Chapter 48: Missile Incoming

Utterly hideous, utterly terrifying.

Those faces, dozens of times more terrifying than the ghosts and monsters depicted in movies, appeared in the field of vision of countless people.

What on earth are those things?

"Open fire!"

Swish—!

Hypersonic missiles and anti-ship missiles, accompanied by a barrage of artillery shells, roared and spat tongues of flame, fiercely charging toward the monstrous parade whose traces had emerged on the distant horizon.

Fighter jets screamed past, continuously launching roaring missiles.

America's long-range anti-ship missiles and AGM-158C cruise missiles were both crystallization of modern technology capable of supersonic penetration.

At this moment, their targets were creatures of flesh and blood. According to past experience, carbon-based organisms stood absolutely no chance of survival after taking a direct missile hit...

As if!

"Roar!"

At the very front on the left and right sides, the Blue Oni and Red Oni, resembling guardian deities, hoisted four-meter-long spiked clubs. Youkai whipped up violent gales to prepare their arcane arts, while fire-wielding youkai burst into blazing infernos across their bodies.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The missiles were destroyed in mid-air before they could even approach the enemy. Those supernatural arts, defying human understanding, accurately and flawlessly intercepted every single missile!

Those blossoming "fireworks" made the personnel of various nations observing the battle via drones tremble from the bottom of their hearts.

Something is wrong. This is one hundred and twenty percent wrong.

Nihon, America, what on earth are you two doing?!

Many people inside the city had no idea what was happening; they only heard the ceaseless roar of fighter jets flying over the city, the continuous thunder of missiles, and the vibrations of tanks firing.

A sense of unease spread. Residents who had previously argued endlessly now abandoned their homes to flee one after another, even turning around to blame the Metropolitan Police Department personnel for being too slow.

This formed a stark contrast to their previous attitude.

Even the most clueless person knew that something terrible was about to happen in this city.

A military exercise?

What sane person holds a military exercise in the middle of a city? Moreover, even during a military exercise, it would be impossible to evacuate civilians in such a brutal manner. And the most, most, most crucial point:

What sane person skips firing a single bullet and goes straight to missiles and artillery shells as a courtesy!

Are the things in your hands just fire-pokers?!

However, compared to the residents who cherished their lives, quite a few people stayed behind, loving nothing more than a good spectacle.

On the roads of Edogawa Ward, which were usually far from crowded, all sorts of fearless reporters, bloggers attempting to gain fame, and foreigners whose motto was "Life is precious, but seeking death is even pricier" appeared in clusters.

Dangerous?

If it weren't dangerous, we wouldn't be here.

Hehehe, although the modern world does see scenes of blazing artillery fire, in those places just walking down the street can get your brains pierced by a suddenly flying stray bullet. Nihon cannot be called absolutely safe, but it is a recognized zone of peace. Even if trouble breaks out, it's still safer than a war-torn region.

What should you do if you really encounter danger?

Hehehe.

Life is precious, but fame is pricier!

Unlike this bunch of humanoid creatures.

"Is this the power of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons..."

Among the island nation's top brass, who were monitoring the battlefield through massive surveillance equipment and drones, someone murmured softly.

"This is the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—a terrifying power stirred up by a Great Youkai, leading an army of youkai to conquer the world."

Director Hakuba crossed his hands in front of his chest and replied calmly.

Things having reached this point, now that war had truly arrived, he was surprisingly calm.

"The power displayed by many of those youkai is enough for us to suppress or even capture alive; but within the ranks of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, they receive enhancements and coordinate seamlessly. Simple missile attacks are hardly effective against them like this."

After all, missiles detonating from external shockwaves was the most normal thing in the world, and most of those youkai possessed ranged supernatural arts.

"However, our attacks are not without effect. Youkai will also grow tired. These youkai, strengthened and boosted by the Night Parade, will sooner or later grow weary of dealing with our relentless assaults, but..."

But by that time, it would be the terrifying display of the Tsuchigumo.

Facing a Great Youkai capable of withstanding missiles purely through robust physical strength, drawing power from the earth while standing upon it, and mastering earth-attribute arcane arts, only true weapons of mass destruction stood a chance of victory.

Or perhaps, equal supernatural beings needed to step into the fray.

"What about America's side?" Someone remembered the soldiers stationed in the island nation. They were provided with fine food and drink on ordinary days, and so much protection money wasn't paid for nothing. At a critical moment, you better contribute some effort too!

As these words fell, the screen displayed a connection request from America. Once connected, the face of Lieutenant General Rittal appeared, accompanied by a blonde, round-faced, bearded man.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tara. My rank is the same as Lieutenant General Rittal. I was specially dispatched by America to help the island nation out of appreciation for everyone's hardships," said the blonde, round-faced, bearded Lieutenant General Tara with a smile.

"Our troops have already rushed to the front lines to share weal and woe with the island nation," Rittal said with a straight face.

The island nation's side chuckled inwardly.

Sharing weal and woe was impossible. It was already quite remarkable that America managed to scrape together weapons and operators. As for troops... they had them, and they were constantly making preparations to move out, but anyone with discerning eyes could see those were forces standing by to harvest supernatural materials at any moment.

Expecting noble American GIs to risk their lives for the island nation was simply out of the question.

"However, as you all can see, conventional missiles cannot effectively eliminate the threat, so I hope the island nation's side can agree to our deployment of tactical nuclear warheads—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the island nation's side instantly exploded in an uproar.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"The island nation can exist without America's help, but we will never allow a nuclear bomb to detonate in Tokyo!"

Whenever nuclear bombs were mentioned, anyone globally with an understanding of such weapons would forever think of the island nation first.

Since this ultimate weapon of mass destruction was invented, the number of times it had actually been used in warfare could be counted on one hand.

As it happened, the island nation was right there among that countable handful.

The very first two had both been dropped right onto this land.

When it came to nuclear deterrence, no one felt it more profoundly than the island nation.

Even though Tara spoke of tactical nuclear warheads, they could never agree.

If they were dropped in some other remote location, it could still be covered up, and at worst, they could pin the blame on Fukushima.

But this was Tokyo!

A megacity of ten million people; the moment a nuclear warhead landed, the entire cabinet would have to collectively prepare for dogeza and resignation.

With this blast, the island nation would boil over.

With this blast, the world would watch.

Lieutenant General Tara wore a look of regret: "What a pity. That means we will need to face more possibilities, and that is not good news."

That is still far better than you dropping a nuke in Tokyo!

"Director, Master Dilu seems to be making a move!"

At that moment, an analyst staring at the combat data suddenly cried out.

————

The march of the demons drew closer and closer. Standing within the city, one could vaguely glimpse something massive approaching in the distance.

A "war correspondent" climbed to a high vantage point, looked out into the distance, and immediately started broadcasting:

"Minna-san~~ It's your favorite adventure lover here! I'm currently in Edogawa Ward, and right ahead is the Edogawa River. Do you see those things up ahead?! They're youkai! Youkai!"

Adhering to the principle of chasing traffic, these bloggers had already thrown their worthless lives to the winds!

Dilu stood by the riverbank, one palm held upright. The commotion behind him was entirely irrelevant to him as he looked up at the cloud of ominous aura pressing down upon the skies of Edogawa Ward.

"I will do everything in my power to shatter that demonic cloud. When that time comes, everyone, seize the opportunity."

With those words, the radiance of Buddha suddenly burst forth.