Youkai Yamanaka.

Komei Jijuku stood on the stone, confronting the black-feathered and black-haired Raven Tengu Great Youkai.

"You really haven't seen Lian Lian?"

"Did I lie, you know better than I am," Shotimaru looked left and right at his surroundings, "This time there won't be a few ghosts hiding somewhere trying to trap me, right?"

"I remember explaining to you that it was just a whim. ”

"I don't know if you're on a whim, after all, I don't have the ability to read minds," Shotimaru disagreed, "Since I can't provide useful information, can I go?"

"Are you so frightened?" Gu Ming couldn't help but smile.

"After all, no one wants a secret and shameful past to be prying eyes...... Even if you forget it on weekdays, you will remember it when you see it. ”

Gu Ming Dijue pointed to the pair of pink headphones hanging around his neck: "Since just now, I haven't read your mind, thanks to this thing...... You can think of it as some kind of device that shields mind reading. ”

"Huh...... In this case, is it a product of Kappa?" The reporter's heart was about to move, and the shooting pill took out a pen and paper, "Miss Jue, you actually took the initiative to wear it on your body, does it mean ......?"

"After all, it's hard for me to get in a good mood when I hear about other people's minds, but don't get me wrong, now I can decide whether or not to read your minds on my own volition...... By the way, this is human technology, and what you're thinking of at the moment, and it's impossible to use this device against me. ”

"Whew—what a boring technique. Shotimaru shook his head in dissatisfaction.

"Why is Miss Wenwen so hostile to me? I didn't read your mind, this kindness should have been reached, right?"

"I've never heard of a monster showing kindness to anyone other than himself. Why is it hostile...... I didn't mention the Liangzi when I first saw it.,Except for the false information you gave at the night festival、Fortunately, I did some investigation.,Otherwise, it might have been hung on the torii gate of the Hakurei Shrine.。 ”

"Huh, I thought that Miss Wenwen would never let go of the news as long as it was topical. ”

"Ah...... This malicious misunderstanding fueled my anger. There was no ripple in his tone.

"Calm down. ”

"Calm down," Shotimaru shrugged, "After understanding the definition of ethics of the journalist profession by humans in the outside world, I have already restrained a lot - not to mention that the protagonist who is going to be published this time is one of the few fans of "Wenwen Shimbun" outside of Youkai Mountain, and it is not good to offend." ”

"Hah, he's just idle and bored, isn't he?"

So what, there are not many people who are willing to read "Wenwen News" today. ”

"I have a proposal. Gu Ming said seriously.

"What?" "Shooting Pill Wen is vigilant, what kind of moth is this guy going to use himself for?

"Adding essays to newspapers and magazines, and going to villages to solicit manuscripts, will definitely increase the popularity of the newspaper. ”

I didn't expect it to be such a serious proposal, and the Raven Tengu Great Youkai didn't know what to say for a while.

"Uh......"

"Over there in the human village, the recent movements have also been quite impressive, you should have heard of it, right?"

"I do know something about this......

"Then you can't let all the limelight be taken away by humans, right? It's said that "youkai are yearning for human culture", and you and I can't afford to lose face. ”

"But wasn't this call for submissions collected in the human village?"

"We recruit from humans, and we also recruit from youkai. ”

"Oh...... I see," Shotimaru Fumimi glanced at the Kakumi monster with deep meaning, "I can't imagine that a dark youkai like you, who is extremely misogynistic about humans, would have such good intentions?"

"It's not a conflict, so to speak...... Have you heard anything about the god of misfortune in the world?"

"I've heard rumors that I've just come from the god of Doom, and she's not in Mt. Youkai. Speaking of the Doom God Key Mountain Hinata, Shooting Pill Wen also frowned.

"Oh, you shouldn't have to worry about the bad gods," Gu Ming Jijue jumped down from the stone, intending to leave, "If you have time and help me pay attention to the news of my love, I really don't know where this kid is going to play again." ”

"How can you have that kind of spare time. ”

The two who were about to part ways suddenly stopped.

A small doll suddenly flew up from the bottom of the mountain—Gu Ming Jijue was the first to notice its appearance, and it was the one she was looking for, the one she had lost.

"Wow, Miss Jue has finally seen you!" the little puppet danced to express her excitement, "When I first woke up, I found that a little girl with bell-like wings held me in her hand in the dark room, and I laughed so horribly that I flew away immediately - I can only remember you, so I followed my instinct to find you." ”

Gu Mingdi was stunned in place.

......

......

Time goes back a bit.

Marisa and Ibaraki Kafan walked out of the Moriya Shrine in the middle of the mountain and were heading down the mountain.

After hearing that the gods would cause mutations, Marisa had stepped out of his barrier for the first time after hundreds of years of retreat in the mountains.

Marisa had heard rumors of immortal cultivation when she was a child, and now that the woman who came out of the cave and called herself an "immortal" couldn't help but have three points of respect for her.

And the two pillars of the Moriya Shrine、It seems that he doesn't know this person named Ibaraki Kafan at all.。

The scene was a little embarrassing, and the fairy lady with her bun hair hurriedly explained to the two pillars of God and Marisa, who was standing on the side, that she and Yakumo Purple were also sages who worked together when establishing Gensokyo, but compared to her conscientious colleagues, she really didn't have any interest in managing Gensokyo, and after the human village stabilized a little, Ibaraki Kafan lived in seclusion in Youkai Mountain to cultivate.

On the one hand, it is a deterrent to the Tengu clan of the Fearful Ghost Clan, but more importantly, it is completely caused by his own desire to seek immortals and ask for Taoism, and he wants to be quiet.

"Compared to what Yakumo Purple has done in the past thousand years, I really can't be called a sage, and I can be regarded as a master...... But it only refers to how much Gensokyo contributed. As for Yakumo Murasaki himself, I have neither prejudice nor interest. 』

Through Ibaraki Kaho's self-description, Marisa also almost understood the general identity of the fairy lady she met for the first time.

Don't talk about whether it's an immortal or not, it seems that he should be a more reliable teammate.

Before the concerns could be articulated, something unexpected or expected happened in vain.

The two pillars of the shrine suddenly stood up, and his body exuded a faint brilliance.

They glanced at each other, looking at the Ibaraki fan, who was also frowning.

"Trouble. ”

Coming out of the Shouya Shrine, Marisa hadn't entered the situation yet, and asked in a daze:

"Is Miss Hua Fan really an immortal?"

"We have more important topics to talk about than that," Ibaraki said, "Miss Magician......

"It's Marisa Daze. ”

"Marisa-san, I haven't been in Gensokyo for hundreds of years, and there have been creation gods in Gensokyo lately?"

"This ...... I don't know, but there has recently been a place called Meiren Temple on the San'in side, and I often go there to play, and the host's name is Holy White Lotus, a very kind aunt, and it doesn't feel like a god. ”

"Forget it," Ibaraki shook his head, "It's too late to find out which god it is, Marisa, you can help me analyze the current situation—of course, I should explain it first." ”

"Right now, the Great Enchantment is filled with an extremely large amount of ownerless divine power. ”

"What?" Marisa didn't understand.

"Normally, the gods will only come to an end when their power is exhausted, or they will die through the five decays of heaven and man, or they will not cause any damage to the outside world—but the current situation is clearly abnormal. ”

"Is that a mutation?"

"So to speak," Ibaraki nodded, "this divine power is hard to find its source, so it means that the master is dead." Gensokyo is just a small land, and if the ownerless divine power is not treated, it will surely cause a catastrophe. ”

"There are gods...... Dead?"

"As far as I know, Gensokyo's creator god, Ryujin-sama, has never appeared in Gensokyo, so I'm hoping that Marisa-sa can help analyze it. ”

"How do I know so much ......," Marisa thought, jumping to her feet, "Probably not...... We didn't find her in the house before we went to the shrine just now, and now there is another thing about the death of the god......"

"No," Ibaraki shook his head, "I'm a little sorry for her, but it won't be a god of misfortune." ”

Otherwise, Gensokyo wouldn't be left with such a powerful divine power...... It's bad luck.

"Well, I don't have an idea," Marisa said, "If it's not a god of misfortune, it shouldn't be the weaker sister of the sweet potato god." ”

"It's the god of the harvest, and as a human being, you can't be disrespectful to them," Ibaraki corrected, holding out his hand, "Lend me your broom." ”

"Eh, what are you going to do?"

Ibarakika flipped the broom and drew a circle on the ground with his head.

"Strange ......"

"What's wrong?" Marisa looked intently, realizing that it wasn't magic, so she couldn't understand it, "what's going on?"

"It is an ownerless force, but it does not listen to my mobilization. ”

"Can anyone use this divine power?"

"No," Ibaraki shook his head, "On the contrary, at the moment, no one can use this divine power. ”

"Huh?"

"Did you notice the abnormality of the two pillars of the god just now? They have benefited from this divine power, but unfortunately...... Its power has not diminished in the slightest, only to show that it is not on the same order of magnitude at all. ”

"Are the gods of Moriya Shrine so weak......? This dead god is too powerful?"

"The two pillar gods themselves are not weak, but they have no faith and therefore appear weak. ”

"Can't they forcibly absorb these forces? It stands to reason that no matter who they are, as long as they dissolve this force, the crisis will be resolved naturally, right?"

"Having said that, it's not feasible," Ibaraki shook his head, "You can't change how big the pot is or how many meters you put down." We can't force a teacup to fill the entire planet with water. ”

"Not even you?"

"I, I'm not a god. Ibaraki smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"I mean, if you don't have a god, you can't do it, and everyone wants a piece of the pie, right?"

Hearing this, Ibaraki Hua Fan was silent for a while, sighed, and then shook his head.

Just as he was about to speak, Marisa shouted at the sky, "Sanae, Sanae—"

The princess was holding the prince who had fallen into a coma—no, it was Miss Fengzhu who noticed the cry of the little blonde girl on the mountainside.

Fall to the ground.

"Marisa, why did you remember to play here? And this is ......"

"Ibaraki Kaho," he politely introduced himself, "an immortal who lives in the depths of Mt. Yokai." ”

"Eh?!——" Sanae's statement surprised Sanae, but there are more important things to deal with right now, "I still have something to do, so I'll ...... first"

"Is this the god of misfortune?" "At the night festival, Marisa remembered the beautiful and taciturn lady of the gods.

"It's hard to say in three words. Sanae hurried back to the shrine to discuss countermeasures with her own Erzhu God.

"Then please make a long story short," Ibaraki said solemnly, "there is a major crisis in Gensokyo, and as a sage, I need to know the cause and effect before I can deal with it. ”

......

......

Even Sanae herself didn't fully understand what happened, and it took a lot of effort to convey it to the two.

"Sure enough, the incident has become complicated," Ibaraki Hua frowned, "you don't have to rush back to the shrine, the two pillar gods in your house can't do anything about it, let them quietly feel the power of this god, it will also be beneficial to them themselves." ”

"Then I'm ......"

"I heard from the two-pillar god that you have the power of miracles?"

"Eh, that-"

"Now is not the time to be embarrassed," Ibaraki shook his head, "Gensokyo's survival is only a matter of time, and any possible help should not be let go." ”

Ibaraki Kaho simply told Sanae of the East Wind Valley about the possible harm caused by the power of the gods.

Marisa looked at Ibaraki Kafan, "Miss Sento, you don't think ......?"

"No, even Sanae-sama can't do it," Ibaraki Kazuki Fan looked at Sanae's sleeping Yamin Yamachi, "Originally, she was the most suitable person." ”

"Doom?"

"Hina Miss she?"

"That's right, the goddess of doom is the most suitable person I can know, and she is extremely special—both a god and not a god. ”

"Not a god?"

"She's a funeral god turned from a chick doll, but she has the power of the rules of the gods, so it's not a mistake to say that she's a god, but she can live without relying on faith, and her power is not tied to faith, so she should be the best candidate. ”

"You're saying that the body of the god of doom can hold this power?"

Ibaraki Kafan couldn't help but smile bitterly: "After listening to Miss Sanae's narration, you can also understand, it's not by chance that the gods from the outside world chose her body to rely on...... It's a pity that the god of doom is now in a deep sleep and can't disturb her. ”

"Why? Can't you call her up?"

"It's not that you can't, it's that you can't...... If I'm not mistaken, when she wakes up, she will become a true god like Nakhimi. ”

"Who is the god of Naobi?"

"A superior god who can purify filth and eliminate calamity...... Maybe it was a gift from the dying god. ”

"So, didn't this dying god-sama take into account that her power couldn't afford such a thing for this little Gensokyo?" Marisa asked.

Ibaraki Hua Fan sighed when he heard this: "Instead of complaining, it's better to think of a way." ”

"I can't think of a way," Marisa said, "It's embarrassing...... Maybe we can think of a way with Sanae-sanae's invincible miracle?"

"Sanae-sanae, as a human being, you can use the power of the gods with your own will, so you should belong to the 'living gods', right?"

"Eh, that-"

"Now is not the time to feel cramped or embarrassed. ”

"yes, roughly, that's right?"

"Maybe in the worst-case scenario, I'll have to ask Miss Sanae to ......," Ibaraki Kafan said and stopped, then shook his head again and denied his thoughts, "No, no matter what, humans can't do it." ”

"Humans can't do it, it means ......"

"Miss Marisa, the question you just asked is not 'not a god, you can't,' but 'you can't be believed.'" ”

"Belief can expand the volume of the believer himself, and through the convergence of a large number of beliefs, brewing in a container for many years, the divine power can be gathered. ”

"I don't quite understand what you're talking about—is there anything simple?" Marisa scratched her head.

"In short, without enough faith, no one or god can access this divine power. ”

"The only qualified Kagiyama Hina has fallen into a deep sleep at this time, what should I ......?"

Suddenly, Marisa, who didn't know what to remember, asked, "What if humans had enough faith?"

"Miss Marisa, you don't understand what you're asking...... This is a power at the level of a creator god, and even the eternal emperors of the human race may not be able to gather such a huge amount of faith......"

"Hey, don't worry about this, I don't have an idea right now, I want to ask, what if there is such a human being, can I use this divine power?"

"Well, yes, it's possible, but it's ......"

"Just?"

"Is the man you are talking about an emperor, or a monk or a nun, or a sage of the human race?"

"Huh...... That, probably, should be an ordinary human, right?"

"It's impossible for ordinary humans. ”

"What happens if you're going to take it as real? Just to make an analogy?"

Ibaraki sighed.

"Miss Marisa, do you know why I've lived in seclusion in the mountains for hundreds of years?"

"Aren't you an immortal? of course it's for the sake of cultivating to become a god......

"No, it's not about power, it's about realm. ”

"Realm?

"The realm is a very subtle thing, but it must not be overlooked. For example, Yakumo has more power than me, and since that's the power of the rules, she can become a god more easily than me, and there's no reason for her to refuse a stronger power than she in Guardian Gensokyo. But she had no intention of doing so, on the contrary, she deliberately put herself in the trivial, and did not allow herself to be fully enlightened, because she did not want to become a god. ”

"In other words, as long as she is willing to cultivate the realm, she can become a god?"

"It can be said that becoming a god means that the power will be swayed by the faith, and perhaps this is also part of her consideration, and more because of the "calamity" that she faces when becoming a god. ”

"The realm and the calamity are inseparable, the higher the realm, the smaller the calamity......"

"I'm starting to say things I don't understand again. Marisa was dissatisfied.

"You can understand it this way, ordinary people live in the world and care about too many things. Family, friends, lovers, power, duty, and responsibility, they are bound by these and cannot become gods. ”

"A god can take a stand, and he can even be willful—but a god cannot. If you forcibly incarnate into a god before the realm is reached, you will create a catastrophe and fight back. ”

Marisa swallowed, "What exactly does this 'calamity' refer to?"

"There is a term among practitioners called 'going mad into the devil', and similarly," Ibaraki Hua fan's expression was solemn, "It is caused by the strong cultivation of those who are not in the realm, which will cause the mind to be reversed and right and wrong to be indistinguishable." ”

"You mean, you're going to go crazy?"

"No, the catastrophe of becoming a god is even worse, and a powerful divine power will generate a will, so that the god-becoming person will become a Shura. ”

“......”

A cold wind blew, and Marisa shivered.

"It means that if the realm is not enough......"

"The will of the gods, in order to forcibly elevate the realm of the host, will cut the bonds—if they are more in love than Jin Jian's couple, they will shed five steps of blood, and if they are the monarchs of the empire, they will shed thousands of miles of blood, turning the city into purgatory on earth. ”

"Is there a ...... Isn't there a possibility of 'catastrophe'?"

"Not generated?"

"I mean, is it inevitable that the god-becoming will kill the one he loves?" Marisa seemed to cry, and her face was so bad that Sanae on the side was overwhelmed.

"If the realm is insufficient, it is inevitable, it will happen, and there will only be two kinds of results-one is that you can finally let go of your own practices, and you can safely turn into a god. ”

More often than not, they can't forgive, can't let go of their own actions, and finally fall into the devil's path...... In terms of the level of divine power in Gensokyo now, I am afraid that it will turn into a terrifying existence of the level of the god of calamity, and at that time, Gensokyo itself will not survive anymore. ”

Marisa took a deep breath.

Try to make sense of the whole situation.

Then he snatched the broom from the hand of Ibaraki Huafan, and without waiting for the two to react, he rushed away into the sky.

The next moment, Ibaraki Huafan's eyes widened.

Because she sensed that the power that pervaded Gensokyo began to flow in vain in the direction of Hakurei Shrine—and then disappeared in an instant.

......

......

Night, Forest of Magic.

In Alice's room, Mo Ming was sleeping.

For some reason, Alice brought Mo Ming, who had fallen into a coma, into her room again.

When night falls, the dolls light up the oil lamps.

She sat in her chair and looked at Mo Ming's cheeks as she slept peacefully.

Suddenly got up and went to the basement - instead of manipulating the puppet to get it, he went to rummage through it himself. After a while, I returned to my room.

It was a small pill.

Alice smiled intently and took it into her mouth.

Sit back in your chair and serve your tea.

Just looked at Mo Ming who was motionless on the bed for such a long time, breathing heavily.

It's been a long time, and it seems to be the second half of the night.

She stood up and moved her muscles.

"But that's it. As if mockingly, he said something inexplicable.

Then the puppets brought pen and paper.

Lying in front of the round table, the small puppet with the shape of "Mo Ming" was placed on the table by the light.

Write it down on paper.

"My friend Ah Lin, see the letter like a meeting. 』

......

......

It was as if I had a conversation from a long time ago.

"The moment Reimu becomes a god, the entire Gensokyo will be destroyed. ”

The figure in the dream is blurred.

"This being named Hakurei Reimu will also disappear. ”

I don't know where I am.

"Just as humans disdain the behavior and life of ants, she will gain a new way of thinking. ”

The feeling of uneasiness became more and more intense.

"Reimu is now a demigod. ”

Something had to be done!

"Even if there is no faith, it will not affect her anymore......"

When I woke up from my dream and sat up, the soft bedding on my body fell, and the warm sunlight outside the window shone in, and I suddenly felt that I couldn't exert any strength in my body.

Alice, who was lying on her stomach, opened her eyes.

"Awake?"

"What time is it?"

"The next day, at noon. ”

"Oh no......" Mo Ming tried to get up, tried a few times, and barely lifted the quilt a little.

Alice didn't stop it, just watched quietly.

"Are you going back to the shrine?"

"Well, it's likely that the prophecy that 'I'll be killed by the gods' isn't true, and while it's unclear what the person wanted, it may be to get me away from Reimu. ”

"In other words, the purpose of the prophecy that I don't know whether it's true or false is not me, but Reimu—"

With that, Mo Ming finally struggled to sit up from the bed and tried to stand, but then lost her strength and was helped back to the bed by Alice.

"Little by little, you need to get used to it. Alice handed over a wooden cane.

"Thank you," Mo Ming glanced at the witch deeply, "I thought you would stop me." ”

"To borrow your words, I'm not such a witch who doesn't understand amorous feelings. ”

Slowly, with perseverance, I stood up, and although I still couldn't exert my strength or even feel the presence of my feet, I was finally able to stand up.

"This little one, you take it. ”

What Alice was holding in her hand was a small doll that only had the costume of the god that Mo Ming herself often dressed up.

"This ......"

"I didn't say to give it to you, I dare to lose it and ask you to look good. ”

"I'm holding a doll of my own, and I feel weird. ”

"So, do you need a doll of Miss Alice?"

"Of course...... Think about it," Mo Ming sighed, "You're so idle, be one of these dolls." ”

Alice smiled and shook her head.

"They didn't do it on purpose. Before last fall, my dolls were divided into two categories. ”

"A kind of life puppet, as I said yesterday, is a being treated as a friend. ”

"The other type is the battle dolls, which I once considered expendables. ”

"The one in your pocket, and the few you've seen before, are all from the world that once existed as "self-destructing dolls". ”

"Whew-"

"Don't worry, I've removed those magic circuits," Alice smiled wryly, "I thought that only the dolls I favored could become self-disciplined dolls - until last fall, I met the little youkai who was abandoned and turned into a puppet, and I realized my mistake. ”

"Any puppet can be conscious, so I modified those fighting dolls. ”

"Some of them are made of these cute little people, and some of them are used to communicate with other people, such as conversations. ”

"The doll you're giving you today got a new modification last night - and I'll be blessed for the rest of your trip. ”

"That's right...... Thank you for your kindness, I took it. Mo Ming struggled to move around the room.

"You're awake too, I'm going to go to the village next, and the puppet problem sent out there needs to be solved, so I'm not going to accompany you. ”

"Well, the next thing is a private matter, let me do it alone, it's best. Mo Ming struggled to raise her arm and rubbed against the doorknob of the room, trying to open the door.

"Peace be upon you. ”

"Lend you good words. ”