Asi Hell

Capítulo 74

"Furthermore, legend has it that the demons ride on trains. Trains are chariots of fire—which represent the direction of fire, the south. Demons are also known as monsters of wood and stone, so the directions of wood and metal, namely east and west, also fit the criteria. Demons are found in all directions, but I think they are definitely not limited to the northeast."

Kyogoku-do gazed intently at Hyōe.

"then."

Then he walked to the box containing the divine body and stopped again.

"You say that the spirits of the demons favor the metal element, but folk tales say they abhor it. And for some reason, the spirits of the demons would never belong to the center—that is, the earth element. There must be a reason for this. Yin-Yang and the Five Elements theory holds that east, west, south, north, and the center represent wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, respectively. The Five Elements refer to the five major elements that form the world—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—and their cycles and interactions. Each of these elements has its own represented direction, forming a relationship of mutual generation and restraint. This is the fundamental idea of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. But before this, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water had a so-called generational order..." The preface, this can be paired with numbers. According to the *Shangshu* (Book of Documents), water is number one, fire two, wood three, metal four, and earth five—this is quite noteworthy. Therefore, I think perhaps the secret of the *wangliang* (demons and spirits) can be explained using the *I Ching* (Book of Changes). I've tried arranging the Hetu, the Nine Stars, and the Luoshu, but I still can't understand it. Because I don't understand, I'm not good at dealing with it; because I don't understand, I can't exorcise it. I can't exorcise the *wangliang*. The *wangliang* cannot be dealt with by ordinary methods; it's a very ancient and inexplicable monster. The name *wangliang*—shouldn't be uttered lightly.

"Ugh."

Heibei let out a muffled groan.

"But you—you talk about demons so easily, and even want to seal them away, relying on some kind of messy incantation."

Kyogoku-do knelt down again, supporting himself on one knee.

"When Yang Tong was in the Ghostly Reversal, the incantation he chanted was for some reason the Ten Treasures Exorcism. This is a technique that involves counting from one to ten and slowly shaking ten divine treasures. It is a variation of the Soul-Suppressing Technique passed down from the Stone Palace and is not unusual among incantations. The incantation you chanted is also of the same kind."

He was referring to—that congratulatory message, wasn't he?

"The person who created this incantation and taught it to you must have consulted many sources—but he seems to have made a mistake. The Ten Treasures Exorcism is an incantation that involves shaking ten divine treasures to invigorate oneself. In other words, it is an incantation that awakens life force. Therefore, Yang Tonggui's use of this incantation in conjunction with the Anti-Mistiness is, in a sense, a misdirection. I believe this confusion arises because Arahira, the prototype of Yang Tonggui, is divided into two types in legends: the evil-cutting type who wields a sword to slay demons, and the type who wields the Death-Reversal Staff that can rejuvenate and revive people. It was probably a confusion that occurred at some point. In short, the Ten Treasures Exorcism is an incantation that involves shaking ten kinds of treasures, such as the Life Jewel and the Death-Reversal Jewel, to revitalize weakened things."

——so te na te i ri sa ni ta chi su ii me ko ro shi te ma su.

——shihuru huru yura yura shihuru huru.

The incantation of the healer rang in my ears.

So this is...Ise?

"Besides, the numbers you chanted were a reading method created by the priests of the Ise Grand Shrine in the Middle Ages. Ise Shinto is a very special kind of Shinto, which strongly reflects the ideas of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Also—I heard that the Misaki Takumi River, which flows through the territory of the Ise Grand Shrine, is used for rituals to worship the Misaki woman. So the point of view is quite good—but it is not suitable for exorcising demons."

"Not suitable?"

Heibei weakly uttered a feeble sound.

Does it mean—it's useless?

This doesn't seem like a question a cult leader should be asking.

Kyogoku-do laughed again.

I think he was actually very angry.

He was furious that he could only watch helplessly as Nanamoto Yoriko was murdered.

"It's not that it's ineffective. It's very effective. I mean, it's just a pity it's not suitable."

Just as I expected. Although it was almost impossible to deduce Kyogoku-do's feelings from the sidelines, this behavior was not typical of him. He himself had not yet reached a conclusion about the demon, and he seemed to be abusing Hyōe.

"Mr. Terada, you are an honest man; you are not lying at all. Just as you claim, you have not undergone any spiritual training, nor do you possess any special spiritual power. What you do is not to exorcise or purify impurities for people, but to seal them away. Your admonitions to people do not deviate significantly from common sense, but rather are exemplary in adhering to moral standards. It is truly—very ingenious. You do not ask for exceptional prayer fees from people, and the donations from believers should still be sitting quietly in the box, hardly touched, right?"

"Of course, this—"

"I haven't seen such a conscientious medium lately. But this one is—"

Kyogoku-do slowly lowered the volume of his voice, pausing at an ambiguous point.

"What? What are you trying to say?!"

Although the exterior of the body remains intact, it has gradually begun to deteriorate from the inside.

"—Please tell me what this is!"

"Your magic spells are all based on very traditional spells, so you could say they are orthodox. But the whole thing is so pieced together, so distorted, and so unorthodox. It might be very effective at dealing with offerings to infant spirits to fool children, but it's too dangerous for you to use against demons."

"Wang—Liang—"

"You casually attributed the believers' misfortunes to the name 'Wangliang,' giving these troubles a nonsensical form and packing them into a box to take back. Neither quelling nor purifying them, this room has now become a lair for Wangliang. Do you know why Dr. Fry put the note with 'Wangliang' written on it in his pot? The reason is nothing more than that those two characters have many strokes. Yet you took it as divine revelation, clinging to those two characters—that is your failure."

"W-what did you say?"

“Listen carefully, Mr. Terada. The person who created the incantations for you, considered the spells to be used for you, and created the structure of the miko deity seems to have a very good mind, but there is one thing he has miscalculated.”

"—What is it?"

"He shouldn't have underestimated the power of incantations. Even if a spell is just something you casually recite, it can still have a real effect if chanted and prayed for. As the saying goes, 'If you believe, even a clay Buddha has supernatural powers.' This isn't just a metaphor; your prayers were indeed very effective."

"To exert its effectiveness—"

"Although you yourself are baffled, the spell has already worked. The number of believers has increased to several hundred because some people have actually been saved as a result. The one who created the Mikoto probably did not expect it to come to this."

It did have an effect. At least—Kimi Kusumoto genuinely believed it. Despite her miserable living conditions, she still earnestly revered the man's words.

A fierce glint flashed in Kyogoku-do's eyes for a moment.

"Unfortunately, I could have handled this situation if you hadn't brought out the demons. But I'm powerless to help you in this predicament. I've said it several times, I'm not good at dealing with demons."

Are you—a person with a strong spleen?

"Didn't I say from the beginning that I'm the real deal?"

"That's true. I didn't say anything, yet you seem to know everything. But—"

"You still don't believe me? Then how about this trick? The true divine body of Mikoto is this box, isn't it?"

Kyogoku-do picked up a steel box from among the many boxes arranged on the altar, a box that was just big enough to hold a head.

"That, that's it!"

"I know. It contains his finger, right?"

"ah--."

Hyōe completely broke down.

He had now completely fallen victim to his usual methods. As for Nikaido Toshimi, she too had inexplicably collapsed from exhaustion.

Kyogoku-do had obtained various intelligence beforehand, most of which likely included Natsukizu's illusions. However, the two were unaware of this. To them, Kyogoku-do "knew their secrets."

Kyogoku-do should be considered to have defeated Mihako-no-kami.

The cult leader, Terada Heibei, fell into a daze.

"What...what should I do?"

"If things continue like this, you will continue to collect the misfortunes of others—the spirits—as the true Mikoto behind you desires. That is also for the good of the world. However, yes, if you continue, you will live for at most another six months. No, before that, the true Mikoto will probably be in danger first."

Hyōe issued his strongest reaction to date.

"Ah, in that case—"

"You didn't want this to happen, did you? But isn't this what you wanted? You only have yourself to blame."

"Please, please help us! Please, please save us!"

Heibei kowtowed and begged Kyogoku-do.

Sumi watched Hei's actions with a lazy expression, then looked at us as if we were seeing a monster.

“Mr. Terada, I’ve said it many times, I can’t save you. There’s only one way for you to be saved.”

"yes--?"

“Return all the evil spirits to the believers.”

"Give it back?"

“If demons gather together, it will cause great danger, but if they return the money individually, it will only be a minor misfortune for the individual. So you just need to return all the money that believers are happy to give. At the same time, tell them, ‘Your unclean wealth has been cleansed,’ and that will suffice.”

"But this is—"

"Of course it's a lie. You lied when you received it anyway, so you can't fail to do it again, can you? This way, the demon will become ordinary misfortune and leave your side. No, it will return to the believer under a new name called 'hope.' This is something only you, who has given ordinary misfortune the name of a demon, can do. Whether it's a curse or a blessing, it changes with the words, regardless of your mood. Even if the speaker is lying, the words leaving your mouth will automatically reach the other person's heart, allowing them to interpret them as they see fit. The issue isn't how it's expressed, but how the listener interprets it."

"This won't do!"

Kotobuki spoke. Kyogoku-do, a cruel smile returning to his face, said:

"Of course, that includes the portion you used."

Hei looked at Sumi.

"You—you actually—"

"Please forgive me, I was just momentarily blinded by greed—"

"Ms. Nikaido, you couldn't have just been blinded by greed. You entered Mihakogami and got close to Mr. Terada from the very beginning with this goal in mind, right?"

"No, I am..."

"Don't try to fool me. Your aunt is a devout follower of Mihako-no-Kami, I think—her name is Nikaido Kiyoko, right? She became a follower of Mihako-no-Kami a long time ago. You came here after hearing about this place from your aunt Kiyoko."

"this--"

"You came here to discuss things initially, Mr. Terada. She should have arrived in April or May, right?"

"It seems to be early May."

"After visiting two or three times, I settled here. At that time, Ms. Nikaido must have said something like: 'You don't need to pay me a salary, please let me take care of your daily life. I know what you do, can I help you?'"

"No, that's right."

Shoumei's face was ashen, indicating that she did not have a pale complexion.

"Ms. Nikaido. You knew all along, which is why you volunteered to be the intelligence gatherer. You came here from the beginning because of the believers' generosity. Sure enough, the leader, Mr. Terada, had no interest in money, and all the money donated by the believers was put directly into the box without being counted. You thought—even if you only take 10%, it would still be a considerable amount."

"I, I—"

"You suggested making up the accounts for the received amount. Mr. Terada, who is by nature very particular about this, naturally agreed without hesitation. So you started subtly altering the amounts and making false accounts, right?"

"So it was fake after all. That ledger—that means we can't pay back the believers. This is really a headache."

Bingwei was at a loss, his former dignity completely gone.

"Don't worry, the missing parts of the double ledger will be returned soon. It correctly records the amount that Ms. Nikaido secretly withheld. Ms. Nikaido, you'd better work hard and return the money to the believers as soon as possible."

It was Kiyono's register. That half-baked ledger, which didn't even have a total column, turned out to be a double ledger that Nikaido Toshimi had secretly kept herself. So that's how it is; when she copied the contact book into her notebook, Toshimi didn't know who was a believer and who wasn't.

Kyogoku-do unconsciously reverted to his usual expression and said in a flat tone:

"Besides, you'd better go back to your hometown as soon as possible. Your father is worried that you're spending your days drinking heavily since you ran away from home."

Shoumei lay face down on the ground, her head bowed low.

The man and woman stood silently with their heads bowed, and the man in black stood before them. Where was Xia Mujin? Where had Xia Mujin gone?

"Next, Mr. Terada, there is one more thing you must accomplish. That is to save the true Mihako-no-kami—your son."