"Where's the substitute body?"
Relying on the stone he had previously given to Zhu Ran Yai, Fujisaki Miyabi sensed that she had returned to the Demon Realm. His brows furrowed slightly.
He couldn't sense the substitute body.
Could something have happened…?
Fujisaki Miyabi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
With what he knew of the Human World, apart from a few rare exceptions, even if the substitute body couldn't win, it should have been able to escape.
At the very least, it could have sent back information.
Now that Zhu Ran Yai had returned to the Demon Realm, the substitute body was nowhere to be found…
Who had destroyed it?
And with no resistance at all, it seemed.
Impossible. Highly unlikely.
Even if it had run into someone like Dongfang Bubai, it should have been able to send a message.
Just what exactly happened?
Fujisaki Miyabi closed his eyes.
He sensed Zhu Ran Yai moving swiftly—her direction suggested she was heading toward Yanghai Academy.
"..."
He slowly opened his eyes, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
He wanted to go to her, but remembering that the Ten-Day Pact had yet to arrive, he hesitated.
Forget it—he'd wait a little longer.
After all, she was his "granddaughter," in a manner of speaking. She deserved a bit of time.
With that thought, Fujisaki Miyabi temporarily pushed the matter aside.
Little did he know that his "granddaughter" had already forsaken him—for the sake of her husband and her sister.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Under Zhu Ran Yai's guidance, Arthur carried her through the sky for over ten minutes, arriving at the sprawling Yanghai Academy, a school for yokai covering thousands of acres.
There was a reason for coming here.
Fujisaki Miyabi was elusive; unless he wanted to be found, no one could track him down.
Not even Zhu Ran Yai.
Thinking back carefully, Arthur recalled someone—
Kaneshiro Hokuto.
Once human, he had become a ghoul after receiving the blood of a yokai.
As the leader of the Anti-Academy Faction and strategist of the Fairyland's First Branch, he was said to be under Fujisaki Miyabi's command.
He operated mainly within Yanghai Academy.
He should be able to locate Fujisaki Miyabi.
Landing outside the academy gates, Arthur unleashed his spiritual perception, instantly enveloping the entire campus.
Everything fell within his "sight."
No particularly powerful presences stood out.
Although one of the Three Underworld Kings, Mikogami Tenmei, wasn't present, Arthur did detect a possible trace of Kaneshiro Hokuto.
He wasn't sure, though.
The Kaneshiro Hokuto he remembered hadn't yet turned into a ghoul.
He had remained human, blending into Yanghai Academy under disguise.
Since the academy mimicked a human institution, its yokai students all maintained human appearances.
On the surface, they looked just like ordinary humans—
But in essence, they were monsters.
Among them, Arthur didn't sense any pure humans.
Only one individual carried faint traces of human essence deep within his body.
He was already ninety percent transformed into a yokai.
Ordinary beings wouldn't notice, but under Arthur's spiritual perception, his true nature was laid bare.
In the entire school, only he retained a hint of human aura.
That had to be Kaneshiro Hokuto.
Locking onto the direction, Arthur and Zhu Ran Yai entered Yanghai Academy and headed toward his location.
There wasn't even a gatekeeper at the entrance.
As they walked further inside, they began encountering yokai students.
The moment they saw Arthur and Zhu Ran Yai, curiosity rippled through the crowd.
The two stood out far too much—
Especially Arthur.
He drew attention like a magnet.
Still, none of the yokai dared to cause trouble.
Zhu Ran Yai's cold expression and frosty gaze radiated an invisible aura of intimidation.
At just over one meter sixty, she carried a three-meter presence.
One look, and anyone could tell—she was not to be provoked.
During this time, Arthur's Universal Bestiary kept pinging with new entries, causing him to frown slightly.
Fortunately, he quickly adapted.
Looking at the "rewards" around him, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
A flash of killing intent flickered through them.
But reason swiftly overpowered the impulse, wiping away the urge to kill.
These yokai had no enmity with him. He wouldn't slaughter them just for a few low-value rewards.
Nor was he interested in befriending them.
They weren't his wives from his previous world, after all.
So what if the entries in the Bestiary remained unlit?
Just like when he'd hunted evil spirits with Yotsuya Miko—those defeated spirits hadn't lit up his Bestiary either.
Too low-value. Not worth bothering with.
If they were valuable, though, he wouldn't have hesitated.
"Hm!?"
Just as a flicker of killing intent stirred in Arthur's heart, the nearby yokai suddenly felt a chill wash over them.
It came and went in an instant.
They looked around, puzzled—
Unaware they had just brushed past the gates of death.
They survived only because he didn't deem them worthy of dying.
Twenty minutes later.
Arthur and Zhu Ran Yai arrived at a grassy clearing and spotted their target.
A man in a white dress shirt, black vest, and glasses stood there.
Beside him was another man with ear-length, center-parted hair, wearing the Yanghai Academy uniform.
"You're Kaneshiro Hokuto?"
Arthur studied the man for a moment, then spoke.
Beside him, Zhu Ran Yai's eyes flickered slightly.
She knew of the man from Fairyland, but had never met him.
"I am," Kaneshiro replied calmly. "Who are you?"
He examined Arthur and Zhu Ran Yai without a hint of expression.
But when his gaze landed on Zhu Ran Yai, a faint ripple stirred in his heart.
He recognized her.
Though he had remained at Yanghai Academy, he knew the faces of all key members of Fairyland.
He knew exactly who Zhu Ran Yai was.
"Where is Fujisaki Miyabi?"
Once he confirmed the man's identity, Arthur wasted no time with pleasantries.
"Fujisaki Miyabi…"
Noting Arthur's unfriendly tone, Kaneshiro's eyes shifted slightly, an unreadable glint flashing within.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Feigning confusion, he looked at Arthur.
"Fujisaki Miyabi? You must have the wrong person, a classmate. I don't know who that is."
The center-parted man beside him glanced at Arthur and Zhu Ran Yai, his gaze flickering as a smirk curved his lips—
As if he had just thought of something amusing.
"Hm?"
Arthur's expression shifted slightly.
His sharp eyes turned toward the center-parted man—
And in that instant, an invisible wave of psychic force lashed out.
A dull boom echoed.
The man didn't even have time to react before his body exploded into a mist of blood.
"...Yoshii!!"
Kaneshiro froze, his face draining of color.
He hadn't expected Yoshii Muya—someone nearly as strong as himself—to be annihilated just by a look.
Completely vaporized.
Terror gripped him. Without thinking, he unleashed his yokai energy and bolted in a blind panic.
"Heh. Trying to run?"
Arthur smirked, hands still in his pockets.
A massive invisible hand of psychic energy materialized, snatching Kaneshiro Hokuto from over a hundred meters away and dragging him back.
Kaneshiro struggled like a trapped beast.
But it was futile—an ant trying to shake a mountain.
The psychic grip held him firmly, binding him before Arthur and Zhu Ran Yai.
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