Persona: Devil Summoner

Jiang Tianwei muttered, and suddenly noticed that he had changed into the combat uniform he had worn in the familiar space. It was a long gown that looked like a Peking Opera costume, with four flags on the back and a decorative sword on the waist. The other members of the Phantom Thieves did the same, each of them changing into a Phantom Thief costume.

"So, what should we do, Captain?"

Jiang Tianwei asked Amamiya Lian, but unexpectedly Amamiya Lian seemed not to have heard him at all. He walked straight to an iron prison door next to him. The iron barred door that appeared out of thin air was as abrupt as Doraemon's Anywhere Door. There was just this door standing in the space.

A little girl in blue clothes, a blue hat and an eye mask was sitting on the door. The door opened, and Amamiya Ren was about to walk in. The little girl jumped down from the door and kicked Amamiya Ren in with a flying kick in the air!

"Hey! What are you doing, little brat..."

When Jiang Tianwei saw the leader being attacked, he quickly ran over to save him, but suddenly, he felt like he had stepped on empty air, and he felt like he was losing weight, falling rapidly downwards? !

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 94: The Demonic War Part : The Great Monk

This feeling...Jiang Tianwei is very familiar with it.

When I was fighting against the Demon Bullfighter before, I was pulled into such a strange space.

Could it be the same this time?

With the experience from last time, Jiang Tianwei was still a little panicked, but not in a hurry. He touched his pocket and found his phone was still there, Fang Zexia was still beside him, which meant that the Demon Summoning App could work correctly. In addition, he had just defeated the Demon Bullfighter not long ago, and he was in high spirits. As the saying goes, a skilled person is a courageous person, and his courage must be related to his skills.

He looked around. The scene this time was completely different from the last time. Last time it was a circular arena reminiscent of the ancient Roman Colosseum, but this time it was a square wall that enclosed a space, a bluestone floor with moss growing in the cracks, a shallow pond in the yard made of gray stones, and near the rockery in the middle of the pool, verdant bamboo was made into a water dispenser. It rose and fell repeatedly with the trickle of water flowing out of the rockery, making a crisp sound that echoed among the branches and leaves of the ancient pine trees in the yard, which was very elegant.

This courtyard is just like an ancient temple, giving people a feeling of leisure and tranquility.

And Jiang Tianwei's enemy... that demon was sitting in the middle of the yard. He was lying on a pile of cattails, with Buddhist beads hanging around his neck. He was wearing a yellow robe and a monk's hat of the same color. He was beating a wooden fish with one hand and counting his prayer beads with the other, just like a statue of a high monk who had passed away.

However, like the demon bullfighter, this demon did not have a single piece of flesh on his body, only white bones.

"Are you the demon this time?"

"Kokoko... Old monk, the great abbot. I am honored to meet you."

The skeleton demon raised his head, and his pair of dark eyes stared at Jiang Tianwei, making people shudder.

Jiang Tianwei looked around, Fang Zexia was still beside him as always, the two looked at each other, and they agreed with each other. Jiang Tianwei took out his cell phone and opened the demon summoning program...

"Kokoko, there is no need to use force. I have no intention of fighting with you. What's more..."

The chief monk stopped the wooden fish in his hand, stretched out his bony fingers, and pointed at the lines on Jiang Tianwei's right hand:

"You have already defeated the demon bullfighter, right? To be able to defeat that demon, your fighting skills must be perfect. I definitely cannot defeat you."

As the saying goes, never hit a smiling person. Although Jiang Tianwei was full of fighting spirit, the abbot always spoke in a calm manner, with the attitude of a monk who had seen through the world. Jiang Tianwei's passion was like a punch on cotton, and there was no feeling of being beaten at all.

"Well, you don't want to fight, and you don't want to retreat. What's going on? Do you want to have a discussion with me?"

Jiang Tianwei mocked him, but the great abbot was not angry. Instead, he said calmly, "If the donor is interested, then I don't mind giving you a lecture. If you put down your butcher knife, you will become a Buddha. As long as you have the intention, Buddha will accept everything."

"No thanks. I don't want to give up my beautiful hair, nor am I interested in being a vegetarian or chanting Buddhist scriptures. It's even more impossible for me to remain single for my entire life. Just tell me straight, what do you want me to do to leave here?"

"Kokoko, don't be anxious... Donor, have you noticed that ever since you defeated the Demon Bullfighter, your emotions have been unconsciously high, you are keen on fighting, and use violence to solve problems. Is my guess correct?"

Jiang Tianwei pondered for a while, as if what the Bone Monk said made some sense, as if he always felt inexplicably excited, and was more keen on solving problems with violence, and really enjoyed the joy of fighting with fists and fists.

"Kokoko, judging from your expression, I guessed it right. Donor - you are obsessed."

The great abbot gave a firm conclusion, and Jiang Tianwei felt angry: "I don't have time to argue with you now. I just want to know how to leave this damn place..."

"Kokoko, benefactor, you are angry again. Don't worry, I have no intention of being hostile to you. At this distance, I will never be able to defeat the bullfighter."

Jiang Tianwei looked at the distance between the two people. Indeed, it was about ten steps away. If he fought with all his strength, whether he summoned a demon, summoned a persona, or just rushed up and beat him with his fists, he would have plenty of time.

Moreover, looking at the opponent's face, he looks like a mage in an RPG game. He is no match for a fighter like me. I will definitely have the advantage in close combat.

"My name is the Great Abbot, and I am a highly accomplished monk. I have no intention of causing trouble. If you want to leave, I will take the initiative to admit defeat. However, I have a Buddhist story to tell you. I hope you will remember it."

As the great monk was speaking, the white bones of his upper and lower teeth kept clattering against each other, looking quite creepy.

"What is Buddhism?"

"There is no Bodhi tree, nor is there a mirror stand. There is nothing at all, so why should there be dust?"

"I'm not bragging, I do know this Buddhist verse."

Jiang Tianwei was originally quite expectant, and was wondering what kind of Buddhist Zen this skeleton monk would say that he had never heard of before. Unexpectedly, it was this song "Nothing", which can be said to be a very well-known Buddhist Zen.

Of course, Jiang Tianwei knew about this Buddhist chant mainly from a comic book about a pistol-wielding monk and his three disciples driving a jeep all the way west.

"Kokoko, donor, the meaning of Buddhism and Zen is not just knowing it literally... Time, space, state of mind, different situations will have different perceptions... Kokoko, since donor is willing to remember Buddhism and Zen, I will fulfill my promise."

The great monk was speaking with his hands clasped together. He was clearly a skeleton, but he seemed to be shining with Buddha's light. He was clearly wearing cloth clothes, but he looked like the golden body of Buddha.

"I am a demon, the Great Demon Abbot. Once I recognize you, all your troubles will become Bodhi. Your mind will be enlightened like a revelation. Kokoko, just experience my power."

As he spoke, with every word he said, it felt like the abbot's body became fainter and the golden light became brighter. These light balls dispersed from his body and poured into Jiang Tianwei's body.

After defeating the Demon Matador, Jiang Tianwei had a mysterious ring on his right finger.

When the Demonic Monk disappeared, Jiang Tianwei felt a pain in his wrist and a burning sensation behind his ear. The tattoo on his finger seemed to be like a vine winding up along his arm, passing through the back of his hand and beyond his wrist. Behind his ear, there were also two pale blue lines like vines.

Jiang Tianwei was in a trance, and the space around him quickly faded away like a mirage. When he came to his senses, Jiang Tianwei had returned to the place where he started. There were no skeletons, no monks, no enemies, and from his own perspective, he could not see himself...

However, although he should have been panicking, Jiang Tianwei felt his mind was clearer than ever before. It was like the sudden enlightenment that Buddhism emphasizes...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 95: Troubles are Bodhi

Jiang Tianwei just came to his senses and found himself back at the entrance of Madarame's weird art gallery. There were no friends around him, but he could still see the iron gate that Amamiya Ren had been kicked into.

Jiang Tianwei went over and pulled, but it didn't move at all.

(Speculating from this situation... I'm afraid I really disappeared just now... Combined with the fact that Amamiya Ren was attacked, I guess my teammates all went to look for Amamiya Ren.).

Jiang Tianwei just felt a little guilty towards everyone, but this emotion quickly disappeared.

As if he had never felt ashamed of it.

(Combining this with the incident with the bullfighter, did I also gain special powers from the Demon Great Priest? Referring to my own situation, my mind is unusually clear and calm, and I am not troubled by guilt... Is it my emotions? Or is it forced calmness? Or, something even more powerful... abnormal mental endurance?).

Jiang Tianwei thought about more than a dozen different things in his mind, including the resentment of being treated unfairly, the hatred of his father's tragic death, the beautiful female character in the second dimension that he once admired, and the world's richest man and his inspirational story that he once envied...

When recalling most of the negative emotions, Jiang Tianwei was surprisingly calm. He knew he should be angry and hateful, but mentally he remained calm. But it was different from the absolute rationality without emotion. To put it in an analogy, it was like driving a car, and the in-car AI reported the current situation of the car to you, such as tire consumption, insufficient gasoline, etc., but the driver could not empathize with the car.

Jiang Tianwei is like this now, watching his emotions through a layer of safe glass. Want to get angry? Then just give yourself an order to get angry.

This is the special ability of the Great Monk [Troubles are Bodhi]. According to legend, Sakyamuni attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Countless Buddhists are eager for enlightenment, but they often go astray because of their haste. Three thousand strands of troubles, you can shave off your physical hair, but it is difficult to sort out the troubles on the spiritual level.

This great abbot is indeed an enlightened monk. To him, no matter it is his own troubles, hypnosis and brainwashing by evil spirits, or even panic and fear, they are all bodhi seeds leading to enlightenment. He does not need to force himself to cut them off, but accepts them all and then controls them perfectly.

Although Jiang Tianwei was thinking about many things over and over in his mind, it didn't take long in reality and he immediately regained his composure: "Fangze, are you there?"

"Uh-huh! What's wrong?".

Fang Zexia, who had wings on her back, flew out from behind him.

"Are you interested in visiting an art gallery with me?"

"Oh, what should I do? I don't have that much free time."

Fang Zexia was joking with a smile, Jiang Tianwei pouted, turned around and walked away: "Then I'll go shopping alone."

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait a minute, since you have sincerely invited me, then I will mercifully accompany you!"

"uh-huh."

After exchanging some jokes with Fang Zexia, Jiang Tianwei confirmed that his temper and his love of joking had not disappeared...

(That’s fine. If I were to become an “absolutely rational” guy who can’t even take a joke, I wouldn’t be able to handle it…)

------------

The palace can be seen as the inner truth of its holder.

Knowing this, we can infer what kind of person the owner is from the palace. This is what TV stations often say, "getting into the mind of a certain master."

So, what kind of person is Madarame-sensei?

In a nutshell, he is a person who loves money.

From the outside, this art gallery looks exaggerated enough, but when you walk into it, it is pitch black inside, with no light at all, just like an art gallery without lights on at night.

This kind of scenery probably exists because, although Madarame regards his tin house as an art gallery, he has never thought of inviting anyone into his heart, so in his heart, this art gallery will never be open to the public.

So it is closed forever.

The shadows wandering inside all looked like guards, patrolling the place with rubber sticks and large flashlights in their hands.

The decorations around him were all made of crude gold, including gold vases, gold picture frames, gold kettles, and gold ceilings. He wished everything was made of gold. He looked like a nouveau riche, without any taste that an artist should have. I wonder if such a great artist would even eat a watermelon made of gold.

"In other words, Madarame is a money slave with no artistic taste at all."

As Jiang Tianwei spoke, he took a step back to avoid Shadow's rubber stick, grabbed the opponent's wrist with his backhand, and with one precise strike of his right hand, he grabbed the mask on the opponent's face and tore it off.

"Alas, it's called an art museum, but there's no artistry at all. I was originally wondering if it could be used as a reference for rhythmic gymnastics."

Fang Zexia also sighed, and her petite body took nimble steps, like a dancing elf, and lightly passed the guards who were chasing her.

Jiang Tianwei stretched out his hand to her, and Fang Zexia jumped gracefully in the air, made a beautiful pose in the air, and fell into Jiang Tianwei's arms, holding hands. Jiang Tianwei took his hand, and Fang Zexia turned around and got into Jiang Tianwei's arms. The two of them seemed like waltz dancers waiting for the music to start.

The guards around caught up with her, and Jiang Tianwei pushed with one hand. Fang Zexia used the force to tiptoe and spin around. Her blue evening dress fluttered like waves with her slender but powerful body movements. Bright yellow lightning rolled out from her fingertips, elbows, and knees, like the special effects shots often seen in animations.

However, this lightning is not just for show.

The guards were affected by the lightning and fell down one after another. Jiang Tianwei did not show any mercy to them. He summoned his demon followers and launched a fierce pursuit on the fallen enemies.

Jiang Tianwei didn’t know where Yu Gong Lian and the others had gone.

There is no need to know.

He needed to know the location of Amamiya Ren and the others because he wanted to reunite with them. If he didn't know the location of the other party, how could he find them in such a big art museum?

So, he chose to do the opposite.

Amamiya Ren and his gang's style of doing things is very much like that of a phantom thief. I guess they found a place with weak security today and sneaked in quietly, right?

Then, he would just make a big fuss at the entrance to attract all the enemy's attention. This way, Amamiya Ren and the others' actions would be much safer.

And... you can also test your own abilities and enrich your APP collection.

The ability I gained by defeating the Demon Matador, [Blood of Andalusia], actually has similar terms in modern sports. The more common ones are "mental unity" and "selflessness". Japanese comics occasionally call it "zone". It is a kind of ability that the more you want to enter this state, the more difficult it is. It's like when you have insomnia, the more you tell yourself to stop thinking about it and go to sleep, the more you will think about it and can't fall asleep.

And now, because of the great abbot's special ability [Troubles are Bodhi], Jiang Tianwei can perfectly control his mental state. If he wants to enter that highly tense and alert state, it is just a matter of a command in his brain.

This feeling of being 100% in control of your body is very comfortable.

Jiang Tianwei took a step happily, cooperating with Fang Zexia. The two of them seemed like weapons roaming in the enemy camp, and wherever they passed, there was grief and suffering.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 96 Confirming the target

It seems that Madarame's distortion is much stronger than Kamoshida's.

The shadows that linger in Madarame's palace are much stronger than those in Kamoshida's palace.

This was a good thing for Jiang Tianwei, as it meant that he could sign contracts with more powerful demons and require them to enter his demon summoning program.

In particular, Jiang Tianwei's demon summoning program also has the function of demon fusion. Of course, the material used for fusion should be as strong as possible.

After fighting for almost half an hour, Jiang Tianwei had already defeated countless shadows. It must be said that shadows are indeed a collection of darkness in the hearts of humans. They are endless and cannot be completely eliminated.

Jiang Tianwei examined his mental state and knew it was time to retreat. If he pushed himself to the limit, no one knew what would happen if he had no teammates around him.

(Let’s finish defeating these few. Maybe they have completed their mission and retreated by now?).

Thinking of this, Jiang Tianwei ordered the Konoha Tengu beside him to fly up and kick the surrounding enemies away. Then he summoned persona Xiang Yao, switched to Overlord Xiang Yu, and assisted Tengu in repelling the shadows around him.

"Oh! It's here?!"

Just when Jiang Tianwei couldn't hold on any longer and was about to retreat, he heard Long Si's voice coming from outside the door from afar.

When I turned around, I saw the black skull mask under the golden hair.

"Come out! Captain Kidd!".

Long Si shouted loudly, and the black-clothed skull-headed captain standing on a huge ship rushed out from the darkness. Following Long Si's order, lightning rolled out with its advance, dispersing the human waves in one breath!

"Carmen! Seal them!"