Inner Destroyer

　It's just like a good citizen of Saitama who suddenly runs into a ninja.

　Helpless, Qi Xing had to turn around and ask Elaine: "Do you know what Israfil is?"

　"Since the devil was defeated, I won't complain about why you always run into strange masters when you go out for a walk."

　Elaine sighed.

　"Simply put, Israphael is another name for the Archangel Uriel—you should know Uriel, right?"

　After all, Qi Xing still knew this name.

　Uriel is the name of an archangel in the Christian faith. However, it is not included in the canonical books and is not officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church – the Vatican only recognizes three other more famous archangels.

　However, in the Church of England and the Eastern Rite Church, Uriel is still venerated as the fourth archangel.

　Why is this so? Perhaps it is because Uriel is the angel of death, the angel of the end, the angel of destruction.

175

　, the most feared of all Seraphim.

　In ancient texts, Uriel guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden, wielding a flaming sword, and exposed the schemes of the wicked and the devil. He also warned Noah that God, angered by humanity, would send a flood. He also controlled the fire and keys of the underworld, responsible for opening the gates of Hades on Judgment Day and executing the sinners at the stake.

　The famous Sodom, the magical city of lust and adultery, is said to have been burned by Uriel.

　"Didn't I just recently transfer to the Eastern Rite Church (ECC)?"

　Elaine further explained,

　"Churches in different regions have different traditions. The Coptic Church in Egypt has used Eastern rituals since ancient times. They have a very ancient legend that goes something like this: after the Son of God died on the cross, the archangel Uriel flew around the world holding the Holy Grail filled with the Son's blood, using it to cleanse all of humanity of original sin."

　“If Michael, the leader of the heavenly host, is the guardian angel of Our Lady, then Uriel, the angel of death, is the guardian angel of the Son of God himself.”

　The angel of death, the angel of the end...

　So that's how it is. Qi Xing now understood why Samael was so scared... "Are there any more exciting wild stories?"

　This time, it was Elaine's turn to hesitate. She pondered the answer for a moment before finally speaking out, "Archangel Uriel also has some less orthodox beliefs."

　"For example, the Yazidis, who have become quite famous in the past decade, believe that Christ—known in their faith as Sheikh Shamasi Deen—is the reincarnation of the Archangel Israphael, who is also... the reincarnation of Uriel."

　Damn it.

　"Yazidis believe that when the apocalypse comes, Sheikh Shamashi Deen will judge everything in the world. Only the Kurds will escape the disaster because of the protection of the Peacock Angel."

　Elaine continued.

　So Qi Xing also asked: "What is a Peacock Angel?"

　"The Peacock Angel is a figure in Yazidi mythology. He attempted to challenge the authority of God, and was defeated by his brother Israfil..."

　When Elaine said this, although she couldn't see Samael's projection, she still vaguely guessed the location and pointed towards the glass.

　"That is what the revealed religions call Satan."

　Okay. Now Qi Xing completely understood why Sasa was so scared. It made perfect sense.

　He also vaguely guessed who the bad girl was.

　After all, looking across Aomori, there is only one person who can be related to Christ.

　065: I can’t even pretend anymore

　Yazidism is an ancient and unique religion with approximately 150 million followers, the vast majority of whom are located in northern Iraq, with smaller numbers scattered across Armenia, Germany, Russia, and other regions. These believers call themselves Izidi, which means "angel worshippers."

　Although they believe in one God, unlike traditional monotheistic religions, they worship not the Supreme God but the seven Seraphim under His throne. The two most important angels are called the Peacock King (Melek Taus) and the Sun King (Israphael).

　In line with Christian tradition, this "Peacock Angel" attempted to challenge the authority of the Supreme Father, only to be brutally beaten by his brother, the Archangel Israfil, who is considered by the Yazidis to be the Son of God in Christianity.

　Incidentally, the Yazidis also believe in reincarnation, which they call "the soul changing clothes," and believe that the seven Seraphim will be reincarnated as humans at regular intervals.

　"Why would anyone worship a fallen angel who failed in his rebellion and was brutally beaten?"

　To be honest, Qi Xing couldn't quite understand this part.

　"Because according to the teachings of Yazidism, Israfil will eventually forgive his sister's arrogance and disrespect and allow her to lead her people back to heaven."

　Elaine said this, glancing over the glass, even though she couldn't actually see Samael.

　"According to a prophecy passed down from generation to generation, after 7000 years of penance and reflection, the Peacock Angel's tears will fill seven earthen jars. These jars can then be poured into Hell, extinguishing the flames of Hell, symbolizing forgiveness and redemption."

　At the same time, Sasa's shadow was huddled on the table, in a state of severe depression.

　"Seven thousand years? I'm afraid we'll have to wait."

　Qi Xing frowned.

　"Where's the clay pot? How about I go and spank her to make her cry more?"

　Oh, is this something a human would do?

　"Wake up, and please don't take these variants of quasi-Christian beliefs too seriously."

　Elaine sighed. This was actually why she didn't want to talk about these things before.

　"Because there are so many similar things. If you take them all seriously, there's only so much of it—for example, this 'Tomb of Christ' in Aomori, there's no way it can be real, right?"

　impossible?

　From Elaine's perspective, she might find it difficult to accept the absurd legend that "the Son of God is not dead and ran from Siberia to Japan to live in seclusion and give birth to a child." It is even wilder than "The Da Vinci Code."

　But Qi Xing had long doubted what was impossible in this world.

　"That's not right, girl."

　The old wolf master, who had been standing by silently, now spoke softly.

　"At least in the history recorded by our Fenian warriors, the High King did return after ascending to heaven. The same is true of the unofficial history of Christ, the Celtic Church's 'Warrior of the

176

　Doesn't Wang count?"

　“It’s certainly not okay to take it all seriously, but to directly assume it’s false is to judge God.”

　As soon as the old wolf said this, Elaine immediately realized that it was indeed a bit too much to say such things in front of the Irish Wolf Lord, and she quickly apologized.

　Qi Xing also looked at the useless evil god who could not be relied upon at the moment and shook his head. "Tomorrow morning, we will go to Naxin Village to take a look. Then everything will become clear."

　"it is good."

　Elaine nodded, but then said,

　"Once you arrive in your new hometown, you'll probably understand what I mean."

　Suddenly going to someone else's house to visit the local tyrant, suddenly going to see the local top master. Even if the powerful dragon "Lei Pu Zhenren" passed through, such things would not be convenient to arrange.

　But somehow, Elaine was able to arrange it. It can only be said that if there is no super assistant like Elaine, Leipman will definitely have a lot of trouble doing things.

　The next morning, Qi Xing and the others woke up early. Qi Xing used his "Illusion" silver coins to repaint himself with a new layer of illusion veil. Elaine drove a rented white van and drove everyone out of the city, heading along the road to the new village.

　Along the way, the scenery outside the car window gradually changed from the bustling city to the tranquility of the countryside. The asphalt road was flanked by rolling hills, sparsely dotted with farmland and orchards. Although it was March, the air still lingered with the lingering scent of winter. Occasionally, patches of partially melted snow could be seen in the fields, forming a stark contrast to the brown earth.

　After about an hour's drive, with many uphill roads, they finally entered the village.

　Despite its remoteness, this Xinxiang village is actually quite lively. Most of the houses are traditional Japanese wooden houses, meticulously maintained and neatly maintained, a testament to the villagers' well-being. Some snow still lingers on the eaves. Naturally, the streets are sparsely populated, though occasionally one can see elderly people sitting outside their homes, basking in the sun.

　After a gentle curve, a sign appeared on the side of the road, pointing the way to the national tourist attraction "Juraizuka." Elaine followed the sign. While it wasn't one of Japan's most famous tourist spots, it still saw a few parked buses and the occasional tourist.

　After all, we're already a quarter of the way through the 21st century, and thanks to online publicity, not only Japanese but also curious foreign tourists have been drawn to the area. Qi Xing could even hear tourists speaking Russian in the distance.

　The "Tomb of Christ" is located here, in a quiet forest park.

　Surrounded by dense fir trees, the grave mound is enclosed by a white wooden fence, with a simple wooden cross in the center. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the forest onto the graveyard, giving it a mysterious and peaceful appearance.

　Near the burial mound stood an explanatory sign, explaining the legend of the "Tomb of Christ" in both Japanese and English. Qi Xing leaned over to take a quick look, and sure enough, it wasn't much different from Elaine's previous description.

　Why does it feel so much more... normal than I imagined?

　He didn't ask the question directly, but he couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly. He didn't expect to find any supernatural clues immediately from such a tourist place, but this was too ordinary.

　"Is that all? I thought there would be a more formal facility... No shrine? No torii? No worship hall?"

　So Qi Xing asked.

　"That's all," Elaine explained calmly. "There's no shrine or torii gate. The tomb itself is considered a sacred object. There's a memorial hall outside, built in the 70s, but there's nothing much to see."

　In the Shinto worldview, a "goddess" refers to an object inhabited by a deity, an object of worship. Sometimes it's a giant stone, sometimes a sacred tree, sometimes a sacred mountain. The three sacred objects of mirror, sword, and jade are also considered the "goddess" of the imperial Shinto family.

　"After all, this place is just someone's ancestral grave. When it was first built in the mountains, no one would have thought of developing a tourism project here."

　Elaine said again.

　This is true.

　Qi Xing tried to sense the grave, but he didn't sense any supernatural power, not even the slightest bit. Could he have really gone in the wrong direction?

　"Where is the head of this village, the main family of the Shenhu clan?" Qi Xing had no choice but to turn to the last direction. "By the way, what exactly is the Shenhu clan doing now?"

　"Do everything."

　Elaine replied.

　"Everything?"

　Qi Xing frowned.

　"The head of the Kamigo family, Kamigo Junichiro, is currently a council member of Aomori Prefecture and is usually not at home."

　"The current head of the Kamigo family is the head of the family's family, the son-in-law of the head of the family and the father of the miko goddess Gorin. His name is Kamigo Shinji. He runs a local tourist restaurant and hot spring inn, and is also the itamae—in simple terms, the head chef."

　It's quite scary that Elaine can report the key information of another family without blinking an eye.

　"The shrine goddess we want to investigate, Gorin, is 17 years old and still attends high school in Aomori City every day. However, I made an appointment with her family today in the name of the 'association,' and the head of the family has agreed."

　What does it mean to be a local boss in the national tourism industry? First, the owner is a county councilor, and his businesses include local restaurants and hotels. This is what we call political and business integration!

　Fortunately, the Jingo family seemed willing to show great respect for the new president of the "Association" who came in person, and directly invited President Elaine to meet at the ancestral home of the Jingo family.

　It is a pure Japanese wooden building with an ancient charm, which should have a long history.

177

　, grand and elegant.

　Qi Xing and his companions had just arrived when servants were waiting to usher them into a reception room covered in tatami mats and furnished with a futon. A low, rectangular wooden table sat in the center of the room. Ink paintings and calligraphy scrolls hung on the walls, and a simple flower arrangement sat nearby. The room exuded a subtle elegance, imbued with the traditional decorum and dignity of hospitality.

　However, the person sitting in the reception room waiting for them made Elaine and Qi Xing speechless for a moment.

　"Oh my! Ever since Rin-chan started high school, this is the first time we've had someone ask us out for a date who isn't here to ask for medical bills! This kind of thing is really hard to get used to."

　The person waiting for them in the reception room was actually a middle-aged blond man with messy hair. At first glance, it looked like he had a durian on his head. His hairstyle was quite unruly.

　He was talking and laughing, with a relaxed and slightly cunning smile on his face, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

　Although he was surrounded by an elegant Japanese-style reception room, he was wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt that was not even buttoned. He had an inverted cross necklace around his neck, and he exuded a leisurely and relaxed atmosphere - which immediately destroyed the "Japanese style filter" in Elaine, a French woman.

　Qi Xing didn't mind the formalities. After hearing what the man said and carefully examining his features, Qi Xing immediately understood—like daughter, like father.

　"Hello, Mr. Jingo."

　Elaine suppressed her desire to complain and focused on the matter.

　"We've already explained the reason for our visit today. Could you please introduce your daughter to us? We have some questions that require her assistance."

　Her choice of words was very precise and her speech was very formal.

　However, the god opposite him had his eyes closed and was stroking his beard with one hand, which made people suspect that he was about to fall asleep.

　When Elaine suspected that he had really fallen asleep, he suddenly opened his eyes and replied with a smile, "Sure."

　"Acorus, bring the young lady here."

　He turned around and instructed the servants waiting outside the paper door of the reception room.

　Not long after, the young lady was brought in by the maid.

　It's said that people judge appearances primarily by their hair and clothing. Judging by these two factors, the young lady brought in looked nothing like the delinquent girl Qi Xing had encountered the previous night.

　With long, shiny black hair, pure white Chihaya, and bright red hakama, she looks like a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her headband is decorated with red spider lilies. Her face is dignified and beautiful like a doll, but at the same time she has a samurai-like heroic spirit and a model-level figure.

　"Nice to meet you, everyone from the International Exorcist Association."