"This is the novel the Lord of the Realm is reading? It truly gives one a refreshing feeling. Divine Child, I think I'm starting to understand what you mean; creating bolder narratives and imagining more fantastical stories based on existing ones..."
Ei: Understood, understood! So this is what a light novel is!
"My, my, it seems the General who pursued eternity with single-minded devotion isn't as stubborn as legends portray! This editor merely offered a few pointers, and you've already grasped the essence. Excellent, truly excellent!"
Although Ei's answer wasn't perfect, considering she had just emerged from the Plane of Euthymia, Yae Miko found it quite satisfactory. What Yae Miko cared more about was the shift in Ei's attitude, from initial stubborn resistance to attempting to think and understand, which was a commendable progress.
"Of course, after leaving the Plane of Euthymia, I've gained many new insights into eternity. New things aren't necessarily all bad..."
Ei: For example... Mochi milk!
Half an hour later, Ei borrowed a few novels and returned to the Tenshukaku. These included "The Strange Adventures of the Stone Monkey," "As the Heroine Who Fell from the Sky, I Defeated Seven Childhood Sweethearts and Successfully Claimed the Male Lead's Body," and "Only Magic Can Defeat Magic"...
So far, Feng Yi had extended invitations to Yae Miko, Ei, Zhongli, and Kujou Sara. The next recipient of his invitation would be Ayaka. Before heading to the Kamisato Estate, Feng Yi planned to visit his own bubble tea shop and pick up a super milk tea made with luxurious ingredients. After all, favors often come with unspoken expectations. He figured that once the brother-in-law tasted the milk tea, he wouldn't stop him from inviting Ayaka out for a bath, right?
"Hold on! Evil Oni General! Your opponent may be powerful, but we absolutely cannot surrender! Hold on, you must hold on!"
"Itto, stop struggling and surrender quickly. The Red Worm King I borrowed from Yuan Bao is invincible! You bullied other kids, so watch me win all your lollipops today!"
"Yoimiya-sis, go! Red Worm King, go!"
"Yoimiya-sis, mighty! You must win!"
"..."
Feng Yi arrived in front of the Pupu Bubble Tea shop and found it bustling with activity. A crowd had gathered, seemingly for a beetle-fighting game. Feng Yi squeezed through and saw two beetles, one black and one red, engaged in a 'fierce' battle. The black beetle was enormous and looked ferocious, clearly a king among insects. Feng Yi wondered where Arataki Itto had found it. From the children's chatter, Feng Yi learned that Arataki Itto had used this massive black beetle to win many children's snacks. Upon hearing this, Yoimiya had borrowed a Red Worm King from Yuan Bao, determined to challenge Arataki Itto and win back the children's snacks. Amidst the children's cheers, Yoimiya was undoubtedly on the side of justice, the embodiment of heroism, and the crowd's favorite. Arataki Itto, on the other hand, had only a few scattered shouts of support, mostly from his underlings.
In the beetle-fighting arena, the black beetle launched a barrage of attacks, but without exception, they were all dodged by the red beetle. The red beetle was actually a remnant of a demon that Yuan Bao had subdued, disguised as a Kabutomushi for a performance match. Although the black beetle was an exceptionally fierce absolute overlord among Kabutomushi, in front of the red beetle, it was nothing more than a weakling, a complete mismatch. The red beetle casually dodged the black beetle's fierce assaults, even yawning out of boredom during the fight.
Noticing Feng Yi's arrival, the red beetle shivered and immediately abandoned its lazy, half-hearted approach.
Red Beetle: Oh my god, why is this esteemed gentleman here? I can't give him a bad impression of slacking off. I need to get serious!
The red beetle flapped its elytra, beckoning the black beetle, and feigned an all-out effort. The black beetle was taken aback. Its opponent not only stopped dodging but also issued a provocation. How could it tolerate that? Judging by their size, it held an absolute advantage; one charge would send the opponent flying. The black beetle flapped its wings rapidly, making 'huffing' sounds, preparing to unleash its full power and end the fight in one blow.
"Hahahaha... That's it, Evil Oni General! Show me what you've got and win this match with one go!" Arataki Itto roared with laughter. Having achieved consecutive victories with the Evil Oni General, he knew full well that rapid wing flapping was a prelude to going all out. Even though the opponent was a Worm King, the Evil Oni General was no pushover; it was uncertain who would have the last laugh.
*Whoosh—*
The black beetle completed its charge and shot forward with a *whoosh*, instantly appearing before its opponent. Its frontal horn was positioned for attack, like a falcon in the sky precisely locking onto prey on the ground. This strike was the black beetle's perfect, all-out attack!
*Splat—*
The red beetle, moving faster, swatted the black beetle to the ground with a single blow. The action was so swift that even Itto and the others present couldn't react in time. Arataki Itto had believed the Evil Oni General had the advantage and that victory was tilting in their favor. He hadn't expected such a sudden turn of events. Before he could even see what happened, the Evil Oni General was lying on the ground, unconscious.
"Damn it! Even with my full effort, I couldn't..." Arataki Itto slammed his fist onto the ground, utterly shocked by the Worm King's terrifying strength.
"I admit defeat. Take these lollipops..." Although he lost the match, Arataki Itto knew the Evil Oni General had done its best. It wasn't that the Evil Oni General wasn't strong; it was that the opponent was ridiculously powerful! Looking at the lollipops he had won, including some of his own, being taken away, Arataki Itto felt an indescribable pang of sadness. He picked up the unconscious Evil Oni General from the ground and sighed mournfully.
"Itto, you don't need to be so sad. Victory and defeat are common in warfare, especially when your opponent is a Worm King..." Feng Yi stepped forward and offered a few comforting words. After all, Itto was his employee, and as the boss, he had to 'first be polite, then resort to force.'
"Boss Feng Yi..." Arataki Itto met Feng Yi's gaze, grateful for his comfort.
"Don't worry. I was already prepared for defeat. Otherwise, I would have given up beetle fighting after the seven hundred and eightieth loss. I'll learn from this experience and win it back!"
"I'm glad to see you've perked up. Now, let's discuss something else... According to the employee handbook, since you were playing beetle fights during work hours, we'll deduct half a day's pay. That's only fair, right?"