pjbooks Chapter 216 The Skull of Izumo
Chapter 216 The Skull of Izumo
Hokkaido.
This is the northernmost island in Japan, a vast and sparsely populated place with long, cold winters.
It was late winter, and the snow had not yet completely melted, leaving everything covered in white.
Several black cars were speeding along the highway.
In the car at the front, Abe Shokichi sat in the back seat, looking out the window at the rapidly receding snowfield with a gloomy expression.
He kept thinking about the severed arm the whole way.
Why is the extraordinary object bestowed by the gods a severed arm?
This is not reasonable.
He couldn't figure it out.
The car drove for a long time, and the road ahead became narrower and narrower, while the trees on both sides became denser and denser.
After driving for about half an hour, a checkpoint appeared ahead.
Several soldiers wearing winter coats were standing there.
Upon seeing the convoy, they quickly removed the roadblocks.
The convoy continued moving forward.
After driving for a few more minutes, an open area appeared ahead.
In the center of the open space, there was a faint curtain of light.
The light curtain was semi-transparent, emitting a faint green glow, like an inverted bowl, covering an area of about thirty meters in radius.
Around the light screen, a cordon was set up, and dozens of fully armed soldiers were on high alert.
The car stopped.
Abe Shokichi pushed open the car door and got out.
The cold wind howled, making the hem of his clothes flutter.
He squinted and looked at the green light screen.
The light curtain gleamed faintly in the sunlight, with runes flowing across its surface.
"grown ups."
An Onmyoji walked over quickly and bowed.
"How is the situation?" Abe Shokichi asked.
"The barrier is continuing to dissipate, and at the current rate, it will disappear completely in about an hour."
The Onmyoji paused, then pointed to the center of the light screen.
"We can see what's inside now."
"It is indeed a severed arm."
Abe Shōkichi frowned.
"Can you determine what kind of severed arm it is?"
The Onmyoji shook his head.
"Uncertain."
"But based on the analysis of the energy fluctuations, this severed arm... should have come from some extremely powerful being."
"Perhaps..." he paused, lowering his voice, "perhaps comparable to a god."
Abe Shōkichi's heart skipped a beat.
A severed arm comparable to a god-like being?
If so...
The value of that severed arm is immeasurable; the power it contains is enough to elevate an ordinary person to the highest level in one step.
As Abe Shōkichi thought about this, the bad feeling in his heart faded a little.
Perhaps, this truly is a gift from the gods.
It's just that the way the reward was given was a bit unusual.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, and stepped forward.
He stopped at the edge of the light screen.
Upon closer inspection, the light screen was even more spectacular than he had imagined.
The flowing runes, densely packed and layered, resembled some kind of ancient formation.
Inside the light curtain, a dark red severed arm lies quietly in the center.
Abe Shōkichi stared at the severed arm, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
The severed arm appeared to have broken off at the elbow, with a smooth cut, as if it had been severed by something sharp.
"My lord," the Onmyoji approached, "would you like to rest for a while? It will take some time for the barrier to dissipate."
Abe Shōkichi shook his head.
"Need not."
He stood there, staring at the light screen, motionless.
Time passed second by second.
The light screen grew fainter and fainter.
The number of those circulating runes is also decreasing.
at last.
hum!
A very faint buzzing sound rang out, and the light screen completely dissipated.
At the same time, an extremely powerful aura erupted from the center of the light screen!
That aura was ancient and primal, carrying an indescribable savagery!
The expressions of everyone around changed.
Some people took a few steps back, some felt their legs go weak, and some even knelt on the ground.
Abe Shōkichi also sensed that aura.
powerful.
Extremely powerful.
It was more powerful than anything he had ever seen.
But he did not back down.
He stood there, staring at the severed arm, his heart pounding.
Is this the reward from the gods?
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He knelt down in front of the severed arm and examined it carefully.
The severed arm was over a meter long, almost twice the length of a normal adult's arm.
Its skin is dark red and covered with fine scales that gleam faintly in the sunlight.
The fingers were long, the nails were sharp as knives, and there were traces of dark blood on the fingertips.
As Abe Shōkichi stared at the severed arm, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him.
That feeling...
I can't explain it.
It just felt like the severed arm had been cut off not long ago.
"My lord," the Onmyoji approached, carrying a specially made metal box, "should we put the severed arm away first?"
Abe Shōkichi came to his senses.
He nodded.
"Put it away."
The Onmyoji carefully placed the severed arm into the metal box and closed the lid.
That violent aura was instantly mostly blocked.
Abe Shōkichi stood up, looked at the metal box, and remained silent for a long time.
Then, he turned around and looked at his men.
What about the other crash sites?
The subordinate quickly opened the folder in his hand.
"Sir, the situation at other crash sites is similar to this one."
"Most of the barriers at the crash site are still intact, and they are expected to gradually dissipate tonight."
"As for the extraordinary items inside..."
He paused.
"There are weapons, there are magical artifacts, but more than that... there are wreckage."
Abe Shōkichi frowned.
"Wreckage? What wreckage?"
His subordinate swallowed hard.
"Based on the initial scan, those remains... should also be parts of some kind of body."
"There are severed arms, severed legs, and..."
He paused, his voice very low.
"And heads."
Abe Shōkichi was stunned.
A head?
He stood there, his mind blank.
The extraordinary items bestowed by the gods are neither divine artifacts nor magical treasures.
But...
wreckage?
Is it a severed arm, a severed leg, or a head?
What exactly is going on?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
That bad feeling welled up in my heart again.
Moreover, this time it was much stronger than before, and it terrified him even more.
"Seal off all crash sites and surrounding areas. No one is permitted to approach without my order."
He said in a deep voice.
"yes!"
The subordinate quickly responded.
Abe Shōkichi turned around and walked towards the car.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
The metal box was being carefully loaded onto the vehicle.
The metal box gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
As Abe Shōkichi stared at the box, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
This severed arm...
Is it truly a gift from the gods?
if not……
What is it?
Why are you here?
He took a deep breath, suppressed a chilling thought in his mind, and turned to get into the car.
The car started and slowly drove away.
……
dusk.
Abe Shōkichi sat in the car, looking at the sky outside the window.
As the sun sank into the sea, the last rays of light struggled for a few moments on the horizon before finally being swallowed by darkness.
"Sir," the subordinate in the passenger seat turned around and lowered his voice, "the barriers at each crash site are dissipating at an accelerated rate. At the current rate, all barriers are expected to disappear around midnight tonight."
Abe Shōkichi nodded without saying a word, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
After leaving Hokkaido, he remained restless.
Those severed arms, severed legs, and mangled torsos...
Everything about it made him uneasy.
Especially that head.
The location of that head is in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture.
There you'll find one of the oldest shrines in Japan—Susanoo Shrine.
The deity enshrined there is Susanoo, one of the three noble gods of Takamagahara.
Abe Shōkichi didn't know why that head was there.
No one knows whose head it is.
But he had a premonition...
When the barrier of that head disappears, the truth will be revealed.
And that truth is probably not what he wanted to see.
"My lord," the subordinate's voice rang out again, "news is coming in from all over the country."
Abe Shōkichi came to his senses.
"explain."
The subordinate opened his tablet and began his report.
"In the Kyushu region, at seven crash sites, the items within the barrier have been confirmed: a broken weapon, two severed limbs, three mangled torsos, and an... unidentified beast head."
"Four countries, four crash sites, confirmed items: two fragments of magical artifacts, a severed arm, and a thigh."
"Within this state, there are nineteen crash sites, and the most items have been confirmed."
"Among them, there are seven weapons, five magical artifacts, and fragments..."
He looked up and glanced at Abe Shōkichi.
"Seven sites containing wreckage."
"Specifically, it's similar to before: severed limbs, torso..."
"There are two more heads."
Abe Shōkichi's brows furrowed even more.
Including the one from Chuyun City, there are now three heads.
"What about Izumo City?" he asked.
His subordinate turned to the last page.
"Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, one crash site."
"The barrier has not yet dissipated, and only blurry outlines of the items inside can be seen."
"But according to energy monitoring..."
He took a deep breath.
"The energy fluctuations there are the strongest of all the crash sites."
Abe Shōkichi's heart sank.
the strongest.
It's stronger than any other landing point.
Moreover, it's located near Susanoo Shrine.
That head...
Whose is it?
He dared not think.
But I can't help but think about it.
"Get ready," he said, his voice a little hoarse.
"I will personally go to Yun City."
"Yes."
……
From Hokkaido to Shimane Prefecture, it almost spans the entire country of cherry blossoms.
Abe Shōkichi's car headed south, passing through Honshu Island under the cover of night.
Outside the car window, some lights could be seen occasionally.
But those lights, scattered and dim, were completely different from the bustling scene I remembered.
Since that sword strike, the nights in the land of cherry blossoms have become like this.
No one dared to turn on the lights.
No one dared to go out at night.
Those once brightly lit streets are now pitch black.
Looking at the scattered lights outside the window, Abe Shōkichi felt as if a stone was lodged in his heart.
But soon, he remembered the crash sites.
Those soaring rays of light, those ancient and primal auras.
And those barriers that are disappearing.
Once those barriers have completely disappeared, once those extraordinary objects have been discovered...
everything will get better.
Most definitely.
The car drove for a long time.
Around midnight, we finally arrived at Chuyun City.
This ancient city is now eerily silent.
There were few people on the streets, and occasionally you could see a few patrolmen, their faces pale and their eyes filled with fear.
The car drove through the city and headed towards the suburbs.
The further you go, the more desolate it becomes.
The road was flanked by vast fields and woodlands, which appeared particularly empty in the darkness.
The car drove through the city and headed towards the suburbs.
The further you go, the more desolate it becomes.
The road was flanked by vast fields and woodlands, which appeared particularly empty in the darkness.
After driving for about twenty minutes, a checkpoint appeared ahead.
Dozens of fully armed soldiers are on high alert.
Next to the checkpoint, several military vehicles and a communications vehicle were parked.
The antenna on the roof swayed slightly in the night wind.
The car stopped.
Abe Shōkichi got out of the car.
The night wind was strong, making the hem of his clothes flutter loudly.
A strange smell permeated the air.
It smelled like blood, or perhaps some kind of putrid odor.
It's faint, but it's definitely there.
"grown ups!"
An officer strode forward, his face pale.
"How is the situation?" Abe Shokichi asked.
The officer took a deep breath.
"The barrier is dissipating rapidly and is expected to disappear completely within an hour."
"Take me there."
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