Tokyo Gods Only Want Beautiful Priestesses

Kishimo also stood up, looking as if she was determined to follow the shrine.

"Are you really planning to follow me like this forever?"

The mother demon remained unmoved, chuckling softly.

"Buddhism is also hidden in life. As long as you don't find me too long-winded, that's fine."

Ha, woman, you're playing with fire.

A very cheesy line popped into my head, but Jingu thought it was perfect for the role.

This plot is like reading a doujinshi and you see a really nice married woman character, then you get closer and you see a blond guy who looks really dangerous.

Anyone who is familiar with these things can guess what's going to happen next.

It's safe to say that it's not just the hairstyle that's at risk, but also one's overall demeanor.

Since Kishimo insisted on this, the shrine naturally wouldn't refuse.

"Let's go and take a look around the museum in Hiroshima."

This was said to Tamamo-no-Mae and Soga Ai; Kishi-no-Mother simply tacitly acknowledged her presence by her side.

After seeing off the enraged Ōkuninushi deity in their small boat, the shrine staff finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to serve the shrine diligently.

However, at the shrine's instruction, they had no choice but to treat Kishimo as if she didn't exist, completely ignoring her presence, and even deliberately closing the door before getting into the car.

Such minor difficulties would not easily deter Kishimoto from giving up.

"It has this strange feeling of being a ghost story..."

On the bus, Su Waai couldn't help but complain, glancing in the rearview mirror at the Japanese mother who had been following them.

Seemingly strolling leisurely, yet closely following them, inexplicably reminded Su Wo'ai of that urban legend about a person who, despite having only half a body, could crawl at 70 miles per hour.

The shrine maiden patted the little shrine maiden's head to comfort her.

"It's alright, let her come along first."

The car stopped in front of the Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art, and Kiko-mura arrived at the same time, right behind them.

"Why come here? I feel like I'd rather stay at Itsukushima Shrine for a while longer."

As soon as she got off the bus, Tamamo-no-Mae made a comment.

The Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art is far too shabby. After all, this is a prefecture in Japan, and it's a government-run museum. The difference between it and the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art next door is just too great.

"Well, I just happened to see something interesting on the plane that really piqued my interest."

After giving the fox a couple of gentle squeezes, Tamamo-no-Mae calmed it down.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, the area wasn't cleared out, but there weren't many tourists in this quiet place either.

After all, everyone is busy. Who would have time to wander around an ordinary art museum that doesn't have any famous works by renowned artists?

However, Jingu seemed quite interested, and after looking at the map of the art museum, she went straight to the area that interested her most.

Fang walked away.

In a corner of the art museum, Jingu finally found the goal of his visit.

Under the light, a particularly unique painting was hanging on the wall, and at that moment an elderly staff member was maintaining it.

Without the refraction of glass, when light shines on it, it reflects a fierce, dim, and vibrant crimson color.

The entire painting is filled with red, from beginning to end, every inch is occupied by the dazzling red color, only at the bottom of the canvas can you see some black shadows, which can be identified as the city.

Apart from the shrine maiden, the others seemed to know nothing about the painting, except for the person responsible for its maintenance, who turned around in surprise.

If you look closely, you'll see a seated Buddha statue in the upper right corner of the image, its rolling red color resembling either red clouds or a depiction of hell.

"Did this guest come here specifically to see this painting?"

The person who was maintaining the painting stopped what they were doing and started chatting with the shrine maiden.

"Ah."

"It's rare; people should prefer visiting the nuclear bomb memorial."

After making a remark, the man began to speak to himself.

"This painting is called 'Hiroshima Incident.' I don't need to elaborate on the scene it depicts, but the most amazing thing about this painting is the Fudo Myoo in the upper right corner."

Jingu nodded, then asked another question.

"Sir, why do you think there's an additional image of Fudo Myoo drawn here?"

Behind them, the others probably already guessed what the shrine was going to say, and their expressions changed slightly.

"Is it too much? That's what art should be."

The old man stroked his beard and said with a touch of nostalgia:

"Some people may think that the artist drew the compassionate Buddha here to commemorate and remember those who died on that day, but that is not the case."

"How so?"

“The Buddha has compassion, but also wrath. The Acala in this painting is the wrathful form of the Buddha in Esoteric Buddhism, sitting high on the burning Hiroshima with a ferocious expression.”

The old man's fingertips touched the Buddha image in the painting.

"What it expresses is not compassion, but anger and the elimination of evil. The red clouds that burned across Hiroshima are more like a lotus throne burning with the flames of wisdom under the throne of the Wing King."

Acala, the chief of all Wisdom Kings, wields a sword of wisdom, and his wrathful flames can burn away all afflictions and evil spirits.

"So he's eliminating evil, right?"

Jingu looked at the painting and said something.

The old man looked at the painting, then at the shrine, unsure whether he was referring to the painting itself or the deity depicted in it.

"Yes, but no. This is not just about eliminating evil. The means are just a process. The goal is to awaken the world."

The Demon Mother spoke up quietly.

“If it is indeed the Buddha of Wisdom who punishes people with the supreme wisdom, the essence of the punishment is to persuade people to do good. This is the essence of Buddhism and also the method of our Tantric school.”

"People are prejudiced against our Tantric practices, but they do not know that we cultivate through suffering, restrain ourselves through anger, and overcome our desires. The purpose of subduing demons with wrath is simply to warn people not to make the same mistake again."

"So do you think this method will work or not?"

Jingu asked a question in return, looking at Kishimo with amusement, already having a plan in mind.

“The Dharma can be attained naturally, but people cannot attain it overnight. It takes countless eons before they can achieve the true Dharma.”

"Kishima spoke frankly," but Jingu didn't seem to care much about the answer.

"You don't need to tell me any of this, because your mission is complete. Tell Kūkai that I have agreed to his deal."

The unexpected good news did not make the mother of the Japanese devil happy.

"That Tokugawa Ieyasu guy is the incarnation of Tosho Daigongen, Yakushi Nyorai, right?"

Jingu turned around and revealed a very interesting smile.

"Then I will become the Immovable King, and my divine name will be derived from the meaning of radiant light and fission-purifying fire, and I will be called the 'Great King of Nuclear Fusion Salvation'!"

I just wrote this casually for fun, and it just so happened that I came across this painting and its artist.

Chapter 225 The True Scripture of Nucleus Light's Bitter Salvation

"Absurd! Utterly absurd! Absolutely impossible!"

"How could we possibly agree to such an absurd request! He's clearly refusing!"

The mother demon retreated quietly, her face expressionless.

The candlelight flickered violently, and in the dim room, shadows veiled their faces like a mask.

They were all dressed in different styles of monks' robes; some were as thin as corpses, while others were obese with large bellies.

"Quiet, quiet, Master Anran, there's no need to ruin your thousand years of cultivation because of a single sentence."

Kukai shook his head and then looked around at the others.

"So what are your thoughts? The terms of the deal have been delivered."

To be fair, when Kukai heard the shrine's request, his first reaction was to refuse; the request wasn't a matter of whether it was reasonable or unreasonable.

It was more like a humiliation.

"This request is simply impossible. If you were going to refuse, there was no need to humiliate us like this!"

"Is there really no room for change? Even just changing the god's name would be acceptable."

They didn't care about the incarnation of Acala, and the concession of this benefit was something they had planned for in advance. Even if the scriptures were somewhat outlandish or didn't resemble Buddhist teachings, it wouldn't be a problem.

"It's impossible to agree to this request."

The other monk shook his head.

"Our goal is to spread the doctrine, but if we do what he asks, we will only lose a large part of our popular base."

"The best response to this kind of thing is to remain silent."

Indeed, just as it is best for a shrine not to mention the matter when facing a gathering of gods and Buddhas, the best response for Buddhism in the face of the Hiroshima Incident is also not to respond, but simply to mourn and pray.

"Is this considered revenge?"

They retaliated in the same way, but the shrine did not reveal the matter like Kukai had done that day, leaving Kukai unsure whether it was revenge or something else entirely.

According to their plan, cooperating with the shrine would be a win-win situation, with each party obtaining the large amount of faith they desired.

However, if the shrine's conditions are met, the shrine's divine name might attract a large number of anti-war supporters, but Buddhism would be forced into a situation of having to make choices and take sides.

"Of course, this is not entirely without a solution."

Kukai suddenly spoke up.

"It's not impossible to agree, as long as one of us is willing to make a sacrifice."

"You mean that one of our factions should bear the cost alone and invest separately?"

Yes, not everyone in front of us disagrees with the proposal, but even if they do, what difference does it make?