114 – 114. Meeting the Conditions.
As the pillar of fire on my side rose, a black crown also appeared at the southern gate.
The Emperor glanced briefly to the south before extending his hand towards me as if intending to strike me down in the empty air.
Swoosh – the Japanese sword with a sinister gleam was soon grasped in his hand.
“Yodo Muramasa.”
A famous sword with a history of hundreds of years, also a sibling to the sword I obtained from Hidetepis a year ago.
Although exceptional weapons that could not be underestimated, they shine brightest when wielded by their rightful owner.
And when it comes to that, in any field, I would win a hundred times over.
As the Emperor reached out his hand into the empty air, black clouds formed beneath his feet, supporting his body.
Ordinarily, one couldn’t stand on clouds, but he was a demon now.
Emperor, standing on the pitch-black clouds, began to rush towards me with the sword in hand.
“Sacrifice your life!!!”
A stern voice echoed from him.
However, as the top Shinto priest in Japan, I simply smiled and clashed swords with him.
Clang! The Emperor’s sword, although less sharp than expected, started to gleam as the black clouds passing by my side crackled with electricity.
It was as if they were agitated like their master.
Crackle!
From the black clouds, a surge of black electricity covered the area, and I easily blocked it with a magical barrier in front of me.
But it was no attack to be ignored.
…Clang.
The barrier, even holding the power to ward off demons, was close to breaking.
It might not withstand a durability like Kenichi’s level for long.
“hahahahaha! Is this all you’ve got!”
As I inspected the barrier, the Emperor, thinking I was intimidated, quickly regained his composure and shouted.
“Hmm, if you stay quiet, I might feel differently, but if you keep acting so cocky, I might change my mind.”
Sensing all directions with magic, I smiled and extended three fingers.
“Shall we play for just three minutes then?”
“…You despicable scoundrel!”
The Emperor, infuriated, flew towards me on the black clouds, but I had already seen his pattern.
It seemed like he was converting the impact received by the sword into electricity, charging up for an unavoidable attack.
“Well, let’s give it a try.”
I released a part of the stored magic and demonic energy in my soul.
A red light gathered at the tip of my finger.
While most sorcerers could only use spells within set parameters, I skipped the spell’s invocation and layered another on top.
─Strong Strike, the spell of destruction.
But I omitted the spell’s invocation and layered another on top.
“Shoot to kill, Enemy Red.”
At that moment, the bullet was fired.
The spell that transcended space in an instant soon reached the Emperor’s presence.
The Emperor, transformed by the specter, tried to intercept it by wielding his sword as he followed it with his eyes, but I added another spell there.
“Explosion.”
***
Arriving at the Divine Palace with transparent spells wrapped around their bodies, Eris and Tachibana Sawako were startled and retreated in an area worthy of being called a battlefield.
“…No, what is this again-!”
There was a column of boiling fire right in front of them.
Although this was a fact they had known for some time, in the distance, a strange storm of demonic energy was brewing, and in the center where the most violent waves were occurring, explosions and black lightning were pouring out incessantly.
Even if ordinary people couldn’t see magic, this was beyond that.
Just because the spell itself was invisible didn’t mean it could hide the booming noise and the pitch-black smoke rising into the sky, not to mention the sky burning red.
Thud, thud, thud—
In reality, a helicopter was flying in from somewhere.
Upon confirming this, Eris decided that no matter what happened, she must not release the transparent spell.
It wasn’t about avoiding someone’s attention, but she definitely didn’t want to be featured in the news.
“Phew, Sawako. Let’s focus and move forward.”
Eris became anxious suddenly, as she realized that the flight spell was under her control, while the transparent spell was entrusted to Sawako, but Sawako just stared blankly and didn’t respond.
“…Sawako?”
Eris Betelgeuse called her again, but Sawako just blinked with an expression of disbelief and once again remained silent.
Eris pounded her chest as if her clothes were about to burst, but it was an unavoidable situation.
‘This can’t be happening.’
Only in Sawako’s sight, fused with the specter, was the massive spell in the sky above the Divine Palace visible.
If the capacity of Chilmiho, who approached the Great Specter, had been even slightly lower, or if the distance had been greater, it would have been so discreet and huge that it would have gone unnoticed.
An ant cannot see the entire body of an elephant.
Similarly, Tachibana Sawako was facing only a fragment of the spell covering Tokyo.
Even in the faintly visible fragments of that spell, she was horrified and soon realized.
There was only one person she knew who could make such an unbelievable thing possible.
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Ichimaru Shiki.
Sawako didn’t think he was someone who would slaughter the entire population of the capital, but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
That spell was clearly aimed at the absolute majority of humans, not individuals.
Swallowing hard, Sawako quickly regained her composure and looked around the Divine Palace engulfed in magic.
Inside, Ichimaru was there.
Yes, if there were any doubts, she could just ask him directly.
Having organized her thoughts, Sawako spoke with a more determined look in her eyes than Eris beside her.
“Let’s go, Eris.”
“…Huh?”
Eris, who had been silent and lost in thought, was suddenly surprised when Sawako took the lead, and she watched her back in confusion.
After blinking stupidly for a while, Eris furrowed her brow, pounded her chest, and shouted.
“No, they’re all doing whatever they want!”
Of course, she was the one who immediately followed without saying a word. As they resumed their advance, they effortlessly leaped over the partially crushed gates of the Shingung Palace.
***
An alley filled with broken rubble.
Kenichi, blood dripping from his fist, wiped the sweat off his forehead.
In front of him lay Yamamoto Baki, his face battered, sprawled on the ground.
He couldn’t bring himself to kill his homeroom teacher.
“……Hoo.”
Kenichi, choosing the difficult path, hushed his labored breaths and continued to struggle towards the still burning sky on the other side.
Expanding his territory to subdue his homeroom teacher without killing him had drained Kenichi’s stamina due to his lack of capability.
Kenichi Kitagawa staggered, pondering.
‘…Will I make it in time?’
He felt like he might collapse on the road any moment…
As Kenichi, leaning on a utility pole, gasped for breath, he suddenly caught sight of a shadow in the corner of his eye.
With a doubtful heart, he glanced up and saw the face of the student council president he seemed to have seen before.
Second Division Commander, Tokito Minami, grinned and gestured.
“Yo, it’s Bullet Taxi Minami. Would you like to hop on my back!?”
“……???”
Unable to comprehend the foreign words, Kenichi blinked his eyes.
***
Boom!
Boooom!
Booooooooom!!!
With every step Sawamura Sento took, a new spell was completed, and the soldiers of Shingung flew through the sky.
At her gesture, explosions erupted, and with a firm step, earthquakes shook the ground.
Occasionally, individuals stronger than the soldiers rushed forward to confront her, but they couldn’t hold out for long.
“…Monster! It’s a monster! Call for reinforcements quickly-!”
The soldier who shouted like that froze as Sento glared at him, turning him into a statue.
Truly, some soldiers, trembling, began to flee in fear.
Even high-ranking soldiers shouted to stop, but it seemed they alone did not stand a chance.
Fear gripped those who shouted, so it wasn’t surprising that Shingung’s army began to crumble under its own weight.
Before long, following the open path, Sento strode forward.
Towering buildings, powerful generals, none could stop her.
All she did was advance.
What bubbled in Sento’s chest was the desire to meet someone inside.
And soon enough, she saw him.
“You scoundrel!!!”
A man with formidable strength from her perspective, Tengu, played alongside a man with silver eyes.
Tengu, with a pitch-black mask, swung his sword fiercely, but even as he tried to strike lightning, the man with white hair not only effortlessly dodged but also chuckled as he swiftly escaped.
Playing around with the Great Demon, Ichimaru Shiki suddenly turned his head, casually waving his hand to Sento, flashing a playful smile.
“Oh, Sento! Did I spare you on purpose? It feels like it’s been a long time since we last met.”
“Indeed.”
Sawamura Sento gazed at the man he loved, with a tender smile on his face.
The usual warm and welcoming expression, smiling brightly as always.
Even if his appearance were to age or change someday, he would always be the same man, shameless yet kind, who would treat him just as before.
Despite the fierce battles and various sorceries unleashed between them, there was no concern.
They each skillfully evaded and defended, gradually getting closer to each other.
Before they knew it, when their distance was less than 30 meters, the conditions were met.
All the souls and powers of Yo-kai from across Japan gathered in one place.
─────!!!!!!
A massive ritual pre-drawn in the sky emitted a bright light, revealing its form.
As if it were of no concern, Sawamura Sento took steps forward as if entranced.
In his poignant demeanor, Ichimaru Shiki briefly raised the corners of his mouth, then softly whispered.
“Development.”
He initiated a large-scale ritual. The target was all the people of Japan.