Inner Destroyer

　Artificial intelligence and information technology are certainly good things! In fact, they may even become the most powerful tools the church has obtained since Gutenberg's printing press!

　Elaine's brain was incredibly quick, so after just a few minutes, she looked up, frowned, and said, "I've discovered something strange that might be related."

　"Tell me about it?" Qi Xing asked.

　"In the past five years, more than 97% of the demon exorcism work in Aomori and several surrounding counties has been completed by Miss Jingorin alone."

　"Ever since she awakened ten years ago and gradually matured five years ago, the demons and evil spirits in this area of ​​northeastern Japan... have been almost wiped out by her single-handed patrols every night."

　074: The bells of Gion Temple ring

　In fact, Qi Xing had already guessed a little bit about what the three people who attacked Jin Gorin looked like and what moves and spells they used when he heard Lao Lang say that.

　First, the warrior girl wearing classical Japanese armor, holding a thunder sword, sending out strong winds, chanting the Indra Mantra, and also being called "Gion".

　The word "Gyota" has different meanings in different cultural contexts. In the Buddhist context, it usually refers to the Jetavana Grove, where the Buddha Shakyamuni preached during his lifetime.

　However, in Japan, Kyoto's "Gion" is a famous flower street in Kyoto, Japan. It is the center of geisha culture and is named after the Gion Shrine (Yasaka Shrine) enshrined there.

　The main deity enshrined in Gion Shrine is Takehata Susanoo, the god of storms and one of the three main gods in Japanese Shintoism.

　In terms of bravery, he can also be ranked among the top three in the entire Japanese mythology.

　In addition, during the fusion of Buddhism and Japanese Shintoism, his image was merged with the guardian deity "Gyuto Deva" who guarded the Buddha's Jetavana Monastery, and acquired the attributes of a Buddhist guardian deity.

　Next up was the white-robed, white-haired shrine maiden, wearing a luxurious, classical, high-end kimono embroidered with gold thread and clutching a bronze mirror. She was clearly the leader, wielding powerful Shinto magic. She also called herself "Ise."

　What is Ise? It's obviously Ise Jingu. It's the main shrine of Japanese Shintoism, dedicated to Amaterasu Omikami, the highest deity in the Shinto system. It also houses the Yata no Mirror, one of the Three Sacred Treasures. And finally, there's the guy who didn't show up, but shot a moonlight arrow at Kamigorin, knocking her down from the sky.

　"The Azure Dragon hides in the clouds, the White Tiger hides in the wind, the Vermillion Bird sinks into the flames, and the Black Tortoise hides in the water. The four symbols close their eyes, and all things disappear! Hurry up and obey the command!" Qi Xing immediately understood the spell after hearing it repeated by Lao Lang. It was probably a Yin-Yang technique.

　Japan's mainstream magical sects can be roughly divided into three categories.

　There are Shinto blessings that have existed since ancient times, Yin-Yang Taoism that absorbs Taoist magic theories, and secret techniques that originated from Indian Buddhism.

　Now there is a gorgeous Shinto priestess, a tantric female warrior with a thunder sword, and an invisible Yin-Yang magic moonlight archer.

　Even people who don’t know much about Japanese religion should be able to tell - where did these three Shinto noble children come from?

　"To say they are genuine is of course impossible. High-ranking gods wouldn't descend to the mortal realm so easily, nor would they be so weak."

　Over the past two years, Qi Xing had also battled ordinary minor gods and mythical beasts. These were powerful beings of the same rank as mortal immortals like Qi Xing, and they rarely appeared in the human world.

　As for the gods of higher status, even if one summoned a thousand priestesses and performed a ritual continuously for a hundred days, burning their lives and souls to ashes, they probably still would not be able to summon them.

　"These three people must have deliberately dressed up as the Three Noble Gods to enhance their magical powers through acting. It's not surprising."

　So Qi Xing continued,

　"So they must have been Japanese magicians."

　"Elian, you just said that in the past five years, more than 97% of the demon-exorcism work in northeastern Japan has been handled by Shingorin alone?"

　"So what has happened to the original demon-killing family here in recent years?

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　manage? "

　Qi Xing wasn't completely clueless. He had some knowledge of Japan's exorcism industry, so his mind was racing.

　"The demon-exorcism business in Japan is often a family business passed down for hundreds of years. Now, suddenly, there's been almost no work for five years. This is both a financial loss and a murder of parents. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to come and assassinate Kamigorin."

　so he said.

　It sounds like it makes sense.

　Elaine raised an eyebrow and reminded him, "Miss Jingorin has been growing stronger every year and has dominated northern Japan for four or five years. If it was really a local demon-exorcist family trying to assassinate her, why did they do it now?"

　"Well, maybe it's because they're just getting ready now?"

　"This reason is rather unconvincing. Besides,"

　Elaine looked at the local event files again and continued,

　"More than two years ago, when Ms. Jingo Rin was still in junior high school, several demon-exorcist families in Akita and Iwate Prefectures, lacking business, secretly switched to becoming curse casters. Eventually, their schemes were exposed, and Ms. Rin wiped out the entire clan."

　Wow.

　Qi Xing never expected that the little girl Kamigorin actually had the courage to kill an entire family.

　"How did she kill an entire family? Did she really kill them all?"

　"No." Elaine glanced at the file. "She single-handedly defeated three entire families of sorcerers who had fallen into evil ways. She burned all their magical instruments and books, and even burned the qi seas below the navels of all their family members, destroying their powers. She probably never killed anyone."

　Hmm, I see.

　"But anyway..." Elaine couldn't help but sigh at this point. "The local demon-exorcist families in the northeast must have been frightened by Miss Kamigorin. I don't think they can still put together such an elite collaborative team to siege and ambush."

　"Finally, that monster love hotel that just popped up doesn't seem like Japanese magic at all to me. If those three really set it up to seduce Lady Kamigorin, how did they pull it off?"

　Elaine shook her head.

　"This strange technique extracts the evil intentions of passersby, amplifies them, and then possesses them in physical form, transforming them into monsters. I can't even find any relevant records in the church's archives. Qi Xing, this matter may not be that simple."

　After a while, the topic returned to the monster love hotel. Qi Xing rubbed his chin, unable to refute it for a moment.

　I'm afraid things are not that simple.

　Where on earth did those three assassins and the magic that created the monsters come from?

　"Wolf Lord, didn't you try to track them down directly after the battle?"

　"I can't catch it."

　When Lao Lang said this, his expression seemed cold, but in fact he was a little ashamed and annoyed.

　"That last invisible Yin-Yang technique not only made me invisible visually, but it also left no scent behind. I couldn't track it."

　This is probably a shame for canines.

　"But I vaguely heard them say something about reclaiming the 'Black God's Legacy' from the miko... Girl, do you have any idea about this?"

　Lao Lang asked Miss Elaine, everyone’s living dictionary of mythology and religion.

　Everyone really trusts her in this kind of thing.

　"Black God?"

　Elaine frowned, thinking.

　"If it's just one word, it's hard to use it as a clue. Because the "Black God" has many different interpretations in mythology and mythology..."

　"For example, the Eastern deity Xuantian Shangdi is occasionally referred to as the Black God. India's Kali and Krishna are also called Black Gods because of their skin color. These are all "Black Gods" in a color or symbolic sense. Mahakala, one of Shiva's incarnations, can also be considered a "Black God" and was even incorporated into Buddhism as a guardian deity."

　"Japan also has black gods. The Japanese absorbed the image of Daikokuten from Buddhism and merged it with the local Okuninushi god. He is not only a guardian of Buddhism, but also the god in charge of harvest and wealth."

　Qi Xing also knew this and nodded in understanding.

　Elaine continued, listing them one by one very simply: "If we put aside the colors and symbolism and consider it from the perspective of mythological counterpoint, the 'black god' in the sense of the binary opposition of black and white, good and evil, might refer to Ahriman in Persian mythology, Chernobyl in Slavic mythology, and Apophis in Egypt..."

　and many more.

　Having said that, Elaine was suddenly stunned for a moment.

　Binary opposition?

　It turned out to be the case.

　The "legacy of the Black God" the assassins spoke of was likely the unique flame wielded by the miko. If this Black God wasn't a metaphor for mythology or legend, but rather a literal interpretation... then they believed the angelic power wielded by Jingo-san was a gift from the Black God.

　"Vishap."

　A word suddenly popped out of Elaine's mouth without any context.

　"?" Qi Xing and the Wolf Lord were both baffled upon hearing this. Qi Xing was a bit of a geek, but even Old Wolf had no idea what Elaine was talking about.

　Elaine was also somewhat troubled, because… because understanding the nature of God and religion was like studying history: simply describing the knowledge of a particular country and era was difficult to explain clearly. Without learning and accumulating the history up to that era, one could not gain a deep understanding.

　Otherwise, what are people doing spending years studying for degrees in the humanities?

　So she could only give a simple conclusion: "...

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　…Simply put, there was once a group of Nazis in Armenia who believed in Great Aryanism and believed that Armenia was the last paradise for the Aryans.”

　what?

　"They launched a pagan revival movement last century, reconstructing local mythology from the pre-Christian era, believing that the god Ara is the source of all things. His power in the material world is divided into two parts: light and dark. The god of the light side is called Artavazd, and the god of the dark side is called Visap... In their mythological theory, this Visap is the "God" of apocalyptic religion."

　"In their minds, the Christian God is a dark god who represents destruction, chaos, and punishment."

　Well.

　Qi Xing couldn't help but glance at the old wolf beside him when he heard this. "Wolf Lord, aren't you very good at killing Nasuri? How come you don't understand this?"

　"Last time I went to kill the zealots in Northern Europe, how could I possibly understand the zealots in West Asia?" Even Old Wolf was speechless. "Damn it, when one artist falls, thousands and thousands of others stand up. From north to south, there are endless zealots everywhere in the world."

　Indeed. Qi Xing had traveled the world for the past ten years, killing countless inexplicable Naxalite cult magicians. It felt as if the world was filled with an endless supply of Naxalites. He had heard the ravings of the mental hospital. However, compared to what the Naxalite cult claimed they were going to do, those crazy words made more sense.

　Before meeting Elaine, about five years ago, Qi Xing had killed a heretical wizard. He had actually claimed to be following the will of the Great Leader and summoning the "Messiah of the Germans (Heliand)." Qi Xing couldn't understand what this was, even if he smashed his head.

　"But these things about West Asia, these things about the Naxi neo-paganism, are too far away. They can't possibly be related to the events in modern Northeast Japan..."

　Qi Xing fell silent as he spoke. How could he be so sure? Aomori Prefecture already had a tomb of Christ, so it wasn't completely unimaginable for something so pure to appear in modern Japan.

　"Although Greater Aryanism is new, the fusion of Christianity with primitive religions began at least in the 5th century. People in the Caucasus have viewed God as a 'black god' for at least 1400 years."

　Elaine showed an uneasy expression.

　"I find it hard to imagine that there are indigenous organizations in Japan that view God as a 'black god'... It's more likely that this is the result of foreign religions taking root and changing here after the war."

　After the war, Nazism and foreign secret cults took root... Why does this matter seem to be getting bigger and bigger the more I investigate?

　So Qi Xing thought about it for a moment and came up with an idea.

　In any case, as the matter becomes more and more serious as we investigate, we certainly cannot just stand there in a daze, hesitating.

　So he slapped his thigh and made a decision immediately: "Elian, help me make a list of all the local demon-exorcist families who have suffered from the Jin Gorin. Then list separately those families whose financial situation has suddenly improved recently."

　Elaine finished it in a few seconds, but she was still a little confused: "Then?"

　"Then, using the names of 'Rep Master' and the president of the 'International Exorcist Association', you write a letter to the local exorcist family, which was once the largest but is now impoverished and whose financial situation has not improved."

　Qi Xing smiled slightly,

　"Tell them the Association is looking for talented individuals and is offering a high price. Arrange a time and we'll visit them in person."

　Then Elaine understood immediately, understood completely.

　Well, it’s actually pretty cool to be rich and powerful, and to use the Vatican’s treasury and reputation to cause trouble.

　-

　Since the Nara period (8th century), Japan's work of exorcising demons has basically been left to local demon-exorcising families, temples, etc., and is very fragmented.

　There are many different demon-exorcising families, each passing down their own unique magical powers from generation to generation. They are responsible for subduing and eliminating the demons in their own territories throughout Japan. They can be said to be the supernatural version of the daimyo lords.

　After all, this world was created by Sasa, so psychic powers and abilities are naturally inherited, mixing, combining, and mutating through bloodlines. Therefore, exorcists naturally intermarry. From time to time, individuals with psychic powers and abilities emerge among the common people, and they are either incorporated into the family or simply alienated... This is the main reason why exorcist families have a near-monster monopoly on the Japanese demon-hunting market.

　After the Meiji era, centralization became the dominant trend in Japan. Government power increased significantly, and national supernatural organizations such as the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Onmyoji Ryo began to be established. However, local tyrants remained deeply entrenched, and the central government's ability to manage local areas remained limited.

　The Kito family, a clan of demon exorcists, has been a prominent presence in Mutsu for 800 years. With nearly a hundred members, they are not only skilled in exorcising monsters, but also manage local shrines and festivals, becoming vast landowners!

　But recently, their former glory has disappeared.

　"Why would someone deliberately build such a ridiculously large house deep in the mountains?"

　This afternoon, Qi Xing and his group came to the house. As soon as he saw the main gate of Guitou's house, he immediately complained.

　This is a mansion built deep in the mountains. The old Japanese-style house exudes a historical atmosphere, and behind the majestic gate there are endless black tiles.

　But if you look closely, you will find that the stone lantern in front of the door is already covered with dust. The courtyard that should have been neatly trimmed in the past is now overgrown with weeds and no longer as neat as before. The wooden corridor has become mottled due to lack of maintenance for several years.

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　Especially bleak.

　Even the storefront has become like this. Anyone can see that they must be very short of money now.

　"I don't really understand the stuff of wealthy families." Qi Xing scratched his head. "After five years without any income from the Demon Retreat business, would it be like this? They can't even care about their appearance?"