Not a detective

Page 192

Yes, a man stepped out from behind and met those horrible madmen at lightning speed, fearlessly throwing punches and kicks at them.

The straight punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and sweeping kicks are all visually stunning, with smooth and fluid movements, yet the power is unstoppable, and every punch is unforgettable.

There were probably a dozen or so lunatics, but they couldn't stop his offensive. They fell down like moths to a flame. This wasn't a battle; it was a one-sided massacre.

Only three seconds had passed.

By the time the couple realized what was happening, all they saw were the unconscious bodies lying in the alley, and in the very center, a boy dusting off the dust and blood.

"Are you alright? If you're alright, I'll keep going. You'd better find a building to hide in, just block the door with a cabinet or something."

Contrary to the impression of violence, his voice sounded surprisingly gentle and calm, and his smiling face under the light looked very reassuring.

The couple looked at each other, bewildered and unsure of what had happened. It felt like a dream, not quite real.

Gangzhi only came to his senses when the boy slowly walked out of the alley:

"Thank you... thank you! Who are you...! How can we repay you..."

"unnecessary."

He bent down, picked up a hard white mask that had fallen to the ground, stained with blood, and put it on his face without a care.

"I haven't used this name in a long time, so just call me [Faceless Man]."

Winter of the Gods: Chapter Twenty-Three - The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

Wearing a mask, Riku Asakawa walked out of the alley and onto the streets of Kabukicho.

The story of the "Faceless Man" is a long one, and given the current urgency, it's definitely not the time to reminisce.

And he's not really keen on thinking about it.

In short, it's about the series of things Asakawa Riku did in his youth to fulfill his dream of being a "superhero" or "knight-errant," and also to practice his martial arts and skills. Most of these things required him to conceal his identity, so he lived in anonymity and hid his face. Those masks are still under his bed to this day.

Although in conclusion it seems that this naive attempt to hide his identity was not very successful, and inexplicably many people knew his true identity.

But in any case, for Riku Asakawa, it is more like a symbol, a belief, and now that he has returned to this identity, he feels a sense of nostalgia.

He looked up and gazed at the scene on the street.

This mask was picked up from the ground; it's probably a costume worn by Halloween revelers. Since there are no openings for the eyes, theoretically, one shouldn't be able to see outside.

But Asakawa Riku didn't need to look directly at it. He could hear everything around him and sense the wind. He even used the technique of "imagination" to take everything around him into his mind, as if he had opened a third eye.

Everything was reflected truthfully in his mind, and even wearing a mask could not stop it.

Today, the entire Kabukicho district, and even the entire Shibuya district and the entire Tokyo district, are hell on earth.

The streets were filled with madmen dressed in bizarre costumes, holding torches or dismantled steel pipes and road signs. They had blank expressions but were extremely aggressive.

Any innocent passerby would be swarmed and attacked without restraint, sometimes even biting them, which was extremely cruel.

Riku Asakawa understood that this was the work of Kosuke Shinonome. He used the power of the "gods" to incite fanaticism in the hearts of the believers, causing them to go berserk.

Like the villagers on that island, believers who fall into this state become reckless and frantically kill the infidels around them.

Listen closely to their whispers and murmurs: “Give back our founders”... “Long live the Most Holy God”... “Tonight is the night of change”... and so on.

Change... Asakawa Riku's eyes darkened. Is this Shinonome Kosuke's final plan?

He is holding 5% of Tokyo's population hostage. Tonight, he is demonstrating his influence and control to the government. Once order is disrupted and people panic, they will have no choice but to accept the church's demands. Once the government backs down and begs for peace, it will be all over. From now on, Higashino Kosuke's cult will rule over Japan, and the entire country will become his divine kingdom.

At that time, he might bring the whole world under his wing.

Logically speaking, the number of believers is still not large. 70 sounds terrifying. If they are scattered throughout Tokyo, there would be at most a hundred people on a street. If a few thousand people rush up and work together, it should not be difficult to subdue them. But who can remain calm under such circumstances? The citizens have all scattered and fled to their homes. At this time, only the madmen are left to parade in the streets.

Perhaps the citizens were hoping that the police could suppress such a riot, but unfortunately, in such a supernatural situation, the police were of no use. Asakawa Riku saw some police officers throwing tear gas and firing stun guns at the fanatical believers, but the fanatical believers were not affected at all. Instead, they ran faster to chase after them, scaring the police away.

He speculated that it was the "Supreme God's" characteristic of being free from illness and disaster that led to believers receiving the blessing of faith and currently being in a state of fearlessness and pain.

For example, some believers have injured legs and feet, and even when they are bleeding, they still walk forward without expression, because these believers are completely unaware of their injuries and pain.

With the carnival atmosphere, bizarre costumes, blank expressions, distorted faces, and a frenzied yet stiff crowd, Asakawa Riku felt that it would be a shame not to use this scene to film a zombie movie.

To paraphrase Chizuko-senpai, this is practically a myth come to life—

Hundred Ghosts at Night.

"I will end all of this."

Riku Asakawa strode forward, resolutely walking against the fleeing police, towards the army of fanatical believers.

Perhaps it was because wearing a mask allowed him to freely say those things he used to find shameful.

He knew that although the streets looked empty now, there were probably many people taking refuge in the buildings on both sides, secretly observing the situation outside.

There might even be a lot of videos and photos taken by mobile phones. He doesn't want to become an internet celebrity tomorrow, so he wears a mask so he can move around more freely.

Because he knew that what he was about to do would be very high-profile.

"……careful!"

He seemed to hear a suppressed shout coming from a distant building, as if to remind him.

But Asakawa Riku didn't even turn his head. He merely raised his hand slightly, and the enormous impact sent the believer who was approaching from behind to launch a sneak attack flying.

This commotion attracted attention, and more believers gathered around, heading towards the only abnormal person still standing there.

They bared their teeth and claws, uttering terrifying screams, but Asakawa Riku remained unmoved. He slightly squatted down to lower his center of gravity, made palms with his hands, and struck a pose.

Every time a believer lunged forward, he would strike them squarely in the chest with a precise palm strike, sending them flying backward and knocking down a row of believers in the process.

It's like fighting off a wave.

The believers approached from all directions, some of which were clearly out of his reach, yet Asakawa Riku was able to turn around precisely and quickly, delivering a palm strike in their place.

It was as if a circle had appeared around him, an unapproachable barrier, and anyone who took a step in would be bounced away.

This is the technique of "Baguazhang: Returning to Heaven".

Asakawa Riku stood in the middle of the crossroads, facing wave after wave of surging crowds. His legs remained firmly planted, his body twisting and expanding, reversing yin and yang, his palms swirling with power.

His movements were both incredibly fast and slow, making them impossible to predict. They appeared slow and weak, yet the believers who were hit were sent flying more than ten meters away, never to stand up again.

It can be described as mysterious and profound.

Moreover, Asakawa Riku did not simply defeat them, but added some new insights to the traditional Baguazhang.

That is "the method to drive away the possessing monster".

Just a few months ago, on the school rooftop, when saving Hoshino who was possessed by "Hannya," Asakawa Riku obtained the power to expel the possessing demon through a bet.

Logically, such power should only be available for that one opportunity and disappear afterward. But Asakawa Riku is no ordinary person; he actually memorized that momentary feeling!

Through his studies, he is now able to drive away demons with a single palm strike. This is the first time he has mastered the method of exorcism without using any Yin-Yang techniques, all while in human form!

This is what makes Asakawa Riku truly terrifying.

His learning ability and his ability to integrate knowledge have reached their peak.

Winter of the Gods: Chapter Twenty-Four - One Against a Thousand

With each palm strike, Asakawa Riku would knock a fanatical believer out of their controlled state and force them back to their senses.

So, he wasn't just subduing these lunatics, he was saving people.

In this world, there is no way to restore a person possessed by a monster to normal... Only he achieved a breakthrough from zero, reaching an unprecedented peak.

As time passed, the initial shock gradually subsided, and the citizens who had been watching from both sides of the corridor no longer suppressed their voices.

"Great!"

"Well done!"

"Amazing! So cool!"

"hero--!"

They all crowded to the window, waving and cheering at Asakawa Riku, encouraging him.

Although a mysterious masked man defeats all the zombies with kung fu-like fighting skills, it looks like a low-quality B-movie plot, which is obviously very melodramatic.

But this is something that happened in reality, something they witnessed with their own eyes. As the people who were saved, they could only express their gratitude with tears in their eyes and sincerely exclaim in admiration.

Asakawa Riku turned a deaf ear.

Rather than being indifferent, it would be more accurate to say that he was completely focused on the battle, especially the high-intensity continuous battle, which had already exhausted him.

Fortunately, it's nearing its end.

--boom.

With the final strike, the last believer was sent flying and fell to the ground. At this moment, the roadside around Asakawa Riku was filled with the bodies of believers.

The area within two meters of him was completely clean and tidy, without even a drop of blood splashing in, which looked extremely unbelievable.

One man defeated nearly a thousand fanatical believers, and all the believers gathered around him and were exorcised by him.

He single-handedly suppressed and pacified the entire Kabukicho district, and now the street is safe again.

...

After doing all this, Asakawa Riku did not remove his mask, but quickly disappeared from people's sight and did not linger.

Not only was I not used to being in the public eye, but there was another important reason: if I stood there any longer, I might be exposed.

He staggered into a secluded alley, leaned against the wall, lifted a corner of his mask, and gasped for breath.

"Huh...huh..."

The physical exertion was far too severe.

Even he would find it difficult to fight against a thousand opponents.

Especially with each push of the palm, one must control the force, and while not harming the believers, one must also expel the filth from their souls—it's truly difficult.

During his rest, Asakawa Riku realized that his weakness might lie in the lack of wide-ranging offensive tactics.

This is what is commonly referred to as an AOE (area of ​​effect) attack skill.

As a martial artist, he fears no one in one-on-one combat and is capable of fighting any opponent.

However, in the previous few times he failed, he was either surrounded and killed by fanatical island villagers or by superpowered individuals from the Surveillance Department, and he died in wars of attrition and attrition.

After all, no matter how much they train, they are still just ordinary people. Once their physical strength is exhausted, they will die on the spot.

A thousand people is probably the current limit; they need at least half an hour of rest to recover to their best condition.

"There's still much to learn."

Asakawa Riku was not disappointed; instead, he smiled and clenched his fist.

For a seeker of martial arts, it is a blissful thing to see that the road ahead is not yet over.

However, given the current situation, he cannot rest for too long.

It only solved the problems in a few streets in Kabukicho; there's no way to deal with the much larger Shinjuku area, or even such a large area as Tokyo.

1000 people is less than 0.2% of 70 people. If he were to solve the problem by himself, it would probably take him a month, and Tokyo would fall.

At times like this, relying solely on personal force might not be enough to resolve the situation; one must use their brain… he told himself.

...

Since Shinonome Kosuke had already decided to launch this "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" riot from the beginning, why did he specifically invite him to meet? Was it just to take over his body?

Riku Asakawa's body is indeed strong, but is personal combat power really what Kosuke Shinonome wants?

He can kill 1000 believers, but that's a drop in the ocean compared to 70. Similarly, 70 believers may seem like a lot, but they only make up 5% of Tokyo's population.

This number is just a drop in the ocean for Japan, and even less significant compared to the world's total population.

Does Kosuke Shinonome really believe that by treating believers as an army, he can further control the world?

Don't underestimate the power of modern weapons; nuclear bombs might be dropped before tonight.

That old fox has been in the position of chaebol leader for so long, he couldn't possibly not understand such a simple truth: such a grand display is usually just a smokescreen...

Judging from criminal methods or magic tricks, any action that attempts to guide attention must be hiding a true intention.

"wrong……!"

He suddenly looked up, nearly dropping his mask in shock.