Chapter 373: The Reason
Inside a vast warehouse within the otherworld.
No one would ever imagine that three Ghost Gods-level evil spirits were hiding here. The Nine-Tailed Fox entered the warehouse with practiced ease. Before long, a startled, raspy voice echoed through the air.
"Nine-Tailed Fox? You've actually been resurrected?"
"Of course."
Faced with the surprise of peers of its own rank, the Nine-Tailed Fox snorted coldly, venting its inner frustration.
"I have already walked into the heart of this warehouse, and only now have you noticed my presence. Has your strength regressed rather than progressed after all these years?"
"This..."
The three Ghost Gods in the warehouse were left speechless. Indeed, given their power, even if the Nine-Tailed Fox had deliberately concealed its aura, they shouldn't have waited until it was this close to notice.
"It seems you have grown too complacent in this space," the Nine-Tailed Fox sneered, seeing that the three Ghost Gods were exactly as it had suspected.
"Have you come to us for a reason?"
Ignoring the Fox's mockery, the Ghost God in the center stared at it coldly and asked about its intent.
"To take you out to attack Tokyo."
Crossing its arms, the Nine-Tailed Fox stated its purpose directly and clearly.
"Are you insane?"
Upon hearing this, the three Ghost Gods immediately assumed the Nine-Tailed Fox's brain was malfunctioning due to its recent resurrection.
"Your reaction is nothing more than fear of the Exorcists outside, isn't it? Those five people have all left."
"They have indeed left. But it would be a simple matter for them to return. Furthermore, attacking Tokyo is equivalent to tearing up the treaty signed between evil spirits and humans over a hundred years ago. If the Exorcists settle scores later, what will we do?"
"Do you think it's that easy for them to come back?"
The Nine-Tailed Fox was dismissive of their concerns. True, the Exorcists were incredibly powerful beings. In a one-on-one fight, there probably wasn't a single Ghost God in all of
Japan who could handle them. But wasn't the greatest advantage of evil spirits their sheer numbers? Over the millennia, how many times had spirits fought humans and gods, and how many Ghost Gods had been lost? The count was likely beyond reckoning.
"A single Exorcist from Kanto suppresses the three of you to this level of dread... but what if I am added to the mix?"
"With your joining, we would certainly have a great chance of victory against that human. But what about the other four regions?"
As a veteran Ghost Gods from a thousand years ago, the Nine-Tailed Fox's strength was unquestionable. In fact, if it hadn't tried to destroy Kyoto centuries ago and failed, it might have already been the undisputed boss of the Japanese spirit world. With its help, four against one, the three otherworld Ghost Gods felt their odds of winning were high.
But they couldn't forget that Japan didn't have just one Exorcist. Once the Kanto Exorcist encountered a situation he couldn't solve alone, the Exorcists from the three nearby regions wouldn't sit idly by. And as for the combined strength of all four regions...
"That is exactly why we must strike while they are away, isn't it?" the Nine-Tailed Fox urged.
Whether human or spirit, once one reaches godhood, a massive amount of life force is required to increase one's strength. Compared to humans, while spirits might generally be weaker individually, they can rapidly increase their power by consuming the life force of ordinary humans.
While the Exorcists are away from Japan, they could seize the time to slaughter a few cities and consume massive amounts of life force. Perhaps by the time those Exorcists realize and rush back, their levels would have already risen, and it's not impossible that the roles of hunter and prey might be reversed.
"How could it be that easy?"
If they had eyes, the otherworld Ghost Gods would have rolled them at the Nine-Tailed Fox. It made it sound so simple. If slaughtering a few cities to consume human life force could raise their level so easily, would they still be curled up inside this space?
"Don't forget, Tokyo is different from other cities." Seeing that the Ghost Gods before it weren't fools and couldn't be easily bluffed, the Nine-Tailed Fox threw out a bargaining chip.
"How is it different?" Hearing this, the three Ghost Gods instantly turned interested gazes toward it.
Any evil spirit that could become a Ghost Gods possessed a functioning IQ. They usually mocked the Nine-Tailed Fox's past attempt to attack Kyoto as an act of insanity, but in reality, they were all very curious about its reasons. Especially after the Fox urged the three of them to attack Tokyo—which now held a status akin to a capital—their curiosity reached its peak.
"You should have heard of things like 'Providential Luck,' right?"
Despite its regret over not being able to enjoy it alone, the Nine-Tailed Fox explained its tireless fixation on Tokyo, knowing that Hachiman would easily block it if it acted solo.
"A long time ago, I discovered that once a nation is established, its capital gradually converges a strange power, which can be called Providential Luck in human terms. In ancient times, by chance, I destroyed what was then a large human kingdom. It was precisely by absorbing the Luck of that nation that I promoted to Middle-Rank Ghost Gods."
"A large ancient kingdom could move you from Low-Rank to Middle-Rank?" The Ghost Gods on the right became tempted upon hearing this. As a Ghost Gods stuck at the peak of the Low-Rank for a hundred years, it thought about breaking through every waking moment. However, resources in the otherworld were scarce, and most were used by the two stronger Ghost Gods beside it. If it continued to wait, there was no telling when promotion would come.
"Exactly. The Luck of a large ancient kingdom allowed me to level up when I was low-tier. So, imagine how much the Luck of this current nation could increase your strength?"
Seeing one of the Ghost Gods waver, the Nine-Tailed Fox's eyes narrowed. It used a voice full of temptation to urge the remaining two.
"Fine. But after it is done, I want forty percent of that Luck!" The Ghost God in the middle spoke up, shamelessly demanding forty percent.
"Impossible!" The Fox's expression changed instantly. Was it joking? It wanted forty percent? Then what would the Fox get?
"I will give you twenty percent at most." The Nine-Tailed Fox's tone was incredibly firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Twenty percent? Aren't you afraid we'll just kill you and divide it amongst ourselves?" With the price suddenly halved, the center Ghost Gods instantly became murderous.
"You can certainly try." Hearing that this trash actually wanted to kill it, the Nine-Tailed Fox's voice turned ice-cold.
Read ahead and finish this fanfiction by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting