I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 178 The Evil Spirit with Physical Immunity

Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture.

Located on the outer edge of the Higashi-Izumo mountain range, this place is bordered by the beautiful Lake Shishido to the left and the Nakami Sea to the right.

It is the seat of Shimane Prefecture and its prefectural government, with a population of only about 20, making it the least populated prefecture in the entire island nation.

This unremarkable little county town is home to a 500-strong self-defense force. However, they are not stationed in Matsue City, but rather near the 'Higashi-Izumo Central Park' in the easternmost part of the city, because there is a 'famous' tourist attraction there:

Huangquan Hirazaka!
If this place was just a tourist attraction before, it was placed under martial law after the arrival of the supernatural.

Legend has it that this is the place where Izanagi and Izanami parted ways, so it wouldn't be surprising if something happened here.

And today, the 'accident' did indeed happen:

"Sky."

"God, what is that?"

To the Self-Defense Force soldiers who looked up, the sky—had cracked open!
Beyond the crack, one can see a gray sky, a land full of rubble, the outlines of buildings from various eras, and countless humanoid, beast-like, and indescribable monsters writhing and struggling!
These monsters poured in from the crack like a murky black rain, dense and endless.

? ?
"It's everyone involved in extraordinary disasters,"

"Ready to fight!"

The supernatural has been around for a while now.

The first-class officer in charge of the unit was the first to react, shouting and using his fists and feet to get the stunned soldiers moving.

"Quickly, quick, prepare to launch the thermobaric weapon!"

"Target: The crack in the sky!"

"Coverage attack—"

As orders were relayed down the chain of command, armored vehicles rolled out of the barracks, their honeycomb-shaped launchers raised, loaded with thermobaric shells designed for wide coverage. The gunners aimed and pressed the switches.
boom! boom! boom! boom!
Shells hurtled toward the crack in the sky, exploding into huge fireballs.

But
"Attack failed?"

"Artillery fire ineffective! I repeat, artillery fire ineffective!!"

A thermobaric bomb capable of wiping out life within a radius of 100 meters explodes, yet it has no effect whatsoever on the cracks in the sky.

Such a horrifying scene left the Self-Defense Force officers and soldiers who witnessed it dumbfounded, clenching their teeth and trembling uncontrollably.

"Lu Zuo, it's not just the cracks in the sky, but also those evil spirits."

Even more despairing news arrived: amidst the deafening explosion, countless 'evil spirits,' some resembling dead humanoids and others composed of a mixture of limbs, emerged from the flames, seemingly oblivious to the thousands of degrees of heat, and drifted towards the camp.

???

"Damn it, this is neither scientific nor extraordinary!"

The officer in charge of command nearly fainted on the spot.

How could the artillery fire have left them completely unscathed?! Is there no justice, no law?!

Even among superhumans, very few are immune to artillery fire: there was supposedly one, but he was quickly dealt with by the government.
This is, of course.

Because whether it's a 'crack' in the sky
These countless 'evil spirits' that have emerged do not have physical forms, so they are naturally not afraid of artillery fire.

Yellow Springs Crack

It's just a passage created by Yu using illusion: no matter how realistic it is, it's still an illusion in essence, and apart from chakra, no attack can affect it.

The echo of the soul

After being poured out of the 'Sea of ​​Souls' by Yu, these evil spirits also possessed a trace of chakra: because they were composed of souls, they were also not afraid of physical attacks in reality.

and so--

"They're charging!"

"Fire, fire!"

Da da da da,

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang

As these fallen 'evil spirits' pounced on the military camp, terrified soldiers pulled their triggers, but:

Bullets whistled through the air, yet passed right through; the continuous storm of metal could tear apart light armored vehicles, and couldn't even make these 'evil spirits' pause for a moment!
? ? ? ?
I.
Hearing the terrified shouts outside, the officer's blood rushed to his head, and he grabbed the Type 89 rifle next to him and rushed out of the command room.

"Fire! Fire!"

"Aaaaaah~~ You bastard! You bastard!!"

"We're doomed, we're doomed, I don't want to die~~~"

The military camp was in complete chaos, with many soldiers still raising their guns and shouting, shooting at the 'evil spirits' that were flying towards them; however, the cold reality told them that in the face of evil spirits, the guns in their hands were nothing more than sticks.

Faced with this situation, many mentally broken soldiers dropped their weapons, cried out, and turned to flee.

As they fled, it seemed as if a switch had been flipped, and the slowly drifting evil spirits suddenly accelerated, rushing towards the fleeing soldiers.

brush,

"Ah~~"

As the 'evil spirit' passed through the body of a fleeing soldier, the soldier turned pale and staggered.

Immediately afterward, as if sharks had smelled fish, more 'evil spirits' surged down, continuously passing through the soldiers' bodies: these evil spirits became visibly more agile, and the unfortunate Self-Defense Force soldiers were already stiff and lying on the ground.

Chakra Absorption Technique
This is the only ability Yu gave to these 'Yellow Spring Evil Spirits', allowing them to absorb the chakra of living beings to strengthen themselves.

Combined with their inherent 'echoing soul' characteristic, they look like a cataclysmic disaster!

"Stop! Stop! Stop!!!"

Bang, bang, bang, bang

The Type 89 rifle in his hand kept spitting out flames until the trigger made a hollow 'click-click-click' sound. The officer standing in the military camp looked around blankly.

The scene around them could only be described as a complete rout!

When the guns in their hands become useless, what difference is there between a soldier and an ordinary person?
"what!"

"Don't come any closer, don't come any closer~~"

A scream beside him brought the pale-faced officer back to his senses.
A young soldier was tackled to the ground, waving his arms to drive away the 'evil spirits,' and was about to be pounced on by them.

"From my soldiers—"

Despair turned into rage, and the officer charged forward without a second thought; at the same time, he drew his bayonet and sheathed it on the front of his Type 89 rifle.

"Go away!"

puff,

With a swing of his arms, the bayonet slashed through, tearing the 'evil spirit' in half!
This?
scare--

The remaining evil spirits scattered in all directions, leaving the officer stunned.

what happened?

The previous guns and cannons were ineffective, so why are the bayonets so effective?
Is it because I am a 'superhuman'?
but
"Woooooo~~"

"Sir, thank you, thank you so much~~"

The sound of a young man crying beside him made Lu Zuo raise an eyebrow.

"stand up!"

"Fix bayonets and fight them!"

"good,"

The young Self-Defense Force soldier gritted his teeth and also pulled out a bayonet and sheathed it in front of his rifle.

Although bayonet fighting is no longer practiced in this era, the Type 89 rifle of the island nation is equipped with a tripod and a bayonet: whether or not to use it is up to the soldier.

"kill--"

With an officer beside him, the young soldier roared and thrust his rifle forward, his face streaked with tears and snot.

puff,

With a soft sound, the 'evil spirit' he had targeted was pierced with a hole.

???

It is indeed so.
"Everyone, fix bayonets!!"

With a roar that echoed throughout the military camp, the officer raised his voice.

"Cold weapons can hurt 'evil spirits'. Don't be afraid, don't run, it's our turn to fight back!"

Having said that, he charged towards the area teeming with evil spirits, slashing with his rifle and instantly beheading several of them. The remaining evil spirits scattered and flew away. "Fix bayonets!"

These evil spirits are afraid of cold weapons.

"Kill--"

After discovering the evil spirits' 'weakness,' the remaining soldiers in the camp drew their bayonets, attached them to the muzzles of their guns, and stabbed at the evil spirits.

And you know what? The evil spirits, which were originally unharmed by gunfire and seemed 'invincible', were immediately pierced with holes and began to dodge the Self-Defense Forces' attacks, which greatly boosted their morale!
Ok,
It's the military, after all, so it's not as bad as some people think.

Amid the chaos, a crow calmly preened its feathers in a large tree next to the military camp.

These 'evil spirits' are essentially remnants of the soul, and the damage they can cause is limited to the soul. Conversely, if the soul is strong enough, it can also harm them.

Just like Kishida Jun, Tanimura Wataru, Tanimura Hoshino, and the two dogs in the underworld—their souls, nourished by chakra, are many levels stronger than these evil spirits who are not even as good as ordinary people. Killing evil spirits is just a matter of waving a hand.

Even ordinary people, if they can muster the courage, can make evil spirits retreat even if they cannot kill them.

Of course, this courage is
The streets not far from the military camp were also thrown into chaos.

"Run! It's an extraordinary disaster—"

The sounds of gunfire from the military camp had already attracted the attention of the residents. When they saw those 'evil spirits' flying towards them, they immediately screamed in terror.

"Xingzi, we'll be best friends for life."

"Yeah, Eiki, run! Ah!"

Two female students were running hand in hand across the street when one of them suddenly fell to the ground.

"Eiki, help me up."

"Let go, you gossip!!"

She suddenly kicked her 'best friend' in the face. As the other girl instinctively covered her face in pain, the previously confident female student had already fled alone.

"Make way, make way, make way—"

The strong and muscular man strode past, violently pulling down those who blocked his way.

As the saying goes: It doesn't matter if you can't outrun the enemy, as long as you outrun your teammates, you've won.

"Get out of the way!"

"You're the one who should get out of my way."

When extraordinary disasters strike, humanity will do anything for a glimmer of hope.

The 'evil' within is laid bare.

There is evil.

Nature is good.

boom! boom! boom!
Several gunshots brought the chaotic crowd to a sudden halt.

"No, no, don't panic!"

"According to the 'Supernatural Countermeasures Manual,' please proceed to the elementary school in an orderly manner for evacuation!"

Several young police officers jogged over. Although their stiff steps and trembling words clearly showed that they were also extremely frightened, they at least gave the panicked crowd a sense of security.

If firearms can't deal with evil spirits, can't they at least deal with thugs?

Under the threat of bullets, the crowd regained some order—young people took the initiative to help the elderly with mobility issues to their feet, and more and more people did this, and the chaotic flow of people soon converged into a 'river'.

Don't hide at home!

"Get out quickly! Those evil spirits can walk through walls!!"

As the police officer directing the crowd to evacuate swept his gaze across the area, he saw several 'evil spirits' drift into a house. After hearing terrified screams coming from inside, he instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

Amaterasu, is this the end of the world?

"Don't hide in the buildings! Everyone gather together and take refuge near the elementary school!"

In this situation, the middle-aged policeman holding the megaphone shouted at the top of his lungs. He was a native of this area and had worked his way up to this lowly police inspector after decades of hard work, overseeing seven or eight officers and handling trivial matters.

Am I going to die in the line of duty today?

Fortunately, my wife and son had already gone to take refuge.
boom!boom!
Just then, gunshots rang out from behind the ranks.

"You guys direct the evacuation, we'll hold off these evil spirits!"

Amidst the aged voice, two figures strode upstream and arrived in front of the middle-aged police inspector at the back of the group.

"Uncle Fujiwara, Uncle Ishikawa?!"

The moment he heard the gunshot, the middle-aged police inspector had already guessed: the only people with guns on this street besides the police were the two forest rangers patrolling the mountain.

but--

"You should also seek refuge quickly; you're all getting on in years."

"little bastard!"

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged police inspector was grabbed by the collar by Ishikawa and dragged away.

"Who are you looking down on?"

"I could take on ten of you office workers by myself!"

With a sudden shove, the middle-aged police inspector stumbled backward, and the old hunter waved impatiently at the young policemen who were helping their superior.

"Get out of here now—"

".Take care of yourself,"

After bowing deeply to the two elderly people, several police officers directed the residents to evacuate and seek refuge.

Directing evacuations is a familiar task for any police officer in an island nation.

But today's 'disaster' is a first for me.
This might be the last time.

"Dude, the bullets don't seem to be working."

On the street, Ishikawa, who had come to cover their retreat, put down his hunting rifle.

He was very confident in his marksmanship, especially since the evil spirits floating in front of him were so numerous that he should have been able to hit them even with his eyes closed. However, the reality was quite different.
"I'm not getting old and my eyesight isn't failing me yet,"

Another old hunter, 'Fujiwara,' spoke up in an annoyed tone.
Just like in movies and television, these evil spirits are not afraid of bullets. It seems that their "rear guard" work will not last long.

"Cough cough,"

Facing the surging evil spirits, Ishikawa, standing shoulder to shoulder, coughed.

"Brother, shouldn't we recite a 'farewell poem'?"

Farewell poems, also known as death verses, are a literary form in island nations. They generally refer to short poems such as Chinese poems, gathas, wakas, and hymns recited when one is about to die.

"You come--"

Faced with the old hunter Fujiwara's crisp and decisive answer, Ishikawa hesitated for a long time:

"Life is about fifty years long"

"So you could just coast through your school years,"

After cursing, the old hunter Fujiwara tossed his rifle into the air, now gripping the scorching barrel with both hands.

"Spring cherry blossoms and autumn maple leaves cannot be retained, people leave and mountains and passes become empty, in the end:"

Suddenly charging towards the evil spirit, the old hunter's eyes widened in fury, like a Vajra vanquishing a demon.

"Extinguish resentment and hatred!"

Wuwuwu——

The gun butt, swung wide, slammed into the head of the foremost evil spirit, causing its skull to cave in and its body to fade considerably.

? !
"Ha, these evil spirits are afraid of melee weapons?"

Ishikawa, who had also swung his rifle and smashed an evil spirit to the ground, was overjoyed.

"Brother, we don't need a death poem... uh."

Looking up, he saw countless evil spirits swarming in front of him, which made the old hunter Ishikawa smirk.

This quantity,

It seems a death poem is still necessary.
Forget it, let's fight to our hearts' content first.

"kill!"

(End of this chapter)