A burst of force exploded outward—crack!
The Blue Oni's shoulder made a deep, grinding noise, as though the bones inside had splintered under the Candy Bean's punch.
Before the monster could react, the Candy Bean's arm whipped around, seizing that indigo flesh. With a violent twist and heave, he flung the Blue Oni aside—sending it staggering several meters back, away from the terrified trio of humans.
Then, with his free hand, the Candy Bean struck again.
This time, the Blue Oni caught the blow midair—massive fingers clamping around his fist. The pain in its shoulder seemed to ignite its fury; the once blank, puppet-like face contorted—brows furrowed, teeth bared in a snarl.
It slammed forward, raw strength overpowering the Candy Bean and forcing him back. The Candy Bean's feet gouged deep trenches into the wooden floor as he resisted.
Then, with a roar, the Blue Oni heaved upward— BOOM!
The Candy Bean was hurled into the ceiling. Plaster and dust rained down in a choking storm.
When the debris settled, he stood again—slowly, solidly. His body bulged with corded muscle, both fists clenched so tight his knuckles creaked.
Those abyss-like eyes were void of focus—yet the Blue Oni could feel his gaze upon it. "Wuhu…"
The sound escaped the Candy Bean's throat—childlike, chaotic, and deeply wrong. He braced himself. This was it—the real fight.
The two titans lunged at each other once more, crashing, grappling, smashing through walls and doors alike.
The manor trembled with every collision; it sounded like two bulldozers demolishing the entire building.
Each slap of the Blue Oni's massive hand cracked the air like thunder, while the Candy Bean's fists sliced through it with shrieking gusts of wind.
They tore through corridor after corridor, room after room. Dust and splinters filled the air, the once-grand estate collapsing into chaos and ruin.
Down below, Lu Zijhen handed the GoPro to Huaiyin. "Here, hold this steady," she said.
Huaiyin raised it with trembling hands as Lu called out to the three surviving explorers, "Hey! Snap out of it! Don't just stand there—fall back!"
The three scrambled toward her.
Lu gave them a quick smile, her tone deceptively casual. "Alright, Q&A time. Where are you lot from?"
The female host flinched with every boom above, while the script guy steadied himself enough to stammer,
"W-we're from Tokyo…" Lu's lips curved wryly. Of course.
She recognized them—the small-time duo behind that amateur paranormal channel that
always shadowed the Candy Bean Crew.
Wherever the Candy Bean went, they followed.
The Candy Bean's videos were about crushing the supernatural; theirs thrived on fear and helplessness.
Normally, Lu wouldn't have cared. There was enough paranormal fame to go around. But the fact that these wannabes had arrived at Blue Oni Manor before her? That was suspicious.
She'd spent months gathering intel on this place. How had they found it first?
The exorcist network wasn't something just anyone could peek into.
Before she could think further, the ceiling above them shook violently—dust raining down in thick clouds.
The Candy Bean and the Blue Oni had smashed their way into the upper floors. Lu brushed plaster from her hair.
"That… piece of jerky hanging from the hall ceiling—your friend?" The trio's faces twisted in grief. The script guy gave a stiff nod.
Lu sighed, shaking her head.
"Then leave the rest to us. Get out—now. And listen carefully." Even through her mask, her narrowed eyes glinted like blades.
"If word of this place leaks out… you'd better be ready for the consequences."
"B-but… our friend's body—"
"Not your concern anymore. You're lucky to leave with your lives. Go—before I change my mind."
Another roar erupted from above—so furious it made the floor quiver. The three didn't argue again. They bolted down the corridor.
Before they left, Lu confiscated the chest cameras strapped to their vests. None dared resist.
Once they were gone, she took the GoPro back from Huaiyin.
"So, Huaiyin," she asked gently, "do you want to stay and watch, or wait outside?"
"I want to watch," Huaiyin said without hesitation. "I want to see big brother exorcise it."
Lu smiled beneath her mask. "What a brave little girl."
She chuckled softly and led her upstairs.
Second floor. Third.
Fourth.
Each level looked like a war zone.
Under the clash of those two monsters, the ancient manor had been reduced to wreckage—walls shredded, floors collapsing, air thick with smoke and the scent of blood and ozone.
And there they were—still fighting. "WUHUU!!"
Glorious. Exhilarating.
Nothing could withstand him. Nothing could endure him.
The battle with the Blue Oni was pure joy—a primal, intoxicating thrill. Every blow landed with perfect satisfaction.
Every roar, every counterstrike sent another jolt of life through Dou Tang's veins.
For him—who'd spent a year annihilating spirits with effortless ease—this was ecstasy. Sometimes, opponents too weak to fight back were their own kind of torture.
But the Blue Oni? It was different.
It rekindled something inside him—the fire he thought long extinguished. "ROARRR!!!"
The Blue Oni bellowed, consumed by rage.
Its home was being torn apart, and yet this pink, mindless creature before it—this thing—seemed incapable of pain!
Smash it with its great hands—no effect.
Crush it beneath concrete and steel—no effect.
With every strike, it could feel the Candy Bean's strength growing. That pink mist… that storm of violent energy—it was beyond anything the Oni could comprehend.
And then, something strange twisted in its chest.
Since becoming what it was, the Blue Oni had never felt this.
What was it?
It dug deep into the dim recesses of its dying mind, back to when it had still been human—
and then, it understood. Fear.
The long-buried, long-forgotten emotion of fear. Fear of the Candy Bean.
The Candy Bean's punch slammed square into its chest, sending the Blue Oni sprawling.
A dark-pink mist seeped from the Candy Bean's body—not warm, but chillingly cold, a frost that cut straight through the soul.
The Blue Oni trembled. It was afraid.
Afraid of him.
"Wu…"
The Candy Bean crouched low, coiling his body like a spring. Then, with a roar that shook the heavens—
"HU—AOOOOO!!"
The ridiculous wolf-head atop his mask seemed to come alive, its jaws opening wide as a resonant wolf's howl joined his battle cry.
A primal, merciless command thundered in his mind: Kill the Blue Oni.
Claim the Crown.
And in that moment, Dou Tang's heartbeat synchronized with the roar of the Crown Game itself.
The hunt was on.
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