21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 843 - 839: Akagi's Discontent

Under the arrangement of the Imperial Household Agency attendants, Akagi arrived at the Tenmangu Shrine—or more accurately, the ruins in front of the shrine—by private car.

The area had already been heavily cordoned off, with police tape and barricades visible everywhere.

Right after the incident occurred, the police were the first to arrive on the scene. However, by that time Chen Yu and Monk Xinyuan had already left. Despite thoroughly searching the collapsed Tenmangu Shrine, the police found no useful clues, leaving them no choice but to seal the site and request assistance from higher authorities.

Since Fukuoka is the most populous and prosperous city in the Kyushu region, as well as one of Japan's three major metropolitan areas, the Countermeasure Division has a local branch stationed there. Not long after the incident, those stationed Transcendents had already inspected the site.

However, for ordinary Transcendents—even those at the Legendary-rank level—matters involving demigods and deities remain far beyond their ability to intervene.

The only actions they could take were to inspect the destroyed Tenmangu Shrine, erect cordons around the site, and confirm there were no residual hazards left behind.

For Japan, which no longer has demigods to suppress such events, many situations have long since exceeded their capacity to handle or manage.

As for the Tenmangu Shrine itself, Chen Yu and Monk Xinyuan had yet to resort to venting their anger on the priests. Although the collapse of the shrine and the shattering of its divine domain caused significant upheaval for the priests, they ultimately managed to keep their lives intact.

Now, these people were standing respectfully in the former courtyard of the Tenmangu Shrine, waiting for Akagi's arrival.

No one harbored any thoughts of insolence or disrespect, especially since the Imperial Household Agency had already informed them beforehand that a demigod was coming.

Still, they couldn't suppress their curiosity. After all, ever since Japan's defeat in World War II—when its last demigod perished to shield the country from an atomic bomb explosion—demigods had not appeared in Japan for decades. Naturally, these individuals were brimming with curiosity about the arrival of a demigod.

Yet, when Akagi finally appeared before them, none of them dared to lift their heads.

They could tangibly feel the overwhelming pressure radiating from Akagi—a presence as vast and relentless as the ocean. The stronger one's power, the sharper the sensation.

Akagi, of course, noticed their fear, but she made no effort to retract her aura of oppression.

In fact, before she arrived, Chen Yu had specifically instructed her to showcase her strength; resolving the matter wasn't the priority. The key was to make it clear that she, as a demigod, aligned herself with Japan. That was enough.

With such directives from Chen Yu, Akagi naturally hadn't bothered to restrain her aura during the entire journey. On the contrary, she let her presence and oppressive force freely emanate—and made sure to emphasize that she was a demigod to whoever crossed her path.

Even though her primary task was simply to announce her presence, Akagi nonetheless wanted to execute her mission as effectively as possible. After all, even a mere show of force could project greater military might if done well.

However, as Akagi stood amidst the ruins of the Tenmangu Shrine and unleashed her perception, what she sensed were two traces of residual demigod-level auras—one of which she was intimately familiar with.

It belonged to Chen Yu and that monk who had gone to see him earlier. Akagi instantly grasped what had transpired here.

She recalled how that monk had left Chen Yu's office saying he would accompany him to Fukuoka for "something." It now appeared this was what they had intended.

Having figured out what had happened, Akagi understood why Chen Yu instructed her to simply make an appearance rather than concern herself with resolving any real issues.

Nonetheless, if things stood this way, perhaps she could make a spectacle of the situation? A glint of thought flashed through Akagi's mind as she turned toward a nearby priest of the Tenmangu Shrine. With dissatisfaction in her tone, she questioned, "What exactly did you do at the Tenmangu Shrine to prompt two demigods to show up uninvited and wreak havoc?"

Akagi's sharp inquiry left everyone petrified. Two demigods wreaking havoc here? That notion alone was far too terrifying.

Even as the thought crossed their minds, the surviving priests of the Tenmangu Shrine couldn't help but feel a profound sense of relief. Despite two demigods showing up to wreak havoc, they had managed to survive. This only meant those demigods had no intention of killing, and the priests had luck on their side.

Many had already begun silently praying for divine protection, thanking their stars that the two demigods hadn't found them intolerable and struck them down immediately.

However, their relief aside, the question posed by the demigod standing before them still demanded an answer. A priest who appeared to hold a higher status stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Your Excellency the Demigod, the Tenmangu Shrine has, since its establishment, solely worshipped Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of learning, and has never committed any act to provoke other demigods. Your discernment is most awaited."

"Never provoked other demigods?" Akagi listened to the priest's answer, sneering coldly without saying another word. She turned and walked away.

As soon as everyone saw Akagi leave, they hurriedly followed.

Leaving the Tenmangu Shrine, Akagi trailed the residual aura left behind by Chen Yu and Monk Xinyuan to the gates of Dingyuan Pavilion. Gazing upon this private estate built from the remnants of a military ship, Akagi felt her anger boiling within.

How could Akagi not discern the purpose behind this building? It was clearly constructed to suppress a specific military ship—and had done so for over a century.

As a ship-girl herself, Akagi was once a naval vessel. Naturally, she felt a deep personal resonance with such matters, even if Dingyuan was an enemy from her past.

"What exactly are you suppressing here?" Akagi turned back to glare venomously at the priests from the Tenmangu Shrine. Her demigod aura surged forth like roaring ocean waves, striking terror into the priest and rendering him utterly speechless.

It was an older priest nearby who stepped in to rescue the overwhelmed man. He stepped forward to explain, "Your Excellency the Demigod, this estate was constructed during the Meiji Era by one of our shrine's divine-duty personnel. During that time, Japan was engaged in battles with the Qing Empire. After defeating the Dingyuan, that divine-duty personnel salvaged its shipwreck and returned with its remains to Japan, using it to construct this estate. Due to frequent hauntings, the Tenmangu Shrine committed itself to suppressing them."

"Suppress haunting events only? Since that's what you claim, I'll leave it be. Whatever trouble you've stirred, you can solve it yourselves." Akagi snapped her retort in displeasure, then promptly turned and stormed off.

Akagi's sudden burst of rage caused the Imperial Household Agency attendants and the police to pick up on some underlying issues. If the situation truly involved only the suppression of evil ghosts, how could it have escalated enough to provoke two demigods into wrecking the shrine—and even shattering its divine domain? Clearly, the priests had committed some unspeakable acts.

Understanding this, neither the Imperial Household Agency personnel nor the police felt inclined to speak up for the Tenmangu Shrine. Quickly, they followed behind Akagi upon her departure, leaving the priests of the shrine to stand bewildered at the gates of Dingyuan Pavilion.