I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

On the battlefield stood a monstrous creature—a fearsome beast with a tiger's head and a spider's body. It had eight long legs, a mouth full of fangs, and its entire body was covered in what looked like terrifying bristles. The creature towered over seventy meters high.

This was the infamous great monster known throughout all Tōei—the earth spider.

The massive spider had once been captured and sealed by Emperor God Weapon. But after his death, the seal weakened, allowing the earth spider to escape long ago.

Now this renowned earth spider gazed upon something no larger than a speck before it—yet filled it with terror.

It was a woman, albeit one with delicate antler-like horns atop her head.

She wore traditional Japanese robes, held a folding fan in her hand, and let her long hair flow down her back. Her face bore an expression of serene calmness.

"Princess Seiki," the giant earth spider spoke in human words, anger laced with a hint of fear, "you've already slaughtered countless of my offspring. What more do you want?!?"

"What more?" she replied firmly, still looking at it calmly. "I want... your life, of course!"

"Don't push me too far!" the earth spider roared, now completely enraged. How dare she!

It's not like I deliberately destroyed your home, it thought angrily. Who knew that when I woke up, there'd be a temple right next to me—one even inhabited by a powerful great monster?

"You destroyed my Dōjō-ji Temple and erased my last memory of Anchin. If I don't kill you, I won't be able to forgive myself." As she spoke, Princess Seiki's face twisted with bloodlust as she stared at the earth spider.

Princess Seiki had once been human, her noble status evident from her name.

Later, she fell in love with a monk named Anchin. But he betrayed her, claiming he needed to visit Kumano for religious purposes. He left her behind alone, leaving Princess Seiki waiting desperately.

Realizing she'd been lied to, Princess Seiki set off after Anchin without even bothering to put on shoes. She searched day and night, enduring countless hardships along the way. By the time she neared Dōjō-ji Temple, she was barely recognizable—neither human nor ghost.

Seeing his lie exposed, Anchin hastily begged the gods of Kumano to trap Princess Seiki. He then fled across the Higashikawa River to Dōjō-ji Temple, where he sought help from the head priest and hid inside the temple's large bell.

By the time Princess Seiki reached the riverbank, there were no boats left. Undeterred, she jumped into the water and emerged on the other side as a half-human, half-snake creature. She continued her pursuit until she finally arrived at Dōjō-ji Temple, where both she and Anchin perished in a fiery blaze.

Yet Princess Seiki didn't truly die. Driven by her unyielding devotion to her lover, she transcended her mortal form and became a dragon, fueled solely by the power of her obsessive thoughts.

After that day, Princess Seiki stayed at Dōjō-ji Temple, hoping to see Anchin again someday.

No one could have guessed that just days ago, this very earth spider would burst out of the ground, causing a huge sinkhole. The temple was destroyed in the process.

This nearly drove Princess Seiki insane. She chased the earth spider for several days, killing countless baby spiders it had raised.

"Enough with the bullying! I'm a powerful monster too!"

Seeing that Princess Seiki wouldn't leave him alone, the earth spider stopped running away. It opened its terrifyingly huge mouth and spat out a massive glob of venom towards her.

The venom rushed at her like a river in flood!

But Princess Seiki remained unperturbed. As the venom approached, she waved her folding fan.

A giant fire dragon appeared, instantly turning the earth spider's venom into steam.

Realizing its venom had failed, the earth spider didn't panic. Instead, it shook its enormous body, causing countless spiders—each as big as a washbasin—to crawl out from within it.

The sight of them all was overwhelming.

Every little spider crawled towards Princess Seiki, as did the earth spider itself. With each step it took, the ground shook because of its huge body.

Watching the earth spider approach, Princess Seiki didn't hesitate for a second. She transformed into a long-horned giant snake—a dragon.

The dragon opened its mouth and blew out a massive blast of fire...

Everything in front of her was destroyed in an instant...

Facing this attack, even the earth spider quickly retreated.

-

The battle between Princess Seiki and the earth spider had sent monsters fleeing for miles around.

After all, a fight between big monsters could easily get out of hand. If you died in such a battle, it would be a pointless death...

It might seem like a hundred miles is a long way, but for most big monsters, the range of a single fight can easily cover much more than that.

And then... Yae Sakura started encountering more and more monsters.

Until finally... she met up with a whole group of them!

If this were happening at night, it'd be called the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. But since it was daytime, there wasn't nearly as many.

A Night Parade of One Hundred Demons refers to a gathering of over a hundred monsters and ghosts.

When these creatures form an organization, their combined powers benefit the leader, making them incredibly strong.

This strength drives many monsters to try and become the ruler of all manner of spirits—demons, monsters, and other supernatural beings.

Even just being recognized as the nominal ruler of such creatures can elevate a monster's status, potentially turning them into a true great monster.

Seeing the hundreds of monsters before her, Yae Sakura got excited!

I still hadn't gotten a single crystal, and now... they were finally delivering one to me.

"Lady Yae!" Natsuki exclaimed, clutching tightly to Yae's sleeve. The sight of so many monsters before her filled her with dread.

Can Yae handle this alone?

She felt very worried.

"Just stay behind me," Yae reassured her. "Don't run off. I won't let them touch you." Leading Natsuki forward, she positioned herself in front of the Hundred Ghosts, blocking their path.

At the head of these ghosts was a well-known monster: the Spider Demon!