Chapter 43. Are You Seriously Underestimating the Players?
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And so, a grand battle began.
Directly facing the final boss from the start—Furukawa had never experienced such a game before.
In Onmyoji 2, it was as if every battle existed solely to serve the plot.
But because of this, the entire game's storyline became exceptionally tight and intense.
The oppressive presence of the Yamata no Orochi, especially when using Yuuki Rei's body, was both eerie and suffocating.
Hirose Furukawa felt deeply conflicted inside.
He wished he could kill the game's scriptwriter and producer.
The Totsuka Sword became the protagonist Moriyama Taira's spiritual sword. With her support, the battle system gained an additional [Sword Spirit System].
With this new system, the protagonist could now use powerful skills that weren't available before.
But even with that, they were still no match for Yamata no Orochi.
Throughout the entire battle, the team's health was kept critically low, almost on the verge of collapse.
After a short struggle, Yamata no Orochi unleashed a devastating move that wiped everyone out.
Only then did Hirose Furukawa realize—this was a scripted loss.
Moriyama Taira and Asakura Reimu, severely wounded, knelt on the ground, barely able to support themselves, having lost all fighting power.
The newly summoned sword spirit had also reverted to the form of the Totsuka Sword, now dim and lifeless.
Yuuki Rei—or rather, Yamata no Orochi—let out a crazed laugh and looked down at Moriyama Taira.
Like a queen looking down upon the world.
"Hahaha! Ordinary human, since you helped me regain my freedom, I'll spare your life today."
Then she turned her gaze toward Asakura Reimu.
There was a flicker of confusion in her eyes, as if she'd seen this girl somewhere before.
But the next moment, it was replaced with cold resolve.
Yamata no Orochi raised her hand, a black sword appearing in her right hand. "As for you, descendant of Izanagi, I won't let you stand in my way again."
Pfft~
The black sword pierced through Asakura Reimu's chest, and blood spurted out instantly.
What?!
This is…
Hirose Furukawa's pupils trembled.
Had the Pokeni producers or scriptwriters gone insane?
You're already pulling a death scene this early?!
…
But without enough buildup and emotional investment, if players haven't formed a connection with the character, even if she dies, they'll just feel pity, not heartbreak.
What exactly was Tsubaki Furuhara thinking?
Even he, a regular player, understood this basic storytelling principle.
After all this, Yamata no Orochi left the area, leaving only Moriyama Taira and Asakura Reimu behind.
"So we still couldn't stop her?" Asakura Reimu frowned.
A stream of blood ran down from the corner of her mouth.
Hirose Furukawa looked down and saw a gaping hole in her chest.
The injured Moriyama Taira crawled toward Asakura Reimu and held her in his arms, trying to heal her.
"It's no use," Asakura Reimu said sorrowfully.
"Taira, listen to me."
She was already on the verge of death, tears welling up in her eyes.
Asakura Reimu raised her hand and gently caressed Moriyama Taira's cheek.
"I love you."
Huh?!
Hirose Furukawa couldn't understand where this love came from. Had the plot gone off the rails?
Did Pokeni not catch this during review?
They fell in love after just one battle?
This kind of love would hardly resonate with players.
…
That scene, though, with the art and music—it was melancholic, beautiful, full of sorrow and longing.
It felt like a requiem being played with all its might.
But… that's all it was.
Hirose Furukawa frowned. He felt like this was too much.
How disappointing, Tsubaki Furuhara, to think stunning visuals and music alone could move people?
The discomfort didn't come from being emotionally touched by the story, but rather because Asakura Reimu was the daughter of Asakura Haruka and Yuuki Rei. The previous generation's storyline had shaken him.
Asakura Reimu didn't die like a normal human. Instead, her body shattered and turned into glowing specks of light that slowly disappeared in the cave.
…
After regaining a bit of strength, Moriyama Taira rushed toward the mountaintop shrine with the Totsuka Sword.
Sure enough, Yamata no Orochi had already launched an attack on the Onmyoji with Takiyo.
The shrine staff had suffered heavy casualties.
Snow piled up everywhere, and in the sky appeared the figure of Yuuki Rei—now Yamata no Orochi.
Asakura Haruka was leading his disciples in battle against her.
But—
When he saw the familiar, beloved woman in the sky, he couldn't bring himself to act.
Hirose Furukawa could totally understand; back in Onmyoji 1, when Rei sacrificed herself in the ending, it was also heart-wrenching.
But now, this was just her body. It wasn't truly Yuuki Rei.
And so, the Onmyoji were crushed under Yamata no Orochi's power. The disciples cried out to Asakura Haruka, telling him that wasn't really her and begging him to fight back.
Just as the snow-covered mountaintop was about to fall completely, the protagonist Moriyama Taira arrived with the Totsuka Sword.
Seeing the sword, Asakura Haruka immediately understood—
The reason Yamata no Orochi had returned… was entirely because this guy pulled out the sealing sword.
But there was no time to scold him now. Asakura Haruka pulled himself together and took the sword from Moriyama Taira, determined to seal Yamata no Orochi once again.
At this point, Hirose Furukawa deeply felt the cruelty of the development team.
Rei had already sacrificed herself once—and now she had to die again. It was simply too cruel.
...
This time, with the full support of the max-level Great Onmyoji Asakura Haruka and the power of the Totsuka Sword, the battle was slightly easier.
After an intense fight, both sides suffered losses.
They weren't able to seal Yamata no Orochi, but after heavily injuring it, the creature managed to escape.
At the same time, Asakura Haruka was also gravely wounded.
But now the human world was facing a new catastrophe, and though Asakura Haruka had the will, he no longer had the strength. He could only entrust this critical responsibility to Moriyama Taira. Before Moriyama set out, Asakura Haruka also taught him the basics of summoning shikigami.
Aside from that, Asakura Haruka hoped his daughter would accompany Moriyama Taira on the journey.
Not to seal Yamata no Orochi, but to go inform the Onmyoji across the country to prepare for battle.
And also the High Priestess of the Moon Kingdom, Fuune Rin from the first generation—to gather their powers and use the Totsuka Sword to seal Yamata no Orochi once more.
His daughter?
Hirose Furukawa was confused. Your daughter was already turned to ashes in that cave; did you not know that?
Just thinking about it made Hirose Furukawa a little sad.
Just then, as the story progressed, a bright figure appeared in the snow.
Wearing a white Onmyoji robe, with a beautiful ponytail—though her face was still young, her eyes were full of determination.
Who else could it be but Asakura Reimu?
Hirose Furukawa's hands trembled, and he nearly dropped the controller.
Huh?
Asakura Reimu was alive?!
...
Moriyama Taira, carrying the Totsuka Sword, set off down the mountain with Asakura Reimu.
Though it was undoubtedly the real Asakura Reimu, she had no memory of what happened in the cave, and her impression of Moriyama Taira was only that of a fellow disciple.
Because of their clashing personalities, they often argued during the journey.
Yamata no Orochi unleashed a bloody storm across the world, aiming to wipe out all Onmyoji.
Many Onmyoji had already met with disaster.
Besides Yamata no Orochi, Takiyo was also moving behind the scenes.
As the story progressed, Hirose Furukawa finally learned—
Takiyo was actually a princess of the Kingdom of Night, which was also known as the land of demons. They had been in conflict with Onmyoji for over a thousand years.
However, during a war several centuries ago, they were defeated by a united force of Onmyoji, and the Kingdom of Night was destroyed.
Now, Takiyo wanted to use the power of Yamata no Orochi to restore the former glory of the demon kingdom.
...
Along the way, they experienced many hardships and witnessed countless tragic romances between humans and demons.
Moriyama Taira and Asakura Reimu both grew significantly through these experiences.
And gradually, feelings began to bloom between them.
At this point, everything began to feel natural.
Even as a player outside the screen, Hirose Furukawa could feel the sweet and beautiful love between the two.
...
"This is how it should be. Without the test of time, how could such emotions feel real?"
Seeing the sweet interactions between the two, Moriyama Taira smiled from behind the screen.
During this process, Asakura Reimu's affection meter kept rising.
...
Takiyo, using Yamata no Orochi's power, summoned the ancestors of the Kingdom of Night who had long passed away, and the power of the Kingdom of Night grew rapidly.
The Kingdom of Night returned to the human world, and the entire world was shrouded in shadow.
A war between demons and humans was on the verge of breaking out.
With the help of the Kyoto Grand Onmyoji, Matsuwa, Moriyama Taira and Asakura Reimu infiltrated the demon army's stronghold and ambushed Takiyo.
After defeating her, Moriyama Taira didn't kill her. Instead, he told her to look at the mountains of corpses and rivers of blood outside, to see the consequences of her actions.
On screen, the sky was blood red.
Yamata no Orochi commanded the demons in a brutal battle against humanity. The casualties on both sides were horrific. Rivers of blood flowed, and countless corpses piled on the ground.
Under the red moon, everything was merciless.
How could this be?
At that moment, Takiyo finally understood: all these demon ancestors, all the surviving kin, were nothing more than puppets of Yamata no Orochi.
Yamata no Orochi had never truly considered the demons its allies.
There was no honor left for the demon race.
On the contrary, without Yamata no Orochi, they had their own peaceful land and freedom. But now, under its control, the demon clan had become mere tools of revenge against humanity.
Realizing all this, Takiyo finally awakened and resolved to help Moriyama Taira seal Yamata no Orochi together.