Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

"Since the truth or falsehood doesn't matter, why do you insist on not believing the truth?"

Ri Yan suddenly looked up and stared intently at them.

The two monks were startled by Riyan's bloodshot eyes and took two steps back.

“Riyan, you’re attached to appearances,” a monk said softly, his lips trembling.

“No.” Riyan tried to calm his breathing. “I am possessed. Since you refuse to lend me the money, I have no choice but to come in person and ask the sage to suppress it.”

After saying that, he stepped out of the door and headed towards the Lingbao Hall.

It took the two monks a few seconds to come to their senses and understand the meaning behind Riyan's words. They hurriedly chased after him, shouting loudly.

"Stop him! He's trying to steal the sacred artifact!"

The monks around were shocked and quickly dropped what they were doing to rush over. But Riyan had already broken into the Lingbao Hall, smashed through the protective barrier with a single punch, and packed up the scriptures, robes, and food utensils inside and took them away.

"Stop!" The monks were horrified and heartbroken as they watched him treat the sacred object so roughly.

That is the very foundation upon which this temple was founded!

Riyan nimbly dodged among them and headed in another direction. After a short while, he brought out a barrel of diesel fuel.

"Ryar, turn back and you'll find the shore! Turn back and you'll find the shore!"

The monk clutched his chest and wailed loudly.

Sunrise gazes toward the pagoda.

"The shore is over there." After saying that, he walked away without looking back.

According to legend, that is where Nichiren was cremated.

This was his last resort.

An extreme ritual that was not recorded in any books, and which he had only heard about from his master.

As for whether it will succeed, he didn't know, but if he allowed the demon sword to slaughter the human world, what use would it be if Nichiren Saint left behind so many sacred artifacts?

Nichiren would surely understand; if he were in Nichiren's shoes, he would have done the same.

Riyan entered the pagoda alone, and soon a strong smell of diesel fuel wafted out, deterring people from approaching.

The monks of Benmen Temple were at their wits' end, fearing that the madman might do something irrational—even though he seemed completely irrational at the moment.

They had no choice but to seek help from the authorities.

It was around this time that rumors about the Honmyoji Demon Sword began to circulate among them.

"A murder occurred at Honmyoji Temple last night, is it related to the demon sword Muramasa?"

The two monks who had just spoken with Riyan exchanged a glance, incredulous.

However, the live streams found in the search were indeed broadcasting in a serious manner, and the official response was not immediate. When facing reporters, they only gave repetitive and nonsensical statements.

Could it be that the book, which resembles a novel, is actually real?

Was the disciple sent by Riyan really there to bring out a sacred artifact to suppress the so-called demon sword?

But why is Riyan doing this now? Is he being controlled by the demon sword?

"We're willing to lend it! Come out now, Riyan!"

The abbot couldn't care less about all that; if they didn't agree, not only would the sacred objects be lost, but the pagoda would also be gone.

Now they can only pray that the authorities arrive quickly, otherwise the pagoda will turn to dust along with the sacred object.

Inside the pagoda, Riyan was doused with diesel fuel, then scattered the rest around him.

The sacred objects were placed around him, surrounding him in the middle, while he tightly hugged the demon sword.

The demon sword seemed to know what he was about to do, and trembled slightly.

"Let me be your guide, and together we will go to the underworld."

"One thought can lead to demonhood, another to enlightenment; all things in the world can be saved."

He took out a lighter, watched the small flame rise, and gently tossed it forward.

Feng —

Flames quickly ignited along the oil, engulfing Riyan and the demon sword within and burning them.

"Namo Myoho Renge Kyo. If anyone does not obey my mantra and disturbs the preaching of the Dharma, may their head be split into seven pieces, like the branches of an arhat tree."

Sensing that the demon sword seemed to want to break free, Riyan hugged it even tighter and chanted more fervently.

"It's over. Everything is over."

Outside, the abbot collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the smoke rising from the pagoda, as if he had lost his parents.

"Abbot!"

"Master!"

The monks quickly helped the unconscious abbot up and shouted loudly.

At this time, the first batch of police arrived and forcibly dispersed them from the scene, leaving only two elderly monks familiar with the area, who urgently began to set up a defensive line.

Inside the pagoda engulfed in flames.

"Ugh"

A faint sigh escaped his lips, as if piercing through the dying consciousness of Riyan, who was bathed in flames.

In his blurry vision, he "saw" wisps of white light flickering from the inscription of the Lotus Sutra within the demon sword. Then, the white light condensed and floated into a human figure, standing above the demon sword, silently watching him.

"Impossible! Impossible!!"

"How could the demon sword be?"

Shocked to the core, Riyan stopped chanting, and the demon sword ceased its struggle.

The floating figure tried to touch Riyan, but as the surrounding sacred objects shattered completely, the light on the inscriptions quickly dimmed, and the figure was sucked back into the blade.

Riyan's head slowly lowered, filled with shock and regret, before he fell silent.

The fire is still raging, and the entire pagoda has been charred black. The authorities have completed a basic lockdown.

Headquarters also dispatched an extraordinary assault team and the U.S. military's Talos team to the scene immediately.

Several firefighting helicopters hovered in the sky, but instead of extinguishing the fire, they circled around awaiting orders.

"Minister Leon, the encirclement is complete, and the nearby civilians have been evacuated."

"What did Commander McCullough say?"

"The swarm base and wolf pack base have been deployed and are awaiting your instructions."

"You know I'm referring to the worst-case scenario."

"If necessary, this temple can be 'erased' at any time."

"Okay, expand the evacuation zone to one kilometer."

"Yes!"

Leon Hasegawa, the executive director of the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department, sat in the command center ten kilometers away, watching the burning pagoda and the aerial view of Honmonji Temple on the screen.

Inside the command center, elite investigators from the investigation headquarters, along with experts in occultism and physics, were engaged in a heated analysis and discussion.

"The Nichiren Sacred Relic and the Cremation Pagoda, coupled with Nichigen's act of sending someone to borrow the sacred relic three days ago, indicate that Nichigen still has his senses. He is using the remaining energy of the Nichiren Sacred Relic in order to completely suppress the demon sword!"

"Why go through all this trouble? Can't these people just trust our official authorities? Use experimental superalloys to build a sealed chamber, and then use magnetic confinement technology. I don't believe a single knife can actually break through such a defense! If this can't hold them back, then the Earth can't hold them back either!"

"The occult is not that simple!"

"No matter how mysterious it is, I don't believe this thing is made of a strong interaction material!"

Sure enough, they started arguing.

Leon didn't stop them. He had gotten completely used to this atmosphere by now. He felt like he wasn't getting anything done and couldn't sleep at night unless they argued several times a day.

"Wait, the fire seems to have suddenly gone out?"

An investigator, who had been watching the screen closely, reminded everyone.

As you can see, the flames that were originally rising from the pagoda suddenly disappeared, as if they had been sucked away by something.

"You can put out the fire now."

Leon gave the order.

He has his own ideas.

If the fire continues to burn, he won't put it out, because that might be part of a ritual.

The fact that the flames have disappeared without any apparent reason can only mean that there is something wrong with the demon sword.

The flames might even have aided it, so it's best to extinguish them.

The firefighting helicopter, gritting its teeth, flew overhead and dumped a large amount of fire-fighting powder down.

In an instant, the blackened pagoda was transformed into the appearance of a snowy winter season.

After several rounds, there were indeed no flames left, only smoke rising upwards.

"Execute Operation Bee Wolf."

Near Benmen Temple, the deployed Hive and Wolf Nest base vehicles unfolded, and a large number of swarm drones and dog-shaped robots emerged from them, dividing themselves into small teams and surrounding the pagoda.

The Talos Squad and the Extraordinary Assault Squad are connected to the robots via data, allowing them to adjust their operations based on feedback from the robots at any time.

Soon, the machine transmitted the images back.

Amidst the charcoal blackness, a figure, resembling charcoal, knelt on the ground, clutching a barely discernible knife.

"Initiate contact."

"Currently in contact"

suddenly.

The charred man, who could not possibly have survived, suddenly raised his head. A flash of white light appeared, and the image inside the pagoda immediately lost signal.

Boom!

In the footage coming from the outside world, the pagoda looked like a cake that had been suddenly cut into countless pieces, collapsing and crumbling.

Chapter 153: Transparent Thinking

The collapsed building partially destroyed the drones and robotic dogs that were on guard around the area, and the scene was filled with smoke and dust.

"Activate lidar detection! Be aware of the surrounding area!"

“I saw—”

"Enemy attack! Open fire at will!"

"He's too fast! The aim assist can't keep up!!"

Screams echoed from within the smoke, and a figure, like a demon in the smoke, reaped lives in fleeting moments.

Before their vision could even clear, half of the extraordinary assault team assembled by the Japanese government at great expense and resources had become victims of the blade, leaving the team's commander heartbroken and unable to breathe.

"Withdraw from the smoke!"

Swish!

Another well-equipped head flew up, the dark figure paused slightly, and caught up with the assault team that was trying to retreat out of the smoke.

The knife—swung down!

Clang!

Fireworks flew everywhere.

The demonic blade struck a shield half the height of a person, leaving a deep scratch, but it was indeed stopped. Only then was his figure finally fully exposed to the people.

This was a completely charred "corpse" from which no skin tissue could be seen, retaining only the shape of a human, gripping a demon sword, with blood-red patterns spreading across its arms, emitting a dark red glow.

Chu Chu Chu!

A storm of bullets swept in, and the Talos squad and armed robot dogs arrived, quickly opening fire in return, the sounds of gunfire ringing out continuously.

The team member who had just been supporting the shield suddenly went limp, and the armor on his arm showed obvious damage.