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

"In other words, if I go to this show, take advantage of the popularity, and make it to the second round, that would be considered as exceeding the debut mission, right..."

"Go ahead, why not take advantage of the free popularity?"

Xia Fan thought about it silently and gave an affirmative answer.

"Okay, that's settled then."

"Hello, Tongkou, it's me. It's time to repay the favor you owe me..."

Dongye handed the registration form and pen to Xia Fan, motioning him to fill it out first, and then walked aside to make a phone call.

"OK, I'll ask your music club boss, Touguchi Norio, to secure the spot for the Burning Department."

After a while, Higashino Yoshihide came back after making a phone call.

"When he heard that he was going to 'come down to earth' to 'have some fun' on a talent show, he was so surprised that he was speechless for half a minute."

"However, because you haven't agreed to sign the 'exclusive cooperation agreement', and they are worried that you might be poached, Tongkou agreed to help get the quota, with the condition that you sign a confidentiality agreement and not disclose in public that you are a music producer 'incarnated'."

Although he was surprised that someone would "come down to earth" to participate in a talent show, Toguchi Norio, who came from a rock band, also understood the young people's jumping thoughts and the strange "way of collecting materials" of musicians and producers.

In addition, no one from the Burning Department has advanced to the third round of the idol audition program for six consecutive years, so he is not worried that Xia Fan will waste too much time on this.

"There's no problem with the confidentiality agreement. When participating in the show, Xia Fan is Xia Fan, and Xia Fan is Xia Fan, right?"

Xia Fan quickly filled out the form and handed it to Dong Ye.

In this parallel world's 11th district, "Xia Fan" and "Xia Fan" are similar in pronunciation, but written differently, so the correlation is not that high. Moreover, even if you say it yourself, as long as Bethesda refuses to admit it, others may not believe it.

"Speaking of which, kid... this time, you didn't say you would rub it once, but you pushed it all the way in again, right?"

Dong Ye checked Xia Fan's registration form, his eyelids twitching slightly...

The keen intuition honed by years of underworld career seemed to be reminding him of something.

"How is that possible? Idols and talent shows are not areas I am familiar with at all. Besides, I am a burning type. Didn't we agree to be the runner-up?"

Xia Fan shook his head like a rattle.

He has also watched this kind of idol talent show, where they compete in singing, dancing, rap, basketball...

Apart from his looks and [Divine Eyes] which could accumulate some favorability, the rest of the messy protections like [Psychic Body], [Noh Mask], [Izumo Sword Dance], etc. were of no help at all.

But as Uncle Higashino said, it would be nice to have a chance to appear on such a large-scale show, accumulate stage experience, and make a formal debut.

"That's right, what I was thinking..."

"During this period, you should not take other 'part-time jobs'. Before the competition officially starts, I will hire professionals to arrange a series of rigorous practice courses for you, including singing, dancing, rap, body shaping, etc. Even if you are just running with others, you can't be left too far behind."

Dongye laughed at himself and took out a "practice plan" and handed it to Xia Fan.

"Finally, are we going to start the 'practice'?"

Looking at the densely packed "practice courses" on the form, Xia Fan also became excited.

……

"Shariputra, emptiness is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. The same is true of feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness..."

Just as Xia Fan finished filling out the registration form for the "Idol Birth Festival", solemn Buddhist scriptures were echoing in a large meeting room in Class 9.

"No, Master, stop talking, just let me go to the shit..."

“Wuwuwu… I can’t get the job of an action movie actor… My life… is meaningless…”

The walls of the conference room were covered with talisman paper. Dozens of men, women, old and young, wearing bondage clothes and ball gags in their mouths, sat in rows with lifeless eyes and a look of despair in their lives.

In the open space in the center, two elderly monks were sitting cross-legged, chanting scriptures with their eyes closed.

His lips hardly moved, but the scriptures he spoke rang clearly in everyone's ears.

If there is a psychic here, he can even glimpse a faint Buddha light lingering in the house.

"Second monk, how are these people doing?"

Aoi Jinguji pushed the door open and walked in, looking a little anxious.

Chapter 147: Divine Fortune, Very Bad Omen

2024-07-13

"Amitabha, judging from the current situation, the victims' desire to die has diminished, but they need to listen to the sutra for at least seven days before they can completely let go of their obsession."

The second monk did not open his eyes, answered in a low voice, and continued to recite the scriptures.

"Will it take seven days to completely eliminate the effects?"

"In the past twelve hours, the suicide hotline has received another thirty-four cases suspected to be related to the 'handbook'. The emergency response teams of the Metropolitan Police Department have already rushed to the scene to take care of the patients as soon as possible..."

"If the number of people continues to increase like this, I'm afraid we'll have to move to a wider place."

Looking at the motionless people around her, Jinguji Aoi stamped her feet subconsciously.

Ever since that day, after Xia Fan confirmed the existence of the "Complete Suicide Manual" through "spiritual communication", Lesson 9 has taken a two-pronged approach of "source investigation" and "suicide prevention".

On the "source investigation" side, after some investigation, it was found that not only the author had committed suicide long ago, but even the editors and printers who worked for the publishing house at the time had all committed suicide one after another in recent years, and there was no evidence to prove it...

"Suicide prevention" is quite effective. After the Ninth Section took over the "Suicide Prevention Hotline", it stepped up the publicity of the hotline number. It also formed a "suicide rescue coordination mechanism" with the police stations in various parts of the eleventh district, and saved many suicidal people from the brink of life and death.

Most ordinary suicide victims can avoid a second suicide attempt in the short term through psychological counseling after a failed suicide attempt.

Those who claim to have read "The Complete Suicide Manual" have not only completely lost the biological "survival instinct", but also have a crazy obsession with "suicide".

At present, the only effective way found by Lesson 9 is to tie up the person and invite two monks to preach the sutras to gradually eliminate the obsession in his heart.

"The size of the venue is not a problem, but given the old monk's physical condition, I can only continue chanting for a week at most. During this period, we must find a way to eradicate it."

"Unfortunately, the number of people in my Sensoji Temple has dwindled, and the few disciples who have a little spiritual talent are not yet capable of reciting this secret scripture."

The second monk sighed and spoke quickly during a break in chanting.

The first suicide victim who was taken in went through seven days of baptism in Buddhist scriptures. He finally gave up the idea of ​​suicide yesterday and returned to normal life.

But during this period, the number of suicide cases increased day by day.

In addition to the suicides that were successfully taken in and were related to the manual, there were also many irreversible cases such as burning charcoal at home, jumping on the railroad tracks hand in hand, and hanging in the company...

Although the two monks were good at practicing asceticism, they were old and had limited spiritual power, so it was impossible for them to chant the scriptures endlessly.

"The method of eradication... This manual comes and goes without a trace. Apart from the victim himself, even psychics cannot see it. How can we eradicate it..."

Jinguji Aoi also knew that the most urgent task was to find the root of the manual and eradicate it completely, but the actual situation made it difficult to start.

"Jinguji Miko!"

"In Kyoto, the chief priest Wang Ren of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine has sent a 'divine fortune'. It has just been delivered by a special person via the Shinkansen, and I want you to open it yourself!"

Inspector Higurashi walked into the meeting room, exhausted, and handed over an "amazure" in a crimson cloth bag.

"Lord Wang Ren, after seven days and seven nights of divination, is there finally a result?"

Aoi Jinguji took the amulet and opened it excitedly.

Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha is an ancient shrine built in the 8th century. The current chief priest, Wang Ren, is a member of the Psychic Association and is very good at fortune-telling.

"This signature..."

The amulet was opened, and the rolled-up fortune slip was unrolled. The two words "Da Xiong" at the top made Jinguji Aoi's hands tremble, and she took a breath of cold air...

"People's hearts are no longer the same as they used to be, the world is no longer holy, and evil curses are rampant. Obsessions and curses are endless, and it is difficult to drive them away. If there is no god to save the world, all living beings will suffer."

The next signature reads as follows.

"I see."

Aoi Jinguji put the fortune slip back into the amulet and handed it to an agent waiting outside the house.

The divine fortune slips reveal the secrets of heaven. Any "very bad" fortune slip must be returned to the shrine and offered and purified day and night, otherwise it will bring worse consequences.

"Other members of the Psychic Association, is there any new news?"

She raised her head and asked Higurashi.

"There is no new feedback from the psychic we have contacted so far."

Higurashi shook his head.

"According to Fushimi Inari's fortune, this 'Complete Suicide Manual' is essentially a curse."

"This curse uses the obsession of consuming the victim's 'life' as its source of power. As long as someone dies from it, the curse will continue to grow. All victims must be purified at the same time, otherwise it will be impossible to stop its spread."

"But the curse spreads secretly and affects a wide area. It is difficult to find all the cursed people in District 11 in a short period of time and purify them all at once."

"No wonder the Divine Prospectus says, 'If there is no god to save the world, all living beings will suffer'..."

"But, let alone Amaterasu, the gods in the shrines, temples and dojos that are still passed down have been silent for many years. They have never responded to prayers or given any oracles... Where can we find the gods to help?"

With the hint from the divine fortune, Jinguji Aoi understood the reason, but still had no idea how to deal with it.

"It's really dark under the lamp... Speaking of 'inviting gods', isn't there a strong man in Tokyo?"

"Quick, go and invite Lord Xia Fan down!"

After pondering deeply, her eyes suddenly lit up and she spoke to Rimu.

……

Two hours later.

By the time Higurashi sent someone to invite Xia Fan, because of the arrival of thirty-four new cursed people who had attempted suicide, Lesson 9 had already moved the chanting location to a closed warehouse next to the Metropolitan Police Department.

"That manual turned out to be a terrible curse..."

Walking into the warehouse, Xia Fan's face darkened as he looked at the densely packed talismans on the wall and the victims with lifeless eyes tied to the benches.

Although he had learned the details from Higurashi on the way here, the visual impact of actually seeing these victims was so horrifying that he felt his hair stand on end.

"Mr. Xia Fan...you are here..."

Jinguji Aoi, who was arranging talismans on the wall, turned around and saw Xia Fan, and walked towards him quickly.

But she stumbled and fell to the ground...

"Be careful! Jinguji, what's wrong with you?"

Fortunately, Xia Fan was quick-witted and held her up.

Only then did he notice that Jinguji Aoi's face was as pale as paper, and her beautiful hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat, making her look particularly sad and touching.

"It's okay, I just overdrawn some of my spiritual power, I just need to adjust it."

Supporting herself on Xia Fan and regaining her balance, Jinguji Aoi looked a little aggrieved.

"Originally, considering that you just fought with the God of Wilderness recently, your spiritual power must have been greatly depleted, so this case will be handled by me and the Second Monk."

"But my spells and magic are only good at exorcising evil spirits and foul air, not removing curses... Although the second monk's scriptures can remove obsessions, they cannot keep up with the speed and range of the curse..."

"I have no choice but to ask you to come over again and see if there is a better way to summon the spirits?"

Because they have no will to survive, in order to prevent foul air and other evil spirits from taking advantage of the situation, it is necessary to set up an exorcism formation around them.

But setting up such a large venue at one time would inevitably consume a lot of spiritual energy. Up to now, she has been relying entirely on willpower to hold on.

Chapter 148 Sacrifice Song, Divine Liberation

2024-07-13

"I really don't know how to eradicate this 'curse'..."

When asked about the "countermeasures" by Aoi Jinguji, Xia Fan frowned.

He had never received any "spiritual inheritance education" and knew nothing about the concept of "curse". The mess of "blessings" and "divine skills" bestowed by the God of Heaven did not seem to be able to deal with this situation.

Having personally experienced Katsuya Tomoguchi's near-death memory, he was also extremely anxious when he thought that in addition to the dozens of people in front of him, more people might be harmed by the curse of the manual every minute and every second.

"By the way, although I don't know, maybe I can ask..."

Suddenly thinking of something, Xia Fan's face was conflicted for a moment, then became determined.

"Please find me a quiet place."

He said to Jinguji Aoi with a serious face.

"Okay, there's a separate room over there for backup."