Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

In the blink of an eye, the music, laughter, and bells all around him vanished.

Instead, there was the soft rustling of the wind through the branches and leaves, and the damp, soft feel of the mud underfoot.

What lies before me is no longer a brightly lit Japanese-style worship hall, but a rural dirt road stretching into the distance.

Clear stream water flowed through the roadside ditches, following the contours of the land towards the farmland. Not far away stretched vast fields of rice paddies, the newly planted seedlings standing in neat rows. Further on, lush green forests rose and fell, their rolling hills shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist. To the north, the grey outline of a dam could be faintly seen through the mist, resembling a giant beast crouching in the mountains.

Amamiya Rin turned around and scanned his surroundings. Within a radius of several hundred meters, there was no one. The guests who had been surrounding him just moments before had vanished, Tomie was nowhere to be seen, and Igarashi Sakiko was nowhere to be found either. He stood alone on the path by the field, surrounded by complete silence; apart from the sound of the wind and his own breathing, there was no other sound.

Moreover, they couldn't contact any other Tomies. All connections related to Tomie had vanished completely; the [Tomie Network] seemed to exist as if it never existed, just like in the dream world before.

"The other world? Am I the only one there? Because of my soul?"

After looking around, Amamiya Rin seemed to be deep in thought, muttering to herself.

Because his soul or his spirit possessed something special, he was drawn into the opening of the Changxi family's sacred domain? Hmm... perhaps both.

The question is... is this ordinary little village really a sacred place?

Looking at the surrounding scenery, Yu Gonglin couldn't be sure, because on the surface, this was just an ordinary rural village, and the area was very vast. Whose sacred domain included not only a village, but also a mountain range and a dam?

Shaking his head slightly, Yu Gonglin suppressed his doubts, glanced around again to make sure there were no potential threats, and then started walking along the dirt road toward the village.

After walking for about 15 minutes, he crossed the empty field ridges and went around a stone lantern that had collapsed halfway. The fork in the road next to the stone lantern led to a rock wall covered with green plants. Several stone shrines, about half a person's height, were embedded in the recesses of the rock wall. They were the small shrines commonly seen in the mountains and fields.

The roof and outer walls of the stone shrine are covered with thick moss, almost completely obscuring the original stone texture, leaving only a blurry outline of the spire. On the open ground on both sides of the shrine, there are three or four stone fox statues.

The stone bodies are also pitted and uneven from wind and rain erosion, and most of them are missing ears or broken tails, but each fox statue has a red scarf tied around its neck.

Dozens of small white humanoid figures were scattered on the ground, probably sacrificial offerings. Most of them were only the size of a palm, their stark white outlines standing out against the dark green plants. They were scattered densely on the ground, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

"A fox spirit?"

Finally, I've come across something that can be connected to the Changxi family.

Amamiya Rin carefully examined the shrine and the fox spirit statue, but found nothing unusual; they seemed to be ordinary buildings that could be found anywhere in this village.

After watching for a while and finding nothing amiss, Yu Gonglin kicked it. The force of his leg caused the nearest fox spirit statue to break in two, its upper body flying three or four meters before crashing to the ground and rolling twice.

The other fox spirit statues also fell victim to Amamiya Rin's attack. Although it was uncertain whether these fox spirit statues were useful, since they were the enemy's statues, it was best to strike first.

After kicking down several fox spirit statues, Amamiya Rin waited a moment and, finding no change, turned and continued walking along the dirt road.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, several pairs of eerie green eyes lit up in the shadows of the bushes beside the pile of rubble.

The deeper you go into the village, the more profound the silence becomes, and you can't see a soul in sight.

As Amamiya Rin passed by rows of traditional Japanese wooden houses, he peered through the doors and windows but couldn't see any sign of life. The furniture inside was neatly arranged, and he could even see unwashed dishes on the living room table, as if someone had been living there just a few minutes before. But when he went to look, those people had all vanished.

Suddenly, Amamiya Rin's gaze sharpened.

On a mottled earthen wall by the roadside, a faded and yellowed missing person notice was pasted. Most of the paper was blurred and torn by rain, but the writing was still barely legible.

Name: Mayumi Suzutani. Clothing worn on the day of her disappearance: white shirt, navy blue long skirt, and a scarf with a black water droplet pattern.

The details about the day of the disappearance have been completely lost along with the torn paper, leaving only a blurry ink stain.

"This place...could it be Rongzhi Hill?"

Amamiya Rin's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The fox spirit shrine, the missing person notice, and the surrounding environment all suggest that this is not the sacred domain of the Toki family, the otherworld named Tianrui, but rather the hometown of Igarashi Sakiko and Fukami Hinako, a rural village where fox spirit worship is prevalent.

After pondering for a moment, Amamiya Rin did not continue walking forward.

Something's not right here. This inner world is so vast; you probably can't explore it all in a short time just by walking.

Amamiya Rin raised her hand and placed it on her chest, a few strands of pure white light shining through her fingertips.

"jingle--!"

Just as Amamiya Rin was about to transform into Ultraman Seven, a clear bell sound came from afar.

Upon hearing the sound, Amamiya Rin paused, suppressing the urge to transform. She listened carefully to pinpoint the approximate source of the sound and immediately ran over.

After navigating through the maze-like streets and alleys, several figures came into view of Amamiya Rin.

It was outside an old-fashioned candy shop, with a dark wooden bench against the wall. Two boys and girls in black high school uniforms with stand-up collars were sitting on the bench, and two girls in sailor uniforms were standing next to them. One of them had short, neat hair that reached her shoulders, and the other had her hair tied in low pigtails. It was Igarashi Sakiko.

However, compared to the Sakiko Igarashi who attended the wedding banquet, the Sakiko Igarashi here seemed much younger, with a girlish innocence still lingering on her face... Amamiya Rin felt that she could roughly guess what type of world this place belonged to.

"Hinako, you don't have to pay back the 500 yen I borrowed from you, right?"

Amamiya Rin walked over quickly and heard Igarashi Sakiko talking to the girl sitting on the bench from afar.

The girl sat there quietly, with short hair, wearing the same sailor uniform as Sakiko Igarashi. When she heard Sakiko Igarashi's voice, her expression seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

That girl... Fukami Hinako? The bride at the wedding banquet?

Amamiya Rin's gaze immediately turned to the girl. Because she was wearing a white kimono at the wedding banquet, her face was not visible until Igarashi Sakiko spoke, at which point he recognized her.

In that case, were the other man and woman also guests at the wedding banquet? Were they relatives or friends of the bride, Hinako Fukami?

"Sakiko, didn't you say you were going to pay Hinako back with interest?"

Another girl, whose identity was unknown, complained to Sakiko Igarashi.

"I never said that. Show me the IOU if you dare."

Sakiko Igarashi said, though she didn't feel entirely justified.

"Alright then, from now on, if I lend Saki anything, even just an eraser, I'll make you write an IOU."

The girl said it in a teasing tone.

The group of children were making a ruckus, their laughter echoing through the empty streets and alleys, carrying the unique vibrancy of youth that seemed out of place in this desolate village.

Amamiya Rin walked towards the group, her boots making a soft sound as they stepped over the gravel.

Seemingly finally noticing the outsider, Amamiya Rin, Igarashi Sakiko and the two unidentified men and women turned to look at Amamiya Rin amidst their laughter, their eyes revealing curiosity.

Hinako Fukami looked to the other side, her expression somewhat blank, her eyes empty.

Amamiya Rin's steps also suddenly stopped.

At the same moment, an extremely strong malice surged from all directions, and the hairs on Amamiya Rin's body stood on end instantly. He subconsciously looked in the direction that Fukami Hinako was looking. He saw that the thin morning mist in the distance was visibly churning and gradually becoming thicker. The gray fog, like the rising tide, swallowed up rows of houses, and the surrounding sky darkened at an alarming speed.

"Sakiko?"

At the same time, an uneasy call rang in Amamiya Rin's ears. Turning around, he saw Igarashi Sakiko's laughter abruptly stop, and a look of confusion and fear appeared on her face. She slowly raised her hands, and a red dot appeared on the back of her hands.

It was very small, only the size of a grain of rice, and as bright red as freshly dripped blood.

But it wasn't blood, it was flowers.

The petals bloomed from that little red spot, one, two, three... In the blink of an eye, the thumb-sized red flower had blossomed, its delicate petals curling outwards to reveal the slender stamen in the center.

Red spider lily!

The second one, the third one, the tenth one, the hundredth one!

Those bright red flowers, as if propelled by some unseen force, sprouted from Sakiko Igarashi's skin, blooming on her neck, cheeks, forehead, and every inch of her exposed skin.

"..."

Sakiko Igarashi's body trembled uncontrollably. She opened her mouth as if to call for help, her eyes widened, and she looked at Rin Amamiya from afar, reaching out her raised arm towards him.

But it was too late!

In the blink of an eye, layers upon layers of spider lilies enveloped Igarashi Sakiko's body, and she collapsed helplessly to the ground.

"Sakiko!!"

The short-haired girl's scream ripped through the dim twilight. She staggered back several steps, her face drained of color. Hinako Fukami and the boy on the bench also stood up in a panic, their eyes fixed on the cocoon on the ground, their faces filled with terror.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

From all directions, countless tiny red buds sprouted from the previously empty soil, cracks in the stone slabs, and corners of the walls.

One, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand... The red spider lilies bloom wildly, their layers upon layers of petals blooming intensely and eerily, like a surging sea of ​​blood, spreading rapidly in all directions along the ground.

Wherever it passed, the ground was swallowed up by that intense red, and even the air seemed to be tinged with a crimson hue.

"No! No!"

"Hinako! Run!"

The girl, whose identity was unknown, screamed and turned to run. The boy, also unidentified, turned pale, grabbed Fukami Hinako's wrist, and yanked her hard, fleeing in the direction where the flower field hadn't yet spread. Fukami Hinako stumbled as he pulled her before regaining her senses. She glanced deeply at the fallen Igarashi Sakiko, then followed him unsteadily.

"Don't act rashly!"

Amamiya Rin's shout was like a booming bell, carrying a penetrating power that forcefully suppressed the panicked screams.

His gaze, however, did not linger on the fleeing group. Instead, it was fixed on Igarashi Sakiko, who was enveloped in layers of spider lilies. Without the slightest hesitation, he strode forward into the surging sea of ​​blood.

At the same time, his left hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of red and silver glasses. As a self-suggestion tool, Amamiya Rin put the glasses in front of his eyes.

In an instant, a pure and warm white light burst forth from his body, like a suddenly rising sun breaking through the surrounding crimson gloom.

The light was soft yet carried an inviolable sanctity. The spider lilies, spreading wildly, curled up and lost their vitality the moment they touched the edge of the white light, and no matter how the sea of ​​flowers surged, they could not get any closer.

"Seven!"

Amamiya Rin shouted angrily.

Amidst the light, his figure rapidly rose higher, his resilient body, clad in silver and red, solidified, the headdress atop his head gleaming with a chilling light, and his golden hexagonal eyes shining with resolute will, his majestic and vast aura sweeping across the sky.

Ultraman Seven makes his grand entrance!

Faced with the sea of ​​flowers rushing in from all directions, Yu Gonglin suddenly stretched his arms horizontally to the sides of his body, and a powerful force of light gathered in his palms, emitting a deafening buzz.

With immense force, Yu Gonglin swung his arms wildly, creating visible vortexes of air that steadily closed in front of him.

"Tornado Beam!"

Between his two palms, a bluish-white spiral tornado shot out with a roar!

The roaring beam of light, like a hurricane carrying thunder, instantly swept through the entire street.

The wildly spreading spider lilies and vines were all swept up by the violent spiraling airflow and thrown into the sky the moment they touched the tornado beam.

In just a few seconds, the once overwhelming sea of ​​red flowers was swept away completely by the tornado beam, leaving not a single broken petal behind.

However, the already dark and oppressive sky did not brighten again; a thin mist still lingered in the air, shrouding the distant buildings.

Amamiya Rin lowered his arms, his golden eyes sweeping over the desolate village.

Although all the spider lilies were cleared away at once, Amamiya Rin could sense that the strangeness around him had not disappeared, but had instead intensified.

Just like when he entered this world from reality, a similar feeling appeared again. He seemed to have entered a deeper level of space... There was a strange sense of déjà vu.

In the distance, the three who had been fleeing had stopped in their tracks, frozen in place, staring dumbfounded at the giant of light that stood over ten meters tall before them, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment. The deep-seated fear they had felt moments before had vanished in the face of this unimaginable scene, leaving only an overwhelming sense of unreality, as if they were living in a bizarre and fantastical dream.

"Dreaming... I must be dreaming, right?"

The short-haired girl muttered to herself blankly. She turned to look at the boy next to her and Hinako Fukami, her eyes filled with an urgent plea, hoping that someone would stand up and affirm her self-deceiving idea.

The sudden appearance of a sea of ​​spider lilies, the sudden appearance of a giant of light—it all seems so unreal.

"Could it be... a dream?"

The boy looked bewildered, yet suddenly realized something.

Was it a dream? It must be a dream, how could Ultraman exist in reality! It seems he didn't take his medicine before going to bed today, so he had a strange dream.

"What? Rinko, Shu, what are you talking about? Calm down! How could this be a dream?"

Hinako Fukami finally came to her senses. She raised her left arm and bit down hard on it, leaving a deep, bloody mark. The intense pain was real. She looked up and, in a dazed tone, argued with her two friends.

"That's real...it really is Ultraman? Ultraman Seven?"

Even though she didn't want to deny herself, Hinako Fukami's words were filled with confusion.

After all, Ultraman is a tokusatsu drama, and he's already fifteen years old, not a child anymore. He should be able to distinguish between tokusatsu dramas and reality, right?

However, the giant of light created in the tokusatsu drama actually appeared right in front of her!

Ultraman exists! Light exists! This is reality!

In an instant, the frustration caused by the pressure to get married dissipated considerably under the impact of this reality.

On the other side, the dazzling white light slowly faded, and the once towering giant figure rapidly shrank, eventually transforming into a silver-red body the same height as an ordinary person.

Amamiya Rin slowly squatted down, his fingers gently reaching out to touch Igarashi Sakiko on the ground.

The moment his fingertips touched the girl's neck, he sensed the outcome he least wanted to accept.

There was no sign of life; his heartbeat and breathing had long since ceased, leaving only an empty shell with a faint trace of the malevolent aura of the spider lily.

After a moment's thought, Amamiya Rin raised her right hand, and a gentle Emerium healing ray shot out towards Igarashi Sakiko, enveloping her entire body.

The power of light gently seeped into her limbs and bones, attempting to repair her body eroded by the spider lily and awaken the life force that had long since vanished.

No matter how the light shifted, the girl's body remained completely unresponsive, her cold shell like a stone that could never be warmed.

Sakiko Igarashi, she's really dead.

As the light slowly faded, Amamiya Rin stood up, and the white light around him shone again. His silver-red Ultraman body faded in the light, and he transformed back into a human form.

He stood beside Sakiko Igarashi's body, looking down at the girl's pale face on the ground, and sighed softly.

Just over half an hour ago, this girl was in the shrine's courtyard, blushing as she pointed at him and confidently proclaimed that he was Ultraman. Now, only a dozen minutes later, Igarashi Sakiko is dead, and right before his eyes!

His idol died right before his eyes, and he had no idea how Sakiko Igarashi was attacked!

Is it a curse? Or something else?

Amamiya Rin didn't want to think about these things right now; he wanted to think about another, more important issue.

"What will happen to Sakiko Igarashi outside?"

Amamiya Rin muttered to herself.

What happens to those who die in this sacred realm, which only spirits and souls can enter, in the real world?

He recalled what Moro Tomie had said before: this sacred realm called Tenrui was suspected to be a world that only the spirit and soul could enter. Damage suffered here would only affect the spirit and would not leave a mark on the physical body.

But what if... I die here? The Resurrection Master's Sword should be useful, right?

Amamiya Rin couldn't be sure either, because it involved the soul, a field of knowledge he didn't know much about. He also didn't understand this so-called Holy Land, and didn't know what the souls and spirits of those who died in this world were like.

Not far away, as the form of the Giant of Light disappeared, Hinako Fukami, Rinko, and Shu cautiously approached. Fear still lingered on their faces, but their eyes were filled with awe and intense curiosity as they looked at Rin Amamiya.

"Um...excuse me, are you perhaps Mr. Ultraseven? And how is Sakiko?"

Hinako Fukami's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, trembling uncontrollably as she cautiously opened her mouth.

Although Igarashi Sakiko borrowed 500 yen from her and hadn't paid it back for several years, and even reneged on her promise to repay the principal with interest, this girl was still her best friend whom she had grown up with since childhood. She only had one thought in her mind, which was to hope that Sakiko was alright.

"She had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped beating. I tried to save her with the power of light, but it was too late."

Amamiya Rin turned around and looked at Fukami Hinako, telling her the truth about Igarashi Sakiko's situation.

"What! What?! How could this be! How could Sakiko be dead?"

Upon hearing this answer, Hinako Fukami was struck dumb, as if by lightning. The color drained from her face instantly, leaving her deathly pale.

Her body swayed suddenly, and she staggered back half a step. Fortunately, Xiu reached out and steadied her, which helped her regain her balance. Her face was full of disbelief.

"Sakiko!"

Rinko's voice changed, trembling uncontrollably. She stared intently at the person on the ground, her lips trembling for a long time, unable to utter a single word, and even her breathing stopped.

Xiu's expression changed at that moment. He suddenly loosened his grip on Hinako Fukami's hand, then clenched it tightly again. He stared at Sakiko Igarashi's corpse, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

No one could believe that their best friend, who was alive and well just a minute ago, joking and bickering with them, would suddenly die in front of them in such an unexpected way.