Chapter 41: I Will Rise!

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No, that kind of apparatus should be called a water cannon.

Gazing at the massive water cannon, indistinguishable from a cannon barrel, Ryoka Yamada’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up at the warplanes soaring in the distant sky.

“Bang!!”

Over a dozen armored vehicles fired simultaneously, unleashing a huge volume of water toward the sky. Instantly, an artificial waterfall formed in this area.

The sudden downpour extinguished the burning tanks and helicopters, and the gunpowder smoke rising from the shell craters in the farmland was suppressed.

At the same time, the long-awaited warplanes rushed to the battlefield. By the time they arrived, the rainfall in the central area had already become so dense that the situation inside was impossible to discern with the naked eye.

Shell after shell was dropped from the racks, detonating violently the moment they touched the ground.

“Crack, crack.” The waterfall crystallized visibly, frost forming and cold air spreading everywhere. The once fiery battlefield transformed into a wintry world in an instant.

At Yokosuka Port, Rital sat serenely in the command room, casting a contemptuous smile toward the ‘Yaku Ghost’ trapped in the icy explosion center.

“Humanity has reached its current status thanks to clever minds, not foolish brute strength.”

Times have changed, sir.

“Prepare to retrieve the ‘Necromancer.’ Make sure my perfect trophy suffers no mishaps.”

Confident of victory, Rital was already contemplating where to pop open the champagne.

As for the possibility that the ‘Necromancer’ could still function?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

This was a specially modified high-pressure water cannon. While its power couldn’t pierce steel plates, it could send steel plates flying. The condensing devices dropped by the warplanes were military-grade, also modified by the weapons department and condensed into shells.

Such power meant that as long as the opponent’s body was within human limits, failure was out of the question.

“Lieutenant General, frontline forces report that the target still exhibits strong life signs!”

“Me?!”

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Crack.

A hand shattered the ice wall, the sound of breaking ice echoing relentlessly. The entire ice wall fractured visibly, the cracks resembling the shattering surface of freshly frozen water.

“Condensing agents, no wonder you’re so confident,” Ryoka Yamada said as he stepped out of the frozen ground, his gaze sharpening.

There was no denying these condensing devices were indeed more effective than the earlier artillery.

Although his body had been strengthened by the power of the souls, granting him extraordinary strength, fundamentally he belonged to the sorcerer faction. Facing these condensers unprepared would definitely put him at a disadvantage.

But...

Am I a sorcerer with supernatural powers or not? Do I have to fight you with raw physical strength here without using my abilities?

Am I crazy?

By fusing countless souls, he achieved a form of material and energy embodiment, enveloping his entire body like a slime.

The soul power he had acquired was inherently yin, and with added protection, the effects of those condensers evaporating were at most a mere chill to his reinforced body.

Watching the convoy retreating in fear, Ryoka Yamada’s eyes grew cold.

“Soul assault.”

Hundreds of souls howled and roared like aberrant creatures racing across the ground, each leaping toward the newly deployed water cannon vehicles, while dozens more charged toward the black colonel and others who had already put some distance between themselves and the battle.

Meanwhile, the usually slow Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department held back at a distance, unwilling to advance.

Watching the American soldiers being overtaken and killed by the souls, Chief Inspector Toyama sighed with relief, his expression one of schadenfreude.

Serves you right for coveting the extraordinary powers of our island nation.

———

Meanwhile, skipping class as usual, Shirayuki Minazuki observed the entire ‘match’ from a god’s-eye view, savoring the icy, pleasant taste of a refreshing drink.

“That guy’s use of his abilities is pretty decent. Should I say, truly a product of the modern youth?”

Ryoka Yamada’s performance far exceeded Shirayuki’s expectations.

After all, he was just a Japanese high school student not long ago, and having only recently gained supernatural powers, he was already holding his own against American forces. Even if it was a U.S. unit stationed in Japan, it was their elite force. For a high schooler to overturn armored vehicles like this was somewhat magical. As expected, Japanese high schoolers can do anything, some even excelling enough to save the world while graduating smoothly.

Hmm, with that in mind, he still needs to train more.

Originally, Shirayuki had intended to see the crow tengu king return to avenge past defeats and rescue Ryoka Yamada.

But reconsidering, possessing such power made the current scene inevitable.

Ryoka’s ability was to command thousands of souls, with his strength roughly between second and third tier.

Previously, he had been completely suppressed by the Ground-Land forces, who had better equipment, a level advantage, and the high-level Buddhist light that naturally oppressed lower-level souls.

A solid human foundation with complete equipment — how could a latecomer compete?

But compared to the naturally formed second-tier monsters he unleashed, Ryoka’s strength was undoubtedly upper-tier.

Not everyone could bear the power of thousands of souls without collapsing, and Ryoka’s success was thanks to his backdoor tricks.

Ordinary second-tier practitioners without some secret would suffer greatly if they acted recklessly, something Shirayuki was happy to witness.

Suddenly, Shirayuki raised an eyebrow, a gleam in his eye.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department still had some skill — it was worth granting them access after all.

———

While the Americans and Ryoka Yamada fought fiercely, Japan’s ‘Super Soldier’ project progressed vigorously.

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Director Shirou, Toshirou Odagiri, and Yuya Asakawa calmly watched a middle-aged man on the operating table inside the room, who trembled violently, screaming continuously.

Sweat poured like rain, the screams growing hoarse. The man’s restrained limbs were torn and bruised from his frantic struggles.

Yet those bright, resolute eyes and the taut muscles on his face showed his determination.

Muscle pain, blood rushing, marrow agony, and bodily torment surged into his brain. His biological instinct urged him to give up struggling — pain would cease.

But he could not give up!

Countless innocents still suffered under the cult’s torment; innumerable families had been destroyed by the cult’s brainwashing. Such tragedies should never exist!

If no one else could protect them, then he would!

His skin was flushed red, teeth clenched with a metallic taste, eyes bloodshot.

I cannot fall. Thousands upon thousands are still waiting for the dawn.

Even battered and broken, even if only my soul remains, I, Tetsu Yamayama, will never fall!

I will protect them!

———

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, underground second floor, training ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The middle-aged man sprinted swiftly like the wind, his posture agile as a leopard. Though wielding only a pistol, his shots carried the momentum of a submachine gun.

And he wasn’t firing blindly.

Left one, right two, the three moving targets above were pierced through. The man forcefully threw the pistol, kicked off the ground, and the pistol struck the glass’s weak point precisely. Seizing the moment, he leapt into the room, grabbed the second-floor railing with one hand, and nimbly spun around like a cat, flipping upwards.

In a flash, he choked the dummy placed on the second floor.

This superhuman agility amazed the experts and dignitaries in the command room.

“One second to empty the magazine, all five shots hit.”

“Neural response time approximately 0.1 seconds.”

“Artificial supernatural, officially a success!”

“Gentlemen, let us celebrate!”

The dignitaries in the command room glowed with pride. This ‘Super Soldier’ they had created had surpassed human limits in both speed and strength. It was a small step for them, but a giant leap for humanity toward the supernatural.