Chapter 031: The Bride of the Ghost King

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The little Zen monk? The young boy was playing the role of a lantern-carrying novice monk, a type of monster from folklore. He seemed to possess some special means to completely conceal his human aura, perfectly simulating that of a yokai. Although his face was painted red, his appearance had not changed much, so Su Cheng and his companions immediately recognized him.

Leading the little Zen monk was a tall, slender female demon wearing a black rabbit mask. The icy aura she exuded seemed capable of freezing all the ghosts and monsters around her into popsicles. Who else could possess such a powerful presence, if not Wei, the Night Goddess?

"Miss?" Kaori Inoue silently breathed a sigh of relief, having finally found her group. Wei nodded slightly. Though her mask concealed her expression, Su Cheng noticed that Wei seemed to linger her gaze on him for a moment behind it.

"Where's Furukawa? I haven't seen him at all," Su Cheng asked, scanning the surroundings for any sign of Kyohei Furukawa, uncertain if he would arrive in time.

"Kyohei should be nearby. Besides, I've discovered some clues about the Demon King—its identity might be more complicated than we thought..." Wei's voice trailed off abruptly, for a seductive woman in red suddenly appeared before them.

To be precise, this creature had the upper body of an alluring woman, but her lower half was that of a gigantic black spider.

"Jorogumo!" The chilling, dreadful demonic aura spread outward, placing immense pressure on Wei. This spider woman possessed formidable power, with at least a century of cultivation—she would not be easy to deal with.

According to legend, the Jorogumo was a courtesan during the Kamakura period. She betrayed her lord while serving him, was discovered, and thrown into a chest filled with venomous spiders, where she met her end. After death, her vengeful spirit merged with that of a spider, luring young men into the forest and then severing their heads—a fearsome and deadly monster.

"Be careful—this spider is one of the Demon King's three great generals, her power runs deep," Wei warned in a low voice. Though she was on guard, the spider woman seemed indifferent to Wei’s hostility. She swayed her enormous legs and approached Su Cheng.

Suddenly, Su Cheng saw the spider woman's neck stretch like gluten, her face drawing close to his as she sniffed at his scent.

"Has she discovered me?" Su Cheng tensed, fearing she had detected his living human scent. His hand slid silently to his sword, ready to strike at any moment.

"You reek of that familiar, foxy stench—it's that vixen Xiao Qing," the spider woman sneered, her eerie laughter revealing deep animosity toward the fox spirit.

Su Cheng's face darkened. Though his mask masked his living scent, it could not conceal the lingering odor the fox had left on him.

"Oh, such potent murderous intent. Man, your flavor must be exquisite," the spider woman hissed.

The moment she spoke, Su Cheng slashed at her face with his blade. The arc of steel left a deep gash across her features, splitting her seductive visage like fine porcelain.

Black-red demon blood seeped from the wound, yet the spider woman seemed unfazed, her lips curling into a sinister, chilling grin.

"No wonder you’re a Slaughter Demon—such a violent man," she crooned.

Her ghastly laughter echoed from all directions. Suddenly, her alluring face twisted into a grotesque mask. Her mouth gaped open, revealing horrifying spider fangs, and she lunged at Su Cheng.

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At that moment, the sound of a wooden fish being struck rang out.

The spider woman's expression shifted. Behind her, a tall, one-eyed monk appeared, rhythmically beating a wooden fish.

"Monk, are you trying to stop me?" the spider woman snarled fiercely, though a trace of fear flickered deep within her eyes.

"The Demon King's banquet is about to begin. Let's head inside," the blue-skinned, one-eyed monk intoned, chanting his Buddhist name as he turned and strode toward the grand hall.

The spider woman hesitated. The wound on her cheek healed instantly. She shot Su Cheng a cold glare, transformed into a seductive woman, and followed the one-eyed monk.

"Who is that monk?" Su Cheng sheathed his blade. Had the monk not intervened and taken the spider woman away, he would have been forced to reveal his true abilities, risking exposure as a human and potential mission failure.

"Blue Monk, one of the Demon King's three generals. His origins are most mysterious, and his power unfathomable. Otherwise, the spider woman would not have backed down so easily," Wei replied.

"Miss, who is the third general?" Inoue asked, her face adorably blank.

"Inugami Byakuya. It’s best not to provoke him. None of us are strong enough to face the Inugami yet."

This dungeon’s difficulty far exceeded the Night Goddess squad’s level. A careless encounter with a legendary monster could mean total annihilation—they had to be extremely cautious.

As they entered the grand hall, Su Cheng noticed a shadow as dark as ink, exuding a terrifying aura.

The Demon King!

The inky shadow gradually coalesced into the form of a Sengoku-period general clad in black armor. His entire body was encased in thick plate, a cold iron mask covering his face so that Su Cheng could not discern his true features. Yet the spiritual pressure radiating from him pinned tens of thousands of ghosts and monsters in the hall in place.

Wei’s heart sank. This Demon King's strength seemed beyond her expectations, far stronger than those encountered in ordinary dungeons. A sense of foreboding crept over her.

"On my way here, I discovered some clues about the Demon King. He was once a general during the Warring States era who had an affair with the daimyo’s favorite consort. When found out, he was executed, his heart cut out after death, and he became a vengeful ghost."

Judging by the timeline, this Demon King had cultivated for at least five centuries, his resentment so powerful that even the most skilled exorcists would struggle to subdue it.

By now, the first phase of their mission was nearly complete.

Su Cheng remained vigilant, watching for any signs of danger. In horror games, the first phase was always mere prelude, meant to acclimate players to the atmosphere. The true climax was yet to come.

The Night Goddess squad aimed to clear this scenario with an A-rank or higher evaluation, meaning they would likely have to confront the Demon King directly in the next act.

The banquet’s theme was the Demon King's wedding, yet a chilling aura filled the hall, not a trace of festivity to be found.

Su Cheng found himself quite curious: what kind of bride would the Demon King take? Could it be the vengeful spirit of the consort?

"Bring forth the bride!"

A little ghost with white face and rouge on its cheeks cried out in a shrill voice, and a crimson carpet, dozens of meters long, was unfurled.

In the deep dark of night, several imps slowly carried a red palanquin toward the hall.

The palanquin seemed as light as air, swaying gently as it was borne to the entrance.

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Once it came to rest, a moment passed before a formally dressed woman emerged from the palanquin, her feet clad in red shoes stepping onto the carpet as she made her way toward the hall.

Her face was powdered white as snow, lips as red as blood, and her jet-black hair was styled in the traditional manner of a bride from ages past.

What shocked Su Cheng and Wei was that this woman was not a ghost or spirit, but a living, breathing human being.

"What is this—an undying love between human and ghost?" Su Cheng felt a chill creep up his spine, as if a cold, spectral wind had seeped into his very bones.

Soon, he realized the woman moved like a puppet—her eyes vacant, her steps mechanical, as though controlled by another’s will, completely devoid of consciousness.

But as she passed before Su Cheng, he found her face eerily familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere not long ago.

A sudden flash of insight struck him—he finally recalled her identity.

"Chiyuki Kamihara!"

Su Cheng’s eyes widened in shock. This woman looked exactly like Chiyuki Kamihara, as if they’d been carved from the same mold. Were it not for their utterly different auras, he might have believed Chiyuki herself had crossed into this scenario.

Was this mere coincidence, or was there a deeper connection between this woman and Chiyuki Kamihara?

The plot was growing ever more bizarre. Unable to contain himself, Su Cheng inquired about the bride’s identity.

"I’ve heard she hails from the Chiyo clan, a family of shrine maidens in Tokyo—the last miko of the Chiyo line. But the timeline in this scenario doesn’t match the real world; think of it as a parallel universe," Wei explained.

A parallel-world Chiyuki Kamihara?

Behind his Slaughter Demon mask, Su Cheng wore a thoughtful expression.

At that moment, a sinister, chilling voice echoed in every player’s mind.

"Stage One complete. Story event triggered."

"Mission Two: Awaken the shrine maiden Chiyo Himeko, and sabotage the Demon King’s wedding banquet."

Hearing the next mission, the Night Goddess squad’s members blanched. They would have to awaken the shrine maiden and ruin the wedding right under the Demon King’s nose—surely a death sentence.

"Miss, what do we do now?" Inoue was on the verge of tears; this was a suicide mission in every sense.

Wei drew a deep breath, a look of steely resolve in her eyes.

"We have no choice but to follow the quest prompts and see the game through. Otherwise, we may never leave here alive."

"Horror games may be cruel, but they don’t set impossible missions. There must be a way out," Su Cheng’s voice whispered in Wei’s ear, and she found some solace in his words.

Wei clutched the story prop provided by the system—the Awakening Spell—and strode toward the shrine maiden, Chiyo Himeko.