Chapter 951: Musashi against Shuten-Dōji

Stella finished adjusting the dress in front of the suite mirror, observing the result with a satisfied smile. The piece was a deep wine-red, made of a tight fabric that followed every curve of her body. The generous neckline accentuated her bust, while a side slit revealed much of her left thigh whenever she walked. The dress ended just above her knees and left her back partially exposed, making it difficult to imagine anyone being able to ignore her when she entered somewhere.

She had pinned up part of her dark hair, leaving the rest to fall over her shoulders in soft waves. She completed the look with a pair of golden earrings, black heels and red lipstick that matched the outfit perfectly.

Vergil, who was sitting on the edge of the bed while checking some messages on his cellphone, raised his eyes when he heard the sound of her heels.

He spent a few seconds observing his wife.

“Don’t you think you overdid it a little?” Vergil asked while putting away his cellphone and examining the dress from top to bottom. “We’re going to watch a battle, not attend some gala event. Half the people there are going to stare at you.”

Stella looked at him through the mirror and shrugged.

“Then just kill them all.” Stella replied with impressive naturalness, adjusting her neckline before turning toward him. “Honestly, darling. What’s so difficult about accepting a sexy and empowered woman?”

Vergil raised an eyebrow.

“I have absolutely no difficulty accepting that.” Vergil replied while standing and walking over to her. “I’m just trying to understand why my wife decided to dress as if she were planning to cause a diplomatic incident.”

“Because I can.” Stella replied with a confident smile, placing her hands on her waist and making a small turn to show off the dress. “Besides, I spent far too much time wearing comfortable clothes and staying locked inside the house. I want to enjoy myself a little.”

Vergil observed the way she moved, clearly pleased with herself. The difference compared to the woman he had found in front of the bathroom mirror the previous night was considerable.

“You look much happier now.” Vergil commented while approaching and placing his hands on her waist. “I have to admit, the change was pretty fast.”

Stella let out a small laugh.

“Ah, darling, I think the pain inside my pussy cured my sadness.” Stella replied, shrugging as if she had just explained something perfectly reasonable.

Vergil kept staring at her.

Then laughed.

“Fuck, Stella.” Vergil shook his head, amused by his wife’s complete lack of restraint. “If I’d known you’d become this radiant, I would’ve fucked you much sooner.”

“Exactly. You’ve been neglecting your marital duties.” Stella replied while wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing her lips closer to his. “Truly irresponsible of you.”

“I’ll try to improve.” Vergil replied before kissing her, gently holding her face. When they pulled apart, Stella still wore a satisfied smile, although he knew the problems they had discussed the previous night had not simply disappeared. At least, that morning, she genuinely seemed willing to enjoy the day.

“You’d better.” Stella murmured, giving him another quick kiss before stepping away to retrieve her small purse. “Now let’s go, darling. That annoying goddess is probably already thinking about calling again.”

Vergil looked at his cellphone.

There were three missed calls from Susanoo.

“She already tried.” Vergil replied while showing the screen to Stella, who burst into laughter when she noticed the goddess’s persistence.

“What an unbearable woman.” Stella commented, approaching to hold his arm. “Let’s go before she decides to show up personally.”

Vergil nodded and extended his free hand.

Yamato immediately appeared in his fingers, accompanied by a small manifestation of spatial energy. He drew only a few centimeters of the blade and performed a short movement, opening a vertical rift in the air.

Space silently split apart, revealing a portal that led directly to Susanoo’s temple.

“Ready?” Vergil asked while sheathing the sword and offering his arm to his wife again.

“Always.” Stella replied, linking her arm with his before they crossed together.

Susanoo’s temple was considerably busier than during Vergil’s last visit. Several priestesses moved through the corridors carrying documents and ceremonial objects, while small storm spirits floated between the columns, apparently occupied with preparations for some event.

However, what truly caught Vergil’s attention was Susanoo herself.

The Goddess of Storms was standing in front of one of the large windows in the main hall, wearing an elegant midnight-blue dress that contrasted with her long violet hair. The piece had a pronounced neckline, fit perfectly around her waist and featured a slit along the right leg that reached the upper part of her thigh. A pair of silver heels completed the look, while small sapphire ornaments decorated her hair.

Vergil stopped for a moment.

“Why did everyone decide to dress like this today?” Vergil asked, observing Susanoo before briefly looking toward Stella.

The goddess turned her face.

Her violet eyes immediately narrowed.

“You’re late!” Susanoo complained while walking toward them, completely ignoring the question. “I told you to come quickly, kid! The opening ceremony is almost starting!”

“Good morning to you too.” Vergil replied while observing her dress. “By the way, I thought you’d be wearing your armor or something like that.”

“I’m going to watch a historic battle, not participate in it.” Susanoo replied while adjusting a strand of hair. “I have the right to dress nicely every once in a while.”

Stella raised her chin.

“See, darling? Even the goddess understands.” Stella commented with a satisfied smile, tightening her hold on his arm.

“You two are starting to worry me.” Vergil replied while Susanoo finally seemed to notice Stella’s presence.

The goddess examined the wine-red dress for a few seconds.

Then smiled.

“I like the outfit.” Susanoo commented, showing approval while observing the details of the piece. “You have good taste.”

“Thank you. Yours is wonderful too.” Stella replied, surprisingly friendly toward the woman she had cursed at that morning. “Although I’m still irritated that you interrupted my sleep.”

Susanoo blinked.

“Oh, that? You two should’ve already been awake.” Susanoo replied, shrugging. “An event this important doesn’t happen every day.”

“You called three times.” Vergil commented while crossing his arms.

“And I would’ve called ten more if necessary.” Susanoo immediately replied before materializing Totsuka in her right hand. “Now stop complaining. We’re going to lose the best seats.”

The goddess raised the katana.

Small arcs of bluish electricity began traveling across the blade, spreading through the air around her. Susanoo performed a horizontal slash, cutting the space in front of her with such precision that a dimensional opening immediately appeared.

On the other side, a luxurious room could be seen.

The environment had large sofas, dark wooden tables, trays of food and an enormous glass wall offering a panoramic view of some gigantic structure.

“After you.” Susanoo announced while resting Totsuka on her shoulder, waiting for the two of them to cross.

Vergil guided Stella through the portal.

As soon as they entered the room, both realized that the environment was located in an elevated position, apparently an area reserved for special guests.

On the other side of the glass was a colossal stadium.

The circular arena occupied an absurd amount of space, surrounded by stands that rose hundreds of meters. Thousands of spectators filled the seats, while more continued arriving through portals spread across the upper entrances.

The audience was composed of practically every species that existed within the Oni Gate.

Oni of different sizes occupied entire sections, some displaying enormous horns and bodies covered in traditional tattoos. Kitsune chatted animatedly among themselves, while Tanuki, Nekomata, Kijin and various other supernatural creatures were scattered throughout the stands.

There were even some beings Vergil could not immediately identify.

At the center of the stadium, an enormous stone platform awaited the fighters. Its surface was marked by magical inscriptions, and several dimensional barriers were being raised around it to protect the audience from the attacks.

The noise of the crowd was impressive.

Even through the glass of the room, Vergil could hear the shouts and conversations of the spectators.

“Fuck…” Vergil murmured while approaching the window, observing the absurd number of people gathered. “Is all this really necessary for one battle?”

Stella approached him and looked toward the arena.

“There are more people here than in some entire kingdoms.” Stella commented while observing the different sections of the stands. “At least I hope they prepared something good to eat.”

“There’s an entire table behind you.” Vergil replied, pointing toward the trays that had been prepared for the guests.

Stella immediately turned her face.

Her eyes lit up when she found a selection of Japanese sweets, fruit, small desserts and drinks.

“Ah, wonderful.” Stella murmured, releasing his arm to investigate the table.

Vergil watched his wife for a moment before returning his attention to the stadium.

“I still think it’s excessive.” Vergil commented while analyzing the barriers raised around the arena. “Musashi and Shuten-dōji are strong, but this looks like a competition organized to entertain half of supernatural Japan.”

“Because it’s a historic event, darling.”

The female voice came from one of the sofas positioned slightly behind him.

Vergil turned his head.

Inari Ōkami was sitting comfortably with her legs crossed, holding a small cup of tea. Her long, almost white hair fell over her shoulders, and her fox ears moved subtly while she observed the arena through the glass.

The goddess wore an elegant traditional Japanese outfit in red, white and black, with golden details and a side opening that allowed her tails to rest comfortably.

“Inari.” Vergil greeted while partially turning toward her. “You came to watch too?”

“Naturally.” Inari replied with an amused smile, placing the cup on the table. “We’re talking about a confrontation the inhabitants of the Oni Gate have been waiting centuries for. It’s not every day that two such important figures decide to fight seriously.”

Susanoo crossed the portal shortly behind Vergil and closed it with a movement of Totsuka.

“I tried explaining that to him.” Susanoo commented while putting away the sword and approaching one of the sofas. “But this idiot thinks everything can be settled with a fight in some abandoned field.”

“It usually works.” Vergil replied while pulling out a chair and sitting near the window.

Inari let out a small laugh.

“You really don’t understand the importance of this confrontation, do you?” Inari asked while delicately pointing toward the arena. “On one side, we have Musashi Miyamoto, considered the greatest swordsman in Japanese history. On the other, Shuten-dōji, the greatest Oni in history.”

Vergil looked back at the platform.

“When you put it that way, it sounds interesting.” Vergil admitted while settling more comfortably into the chair. “But I still think they exaggerated the number of spectators.”

“Interesting?” Inari repeated, seeming genuinely offended by his lack of enthusiasm. “Kid, this is basically Gojo against Sukuna!”

Vergil slowly turned his face.

He stared at the goddess for a few seconds.

“Inari…” Vergil began, frowning. “I thought this story wasn’t allowed to break copyright laws.”

Susanoo burst out laughing, while Stella, who had just returned with a plate full of sweets, stopped to observe the two without fully understanding the reason for the conversation.

Inari simply shrugged.

“I’m a goddess.” Inari replied with an absolutely carefree smile, retrieving her cup of tea. “I’m sure the Japanese will understand.”