I, Hikigaya, the snake of the red world god's ritual!

After buying a can of coffee from the vending machine, Hikigaya headed home.

At this moment, his steps were involuntarily heavy.

If Yuigahama Yui's friend is really occupied by the Fire Mist Warrior, it means that an unprecedented crisis is erupting in this city.

Will this crisis affect you and even your family?

Parents don't care about it for the time being, or they don't want to care about it at all, but if their beloved Komachi comes home one day and finds that the other person's existence has completely disappeared, or is replaced by a stranger of unknown origin, then how will he deal with it?

Suddenly, an unprecedented fear arose in his heart, and Hikigaya couldn't help but go home faster.

He was extremely worried about Komachi's safety at the moment and wanted to see him as quickly as possible. He also had the intention to take him and leave Chiba immediately.

"I feel your panic." Suddenly, the voice of the Ceremonial Snake rang, "What's wrong with you, Hikigaya Hachiman?"

"Sacrificial snake? Didn't you say you were already asleep?" Hikigaya showed surprise and stopped.

"Ah, I just woke up in the middle because I suddenly felt some familiar atmosphere." The ritual snake smiled and said, "My former subordinates finally found me, and they have arrived here."

"Subordinate?"

As soon as Hikigaya's voice fell, three figures slowly emerged from the other end of the road under the setting sun.

Several 'people' with completely different looks appeared in front of Hikigaya.

Chapter 10 The subordinates of the ritual snake

Chapter 10

On the calm streets of Chiba, a mysterious creature similar to the 'Three Brothers under the Moon' suddenly appears, which will undoubtedly give people a huge shock.

But when the figures gradually approached, Hikigaya realized that the three people were not three brothers. Instead, they were a tall man in a suit, a tall woman in a long skirt, and a delicate girl wearing a cloak.

According to what the Ritual Snake just described, these people were the former subordinates of the God of the Red World. According to the identity of the creator god who was sealed thousands of years ago by the Ritual Snake, these one man and two women who look like ordinary people are actually Is it an old monster that has lived for thousands of years?

Tsk tsk, it’s true that people can’t be judged by their appearance, and the Red World Apostle can’t use common sense to deduce.

Gradually, as various conjectures began to unfold in Hikigaya's mind, and when various conjectures erupted in his mind, the three people in the distance had already come to him step by step.

"See the leader of the alliance."

"See the leader of the alliance."

"See the leader of the alliance."

In a uniform movement, the three of them knelt down on one knee, showing an attitude of submission and respect to Biqigu with great respect.

But Hikigaya soon realized that the object of surrender and respect for the three of them was not themselves, but the ritual snake of the Red World God [God of Creation] in their bodies.

"No need to worry about it, just stay flat."

"Yes."

After receiving permission from the Ceremonial Snake, the three men and women with different appearances stood up and stood respectfully directly in front of Hikigaya.

Hikigaya was then able to clearly see the appearance and characteristics of the three people, and found that they were a handsome middle-aged man with gray hair and sunglasses, a tall woman with red hair and an eye patch on one eye, and a tall woman with red hair and an eye patch on one eye. A girl with light blue short hair wearing a white top hat and a white cloak.

Are they the subordinates of the God of the Red World?That is, the Four Heavenly Kings?

Uh, but there are two less in number... Well, why are there two less?

Isn’t it common sense that there are five of the Four Heavenly Kings?

"..."

While Hikigaya was secretly observing, the three subordinates of the Ceremonial Snake were apparently also taking the opportunity to observe Hikigaya, who was possessed by the Ceremonial Snake.

They all seemed to be curious about why humans possessed by gods still had self-awareness.

"Your speed is a bit beyond my imagination." The ritual snake said through Hikigaya's mouth, "I originally thought that it would take a few days longer for you to find me."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man among the three people answered decisively: "It was Hecate who felt your aura as leader during the inspection. Although it was very faint, we can guess by thinking of the advent ceremony three weeks ago. When you return from the other side with your will body, I am here to welcome you."

"I see, you are indeed my miko."

The ritual snake nodded with satisfaction and praised.

"You...you have done a great job, Lord Leader." The young girl Hecate responded quickly, seeming to be very happy with the praise from the Leader.

"By the way, Leader, what's your current condition?" Another tall woman frowned and looked at Hikigaya with one eye, "Do you need us to help you free yourself from this inferior container?"

"..."

In an instant, Hikigaya felt a strong murderous aura coming from in front of him.

But it seemed that he was possessed by the ritual snake, or that he had come into contact with too many unreasonable beings during this period. He did not feel any clear fear, and did not even blink his eyelids.

"Stop your behavior, the unreasonable judge!" The ritual snake seemed a little angry at the woman's behavior, and said sternly: "This person is the agent chosen by me, and he was carefully selected by me to replace me. The clone walking in this world, when you see him, it should be as if you are seeing me!"

"This……"

Unexpectedly, the ritual snake would say such words. The three red demon kings were stunned on the spot. It was hard to imagine that a human being could be recognized by the God of Creation.

But soon, after confirming that the will of the ritual snake was not hypocritical and had not undergone any tampering, they all lowered their heads and recognized the words of the ritual snake.

The Unreasonable Judge who had just spoken knelt down on one knee and said seriously: "I'm very sorry. Please punish me for my gaffe, Lord Leader."

"What do you think, Hikigaya Hachiman?"

"..."

Hearing the words of the ritual snake, Hikigaya felt no joy at all.

He has been able to realize that this seemingly simple sentence actually contains a test for himself as the agent, and will directly affect the evaluation of the ritual snake in the future.

Although Hikigaya himself doesn't care what the red world god thinks of him, but considering that the three red world demon kings in front of him can crush him to death with one finger, he still needs to work hard to obtain the ritual snake. His recognition ensures that the other party can continue to protect him as the so-called 'leader of the alliance'.

So, start thinking.

As a human being, Hikigaya believed that he had no particularly outstanding talents. He was neither good at sports nor had any special hobbies. Even in his studies, he only excelled in Chinese language, and all other subjects were mediocre. , very average.

However, there was only one thing about such a mediocre Hikigaya Hachiman that he thought no one could match, at least within the circle he knew well, no one could surpass him.

It's called - Human Observation!

To put it simply, it is to observe the people around you with your eyes and judge the deep psychology and character of these people through some simple characteristics, words and deeds.

It is said that in human communication behavior, only [-]% of the information is obtained from language, and the other [-]% of the information is obtained from small movements such as eye movements.

The saying that the eyes are as weighty as the mouth illustrates how important communication behaviors other than language are.

Because of his long-term lonely life, Hikigaya developed the habit of not speaking for long periods of time and could only use his eyes to observe the activities around him. Therefore, he also got used to using his eyes to observe and analyze others with his own naked eyes and only rely on body language. It can analyze a person's psychology.

Although the Red World Demon King is an existence from the Red World, since his appearance mimics that of a human being, his behavior and habits will naturally develop in the direction of humans.

Hikigaya then opened his dead fish eyes slightly and silently observed the expressions and limbs of the three red demon kings in front of him that seemed to be unchanged, but in fact were ever-changing.

Among the three people, the middle-aged man stood in the middle. He seemed silent, but he always had the calmness of a leader.

There is no doubt that he is the real pillar among the three. In other words, he is the top follower in front of the final boss. His strength can be said to be SSS level.

The woman who took the initiative to test him just now was called the Unreasonable Judge. Her aura reminded Hikigaya of the class bully in junior high school, awakening some painful memories of being bullied at that time...

Oh, no, no, no, no, I almost got swayed by my emotions and started to avenge myself.

In short, although this woman looks powerful, from the details of her body, she does not feel like a real superior. Instead, she looks like a counselor who provides advice.

The last one is named Hecate, a soft-looking girl.

She always follows the man, her head swinging to the side unconsciously, which means that she is a pure follower, and on the surface she is the lowest status person among the three.

However, judging from the way the other two looked at her from time to time, the girl named Hecate seemed to have a simple personality disadvantage and was not good at leadership. In fact, she was the best among the three in terms of combat power and status. Highest?

End of short period of human observation.

Hikigaya determined the basic status of the three red demon kings in front of him, and then recalled the request of the snake that had just been sacrificed to him, and he quickly got the answer.

"Ahem, although this young lady offended me, she didn't make any substantive mistakes. I think let's forget it."

"A kind approach." The Ritual Snake said calmly, "But being kind alone cannot make you a qualified demon king. This will only cause your subordinates to continue to do arrogant things."

Who wants to be the devil? !

Hikigaya complained in his heart, but on the surface he said as expected: "Of course I know this, but I think that the unreasonable judge would say that just to replace the two testers beside him. It’s just me. After the three of them came here, someone had to do this. In the end, it just had to fall on her head. I think it’s excusable..."

As soon as Hikigaya finished speaking, he found that the eyes of the people around him were all locked on him.

Even the air was stagnant.

The Ceremonial Snake then suddenly laughed: "Haha, you really lived up to my expectations. Do you three know why I chose him?"

"Ah, I probably understand why you care about him, leader." The middle-aged man pushed up his sunglasses, "But I still want to confirm whether he is qualified to be the leader of the masquerade party."

No, why did I become the alliance leader?

Hikigaya found that the situation was beginning to slip out of his control. Although it was not under his control from the beginning, the current situation was really unbearable.

Chapter 11 The Assessment of the Three Pillars

Chapter 11

"Then, although it's a little late, let me introduce it first." The middle-aged man in sunglasses looked at Hikigaya and said seriously: "I, [Qianbian] Xiu Denan, am one of the three pillars of the masquerade party. A general of one.”

"The Judge of Unreason, Belupeolo, one of the Three Pillars." The tall, long-haired, one-eyed woman spoke slowly, "I am the counselor of the masquerade, or in other words, the strategist."

When Bellpeolu spoke, the expression she looked at Hikigaya was still somewhat dissatisfied, but now there were some other emotions compared to the contempt before.

Finally, the girl with light blue short hair spoke softly: "My name is Heikati, my title is the Seat of the Top, I am a dependent of Lord Serpent of the Ceremony, and the Great Imperial Miko who is the head of the three pillars of the masquerade."

"..."

Tsk tsk, generals, strategists, and high priests? If he hadn't known that this was modern times, Hikigaya would have thought he had traveled back to the Warring States Period.

"Ahem." After gathering his emotions, Hikigaya nodded, "My name is Hikigaya Hachiman. In terms of identity, I am just an ordinary high school student. I am now a substitute for your alliance leader."

"There is no need to be so humble, Hikigaya Hachiman." The Ceremonial Snake was a little dissatisfied with Hikigaya's words, "As my representative, you can completely act as the Ceremonial Snake to the outside world, and the subordinates of the masquerade will also treat you as the Ceremonial Snake. You treat him as the leader himself."

No, so why did I become the leader?

Hikigaya felt bitter in his heart, feeling more and more that he had been involved in an incredible incident. The most important thing was that he was just an ordinary high school student, and he was really incompatible with these Red Demon King-level existences.

How do you say that?A sheep dressed in wolf's clothing and blended into a pack of wolves?

Damn it, it’s too relevant to my current situation...

"Lord Leader, I think the matter of Hikigaya Hachiman-dono acting as the successor needs to be reconsidered." [Qianbian] Shudenan spoke with full respect.

"General Qianbian still wants to continue to evaluate the agent I selected?" The ritual snake said calmly, "Yes, I give my permission."

"Is this permission?"

Hikigaya did not expect that the Ceremonial Snake would agree to Qianbian's request. Although he did not want to be the leader of a masquerade party, he did not want to become cannon fodder.

"I think this matter should be discussed carefully from the beginning." Hikigaya couldn't help but protest, "Why did I become the leader of the alliance?"

"Haha, Hikigaya, this is all for your own good."

"For my own good?"

"You have become one with me, and you are my representative. Your mere existence is already extraordinary, and you may attract the attention of other red world beings anytime and anywhere."

"This……"

"If you refuse to become the leader of the masquerade party, can you ensure that you can protect yourself and the people you value with your own strength?"

"No...wait, what do you mean?"

Hikigaya was stunned, and got some very important information from the words of the ritual snake, which was simply an irresistible temptation for him.

The ritual snake obviously knew this, so he told it.

"It's just as you thought, Hikigaya." The Ceremonial Snake said with great satisfaction, "Becoming the leader of the masquerade party means that you will have the power to mobilize the many resources of the masquerade party and command a large number of Red World apostles. You will be able to Let the Red World Apostles in the organization protect the people you want to protect, such as your family, your sister..."

"..."

Instead of being directly tempted by the words of the Ritual Snake, Hikigaya's mind was running at super high speed like a storm.

As the saying goes, benefits and disadvantages are relative. There are absolutely no benefits in this world that can be obtained out of thin air. Everything requires a price.

Using the power of the masquerade to protect Komachi sounds like a wonderful thing, but in turn, it means that Komachi itself has become the 'hostage' that the masquerade uses to control itself.