Chapter 149: The Sealed Entity

The Exorcism Martial Arts Tournament venue.

Asano Ariko sat obediently in a corner, hugging the black box as she waited.

There were not many exorcists left at the venue, as most of them had gone to search Mount Hiei.

Since this location offered a relatively comprehensive view of most areas of Mount Hiei, it had naturally become a hub for information exchange and a transit point for the exorcists.

Watching the exorcists coming and going, Asano Ariko harbored a sliver of unease, yet there was nothing she could do.

If she were to call the Atsuta Jingu headquarters in Nagoya now, it would take at least an hour for reinforcements to arrive, and Tokyo was even further away.

"The northeastern sector has been searched, no sign of the shrine maidens."

"The southwestern sector has been searched as well."

"The Gozan no Okuribi is about to begin; things might get even more chaotic by then."

The reports from several exorcists brought little good news.

Asano Ariko picked up her phone, initially intending to message Qiao Qiao on Line, but ultimately put it down.

She must not disturb her teacher at a time like this.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, several exorcists entered the venue. At their head was a middle-aged man in a suit with graying hair.

Ayatsuji Naoyuki, the president of the Kyoto Exorcists Association. Following closely behind him were other personnel from the association.

"Don't be impatient. The shrine maidens of Nashinoki Shrine are at least still alive for now."

He spoke as he walked up to the commentary platform, which served as a temporary command post, pausing to glance at Asano Ariko holding the black box.

"According to the association's investigation, this incident was likely orchestrated by an overseas cult that worships evil faiths. Relevant information has already been uploaded to all work group chats; everyone, please take a look when you have a moment."

An overseas cult?

Asano Ariko felt somewhat confused.

Fortunately, having previously served as Shinoki Maki's assistant, she had already joined several group chats related to the Exorcism Martial Arts Tournament, so she managed to acquire the document.

The document was not long, primarily introducing the key members, past deeds, and belief structure of this overseas religion.

It showed that this religious cult worshipped a deity claimed to be from outer space. In the cult's mythology, this deity descended to the earth hundreds of thousands of years ago and fell into a deep slumber here, with most of the cult's activities aimed at awakening this entity.

Of course, in reality, the so-called rituals to awaken the deity by most of the cult's higher-ups were purely for accumulating wealth and had no practical effect whatsoever.

At the end of last year, the cult was dismantled abroad due to reasons such as instigating murder and financial crimes. Facts also proved that their leader possessed no psychic abilities, not even spiritual power. As for the deity and the like, it was entirely fabricated and modified by him and other top figures based on certain movies, and those summoning rituals were naturally fake.

Of course, looking at it now, that leader had also been used.

Because after comparing the information previously left behind by the Kyoto Exorcists Association, the exorcists discovered that those mysterious statues and symbols indeed concealed markers with special properties.

And the summoning ritual, after some modifications, bore similarities to rituals left in certain ancient texts.

Although the higher-ups of the cult had basically been arrested, there were still some who had slipped through the net.

Connecting all of this together made it quite easy to explain.

That leader was, in fact, also the one being used.

Youkai disguised themselves as humans, infiltrated the cult, subtly embedded their own demands into the doctrine, and utilized the leader's desire for wealth to spread information and recruit humans to do their bidding.

Very clever.

"But what are they trying to awaken? Is there really a deity from outer space?"

Asano Ariko did not understand.

"Whether there's one from outer space, I'm not too sure. However, back at our Seimei Shrine, we do have some notes left behind by Lord Seimei. He once traveled through mountains and rivers, communicated with youkai, and obtained a great deal of history from the youkai's side."

Beside her, Arai Takashi finished reading the document.

"In the era before humans appeared, this world indeed possessed many unimaginable, gargantuan youkai. Even Yamata no Orochi is a relatively late-period type."

Playing the role of a mystic to the hilt, he spoke with absolute solemnity.

"At that time, there were wars even among youkai. Newborn youkai and ancient youkai fought several massive battles. Among them, some exceptionally powerful entities could not even be killed; they could only be sealed away in mysterious places."

"As history changed and the era of humans arrived, fewer and fewer youkai knew the locations of those places. In the past, there were even instances where human urban construction caused seals to be broken, and the lingering thoughts of great youkai affected humans, sparking localized wars."

"Later on, this evolved into the study of feng shui within Onmyodo. Whether the land can bring people good luck is hard to say, but at the very least, it can reveal whether a great youkai is sealed beneath it."

"If this incident was truly plotted by youkai, then it stands to reason that they are attempting to awaken a great youkai. If that's the case, the shrine maidens of Nashinoki Shrine are probably..."

Arai Takashi's expression turned grave.

Whenever the breaking of a seal was mentioned, it was undoubtedly tied to things like sacrifice and offerings.

And shrine maidens possessing spiritual power and serving the gods were unquestionably the best materials for sacrifice.

Asano Ariko looked with growing worry toward Ayatsuji Naoyuki of the Kyoto Exorcists Association. At that moment, a man dressed in an Onmyoji hunting robe hurried over from outside and bowed to Ayatsuji Naoyuki.

"Lord Ayatsuji, traces of a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons have been discovered at various festival sites throughout Kyoto."

"!"

Hearing this term, everyone was suddenly startled.

The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

When the yin energy is at its peak, malevolent spirits lingering in the mortal world may be drawn in and wander the realm, which easily leads to large-scale hauntings. Hence, this phenomenon is known as the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

Today, on the final day of the Obon Festival, yin energy was at its strongest. If someone were to use special methods to trigger a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, it was entirely possible. Because of this, the majority of Kyoto's exorcists were stationed across various parts of the city.

The incident at Mount Hiei combined with the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—two events overlapping—not only left the exorcists caught between front and back, scrambling in confusion, but also easily suggested that this might be a long-planned conspiracy.

"The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons..."

Asano Ariko looked down at the black box in her arms, the worry between her brows deepening a fraction more.

...

Within the rift.

Buzz—

A drone flew across the sky, and Qiao Qiao looked ahead.

On the sacrificial altar, five women with their eyes tightly closed were clearly lying there.

Right in the center.

Stood a single figure.

He wore a loose robe, had blonde hair and blue eyes, and wore glasses, looking very much like a scholar.

That man held a book with a tattered cover in his hand, murmuring incantations.

Low whispers drifted through the air.

"In your eternal dwelling, my lord who slumbers, await your entry into my dreams."