Chapter 47: Unstoppable, Completely Unstoppable

Edogawa Ward.

This special ward, neighboring Chiba Prefecture, is located in the easternmost part of Tokyo Metropolis. It takes its name from the Edogawa River, which serves as its border with Chiba.

With a resident population of 700,000, the ward boasts an international demographic. The Nishi-Kasai area is predominantly populated by Indian residents, featuring religious sites and international schools, which constitutes a major characteristic of this district.

As residents of Tokyo, they never imagined after the barbecue incident that one day, even they—the "Tokyoites"—would need to "flee for their lives."

And to flee without even knowing the reason.

Of course, this was simply the Metropolitan Police Department delaying population transfers to prevent stampedes.

Naturally, such a situation failed to convince anyone, leading to endless arguments and shoving. To this, the Metropolitan Police Department's approach was straightforward...

"Bang!"

Smoke billowed from the muzzle pointed at the sky. Satou Tsubasa delivered a fierce kick to a petrified fitness instructor and barked at the stunned residents around them.

"I am not asking for your opinions! Get the hell out of here right now, immediately! Otherwise, I'll write a report that makes your families attend your funerals!"

The roar of attack helicopters, the vapor trails left by fighter jets slicing through the sky, and infantry fighting vehicles and tanks transporting wave after wave of fully armed Self-Defense Forces personnel made the grim reality clear to everyone: this female officer was not joking.

Especially the foreigners and white tourists who had come from abroad; they knew the terrifying power of such things all too well.

Watching the crowd scatter in panic, Sakura Nanami looked at her with concern.

"Will this really not cause trouble?" She'd likely spark a mountain of complaints and endless trouble.

Satou Tsubasa curled her lips in a dismissive sneer.

"Let those softies complain all they want. Do you think the Paranormal Division is like the old police force?"

The biggest difference between the Paranormal Division and other departments was their authority.

Especially during such special times, as long as they had a justifiable reason recorded on their body cams to open fire on citizens, they could do so directly. Afterward, not only would they face no punishment, but they'd also be rewarded with a paid vacation.

Of course, all of this presupposed that shooting was reasonable; otherwise, they'd still end up locked away.

However, the threat they were about to face fit those conditions perfectly.

The legendary great yokai—Tsuchigumo.

Thinking of the partial intelligence provided by the Metropolitan Police Department, Satou Tsubasa couldn't help but grit her teeth. "How on earth did Minamoto no Raikou manage to slay a monster like that back then?"

Even for supernatural beings, that was simply too foul and broken.

"I am Sakata Kazuto, First Lieutenant of the Self-Defense Forces. How is the evacuation going here?"

As they were talking, a Self-Defense Force member walked over.

"Half were scared off, and half of the remaining ones were chased away, but a lot of those foreigners from outside stayed behind. We simply can't drive them away," Satou Tsubasa said, her face shadowed with anger.

Those foreigners really knew how to cause trouble.

As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold.

When told there was impending danger ahead, they only grew more excited.

She longed to pull out her gun and turn those thrill-seeking foreigners into swiss cheese, but doing so would just result in endless bureaucratic bickering and a mountain of troublesome paperwork.

"Tch, whatever, this is fine. They can serve as human shields for us later," Satou Tsubasa muttered dismissively, not caring in the least.

Sakata Kazuto nodded.

"Let it be. As long as our own citizens can evacuate safely, that's enough." Foreigner or not, if it was time to die, die they must. Since they were courting death of their own accord, they had no one else to blame.

He lit cigarette after cigarette.

Sakata Kazuto's emotions were somewhat anxious.

Although he had been training diligently ever since acquiring supernatural powers, he had zero practical experience fighting actual yokai. Facing such a massive crisis for the very first time, the pressure was immense.

Meanwhile...

"Miku, are you really going to be alright?" Minamoto no Raikou's gentle voice was laden with worry.

"Tsuchigumo is a tremendously powerful great yokai, and fighting him is extremely dangerous. Miku, you don't have to force yourself to face this."

"But if I don't, won't Tokyo be destroyed?" Listening to Minamoto no Raikou's persuasion, Nakano Miku pressed her lips into a firm line and whispered softly, "Besides, the world in the future is only going to get more and more dangerous. I don't want everyone to get hurt or even..."

During this period, she had been exercising and striving to grow stronger following the methods Minamoto no Raikou provided.

Yet perhaps she truly lacked any talent; she couldn't do it. She couldn't do anything. At best, her physical condition had improved slightly compared to her previous sub-health state, but facing yokai, she was still pitifully weak.

At this rate, how many eons would it take before she became strong enough to protect everyone?

Moreover...

"Sister Raikou, you said that Tsuchigumo is very likely coming for you."

"Ah... That is indeed one of the reasons."

"Therefore, as long as I still hold this blade, this is a destiny I cannot escape!"

When it came to protecting the family she cherished, even the timid Miku would stand tall!

The voice of Minamoto no Raikou in her mind fell silent for a moment before replying with firm resolve: "Then let us cut through this destiny together!"

---

Main battle tanks and armored vehicles poured in endlessly. The artillery system consisted of 64 mortar pieces and long-range missile launchers, paired with upgraded Type 12 anti-ship missiles and hypersonic missiles. Armed drones and various unmanned aerial vehicles flitted across the skies above the city.

Amidst all this, the presence of the United States was also intertwined.

Such massive maneuvers naturally drew the attention of various foreign embassies in Japan.

Drones, ground crews, on-site survey personnel—representatives from the embassies of various nations could be found here.

Minato Ward housed the embassies of over 80 countries. The waiters serving tables in the street-side pubs were all blue-eyed, blond foreigners; those walking with their chests puffed out were diplomatic military attachés bearing military ranks. Those in diplomacy were inherently sensitive to events, let alone a joint massive operation staged by America and Japan.

Could anything good come from those two entities getting mixed up together?

Start investigating!

As for these drones and embassy members, Japan... simply endured it.

After all, the Hyakki Yagyo (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) spearheaded by Tsuchigumo was already hurtling toward Tokyo Metropolis. Unless the various nations were completely blind, hiding it was utterly pointless.

It was completely incomparable to the impending threat of Tsuchigumo.

Monstrous aura was spreading.

That cloud of "dark qi" could be seen even from Edogawa Ward, and it was getting closer and closer to Tokyo.

The Chiba Prefecture Self-Defense Forces had declared:

They couldn't stop it. They simply couldn't stop it at all.

A yokai wielding lightning had emerged from among that horde of monsters, directly frying the electronic-signal-dependent weapon systems into billowing smoke, while the heavy armor failed entirely to withstand the yokai's attacks.

Humanity had suffered a crushing defeat.

Dilu stood before a rushing river.

The Edogawa River.

The waterway used to demarcate Edogawa Ward from Chiba Prefecture.

Led by Tsuchigumo, the yokai had swept across multiple municipal districts in an unhindered rampage, marching in a straight line. Along the way, neither human architecture nor military forces possessed the slightest capability to fight back against monsters enhanced by the overwhelming demonic aura.

If it were merely yokai of this caliber—acting alone or in small groups—human firepower might find them troublesome, but manageable.

However, these yokai had true powerhouses backing them.

Demonic energy filled the heavens.

The instant those cheering, leaping yokai rushed into the prosperous human city, everyone watching the live situation from afar via electronic devices felt as though their brains had been struck by a heavy hammer.

Those things... what on earth were they?