I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 135 Ordinary People in the Extraordinary Era (2)

"Kafka, are you off work?"

"Yeah, I'm exhausted after a long day, hahaha~~"

In the residential area, an old man approached, his gaze sweeping over the middle-aged man with a stiff smile before landing on his right hand, which was tucked into his pocket.

He was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized. With a knowing look on his face, he stepped forward and patted the other person on the shoulder.

"Kafka, you're not getting any younger, isn't it time to start a family?"

?

I'm only 32 this year.

"If you have any needs, go to a brothel to relax, don't hold back."

After the old man finished speaking, his gaze deliberately swept over Kafka's bulging trouser pocket again, causing the middle-aged man to pause in surprise before realizing what he had said and retorting with a flushed face.

"No, let me explain."

However, he maintained the posture of one hand in his pocket, which was remarkably similar to:

A fiercely protective brother.

"I understand, I understand~~"

"Hey, don't leave!"

"Really,"

"How could I possibly be the kind of person who gets an erection in the street?!"

Back in his rented room, the middle-aged man named Kafka angrily pulled his right hand out of his pocket.

It's no wonder people misunderstand; his right hand was in his pocket, and it was bulging out, as if he was holding something.
"The true spirit of a hundred demons... I actually encountered it?"

Kafka placed the object he had been holding on the table and looked at the small ball of light with a complicated expression.

Hundred ghosts and true spirits

That's right, these are the "true spirits" of the hundred demons that escaped from Rashomon during the "Shibuya Incident" a few months ago: anyone who touches them will have the thought that they are "absorbable." And once confirmed, one can gain the power of the hundred demons!
Not only humans, but animals as well: this information has been exposed countless times on the internet.

"Hundreds of millions of people have been searching for months, and I thought they were all already taken."

The middle-aged man looked at the ball of light on the table, never expecting that he would actually encounter one.

Thinking about it carefully, there must be at least a hundred ghosts, but the number of superhumans appearing in Japan is only twenty or thirty. This suggests that many of the true spirits of the ghosts are scattered in uninhabited areas and may not have been found.

So--

Do you want to eat?
Sitting on the tatami mat, looking at the ball of light on the low table in front of him, the middle-aged man finally reached out his hand.

By absorbing the 'True Spirits of a Hundred Ghosts', one can immediately gain extraordinary power.

This has been confirmed by several 'lucky ones' online, and they are not the kind of 'artificial superhumans' who have merely enhanced their physical abilities, but rather genuine, original superhumans who possess various 'magical arts'.

At worst, they're all at the 'weak wolf' level!
If the acquired 'sorcery' is powerful, it can even reach the level of 'powerful wolf'.

"There's no point in hesitating; I'm going to use this power."

Become a hero!

This isn't just being immature; it's a belief or a pursuit.

Some people live for money, some for power, some for women, some for thrills, and some simply to live.

For Kafka, becoming a 'hero' was his goal in life, so when he faced the demon in the caravan, he stood up.

If we had greater power, we could help more people.

As his fingers touched the sphere of light
Hahahaha~~!!!

A burst of wild, unrestrained laughter suddenly exploded in Kafka's mind, making him jolted.

"Great, we've finally found a suitable host."

? !
Host--

I've never heard of 'Hundred Ghosts True Spirits' doing that.
"Weak humans, don't compare yourselves to me, those lowly minions."

As if hearing his inner thoughts, the voice in his mind was domineering and arrogant, filled with an air of arrogance and confidence that looked down on everyone, and:

The cruelty of the survival of the fittest.

“The true spirits of those lackeys came out of Rashomon, but left their minds inside the gate.”

"But I am different, I am the 'Ghost of Rashomon'!"

"Remember this name that will one day dominate the world—"

"Ibaraki!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

boom! !

Gojo City,
The 8th floor of an ordinary 'housing complex' suddenly exploded.

Large chunks of bricks and cement flew down, startling pedestrians who ducked and crouched down.

"Hahaha, I'm free!"

A purplish-red figure leaped down through the smoke and dust, landing on the street with a loud thud, its tall body stomping a cracked crater in the ground.

?

Passersby glanced over instinctively.
It turned out to be a demon wearing ancient armor?

In the island nation, "Oni" is a separate race: they are incredibly strong, tall and imposing, and have two horns on their heads. In legends, they belong to a high-level race; the remnants left after a person dies are called "evil spirits." Although there is a term called "hundred ghosts," most of the "hundred ghosts" are actually just special "evil spirits."

The figure that jumped directly from the 8th floor had two ferocious horns pointing to the sky, a head of white hair like a lion's mane flowing down his back, and looked to be at least two meters tall. He was clad in magnificent golden shoulder, chest, and skirt armor, which was shaped like a beast. His coat below was tattered and fluttering, making him both gorgeous and wild.

On his arms, the dark patterns resembled cloud patterns, and his whole body exuded an ominous purple aura that was visible to the naked eye!
? !
This appearance, and the fact that he jumped from the 8th floor unharmed, leaves no doubt:

They are extraordinary beings!
"Ok?"

The man with a scar on his face—no, he was a demon—slightly glanced at her.

"How dare you, a weak human, stand before me, Ibaraki-sama?"

thump thump thump,

A chorus of knees fell to the ground, and passersby around them followed suit.

Half of it was from being scared, and the other half...

"That's more like it,"

The demon, who called himself "Ibaraki," didn't even glance at these ant-like humans. Instead, he spoke to himself:
"Hey, who's the strongest person here?"

Seeing that these kneeling humans could only tremble in fear, 'Ibaraki' curled his fingers in dissatisfaction and pointed them at an old man.

Snapped,

With a flick of the finger,
boom-----

Something brushed past his ear, and the violent explosion behind him made the old man instinctively turn his head. What he saw was:
A long trench, as if carved out by invisible artillery fire, cut across the concrete ground, penetrated the buildings, and formed a huge circular cavity.

How can this be considered a human being?!
No, the other party wasn't originally...
brush,

A shadow was cast.
The old man stiffly turned his head.

"Hey, old man, didn't you hear my question?"

"Yes, sir!"

Faced with the armored demon so close at hand, the old man instinctively pressed his head firmly against the ground, offering only an unconscious reply, unable to utter any other words.

"Useless old man,"

Displeased, Ibaraki turned his head and glanced around before his gaze fell on the tall tower in the center of the city in the distance.

"Only the strong deserve high positions."

"That must be the dwelling place of your human strongmen."

"It's okay if it isn't."

If we smash that place into ruins, the 'strong' of humanity will naturally not stand idly by.

After saying this, the armored demon, who called himself 'Grandpa Ibaraki,' took a few steps toward the tower, seemingly adjusting to his body, and then:
He performed a series of squatting and jumping movements, followed by a circular ripple of air that exploded close to the ground with a roar. In an instant, all the passersby kneeling on the ground were rolling around like gourds, and the ground trembled slightly.

The figure of 'Ibaraki' had long since vanished from its spot; only passersby hundreds of meters away were horrified to see a black dot falling towards the distant television tower.
"Call the police immediately!"

"Call an ambulance! Someone is injured!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Gojo City TV Station,

Originally a wireless television signal tower, this place has long lost its original function due to the development of the internet. It has now been transformed into a tourist attraction and internet signal base station. In addition, Gojo City is located almost on the "front line" of the Wakayama defense line, and apart from the staff, it is deserted with hardly any tourists.

call out---

A whooshing sound cut through the air as it approached from afar.

The black dot that hurtled through the air grew larger and larger, followed by a resounding metallic boom like a meteor hitting the ground.

A large crater was created in the concrete ground in front of the television station. Amidst the billowing dust, a domineering figure, two meters tall and clad in gold and red armor, strode out, exuding a strong aura of savagery.

"Strong human beings, fight me!"

With a shout, a rolling sound wave spread out, resounding throughout the entire television station and several nearby streets.

? !
The previous impact and the current words of 'challenge' caused everyone in the TV tower to instinctively rush to the windows. When they saw the ground with a huge crater and the magnificent and imposing demon in its armor, their expressions changed drastically.

I've won the jackpot!

"Run!"

"Take the stairs and run from the back!"

If this is slow, we'll have to go through a lottery to be reborn.

Meanwhile, the five municipal governments, which had received an emergency call and mobilized cameras around the television station to locate the "target," also began an emergency evacuation.

"Attention all citizens! Attention all citizens!"

"An extraordinary disaster has occurred at the city television station,"

"Presumed level: Tiger!"

"Please evacuate immediately! Please evacuate immediately!"

Countless broadcasts rang out over Gojo City, and not just radio, but also television, computers, and mobile phones. Every communication platform within the Gojo City area was forced to push this message; countless mobile phones rang simultaneously, letting the people living there know that another extraordinary event had occurred.

Given the terrifying destructive power of supernatural beings, even the island nation's government, which is most 'privacy-conscious', passed the bill unanimously.

Unlike other bills that have always caused protests and caused "huge uproar" in the past.

Everyone agreed with the bill, after all:
There is only one life.

The prerequisite for reasoning with someone extraordinary is that you can avoid being slapped to death by him.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Go to the underground parking garage"

"Forget everything else, taking refuge is the most important thing!"

Everyone in the streets, alleys, offices, and homes immediately sprang into action, rushing towards the nearest shelter.

In cities, underground parking garages serve as a refuge: at least one won't die mysteriously from being caught in the crossfire of a supernatural battle.

'Who are you? '

'Give me back my body!'

The armored demon standing in front of the television station appeared to be quietly waiting for the arrival of a powerful human; in reality, a fierce internal struggle was raging within him.

"Noisy, mere human. It is your honor that your body can be used by me."

? !
'Go to hell!'

'What do you want to do?'

Despite being able to see, hear, and perceive the outside world, Kafka found that this body seemed not to belong to him.

They could only let this being who called himself 'Ibaraki' control them, flying to the front of Gojo TV station to challenge—no, to await the challenge of human powerhouses.

Judging from the tone of this extraordinary being, he doesn't see himself as a 'challenger' at all.

"Six realms of sentient beings, all living things."

"They are all but a drop in the ocean of this three thousand worlds, and so are the monsters."

Ibaraki, who had taken control of Kafka's body, spoke calmly.

“If we let our guard down, we will be bullied, manipulated, or even slaughtered by other races.”

"Therefore, they must have a leader to guide them."

"In order to survive in this dog-eat-dog world, the weak should grovel at the feet of the strong!"

'You mean, you're the one who's strong?'

Faced with Kafka's rhetorical question in his mind, the being who called himself 'Ibaraki' gave a cold laugh.

"No,"

"A true leader is my closest friend."

"Lord of a Hundred Demons: Shuten-dōji!"

“My friend’s throne will surely stand on the earth. Until then—”

Brush, X2
Two figures flew down from the rooftop and landed on the open ground in front of the television station.

“I, Ibaraki, will clear the obstacles for him.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

a few minutes ago,

"Attention all citizens! Attention all citizens!"

"An extraordinary disaster has occurred at the city television station,"

"Presumed level: Tiger!"

Two people eating ramen in a ramen shop were taken aback.

"Tiger-class? How is that possible?"

The boy, who appeared to be a high school student, put down his chopsticks and frowned.

This is truly the 'front line'. Not far from the city center is a Self-Defense Forces military base, teeming with troops and superhumans; even native superhumans are frequently seen. Yet, in Gojo City, located in the rear, a superhuman disaster suddenly erupted, and it was a tiger:
Has the front line already been breached?
"It might be some kind of parasitic supernatural being,"

Another middle-aged man who was eating noodles also put down his chopsticks. He wore glasses, was well-mannered, and looked like an ordinary office worker.

However, which island nation wouldn't recognize his face?

The fact that a former prime minister was shot dead by two gunshots is unprecedented, and likely will remain so.

Moreover, he also became a superhuman and was active on the front lines during this time. In the live stream of that superhuman streamer 'KYG', he, no, it was often the two of them cleaning up the demons.

Although the government hasn't said it, in the eyes of the islanders, he is already a true 'hero'.

"Let's go over and take a look."

The high school boy stood up and took out a banknote.

"Sorry, the ramen was delicious."

But they didn't have time to eat.

"Ah, no, no, no"

As the owner hurriedly waved his hand, the middle-aged man on the other side also picked up a steel pipe. The two lifted the curtain and walked out of the ramen shop.

brush,

Next second,
The two leaped onto the roof and sped off towards the television station.

"Sigh, if all extraordinary people in the world were like Mr. Yamagami and Saito, then what about us ordinary people?"

The noodle shop owner shook his head. Even he had fantasized about what he would do if he gained supernatural powers. How could he possibly expect those who gained power to be kind to others?

History has proven countless times that when a powerful man is enraged, millions will fall.

"I should go and seek refuge too."

(End of this chapter)