In this day and age in Japan, the most arrogant and domineering thing is no longer the demon, but the god.
At 3:45 AM, in the Golden Tea Room of Kyoto Castle.
Two deities sat facing each other across a golden tea kettle burning over a golden hearth. The smoke of myrrh and the sound of a contracted geisha intently playing the koto filled the tea room, creating a decadent yet mysterious atmosphere.
One of the deities scooped up the boiling green liquid with a golden ladle and poured it into a tea set. The tea set wasn't gold; rather, it was a glossy black, like an eggplant. The Zen artistic view, based on the ascetic principle of "impermanence of all things," exists on extremely meticulous refinement. One-sided extravagance is vulgar.
“Hayden has been careless,” another deity said. “He’s not a god, barely something between human and god, yet he dares to act arbitrarily on the territory of other gods, using his power at will and leaving traces. Does he think he’s doing good?”
The deity brewing the tea skillfully used a stirrer to create foam, while elegantly chuckling "foo—, foo—, foo—" before cheerfully saying:
“I think he’s already a god. Just by disguising himself, he dares to walk on the territory of the enemy god, without realizing that his ‘good intentions’ would kill the common people. Isn’t that what a god is? Because for a god, it’s just a trivial matter, like the sun walking on the ground burning people to death.”
Both gods laughed at this point.
In the business and political world, there's a concept called "personality profiling," also known as "behavioral pattern analysis." A detailed psychological profile of a target requires thorough behavioral pattern analysis, especially causal analysis. The simplest approach is to start with the target's overall lifestyle and work habits, examining their shopping habits, online statements, and even browsing history. More information can be gathered from subtle clues gathered from their colleagues, employees, and family members.
Samples of their behavior—how they talk to others, how they transact in business, or how they handle various situations—can help form a complete picture of their thinking and methods. Many people are creatures of habit. Some people always stop to look at a certain type of advertisement or shop window; some are never late, while others are always late. Some people habitually dodge to the left. By looking back far enough, searching their long posts, short threads, chats, and comments, we can paint a picture of their personal thoughts and gain insight into how they communicate.
Of course, all of this is expensive, troublesome, and usually requires long-term observation, which means it takes a lot of time, and also requires a psychoanalyst who knows how to interpret these trends and coincidences. So even large corporations and financial giants can't possibly create such a personality profile for everyone... But Hayden is no longer "everyone".
He has long deserved to be treated with such care and effort by his enemies.
"This kid dared to come to the enemy's territory without a guard. We've done our psychological analysis of him, and the current international situation is just right... It's time to make our move."
The second deity spoke.
"In a battle between masters, momentum is paramount." The tea-brewing deity, however, had a different opinion. "Although Hayden seems a bit impatient now, he's still acting cautiously, and his intelligence and intuition are quite high. We need to continue pressuring him to expose a weakness. Once we find that weakness, we can strike first and defeat him with overwhelming force."
As the deity spoke, it silently released a murderous aura. The contracted geishas next to the tea room lost control of their bladders without hesitation.
The second deity nodded in agreement: "Then... how about we use the pieces from this side?"
He gestured mysteriously on the projection screen, and the tea-making deity was quite satisfied with the result. Then she looked towards the door of the tea room. There stood five identical men, with the same hairstyle and build—practically quintuplets! Clones created by the Mitra Corporation! They remained absolutely silent, awaiting instructions from their superiors, without uttering a single word!
"Just do it this way."
"Very happy to!"
A flawless answer! The clones marched away with the perfect, orderly steps of an army inspection!
Namo San! What an ominous sight! The laughter of two capitalists echoed through the golden tea room, golden on the outside, darkness within. Contract geishas on either side couldn't help but shed tears of fear, repeating a chilling koto melody. Oh… the darkness of Kyoto is deep and thick!
Watch out, Hayden! Watch out! A treacherous and vicious enemy is coming!
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The business hours of Kyoto brothels are from 6 p.m. to the next morning.
That being said, very few new customers actually visit after midnight. Generally, the prostitutes only need to deal with the few who stay overnight.
It's currently the third quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the time when demons and monsters are most excited. However, the ancient gods of modern times don't have the right to be arrogant; they're just more energetic at night than during the day.
So Komakusa Tayu was still busy in the brothel, directing the prostitutes and maids. Her brothel was the highest-ranking legal courtesan establishment in Kyoto, so there were many things to manage and a large staff. In a few hours, early in the morning, she would be taking Hayden to the [Ashihara Great Barrier], so she needed to finish handing over all the other matters and make all the preparations.
"Doctor, two unfamiliar guests have arrived without an appointment or letter of introduction."
At that moment, a courtesan hurried over and whispered to Komakusa Tayu.
"Then why don't you just politely ask them to leave?" The courtesan frowned. "What's wrong?"
She was so busy that she hadn't planned to entertain any more new guests at this time.
The prostitute's voice lowered even further: "They have the headquarters' token."
Oh dear, this is troublesome. In that case, Komakusa Tayu can't make things difficult for the visitors. If things get out of hand, the higher-ups will become suspicious.
"There's nothing we can do. Fine, we'll leave this to them. We'll just go and appease them."
In an instant, the top-tier courtesan switched to work mode, beaming as she walked towards the door:
"Sir, I'm very sorry, we're closed for today..."
Before she could finish speaking, her voice trailed off. This was to be expected. While ordinary young courtesans might not sense this, Komakusa Tayu was an ancient monster over five hundred years old. Her courtesan intuition and keen insight were warning her that these two at the door were no ordinary people!
(They're here? So fast? What happened? They seemed to be doing so well before?)
Even so, Komakusa Tayu walked over with a smile, intending to use her silver tongue to manipulate the situation.
...And then, something terrible happened!
"aieeee! ai! aieeeee! aieeeeeeeeeee!!"
At the third quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), screams of prostitutes and their clients echoed through the darkness of the red-light district!
When Hayden and Koyo jumped down from the second floor of the brothel and rushed to the scene, all they saw was Komakusa Tayu's mangled and scattered corpse on the ground, and passersby on the street screaming and going crazy!
377: In short, just kill them all, right?
"Damn it!"
When Hayden rushed out of the brothel, all he saw was the mangled and scattered corpse of Komakusa Tayu at the entrance, and a few passersby screaming and going crazy on the street.
This scene enraged Hayden, who cried out, "What's going on?!"
Hayden was already under immense pressure lately because of Mithra's affair and the situation in Japan. And now, even Komakusa Tayu, their key guide who was supposed to lead them to Ashihara Province, had suddenly died—what the hell was going on?! Where did this mechanical demon slayer come from?!
Fortunately, Hayden knew that saving lives was the top priority, and he immediately rushed to Komakusa Tayu's body. Her body was in a terrible state, probably cut into eight pieces by a sharp blade—this wouldn't normally be a problem, as Hayden's resurrection magic had improved so much recently that he could probably bring back even a corpse reduced to mincemeat. However, when he touched the pieces of flesh, he discovered that there was no life essence or soul left within them; they had probably all been drained away.
"Damn it."
Hayden had been prepared to have Komakusa Tayu lead the way in a few hours, but then this happened. And... no matter what, he really disliked people dying.
Then he looked around and realized there were other corpses nearby. A prostitute lay dead nearby, her body badly damaged, as if struck by some kind of destructive magic. There were also the remains of two men in black, some reduced to mere fragments.
...It's strange, such a terrifying battle ended in an instant. Not only were not a single survivor left, but not even a breath remained. Who acted so quickly?
You should know that as soon as Hayden sensed something was wrong, he immediately rushed out of his room on the second floor of the brothel. The whole thing took less than ten seconds.
Momiji jumped down at that moment. When she saw Komakusa Tayu's body in such a state of disarray, her face turned pale. She hadn't expected that Momiji would actually have such great respect for this old monster, Komakusa Tayu, and feel such deep sorrow for her death.
Unfortunately, now is really not a good time to be sad.
Almost a second later, ten law enforcement officers dressed in white hunting robes came running from the other end of the flower street, carrying red lanterns with the words "For Imperial Use" written on them in black. These hunting robes represented both official attire and Shintoism, signifying their status as law enforcement priests.
Hayden didn't move, only staring coldly at them. Then these prosecutors spoke first: "You're Hayden?"
Hayden detected no surprise in the voice of the leading prosecutor. It was a very minor sign, but it was enough for him.
"Exactly."
Hayden answered.
—The next instant, the inspectors all raised their gohei (ritual implements with white paper strips hanging from sakaki tree branches) and pointed them at Hayden and Momiji: "Please come with us!"
These words almost made Hayden laugh in anger: "You priests think you can arrest me? Aren't you being a bit presumptuous?"
The prosecutors did not answer, their faces displaying an attitude that they were only there to conduct official business.
So Hayden decided to stop dawdling: "Red Leaf, are you in a fighting condition right now?"
“Okay…” Hongye nodded subconsciously, then suddenly realized what she meant and was shocked, “Master, are you going to fight them?! They are the National Security Police from Kyoto!”
"What else can we do but fight? Get arrested?" Hayden replied irritably. "And then who knows what else they want to do to us. There must be some kind of enemy god behind this."
Hongye hesitated for a moment before saying, "...Can we evacuate and escape first?"
"Hahaha," Hayden laughed, "I don't want to."
At this point, anyone could see that Hayden was going to resist arrest. The prosecutors were starting to get nervous, since they had originally assumed that Hayden would either run away or be obediently taken back to the office, but they hadn't expected him to fight back with force.
The second lieutenant leading the team winked at his men, waved his cane, and chanted: "Heaven is pure, earth is pure, inside and out are pure. I sincerely beseech the eight million gods to let my breath mingle with their divine breath, to blow away the filth and capture the criminals."
This was both a prayer and an incantation. Every syllable uttered from the mouth of this lieutenant priest contained borrowed divine power, possessing the might to apprehend criminals within Japan. Respect has power, and the state, of course, holds supreme power over its territory.
But these syllables vanished in the wind when they reached Hayden.
Seeing this, the other nine prosecutors waved their gohei (imperial guards' hats) and unleashed their most powerful spells, drawing upon the power of various Japanese deities. Lightning and thunder, accompanied by storm-like flames and howling winds, instantly enveloped Hayden—but when the spell dissipated, Hayden remained standing unharmed, merely dusting off the dust from his shoulders.
He even protected the red leaves next to him.
"Are you guys done? It's my turn."
Then Hayden said, extending a hand to the priests and making a fist.
An invisible magical hand gripped the necks of the nine priests and twisted them! Snap!
He actually twisted the heads off the nine inspectors behind him!
Now, not only the lieutenant leading the team, but even Hongye standing next to him was dumbfounded—is this the master's usual style?
The lieutenant, still aware of the dire situation, immediately raised the red lantern in his hand and activated the power within his equipment. Sparks instantly ignited within the lantern, launching a rocket into the sky, where it exploded into a dazzling firework. This was, in fact, a signal to alert those in the vicinity of a dangerous individual.
At the same time, a firebird leaped out of the lantern flames, screeching as it flew towards Hayden with a force comparable to that of a Vajra Warrior—the equipment of this Kyoto National Security Lieutenant, though a disposable item, was of decent quality!
So Hayden reached out and grabbed the firebird, examined it, and casually thought that perhaps the improvement in the quality of equipment on the Japanese side was also related to Mitra's recent strengthening.
That lieutenant prosecutor wasn't stupid; after discarding the consumables, he immediately turned and ran, leaping twenty meters into the air. It seemed their superior hadn't simply sent them to their deaths; they were quite skilled. So Hayden reached out and grabbed at the air, creating a gust of wind that pulled the man far back, slamming him to his feet.
The lieutenant tried to escape, using both his hands and feet. But Hayden waved his hand, turning both of his legs to stone. Now the prosecutor was truly too afraid to move.
"Who sent you?" Hayden crouched down and asked. "And, you didn't kill Komakusa Tayu, did you? Where are the others?"
Komakusa Tayu is a five-hundred-year-old monster. It's possible he could be killed by the Kenbishi. But to do all that in ten seconds, Hayden thinks it's unrealistic.
"I don't know! We really don't know what happened here, Mr. Hayden!" the prosecutor quickly pleaded. "Our superiors just sent us to take you back to the office for investigation. We were just following orders!"
A perfectly reasonable answer. Hayden had also guessed that these prosecutors were merely pawns. But pawns are pawns; they are also national security officers. Killing these people would only make the current situation even more serious.
But Hayden persisted, asking, "How did you know I was here?"
The prosecutor honestly replied, "We caught the rickshaw driver you tipped, and used the Mind Probe to look through the entire memory. We know you're likely hiding in the red-light district, so the rest is easy."
Hayden himself was a great wizard, so he knew what would happen to someone whose brain was opened by the Mind Probe. He was so angry that he couldn't even speak.
Three seconds later, he nodded and pointed his hand at the lieutenant prosecutor's forehead. The lieutenant was immediately terrified: "Mr. Hayden, no, don't kill me! We were just following orders, it wasn't our fault!"
Hayden tilted his head: "So you guys don't usually do anything immoral, but now that an order comes down from above, you immediately become so skilled and adept at it?"
The inspector nodded frantically.
"Ha ha," Hayden laughed, "I don't believe it!"
He put his finger on the forehead of the prosecutor.
Knowing Hayden was going to kill him, the lieutenant panicked and suddenly changed his expression, shouting, "We arrested that carriage driver and interrogated him. Don't you bear any responsibility for that? You were the one who talked to him and gave him money! If you hadn't done a good deed, he would still be living a normal life!"
"Hahahaha." Hayden's laughter deepened. "You're right. I'll take responsibility and kill you all first."
He used his finger, which was poking the other person's forehead, to activate his magic.
The lieutenant immediately felt a sharp pain in his head, sensing the magic invading his brain—this terrified him, and he quickly begged for mercy: "Lord Hayden! Master Hayden! Forget what I just said, please spare my life! Even if anyone is to be punished, it should be the officers who gave us the orders, not us!"
"I know."
Hayden raised his eyebrows.
"I told you I would kill you all, so I'm asking you to go and save seats for them first."
Then Hayden unleashed his magic, blasting his entire head into hundreds of fragments.
Then he clapped his hands, stood up, and turned to ask Hongye, "Do you know where the Kyoto Prosecutor's Office is, and who their chief officer is?"
"I only know the location." Hongye stared blankly at Hayden's actions, answering in a daze, before suddenly realizing what he meant and exclaiming in shock, "Sir, you don't mean to go and fight them, do you?!"
“Didn’t I just talk to that prosecutor?” Hayden frowned. “I want to rescue the driver they’ve tortured, and then kill all the torturers and their superiors.”
"The chief of the Kyoto Prosecution Bureau must be a god!" Kouye was almost stunned. "Master, killing a few servants and priests is manageable. But if we kill their god, the Yamato gods will definitely send their army and war gods, and then we'll really be out of control!"
"Then I'll take care of them all!"
Hayden said coldly,
"Did they think I couldn't fight the divine war without Karen? I originally wanted to act stealthily, but they killed the person who was supposed to guide me and tortured the person who had just pulled my cart—so be it! Then I'll step over the corpses of these foolish rulers, openly blast through their barriers, go where I need to go, and find what I need to find!!"
This seemed to be the first time he had ever lost his temper so much in front of Hongye, and it was such a big one. For a moment, Hongye could only stare blankly at her master, too stunned to utter a single word.
Hayden wasn't usually like this. But Hongye realized that Hayden was probably really angry this time, and might even be losing his temper.
Whether it's because of too much pressure, because his anger meter is finally full after being in South America for so long, or because he's anxious about the world situation, Hayden doesn't plan to act in his usual more discreet style this time.
Come, come, come, you lowly creatures, you inferior beings, come and die by my hand!
...What's even more frightening is that, given Hayden's current strength, he might actually be able to accomplish such a thing.
"Hongye, if you're scared, you can leave first. I'll break through the barrier and teleport you back directly."