Not a detective

Page 228

But the next second, the body in Asakawa Riku's hand suddenly turned into a puddle of water, not blood from the damage, but flowing water that silently slipped away between his fingertips.

……what?

Looking back, I found that Kazamatsuri Akihisa was standing behind me unharmed, his body now formed from water, and he had even straightened his collar.

Could it be a water-controlling spell similar to Xingyu's? But I've never seen someone turn into water from head to toe before.

Asakawa Riku looked back in confusion, while Kazamatsuri Akihisa simply smiled.

"In reality, I've already passed on the position of [God] to Chizuko. But here I am different; I can be in my most powerful and complete state."

He slowly removed the black eye patch from his left eye, revealing a strange blue pupil in the grotesque, twisted hole!

It is glowing—

"Moreover, this incredible [enclosed space] also perfectly meets the conditions for [divine descent]."

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try this. Come on, Rain Woman."

Kazamatsuri Akihisa's body was controlled by the Rain Woman, who actively introduced the shikigami into her body. Instantly, the world darkened, and the continuous drizzle turned into thousands of silver needles that poured down.

The raindrops fell suddenly, as if a thousand pounds of pressure were pressing down on him. He suddenly lost his bearings, and everything around him became blurry, with visibility almost zero.

The roar of the torrential rain was something no ordinary yokai could achieve... This was the divine power descending from Kazamatsuri Akihisa.

Perhaps his brilliance was overshadowed by his daughter, but many have forgotten that he was also a legendary Onmyoji who carried on the legacy of the Kazematsu family.

Rain Woman, a walking evil spirit.

In Toriyama Sekien's "Gazu Hyakki Yagyō" (Illustrated Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), there is a record of "Rain Woman," which depicts a huge female figure appearing in the rain and making a summoning gesture.

The commentary states, "It is also possible that the Goddess of Wushan turns into clouds in the morning and into rain in the evening, hence the saying about the Rain Goddess."

Unexpectedly, this is also a shikigami controlled by Kazamatsuri Akihisa.

But instead of retreating, Asakawa Riku, facing the torrential rain, advanced, and the arc he drew with his cloud-like hand actually drew the rain curtain into a vortex.

The water around him was slowly gathered into a sphere.

As a raindrop piercing through the aura brushed against his cheek, he suddenly spun around and kicked out a "wave sweeping across the golden mountain," the wind from his leg sending a water ball flying and splitting the rain curtain three zhang wide.

"break!"

When you step heavily on the Xun position, the floor tiles shatter with a sound.

Kazashi Akio frowned, the blue light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and a woman's sob came from the depths of the rain.

Asakawa Riku's pupils contracted, recognizing the fluctuation he had sensed in the instant his foot stomped—the Kan position!

He slapped the ground with both palms to propel himself into the air, and punched through the rain curtain, striking straight into the void.

The raindrops touched by the fist suddenly solidified, and with the sound of shattering glass, the beautiful woman's illusory image vanished.

Kazamatsuri Akihisa tilted his head slightly, as if he himself had been punched: "Good lad... able to touch spirits without any inspiration, I'm still too ignorant."

Before the words were finished, twelve dark figures attacked from all directions.

The Flying Head Barbarian's long hair was like a spider web, and each head had a strange and ferocious face.

Fei Tou Man, a legendary long-necked monster, also known as "Lulu Shou", originated from Gan Bao's "In Search of the Supernatural".

It is recorded in "Hyakki Yagyō" (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons). It is actually a person, but because it is possessed by a demon, its head will fly off its body while it sleeps and go around scaring people for fun. The demon that possesses it is called "Owl," which is the soul of a bird. It usually possesses people who like to kill and eat birds and beasts. People who are possessed by it will turn into skeletons within 7 days.

Kazamatsuri Akihisa has many tricks up his sleeve, managing to summon a second shikigami in a short time. If Asakawa Riku hadn't been tutored by his senior, he really wouldn't have recognized so many yokai.

Asakawa Riku closed his eyes and let his hands hang down, his earlobes trembling slightly—

Ding!

The pointer pierced through the illusion, found the real body, and its head shattered instantly.

The flying hairs emitted a shrill cry, and the young man used the Bajiquan technique "Three Unreserved Encounters" to approach one by one and smash them, dissipating the demonic energy with elbow and knee strikes.

Akihisa Kazamatsuri remained calm, clapping his hands and chuckling softly:

"Then let's try... [Fire Chariot]."

In Toriyama Sekien's "Illustrated Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, Part 2: Yang," it is recorded that the "fire car" is the so-called "fire chariot" that transports sinners to hell.

If someone commits many unforgivable crimes in life, a train will come to meet them at death, tear their body apart, and hang it on tree branches or stones.

It is said that once the train starts acting up, it will cause a great storm during the funeral, then push open the coffin and take the body away.

Its appearance is that of a cat demon wreathed in flames, carrying corpses to hell with one hand. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes called a cat cart.

Suddenly, the color of flames in Kazamatsuri Akihisa's left eye turned crimson.

"The second time, the gods descended."

...

As Asakawa Riku knew, the qualifications for becoming an Onmyoji in the Kazematsuri family were obtained through sacrifice, just as Chizuko lost half of her body but gained powerful talents and spiritual power.

Although it was cruel, it was all done voluntarily in order to carry on the family's will.

Like Chizuko, Akihisa Kazamatsuri lost his left eye in his childhood, which was an astonishing sacrifice at the time.

He may not have the same exceptional talent as his daughter, but Akihisa's strengths are quite different.

From a young age, he was able to perceive the senses of monsters better than others. He traveled through the mountains and fields, and also visited the island, constantly communicating and exchanging ideas with monsters from various places.

More like a traveler than an Onmyoji, he solves local problems wherever he goes in exchange for food and travel expenses.

Therefore, some people say that over the years, Kazamatsuri Akihisa may have contracted with an unimaginable number of yokai, and he has more "friends" than anyone can imagine.

An ordinary Onmyoji might only contract one or two suitable shikigami, such as Chizuko's "Yamawara", "Okiku", and "Karasuma", which are mostly functional.

But no one could predict what kind of monster Kazamatsuri Akihisa, the Onmyoji who mainly attacks shikigami, would pull out next.

Without sufficient knowledge, it's impossible to defend against such attacks.

Especially now that the space allows for the descent of the gods... back then, he probably used this kind of power to traverse all the trials of Orochi.

The only Onmyoji in the world who can switch between different divine manifestations while maintaining self-awareness.

The Kazamatsuri Akihisa here might be the most powerful and troublesome opponent, not inferior to even the gods.

Orochi's Autumn: Chapter Eighteen - Breaking the Demon

At this time, Asakawa Riku was unaware of that information.

He felt a burning heat beneath his feet, and suddenly, eerie blue flames erupted from the cracks in the floor, forming eight walls of fire that created a mysterious array that surrounded him.

...the chariot of fire.

Asakawa Riku had long ago acquired a body that was "impervious to water and fire," and could control his body temperature at will, so he could resist even the Yuki-onna's freezing.

But it still feels scorching hot and hard to stand on. It seems that this dark blue flame is not an ordinary flame... perhaps it is burning from hell.

The rain that had just fallen had completely evaporated, rising into wisps of mist that painted the surroundings into a terrifying scene.

"My father-in-law really goes after his son-in-law..."

"Haha, anyway, this is just a virtual space, so the damage won't be carried to the outside world."

Akihisa Kazamatsuri's laughter came from outside the wall of fire; he seemed to be having a good time and thought victory was assured.

Asakawa Riku realized that the flames might not be the biggest threat. As a seasoned Onmyoji, the opponent must be proficient in formations, and there must be something special about this formation.

We can't let it form, or it will be too late...!

His trouser legs were already charred and rolled up, but he suddenly rolled on the ground, enduring the burning pain, and passed through the gap in the wall of fire at an extremely fast speed.

"Such perseverance..."

Feng Jizhao was startled and was about to change his formation when the boy Ranhu's fist was already in front of him.

"Excuse me!"

The speed exceeded the limits of hand seals. The Bajiquan "Fierce Tiger Climbs the Mountain" slammed into the Tanzhong acupoint, and Feng Jizhao was forced to retreat seven steps. The vermilion torii gate phantom behind him collapsed with a crash.

Asakawa Riku frowned – the punch felt hollow, as if he were hitting cotton wool.

It turns out that the Onmyoji system is also based on "faith". After becoming the god, one can obtain the chief position passed down from generation to generation by the wind priests and call upon the faith power of the wind god.

Like the supreme true god, except without such a large group of believers, the phantom of the torii gate completely disappeared after being shattered by Asakawa Riku's punch.

The punch that shattered his opponent was truly extraordinary. Kazeki Akio knew that if he hadn't managed to block it, he would have surely died from that punch.

"...As expected, I still need to get serious."

Kazamatsuri Akihisa's face was no longer playful; his voice was deep, his afterimage vanished, and his true form appeared in mid-air.

He removed his upper body clothing, revealing a lean body with firm muscles, not as weak as he appeared. The most striking feature was the golden lines on his skin.

At this moment, along with his pupils, it emitted a dazzling light, even brighter than before:

"Taste my strongest shikigami—[Thunder Beast]!"

The lightning tattoo moved across the skin, instantly transforming into a burst of electric light.

Raijū, in Japanese folklore, refers to yokai that appear with lightning; it is a collective term for phantom beasts that fall during lightning strikes.

The Thunder Beast is the pet of the Thunder God. It will come out with the Thunder God and the Wind God to bring wind and rain. This is also one of the inheritances of the Wind Priest family, which are different branches.

"Lu-kun, have you read 'The Tale of the Heike'? It is said that the yokai Nue killed by Minamoto no Yorimasa was the Raiju. Looking at it this way, it seems like it was driven by fate."

Kazematsu Akio, standing majestically in the sky, was like a god, his hair standing on end, covered by golden thunder, his entire being supporting the wind, rain, and lightning.

Asakawa Riku speculated that this might be similar to the state Chizuko-senpai was in when she was possessed by the "Wind God," both being some kind of divine-level contract.

There's nowhere to hide under this massive dark cloud—

Dark clouds surged overhead, and blue-white lightning transformed into a fanged behemoth that pounced down.

"Well done!"

Asakawa Riku then braced himself and lowered his waist, neither dodging nor avoiding the thunderbolt that pierced his body.

With a deafening roar, it was completely engulfed by dozens of bolts of lightning. The high-voltage current would instantly turn a person into charred remains, making it almost impossible for anyone to survive.

However, Kazamatsuri Akihisa's expression changed. In the blinding light, his Yin-Yang Eyes were able to see that electric snakes were crawling all over the boy's body, but he showed no fear and had a resolute character.

"Disperse!"

With a roar, he spread his hands, and the accumulated lightning flowed from the soles of his feet into the earth, turning the paving stones within a ten-zhang radius into dust.

When Asakawa Riku emerged, blood was flowing from his mouth and nose, and his body was almost entirely devoid of intact skin; his clothes had also been burned to ashes.

...But for him, these were just "flesh and blood injuries".

His eyes burned with an unyielding fighting spirit: "Not bad... It's my turn."

Thunderous sounds erupted with each step. For some reason, Asakawa Riku was even faster than before, as if he were uninjured.

Like a flash of lightning, he leaped wildly and arrived in front of his opponent in an instant. Before Kazamatsuri Akihisa could even react, the fist was already at his chest.

A sudden stop in half an inch, perfect control.

Blood trickled from the corner of Kazamatsuri Akihisa's lips; even the sheer force and invisible energy had inflicted a severe injury. Had that punch landed, he might not have had another chance to speak.

But his smile widened: "What a wonderful [Thunder Strike Body Tempering]! I never thought the legendary thing was actually real. You're really bold. It's a pity that the body tempering in the virtual space didn't work. Come find me again after you leave, and we'll demonstrate it again. Did you already know this method all along? Was it all part of your plan?"

"do not know."

Asakawa Riku shook his head, silently looking at his fist, as if he had an epiphany: "I've never thought about this question before."

Since you've chosen your own "martial arts path," then external things are just impurities.

He just needs to keep going.

"Been taught a lesson."

"No, I should be thanking you." Feng Ji Zhaojiu smiled and said, "If you hadn't participated in the trial, I wouldn't have had the ability to have such a good time in reality."

The divine possession of the [Thunder Beast] can only occur briefly in such an environment.

However, Asakawa Riku seemed to still be enjoying himself: "But you seem to have other shikigami, why don't you bring them out and try them out?"

He seemed to pass through Kazamatsuri Akihisa's body and see a dark mass of phantoms standing behind the Onmyoji.

Feng Jizhao was stunned, startled by the burning gaze in the young man's eyes... No wonder he was born a battle maniac.

He also sensed that the shikigami behind him were intimidated and retreated timidly...

"If even the Thunder Beast can't deal with you, then using other shikigami is futile and unnecessary."