socalfunplaces Page 238
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The remaining leading half-demons were either killed by the Kamen Riders or by the bizarre half-demons who claimed to be in their complete forms.
"Gentlemen," his voice was weathered and deep, "from the moment we were given human form, Urayasu City has been trembling amidst a fragmentation of power comparable to the Warring States period."
"But now, we have new enemies. Whether it is Kamen Rider or those two so-called complete half-demon, they are constantly destroying our strongholds and harming our compatriots!"
He looked around and realized that all the half-demons who had come here today were people who had no other choice but to leave.
Among them were those who had escaped from the clutches of the Kamen Riders, those who had narrowly escaped death by chance, and those who had always been wanderers with no one to rely on. At this moment, they all realized one thing: if the half-demons continued to fight loosely and independently, they would only be defeated one by one by the Kamen Riders and all the half-demons in Ban.
"Mr. Mori, please stop with the nonsense and just say it! You're the only leader here!" one of the half-demons cried out. "Please show us the way! We want to avenge... our fallen comrades!"
The half-demon leader, named Mori Jun, nodded, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his kimono, and said decisively, "Our goal! Is indeed revenge!"
"And... very soon! Ladies and gentlemen, on the day of the Halloween parade!"
His aged face twisted into a cruel and terrifying smile.
"We want Urayasu City to be... awash in blood! Whether it's a Kamen Rider or a so-called Perfected Half-Demon, they will all witness our power!"
"The night of the Halloween parade belongs to us... the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons!"
Chapter 63 Lu Zizhen's Visit
Tokyo, on the top floor of an office building next to the Suitengu Shrine, is one of the important bases of the Exorcist Association and the location of the decision-making body that maintains the operation of the entire association.
Here, every day, thousands of registered exorcists throughout Tokyo are notified of their missions and questioned, while their completion of their commissions is evaluated. Therefore, once an exorcist accepts a commission from the association, at least ten people will provide full service for them throughout the entire process.
Whether it's the wrap-up after a mission is completed or the various preparations before a mission, most of the work is done by the association's staff.
This is also why most exorcists choose to join the association. Once they join the association, they will not only receive a constant stream of commissions, but also obtain a lot of mission information from the association, saving them time and a lot of trouble.
It's important to know that decades ago, exorcists also worked as private detectives, because ordinary people lacked the ability to distinguish whether the source of an incident was evil spirits, and they also had many ulterior motives, such as plotting to kill or fool exorcists.
In that era, exorcists had to be extremely cautious to survive.
However, things changed after the association was established. Exorcists could focus on studying how to exorcise evil spirits. As a result, a large number of martial arts exorcists emerged who aimed to directly exorcise demons.
If exorcists of the old days would at least try to understand and record the stories behind the vengeful spirits during exorcisms, then the process of exorcisms by martial arts exorcists...
Kick the door! Where are the ghosts? Look at the ghosts you brought with you! We'll exorcise your ashes within three days! Not only did they steal your offerings, but they even took your offering plate before they left!
In short, this is the "brain" of the Exorcist Association, the core of the entire Exorcist Association.
It is also the office of Suiten Keisaburo.
Today, Suiten Keisaburo welcomed a unique guest.
Suiten Keisaburo is a traditional person. Although his office is located in an office building, it's as if an entire Japanese-style room has been moved in. There are two floor-to-ceiling windows with a wide view, and he sits on the tatami mat.
He was looking at a book.
Lu Zizhen opened the paper door, walked into the room, looked up at him, and sneered.
Shui Tianjingsaburo raised his head, smiled kindly, and said, "I wonder why such an unconventional exorcist as Miss Lu would suddenly come to visit this old man at headquarters?"
Lu Zizhen took off her shoes under the tatami mat and stepped onto it. Today she was wearing a pure white women's suit with a red shirt, looking like a free-spirited female yakuza member.
She sat down cross-legged, casually picked up a cup of tea from the tea table, blew on it, took a sip, and smacked her lips, saying, "Longjing? I guess Longjing is the only impression you Japanese people have of Chinese tea."
“And various kinds of black tea, Miss Lu.” Shui Tianjing Sanlang raised an eyebrow.
"I came to ask you something." Lu Zizhen put down her teacup and went straight to the point, saying, "Regarding Urayasu City, why did you seal off what happened there? What exactly did those exorcists who were withdrawn from Urayasu City go through?"
Shui Tianjingsaburo gently closed the book in his hand and placed it on the table. He then rested his hands on his knees and said, "Before answering, I need to ask you, Miss Lu, why do you want to go to Urayasu City?"
"Because... my friend is in Urayasu City, and..."
"Furthermore, your friend is being secretive and unwilling to tell you what happened to them?"
Lu Zizhen's expression turned playful. She leaned forward slightly and tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
"Oh, it seems you do know quite a bit, old man. Tell me quickly, what happened in Pu'an City?"
Shui Tenkei Saburo took a sip of tea and said, "Over there, there is a... powerful Onmyoji conducting an experiment."
"To be clear, I did not participate in this experiment. I simply... withdrew the exorcists from the area and decided not to get involved in this mess."
Lu Zizhen narrowed her eyes: "You're wary? There's something so close to Tokyo that you're wary of?"
Shui Tianjing Sanlang hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering where to begin, while Lu Zizhen urged, "Alright, what's there to hesitate about?"
Hearing Lu Zizhen's urging, Shui Tianjing Sanlang chuckled helplessly and said, "Miss Lu is really impatient. If I had to say, you're a bit like that monkey surnamed Sun in Chinese folk tales."
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Lu Zizhen replied.
Shui Tianjing Sanlang continued, "Miss Lu should understand very well that I am a person who values power."
He slightly raised his hand, as if holding up something invisible: "For power, I founded the association, I manage exorcists, I become a bridge between the government and exorcists, as an ordinary person."
"All of this is because I understand that in this steel jungle, power is what allows me to live a better life."
He pulled aside some of his clothes, revealing his withered body beneath a plain kimono, and the faintly discernible ornate tattoos on his wrinkled skin.
“A person like me, coming from the poorest and dirtiest streets, has gotten to where I am today because of my desire for power. For power, I can give up everything, including my own dignity.”
He released his grip, concealing the tattoo, and continued, "And that guy in Urayasu City, he's somewhat similar to me, isn't he? His desire... is similar to mine."
"But what he longed for was immortality."
Lu Zizhen laughed dismissively: "The pursuit of immortality is a topic that you never tire of hearing about."
Shui Tianjing Sanlang nodded in agreement, but then his tone became mysterious.
"He did it."
Lu Zizhen suddenly looked at him, her eyes sharp.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Shui Tianjingsaburo shook his head: "I'm not talking nonsense. Do you know why the association was able to accurately observe that the changes in this world originated a year ago?"
"Because a year ago, my friend, oh, that Onmyoji, obtained the power he had always dreamed of..."
"He...achieved immortality."
a year ago.
It's been a year since then!
Although Lu Zizhen had heard countless bizarre stories about immortality, this time, she suddenly felt that the word "immortality" was not so far-fetched.
This story gains a bit more credibility because of this point in time.
What exactly happened a year ago? All the strange occurrences now seem to be related to that day, but... why?
Suiten Keisaburo revealed a mysterious smile, his hand gripping the table with considerable pride, as if it were a secret, and whispered, "That Onmyoji is... a crown holder."
Lu Zizhen's expression immediately became calm and composed.
Chapter 64 Abe's Rising Light
That's it?
I thought it was something else, but it turns out it's related to the crown again. Oh well, this is something we're all too familiar with.
Seemingly noticing the almost overflowing mockery in Lu Zizhen's eyes, Shui Tianjing Sanlang asked with some surprise, "You don't seem surprised?"
Lu Zizhen waved her hand: "I've only heard about the Crown from other sources. I think the Crown is no longer a secret in the core exorcist circle."
"Let's talk about something I'm more interested in: who exactly is that Onmyoji? What does that guy want to do? Or rather... what has he already done?"
Shui Tianjing Sanlang nodded, let out a long breath, and said, "Since you're so eager to know... I'll let you hear it."
"Back then...he was..."
"The person who is vying with me for the position of association president."
“His name is… Abe Ryoumei, just like his ancestor named Seimei… He is extremely powerful.”
………………
a year ago.
A year ago, a lot happened that night. There were as many as 577 unusual incidents in Tokyo that night. It was a night when exorcists were out in full force.
Meanwhile, the Exorcist Association was also busy, with requests for help from the authorities flooding into the building, causing the lights in the normally resting buildings to be turned on again.
However, Suiten Keisaburo's residence was plunged into an eerie darkness.
Suiten Keisaburo owned a large house in the suburbs of Tokyo, but it was not named after his surname and was called "Shuen".
Because the residence in Xiuyuan was not only Suiten Keisaburo, but it was actually the mansion inherited by Abe Ryoumei, and it was also used as a training ground for Onmyoji.
But tonight, for some reason, Xiuyuan is eerily quiet.
Suiten Keisaburo opened the door to his room and stepped into the corridor, only to be suddenly struck by the pungent smell of blood in the air.
Alert, he immediately realized that the silence was not normal. He returned to his room and took out a pistol covered in inscriptions from under his pillow.
This pistol, and its magazine that was always loaded with enchanted bullets, saved him many times.
He returned to the corridor.
The old corridor was completely dark, and the paper doors on both sides were shrouded in shadow, yet the white paper seemed to glow.
He walked down the corridor toward the blood-soaked inner chamber, his heartbeat quickening, reminding him that his aging body was on the verge of collapse. Now old, he was no longer the fierce man who used his mortal body to exorcise demons.
But he went without hesitation and came to the end of the corridor, to the hall where a portrait of Abe no Seimei was enshrined.
"Ah, as expected... this combination is still a bit lacking, but it's okay, I'll keep you safe."
"And you, my most beloved disciple... Why are you crying? Don't worry, I will grant you even more perfect bodies."
The young man's mutterings rushed into Shui Tianjing Sanlang's ears, causing him to freeze in place.
I heard that voice decades ago, and... it's a voice that shouldn't be heard again.
Because the owner of that voice grew old with him; he watched him grow old with his own eyes, looking at that face and listening to his voice day after day.
That was... the voice of Abe Ryoumei. He changed his name from Ryouno to Ryoumei because he admired his ancestor Seimei.
This is a voice that should never have appeared in the world.
Shui Tianjing Sanlang slowly walked into the hall.
The hall was brightly lit, and in the center of the hall was a wall with a portrait of Abe no Seimei hanging on it. It was a painting that had been passed down from the Heian period and faithfully reproduced Abe no Seimei's face.
The Onmyōryō (Yin-Yang Bureau) he led has withered away over the course of a thousand years, but his story has been passed down among the people and has become almost a religion in the hearts of the Japanese.
In front of the portrait, however, was a scene of hell.
The human body seemed to have become material in the hands of a lewd artist, randomly pieced together, interspersed with the characteristics of wild beasts. Those limbs covered in animal hair twisted unnaturally, and one illogical joint after another was pieced together to form a chilling monster.
These monsters seem to be alive, their flesh and blood being manipulated by a young man in front of the portrait.
The man was dressed in a priest's robe, and his face was extremely similar to that of Abe no Seimei in the portrait, as if he were a ghost from a thousand years ago returning to the world.
He held an arm in his hand. The arm was extremely strange, as if it were a product of the rise of human modification. The arm, which was more than half a meter long, was covered with joints. The distance between the joints was probably less than five centimeters. The joints connected to each other, making the arm look like a disgusting whip. The protrusions at the joints were continuous, like huge tumors.
Even more terrifying, this arm also has human eyes and a rabbit's mouth. The rabbit's mouth keeps moving, as if it is speaking, or as if it is silently cursing.
"Ling Ming... How is this possible?! Who are you?!"
Shui Tianjingsaburo immediately raised the gun in his hand and aimed it at the strange man dressed in priest's robes.
The man turned his head slightly to look at Shui Tianjing Sanlang. His eyes were long and narrow, with a hint of feminine charm that was unlike that of a man. Then he spoke in a voice that Shui Tianjing Sanlang knew all too well: "Sanlang, it's me, Ling Ming... What's wrong? Can't sleep?"
"Or... were you frightened by the sight?"
Abe Ryoumei chuckled, his laughter high-pitched and neither male nor female.
"Don't be nervous, these are just some small experiments. I have just acquired a magical technique... no, I should call it an ability."
Shui Tianjing Sanlang looked closely and saw the strips of cloth lying under those strange limbs. Among them were priest's robes and pajamas. He recognized the clothes.
Those were the clothes of the servants living in Xiuyuan, as well as the Onmyoji apprentices.
Encased in bizarre chunks of flesh, Abe Ryoumei appeared as if he were seated in the heart of hell.
He was like a vengeful ghost, calm and collected, with a strange and terrifying smile.
"Are you crazy...? And what's wrong with your body?!"
Upon hearing this, Abe Ryoumei seemed to suddenly realize something. As if he had just remembered, he threw down the piece of meat in his hand, touched his face, and laughed heartily, "Hahahaha... I forgot to tell you, Saburo, I... I have finally found a way to achieve immortality! Look, I have become young again!"
“And all of this… is thanks to this thing.” He waved his hand elegantly above his head.
A crown, gleaming with dazzling golden light, appeared faintly.