I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 6, first offline.

"magic?"

"What kind of prank is this?"

It was broad daylight, yet they were "encountering a ghost" in the brightly lit building. Everyone, from the two underlings to the executives and even the team leader Inoue Suga, was filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

The scene before them was too bizarre, but on the one hand, they had always been taught 'science' and didn't believe in ghosts or gods deep down; on the other hand, the blazing white light shining down from above, along with the presence of their own group of four, prevented them from screaming on the spot.

As for the young man, Tanimura Wataru, who had been brutally beaten, he was left at the door by his two underlings.

The 'women' pouring in from the team leader's office ignored Tanimura Watari, who was dragging his body and struggling to crawl toward the side, and floated straight toward them.

Like the tangled hair hanging down like seaweed, the tattered and decaying clothes, and this light and airy way of moving. The Ring has already reached its fifth installment, so how could the Japanese not recognize this classic look?
"Team leader, look at the ground!"

As they retreated, one of the 'crippled teeth group' members noticed the ground and shuddered.

"No shadow!"

? !
Inoue Suga, who had stood up from behind the office, looked over upon hearing this and, sure enough, did not see the shadows beneath the feet of these guys.

impossible!
Judging from the behavior of others, this was definitely not just one person's hallucination.

So here's the question: whether it's magic or anything else, why is there no shadow?

Rather than believing that such high-tech as 'holographic projection' had appeared in his office, Inoue Suga was more inclined to believe that what he was seeing were evil spirits.

"Stop,"

"Don't panic!"

The familiar angry shout made the three yakuza members who were retreating stop, and Inoue Suga also pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.

Are those fire pokers you're carrying?

yes--

After being reprimanded by their team leader, the two underlings realized what was happening.

brush,

Reaching into his robes,

Two members of the disabled tooth gang pulled out weapons hidden in their holsters.

"Kill them."

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
No matter what kind of evil spirits or deities you are, try 'American-style iaido' first.

The continuous gunfire echoed through the office, making everyone's eardrums ache! The whistling metal bullets were enough to pierce through any flesh and blood, killing tigers and forcing lions to bow down.

but--

"It's not working?!"

The bullets pierced through these 'evil spirits' without any hindrance, leaving only empty 'ripples' on their bodies, unable to even stop them from moving.

Click click click

As the trigger clicked empty, the two underlings from the Defective Group turned pale.

Their courage was largely based on the weapon.

Once they realize that their weapons are ineffective, their courage to bully the weak vanishes rapidly.

Bang! X2
Before the two henchmen could retreat again, a huge force suddenly came from behind, causing them to stumble and fall forward.

? !
The one who pushed the two of them out.
It was the "big brother" in charge of leading them, the cadre of the disabled teeth group.

"Ah~~"

"Big brother, you—"

The two underlings, who instinctively turned around, were both shocked and furious. Before they could say anything more, the 'evil spirit' that had surged into the office instinctively stretched out its arm in response to the two stumbling figures.

Thump, thump!

The two henchmen were bound to the body by the 'evil spirit' with both hands and feet, and immediately fell straight down.

They desperately wanted to get up immediately or drive away the 'evil spirits' binding them. But they were horrified to find themselves unable to move, as if their bodies no longer belonged to them. They could only watch helplessly as these 'evil spirits' coiled around them, their twisted limbs moving across their bodies—faces, ears, eyeballs!

It tried to struggle, but couldn't even move a finger.

He wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his throat.

It's like a lucid nightmare!

A dampness began to spread on the pants of the two henchmen, accompanied by a foul stench.

"Hongo!"

Amidst Inoue Suga's exclamation, the remaining officer suddenly drew a short sword from his waist and rushed towards the gap between the 'evil spirits'.

There was no other way; this office only had one door. To survive, I had to fight back.

Fight!

Although these 'evil spirits' looked terrifying, they weren't particularly fast, and they weren't immune to damage: the officers could clearly see that when a bullet passed through these 'evil spirits,' their bodies would have a brief hole.

So, as long as you don't get touched.
brush,

Agilely weaving between the two 'evil spirits,' the cadre Hongo raised his short sword and slashed fiercely at the 'evil spirit' blocking his escape route.

May Hachiman Daisakusatsu, God, and Allah protect you!

A series of prayers flashed through his mind as Hongo brought down the short sword in his hand.

tear-

It is unknown whether a deity responded to his prayer, or whether the 'fierce aura' emanating from the village had an effect, or whether it was simply the nature of an 'evil spirit'.

The evil spirit blocking his way was cleaved in two by the dagger!
efficient,

The thought of ecstatic joy flashed through his mind, and with the gate right in front of him, Hongo suddenly pushed off with his feet.

Okay, let's rush through it in one go?
The next second, his body stiffened, and Hongo lost his balance while charging.

He flew straight forward and crashed hard into the wall next to the door with a thud, his head bleeding profusely.

His only remaining eye, still able to move, looked behind him. Two writhing 'evil spirits' were holding him firmly in place, their upper and lower bodies intertwined. At the same time, new 'limbs' were constantly sprouting from his severed body. In the blink of an eye, the 'evil spirit' he had cut apart had multiplied from one to two.

Ah, that's it. That's what evil spirits should look like. That's it.

"You guys"

"Stop! Don't come any closer!"

"I'll give you money—no, you mean you want offerings, right? I'll give you anything—"

In the simply yet luxuriously decorated office, Inoue Suga's pleading words came to an abrupt halt as several 'evil spirits' surrounded him, instantly seizing control of his body.

For a while,
An eerie silence fell over the office of the head of the Defective Tooth Group.

Tap tap tap,

The silence didn't last long; unhurried footsteps could be heard.

The three subordinates lying on the ground, as well as the motionless Inoue team leader, turned their eyes to see a figure in a wide robe walking into the office.

He or she was dressed in a simple, wide hunting robe, wearing a tall, imposing black crown, with a magatama pendant at their waist and wooden clogs on their feet. Apart from the hat, they appeared to be only about 1.4 meters tall. The white cloth hanging down in front of the hat obscured their face, with only the black character '叁' on the cloth standing out conspicuously.

The newcomer turned his head, seemingly looking around, and slightly lifted the stone in his right hand.

! !
Without a sound, the two underlings who had fallen first suddenly began to convulse!
Their facial features were contorted to the extreme, as if they were witnessing an indescribable horror. Their mouths were wide open, big enough to fit a fist, and blood seeped from their wide-open eye sockets.

Next second,
Two humanoid phantoms flew out of their bodies.

Even the most exaggerated abstract painting could hardly describe the scene before us: two phantom figures, similar to the little brother on the ground, were stretched out by an invisible hand, their slender hands and feet, their terrified faces helplessly sinking into the stone in the mysterious man's hand.

???

Sweat, tears, snot, urine, feces—all organs capable of releasing fluids are frantically excreting them.

If he could, Inoue Suga would give anything—no, he'd be a dog, eat shit on the spot! As long as he wasn't killed, his soul wasn't taken away, he was willing—

However, there are no ifs. As the mysterious man slightly turned his head, the number 'three' on the curtain rapidly magnified in Inoue Suga's eyes, and countless figures rushed towards him from the darkness!

These figures were so familiar; they were all people he had killed after becoming the leader of the Crippled Tooth Group.

Akemi was among them!

"Rao"

thud,

He didn't get to say the final words of pleading.

Inoue Suga also fell forward into the filth, the light in his pupils quickly fading away.

Done

The mysterious person was none other than Qiu Riyou.

Even a D-rank ninjutsu could easily kill these yakuza members.

D-rank Illusion Technique: Kasumi Servant Technique

This technique can create phantoms that are not lethal, but they will continuously split apart if attacked.

That's right, it's the same technique that Oboro used to wear down the three members of Team 7 during the Chunin Exams.

Although they weren't lethal, even the three members of Team 7 were overwhelmed by the shadowy figures closing in from all sides. How could these yakuza members, who were merely 'ordinary people,' possibly have a way to deal with them?
Combined with the illusion technique "Golden Binding," it's easy to create a scene where an 'evil spirit' is possessed.

As for the ninjutsu used to kill them, it was actually 'Genjutsu: Naraku's View Technique'.

Originally, this illusion was not meant to kill people, but it was only effective against those who could use their magic to disrupt themselves and break the illusion.

For an ordinary person without magical powers, repeatedly confronting the thing that terrifies them most is no less powerful than being under the influence of 'Tsukuyomi'. It's not hard to understand why they might be scared to death.

The annihilation of the entire "Crippled Tooth Group," along with the appearance of this "superhuman" he himself was playing, was enough to keep the Tokyo police busy for a while. When they had some free time, Akihi Yu wouldn't mind giving them "something else to do."

Ok?
“This... sir,”

On the other side, Tanimura Wataru, who had 'escaped death' due to serious injuries, struggled to prostrate himself before Akihi Yuu, performing a full-body prostration!
Are you collecting souls?

“I know the whereabouts of many sinners, and I can guide you.”

Even ants are greedy for life, let alone humans?
If his younger sister Akemi hadn't been deceived, Wataru Tanimura would still be in college. Driven by a desire for revenge, he tried everything, even going so far as to charge this building with a gasoline can. Although he'd fallen into the hands of the Crippled Tooth Group, this dramatic turn of events had allowed him to 'avenge his great grudge,' and naturally, he didn't want to die with his soul ripped out.

"lead the way?"

Amidst a hoarse, mocking voice, a mysterious figure with a white mask covering his face walked towards Tanimura Watari.

“I don’t need a guide,”

Just as Tanimura Watari's heart sank, the other person stopped in front of him.

"But your soul is not suitable as nourishment for the resurrection of adults."

"Alright, lift your head—"

The mysterious man extended his left hand, holding a stone the size of a fingernail between his fingers.

?

Just as Tanimura Watari looked up, the other person roughly pressed the stone onto his forehead.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

The stone was deeply embedded in the flesh.
An indescribable pain suddenly exploded in Tanimura Watari's mind.

The excruciating pain caused Tanimura Wataru to instinctively roll on the ground, but he couldn't help but stand up and howl to the sky—

"Ouch!"

?

"This is what I am"

Looking down at his hairy arms and crescent-shaped fingernails, Tanimura Watari was horrified as the excruciating pain subsided.

"I bestow upon you a portion of demonic power,"

A hoarse voice rang out from a mysterious man who was only 1.4 meters tall.
"Go, hunt down the souls of the most heinous sinners for my lord: remember, you must absorb the soul of one sinner each day, or else—"

"The Killing Stone will steal your soul!"

(End of this chapter)