Tokyo Fall Guys beats up the supernatural

Page 309

The real Tamamo-no-Mae?

For some reason, Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly remembered what the Shiba Inu yokai had said before.

No monster or evil spirit can last forever; they were born from history to respond to the obsessions of humankind.

The new era... Is it because of the beginning of the new era that I was born?

But how do we explain memories...? In those flickering memories, in those memories that don't belong to me... where did I come from, the self that was killed by that swordsman?

Two different memories intertwined and mixed together in her brain, making Tamamo-no-Mae very irritable.

Tamamo-no-Mae also found out about the sword that person was carrying; it was a sword from China, created after she left China.

But that memory had nothing to do with her own experience; it was as if it were... another Tamamo-no-Mae's memory.

If one's own memories stem from people's obsessions, from what people believe "Tamamo-no-Mae should have experienced," then what about that memory?

Did it also come from someone else?

Doesn't that mean... that person really saw Tamamo-no-Mae, and even killed her?!

And it's another version of myself... Is that guy from another world? No way?!

As soon as the thought popped into her head, Tamamo-no-Mae took a deep breath, and unease and fear suddenly welled up inside her.

Tamamo-no-Mae took out her phone and started searching online for information about other worlds.

After filtering out the overwhelming number of isekai (another world) reincarnation novels and comics, she finally found out about the theory of parallel worlds.

It actually exists?!

She read it carefully before letting out a sigh of relief.

"I see... Although there are theories, no one can prove them, huh... So at least they're not from another world, right?"

She nervously looked around, her eyes darting about, feeling quite uncertain.

...Shouldn't it be?

………………

Meanwhile, Toudou and his group, completely unaware that Tamamo-no-Mae had already descended the mountain, arrived in Nikko City.

Like all cities in valleys, Nikko City is long and narrow, built along the mountainside, and has a main road that leads straight into the mountains.

Lu Zizhen stopped the car in a public parking lot in the city and said, "If we want to soak in a natural hot spring, we have to go into the mountains... Hey, Dou Tang, how about we go check out the Killing Stone first?"

Dou Tang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and nodded, saying, "We still need to go and take a look. I need to analyze the characteristics of her resentment from before so that we can find her more easily."

"But don't choose a hotel in the mountains. You can soak in hot water anywhere."

"You have no sense of romance at all," Lu Zizhen scoffed.

"Let's take a local bus," Lu Zizhen said, glancing at her SUV. "We can park the car here; it's not far anyway."

Huaiyin got out of the car, looked around, and nodded in agreement with Lu Zizhen's opinion.

Nikko City is flanked by low mountains, and through the gaps in the buildings, one can glimpse the dark green forests in the distance. At this moment, a faint white light shines over the dark green, which is the thin layer of snow that has not yet melted.

The three of them put their luggage in the car and boarded a bus that runs from Nikko City to Nikko National Park.

The train was more crowded than expected. The three of them found seats in the back of the carriage and sat down. As the train traveled, they could hear the conversations between the tourists.

Most of the conversation revolved around the cracked Sesshoseki, which had become news, after all, it was an ancient site with a legendary aura.

Not to mention that rumors about evil spirits and monsters are everywhere now, and many people have begun to believe that monsters and evil spirits are real. The cracking of the Sessho-seki has become the subject of their speculation.

Many people even hoped that Tamamo-no-Mae was truly sealed within the Sessho-seki, and that she would appear to prove the existence of evil spirits and demons.

Of course... many old perverts also came to Nikko National Park. They were not only there to explore the secrets, but also hoping to have a wonderful encounter.

When the three arrived, Nikko National Park was packed with people.

At the park entrance, people lined up in long queues that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"It seems like all the idle people around Tokyo have come..." Dou Tang complained.

“It’s not that bad. Tokyo has tens of millions of people, and there are probably only a little over ten thousand here.” Lu Zizhen snapped her fingers: “Come on, let’s go through the staff entrance. I’ve already made arrangements.”

"The employee passage?" Dou Tang raised an eyebrow. "You already guessed it would turn out like this?"

"Nonsense, don't underestimate people's drive to join in the fun." Lu Zizhen whistled as she led Dou Tang and Huaiyin toward the path next to the entrance.

After passing the park entrance, the two arrived at a large iron gate that could be driven through. There was a guard at the gate, but Lu Zizhen went up and said a few words to him. The guard immediately bowed and opened the gate.

Lu Zizhen waved: "Let's go."

The three entered the park, and Dou Tang asked, "Is this someone you know?"

“The people from the association.” Lu Zizhen nodded. “I gave them advance notice, saying I wanted to come and see what was going on with the Killing Stone. Some people within the association already knew about Tamamo-no-Mae, but I suppressed their actions.”

She patted Dou Tang on the shoulder: "This is all for you. If Tamamo-no-Mae is your target, then it will be very difficult to deal with. I don't want your battle to be disturbed by a bunch of idiots."

Dou Tang smiled and nodded.

"You've really thought of everything."

"Taking care of children, huh?" Lu Zizhen scoffed. "A mother's strength is boundless."

"..." Dou Tang fell silent.

Huaiyin chuckled and held Doutang's hand tightly.

After entering the park, the three of them naturally joined the other tourists and walked along the wooden boardwalk. Because the park limited the number of people allowed to enter at the same time, there were actually fewer tourists inside than outside.

Even so, the tranquility of the valley was broken by the noise of people.

The three continued on their way and eventually arrived near the thousand statues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

The statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in front was surrounded by scaffolding made of plastic sheeting, cutting off all outside view, and there were people standing guard beside it.

A sign hanging on the plastic sheet read "Under Repair". The damaged appearance of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statues did not seem to be caused by human intervention, so they could not be shown to ordinary people.

Chapter 205 Tracking

Lu Zizhen spoke with the guard next to the scaffolding for a while, then waved behind her and said, "Let's go in."

Dou Tang and Huai Yin walked down the wooden boardwalk and followed the guard and Lu Zizhen to the back of the scaffolding. The scaffolding covered with plastic sheeting only covered the side facing the tourists; there was no plastic sheeting at the back.

The guard in his security uniform said, "Thank you for your help, Miss Lu."

Lu Zizhen nodded.

The three of them crouched down and passed through the scaffolding to enter the interior, where the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva lay sprawled on the ground, utterly mangled.

None of the thousand Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statues were intact; they were all destroyed by Tamamo-no-Mae and turned into scattered pebbles.

Lu Zizhen lowered her head and picked up the head of a Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue from the ground. Looking at the cut at the neck, she said, "It's so sharp... the cut looks like it's been polished."

Dou Tang stood to the side with his eyes closed, quietly sensing the lingering resentment in the air.

In Dou Tang's perception, resentment is like a kind of "atmosphere," and the resentment of evil spirits and monsters is different and very different.

Standing here, Dou Tang could feel an ambiguous atmosphere slowly dissipating. This atmosphere felt like the warm embrace of the opposite sex, alluring yet possessing an irresistible allure.

But beneath the seemingly gentle resentment lies a profound arrogance and hatred.

This feeling and sensation, while partly similar to what Dou Tang had experienced, was not entirely the same.

To be honest, this was the first time Dou Tang had encountered such a situation.

The owner of this resentful aura was not the Tamamo-no-Mae he knew, but there was a familiar part of it.

This is so strange, it feels like... the Tamamo-no-Mae I know has become one with this guy.

When Dou Tang opened his eyes, he saw that Huai Yin was staring at him with concern.

“…I’ve memorized that guy’s resentment. As long as she uses her power within my perception range, I can lock onto her.” Dou Tang rubbed Huai Yin’s head and then looked at Lu Zizhen. “Let’s go check out the Killing Stone next. Maybe we’ll find some new clues.”

Lu Zizhen threw the stone statue head in her hand, and the poor Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue fell to the ground, its head splitting in two. The exorcists and security guards watching from the sidelines had strange expressions.

Lu Zizhen clapped her hands. She had never been respectful of ghosts and gods. She said, "We can't see anything from these stone statues anymore. Let's go."

After leaving the stone statue, the three went to the Killing Stone. There were crowds of people in front of the Killing Stone, but Dou Tang did not sense any new clues. The three did not stay long and left the park.

At the park entrance, Dou Tang paused briefly to sense the resentment, but still found nothing.

"Looks like this guy is keeping a low profile." Lu Zizhen stood at the park entrance, stroking her chin, with people queuing to enter behind her. "She really walked down the mountain like an ordinary person. It's surprising that Tamamo-no-Mae, who caused a great disturbance throughout Japan in history, is so cautious."

“Being cautious is the right thing to do when you’re in a completely unfamiliar environment.” Dou Tang frowned, still worried about the resentment he had just sensed. “The most important thing now is to find her before she starts causing trouble.”

"Should we search separately?" Lu Zizhen suggested.

“No.” Dou Tang refused decisively. “Her strength is beyond what one of you can handle. We absolutely cannot go alone.”

"Can you contact the exorcists in Nikko City?" Dou Tang looked at Lu Zizhen with a serious expression. "Contact them and have them set up hidden checkpoints at major entrances and exits of Nikko City. We must not let Tamamo-no-Mae escape."

"...You seem very worried about that guy. Is she difficult to deal with?" Lu Zizhen was a little surprised. It was the first time she had seen Dou Tang so nervous before even encountering an enemy.

Upon hearing this, Dou Tang gave a deep "hmm": "Yes, anyway... you and Huaiyin should immediately go and notify the other exorcists. Don't travel alone on the road, and if there is any accident, use your clone Tangdou to save your life."

Seeing Dou Tang's nervous expression, Lu Zizhen and Huaiyin were extremely puzzled, especially Huaiyin, who seemed to have guessed something, so in addition to being puzzled... she even felt a little expectant.

Could it be that my brother really fought with Tamamo-no-Mae in his past life? I wonder how that Tamamo-no-Mae is different from this one.

Huaiyin grew more and more excited as she thought about it.

Lu Zizhen asked worriedly, "Are you sure you'll be alright on your own? You just said we shouldn't split up, and now you want to go find that guy by yourself?"

"Don't worry." Although Dou Tang still frowned, his words were full of confidence.

"We definitely won't lose; at most, the scene will just get a bit bigger."

"But finding her before she causes trouble can at least save more innocent lives."

Lu Zizhen looked at him suspiciously: "You're not planning to flirt with girls behind our backs, are you? Seriously, you're capable of that, Fox?"

"Who would go and flirt with girls?!" Dou Tang glared.

"Your reaction is very unusual!" Lu Zizhen pointed at him. "I've never seen you so flustered! Do you know something? Is there something wrong with Tamamo-no-Mae's resentment?"

"You wouldn't happen to be... bewitched by that guy's resentment or something? Are you bewitched? Do you want to ditch us and eat all by yourself?"

Lu Zizhen clenched her fist tightly: "This young lady also wants to get close to beautiful women!"

"What the hell is all this about!" Dou Tang suddenly became a little exasperated: "Can't you control this crazy, impulsive behavior of yours?!"

"Then tell me the truth! Can you beat him or not!" Lu Zizhen glared back. She knew Dou Tang's personality well. As long as it was something he could control, he wouldn't suddenly react like this.

Dou Tang took a deep breath, looked at Lu Zizhen, and the two stared at each other for a long time before he said, "I'm confident, don't worry."

"So, do as I say."

Lu Zizhen suddenly raised her hand, pointed at Dou Tang's face, and looked somewhat annoyed.

"You'd better be sure... If I find out you've messed things up, you'll see what I do to you."

Lu Zizhen was annoyed by Dou Tang's attitude of preparing to solve the problem himself, but she ultimately chose to believe in Dou Tang and, even though she was very unwilling, she still took Huaiyin's hand.

"Let's go! Huaiyin, I'm ignoring you, you idiotic, chauvinistic, stupid brother."

Huaiyin was pulled down the path by Lu Zizhen, but when she turned around, she gave a thumbs-up with her free hand and said in a cheerful voice, "Brother, good luck!"

She believed that Dou Tang could solve the problem, and she was absolutely certain of it.

Dou Tang smiled at her, then closed his eyes in the crowd.

As his mind gradually calmed down and the surrounding voices faded away, Dou Tang focused all his energy on his senses.

He could never sense low-level resentment, but Tamamo-no-Mae's resentment was very distinctive, and he would try to trace the last trace left in the air.

In the darkness, a pink, wispy mist seemed to appear, winding its way into the distance.

Chapter 206 Bad Woman!

Dou Tang strode forward, following the faint resentment in the air, and arrived at the main road leading down the mountain.

He did indeed keep it a secret from Lu Zizhen and Huaiyin; in his previous life, when he faced Tamamo-no-Mae, his victory was not easy.

In her previous life, Tamamo-no-Mae, having broken the seal, left Japan to return to China, where she encountered Dou Tang, who was at the height of his power at the time.

Even at his peak, Dou Tang fought a fierce battle and almost perished together with Tamamo-no-Mae. Fortunately, Dou Tang had outside help at the time and survived thanks to timely medical treatment.

So now that he's facing Tamamo-no-Mae again, Tou-Tang is very unsure of himself.

That time, I fought her in the deep mountains and forests. This time, it's in the city. What if the situation escalates beyond control?

Following the trail of resentment, Dou Tang, lost in thought, arrived at the place where the resentment lingered.