I made up myths in America

Chapter 162 A Virtuous Monk's Compassionate Salvation
We can't beat these now, are there even more powerful ones?!

Upon hearing this, Harada Yoshiya was completely taken aback and looked up at the giant purple gate standing in the dim sky.

as predicted.

If you look closely, you can see almost transparent figures, or rather, souls, rising from all over Kyoto and being sucked into the Rashomon gate, which exudes a chilling, ghostly aura.

No, perhaps it's because I'm different now that I can see it.

Harada Yoshiya glanced down at the demon sword Onikiri in his hand. Under the dim moonlight, the ancient sword, which had survived for thousands of years, gleamed with a cold, blood-red light. Powerful demonic energy flowed continuously from the hilt into his body, transforming him from an ordinary person with decent swordsmanship into an extraordinary swordsman capable of slaying demons.

This extraordinary power is something no one can easily relinquish; at least, Harada Yoshiya himself admitted he couldn't do it.

Recalling the ghosts and gods he had seen in the illusion, who said that when he escaped, he would slaughter the entire Genji bloodline.

Harada Yoshiya's expression shifted uncertainly, but he finally made up his mind, gripped the demon sword that had given him this extraordinary power, and said to the man and woman before him:

“Officer Yako, and this detective, you’ve told me so much, you must have a plan to stop them, right? Tell me, if it’s feasible, I’m willing to join.”

"Great."

Upon hearing this, Flying Eagle and Ya Zi exchanged a glance, and a hint of joy appeared on their faces at the same time.

The reason they're saying all that to Harada Yoshiya is to try and recruit him.

Immediately.

No time was wasted.

The eagle holding the snake talisman reached out to him, grabbing one hand with each of them. The three of them simultaneously entered a stealth state and quietly arrived at a temple not far away, Kurama Temple.

This ancient Buddhist temple, located in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, was founded in 770 AD by Jianzhen, a disciple of the Zen master Jianzhen. It was once very prosperous, but most of its halls were destroyed in several wars.

The Anma Temple that people see today is a reconstruction in modern times, but it still retains some of its ancient charm, and Buddhists come here in an endless stream to offer incense and worship.

Incidentally, it was in this temple that Harada Yoshiya's ancestor, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, encountered the tengu.

When he saw that the two of them had brought him here, Harada Yoshiya's eyes widened in surprise. Just as he was about to speak, Hiyori put his index finger to his lips and gestured for him to be quiet.

The three of them sneaked into the gate of Kurama-ji Temple. As soon as they entered the courtyard of the front hall, what they saw startled Harada Yoshiya.

"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, after walking in the deep Prajnaparamita for a long time, he saw that the five aggregates are all empty, and he survived all the hardships."

"Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

A large group of bald men and women dressed in various clothes sat around an ancient bronze bell in the courtyard. Their faces were neither sad nor happy, and they clasped their hands together, softly reciting the Buddhist classic, the Heart Sutra.

???

This scene is so weird.

In particular, when Yoshiya Harada saw some white or black people who were obviously foreigners sitting cross-legged on the ground, with their hands clasped together, reciting Buddhist scriptures in a clear and resonant voice, his eyes twitched uncontrollably, and he wondered if he had wandered into the wrong movie set.

"This"

He turned to the official beside him and asked, "Miss Yako, what's going on?"

"The Bell of Dojoji Temple".

Flying Eagle explained on her behalf: "It is one of the most special monsters among the hundred demons. It is said to have been transformed from a bell of an ancient temple. It turns everyone who sees it into a monk and makes them forget their past. That is what they are like now."

At this point, Flying Eagle looked at the young woman who seemed quite familiar among the bald men surrounding the bronze bell, and wanted to laugh but felt it wasn't appropriate.

That's Nogami Reika, Mei's younger sister.

They encountered her when they escaped from Mount Atago. After hearing that they were coming to Kurama-ji Temple to look for something, she insisted on following them. Then, after seeing the special yokai, the Dojoji Bell, she fell for it without any warning and has now become a devout bald little nun.

Similarly, Flying Eagle and Yako are now completely afraid to exit the stealthy state under the shadow of the snake charm.

I fear that they might become like the people in front of me, forgetting all their troubles and devoting themselves to worshiping Buddha.

If that happens, Kyoto will be completely finished!
"So, what's hidden in this temple that can save Kyoto and destroy Rashomon?!"

Harada Yoshiya asked in a doubtful tone.

He's weighing whether the things involved are worth the risk.

He is the only son in his family and has not yet married or had children.

Although the Meiji government of Japan promulgated the "Prohibition on Eating Meat and Having Wives" in 1872, stipulating that Japanese monks could freely choose whether to grow their hair, marry, have children, or eat meat.

However, the many bald men here who have been brainwashed by the monster that is the bell of Dojoji Temple are obviously not the kind of frivolous monks who would marry and have children. They all look very old-fashioned and probably only know how to eat vegetarian food and worship Buddha.

Harada Yoshiya couldn't stand this kind of life.

"It is related to the legendary Zen Master Jianzhen."

Yako replied, "The founder of Kurama Temple was none other than Master Jianzhen, a high disciple of Zen Master Jianzhen. After Zen Master Jianzhen passed away, he came to Kurama Mountain to establish a sect and brought with him some of the relics left behind by Zen Master Jianzhen after his passing. This information was also told to us by Senior Sanshui Jiyoumenwei before his death."

Ok.

Just like the name of the great poet Bai Juyi, the name of Zen Master Jianzhen is also a household name. No Japanese person who has received nine years of compulsory education would say that they have never heard of them.

And this also means that he has to take this risk?!
After a moment's thought, Harada Yoshiya sighed, took responsibility as a descendant of the Minamoto family, and released Hiyori's hand, his figure appearing in the temple's front courtyard.

Swish, swish, swish—

Instantly, all the bald men who had been devoutly worshipping Buddha raised their heads and stared expressionlessly at the intruders in front of them.

"When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajnaparamita, he perceived that the five aggregates are empty, and thus transcended all suffering and distress."

At the same time, as if a demonic sound had entered his mind, a series of grand Buddhist chants instantly entered Harada Yoshiya's head.

"His-"

He quickly gripped the demon sword Onikiri in his right hand even tighter.

A chilling current of air surged from the demonic sword into his body, dispelling the eerie Buddhist chants in his mind.

"Phew, looks like I don't need to be a monk anymore."

A huge weight lifted from Harada Yoshiya's heart. A smile crept across his face as he raised his demon sword with a triumphant air, the tip pointing directly at the bronze bell in the courtyard, threatening it to hand over the relics of Zen Master Jianzhen. Indeed, when Hitaka, Yako, and Reika first arrived, they had already found the nine relics left behind by Zen Master Jianzhen in the Pagoda of Kurama Temple.

However, after Rika couldn't hold on any longer and was brainwashed, these relics were hidden inside the body of the Dojoji bell, which is the large bell.

"."

The special yokai that had come to life from an object remained unmoved by Harada Yoshiya's threat.

However, the Buddhist chanting that rang in Harada Yoshiya's ears grew even louder.

At the same time, the bald men surrounding him seemed to see a nemesis, glaring angrily at Harada Yoshiya and charging at him unarmed.

Bang, bang, bang!!
With the skills and speed of these ordinary people, they pose no threat whatsoever to Harada Yoshika in his current state.

Without even drawing his sword, he gripped the demon sword Onikiri in his right hand, moving so fast that faint red afterimages appeared. He easily knocked everyone unconscious with the back of the blade.

Hundreds of unfortunate souls who had come here to seek refuge, only to be brainwashed into becoming monks by the bells of Dojoji Temple, collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, Harada Yoshiya had already arrived in front of the rather ancient-looking bronze bell. The demon sword Onikiri in his hand exuded a sharp aura, and he swung the sword down without hesitation.

Boom! !

Suddenly, a bell rang out, its sound as loud as a great bell, and a crack appeared on the bronze bell covered in verdigris.

Sensing the danger, the Dojoji bell finally spoke, but instead of begging for mercy from Harada Yoshiya, a monk's face appeared on the surface of the bronze bell, urgently calling out to the dark sky: "Lord Inugami, save me."

Yoshiya Harada: (⊙x⊙;)
Flying Eagle: (((;;)))
Meiko: o(Д)っ!
Amidst the somewhat bewildered gazes of the three, the demon, who had appeared unnoticed above the leaden clouds and indifferently looked down upon Kyoto, lowered its eyes and glanced at them.

A pale white beam of light descended from the sky following His gaze.

Harada, relying on instinct, narrowly rolled away to avoid the attack.

The spot where he originally stood, along with the entire front courtyard of Kurama Temple, was transformed into a frozen snow country.

"This is??!"

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, where the strange Yoshiya Harada, who had obtained the demon sword, had disappeared, everyone stood up from their seats in the conference room upon seeing this. They stared blankly at the white demon on the screen, dressed in loose white Onmyoji robes, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, a human body with a dog's head.

They didn't even need the experts around them to explain; they all recognized each other's identities.

Inugami! !
In Japanese mythology, there are countless folk tales about a deity as famous as the Tengu.

Legend has it that in ancient Japan, on the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, there were families who worshipped this spirit for generations, regarding it as their family's guardian deity.

However, in many folk tales, this ghost or deity is often associated with disasters.

For example, at this moment, in the satellite image, this dog god, Feng Xu, with his sleeves fluttering, slowly landed on the mountain where Kurama Temple is located.

Click, click, click——

Despite his seemingly otherworldly and dignified aura, the white frost that had initially appeared only in the front courtyard of Kurama Temple quickly spread outwards after he landed, freezing the entire mountain peak where Kurama Temple is located.

In an instant, all was silent, not a sound could be heard.

Flying Eagle and Yako, who were hiding in another space, were alright, but Harada Yoshiya, who was facing this demon, was already numb.

If it weren't for the demon sword Onikiri tightly gripped in his right hand, continuously channeling power into his body,
Harada Yoshiya had no idea whether he could withstand the powerful aura emanating from the other party.

The mere presence of this demon, who was on par with Lord Karasu Tengu, exerted a greater pressure on Harada Yoshiya than all the demons he had encountered before combined.

It's not even just him.

The conference room at the Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, the Imperial Palace, military satellites orbiting outside Earth's orbit from the New York Police Department headquarters, numerous drones over Kyoto, and surrounding cameras—all these technological means combined allow those closely monitoring the situation in Kyoto to see this newly appeared demon immediately!
That's why they can feel the immense pressure coming through the screen.

At this moment, countless people held their breath for Harada Itoya, their eyes glued to the screen, hoping he could hold on.

But how am I supposed to handle this?

Harada Yoshiya secretly groaned inwardly.

But at the same time, he seemed to feel a surge of excitement emanating from the demon sword Onikiri in his hand.

This famous sword, forged from the very beginning, was designed to slay demons and monsters. Facing the Inugami, it showed no fear whatsoever, but instead craved to drink its fill of the enemy's blood.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo.”

This fanatical, bloodthirsty fighting spirit gradually infected Harada Yoshiya as well.

His tense mood calmed down, and he adjusted his breathing. His body was surrounded by layers of intense blood energy, making him look more like a villain than the 'ethereal' Inugami opposite him.

"I'm a descendant of the Minamoto family, after all. So what if I die? Let's have a good fight first!!"

His eyes were unconsciously tinged with bloodlust. Harada Yoshiya leaped up quickly with his sword, his figure so fast that blood-red afterimages appeared. He used the Tenshin Dendenkachi Shinto-ryu technique, a secret sword technique, the Ichi no Tachi, to slash at the white dog god who was at least three meters tall.

Chime! !

In an instant, an extremely fierce crimson sword aura shot into the sky, tearing through the air and splitting several frozen Kurama Temple buildings in the distance in half, causing the ground to tremble violently.

The imposing figure of Inugami, with his ethereal and otherworldly demeanor, vanished the moment the sword energy struck him, reappearing above Kurama Temple and extending his hand expressionlessly towards Harada Yoshiya below.

boom! Boom boom! !
Many more ghastly white pillars of icy light than before fell rapidly from the sky, causing the temperature around Kurama Temple, which was already covered in frost, to drop drastically.

Even the bell of Dojoji Temple couldn't stand it; it slowly moved its body, carrying the relic eastward.

Meanwhile, the eagle hidden in another dimension glanced at Yako beside him, whose eyes were red with grief over her sister's death, and asked uncertainly, "Yako, should we go after them?"

"Yes, of course I want it!!"

Yako gritted her teeth, took one last look at her younger sister, Reika, who, like the other bewitched people, was frozen into an ice sculpture, held Feiying's hand, and chased after the bell of Dojoji Temple with him.

Meanwhile, inside Rashomon, which is actually part of a spiritual space, more and more souls are being absorbed, accumulating a large amount of negative emotions and resentment.

Lu Bai stroked his chin, deciding to separate these negative emotions and create another demon.

Hmm, considering that many of the dead were monks, perhaps we could give this demon a name related to Buddhism.

For example, Pudu Cihang is a good one; just hearing the name gives off the air of a virtuous and eminent monk.

(End of this chapter)