vncnus Page 27
Page 27
The crimson labels above the four people's heads instantly merged, turning into four beams of red light that successively entered Qingze's brow.
This incredible feat stunned all the believers present, and the hall fell into a deathly silence.
Masaya Yoshikawa was so frightened that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He felt as if he wasn't living in the real world, but had stumbled into a meticulously filmed samurai duel movie set.
He had only ever seen this kind of clean and efficient swordsmanship, which could take down four skilled knife-wielders in an instant, on the big screen.
"Gudong."
He swallowed hard, his mind blank from shock, and he even forgot to run away.
Qingze had already jogged forward.
The icy blade, like a venomous snake's tongue, suddenly appeared before Yoshikawa Masaya's brow, its biting chill making his hair stand on end.
"what!!!"
Yoshikawa Masaya was so frightened that he screamed and fell to the ground with a thud, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Qingze looked down at him, a slight smirk playing on his lips beneath the mask, a hint of undisguised mockery in his voice: "Oh? Don't you pride yourself on being the human embodiment of Maitreya Buddha? Why are you afraid of a mere mortal like me?"
"Yes! Your Excellency, please use your supreme Buddhist power to punish this villain!"
Among the believers, one of the most deeply brainwashed individuals shouted loudly, his face filled with fanaticism and anticipation.
Yoshikawa Masaya's face instantly turned ashen, devoid of any color.
He has no magical powers at all.
Chapter 32 Sunk Costs
The believers firmly believed that the leader possessed "supreme magical power".
Their fervent gazes were now all focused on the platform.
In the past, Yoshikawa Masaya greatly enjoyed the feeling of being admired and deified. At certain moments, he even felt as if he had truly become the incarnation of Maitreya on earth, and was no longer the mediocre person who could be ridiculed as a "fat pig" at will.
However, at this moment, those gazes that once made him feel elated now seemed to have turned into a tremendous burden, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Cold sweat had already soaked through the robe on his back, sticking stickily to his skin and bringing waves of chills.
If he were to admit at this moment that he was just a charlatan, everything he had painstakingly built would collapse instantly, and his future would be completely ruined.
He could no longer stand in that high position, enjoying the offerings from his believers and his wife and daughters...
But if you don't admit it...
Yoshikawa Masaya's gaze was fixed in fear on the tip of the knife not far from his brow, the blood on it not yet fully congealed, gleaming with a dark red sheen.
He swallowed hard, trying to moisten his dry throat, and looked up at the rather old fox mask.
Although the true face behind the mask could not be seen at all, the eyes peeking out through the holes were full of undisguised mockery.
Yoshikawa Masaya suddenly understood.
This guy is just enjoying the cat-and-mouse game; he just wants to see him beg for mercy in a sorry state, and he may not actually let him go.
"Instead of doing this, let's be more assertive!"
The thought flashed through his mind, and he desperately tried to encourage himself, to straighten his trembling body, and to make the voice of fear harden.
However, when the words were about to be spoken, extreme fear, like an invisible hand, gripped his throat tightly, completely crushing his feigned toughness.
"I...I have no magic power..."
The fear of death overwhelmed him, leading him to choose to succumb.
It was as if his bones had been removed. He quickly changed from a sitting position to a kneeling position, and desperately banged his head on the ground, making muffled "thump" sounds, crying out, "Sword Master, spare my life!"
I know I was wrong!
I shouldn't have swindled and deceived everyone. I'm willing to atone for my sins; I'm willing to give you anything!
He incoherently offered up all his chips, as if that could buy his life back: "I have 300 million in my bank account, two properties and four luxury cars in Tokyo, and I have six mistresses, all of which I can give to you."
Oh, right! I have a collection of famous swords in the second-floor collection room, and I even spent a lot of money to have a precious sword made that can cut through iron like mud, called Onikiri, which I also present to you.
I beg you to spare my life!
By the end, he was in tears, and his body was trembling uncontrollably.
Once dignity is abandoned, one can no longer care about manners or image, leaving only the most primal instinct for survival.
The believers stared in disbelief at the scene, their faces filled with shock.
The "representative of Maitreya" in their hearts, who possessed boundless Buddhist power, was now acting like a stray dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy, so humble.
"No."
Qingze flicked his wrist, and a flash of light appeared from his blade!
Swish!
The sharp blade, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, precisely sliced across Yoshikawa Masaya's short, thick neck.
The massive head was instantly propelled forward by the gushing blood, rolling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.
Qingze stepped back in time to avoid the splattering warm blood.
He didn't glance at the dazed believers again, casually tossed the blood-stained katana to the ground with a crisp clang, then turned and walked straight towards the second-floor collection room.
Qingze pushed open the door and saw that all four walls were covered with various samurai swords.
In the center of the room, a special altar was set up, on which a katana was solemnly enshrined.
The hilt and scabbard are both black and red, with strange patterns wrapped around their surfaces, faintly exuding an ominous aura.
The hilt of the sword is clearly engraved with two Chinese characters, “鬼彻”.
Qingze stepped forward, grasped the hilt of the knife, and slowly pulled it out.
The blade was an eerie blood red, while the back and other parts were a deep, inky black. The contrast between red and black created a strong visual impact.
"It is indeed a fine knife."
He put the knife back into its sheath.
The next moment, a dark purple magic circle rapidly appeared from the blurry shadow beneath his feet.
A thick, inky shadow surged out from the magic circle, instantly enveloping his entire body, along with the newly acquired "Oni-Tsurugi," and silently sank into the shadows, leaving the scene.
……
Inside the main hall, all the believers stood frozen in place, as if petrified. The worldview they had built up in the past had completely collapsed and shattered at this moment.
Just then, a man in his early thirties suddenly jumped up as if stabbed by something, and roared, "This is divine punishment!!"
This sound drew all the bewildered gazes.
The man's face was filled with a morbid fanaticism as he waved his arms and said, "Yoshikawa Masaya has lost his firm belief in my Buddha Maitreya and his heart is full of filth."
That's why Maitreya sent down divine punishment, stripping him of his magical powers.
This is Maitreya's test for us.
If this causes us to waver in our faith in Maitreya, we will suffer the same fate!
He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice grew louder and louder.
Maitreya must exist!
Maitreya must exist!
Otherwise, all his previous wealth, all his devotion, and the normal life he gave up...
All of this will become meaningless, and he will instantly lose the will to live.
"If it weren't for the supreme divine power bestowed by Maitreya, how could that man wearing the fox mask have killed four guardians so easily? This is proof of a miracle!"
His far-fetched explanation, which conveniently filled the void left by the collapse of faith, immediately provided other believers with a "logic" to grasp.
They reacted as if drowning people had grasped at a straw, and echoed each other:
"Yes! That's right! Yoshikawa has committed many evils and defiled the doctrine, so Miroku punished him!"
“This is Maitreya purifying our church.”
"The Dharma assembly cannot stop; we must continue to demonstrate our devotion to Maitreya!"
The believers quickly reached a consensus.
They frantically dragged Yoshikawa Masaya's headless body and the corpses of the four guardians outside the courtyard. Some even brought mops and buckets and began to vigorously clean the large bloodstains on the floor.
Of course, some people also chose to call the police.
After all, so many people have died, and the police need to handle it no matter what.
But no one wanted to leave this place where a bloody massacre had just taken place.
After a simple cleaning, the man who had spoken first naturally took Yoshikawa Masaya's place, stood in front of the platform, and led all the believers in reciting scriptures more devoutly, as if everything that had just happened was merely a ritual to purify the soul.
……
After receiving the emergency call, the Kawagoe Police Station realized the seriousness of the situation.
In broad daylight, someone broke into a private residence with a knife and killed several people. This was a blatant challenge to their authority, and they had to be dealt with severely!
The team was led by Inspector Uesugi Seisuke.
He sat in the police car on his way to the scene, rubbing his throbbing temples, feeling utterly troubled.
He had long since given up on the idea of promotion and just wanted to live a peaceful life until retirement, not wanting to deal with such a thorny case.
But the director's orders cannot be disobeyed.
The police car arrived at the main gate of the courtyard.
The nearby patrols arrived early and set up a cordon at the entrance, but did not enter. They were not professionals and were afraid of disturbing the crime scene.
Uesugi Masakazu unbuckled his seatbelt, and just as he pushed open the car door, before he could even steady himself on his feet...
A newly recruited young police officer, unable to contain his excitement, rushed forward, shouting "Police!" and simultaneously kicked the heavy wooden door.
"boom!"
The wooden door was kicked open a crack.