I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 224 Each Person's Pawn

"Yama no Orochi?"

Even Jiu Kongyao, a fearless child, was stunned on the spot.

This person has transcended ordinary tales of the strange and supernatural, and is a true "great demon" who can stand on equal footing with "gods"!
The fact that even Susanoo, one of the three noble sons known for his fighting prowess, needed to use a scheme to kill him speaks volumes about the status of Yamata no Orochi in Japanese mythology. Even in various games and anime, he is portrayed as the ultimate boss.

The King of Fighters, Warriors Orochi, and so on.
Even in the Naruto world, Orochimaru's ultimate move was the "Eight-Headed Serpent Technique," and he still fell to the hands of the "Totsuka Blade."

With a gentle tap of his folding fan, the great Onmyoji began his narration.

"In ancient times, the Yamata no Orochi died by the sword of Susanoo and fell into the underworld."

"As a great demon, Orochi was naturally unwilling to perish. He lingered in Yomotsu Hirasaka, waiting for an opportunity to return to the mortal world: the Yomotsu Rift was precisely his way of escaping."

So that’s it!
The little girl's expressions gradually became more lively, but when she learned the 'truth', a deep sense of powerlessness overwhelmed her.

She was just an ordinary person who wasn't even an extraordinary being. Facing a great demon that even the 'Three Noble Sons' needed to devise a plan, she was more desperate than an ant trying to shake a tree!

Do not,
It should be dust that's shaking the mountain!

Why didn't Sister Mai tell me?

"Jiu Kong, the more you know, the more trouble you will only have."

Abe no Seimei shook his head slightly, then added casually.

"Furthermore, the giant serpent is not a wild beast; a thousand years ago, it secretly tempted the people of the 'Genji' to perform a blood sacrifice in exchange for evil magic."

"A vast 'Ghost Army' composed of soldiers clad in golden armor and drawing power from human souls."

"And with his secret techniques, he forged demons and even priestesses into swords. Therefore..."

At this point, the Great Onmyoji smiled without saying a word.

Is that so?
The government covets the power of the Yamata no Orochi.

Jiu Kong Yao Ai was raised in the manner of a 'chaebol elite', and she will definitely become a cold-blooded and ruthless person when she grows up; although it is not that serious now, if she were in that position, she would also make the move to cooperate with 'Orochi'.

The more elite they are, the more unscrupulous they become; the more powerful they are, the more indifferent and ruthless they are.

Therefore, it's understandable why Sister Mayi was evasive.

"Time flows on like this, and the living are gone."

"Yes, it's fate that we've met."

After explaining the 'mastermind' behind the Yellow Spring Rift, the Great Onmyoji gently tapped his folding fan to comfort the little girl.

"I have nothing of value except for my skill in Yin-Yang arts."

"Would you like to learn a few techniques for self-defense?"

This can also be considered as rent for his 'stay' here.

? !
In the corner of the living room,
The scarred bodyguard trembled, almost collapsing on the spot to agree on behalf of the young lady.

This is none other than 'Abe no Seimei', a legendary Onmyoji who was undefeated in magical duels, dominated the Heian period, and was revered even by ghosts and gods!

As long as you learn even a trick or two, how can you not make the Jiukong family rise to prominence?

Even in the worst-case scenario, one can still protect oneself.
thud,

Jiu Kong Yao Ai is not a fool.

If the bodyguard could figure it out, she naturally reacted immediately, kneeling down and bowing deeply in worship.

"master!"

After kowtowing,

They immediately and skillfully climbed the ladder of success.

"What techniques does Master wish to teach his disciple?"

"Well, how about I teach you Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the art of exorcising evil and warding off misfortune?"

After Abe no Seimei finished speaking, the little girl hesitated and looked up to ask a question.

"master,"

"If I learn these techniques, will I be able to defeat the Yamata no Orochi?"

"cannot,"

The great Onmyoji shook his head slightly.

"The power of the Five Elements also has its limits; exorcising evil and avoiding misfortune can only protect oneself."

“My parents died at the hands of an evil spirit, and the culprit was the great serpent. If I do not avenge this, I will be unworthy to be a son.”

"Then, shall I teach you the art of cutting paper into soldiers and commanding shikigami?"

The girl gritted her teeth at the second method proposed by Abe no Seimei.

"Can we defeat the giant serpent?"

"Shikigami are nothing more than demons, ghosts, spirits, and souls; how can they be compared to Orochi?"

The shikigami controlled by Onmyoji, whether cultivated by themselves or captured in the wild, ultimately cannot escape the category of demons and monsters; they are fine for dealing with other people, but for dealing with great demons, that is not just showing off one's skills in front of an expert, but adding fuel to the fire.

Seeking death!

"Disciple, please ask Master to choose another one."

"Then, I will teach you how to perform a ritual of purification and incantation, by divine intervention."

These techniques, strictly speaking, belong to the methods of 'Shintoism': invoking the gods to descend and to reward or punish on their behalf. If one can gain the favor of the gods, one will naturally be invincible.

"Can we defeat the giant serpent?"

"If we can summon the Three Noble Sons, perhaps we can give it a try."

"However, to my knowledge, the Three Noble Ones have never stepped out of Takamagahara because of mortals."

"I wonder if Master has returned?"

"presumptuous,"

With a cold snort, even the good-tempered great Onmyoji suddenly stood up.

"You won't learn this, you won't learn that."

"What do you think my Abe no Seimei's magic is?"

After saying that, he snapped his folding fan on the head of the kneeling girl, and then the great Onmyoji turned and left, going straight back into the house.

"Miss, you...you...oh."

Witnessing all this, the scarred bodyguard, who was just a background figure, couldn't help but rush forward; while helping his young lady up, he didn't know what to say.

Whether it's Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, controlling shikigami, or summoning gods, they are all top-notch extraordinary skills!
How could my young lady, who is usually so clever, be so muddle-headed?
Ptooey ptooey ptooey

I almost got influenced to speak entirely in classical Chinese.

"Hmph, you don't need to worry about it."

The little girl shook off the bodyguard's hand, but she already understood.

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.

"This is TV Asahi."

"We are fortunate to have invited Section Chief Kawai from the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department to explain the content of the sword competition to everyone."

The female host on television, with her classic onion-shaped hairstyle and exquisite makeup, looked only in her forties, as if time had stood still on her face. However, she was actually 91 years old, a national treasure-level host in the island nation.
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi.

This person is an author, a top host, and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador;
Could I participate in the program she hosts?

It has almost become the 'standard' for judging the popularity of celebrities from island nations.

Of course, as one of the heads of the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department, Kawai Mai has absolutely nothing to do with 'stars'; but the attention she attracts is no less than that of any island nation. No, she's a world-class superstar!
"Hi Yi,"

"Hello everyone, I'm Mai Kawai." The young policewoman greeted the camera stiffly.

She had short, bob haircuts and looked nervous and out of sorts; if it were a different show, she would definitely be the type to be brought to tears on the spot.

The variety shows in island nations have been developing for decades, and they've exhausted all the content. To break through the competition, they either need to play with borderline content, sow discord through words, or resort to simple and brutal pranks.

Many celebrities and idols are lucky if they are pranked on TV shows and end up laughing or crying; embarrassing moments on the spot are commonplace.

After all, there are a large number of famous idols in island nations. They become famous quickly, but fade away even faster. Their careers are truly "youth-dependent," placing them at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

To boost ratings, the show's producers are willing to use any means necessary!

However, when facing Kawai Mai, the TV station not only sent its top presenters, but also guided her conversation by focusing on her hometown life, her favorite animals and foods, and the people she admired.
It's filled with styles from the last century, falling into a very 'safe' category, and under normal circumstances, audiences wouldn't buy it.

But what can you do when someone is an extraordinary being?

Apart from a few extraordinary individuals who like to show off,

Most extraordinary individuals are 'self-assured' and don't want to appear on TV shows to 'please' ordinary people?

In the eyes of many extraordinary beings, that was an 'insult' to them!
Only the Extraordinary Countermeasures Division under the government could send a master like 'Kawai Mai' to participate in a television program.

"I heard that Section Chief Kawai joined the kendo club in high school?"

"Hi, I have participated in club activities."

Although it was only a brief attempt, I quit because I needed to clean up the tedious armor: then I went to the flower arranging club next door to slack off until graduation.

The young policewoman, dressed in a special police uniform, had her eyes wandering, clearly looking at the teleprompter.

"Regarding this kendo tournament, who do you think will win?"

"Hi, well..."

The finger tapped on the avatar that flashed across the screen, stopping at a high school girl with waist-length hair who looked quite like a classical beauty.

"I think she has the potential to win the championship."

Although it was a random click, it just happened to land on 'Poison Island's' avatar.

Besides the kendo program that Kawai Mai participated in, the other programs also invited extraordinary individuals from their respective 'fields' to be guests: since it was an event to ascend to the extraordinary level, ordinary people could not be invited as guests.

Besides, how easy is it to invite these arrogant and aloof extraordinary individuals under normal circumstances?

It was only because this event was so grand and there were several 'big shots' from the supernatural world present that these supernatural beings were willing to appear on the show.

All television stations were broadcasting, commenting, and contributing to the success of this grand event; and across the island nation, with a population of nearly 100 million, almost everyone except the elderly, infants, and patients who were not suitable to watch gathered together to follow the progress of the competition through mobile phones, computers, televisions, and screen mirroring.

Just as the island nation's government anticipated, such a grand event could both divert public attention and demonstrate the government's strength and financial resources in controlling the overall situation!

It was worth it for them to bring out so many precious and extraordinary medicines.

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.

Koshien,
The newly built behemoth houses more than 200,000 people;
A single sentence from one person is enough to create a torrent of sound.

Inside the building, in the rest areas of each county, the athletes were also doing intensive warm-up exercises and putting on protective gear with the help of professionals.

Apart from karate, which is the least dangerous sport and only requires a white coat, protective headgear, and a waist belt, other combat sports such as swordsmanship, archery, and horse racing are all highly dangerous: in order to simulate real combat, these competitions are all one-on-one duels, and points are scored by hitting points according to the rules.

In other words, archers need to shoot their opponents while moving and dodging!
Horse racing, on the other hand, requires riders to control their horses while simultaneously using lances to send opponents flying; different hits to different parts of the body yield different scores. While it cannot completely simulate real combat, it at least strives to achieve a certain level of fairness.

As for how these rules will be changed in the future, that will be discussed after the first 'Martial Arts Tournament' concludes.

“Troublesome protective gear,”

Unaware that she had become a 'favorite to win' in the eyes of others, the high school girl named Busujima tied her hair into a ponytail and put on a helmet.

If she could, she preferred to go into battle lightly armed, with every strike drawing blood and flesh flying everywhere!
Unfortunately, this is a formal competition after all.

"Boring,"

?

The voice behind him made Busujima turn around abruptly, but it was:
Nothing!
"To actually tie one's own hands and feet is truly boring."

? !
He turned around sharply again, but his eyes were still empty; yet the words he had just heard were so clear that Tokushima wondered if he had been attacked by a supernatural force!
"Who?"

"My bloodline is meant to kill the people for the ruler, and to kill the ruler for the people. Why should I suppress my true nature?"

What kind of insane and extraordinary nonsense is this?
Just as Busujima was on high alert and trying to reach for the bamboo sword beside her, everything went black.

No, it wasn't completely pitch black; rather, it suddenly appeared in a dimly lit alley.

A little girl is walking towards the alley.

? !
Under the dim streetlights, Tokushima's pupils contracted.

That was 'herself'. Or rather, it was herself when she first entered junior high school.

The girl, who hadn't yet begun puberty, clutched her schoolbag, seemingly a little nervous; however, Busujima knew perfectly well that this wasn't nervousness, but excitement. Inside the schoolbag was a wooden sword!

As the girl entered the alley, a man stealthily followed her. Judging from his lewd grin, he was no good.

As the man chased into the alley, Tokushima lowered his eyes.

"Hehehe~~ Ah!!"

The lewd laughter suddenly turned into a scream.
"What are you doing? No! Help! Help!"

The screams mixed with pleas for mercy were quickly drowned out by the sounds of flesh being pounded and excited panting!
"Look, this is your true nature."

The sound from behind made the high school girl, Busujima, look up.

What she saw was a girl wielding a short knife, violently striking a man on the ground!

The splattered blood on the girl's狰狞 smile and her features, so different from her usual gentle and quiet demeanor, seemed to tell two words:
Pleasure!

"Unleash your true nature and let the world grovel at your feet."

The words behind me grew closer and closer, as if they were right next to my ear.

Knock knock knock,

"Bukushima-senpai, Busushima-senpai?"

"The match is about to start, aren't you ready yet?"

The sudden knocking on the door, along with Xiao's voice outside, brought the high school girl back to her senses.

Was I just hallucinating?
"Wait a minute, I'll be right there."

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.

"Senior, you don't look well?"

"How could that be? I just encountered some confusion."

Walking down the corridor of the venue, Busujima shook his head slightly in response to Takashi's concern.

Just now, she must have encountered an extraordinary being: she just didn't know what that being was or what its purpose was.

but--

The exit of the corridor appeared ahead.

As soon as everyone stepped out, they looked up at the dense crowd on the stage, where a deafening roar erupted. Some were raising their arms and shouting until their faces were flushed, some were clapping wildly, and some were shouting the names of their schools and contestants.

Two hundred thousand people were all actively engaged, their sounds blending into a deafening torrent that echoed endlessly over Koshien Stadium, reaching even high-rise buildings and the city, creating a long-lasting, rolling echo.

"It's truly spectacular,"

Although no sound could be discerned at all, the frenzied atmosphere was enough to make the contestants' faces glow!

How could the encouragement and cheers of more than 200,000 people not get excited?

right now,

Let's have the competition first.

(End of this chapter)