I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 179 Buddha does not save people, people save themselves

"what?"

"Huge cracks appeared in the sky over eight locations: Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Shimane, Osaka, Kyoto, Yamanashi, Tokyo, and Fukushima?"

"Yes, Director Zhuya."

In the noisy command center of Wutiao City,
Upon hearing the secretary's report, Director Zhu Ya took off her non-prescription glasses and rubbed her temples.

"anything else?"

"Yes, these 'cracks' are immune to all forms of attack: fire, ice, bright light, sound waves, and electromagnetic waves."

After discovering the mysterious crack in the sky, the island nation immediately reacted: the Metropolitan Police Department, the Self-Defense Forces, and the Extraordinary Countermeasures Divisions in various regions launched attacks on the crack, but all of them were in vain!

Whether it's guns, fire, ice, or electricity, all technological creations become ineffective.

Although the attacks from the superhumans seemed capable of affecting the rift, however—

"Countless 'evil spirits' emerged from the cracks, most of them resembling human corpses, with a small number composed of a mixture of numerous limbs, and they also possessed immunity to modern weapons."

Upon hearing the secretary's description, Director Zhu Ya remained completely unmoved, even finding it perfectly reasonable.

The ability to attack supernatural beings with modern weapons is itself incredible.

The sheer number of these 'evil spirits' that have now appeared, so vast that they are impossible to count, is what people imagine the extraordinary to be: inaccessible by any physical means, and only the extraordinary can attack them.

"Director, there are more than just superhumans."

"News has come from Shimane Prefecture that Self-Defense Force soldiers have repelled the first wave of attacks by the evil spirits with their bayonets."

?

"Can heroism really defeat evil spirits?"

As battle scenes from Shimane Prefecture and Matsue City played on the screen, Director Takeya seemed lost in thought.

On screen, Self-Defense Force soldiers, armed with Type 89 rifles, formed ancient, circular formations, strategically positioned to defend against the evil spirits' attacks. A junior officer, a superhuman, single-handedly charged into the horde, his rifle flashing left and right, driving the evil spirits back in disarray. Unfortunately...
"The quantity is too small,"

"Yes, Director."

The number of people from island nations who have created superhuman abilities has already exceeded four figures.

However, most of these extraordinary beings gather around the powerful and wealthy, and in the face of these seemingly endless evil spirits, thousands of extraordinary beings are nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

"Kafka Lu is already en route to the scene from Osaka and Kyoto."

"Yamanashi Prefecture has sent a request for assistance to the 'Igotani' family in neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture."

"In the direction of Tokyo, under the radiance of the Divine Tree, all demons and monsters will turn to ashes, so there shouldn't be any need to worry. But—"

What to do about Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Shimane, and Fukushima?
"Notify the Tokyo direction,"

"Let them send people to deal with the extraordinary disaster in Fukushima."

Tokyo is the safest place. With the sacred tree there, what trouble can these evil spirits cause?
Or, to put it another way, if even the 'Inari God' can't protect them, then the entire island nation should stop struggling and just collectively 'die in one hundred million,' so that they'll have company on their journey to the underworld.

In this situation, the only place that could spare manpower was Tokyo: if the Isoya family hadn't agreed to go to Yamanashi Prefecture, Tokyo would have also had to send some people there. As for the remaining three locations:

"Holy Son, bring the Bull Demon."

"Personnel from the Extraordinary Countermeasures Divisions 2, 3, and 4 are also heading to Nagasaki."

"Mai, you, Tsuchigumo, and the personnel from the Supernatural Divisions 5, 6, and 7, head to Hiroshima."

After speaking, Director Zhu Ya straightened her suit.

"I will personally lead the First Division of Extraordinary Talents to Matsue, Nejima!"

He strode out of the command room, realizing that even he, the director, had to go to the front lines: Iori Kazuka, who was originally in charge of the First Section, was still at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

"Have the chrysanthemum worms come and join me!"

As for whether this extraordinary crisis can be resolved?

Do your best and leave the rest to fate.

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.

"I'm so sorry to disturb Yu-kun's school!"

At the classroom door, a government official bowed deeply, his apology resounding, which made You roll her eyes.

If you put this spirit of apology into fighting the enemy on the front lines, wouldn't you be able to easily capture those mere evil spirits?

"Let's go, Nao."

You stood up and called to the class monitor.

"Mr. Yuanzhu, Yu and I need to take leave."

"Ah, you can go ahead."

The teacher, who was teaching a class, looked helpless. His students were going to "save the world," which was originally just a plot in novels and movies, but now it was happening right in front of him. Judging from their expressions, they were more like young couples going on a date. Where was the slightest bit of nervousness?

".be safe."

As a teacher, middle-aged Yuanzhu could only offer this blessing.

The students in the class were in an uproar:

"What,"

"Are Yu and the class president both extraordinary?"

"You don't know? Don't talk to me—"

Those who didn't know looked bewildered, while those who did were filled with disdain: this alone was enough to divide people into different classes.

Although neither Yu nor the class monitor tried to hide it, they also didn't publicize their extraordinary identities. Coupled with their low-key personalities, the school naturally had to keep their information confidential. So most students didn't know that there were actually two extraordinary individuals in their classroom!

"Is this because a crack appeared in the sky, and it's going to save the world?"

"I'm so envious~~"

Hearing someone express such sentiments, some students couldn't sit still:
"Saving the world is dangerous; accidents can happen."

"As long as the sacred tree exists, Tokyo is absolutely safe."

"Right,"

With their gazes fixed on the giant tree in the distance outside the window, the students clasped their hands together in heartfelt gratitude to the 'Inari Goddess', Lady Miketsu.

If it weren't for the divine tree bestowed by the gods, Tokyo would be like other places, where life and death are not in one's own hands.

Praise be to Lady Miketsu!
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.

Songjiang City,
This is a region where "life and death are not in one's own hands."

The crack in the sky hung there, ignoring the blazing sun and the guns and missiles, constantly pouring out large amounts of 'black rain'. Each drop of 'water' was a twisted evil spirit, which continued to spread in all directions, following its 'instinct' to chase after living beings and absorb their life force.

In their field of vision, there are only clusters of flames: they avoid those that are burning fiercely, and pounce on those that are dim and flickering.

"Attention all residents! Attention all residents!"

"Please do not hide alone in the building,"

"The evil spirit can penetrate any known obstacle. Please seek refuge at the elementary school immediately!"

"Repeat that."

If there was any silver lining in this misfortune, it was that these evil spirits did not damage or affect modern equipment: thanks to the improved broadcasting system, the government quickly announced how to deal with the 'evil spirits', although this method was 'easy for those who know how, difficult for those who don't.'

"Be brave when facing 'evil spirits' and attack them with melee weapons!"

"Only bravery can defeat evil spirits. May you all have great fortune in battle!"

I wish your mother—

The slick-haired high school student, trembling all over, kicked the telephone pole and shouted back, not caring that it was just a megaphone.

"Send people to rescue us quickly! Police, Self-Defense Forces, and superhumans!"

Don't waste your energy.

A short-haired boy holding a metal baseball bat stepped forward to try to comfort the other person, but was violently pushed away.

"Get lost! I don't need your fake comfort!"

"Xiao, don't worry about him."

A girl nearby spoke up, saying that although they were all classmates, in the face of a supernatural disaster, not tripping each other up while escaping was already more than enough: what's so good about a guy who only dares to get angry at his companions?!
"Be careful--"

Amid the girl's screams, several semi-transparent, 'traditional' evil spirits dressed in mourning clothes and wearing triangular headscarves floated out of the convenience store next to the utility pole.

retreat!

The boy with the baseball bat turned and retreated.

The high school student with slicked-back hair who kicked the telephone pole wasn't so lucky; two evil spirits touched his waist.

His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.

"Save me! Save me, Xiao!!"

Upon hearing his classmate's cries for help, the boy holding the baseball bat hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stepped forward.

呜、

The baseball bat swept out horizontally.

It passed through the bodies of those evil spirits, creating ripples in circles.

The attacked evil spirit instinctively retreated, but it couldn't bear to leave its 'prey' on the ground and didn't go.

"Get up! I can only fight them off—?!"

The high school student, nicknamed "Filial Piety," looked down and saw his male classmate clinging tightly to his ankle. "Hey, I can't hold on much longer!"

"Huff...huff...my legs, I can't feel them anymore!"

The slick-haired high school student, who had just been 'touched' by an evil spirit, murmured in despair, which then turned into a frantic shout.

"Hahaha!"

"Let's all die together!!"

After saying that, he clung tightly to the high school student's leg.

"Come on, evil spirit! I've got him under control, hurry up and attack—"

? !
The high school student holding the baseball bat narrowed his eyes. He never expected that after being classmates and saving someone, he would end up like this.

As he became frustrated, his baseball bat slowed down, and the surrounding evil spirits instinctively pounced on him.

bad
Brush, brush, brush

In a moment of crisis, a wooden sword was thrust into the battlefield, slashing and hacking to repel several evil spirits, and then suddenly thrusting downwards!

click,

"Ah~~!!!"

The wooden sword slashed hard at the arms of the high school student who was holding onto the baseball bat's legs, breaking his bones and forcing him to 'let go'.

"Walk,"

After glancing at the screaming guy on the ground, the baseball bat high school student turned and left.

Saving someone once is kindness; saving them twice is idiocy.

He considered himself a decent person, but definitely not stupid.

"Judging by our school uniforms, we're from the same high school?"

As she jogged, the high school girl who had saved the person turned around. She had long hair that reached her hips, but she didn't give off any 'quiet' vibe because of the wooden sword in her hand, her sharp eyes, and her 'enjoyed' expression.

"Hello, Busujima-senpai."

As they ran, another girl picked up the conversation.
“We are second-grade students, Li and Xiao.”

"Takashi, senior Busujima is the ace of the school's kendo club!"

"Oh,"

The boy holding the metal baseball bat simply responded. For some reason, he had spent the year in a daze, too lazy to even pay attention to supernatural information, let alone the school's celebrities.

Such a calm attitude, and the courage he had previously shown in driving away evil spirits.

This boy is interesting.
"follow me,"

The tall girl, known as 'Poison Island,' waved for the two to follow and pointed ahead.

"There are a lot of evil spirits over there, we need to take a detour."

Although she 'likes' fighting, she won't throw her life away for nothing: challenging the large number of evil spirits gathered in that street as an ordinary person would be suicide.

However, what these high school students didn't know was that it was because someone had attracted a large number of evil spirits that they were able to escape.

"Ah~~!"

With a hoarse roar, the old hunter named Ishikawa bit down on the 'evil spirit' clinging to him.

He seemed to have bitten something, or perhaps it was just his imagination: but as he shook his head, the evil spirit was actually 'torn' open.

The evil spirits that had gathered around them scattered again, lingering around the two of them but not leaving.

On the one hand, they feared the 'flames' burning fiercely on the two people;
On the other hand, the flame was already teetering on the brink of collapse!

"Hey, so you guys are scared too?"

He grinned, revealing a row of slightly loose teeth, and the old hunter Ishikawa revealed his wild side.

"come!!"

"Mere evil spirits? Once I die and become an evil spirit, I'll fight you for three hundred rounds!"

"Whoohoo~~"

"Unfortunately,"

The old hunter Fujiwara, panting beside him, calmly analyzed the situation.

"Given our situation, it's very likely that our souls will be devoured as well: there's no chance for a second battle."

Ah this
"That's a real shame, isn't it?"

The two panting old hunters turned their heads and saw a streak of golden light shooting towards them.

Wherever the golden light touched, the evil spirits flying everywhere were wiped out like snow melting under the scorching sun, or like a scene erased by an eraser: powerless to resist!
?

Next second,
A gigantic golden hand swept past the two of them.

On the other side, another giant golden hand flew over, scooping up and slapping. As the two giant hands came together, the 'evil spirits' in this area were crushed into dust and cleared away.

? ?
That's efficient.
"Gentlemen, are you alright?"

Suddenly, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure appeared before the two old hunters.

They felt familiar because of the young man in front of them, with whom they had spent a lot of time these past few days; yet they felt unfamiliar because the other person was surrounded by a five- or six-meter-tall statue of Fudo Myoo, gesturing angrily, which commanded respect at first glance.

"You've figured it out, kid?"

As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man, and gold makes the Buddha," under the shadow of the Acala statue, the once melancholy young man also became solemn and dignified.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Upon discovering the crack in the sky, Monk Zhixiong immediately descended the mountain to come.

Fortunately, they managed to save both of them.
"Monk?"

"A monk?!"

"Monk!!!"

Just as Monk Zhixiong was feeling fortunate,
A large number of evil spirits seemed to be provoked, and they all let out hateful howls, abandoning their pursuit of the ordinary people, and rushed towards this side.

After these evil spirits flew over, they collided with each other and turned into a black lotus flower, or perhaps a mass of mud. As the countless evil spirits gathered like swimming fish or a torrent, the black lotus rapidly expanded: five meters, ten meters, twenty meters, fifty meters!
The next second, the black lotus bloomed, transforming into a black Buddha image whose outline was sometimes clear and sometimes hazy, constantly twisting and undulating, and it floated in the air.

The black Buddha was covered with countless arms that kept writhing and stretching. In addition, there were hundreds of eyes that emitted a ghostly green light, covering the entire body. The evil Buddha with a thousand eyes and a thousand hands was so sinister that it was terrifying and horrifying!
“Monk,”

"Falsehoods, intimidation, fraud, and mediocre goods;"

"Repent for past sins, and falsely plan for future blessings!"

The giant, black, evil Buddha opened its mouth, and countless voices echoed from it.

"Give away ten thousand coins and hope for a ten-thousand-fold reward; fast for one day and hope for a hundred days' worth of food."

"Thus, the foolish and deluded seek merit in vain; they disregard laws and prohibitions, and lightly violate the constitution; some commit heinous crimes, yet turn around and worship Buddha to seek leniency from their sins."

"Deserved punishment!"

"It should be punished! It should be punished! It should be punished!"

The layers of sound were like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing.

It was like the roar of those who, throughout history, worshipped at the Buddhist temple but died in despair.

Even more terrifying was that as the fifty-meter-tall evil Buddha recounted the filth of Buddhism, an invisible pressure fell upon Monk Zhixiong, making it difficult for him to breathe and disrupting his internal magical power. Before even engaging in battle, he had already lost half of his strength.

We can't beat them, we can't beat them, we can't beat them!

escape.?!
In front of the Black Buddha, the image of Acala appears like a rat.

The difference between the two was so great that even the two old hunters could see it.

"Let's go, buddy."

"We'll hold them off, hey! Bro—"

"I'm not dead yet."

The impatient reply came from the old hunter Fujiwara, lacking the previous vigor.

"I've decided on my 'farewell poem':"

"This body and these bones return to heaven and earth, untouched by the mortal world, naturally elegant!"

"Copied."

Watching the two old hunters supporting each other and their backs blocking the way, Monk Zhixiong's face trembled, but his hand subconsciously reached into his pocket.

Live on, live on, live on!

"Ahhhh!!!!"

Suddenly, he pulled out a 'three-pronged vajra' from his pocket and grasped it with both hands.

The so-called "three-fold blessing" refers to the equal blessing of the Buddha's body, speech, and mind, none of which can be omitted.

"I want."

"Survive!!!"

click,

With a sudden burst of force, the magical artifact, passed down for 'thousands of years,' shattered.

(End of this chapter)