Chapter 217: I Shall Stand Above the Heavens
Scáthach, Minamoto-no-Raikou, and Manaka Sajyou returned.
And upon their return, they brought back a group of Oni who had previously been trapped in the gaps.
"Ibaraki... are you the leader of these Oni?"
After Scáthach, Minamoto-no-Raikou, and Manaka Sajyou returned, they needed to report to Noah. They had brought back quite a few Oni, but naturally, they couldn't bring all of them before Noah, so they only brought the leader of the Oni.
However, this was still somewhat different from what Noah had expected.
According to his estimation, "aside from Ibaraki, these Oni should have another leader, namely Shuten.
But now, this Shuten-douji clearly hadn't come—only Ibaraki had arrived...
Thinking this, Noah crossed his arms, rested his chin on his hands, and silently watched Ibaraki before him, waiting for her response.
"Yes."
Her golden hair was tied into twin tails, and above her delicate face, on her forehead, her horns and a red hair accessory were positioned together, looking as if they formed a special Crown.
"I am Ibaraki-douji, the leader of the Oni."
Unlike Shuten, Ibaraki is very rational when not under Mad Enhancement, and she doesn't share Shuten's intense hedonism.
Moreover, she wasn't wrong. Although Shuten holds the most authority among the Oni, in essence, the leader of the Oni should be Ibaraki.
After all... no one would expect Shuten, that extreme hedonist, to manage the Demon Race under her command.
So whether it's the Evil Spirits gathering together, having a well-established system, or even successfully building the Great Mountain City in the mountains—all of these are Ibaraki's achievements, and could only be her achievements.
Compared to Shuten, she indeed fits the title of Oni King better.
"I think since you can come here, you should already know what needs to be known—this world is vast, and it does not reject the existence of any species, but the world has its own rules, and I do not wish for these rules to be broken."
Hearing Noah say this, Ibaraki slightly furrowed her brows.
She could calmly accept the fact that she needed to submit to Noah, because Noah was strong, and the weak obeying the strong is a natural thing among Oni and even many Yokai.
But as the Oni King, Ibaraki had another purpose for coming here besides submission.
—That was to gauge Noah's capacity, or at the very least, to understand what kind of goals her future master would have.
So after hearing Noah's words, Ibaraki slowly spoke.
"We are the defeated. Previously, we were no match for the Heavenly Fox, and now we are no match for you, who defeated the Heavenly Fox—but just as we never submitted to the Heavenly Fox before, we are not a race that fully abides by rules. Oni only follow the rules set by those worthy of submission."
"I am well aware that we are not a necessity to you. If you grow impatient, you may do as you please—but if you wish for us to submit, then we must know what kind of person our future master will be."
"If you are like the Heavenly Fox, something just as dull, then our return to the Heian Capital this time is to meet our deaths. Even if we are completely wiped out, it matters not!"
Ibaraki's attitude was quite firm.
This didn't particularly surprise Noah.
After all, if they had easily submitted, why would the Heavenly Fox have driven all these Evil Spirits into the gap between the Great Bounded Field and the outside world?
So Noah only smiled faintly at Ibaraki's words.
Instead, it was Manaka Sajyou whose narrowed eyes already held a flicker of cold light.
Fortunately, Noah spoke up at this moment.
"Not follow the rules? No, you are already following them — for example, you eat when you're hungry, you breathe while living, you live on land, you sit, you drink, enjoy pleasures, fight... You think you are free, but in reality, you have always lived within these rules. The world merely grants you some choices within these rules—that is your freedom."
"There has never been an existence that absolutely does not follow rules, only existences that cannot be bound by low-level rules. And even such existences follow higher-level rules. As long as you live in this world and cannot defy the world itself, you cannot defy the rules, even if you are Oni."
Hearing Noah say this, Ibaraki's frown deepened.
"You're just twisting words! Do you really think the rules you set can compare to the laws that have existed since the world's creation?"
"Why not?"
Hearing Noah give such an answer, Ibaraki was clearly taken aback.
Because Noah's words were too matter-of-fact, so matter-of-fact that within their plainness lay a powerful persuasiveness!
Among Oni, there is no shortage of madmen.
But someone like Noah, who treats such audacious claims as utterly ordinary statements—even Ibaraki had never seen such a thing among Oni!
This man... does he truly believe this?
Comparing himself to the world?
What gives you the right!?
Before Ibaraki could voice his questioning, Noah continued speaking.
"And the laws of the world were set from the very beginning? Don't be ridiculous. Laws did exist at the world's inception, but those laws are completely different from the ones you follow now."
"The laws of the world evolved slowly into what they are today, but the consequence of defying them has always been the same: death."
"If you don't eat, you starve; if you don't breathe, you suffocate... Ultimately, it's just death. Defy the world's laws and you die; defy my rules and you die. Since the outcome is the same, what difference is there between my rules and the world's laws?"
"In the end, it's because you believe defying the world's laws will certainly lead to death, while defying my rules might not... Throughout history, it has always been this way, which is why this sky has been lonely for too long. The Celestial Throne has always existed, yet this seat has never had an owner."
"If you believe you can resist, I won't threaten you now, just as the world never threatens you—it only lets you naturally follow its principles, its rules."
"I can only say that from today, no, or perhaps from even earlier, the billions-year vacancy of the Celestial Throne has come to an end."
"And I, Noah, shall stand at the center of heaven."
Noah's words were spoken with utter calm.
Just as he had been equally composed when comparing himself to the world earlier, Ibaraki could tell this was no boast—he truly believed it!
This man... no, our lord intends to become the king of the world!
Ibaraki did not know when it happened, but the moment this thought took shape in her mind, she realized she had already knelt before Noah.
Once aware, she naturally lowered her proud head.
"Then, we pledge our loyalty to the great King of the World!"