"...Life has settled down."
Baal held a cup and took a sip of tea, then let out a comfortable sigh. She now had a stable place to live.
Although it was just a poor village, it was undoubtedly something to be grateful for.
However, it was as if fate was playing tricks.
"Baal-sama, something terrible has happened!"
Little Maple ran in hurriedly, her voice anxious. "A group of Hundred Ghosts has come looking for Baal-sama, and they're blocking our village entrance right now!"
"..."
Baal's comfortable expression froze.
By common sense, she should have no enemies in this world, and certainly no friends, so how could a group of Hundred Ghosts be looking for her?
"Little Maple, are you sure a group of Hundred Ghosts is looking for me?"
She asked softly, tentatively.
Little Maple nodded anxiously, her voice utterly certain as she replied, "That's right, those Hundred Ghosts specifically asked for Baal-sama."
"..."
Baal nodded silently, drained the tea in her cup, then stood up and went to the village entrance with Little Maple.
She had thought life would be peaceful for a while, but things often don't go as one wishes.
Since those Hundred Ghosts had already arrived at Maple Village, the young girl wouldn't think of escaping. What she had to face, she would face.
After all, since these Hundred Ghosts had come because of her, with her life philosophy, she would choose to face them and take responsibility.
Even if she felt nervous and timid, these were not reasons for her to escape.
At the village entrance.
The pattering rain continued to fall, and thick dark clouds obscured the sky. A gloomy, damp chill filled the air.
A group of extremely dangerous-looking Hundred Ghosts, a dense swarm of them, numbering at least three or four hundred, had gathered.
The villagers nervously held hoes, long swords, bows and arrows, and hatchets, blocking the entrance, their eyes filled with terror.
So many Hundred Ghosts...enough to kill everyone in Maple Village.
However, as long as Miko Kikyo was in front of them, they dared to face this group of Hundred Ghosts.
And they believed they could survive safely.
(What kind of strange development is this?!)
Baal pursed her lips, suppressing her inner panic, and walked as calmly as possible to the front of the villagers, coming to the side of Miko Kikyo and asking softly, "Do these Hundred Ghosts...want something from me?"
"...They want to pledge allegiance to you,"
Kikyo-sama looked at the young girl with a subtle expression, her calm voice containing a hint of oddness. "They are very optimistic about your future and hope you can become the Lord of Youkai, form a Hyakki Yagyō, and lead them to conquer the world."
"...Conquer the world?!"
Baal's small mouth dropped open in surprise, feeling that this group of Hundred Ghosts had a serious problem in their heads. With her strength, which the system rated as 'trash,' let alone something as exaggerated as conquering the world, she probably couldn't even conquer a single village right now.
She might even be exterminated by the Miko and monks in some small village.
"..."
Kikyo's water-like dark eyes glanced at Baal. She probably already guessed the reason for the incident. It was likely that the young girl's appearance and demeanor led those Hundred Ghosts to mistakenly believe that Baal was some rare potential stock.
And so, they all chose to pledge allegiance to Baal, planning to become elders when Baal rose in the future...and live a powerful and influential Hundred Ghosts life.
However, in reality...although Baal was beautiful and had an extraordinary aura, in the world of Hundred Ghosts, strength was the most important thing.
Baal's strength was still not enough to become the Lord of Hundred Ghosts.
"If you don't want to, Baal, just refuse them."
Kikyo-sama moved forward, standing in front of the young girl. "Don't worry about danger. Even if we face so many Hundred Ghosts, I will protect your safety."
Her voice was incredibly calm, unmoved even when facing the multitude of Hundred Ghosts. Although she didn't use many words to guarantee it, she gave people a strong sense of security.
"Kikyo is the strongest Miko!"
Little Maple also spoke up proudly at this moment, her voice full of complete trust. "If Baal-sama doesn't want to, Kikyo will eliminate all of them!"
"That's right, Kikyo-sama is the strongest Miko! No Hundred Ghosts can face Kikyo-sama!"
"Yes, Kikyo-sama has faced even more Hundred Ghosts, and she easily exterminated them all!"
"This has happened many times!"
The villagers all voiced their trust, having great confidence in Kikyo-sama's combat ability and little doubt.
Even when facing three or four hundred Hundred Ghosts, they believed Kikyo-sama would win.
This trust...was not based on rational judgment, but merely a cumulative thought pattern from Kikyo-sama's continuous victories.
It could be said that this trust...had reached the point of blindness.
"..."
Baal looked at Kikyo-sama's calm and serene back, and her inner nervousness and timidity unexpectedly disappeared. Incredibly, she believed one thing.
That is to say, Kikyo has the ability to face a multitude of demons.
This Miko, who didn't seem much older than her, was probably a hidden powerhouse.
If she had chosen to fight Kikyo before, she probably would have been killed.
"...Then I'll leave it to you."
The girl smiled lightly at Kikyo, and then intended to refuse the demons outside the village, but just as the girl was about to speak—
"Lord, I have a word, perhaps you would listen!"
The Deer-head Monster stepped out from among the demons, holding a feather fan, and waved it with considerable grace.
"We sincerely wish to pledge our allegiance to you, Lord, please believe in the sincerity of us demons."
Saying that, he pointed the fan at the villagers.
"Moreover, if you, Lord, are worried about the safety of the villagers, then it's better to accept us; their lives will be much more stable this way."
"...Are you threatening me?!"
Baal's gaze turned cold.
Miko Kikyo drew her bow, and purifying spiritual power imbued the arrow, intending to annihilate the multitude of demons with a single shot.
And the villagers also nervously gripped the weapons in their hands.
But then, an unexpected scene unfolded.
"I'm not threatening you, Lord, I'm just stating a fact." The Deer-head Monster shook his head, explaining confidently, "Lord, if we can become your Hyakki Yagyō, then this area will be our territory, and the demons will naturally obey your commands and not attack the nearby humans. The villagers will then be able to live safe lives."
After saying that, he pointed at the villagers with disdain again.
"Moreover, Lord, such a poor village, doesn't even have a decent shrine. It even forces you and the Miko to squeeze into a small, dilapidated house. Such a life is truly an insult to you. As long as you accept us demons, we can build you a solemn shrine and even find a bunch of beautiful Miko to serve your daily needs."
"..."
The girl's heart wavered for a moment, but after glancing at Kikyo's back in front of her, she still gently shook her head.
"...No, I don't have much pursuit of material desires."
Right now, she was sleeping next to a Miko, a beautiful and powerful Miko, which was far more appealing than a solemn shrine.
Moreover, the key point was... Kikyo could protect her safety.
However.
"Kikyo-sama, actually this... doesn't seem so bad."
An elderly man walked to Kikyo's side, speaking with some embarrassment.
"If Lord Baal accepts the allegiance of the demons, it would indeed be much safer for us. Rather than letting them cause chaos and kill people, it's safer to bring them under Lord Baal's command."
"..."
Kikyo nodded slightly, indicating understanding.
What the old man said was not wrong. If Baal was willing to accept the allegiance of the demons, it would mean that this area would be occupied by Baal, and other demons would also be bound by Baal's commands.
And demons from other areas would not casually come near the village to kill people, as after occupying this land, the ownership of humans would default to the occupying demons, and other demons could not kill them indiscriminately.
Otherwise, it would be tantamount to provocation and could lead to a fight between the two sides.
"Baal, do you want to accept their allegiance?" Kikyo lowered her bow, turned to look at Baal, and whispered, "If you don't want to, I'll drive them away. If you do, then from now on... I will protect your safety."
"..."
The girl was silent for a while, looking around, and saw that both the demons and the villagers had hopeful eyes.
Humans and demons, who were originally mortal enemies, had actually reached a consensus.
"I understand, I'll agree to your terms."
She let out a light sigh and finally agreed.
And so, on this land... another Lord of Youkai emerged, and also a force that sought to conquer the world.
Of course, for now... this force was still limited to the scope of a small village.
"Greetings, Lord!"
"Greetings, Lord!"
"Greetings, Lord!"
"Greetings, Lord!"
The multitude of demons bowed to Baal in a vast throng, concentrating their 'fear' on Baal, thereby acknowledging Baal as the Lord of Hundred Ghosts.
That's right, the so-called Lord of Youkai is not just the ruler of demons, but also the existence who bears the 'fear' of Hundred Ghosts.
And 'fear' symbolizes the essence of a demon.
If one's own capacity is insufficient, and they cannot bear the power of the multitude of demons' 'fear', a demon unable to bear fear cannot be recognized as the Lord of Youkai. This can be considered an invisible threshold and certification.
"..."
The girl was not aware of these so-called unwritten rules of the demons, she just felt her body become slightly heavier, and then immediately felt her strength increase.
If one has the capacity to bear the 'fear' of Hundred Ghosts, then correspondingly, as the leader of the Hyakki Yagyō, they will receive the reinforcement and enhancement of corresponding power.
This is also the reason why many demons want to become the Lord of Youkai.
"..."
Kikyo's eyelids lowered slightly, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She knew Baal's strength was weak, but she also knew that Baal had great potential for the future and would have no problem bearing the 'fear' of the multitude of demons.
However, even so, she still felt... a little nervous.
If Baal couldn't bear the fear of the multitude of demons, then she would have no choice but to act.
She would directly eliminate all the demons outside the village.
At the same time.
"Lord, congratulations on... becoming the Lord of Hundred Ghosts!"
A one-eyed, green-skinned demon ran out from among the multitude of demons, came before Baal, and congratulated her repeatedly.
"It truly makes me happy to be able to become your subordinate."
"...It's you!"
Baal looked at the One-Eyed Monster, realizing why so many demons were blocking the village entrance; it turned out that the One-Eyed Monster she had met recently had brought them.
For some reason, she... felt like beating a demon!