tokyo creator

Chapter 267
On the viewing platform, muscle ruffles, white clothes and scarlet hakama are spread on the floor tiles.

Ibuki Rika lay naked on it, her snow-white skin seemed to be dyed silver-blue due to the moonlight.

Hui Yuanchu was also naked and was sitting next to her with his legs crossed, but did not respond to her words.

It seemed that he was also looking up at the moon, but in fact he was recalling the previous memories in his consciousness.

He can be sure that when Yi Chuilaixiang suddenly stared at the mountain forest and softly called out the word "Father", he himself didn't find anything from there.

"If I heard correctly, you just shouted -" Haiyuan looked at Laixiang and asked softly.

Ibuki Rika was silent for a moment, then suddenly made a sweet sound of "Ah--" and stretched.

Then she rolled over, curled up sideways, and "surrounded" Hui Yuanchu like a small animal. She then slipped her head under his arm and hugged his legs.

She adjusted her chin on Hui Yuanchu's thigh a few times and finally found a comfortable position. She let out a satisfied hum.

Then, Laixiang opened his mouth and said: "I was halfway through what I said before, and Hatsu-chan pounced on me... It's time to continue talking. I just want to say that Hatsu-chan is the most special."

"Because this 'feeling as if I have become a mountain and become one with the mountain' is originally quite common for me. In fact, it's not just through doing it. It's like being sick, half asleep, half awake, in short, in a trance Sometimes, that feeling comes easily.

"Of course, it happened when I did it with others before, right?
"-But only Hatsu-chan can give Laixiang that level of experience - the feeling of being one with one can be so clear that one can easily distinguish the things in the mountains, each flower and each grass... …”

"So, when I did it just now, I also looked with the eyes of the mountain." She closed her eyes and murmured: "I saw us, I saw Chu-chan..."

"...Eh?" She suddenly frowned, "Why Chu-chan——"

Hui Yuanchu was really surprised now.

Laixiang's reaction...

Did she really see the true nature of Atalabadu?
But this also means that Laixiang's "mountain body" may not really be an illusion, but is indeed some kind of existence of high status, so it can even recognize Yadabadu?

...the gods.

If this is what is called "Kami", then the 800 million gods in Shintoism are not some kind of religious group fantasy, but...

While Haiyuan was thinking about it, Ibuki Rika seemed to be stuck deeper and deeper, unable to break free.

"Blood...flesh...ocean..." She still had her eyes closed, muttering intermittently in her sleep, "love...drowning..."

On the throne, Hui Yuanchu saw - from the surface of Ibuki Laixiang's nebula, flames stretched out in the shape of countless hands, pulled by some invisible force, reaching towards the throne.

But the throne is so far away.

Her hands stretched out towards the throne, almost stretching her own nebula into a long strip, and the middle part became more and more slender, as if it might break at any time.

——No, it would be dangerous to use incense like this.

Hui Yuanchu decisively reached out his hand, and with a "slap", he slapped Laixiang lightly on the forehead.

Laixiang trembled and suddenly woke up.

She finally opened her eyes and looked up at Hui Yuanchu in a daze.

"I just said that I can make you feel very clear." Hui Yuanchu said calmly, "Why did you fall asleep while talking?"

"Hehe, it feels good in Chu-chan's arms..."

Hui Yuan was relieved when he saw her like this - there seemed to be no sequelae.

Laixiang rubbed it again before continuing: "Chou-chan is different."

"So when I did it just now, I even felt for the first time... Mom and Dad, right there."

Hui Yuanchu's heart skipped a beat again and he looked towards the dark forest.

"...in the mountains?" he said to himself.

"Yamasato." Ibuki Rika repeated, nodding in confirmation.

"Why—in the mountains?"

Hui Yuanchu murmured to himself, but then remembered the conversation where he asked Lord Gong Si before, but was interrupted by Laixiang.

——"Laixiang's parents are by the great god's side."

"My family has always worked for the shrine and the palace priest's family. Specifically, the place of worship on the top of the mountain."

Ibuki Raika continued: "When I was very young, my father and mother...disappeared on their way down the mountain."

"Yes, 'Shenyin', that's what everyone calls this kind of thing."

"Although I can vaguely feel that they are actually still in this mountain..." Laixiang lay on Haiyuan Chu's lap, raised her head and looked at him with a smile, "But thanks to Chu-chan, I just really saw it for the first time. It’s their turn… again.”

"That's good -" Hui Yuan was about to answer casually, but his inspiration was triggered in an instant.

He turned his head suddenly and looked at the dark forest behind him.

——There is still nothing except the black tree shadows swaying in the night wind.

Hui Yuanchu didn't believe it anymore.

If the cicadas couldn't find it, what about the spirit vision?As he thought to himself, he stared at the forest again.

…He saw the “other.”

Ascending spirit body, evil spirit, true spirit, god, no matter what existence it is, but in short, when he casts his spiritual vision on the other party, the other party naturally also casts his spiritual vision on him.

But the spiritual vision from that existence is permeating the entire space at this time, like mist, like air, and some are condensed into leaves and branches...

There are also some spiritual visions with vague girlish postures, flying up and down around him like elves, as if they want to be intimate.

For the first time, the being who cast a spiritual vision did not come from above, but was right around him, embracing him and watching him.

...he is in the body of the mountain.And the mountain also watched him.

Hui Yuan took a deep breath unconsciously and looked around again in disbelief, but only one thought came to his mind: This is impossible.

Because he has been on Inari Mountain for almost a day, it is absolutely impossible that he would be so slow that he only just realized it now——

His eyes swept across the Senbon Torii not far away, and then froze for an instant.

Under the first torii on the mountain road, two lanterns were hung, and the slowly burning wicks were emitting warm orange light. .

The entire Senbon Torii Gate extends down the mountain like this, and its bright body looks so conspicuous and warm on the dark mountain.

Hui Yuanchu frowned.

He gently moved the incense away from his body, then stood up and walked to the entrance of the torii gate.Look into the depths.

Countless columns and crossings form a nested zigzag-shaped corridor that goes down the mountain along the road.

At regular intervals, two lanterns are hung on the traverse, and they also extend into the depths of the Torii Mountain Road in layers.

The steady firelight of the wick was projected steadily throughout the corridor.

——But the problem is that Hui Yuanchu has been dug out of his memory.

When he walked all the way in the morning, in the picture he remembered, the lights hanging on the Senbon Torii... are actually electric lights!

Haiyuan turned his attention to the countless words recording the names of the donors carved on the pillars of the torii gate.

The same is not true.

Compared with the picture in the morning, the construction dates engraved on it now are almost 50 years ago.

Haiyuan turned around blankly and turned his gaze from Senbon Torii to the direction of Kyoto outside the observation deck.

...very dark and small.

This is definitely not Kyoto in [-].

"Ah, this kind of situation is very common, don't worry. Every time Laixiang goes down the mountain late, it almost always happens." Laixiang didn't know when he put on white clothes and walked to his side, "But don't worry, usually come He said that as long as he continues down the mountain and walks to the temple, everything will be restored to its original state."

"But, what is this place..." Hui Yuanchu frowned.

He confirmed again that there was still spiritual vision surrounding him.

The cicadas came to a conclusion: "We are no longer on Mount Inari, are we?"

Ibuki Rika showed a mysterious smile and looked back to where she was.The mountain breeze at night blew her hastily covered white clothes from time to time, sometimes revealing her lower body.

She said softly: "Did I just tell Chu-chan? This is my mountain, that's what I mean."

"The Inari Shrine that enshrines Uga no Tamaki is built on this mountain. Uga no Tamori has also come to this mountain to accept worship from believers, so this place is named Inari Mountain."

"But the mountain itself is me."

Hui Yuanchu almost understood.

Divine concealment, divine realm, animistic visualization, and straying into the spiritual world.

If their current experiences were explained in Shinto terms, this would probably be the case.

But Hui Yuanchu was more familiar with another way of saying it.

——Ruling domain.

This is already a ruling domain isolated from the real world.

He murmured to himself: "But when did we—"

"Of course..." Laika hugged him from behind again and whispered in his ear, "The moment when Hatsu-chan walked through the torii... hehe."

...On the way down the mountain, Hui Yuanchu was always a little absent-minded.

The spiritual vision was like mountain mist, always lingering around him.

Along the way, the scenery on the roadside proves more and more that this is no longer a human world, but a secret realm.

Because the modern buildings such as the small shops, visitor centers, and grant offices that he passed when he went up the mountain are all gone now.

Time seems to have gone back, and what stands on the original site are just a few old wooden halls with thatched roofs.

Ibuki Raika didn't take these things to heart at all.

Perhaps as she said, she had long been accustomed to this abnormality.

She was still playing all the way, as elusive as a mountain spirit, disappearing from his sight from time to time, and then suddenly appearing under the orange light of the torii at a certain moment, and then hugging him tightly without letting go for a while.

Huiyuan even began to have a suspicion unconsciously - maybe Laixiang really disappeared during the time when Laixiang disappeared...

Transformed into another form.

It seems that this is the only way to explain why her "appearance" and "disappearance" can be so random and abrupt, and the whole thing is incoherent and weird.

So in such an atmosphere, many questions that he temporarily put aside before finally couldn't hold back, and popped out of his mind one by one.

Zhe Lukui did not find the wrong person.

If it is included in the group system, Ibuki Laika belongs to the "soul ascendant".

However, compared with the Ascendents that Hui Yuanchu had met before, Yi Bui Laixiang seemed to have a certain unique atmosphere, which made Hui Yuanchu doubtful.

He looked at the invisible visions in the form of girls that were still flying around him, and suddenly realized something - the visions around Ibuki Raika, or her evil spirits, always felt that there was something stable and steady. The breath of silence.

It was completely different from the previous girls, who seemed to be on the verge of breaking out at any moment and were in danger.

Just like this mountain, just like this shrine...

Like a shrine?Is this characteristic related to the "shrine"?Shrines, shrines, temples, festivals...

Yes, these concepts are not of much concern to urbanites in Tokyo.But in the ancient capital of Kyoto, people here will place it in a more respected place in their hearts, as if they have built a shrine in their hearts...

Hui Yuan initially let the cicadas aimlessly, and the thoughts flowing through his mind brought him these thoughts.

In this regard, Ibuki Rika has nothing to say.Huiyuan also pretended to be casual and made insinuations, but apart from the strangeness in herself, she had not been exposed to any supernatural environment elsewhere.

Therefore, Hui Yuanchu turned to think about another question - what was Miss Zhe's purpose in sending the incense to him through this roundabout arrangement?

It shouldn't be to capture the true spirit.

If it was such a simple request, Orokui could just say it directly.

And because Laixiang has a very stable relationship, we can neither find a breakthrough for further catalysis, nor do we need to take risks to catalyze her...

In short, there are many questions, but none of them can be confirmed.

Just now, after Hui Yuanchu confirmed that he had entered the ruling domain, he immediately tried to contact Zhe Lukui, but failed again.

This time, it was not that Miss Zhe ignored him, but because the entire communication in Epionia was interrupted.

[Outside the service area, the system is running in offline mode]

Hui Yuan glanced at the subtitles in front of him, then looked up at Barbero above the throne.

Barbero still keeps in touch with him, but he never provides any active help.

In short, the ruling domain not only cuts off space, but also cuts off Epionia’s communication...

...Just like that, while thinking and walking, it didn't take long for the two of them to pass through the last Senbon Torii Gate and return to the back of the main hall.

However, after glancing towards the main hall square below, Hui Yuanchu stopped and looked at Ibuki Rika.

Laixiang also looked over there, confused: "What's going on..."

The main hall and the surrounding area were dark, and there were only a few lights in the entire square, so there was no sign of the bustle of tourists during the day.

What Ibuki Rika said did not come true.When you return to the vicinity of the main hall, you will automatically return to the real world.

They are still trapped in this secret realm.

Hui Yuanchu grabbed Laixiang's hand and asked her to follow him, and then began to walk cautiously towards the main hall.

Along the way, he noticed that the original iron railings, glass windows and other modern items of the shrine had simply disappeared, and the houses of the grant office and social affairs office that were built in recent years were also completely gone.

Even the Higashimaru Shrine on the right side of the main hall has completely disappeared, and only an old house with the same black color stands on the original site.

Probably, it was restored to its previous state before the establishment of the shrine - the former residence of Harumi Hirada, a master of traditional Chinese studies who was the main deity enshrined at Higashimaru Shrine in the Edo period.

Soon they walked near the main hall and found that the situation was equally strange.

Behind the main hall, the door of the small room where they and the palace minister had had tea together was locked. Even if Hui Yuanchu used the power of flesh and blood, he could not move at all.

Then they circled back to the front of the main hall.

From between the vermilion pillars, you can still clearly see the scene inside the open hall.

But - I can just see it, but I can't get in.

The main hall was originally surrounded by vermilion jade walls.But even though they are only as high as the waist, now there is no way to get over them.

Ibuki Rika jumped on the spot "hehehehehe" and tried to reach up with her hand, but was always blocked by an invisible wall of air.

Finally she stopped and gasped: "I always feel like - somewhere - I have encountered this kind of thing..."

But Hui Yuanchu answered calmly from the side: "It's in the game."

"Hey - it's true!!"

Yes, Hui Yuanchu thought, this was indeed not the first time he encountered this situation.

Moreover, he suddenly remembered where he had seen it - in the Endless Tower.Isn't this situation of "there are not enough textures to fill the explorable area" a standard ruling domain?
The two of them went around to the tower gate and the outer worship hall, but the situation was the same.

In the end, the two had no choice but to sit down next to the Hand Water Club and take a short rest.

Hui Yuan looked at the Ichi no Torii gate at the end of the approach road not far away in a daze—in the morning, he passed through that torii gate before he officially entered the shrine—thinking about his next move: whether to continue in the shrine. Explore the grounds of the shrine, or simply walk through the torii gate?
In every sense, passing through the torii means leaving the shrine.

Perhaps, Shenyin will end and the two of them will return to the human world.

——But, is it really that simple?
They passed through so many torii gates along the way, and now they passed through the tower gate. In a sense, every one of them had something to say, but nothing happened...

Besides, even if the torii gate is some kind of "exit", who can guarantee that behind the torii gate is really the human world and not another more dangerous secret realm?

Hui Yuanchu himself is not afraid of trying.But whether it’s throwing the incense here or taking it with you, it doesn’t seem to be a good choice...

Thinking wildly all the way, Hui Yuanchu suddenly heard Yi Chuilaixiang's soft exclamation from beside him.

He immediately turned back and saw Ibuki Rika holding her head in confusion.

"what happened?"

"Someone...is calling me..." As she said this, she closed her eyes and squatted down holding her head, as if she was concentrating on sensing its source.

Hui Yuan was just about to continue asking questions, but the cicada group triggered a warning again, and he immediately turned to look at the end of the shrine.

"--boom"

From the direction of Ichi-torii, a deafening loud noise suddenly came.

The silence that lasted all night was shattered in an instant as the silence of the entire mountain was shattered.

Immediately, countless noisy sounds followed closely, and they obviously pressed towards this side.

...It seemed as if some huge herd of beasts was running over from behind the woods.

"Chu——" Laixiang's nervous shout suddenly came from behind.

She didn't know when she had finished communicating and stood up.

But before she could say the next word, Hui Yuanchu had already raised her head in advance and looked at the huge white object that suddenly jumped out from behind the woods.

It was a—more than five feet long, huge, white, origami...a fox? ? ?
But before he could be even more surprised, countless lines of fire suddenly bloomed from behind the woods, splitting the sky instantly like fan bones.

As a result, the paper fox was cut open by the bright line of fire in an instant, and exploded into confetti all over the sky with a bang.

And among the falling confetti, another dark object fell, and then rolled to the feet of Hui Yuanchu and Laixiang.

"...Mr. Palace Secretary!" At this time, Laixiang's second exclamation had just sounded.

The woman whose white clothes had turned red and was moaning on the ground was none other than the Palace Secretary of Inari Taisha Shrine.

Earlier, we had tea together.

Laixiang pounced on Mr. Gongji, while Haiyuan remained motionless and continued to stare at the torii warily.

Soon, the pursuer emerged from the woods.

One, two, ten, hundreds...

In the blink of an eye, from left to right, densely packed "human figures" surrounded the square in front of the building gate.

They were countless dolls wearing priest uniforms, but each had a neck several meters long and multi-jointed arms like centipedes.

Dolls dressed in priest uniforms are everywhere in the mountains and fields, their eyes are glowing red, their faces are solemnly reciting the Bahuan text, and they are waving submachine guns, automatic rifles, rocket launchers with their multi-jointed arms, and they are rushing towards this direction at a fast pace.

(End of this chapter)