Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

"asshole!"

The man raised his head, his face was covered in blood and his front teeth were missing.

He looked back with a grim expression and found that his ankle had been caught on the wire of an electronic keyboard against the wall.

Just as he kicked away the wire and stood up again...

At the entrance of the passage behind Xia Fan, Rimu rushed in with several agents.

"Puff puff……"

The man had no time to react as he was aimed at by the dark muzzle of a gun and three anesthetic bullets were found on his body.

Several agents rushed forward, skillfully took out straitjackets and handcuffs, and "packed up" the man and took him away.

"Sorry, Consultant Xia Fan, we were negligent!"

Rimu bowed to Xia Fan nervously, staring at the cracks on the ground, his eyes full of fear.

Even powerful psychics like Xia Fan and Jinguji Aoi still have the physical fitness level of ordinary people.

Although he didn't know how thrilling the process just now was, if Xia Fan hadn't handled it properly, he would probably have only found a cold corpse when he arrived.

This will be a permanent regret and stain for him and Lesson 9.

"I'm fine. Thanks to everyone, no one was injured."

Xia Fan shook his head and smiled at Horie Tsubasa who was still in shock in the distance, indicating that he was fine.

"Thanks, partner."

He turned around and tapped the electronic keyboard.

……

Chapter 101: Faith is immortal, war never ends

2024-07-13

……

That night, Shinjuku Metropolitan Police Department, Section 9.

"Although the foul energy reaction is very weak, these four people do have powers that are not human."

"Unlike the spiritual power of a psychic, this power to strengthen the body is closer to the 'ghost' side."

It was still the "Section 9's official interrogation room". On the other side of the one-way glass, the people tied to the bench had changed from the "Asian illegal immigrants" to four muscular men from the "Akagami Team".

At this time, they not only wore the standard "restraint suit and ball gag suit", but also had talismans pasted all over their bodies, and their eyes were particularly peaceful because of the tranquilizers in their bodies.

In the four corners of the interrogation room, there was an armed detective sitting in each of the four corners to prevent the tranquilizer from wearing off and the four men from suddenly attacking and injuring others.

"According to the confessions of these four people, the Tokyo branch of the gang they belonged to, the Inagawa Group, began to believe in the custom of the 'Red God' two years ago, led by the head of the gang, Takenaka Masahiro, requiring members to have totems tattooed on their bodies and hold regular worship ceremonies..."

"Their power was granted by Takenaka Masahiro in the name of the Red God through a special ritual of drinking blood."

On the other side of the glass, Aoi Jinguji stood with her hands behind her back.

"This 'Red God' sounds like some kind of wild god?"

Standing not far from her, Xia Fan was looking at the four men with complicated eyes.

The gray tinge hidden in the foul aura of the men made him subconsciously think of the samurai Aragami of Kanda Shrine.

"In folklore, the wild gods do grant ghost powers to their worshippers through 'bloodline'."

"I looked up the classics and found that the "Konjaku Hyakki Shiyi" recorded that during the Warring States period, the "Akagami faith" was prevalent in the Aizu area. The classics described the "Akagami as 'red in color, more than two feet tall, and shaped like a demon. Worshiping it can gain the strength of an ox.'"

"The Ashina Family Instructions of the same period also have similar records. The Ashina family in Wakamatsu Castle in the Aizu region had a mysterious 'Red God Army' during the Warring States Period. The members were transformed from war criminals. They had red stripes on their bodies, were tall, and had great strength."

"Based on this speculation, this 'Red God' should be a very ancient wild god. Judging from its behavior, it can also be called an evil god."

Jinguji Aoi handed the tablet computer in her hand to Xia Fan, on which was a scanned copy of the book containing information related to the "Red God".

"So, how does Section 9 usually deal with this kind of 'evil god'?"

Reading the classics on the tablet, Xia Fan asked casually.

This "Red God", this set of office software punching in to worship, tattooing totems, granting power and other methods, sounded very familiar to him...

In essence, just like the "Tian Yu Shen" in one's body, it's all for the purpose of gaining faith.

"Since they are called 'gods', they naturally cannot be 'killed' by humans. Even a newly born god like Tokugawa Kagekatsu, after he had fulfilled his regrets that day, he resolved his obsession and passed away on his own."

"Therefore, in response to this kind of 'evil god', the Psychic Association advocates sealing its 'divine body' and then using various measures to cut off the source of its belief, causing it to fall into a 'passive sleep'."

When talking about things related to "God", Aoi Jinguji looked serious.

"Mr. Xia, have you ever heard of the War of Faith?"

Sighing, she asked Xia Fan in return.

"I seem to have heard someone mention this word somewhere, but I don't quite understand it. I would like to hear more about it."

Xia Fan spoke vaguely, sat down at the interrogation table, and pretended to listen attentively.

He couldn't say that he had heard the term "war of faith" from the mouth of the "Amanomiya" in his body.

"Throughout history, there have been wars in District 11 every hundred years, all caused by 'faith'."

"The three major religions of God, Buddhism and Taoism are dominant, but the legendary 'eight million gods' are always trying to cultivate agents, gain ruling power, and gain the world's faith for their gods."

"As long as faith lasts, wars will never cease, so it is called 'the war of faith'."

"The ruling royal family of Area 11 claims to be the descendants of Amaterasu, and the Yamato Dynasty has been in existence for 126 generations."

"In history, famous forces such as the Fujiwara clan, the Heike clan, the Kamakura shogunate, the Muromachi shogunate, the Toyotomi clan, and the Tokugawa clan have all successfully sidelined the imperial family and gained actual ruling power for a period of time, but they could only maintain their rule under the name of the 'imperial family'."

"It is precisely because the people have a firm belief in Amaterasu that even if the proxies are in power, the 'gods' behind them cannot block the light of the 'sun'. Otherwise, the world will become even more miserable and people will be treated like grass."

Aoi Jinguji sat opposite him and told him the psychic's inherited secrets about the "War of Faith".

"I see. The fight between 'gods' for 'faith' seems to be much more complicated than I thought."

Xia Fan looked thoughtful and glanced at the shadow at his feet.

The "Heavenly God" in my body must have also participated in the "War of Faith".

So what is the story behind her divine body being sealed and falling into a deep sleep?

"During the repeated wars of faith, the world was divided and united. Many ancient gods fell into slumber due to the decline of faith, and would occasionally become active due to the revival of faith."

"However, in this era where 'science' has surpassed 'theology', the economy is in decline, people's hearts are no longer as they used to be, and faith is lacking. Even Amaterasu's power is getting weaker and weaker. She has been silent for a thousand years and has not sent down an oracle. It is even more difficult for those ancient gods whose names have been forgotten to regain faith."

"After the Meiji Restoration, the imperial family and the government were very open to the affiliation of faith, and a special certification system for religious corporations was established. As long as it was a local faith in the eleven districts, it was legal if it only established a society and temple and recruited believers, and did not cause 'supernatural influence'."

"In the past hundred years, there have been only a few cases of 'evil gods reviving', all of which were dealt with for reasons such as 'cult debauchery', 'endangering public safety', and 'treason'."

"This Inagawa group believes in the Red God and is suspected of crimes such as human sacrifice and murder. The leader, Takenaka Masahiro, has probably been arrested by Section 9 by now."

Aoi Jinguji sighed, picked up her phone and checked the time.

"Two advisors."

The door was pushed open with a bang and Inspector Higurashi walked in hurriedly.

"We have destroyed the Tokyo branch of the Inagawa Group and arrested all the core members, including two men who have acquired 'supernatural powers'."

"It is a shame that the main culprit Takenaka Masahiro escaped during the pursuit with his monstrous physique. According to the last record of Skynet, he has taken the Shinkansen to Kansai, and the relevant teams are pursuing him..."

He looked pale, his uniform was disheveled, and his tie was missing. It was obvious that he had just experienced an unpleasant armed operation.

Chapter 102: New Era Evil God

2024-07-13

After prying information out from the four members of the "Akagami Team", Inspector Higurashi personally led the team to attack the Tokyo branch of the Inagawa Group.

Faced with the official force armed with live ammunition, even the members of the "Akagami Team" were no match for the anesthetic bullets. The members of the Inagawa Group, who usually engaged in "territory fights" at most, naturally offered no resistance and squatted on the ground with their buttocks raised and their heads in their hands as if they were familiar with the situation.

However, the minister Masahiro Takenaka, who took the lead in believing in "Akagami", had physical fitness several times more terrible than the members of the "Akagami Team". He jumped directly from the third floor under the hail of bullets, rode a bicycle, and disappeared in the streets and alleys at a speed faster than that of a car.

"There is nothing we can do. We can only continue the hunt. What we need to do now is to first cut off the source of faith in the Red God. The power of its fanatics will gradually fade away."

Upon hearing the news, Aoi Jinguji frowned.

"We conducted a thorough search of the Inagawa Group's Tokyo branch and Takenaka Masahiro's residence, but apart from some tattoos, we were unable to find anything related to the Akagami."

"According to the weekly 'Akagami Worship Check-in Challenge' in the Inagawa Group's office software, we have confirmed the list of members who believe in 'Akagami' and have initially controlled the source of their belief."

"The chain restaurants and illegal plantings run by the Inagawa Group involve many people, and it seems that no one has come into contact with "Akagami" yet. We decided to investigate them one by one in secret."

Higurashi took out his notebook and reported the follow-up investigation matters one by one.

But Xia Fan had no intention of listening to this.

[God has given us faith: conquer the Red God and eliminate heresy to prove your power. Upon completion, you will receive God's blessing.]

Because, "Amagami" has sent down a new oracle.

"Hey, it's already chaotic enough, don't make it worse."

Xia Fan rolled his eyes and pretended not to see the oracle.

Didn’t the Jinguji Miko just say that throughout history, so many outstanding figures have been lost in the long river of history because of “wars of faith”?

With his small body, he could not withstand a single punch from Minister Takenaka. There was no need for him to get involved in the war of faith and to "conquer" or "annihilate" the brave and aggressive "Amaterasu".

"Once this kind of primitive evil god is completely blocked by official agencies, it will be difficult for it to continue to preach and gain followers."

"Now, we just have to wait until the last believer, Takenaka Masahiro, is arrested, and the Red God can rest in peace again."

"During this period, Section 9 will continue to send agents to lurk around to protect you."

Jinguji Aoi thought Xia Fan was worried that the "Red God" would make a comeback, so she comforted him softly.

"That's good... Now that the 'supernatural criminal organization' has been destroyed, Director Nakano should be able to continue filming 'The Chrysanthemum and the Sword' with peace of mind..."

Xia Fan rubbed his face tiredly, and suddenly a strange idea popped up in his mind...

If "Akashin" is considered the "original evil god", and with a "worker in the entertainment industry" like me earning faith, wouldn't "Tenmi-shin" become the "new era evil god"?

……

Three days later, Edo-Tokyo Architectural Park.

Collapsed houses, smoky roads, and "corpses" everywhere formed a tragic scene after the war.

In the middle of the road, Xia Fan and Shirakawa Rika, who had finished dressing up, were standing opposite each other.

"The actors are in place, and the makeup and hair are done."

"Lighting and camera positions confirmed."

"Scene check complete."

The staff members took their positions and confirmed the situation on the intercom channel.

"So, Kazama vs. Chiyo, Act 3, Scene 1, Sixth try!"

The script supervisor is clapboarding in front of the camera.

"The culprit who secretly refined the 'Black Rakshasa' has been beheaded by me. In the final analysis, they are just some greedy and desperate criminals who are seeking power and profit."

"The Black Rakshasa Legion has been destroyed. What are your plans?"

Xia Fan, with his red eyes and blond hair and his military robe fluttering, grinned with his small fangs and spoke in a cold tone.

"Thank you, Mr. Kazama, for drawing your sword to protect me and killing the culprit. Next, I still want to continue heading north to find the Shinsengumi."

Opposite him, Rika Shirakawa, wearing a men's kimono with her ponytail swaying freely, exudes a pitiful aura in every word and action under the camera, completely different from her usual arrogance.

"Your joke is not funny. If it comes from the heart, it will be even more unfunny..."

Xia Fan twisted his mouth to reveal a disdainful smile and said in a deep voice.

"Card!"

Director Nakano, who was on the other side of the monitor, crossed his fingers and palms and made a "pause" gesture.

"Mr. Xia, the temperament of the character in this section still doesn't capture the point."

"The Rakshasa Young Master, Kazama Manye, would never show such a superficial smile!"