Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

The wedding banquet was held in the main hall in the center of the hall.

The high priest, dressed in a dark blue hunting robe and holding a cypress fan, slowly walked out of the side door of the altar. Behind him were four deputy priests holding tablets and eight white-clad shrine maidens carrying offerings.

The priest first performed the standard two bows, two claps, and one salute before the ancestral tablets of the Changxi family. Then, turning around and holding a large coin tied with white paper tassels, he began the first ritual of the pre-divine wedding ceremony—the purification ritual.

Clear prayers, accompanied by the shaman's ringing of the copper bell, flowed slowly through the worship hall, meant to cleanse everyone of impurity and misfortune, and to pray for a smooth ceremony.

Sakiko Igarashi and Rin Amamiya stood on the side, watching Hinako Fukami and Toshiyuki Toki on the stage. Sakiko Igarashi gently tugged at Rin Amamiya's sleeve.

"Did you see that? On Hinako's body..."

Sakiko Igarashi lowered her voice and asked cautiously.

Amamiya Rin shook his head.

He did not possess the same spiritual vision ability as Sakiko Igarashi. In his eyes, Hinako Fukami and Toshiyuki Toki were nothing unusual.

"I saw it before. On this joyous day, Hinako looked fierce, and her shadow was very deep in the sunlight. Such a deep shadow is very likely to attract ominous things. I suspect... Hinako has been possessed."

Sakiko Igarashi spoke in a serious tone.

"Possessed? By whom?"

"It should be... the Sacred Tree?"

Sakiko Igarashi wasn't too sure either.

"Hmph! It's not a mystery game, who cares what it is? When we see the enemy, we just push through them."

An impatient voice rang in their ears. Tomie, with her arms crossed, stood to the right of Amamiya Rin, her brows furrowed into a deep frown. Her gaze swept over Amamiya Rin's body and landed on Igarashi Sakiko, filled with disgust and displeasure.

Sakiko Igarashi shrank back timidly, her gaze darting around, not daring to look directly at Tomie Nikukai.

Heaven knows what she saw in Tomie Kokugai.

"What you said isn't entirely wrong, but the primary task is to determine how many humans and non-humans are here."

Amamiya Rin's expression remained unchanged as he calmly spoke.

"Among the guests, non-humans make up about 70%, and humans make up 30%. Ninety percent of the servants and collateral branches of the Changxi clan are human, and most of the adults from the branch families are not human."

Tomie Moro stood silently behind Rin Amamiya, her dark hair falling over her shoulders, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

Sakiko Igarashi was carefully holding onto Rin Amamiya's sleeve when she suddenly heard a voice behind her. She froze and instinctively turned around to look.

That one glance made her gasp instantly, her fingertips digging fiercely into her palm.

In her eyes, the woman had a pair of jet-black demonic horns on her head, with winding scarlet patterns wrapped around the horns and gilded rings fixed at their base. Long golden tassels hung down her shoulders along the rings, and her jet-black hair mixed with dark purple spread out like a raging tide. A spot of vermilion on her forehead was dazzlingly bright.

Her stunningly beautiful face exuded a captivating and alluring charm. Her golden eyes curved into crescents, the corners tinged with a faint red. Those smiling eyes held no warmth, only unfathomable desire, obsession, and fixation.

Every thread of affection carries the allure of dragging one into an eternal sea of ​​desire, like an abyss that preys on those it chooses, yet is also wrapped in ultimate tenderness, making one know it is dangerous, yet unable to resist sinking into it.

However, looking directly into those eyes, one can see a clear and calm gaze deep within them, as if one were standing at the highest point, overlooking all the good and evil, love and hate, life and death in the world. In its eyes, everything in the world is nothing more than fleeting dust.

"Igarashi?"

Amamiya Rin's voice rang in Igarashi Sakiko's ears, carrying a profound and clear power, like the sound of chanting in an ancient temple deep in the mountains, or like the vast morning light breaking through endless darkness, piercing straight into her scattered consciousness.

Sakiko Igarashi shuddered violently, as if she had escaped from drowning. She gasped for breath, cold sweat streaming down her face, and the fabric of her clothes on her back was already soaked through.

Almost instinctively, she shrank to Yu Gonglin's side, hiding most of her body behind him, only daring to show half of her face.

Sakiko Igarashi was no stranger to the world. Uka no Mitama, the fox spirit, and the sacred tree were not ordinary ghosts or monsters. Even in Takamagahara, they would be considered formidable figures. However, the woman in front of her gave her a feeling that was even more terrifying than the fox spirit!

Meat-modified Tomie glanced sideways at Moro Tomie, her impatience almost overflowing: "Don't suddenly pop up and scare people. By the way, what's wrong with you? Did you learn invisibility magic?"

"Because I didn't want to be bothered by anyone other than Ah Lin, I used a little hypnosis technique to reduce my presence."

Tomie Mara spoke softly, her words revealing her deep affection for Rin Amamiya.

"You bastard—!"

Meat-modified Tomie's eyes twitched a few times; she was amazed that someone could do that!

Amamiya Rin turned around and faced the nearby Tomie Mara, his expression remaining calm and composed.

"Have you found out anything?"

Just now, Tomie Moro mysteriously disappeared by herself. She used the technique of minimizing her presence to help Rin Amamiya gather information, and at the same time, to confirm how many humans could be let go, how many non-humans could be killed directly, and how many non-humans had any value to her.

"Although in my opinion it wouldn't be a big deal to wipe them all out, according to Ah Lin's judgment, a considerable portion of them still belong to the human population."

Tomie Moro took half a step forward, standing side by side with Rin Amamiya. Her gaze casually swept over Hinako Fukami, who was bowing and receiving the exorcism on the stage. Her voice was soft, like a lover's whisper.

"In addition to the formal ceremony, there is another part of this wedding, which is a secret ritual held in the sacred domain of the Changxi family. The bride's face is peeled off, she is made to wear a fox mask, her right arm is cut off and a fox arm bone is attached, and finally the Changxi family crest is branded on her back. Only in this way can the bride be considered to have truly married into the Changxi family."

"Um?"

Even Amamiya Rin was surprised.

Is this a wedding? Are you sure it's not torture? Skinning, chopping off hands, branding—what heavenly law did Chang Xi's bride break? Are you kidding me?

"What are you saying?! Hinako...is Hinako going to be treated like this?"

Sakiko Igarashi's eyes widened as she listened, her face turning deathly pale, and her voice involuntarily rose several octaves.

Her startled question was abruptly louder than usual, falling precisely during the pause in the purification ritual and the lingering echo of the bronze bells, making it sound somewhat jarring in the worship hall.

The surrounding guests turned to look at the source of the sound. Several ladies of Chinese descent who were nearby frowned, covered their lips, and cast reproachful glances at the guests. They were clearly displeased that someone had spoken out so abruptly during the solemn wedding ceremony. Several men at the next table who were holding wine glasses also stopped their hushed conversations and glanced over, their eyes revealing disdain.

Sitting in the front row, Tsuneki Maaya had been keeping an eye on Amamiya Rin's movements, and the slightly louder sound immediately reached her ears.

Her carefully drawn eyebrows immediately furrowed, her fingers gripping the folding fan tightened abruptly, her previously composed smile turned somber, and anger surged in her eyes.

She glared at Igarashi Sakiko, who was standing next to Amamiya Rin, across several rows of guests.

This ignorant country girl dared to cause such a commotion at the wedding of the young master of the Changxi family. I should have chased this crazy country girl away earlier.

Hinako Fukami, who was bowing in front of the stage to receive the exorcism, also caught that familiar voice.

She was already restless, and she was particularly sensitive to the voice that had borrowed 500 yen from her ten years ago and had never returned it. Her body, which was as stiff as a puppet, trembled almost imperceptibly.

You have to understand that back then, 500 yen was definitely not a small amount for the already impoverished Fukami family, but no matter how much Sakiko asked for it, she wouldn't give it back to her.

The gazes coming from all directions felt like fine needles, making Sakiko Igarashi tense up all over.

She regretted it as soon as she spoke, and hurriedly shut her mouth, swallowing the rest of her words back. She shrank behind Yu Gonglin in a panic, hiding most of her body in his back.

Although she seemed very lively when talking to Amamiya Rin, her autism was no joke; she was really bad at looking at people with negative emotions.

Yu Gonglin noticed the girl trembling behind him, and subtly moved to the side, blocking most of the gaze directed at him with his body. He then glanced around the room, his calm gaze meeting everyone's eyes.

People instinctively avoided looking at Amamiya Rin.

They couldn't explain why, but they felt that the young man standing there was like an ancient and solemn Buddha statue, making it impossible for them to feel any disrespect.

The guests quickly turned their attention back to the ceremony on stage, as if the little incident had never happened.

Sakiko Igarashi huddled behind Rin Amamiya, cautiously peeking out half her head. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that the creepy gazes that had been emanating from her body had all disappeared.

She looked up at Amamiya Rin's back. His broad back resembled that of a father. No! Her father, who had abandoned the shrine to become an office worker, was far less imposing than this. This was a giant, a giant of light protecting humanity!

Sakiko Igarashi looked at Rin Amamiya with longing and affection, and for a moment she forgot all about the chaos that had just happened.

"What exactly is the situation?"

Amamiya Rin turned around and asked Maro Tomie in a low voice.

"When I was chatting with some of the older members of the branch family, they mentioned that the Changxi clan has a sacred domain called Tianrui. The formal wedding ceremony outside the temple is just for outsiders to see. The real wedding ceremony is held in the sacred domain. That sacred domain is probably an otherworld or a different world, where only the spirit and soul can enter. So even if your face is peeled off, your arms are cut off, and your family crest is branded, your body in the real world will not change... Only your spirit will change."

Moro Tomie explained the information she had gathered to Amamiya Rin.

With the skill of hypnosis, some secrets that would otherwise take a long time to unravel have become things that can be easily obtained.

"I originally thought this trip was just about eliminating the inhumans, but I didn't expect it to be such a serious problem. A mere second-rate family actually has its own afterlife?"

Amamiya Rin said in surprise.

He came for the human skin furniture and clothing from that banquet, intending to kill all the participants one by one, but he didn't expect his first target to be such a heavyweight.

But peeling off one's face? There's actually such a tradition; no wonder they participate in those kinds of banquets.

"For the Changxi clan, this is just a symbolic ceremony, symbolizing that the bride has truly become a member of the Changxi clan. However, most members of the Changxi clan treat it as a good show for amusement, and they all look forward to seeing the bride struggle in pain."

Tomie Moro chuckled lightly, a hint of nonchalant mockery flashing in her eyes.

Yu Gonglin's expression darkened slightly.

The Changxi clan, being involved in that human skin banquet, is clearly not a benevolent family.

"However, Tsuneki Maaya didn't mention this to me?"

"Because she was just a pretty face, a daughter who would eventually be married off. Her parents and brothers were all dead, and she and her sister had been cursed and almost died. In the Changxi clan, where women had little status, she, along with other women and those from collateral branches, were not qualified to enter the Holy Domain."

Moro Tomie didn't slander Toki Maaya, who had just been bothering Amamiya Rin, and spoke in a dismissive tone.

"Moreover, not many people can retain their memories after entering and leaving the Holy Domain. Only those who are recognized by the Fox Spirit have this qualification."

"I see. Is there anything else?"

Amamiya Rin seemed to be deep in thought, and continued to press Maro Tomie for answers.

"That's all those men know. They only have a vague understanding of the fox spirits and the sacrifices. If you want to find out more, you can only find the head of the Changxi clan."

Tomie Mara shook her head and said decisively.

"Enough with the nonsense. We're not here to solve a case. Do we need to know all this? When are we going to make our move? Let's just rush in, wipe out that fox spirit and all of Chang Xi's scum, and then rescue the bride, isn't that enough?"

Meat-modified Tomie had grown impatient, clenching her fists and making a soft cracking sound with her knuckles.

"Honestly, even if you want to take action, you should at least find out where the enemy is. If you act rashly, you'll just be running around like a headless fly."

Seeing Tomie's current state, Moro Tomie shook her head slightly and said, feigning disappointment.

That look of disdain, as if she were looking at someone mentally challenged, instantly ignited a fire within Meat-Ci Tomie.

Just then, the last clear sound of the copper bell faded away, and the priest, holding a cypress fan, bowed and loudly proclaimed the completion of the purification rituals.

"It's coming."

Moro Tomie's expression turned serious, and she stopped teasing Kokukai Tomie.

Amamiya Rin's expression also turned serious.

Except for a few people, most people did not notice that a layer of almost transparent mist was spreading in the warm yellow glow of the candlelight.

It was so faint, mixed with the flickering candlelight and wisps of cigarette smoke, that it seemed like just a phantom of the candlelight, unnoticed even by the guests in the front row.

"Wait! Mr. Amamiya! Something seems to be wrong...!"

Sakiko Igarashi, who was clutching Amamiya Rin's sleeve, suddenly stiffened. Her spiritual vision also sensed something was wrong. In her eyes, which could see through to the essence of things, the originally clear scene of the worship hall was now covered by a layer of hazy shadow.

The world is overlapping.