’Those disloyal brats. I didn’t lose and they already want to betray me.’ Ryuja thought to himself.

He expected it to be honest. Because if it was him, he would never be loyal to anybody.

That was what he couldn’t understand. Giyaku was able to gather so many people and so many support in a short time because it was the representation of goodness.

Carter and the Doll had deliberately taken in refugees to gather more faith and loyalty. Seija made the land fertile and eased up the lives of the people. The Shrine offered them protection against the evil and the cruel.

Because of that, Carter had the will of the people. And the will of the people gave him loyalty that Ryuja never experienced.

"We should stop playing now." Ryuja flicked his wrist. More Yokais jumped out of his porcelain pot.

This time, it was four Champion-Rank Yokais. Three were Minor Champions and one was Medium Champion.

"They are..." Kitsune the white fox squinted her eyes.

Before the Four Beast Gods, there were actually Nine Beast Gods.

Kitsune the Fox. Mouko the Tiger. Gogyu the Ox. Gyoja the Monkey.

Then the remaining five. Taiki the Bear. Joshi the Hare. Dojun the Turtle. Mosen the Toad. Daija the Snake.

Out of the five missing Beast Gods, only four were present on Ryuja’s side. The Bear. The Hare. The Turtle. And the Snake.

"I was wondering how did little Hachi figure out a new poison that surpassed me." Minato said. "He didn’t..."

Everyone understood what Minato was implying. The famous Toad Poison of Tengo Ryuja wasn’t even his to begin with. It was the poison of Mosen the Frog Champion.

That was why it wasn’t here now. Because the Frog was dissected to create the Toad Poison.

These champions were under the control of Ryuja but they didn’t lose their consciousness entirely. They were still who they were, only their freedom was lost.

Daija noticed Seija’s Dragon Form.

"You there." Daija said. "You completed the Dragon Trial?"

Seija stepped forward to reveal her dragon feet.

"I did." Seija said.

"Remarkable..." Daija’s eyes were filled with admiration. Becoming a Dragon was the dream of every snake. Daija also wanted to become a dragon in his young days. But he failed.

It was too hard to be the spirit that the people believed in. And working for something that you didn’t even know would work was despair.

Daija gave up.

Seija did too. But Mikoto was there to turn her back to the right path.

The other Champion Yokais noticed Kitsune. They were all acquaintances from the past.

"I told you guys you should get far away from the humans." Kitsune said.

Taiki the Bear laughed. "It doesn’t matter now. And it looks like you are also their slave now."

"I have my responsibility, Taiki. But a slave is not what I am."

Kitsune traded her life for Shirou’s life. In a way, she was also a slave. But she did it on her own accord. Kitsune also had a lot of freedom. Her responsibility only dictated her to protect the Shrine, not always be stationed in one spot.

The Shrine Maiden also didn’t seem to be too strict about things.

Kitsune bet that she had a much better time than those Yokais in the opposite. They had a tiny little porcelain pot to live.

"Enough talking." Ryuja shouted. "Kill them."

Ryuja had four Champion Yokais. The Doll had only three. Seija the Green Dragon. Minato the former Grandmaster. And Kitsune the White Fox.

From every aspects, Ryuja had the upper hand in this battle.

Joshi the Hare sighed, "I’m sorry, Kitsune. But we must do as he said or the poison within us would kill us."

"Don’t worry, Joshi. I don’t blame you."

The three Champions of the Giyaku Shrine stepped forward.

"Is that it?" Ryuja grinned. "You don’t even have another Champion? If you don’t have anyone else, you will lose."

Ryuja himself was a Champion. The result was obvious. The Shrine Maiden and the rebel would lose.

But the white-haired girl wasn’t even worried. She leaned back on her chair.

Seija and Kitsune called upon the power of the Zodiac Guardians. The two silent statues reacted. Two beams of light shot up from the shrine and landed on the two of them.

Seija and Kitsune were both Minor Champion. But the faith of the Shrine empowered them. They were both Medium Champion now.

The odd seemed to shift to a more balance result to either side.

Ryuja was not happy about this. His eyes darkened with rage. He wasn’t foolish enough to let the Champion Yokais fight and die. Each of the Yokais was a treasure.

The Poison Dragon stepped forward. The power of Mosen the Toad enveloped him.

Ryuja was a fraud. He was not a true Champion. He took the Champion Seed from Mosen the Toad. It was how he created his signature Toad Poison and the reason he became who he was.

The projection of the Toad appeared behind Ryuja. He transformed into a gigantic purple Toad that was larger than every other Yokai.

Ryuja took Mosen’s Champion Seed. He took many more Seeds from many more Champions. One of them was Minato’s late wife.

"So this is his path..." Minato said. "The path of taking from others."

"Who cares how I get to this level?!" The purple toad’s voice echoed to the entire battlefield. A shockwave blasted far and wide. "I did what I had to do to become the strongest. And the strongest decides the rules!"

Carter sat on the top of the Giyaku Shrine. He had been watching everything from the beginning.

’So this is why the King of Jado hosted the Chuuchi Tournament every year. Ryuja wants to find more talents, take their powers with the hope of advancing his own level.’

’Are you ready, original?’ The voice of the Doll echoed.

’Let’s end this storyline, Mikoto.’

’As you wish, God of Eldritch Terror...’

The two of them played with a little bit of method acting. They were one and they were the perfect scene partners.

The white-haired girl stood up for the first time.

"You think that your power can change Fate, Ryuja? You are a fool and a cruel man."

The Shrine Maiden floated to the air. Her Transcension Aura spread far and white. She glowed like a miniature sun in the battlefield.

The aura alone made the soldiers of Ryuja trembled in fear.

"Let it be heard! Today will be the last day that Kingdom Jado shall exist! Today we welcome the true heir of the Arashi Empire! Today the God of Eldritch Terror shall land on this cursed land!"