three Shikigami to engage in the bloodiest battle against the tide of vengeful spirits.
Kamaitachi's figure was as fast as lightning; each swing of its sharp claws could tear apart several vengeful spirits.
Zashiki-warashi let out a silent roar, and its powerful wave of resentment slowed down the movements of nearby vengeful spirits.
And the strongest Shadow Warrior transformed into a black line of death; each time its katana was drawn, it precisely severed the core of a vengeful spirit!
This was an incredibly brutal war of attrition.
Kamiya Makoto's spiritual power was being consumed at an alarming rate.
But he didn't care!
His eyes were bloodshot, and only one thought remained in his mind—
Kill! Kill! Kill!
After an unknown amount of time, when the last vengeful spirit was cut down by the Shadow Warrior, the entire platform finally returned to temporary calm.
Kamiya Makoto gasped for air, his face as pale as paper.
His three Shikigami also had dimmed auras, clearly having expended enormous energy.
But in his eyes, the fervor of victory burned.
He did it!
He cleared this place!
However, just then.
"Woo—woo—"
An ancient and mournful whistle sound drifted from the end of the tunnel.
A hundred times more terrifying pressure than all the previous vengeful spirits combined, descended with a roar!
Kamiya Makoto's heart suddenly constricted!
He looked in horror towards the depths of the tunnel, only to see a huge dark shadow slowly approaching.
It was a dilapidated train, its body covered in mottled bloodstains and scratches.
And in the train's cab, stood a tall figure.
It wore a tattered conductor's uniform, but its face was blank, without features, only a black hole that constantly emitted silent wails.
The peak-level monster demon, the Wailing Conductor!
"Is that you… the source!"
Kamiya Makoto, far from being afraid, erupted with his last remaining fighting spirit!
As long as he killed it, he would get all the rewards!
"Go! Shadow Warrior! For me… cut him down!"
He frantically poured the last remnants of spiritual power in his body into the Shadow Warrior, preparing to unleash his strongest attack!
The Shadow Warrior's figure instantly solidified, and the katana in its hand ignited with black flames!
However, just as it was about to charge out!
An anomaly suddenly occurred!
Buzz—
The Shadow Warrior's figure suddenly flickered violently, like a TV screen with a bad signal.
Then, to Kamiya Makoto's disbelief, it… vanished into thin air.
[System Alert: Summon failed!]
[Shikigami connection interrupted!]
The cold, mechanical alert sound, like a death knell, exploded in Kamiya Makoto's mind!
What?
Connection… interrupted?
The Six-Word True Mantra, is it?
At… at a time like this?!
"No—!"
Kamiya Makoto let out a desperate roar.
But the Wailing Conductor would not give him any time to react.
The black hole on its face suddenly widened!
A visible shockwave, composed of pure resentment, slammed heavily into Kamiya Makoto!
"Pfft—!"
Kamiya Makoto was struck as if by lightning; his protective spiritual power instantly shattered, and he flew backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood, crashing heavily against the distant wall.
Excruciating pain instantly swept through his entire body.
He could clearly feel several of his ribs breaking… He struggled, using the remaining Zashiki-warashi and Kamaitachi to attack, buying himself a moment to breathe.
Then, with his last ounce of strength, he scrambled and crawled out of the subway station.
The physical pain was far less than the chill in his heart at this moment.
He trembled, opening the system panel again; the "Connection Error" prompt seemed to mock his foolishness mercilessly.
A thought more terrifying than any demon, more despair-inducing, suddenly gripped his heart.
The System… the only thing he could rely on, his last hope… would it betray him too?