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The word used in the call was 'hope', but as long as their TAC Far East branch remained in the country, they could not turn a deaf ear to the cabinet's request.
Moreover, after all, this is not beyond one's authority.
Such frequent thefts, without any clues, are not likely to be committed by ordinary people. Maybe it is really related to aliens.
"But why is the cabinet so concerned about a minor theft?" Yoshimura muttered to the side. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he remembered something. "Wait, a 'sacred artifact' was stolen from the Ise Shrine. Could it be the one we know about?"
"Ise Shrine, apart from 'that', is there anything else that could alarm the cabinet?"
Upon hearing this, Captain Long also realized the seriousness of the matter.
This "sacred artifact" is not a shrine artifact in the broad sense, but as the name implies, the sacred artifacts preserved in the Ise Shrine are familiar to any islander.
The three sacred artifacts——Yata Mirror!
"Is it true? The Eight-foot Mirror is lost?!"
Now, even Yamanaka and Hokuto couldn't sit still. The Eight-foot Mirror, that's no joke!
The Kusanagi sword, the Yasakani no Magatama and the Eight-foot Mirror are household names that protect the country and can be said to be the spiritual symbols of the island nation.
The first two are said to have been kept in the Imperial Palace since ancient times, and no one has ever seen them. Only the Eight-foot Mirror is confirmed to exist and is enshrined in the Ise Shrine.
According to legend, it is the incarnation of Amaterasu, and Ise Grand Shrine is therefore known as the number one shrine in Shintoism.
Losing that thing is no joke.
"Yama, you and Yoshimura go to Ise Shrine immediately and investigate what happened." Captain Long ordered. Yoshimura is an expert in folklore, so he is the only one who can handle this matter.
"Hokuto, Konno, come with me to visit other shrines that have records of thefts and see if we can find anything."
For thousands of years, Ise Grand Shrine has never been robbed. As a spiritual belief of the people, the Eight-foot Mirror is very closely guarded. This theft is really strange.
Night fell over Tokyo. This night was destined to be a restless one. From time to time, calls for firefighting were heard, and the whole of Tokyo seemed to be illuminated by fire.
But there are still dark corners in the firelight.
The shadow moved through the alley at an inhuman speed, and at one point, he stopped on a telephone pole.
It's a celestial evil ghost.
He looked around and smelled a faint burnt smell in his nostrils.
"Something bad has come and set foot in Tokyo."
He said to himself. It's not the residue from before, it's something more difficult.
"Monster? No, it's a demon!"
In the past, those who could be called demon gods would be avoided by even the great demons. Apart from not being worshipped, they were essentially no different from gods.
However, Tianxiegui did not retreat. Instead, he followed the scent and moved closer.
Ahead was a bathing place on fire. Ragged humans rushed out.
In the past, playing tricks on humans was Tian Xiegui's favorite farce. But now he has more important things to do. He is no longer a demon who plays tricks on humans.
"It's here!" The smell became stronger, and Tianxiegui could confirm that the demon he was looking for was here.
Moreover, he was not unfamiliar with that aura.
"Is Kaima, the God of Fire, a subordinate of the great god Asama?"
No wonder there were fires everywhere today. Without the control of the Lord God, it really turned into a monster again.
It is somewhat strange that the righteous gods between heaven and earth have long fallen, but these guys who were born from disasters and were canonized as subordinate gods after being subdued, as well as some demons, are still able to survive in this era.
In fact, it is not difficult to understand that the gods are the product of the rules of heaven and earth. When the rules change drastically, they are the first to be affected. If you want to wear the tool, you must bear its weight.
Disasters are the result of the dark side of human hearts. No matter what era, there will always be dark corners in people's hearts.
From the perspective of Tian Xiegui, the tongue of fire licking everything condensed into an illusory shadow.
"I really miss it."
Familiar "old friends". They had fought each other two hundred years ago. It seemed like it happened yesterday.
At that time, he was a demon who played with people's hearts, stirring up trouble and doing evil in the world. And He was Asana's subordinate god, maintaining justice in the world.
It is ironic that the positions are now completely reversed.
Chapter 261: The Eight-foot Mirror
Bathing is a hobby that the Japanese can never give up. It is a cultural custom that is ingrained in their bones. It can even be said that they are a nation that soaks in bathhouses.
The so-called Furohashi culture.
In recent years, many new bathhouses have opened in Tokyo. They are no longer called bathhouses, but bathing centers.
In the eyes of the old man, this is simply nonsense. To take a bath, a hot pool is enough. Saunas and massage pools are all evil. The private rooms in the lounge are even more filthy and improper places.
The fire broke out in a newly opened bath center.
The fire was so big that it couldn't be put out with just a basin or a bucket. People in dishevelled clothes were running out in a panic.
"Is there anyone else inside?" Some people tried to put out the fire, but couldn't even get close to the fire.
"I don't know. The smoke is too thick and I can't see clearly."
Not only could we not see clearly, we couldn't get close to it. No one knew how the fire started. The speed at which the fire spread was also somewhat incredible, making people wonder whether the bathtub in the bathhouse was filled with water or oil.
As time went by, the fire became more and more out of control. The fire truck had not yet arrived. In Tokyo today, there were too many fires to deal with in time.
At this moment, a black shadow that ordinary people could not see rushed into the sea of fire.
The local temperature in the fire even exceeded 600 or 700 degrees. The thick smoke made it impossible to breathe and no life could survive.
However, allowing the flames to lick the body cannot cause any substantial harm to the Tianxie ghost.
He feels just as good as he did in his heyday, or even better than then.
The abnormally high temperature caused the water in the central bathing pool of the bathing center to boil and was about to dry up. The tiles were scorched black and the cement, which was heated unevenly, also cracked.
There was no combustible material, but the fire continued to burn. This abnormality was normal. The evil ghost raised his head, and there was a monster in the center of the bath.
Like smoke and fire, with no fixed image, the former god of fire is venting his desire for destruction wantonly.
"Long time no see." Tianxiegui sighed.
The last time they met, he was a ghost and the other was a god, who was blocking the way of the hundred ghosts under the orders of Asama-sama.
But now, he has shed his ghost identity, while the other party has turned back into a demon god that destroys everything.
Tian Xiegui was just talking to himself with emotion, he didn't think the other party would answer. Generally speaking, a demon god who only knows how to vent has long lost his mind.
But unexpectedly, Kaima spoke.
"Tian Xie Gui? Ha, should I call you Tian Xie Shen now? I didn't expect a guy like you would be recruited."
The so-called "recruiting" was a common thing in the past. Almost every god had a follower god, otherwise it would be too cheap for a lonely god to even convey the oracle himself. After subduing ghosts and monsters, if they were pleasing to the eye, they would try to canonize them.
Kaima had not expected that the evil spirits would be willing to bow to the gods. The so-called followers of the gods were nothing more than slaves.
"You're not going to follow your general anymore? I remember you. You were the little ghost walking at the end of the Hundred Demons Night."
He walked at the back, but never fell behind, and was very fierce in a fight. It was very impressive.
"The general commander is gone. Crow Tengu, Ushioki, Qingtianfang, and Yuki Onna are all gone."
"I see." Kaima's tone was flat, but the flames around him dimmed a little.
It's not surprising, this is a common thing and I've gotten used to it.
"So, you are standing here now to defeat me?"
"If you don't stop..." Tian Xiegui said, if he could not stop, he would also hope so. The old friends in the past are getting fewer and fewer.
"Return the stolen artifact. I will send you to Gensokyo, the home that the gods promised us."
"God, whose god? The master who subdues you like a dog?" Kaima laughed so hard that the cement fell off and a large piece of the ceiling fell down.
"I don't know who the God you are talking about is. He gave me a place to stay. The home you mentioned is nothing but a prison."
Tian Xiegui understood that the other party had no intention of compromising. It was just his wishful thinking.
The fire dragon fell, it was no longer an ordinary flame, it was Kaima’s sacred fire.
Tian Xiegui did not move, but his figure disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was standing in mid-air above Kaima's head.
[Pardon: Exorcism and Binding of Evil Spirits]
My past self would never have thought that one day I would utter the word "amnesty".
Kaima was imprisoned in place, and even the entangled fire dragon was mostly extinguished. This was partly due to the magic power of the evil spirit, and partly because Kaima was frightened by the evil spirit's "pardon".
Pardons are decrees issued by the emperor. In Taoism, they are the will of the "Three Pure Ones". In Shintoism, not just any god can borrow them for his followers. Only the highest gods, the three noble sons sitting on the highest throne of Takamagahara, are qualified to represent the "sky" and the "king of gods", and their decrees are qualified to be called "pardons".
The "pardon" mentioned by Tianxiegui did work, that is to say, it was recognized by the way of heaven.
Which god could actually appear in this world in this era?
Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, or Susanoo?
Originally, it thought that in this era, only minor gods like Nioh and the land gods could survive and conquer the demon demons, but this "pardon" made it realize that it was wrong. Kaima admitted that it had already given up.
The fire outside the bath center gradually shrank. To the onlookers, it seemed that the fire had burned all the combustibles, so it became smaller. But the Tianxie ghost could feel that Kaima had withdrawn his power. The flames turned into tongues of fire and flowed into its body.
Beyond that, there was darkness visible to the naked eye, like soot in the air, but that was not it, that was human fear.
Fear is also the reason why Kaima set fire everywhere. These can make it stronger after it wakes up.
Kaima did feel a little stronger. It moved its body and easily broke free from the power that Tianxiegui had used to block it.
After absorbing all the fear of the humans in this fire, Kaima's body became much more solid. It was inhumanly sturdy, and its height was estimated to be four or five meters, almost reaching the ceiling of the third floor of the bathhouse. Wearing a layer of armor, it still looked like a god general.
On the other hand, Tianxie Gui is just a timid old man.
Tianxiegui did not retreat. He stepped on the air and his body split into three.
He is a deceptive monster who can not only deceive humans but even gods.
The three demons surrounded Kaima, unable to tell the real from the fake. Even the demon god couldn't tell which one was the real him.
[Pardon Order: The three souls are forever secure, the spirit will never be lost]
This pardon order is not aimed at the enemy, but acts on the Tianxie ghost himself, making his soul firm and not flying away.
Kaima's flames turned into long whips, lashing at the Xiangtian Xiegui, but they were blocked by the power of the "pardon", and could not touch his body at all.