Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 217 Nine-tailed Fox

Faith is a truly amazing thing.

Because of the Shinto belief in animism, Japan, amidst the great decline of mythology, has left a fertile ground for many mountain spirits and monsters to survive in the real world.

If this were in Europe, all tree spirits, fairies, and goblins would have declined and perished.

The nymphs play a significant role in ancient Greek mythology. They were secondary goddesses, hidden among mountains and rivers, but gradually disappeared as early as the pre-Christian era. Yet, even now, in the 9th century AD, Japan still has fertile ground for mythical creatures, and can still produce the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons of the Heian period, with mountain spirits and monsters dwelling in every region.

Similar belief systems, such as Celtic beliefs, only lasted until around 100 BC.

Their sacrificial stones are used to worship nature spirits.

"This lord."

"plz follow me."

Before Duncan's avatar, Nurarihyon's forehead was covered in cold sweat. His magnificent black haori was gone, and he was wearing only a thin white garment. He looked pitiful, shivering in the cold wind, and had to lead the way for Duncan.

Japanese yokai are also considered Japanese, so there's no need to be too polite.

Duncan's attire at this moment resembles that of a hidden character in the game Taikou Risshiden; although a blond, blue-eyed foreigner, he is dressed in traditional samurai attire. There were also foreign samurai in Japanese history, one of whom was apparently English and loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate.

He once served as a diplomatic advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu and owned a territory of 250 koku.

He is the protagonist of the game Nioh.

This guy possesses both Eastern and Western abilities.

Because he was active during Japan's Sengoku period, he is considered a somewhat legendary figure, and in the game, he also slays quite a few monsters.

The monsters in this world don't actually possess that many magical abilities; they're more like an enhanced version of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, or perhaps their fighting style belongs to the Black Myth Soul series. The magic of ordinary monsters is rather ordinary, not much stronger than Anya's early tricks. A large number of Japanese monsters are easily killed by swords.

This is true even in Eastern countries.

What kind of spell?
When the Taoist priest is pushed to the limit, he'll just draw his sword and chop people down; he doesn't need so many drawn-out spells!

The kind of back-and-forth, spell-casting exchange that never happened. The Taoist priest would finish casting a spell one second and then immediately draw his sword to strike the next.

Sometimes, killing someone is much easier than using magic.

If you encounter a Taoist with superb swordsmanship, you won't bother using magic. At most, you'll chant an incantation to cast a buff, and you can cut down any mountain spirits, monsters, zombies, or ghosts one by one.

The Taoists at this time all leaned towards the style of Uncle Ying and Master Qianhe, and their skills were all quite remarkable. It was not considered acceptable if one did not cultivate both magic and martial arts.

The situation is similar in Japan.

The Yin-Yang School, sorry, the Hundred Schools of Thought, even novelists, all need to know how to kill people.

This way, it's less likely for someone to cut you down.

The branch of Onmyōdō (the Way of Yin and Yang) that followed Fusō evolved into ninjutsu, which gradually became active during the Sengoku period in Japan. However, ninjas did not yet appear at this time, although their origins can be traced back to the Asuka period in the sixth century AD.

Nurarihyon's house is a rather luxurious mansion belonging to a nobleman.

This guy is so outgoing and friendly.

In the short time it took to arrange for a servant to pour tea for Duncan, he changed into some gorgeous clothes, which looked a little awkward and didn't fit him well.

——Zashiki-warashi (Good Fortune) (One-star silver-gray).

The girl who poured tea for Duncan was a six or seven-year-old girl in red. She was a Japanese fairy, a kind of elf, a god who lived in houses and warehouses.

This monster is good; Duncan likes it very much.

He reached into his pocket and took out a handicraft from the British Isles, a sacrificial stone from Celtic beliefs. He smiled and handed it to the little girl in front of him, saying, "This is for you."

The zashiki-warashi looked slightly frightened, carefully taking the item and glancing back at the nihilistic yokai behind him.

Nurarihyon is a famous yokai throughout Japan.

This was the first time she had ever seen the Nurarihyon-sama so cautious and respectful. She had no idea where this strange-looking foreigner came from.

"Since it was bestowed upon you by an adult, then please accept it."

The slippery ghost knelt properly in front of Duncan, bowed his head and said, "My lord."

"May I ask what brings you to Japan?"

May you receive blessings?

What is the name of this Zashiki-warashi?
Great name! Excellent!

Duncan sat cross-legged, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said casually, "I just happened to be passing by."

"I've heard that you have quite a few powerful monsters around here?"

Big monster.

Hearing Duncan's indifferent tone, Nurarihyon instantly broke out in a cold sweat, because he was also one of the great monsters here.

As the saying goes, when the cat's away, the mice will play. These great demons are well aware of their own strength. Not to mention those far away, even those nearby don't take them seriously. It's just that Japan is an overseas island nation, so not many people come here.

In recent centuries, Buddhism has brought about many ghosts and monsters.

Yakshas and Asuras are quite active.

The elusive demon cautiously replied, "There are many people who have the title of great demon. I wonder which one you are referring to, sir?"

Duncan thought for a moment and said, "Tell me what they are."

The elusive demon's expression shifted, and he tentatively asked, "Shuten-dōji, he is the King of a Hundred Demons who commands all the demons."

this?

No! Too weak.

The Ghost King is not up to par.

Even if you become the king of the mountain, you might not be able to defeat Little Drill Wind.

Duncan shook his head and said, "Next."

The cunning demon poured tea for Duncan with great courtesy and slowly said, "Great Tengu?"

interesting.

But it's still far from good enough.

The elusive demon asked cautiously, "Ao-Bōzu? Ashura?"

Why are they all monsters brought by Buddhism?
What about local ones?

Duncan shook his head and frowned, saying, "Are there any more ancient and powerful monsters?"

The sly demon broke out in a cold sweat. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "If you are looking for a powerful demon, I have heard some rumors recently."

"I've heard that fox spirits near Kyoto have become very active."

"Many powerful fox demons have appeared."

"It seems a very powerful monster has come from the East!..." That's right.

This is it.

If we're really talking about a great demon, it has to be the nine-tailed fox.

It's unclear whether such a powerful monster was suppressed by the receding tide of mythology and hid here, or whether it used the spiritual energy here to prop up the ceiling.

Duncan always felt that even the Nine-Tailed Fox might not be able to make it.

He stared at the slippery ghost before him, his gaze lingering on the ghost's bald head for a moment, before asking, "Are there any other powerful figures here?"

"I mean someone extremely powerful, someone who can also walk among mortals."

Nurarihyon, don't bring up Amaterasu Omikami. As the sun goddess of Japan and the highest deity of Shintoism, she is practically impossible to enter reality.

At this time, there were still quite a few female emperors in Japanese history.

The slippery demon in front of him racked his brains for a moment, then hesitated and cautiously asked, "Queen Himiko?"

Huh?
He was someone who lived even earlier than Duncan.

The first human form was active after 450 AD, while Queen Himiko of Yamatai was a figure from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, approximately from 159 AD to 247 AD.

In addition, Amaterasu Omikami was only born a few hundred years earlier than Duncan. The civilization here developed later and may not have been born earlier than Jesus.

correct.

Emperor Wu of Han and Huo Qubing were born more than a hundred years earlier than Jesus.

The unification of Shintoism here occurred after 300-400 AD, when the original shamanistic religion (the way of ghosts) transformed into Shintoism.

The Japanese envoys to Tang China brought about many changes.

Japan adopted the Tang Dynasty's system and established a centralized government after 646.

The mythology here is much later than that of the Norse pantheon.

Many mythological figures from other countries that you might think are ancient were actually born earlier than people from the Han Dynasty. It's just that the East entered the human era much earlier, and the decline of mythology occurred rather early.

The Yamatai Kingdom was located in the northeastern part of Kyushu Island.

She was the queen of Yamatai during the Yayoi period of Japan, known for her mysterious rule and psychic abilities. She once sent envoys to the Cao Wei state and was granted the title of "Wa Queen who is close to Wei".

This can be considered the earliest Oni-do Shrine Maiden.

"interesting."

Upon hearing the name Himiko, Duncan rested his chin on his hand and asked, "Is she near Kyushu Island?"

The cunning man nodded respectfully and said, "Yes, sir."

"But how do I get to see her?"

"It's beyond the comprehension of a lowly demon like myself!... She is a being feared by countless demons!..."

The sly devil was very humble.

In Japan, Himiko is considered a super boss to some extent.

Ordinary monsters probably wouldn't even dare to approach her shrine.

Duncan was also deep in thought.

"If he were a figure from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and were to be transformed into a heroic spirit, he would probably be at least a high-ranking heroic spirit."

"But these beings who possess magic will not be transformed into ordinary heroic spirits."

"It might have already been deified."

Cao Wei even bestowed a title upon her.

No joke, Himiko received the investiture from Cao Wei, which meant she possessed legitimacy in that era.

People who leave behind mysterious legends in history must have been powerful sorcerers and magicians in both the East and the West. In existing historical records, Himiko can be considered one of the origins of priestesses.

If we wait any longer, we'll probably have to wait until Abe no Seimei is born.

The founding ancestor of Tsuchimikado.

If mythology continues to decline, Japan will likely also decline, and by the Sengoku period in Japan, it will have largely faded away.

"Ghost path?"

"Speaking of the way of ghosts and gods, I am reminded of the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao."

The so-called "demon arts" of early Japan were actually an extension of primitive shamanism, a power to command lower-ranking spirits. Heroic spirit summoning and shikigami summoning are essentially the same, differing only in the rank of the summoned spirits; the rank of heroic spirits is far higher than that of Japanese spirits.

In Eastern Taoism, the invocation of gods and exorcisms usually involves lower-ranking deities; who would bother to summon the higher-ranking gods?

Duncan stood up and said slowly, "Take me to see."

Himiko is a historical figure known for her supernatural abilities, living almost two or three hundred years before Duncan. If she could still exist as a spirit, her strength would probably not be much weaker than that of the guardian fairy of Avalon.

If she can escape, those monsters from the Heian period won't stand a chance.

At this point, aside from those who were clearly deified, such as Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Yamata no Orochi, there were only so many figures in Fusang that he could deduce. He even doubted whether there were any world-class powerhouses here.

There's no point in even thinking about Yamata no Orochi.

Jormungandr has not been seen in Scandinavia, so it is highly likely that Orochi does not exist in reality.

One is a nine-tailed fox, and the other is Himiko.

Both of them are considered to be the strongest in the current era of Japan, but Duncan still felt that they were not qualified enough and were not the ones he was really looking for.

But it’s all here.

That's a nine-tailed fox, I have to meet her no matter what.

As for Himiko, she landed near Kyushu Island, where the ruins of Yamatai are located.

"There is also the Dragon Palace belief in Ryukyu."

"I'll go and see it if I have the chance."

In such small-town communities, the creation myths don't need to be taken too seriously. Duncan was just taking a chance and casually exploring the surrounding area.

Actually, he had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

The nine-tailed fox appeared in Japan, and it always felt like she had been chased there.

Then the problem is coming.

In this era, who could possibly drive a nine-tailed fox to Japan? She must have come with the Japanese envoys to Tang China, right?
………………

(End of this chapter)