I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 139 & 141: Messengers of Hell

The Metropolitan Police Department's helicopter was ready to take off, its rotors already whirring and spinning.

If we can get on the helicopter and bring Dr. Satomi, who is possessed by Professor Kurokawa, back to the Metropolitan Police Department, then tonight's operation will be a great victory.

As for those disturbed corpses, could they possibly fly into the sky?

Grace keenly realized that those corpses were probably slower and weaker than ordinary people. They were just putting on a show, with high "vitality" or rather, high durability. A small squad of elite soldiers armed with automatic rifles could easily wipe them all out.

"Let's not delay, let's set off now."

Just as the group was about to board the plane, a flash of light appeared in the night sky, and a ring of blazing fire rose from below and landed above the rooftop.

"Meow--!"

A piercing howl of a night owl echoed through the night sky, and then the massive, car-sized fire wheel spun and hurtled down with lightning speed, severing the tail of the Metropolitan Police Department helicopter.

Sparks and flashes of electricity appeared on the helicopter's cross-section, and the crew members inside were so frightened that they tumbled and ran out.

Grace's heart pounded. Who was this unexpected person who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

Could it be another mysterious and unpredictable superhuman?

The fiery wheel hovered in the air, and a yellow and white cat's head emerged from the raging flames.

Immediately afterwards, a monster with a cat's head and a human body appeared before everyone. It was dressed in ancient clothing made of hemp cloth, and its cat tail was wagging back and forth.

Is it type A?

Grace's pupils contracted, and she immediately drew her sidearm.

Regardless, this cat demon destroyed the Metropolitan Police Department's helicopter as soon as it appeared, showing that it was up to no good.

The cat demon was engulfed in flames, and its two round eyes swept across the crowd before fixing their gaze on Dr. Satomi.

"Kurokawa Shuichi, you've been caught!"

The cat demon grinned, its expression chilling, and spoke in human language:

"You stole the treasures of King Yama and secretly returned to the mortal realm through the gap between the two worlds. I am under King Yama's orders to capture you and bring you back to hell."

What's the situation now?

Grace, being a foreigner, listened in a daze.

However, the expressions of the other island nation police officers who were still at the scene immediately turned serious.

The Metropolitan Police Department, which collected the audio and video recordings from her and other officers, was in an uproar upon hearing the name of King Enma.

In East Asian legends, Yama is the ruler of hell.

From the moment this cat demon appeared, the Metropolitan Police Department's expert team began analyzing it.

"The style of the tucked sleeves on this yokai is very old, even older than the Kamakura period." One historian commented on the cat yokai's clothing: "This clothing is a water-dry style, which is the clothing of commoners in the Heian period."

"This cat demon doesn't seem to be a Type A that appeared after Heisei 19. Something feels off."

The scholar of yokai folklore frowned, feeling a sense of déjà vu, but couldn't quite place it.

When the cat demon uttered the words "King Yama" and "Hell," the monster folklorist suddenly realized what was going on.

"This cat demon is a messenger from hell, 'Train'!"

The yokai folklorist's assessment immediately drew the attention of the Metropolitan Police Department.

At this critical juncture, the monster folklorist didn't keep anyone in suspense and immediately revealed all the information he knew.

Train is a monster that travels between hell and the human world. It looks like a cat demon. Legend has it that it steals the body of the deceased at funerals and takes the soul of the dead to hell.

Because there are also taboos about cats in Japan, superstitions such as "a corpse touched by a cat will come back to life" and "a cat's corpse will bring bad luck" are widely circulated throughout the country.

The most typical example is a folk tale called "The Cat of the Temple," in which a cat kept by a poor temple would cause trouble at nearby funerals in order to repay the kindness. Only the deceased who had been prayed for at their own temple could be spared, thereby enhancing the temple's reputation.

According to folklore, the burning wheels are the means of transporting the dead to hell. Coupled with the folk superstition about the relationship between cats and corpses, the combination of these two fears gave birth to the train with the appearance of a cat demon.

The train that appeared on the roof of the affiliated hospital of the medical university is another example, besides the Arakawa Water God and the Umibozu, that matches the monsters in folk legends.

The Metropolitan Police Department's analysis results were immediately relayed to Grace, but Grace, being a foreign woman, only partially understood what they were saying.

"I did not steal the treasure of King Yama."

Dr. Satomi faced the train with a calm expression, showing little sign of panic.

"Are you still trying to deny it now?"

The train monster sneered, "How do you explain your current ability to cure terminal illnesses?"

"That stone bowl was not stolen from King Yama. I am just a ghost, how could I possibly steal treasures from King Yama?"

Dr. Satomi defended himself:

"Actually, it was a person dressed in black with red clouds who stuffed that stone bowl into my soul. The reason I was able to return to the affiliated hospital of the medical university was because that person found the gap leading to the mortal world and sent me back."

"Black background with red clouds, it's dawn!"

The cat demon frowned in a very human-like manner.

Cats are usually very cute animals, but the train's expression still made everyone present feel somewhat frightened.

"Indeed, a few days before the stone bowl was stolen, Akatsuki's group of ruthless bastards stormed into Hell. It seemed they wanted to do something, but they were driven away by King Yama," the Train Monster grinned.

"In that case, it wasn't your fault. But I can't believe your side of the story. Let's go back to Hell together and face the judgment of King Yama."

Dr. Satomi looked hesitant.

"What, you still intend to resist? That stone bowl is King Yama's most precious treasure; it must be retrieved no matter what!"

The train's expression immediately turned ugly:

"In that case, I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands and bring you back to hell!"

The train, engulfed in flames, leaped through the air and hurtled downwards with overwhelming force.

"shot!"

Grace, being a foreigner, didn't have much fear of the Japanese legend of the Grim Reaper. She picked up her pistol and habitually emptied the magazine.

However, the pistol bullets were completely ineffective against this monster. It grabbed down from the air and lifted Dr. Satomi into the air.

"First, the soul must be separated from the body. This possessed human is just unlucky."

The cat on the train revealed a ferocious look on its face, then stretched out a furry hand and grabbed Dr. Satomi by the neck.

"Go to hell."

Sharp claws tore open Dr. Rimi's throat, and blood gushed out, staining his pure white doctor's coat red.

(End of this chapter)