Kisaragi Chiyo took the camera from Hara Kenji's hands and began to review the footage.
In the recording, he saw dozens of gray-black, distorted spirits wandering aimlessly through the wheat field, like rats searching for an exit in a maze, but the person who created the maze had not provided an exit, so they could only wander incessantly, over and over again.
The flames licked across the wheat field, making a sharp, piercing sound, blood seeped from the black earth; amidst the thick, rising black smoke, Kisaragi Chiyo actually saw several struggling, horrific human faces.
“Are those.. the people who were sacrificed back then, the lost souls swallowed by this highway over the years?” Kisaragi Chiyo frowned deeply, tilting her head up to stare with a solemn expression at the massive entity gathering in the sky, its form gradually taking on a terrifying shape.
"Rather, wouldn't you say this is the highway's true form?" Matsuda Jinpei took a step forward, shielding Kisaragi Chiyo behind him. His black shadow spread like a tide, quickly swallowing several ghosts that were still in a daze.
“Kisaragi.” Hara Kenji's voice brushed against her ear with his breath, his cool fingertips rested lightly on her shoulder.
Kisaragi Chiyo tilted her head slightly and saw those dark purple eyes, which held a hint of a smile.
"Leave this to me and Little Jinpei." The hand resting on her shoulder pulled her back a step, then moved downward, she felt a gentle push against her back.
Kisaragi Chiyo looked up at Hara, under the increasingly darkening sky, the gale caught his long hair, sending it dancing wildly through the air.
A disgusting aura was approaching, but his eyes still radiated a comforting warmth.
Even though the hand resting on his back felt cold to the touch.
Go find Hezi.
Of course," Hara Kenji winked at Kisaragi Chiyo, "provided that you protect yourself.
"I understand." The wind scattered the words, but Kisaragi Chiyo nodded and replied loudly.
He turned around without hesitation and, under Hara Kenji's gaze, plunged into the wheat field on the other side of the highway.
The green wheat field coiled around her like seaweed, but these feeble obstructions could not change Kisaragi Chiyo's advancing pace.
He reached out, grabbing the wheat leaves that were entangling him with his black-gloved right hand. With a forceful tug, the wheat, once nourished by the earth, quickly began to wither, finally turning into a handful of ash.
The illusionary formation set within the wheat field naturally had no effect on Kisaragi Chiyo, so he walked with heavy, uneven steps toward the depths of the wheat field.
Because Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji had drawn most of the main firepower, the monster did not have much strength left to maintain the existence of the wheat field, soon the surrounding wheat field became illusory.
But the formation was still in effect, constantly obstructing Kisaragi Chiyo from uncovering the true nature of the wheat field.
*
Kisaragi Chiyo stood in the rain, as the drizzling rain fell from the sky above, diluting the bloodstains winding down the stone altar ahead.
Above the old stone altar, the kneeling corpses formed a circle; their faces were pale, the rain falling upon them continuously washed away the red blood.
Kisaragi Chiyo understood instantly upon seeing this scene; what she was witnessing was an illusion from the past, a memory belonging to the deceased spirits.
But.. where would Hezi be?
Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't figure it out for the moment, so he could only approach the direction of the stone altar.
Faces bearing expressions of piety, some men and some women, ranging in age from youths to the elderly; the youngest appeared to be only in their teens, while the oldest had hair turned white and faces covered in wrinkles.
Without a doubt, they were all carefully selected individuals. Perhaps it was precisely because they were the gifted beings the cult leader spoke of that they became mere seasoning for a conspiracy, like the flowers or herbs used to garnish a plate, easily discarded once their purpose was served.
Kisaragi Chiyo felt uncomfortable, but what made him even more uneasy were the expressions on these people's faces.
He knelt down, using his hands to carefully trace the formation carved into the center of the kneeling area. Following the incomplete lines of the formation, Kisaragi Chiyo pondered for a moment and quickly understood its purpose.
To bind souls and create souls.
First, the souls tainted by resentment and despair are extracted from their original vessels, then they are forcibly mixed together and stuffed all at once into a prepared Vessel.
Kisaragi Chiyo was naturally clear about these procedures, because the reason that man had set his sights on him was because he was a Vessel that met the requirements.
Even though he knew that everything before him was merely an illusion from the deceased's past memories, Kisaragi Chiyo still felt an extraordinary chill in his body the moment the rain fell upon him.
That coldness felt as if it were seeping out from between his very bones, leaving his body numb and his complexion even paler than before.
Kisaragi Chiyo slowly stood up and lowered her head, her gaze sweeping across the circle of corpses surrounding her. Just as expected, none of the faces belonged to Hezi's Mother.
In Hezi's book, it was once mentioned, "There is a small birthmark on the upper right side of Mother's forehead, which she always covers with her hair.. but I think that birthmark is beautiful, just like a butterfly with its wings spread."
It is not a good sign that Hezi's Mother was not found here; as mentioned before, the souls of monsters created artificially require new vessels to hold them.
And Hezi's Mother is that new vessel.
In that case.. what will happen to her soul?
Kisaragi Chiyo thought of those dazed, exhausted, hollow, distorted spirits she had seen in the video. Without a doubt, all of them—including Hezi's Mother, whose soul had been extracted—had become伥鬼 controlled by this highway.
It lures humans into wandering into the wheat fields to be swallowed whole, the swallowed souls become new伥鬼, repeating this cycle endlessly, unable to find liberation.
*
Faint footsteps came from behind. Kisaragi Chiyo spun around abruptly, looking toward that direction with alertness, barked coldly, "Who's there?"
"Oh my, there's actually a human here." A tall, slender figure stepped out from the darkness; it was a young man dressed in a black kimono.
His steps were composed, but his gaze turned cold upon seeing the corpse on the stone altar, his expression as if he had encountered a major problem.
".. Who are you?" Kisaragi Chiyo looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared there with a hint of suspicion. He had narrow, upturned eyes, short black hair parted in the middle, at the very top of his forehead grew sharp horns, symbolizing his non-human existence.
My name is Hozuki," the man said. "I am a Hell Assistant Official who handles such matters.
Only after the man stepped out from the darkness did Kisaragi Chiyo notice that he was dragging a heavy black morning star in his hand, its sharp spikes reflecting a terrifying glint in the rainy night.
He was just like some kind of rainy night killer.
"Of course.." The man calling himself Hozuki cast his gaze upon him. Kisaragi Chiyo could feel the other man looking him up and down without any politeness, his deep gaze seemingly judging something.
And also a recruiter for Hell.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
"So?" Perhaps because she felt no malice from the other party, Kisaragi Chiyo's initial vigilance relaxed slightly.
Would you consider going to Hell after you die?
“..”
Hell will be a good place for you." Seeing Kisaragi Chiyo's silence, Hozuki continued his invitation: "It has been a long time since I've seen a human with a constitution like yours.. The last one has been working in Hell for three hundred years and recently succeeded in paying off his mortgage.
“.. Thank you?” Listening to the other party's words, Kisaragi Chiyo felt a throbbing sensation between her brows; it took three hundred years of working to pay off a mortgage—that kind of thing really could only happen in Hell.
"But I'm sorry, I don't have that intention at the moment," Kisaragi Chiyo declined very tactfully.
“Are you really not going to reconsider?” Hozuki stared at him for a long time before suddenly letting out a laugh. “If it's as a Hell Assistant Official, it is permissible to bring family members along.”
Besides, you've been targeted by that guy too, haven't you?
".. I don't understand what you mean." Kisaragi Chiyo pursed her lips; she wasn't sure who the guy the other person was talking about actually was.
That evil spirit outside.." Hozuki skipped over that question, instead speaking unhurriedly about something else, "illegal residence.. according to the rules, it should be sent to the afterlife immediately.
"Is this a threat?" The polite smile on Kisaragi Chiyo's face vanished instantly. He looked at the other party expressionlessly, his gaze shifting imperceptibly toward that heavy spiked club, seemingly judging the gap in strength between himself and the other.
"No.. it's an invitation." Hozuki maintained that same expression, his face showing no discernible change in emotion, as he uttered a name that left Kisaragi Chiyo feeling incredulous.
“Oboshima.. I have heard your name from her mouth.” Hozuki propped up his kanabo, adopting a conversational posture.
She said that if one were to choose a reliable candidate to handle matters involving fugitives from Hell—someone who could walk openly and conveniently in the human world—you would be a dependable choice.
Kisaragi Chiyo's lips twitched. He wanted to ask something, but he opened his mouth and said nothing.
"Then, may I ask.. have you seen a human woman here?" Kisaragi Chiyo felt very conflicted; he wanted to ask about Oboshima-san, but he also felt that now was not a good time.
After all, his current goal was to find Hezi.
Don't worry," Hozuki said in a calm and reliable tone. "I have already sent out all the humans who wandered into this place.
You can give some serious thought to the proposal I just made.
Or, you could also consult Matsuda.
"Huh?" Kisaragi Chiyo froze for a moment.
"Oh? Didn't he tell you?" Hozuki raised an eyebrow and looked over.
"Say what?" Kisaragi Chiyo suddenly had a bad feeling for some reason.
Matsuda Jinpei is a public official in our Hell. Three years ago, he came to Hell and applied for a civil service position so that he could travel to the human world to find his missing childhood friend.
After completing the probation period, he obtained an assignment abroad.. Although there were some minor issues with the passage from Hell to the human world at that time, he should have been able to arrive safely.
Hozuki muttered to himself, "I just saw him with that Evil Spirit, I thought he had already told you his identity.. So, is he planning to keep the mission a secret?"
He hasn't submitted a single report since he set out.. I thought something had gone wrong.. but it turns out he's just in love. Truly neglecting his duties.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
Where on earth did this conclusion about falling in love come from?
Furthermore, he now knew why Nekomata said that Matsuda Jinpei carried a heavy scent of death.
Moreover, the passage from your Hell to the mortal realm is no small issue at all!
The civil servants of your Hell have all had their memories wiped because of you; they don't even remember that they ever set foot in Hell!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks to all the little angels for your support, mwah 0303
Chapter 95
Although she did not yet know the specific details, through their recent conversation, Kisaragi Chiyo already felt that the Hell Assistant Official's staff were incredibly unreliable.
Could it be that since Matsuda Jinpei arrived in the human world, the Hell Assistant Official hasn't thought to reach out and ask about his work progress?
Perhaps because Kisaragi Chiyo's expression of hesitation and doubt was too obvious, Hozuki took the initiative to explain.
The flow of time in Hell is different from the human world; a few years or even several decades is nothing more than a blink of an eye to us.
Besides, with my busy schedule, it's quite a hassle to stay in contact through an intermediary.. If anything, if one can't solve their own problems, they might as well just die out there," Hozuki said, his expression and tone carrying a hint of inhuman coldness and seriousness. "After all, someone who is already dead can't die again.
That being said.." Kisaragi Chiyo frowned and shook her head slightly. "Never mind.. please discuss the remaining matters with Matsuda Jinpei yourself.
So, have you reached a decision?" Hozuki asked again in a nonchalant tone. "Are you prepared to face hell after you die?
May I ask, what exactly is it about me that you value?" Kisaragi Chiyo didn't feel that she had anything special about her other than her constitution. "After all, as a Hell Assistant Official, you don't seem like the type to make such a decision so easily just because of someone else's recommendation.
Kisaragi Chiyo actually didn't quite understand why Oboshima-san would say that he would be the best person to be responsible for Hell's work in the human world.
“You might not realize it, but you've inadvertently helped us resolve several small troubles.” Hozuki took a few steps forward and swung his kanabo. The weapon, which looked as if it weighed a thousand pounds, was held easily in his hand, without him even using much strength.