I'm Waiting for You at the Top of the Tower

Aoyagi Lantern.

Although she didn't introduce herself, anyone familiar with the Weird Tale of the Eastern Kingdom immediately recognized the woman in blue.

The essence of Weird Tale Hundred Tales) is the yokai (Hundred Tales.

That's the legendary identity, that's for sure.

But no one expected that she would appear at this moment, in this way.

After all, in any Eastern legend, let alone the Yamata no Orochi, even the Great Yokai... no, even Great Yokai appendages, are not something she can easily provoke.

The myths and Weird Tale of the Eastern Lands emphasize bloodlines. The most powerful Yamata no Orochi was slain by Susanoo-no-Mikoto, one of the Three Noble Sons. Shuten Doji no Orochi legend, was defeated by Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

Tamamo-no-Mae served the Emperor and was jointly attacked by Abe no Yasachika, thousands of monks, and a million-strong army (don't ask where a million-strong army came from in the Heian period; legend has it that 80,000 failed to defeat her, 130,000 failed to defeat her, then 300,000 failed, and finally 500,000, not even counting the 200,000 sacrificed).

As for the Great Tengu, he is an even more High-level Supernatural Tale directly possesses the bloodline of the Emperor.

As for the Aoyagi Lantern, it was just Weird Tale that gradually emerged in the Hundred Tales period along with the game Hyakumonogatari.

However, now that she had appeared, she was undoubtedly the enemy. Before she could straighten up, Feng Xue had already pulled the trigger twice in succession.

Feng Xue had expected the other party to dodge using some magical means or to produce a powerful Phantom Object for defense, but in reality, the two shotgun shells hit her squarely.

Similarly, there was no immunity to it. The blue kimono was riddled with holes, and amidst the splattering of blood, the raging Supernatural Tale Fire were instantly extinguished.

"That's it?" Feng Xue looked at the lifeless Aoyagi Lantern in surprise, feeling a sense of emptiness. It wasn't that he regretted it; although Aoyagi Lantern was a beautiful woman, he had no intention of showing her any pity, given his Gynomorphic Filter view of her.

Instead, it felt more like playing a Souls-like game, going through countless trials, spending a huge amount of time, defeating one retreating monster after another, finally reaching the final boss, only to have it die with a single blow.

Nobody could react to this!

However, this thought didn't last long, because soon after, that cold voice rang out again—

"The monster that collected stories has now transformed into a lamp wick, becoming one with the stories of the world."

"Knowing the causes and conditions, and understanding the endings of all stories, the Azure Flame will not be extinguished as long as there are still stories to be told."

"Acting freely, guided by the hearts of men, with the world as its book;"

"Bright blue flames, witnessing life and death, light and shadow, as a new chapter begins."

As that voice, with its distinctly Japanese recitation beauty and a clear yet emotionless tone, fell, the blue Supernatural Tale Fire.

She looked at Feng Xue, seemingly without any resentment or indignation at the attack that had killed her earlier. She simply reflected Feng Xue's figure, which was encased in Kamen Rider Armor, with her clear, watery eyes, nodded slightly, and then pulled a scroll from her sleeve.

The scroll unfurled, revealing the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons Picture scroll. With each gentle shake, the slender scroll, which had previously only depicted demons, revealed shrines, pavilions, torii gates, and attics...

Various buildings and landscapes are reflected in it, while the surrounding environment fades away rapidly.

As the dawn's light bathed the ruins of Tokyo Metropolis, Feng Xue stood silently atop the Tokyo Sky Tower, gazing at the Aoyagi Lantern that framed the entire scene, unsure of what to do.

Fighting?

That absurd resurrection ability is simply incomprehensible.

Peace talks?

The other side didn't seem to have any intention of continuing the fight.

The standoff, seemingly a static scene, continued until the entire sky was illuminated by the rising sun, and the figure of the Aoyagi Lantern became slightly transparent as the sunlight fell upon it.

With an indescribable, serene gaze, she pierced through the mask of Kamen Rider Xuanjun, and her clear voice echoed in Feng Xue's ears.

"I'll be waiting for you at the top of the tower."

Before Feng Xue could fully grasp the meaning behind those words, Aoyagi Lantern's figure had already faded completely, disappearing like a wisp of breeze from the top of the Sky Tower.

Feng Xue looked back at the ruined street scene with a slightly blank expression, giving the viewers who stayed up late to watch the live broadcast a close-up of her back to the camera and facing the rising sun. Then, she leaned forward and jumped off the Sky Tower.

His golden cloak transformed into wings, carrying him into the air, and this was the last scene of the live broadcast.

"You're back?" In the hotel, Chen Xiyao didn't look too well, greeted the travel-worn Feng Xue with a slightly strange expression. Feng Xue, seeing her awkwardness, grinned and said:

"Ask whatever you want to ask, instead of giving me that 'husband is having an affair and the wife is pretending not to know' look, okay?"

"Huh? Is it that obvious?" Chen Xiyao blushed, rubbing her face awkwardly. Feng Xue sighed and said helplessly:

"How come I never noticed before... um, I was being presumptuous, but ever since we met, you've been incredibly dramatic..."

"What do you mean by 'dramatic'? This is called emotional depth, okay?!" Chen Xiyao immediately retorted, dissatisfied. Feng Xue waved her hand and said:

"Alright, alright, if you're sensitive, then so be it. Tell me, what do you want to ask? Let me make it clear, I'm totally clueless right now and want to ask someone, so ask me quickly. It'll help expand my question bank so I can ask others for help later."

"You can ask other people?" Chen Xiyao suddenly felt curious. She took Feng Xue's arm and affectionately ushered him into the hotel. Feng Xue flicked her forehead before smiling and saying:

"Do you remember the guy who told me to feed you?"

"Feed them well... what are you talking about!"

Chen Xiyao's face immediately turned red, but then she realized that she seemed to have misunderstood. She stared at her toes awkwardly, but the memory of when she first transmigrated to the Infinite City came to mind.

I remember that Feng Xue did make a phone call back then.

Thinking about this, she calmed down, mentally organized her doubts and the list of questions she had just received, and then asked the question that concerned her most at the moment—

"Who was that woman before? What's your relationship with her?"

"What other relationship could there be? Hostile relationship, of course! If she weren't so invincible, I would have killed her first!"

Feng Xue rolled her eyes and said speechlessly, but considering that Chen Xiyao was probably not the only one who wanted to ask this question, she added another sentence—

"From the perspective of Weird Tale structure, she is Aoyagi Lantern, but as for anything else, I'm not very clear."

The Aoyagi Lantern in "Hyakki Yagyō" (Night Parade of a Hundred Demons) has a demon mask, but I'm a little surprised that Hannya is so well-known.

Speaking of which, this thing is a foreign monster that combines Buddhism. "Prajna" refers to the "Prajna face," similar to the feeling of "wrathful Vajra," meaning this female demon has a fierce face like a Vajra's wrath. Of course, in Buddhism, Prajna means wisdom and has no practical meaning, but everyone knows that Eastern legends like to add their own interpretations. For example, the Yamata no Orochi no Orochi somehow transformed from a malevolent god of "regeneration and poison" causing rivers to overflow into a collection of negative planetary consciousness...

However, the added settings are not limited to the Eastern Kingdom. For example, Buddha and Bodhisattva were originally a state of being. Buddha is an enlightened being, and Bodhisattva is a person (or method) who reaches the other shore through study and learning. But later they became something similar to gods.

In addition, the concept of Hannya mainly absorbs part of the legend of Kiyohime, or snake worship, which is the story of Kiyohime transforming into a snake. Hannya is considered to be the intermediate stage in the process of a jealous woman transforming into a snake, which is the feeling of a completely metamorphosed insect in its pupa state (of course, it is only similar in feeling, and it is actually just a description of a transitional state).

P. S.: The title of this chapter is also a reference to Hong Kong movies.