The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 865: Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (6)

Nagahara Maiko's voice was very infectious. With just a few words, she completely aroused the emotions of the believers present. In order to appear more sociable, Nanajo Masato could only imitate the others and wave his arms, pretending to be very excited.

Even so, Shichijo Masato only felt a sickening weirdness. Everything in the air was distorted by this frenzy, and even caused hallucinations to appear before his eyes.

"Xiao Yi, what's going on?" Nanajo Masato asked in a low voice through the headset: "I feel a little uncomfortable..."

In fact, it wasn't just him. The other exorcists mixed in the crowd were the same. They were near Shichijo Masato and looked at each other to confirm that everyone was the same.

Qian Xiaoyi's words came through the headset: "This is a normal situation... Ah, you haven't been a psychic for long, you probably don't know about the [Psychic Forbidden Zone] in Shibuya on Halloween, right?"

He first briefly talked about the intelligence of Shibuya on Halloween, and then explained: "So many people gathered together, and all of them were excited and fanatical, of course, a similar aura would be formed. Under this wave, people would actively follow the crowd. No matter how unreasonable the things that happened here were, as long as everyone did that thing, then in order to fit in, ordinary individuals would also rationalize this behavior... This behavioral logic has created the current situation. The parade of nearly 10,000 people may cause the psychics in it to see some strange scenes. It can be said that it is a man-made temporary ghost area."

As soon as Qian Xiaoyi finished speaking, Nanajo Masato felt that the sky was becoming a little dark.

In his vision, the sky was distorted by the enthusiasm of the crowd, and the sun was obscured by the heat wave. Although he could see the sunlight, it was extremely weak. If the sun had not been hanging there brightly, he would have thought there was a sudden solar eclipse.

"It's so uncomfortable..." Nanajo Masato's stomach was churning. He covered his mouth and complained, "It feels like I'm back to the time when I first opened my eyes."

"That's because your ideas are contrary to those of this group of fanatics. You don't believe in what they pursue, so you feel uncomfortable." Qian Xiaoyi said: "This is actually not bad. At least the atmosphere at the scene where you are is consistent, not chaotic and disorderly. It's much more relaxed than when I was in Shibuya..."

"Ah, that's behind..." Nanajo Masato suddenly saw the second float of the convoy, which was also in the shape of a bottle, but this vase was taller, with a blooming lotus under the bottle. And on the lotus pedestal, Mari Amahara was sitting cross-legged on it, with a casual posture and a faint smile on her face, looking like a wise man with great wisdom.

"Master Patriarch!"

"I finally see the Patriarch!"

"Wow, wow, wow... Look here, look here, Master!"

“I am so touched…”

The moment Amahara Mari appeared, the human defense line formed by traffic police on both sides of the road almost collapsed. Almost all the believers wanted to squeeze to the front to see the glory of this living saint.

"What a bad taste." Nanajo Masato murmured, "He is clearly dressed like that Western saint, but he is sitting on an Eastern-style lotus pedestal..."

"It's a merger of the East and the West." Qian Xiaoyi said, "After all, in the teachings of the Church of Hope, whether it is the Eastern Saint or the Western Saint, they are just reincarnations of this great Patriarch... By the way, I suggest you act a little excited, so that the believers around you don't notice anything wrong."

Nanajo Masato had no choice but to raise his arms high, uttering meaningless noises and twisting his body like a gorilla. This strange posture did not seem out of place at all among the crowd.

At this time, he discovered another situation, that is, there were strict guards around the float where Amahara Mari was. In addition to some Aquarius Masters holding vases, there were also a dozen mysterious people wearing black robes and white masks on their faces. He reported this to Qian Xiaoyi, who replied: "Those black-robed people should be the guards that Heitaro and his friends met last night. Their image is not good to be exposed to the world, so they can only wrap themselves up tightly. It seems that Amahara Mari is also afraid that someone will take advantage of the chaos to attack him."

Nanajo Masato whispered, "After knowing our plan, I am also afraid that a gunman will suddenly appear and shoot him."

If that kind of situation occurred in such a fanatical atmosphere, then these people who were originally against the Church of Hope would be the first to bear the brunt and be regarded as murderers by the fanatical believers.

"The Hundred Ghosts won't do that." Qian Xiaoyi said, "Doing so will do more harm than good. Although the Hope Church is a sword hanging over their heads, forcing them to unite, it also saves them a lot of trouble. They don't have to worry about being stabbed in the back. Those guys won't be unable to see this."

"I'm afraid of accidents." Nanajo Masato was still a little worried. There might be some crazy people in the fanatical crowd who wanted to "go to heaven" with the leader. But not only the victims would do this, but also the crazy fans.

Fortunately, what he was worried about did not happen. Amahara Mari stood up from the lotus platform with a smile on her face and pressed her hands down.

"The Patriarch has stood up! I saw what he looks like!"

"Shh, shut up, be quiet, the Patriarch is about to speak."

"Quiet, quiet! Everyone, be quiet! If you don't hear the Patriarch's voice clearly, I'll make you pay!"

Under the powerful appeal of Amahara Mari, people no longer crowded forward, but became quiet, waiting for the speech of the great founder.

One of his men walked onto the float, handed the microphone to Mari Amahara, and then stepped back.

Mari Amahara said: "Hello, brothers and sisters, I am Mari Amahara. Today is my birthday. I feel very happy to see so many brothers and sisters come to participate in this parade. How about you? Are you happy?"

Amahara Mari's voice was very gentle, making people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze. She had no arrogance at all, and was more like an old friend, a kind elder. His voice was transmitted from the loudspeakers of the entire convoy floats, and even those believers who were outside the crowd and could not squeeze in could hear it clearly.

"happiness!!!"

The crowd burst out with the same answer in unison, deafeningly, and everyone's face was filled with an expression of happy enthusiasm, making it clear that what they said was true.

"Yes, on this special day, everyone should be happy." Amahara Mari smiled and said, "Forget those worries and despair. See? We are at the foot of Mount Fuji. The sun is so bright. We are in this holy land. We should laugh and step on this land with hope and happiness!
So, brothers and sisters, don't push, don't make a mess, don't hurt the brothers and sisters around you. We should hold hands together, sing songs, breathe fresh air, feel the beauty of the world, and go to our destination together. There, I will pray for you, bless you, and bring you new hope... A new world will be born there, I declare..."

"——The [Holy Day Procession Festival] has officially begun! Join me as we march toward the hopeful and happy shore beyond."

The moment he announced the start of the festival, Shichijo Masato saw a scene that he would never forget in his life.

(End of this chapter)