Chapter 52: Summoning the Underworld

On the island nation, a group of high-ranking officials finally breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that someone had managed to halt the Earth Spider.

As for the privileged scions of Bunkyo Ward, helicopters had already whisked away the young ladies and noble heirs in full view of the public. Even if the world were to end tomorrow, the elite would always receive the news first, well before the common folk could react.

What now? Resign to fate and wait for death.

That said...

“Does anyone here know anything about General Minamoto?” Director Shirakuma turned to the folklore experts, mythology scholars, and shrine priests gathered in the command room.

Yet the entire group met his question with expressions of disbelief, especially the history professors.

Master Chiriku’s reference to Minamoto no Yorimitsu nearly fried their mental circuits. In Japan, the characters can be read in various ways; it was impossible to have misheard.

At this critical moment, Professor Toyama, who had spoken earlier, mustered the courage to speak.

“Perhaps the records have been corrupted over the ages, or this is misinformation deliberately propagated by some supernatural faction.”

Director Shirakuma paid little attention to the answer, nor did he have time to investigate why the Spider Cutter ended up in the hands of that young girl. All he knew was that the Minamoto general from the Heian era was helping them fend off the Earth Spider.

Whether she could slay the Earth Spider was a matter of Tokyo’s safety.

If only there were little cheering flags here—otherwise, he would have everyone waving them from a distance to boost morale.

He glanced at the screens: helicopters, drones, ground personnel, and various surveillance devices—all methods of battlefield observation were in use.

The display switched rapidly: one person and one yokai seemed like they had taken on the Tokyo reconstruction project, leaving devastation in their wake. The finance minister would be heartbroken at the destruction.

Like a whirlwind, the battle swiftly moved into Sumida Ward, and in the blink of an eye, it was about to enter Taito Ward; a slight turn and it would be Bunkyo Ward, or worse, a direct push toward Chiyoda Ward.

Chiyoda borders Sumida, after all.

Other high-ranking officials—the prime minister, chief cabinet secretary, minister of internal affairs—had long since vanished.

Normally, they’d just make a few solemn declarations on TV about standing with the nation through thick and thin, but now, anyone too slow to flee would pay the price.

“Director, America is accusing the ‘Spirit Wielder’ of massacring their soldiers and demanding we eliminate him. Opening the live feed now,” Tadakiri Toshirou reported with a strange expression, reading the message from overseas.

Director Shirakuma waved a hand dismissively. “Ignore them. The fewer that survive, the better.”

Was such bluntness really appropriate? Everyone sensed their director now exuded a reckless vigor, as if unconcerned with life or death.

Previously, the arrival of a supernatural entity would have been met with utmost solemnity.

“They’ve reached Taito Ward!”

A shout announced that the frontline was now dangerously close to Chiyoda Ward, just next door.

Everyone held their breath, swearing they’d never been this serious even when inheriting their family legacies.

As the battle neared Tokyo’s core, the use of large-scale weapons became strictly forbidden.

They could only hope that the valiant Minamoto general would slay the Earth Spider as she did in the Heian era.

Taito Ward.

The oldest district of Tokyo, preserving much of the Edo period’s historical charm, with a staggering eighty percent of its land devoted to commerce. Asakusa and Ueno stood as cultural landmarks.

The Tokyo National Museum was also located here.

Usually bustling with crowds, this prosperity lay shattered today.

“Ha!” A fierce cry echoed as the ground surged like a flash flood, waves crashing; buildings toppled, and the earth rose, forming small hills.

This was the power of the Earth Spider’s earth-element yokai magic.

It possessed an innate advantage in altering terrain to create the most favorable battlefield conditions.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu kicked off the ground, landing firmly atop the tallest hill, facing off against the Earth Spider.

Now, the Earth Spider’s body, its legs, even its demon mask bore fresh wounds of varying depths and lengths slowly healing—contrasting starkly with its previously rapid regeneration.

“That sword,” the Earth Spider turned its head, unfazed by its injuries, baring fangs with a fierce expression.

“Today, I will crush that sword to pieces!”

In mythology, weapons often began plain but, through countless battles and vanquished foes, gained special powers against those enemies.

Clearly, the Spider Cutter had developed a specific counter to the Earth Spider after the previous battle.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have drawn such intense hatred.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu remained silent, raising her sword and swinging.

A purple blade, tens of meters long, sliced through everything.

The Earth Spider summoned immense yokai power; the ground erupted, forming stone walls ten meters thick and thirty meters high.

The blade cut through layer after layer, finally breaking through the last wall to reveal the true form behind—it was clear the Earth Spider was no longer there!

“Bang!”

“Clang!”

The Earth Spider’s iron leg slammed down where Minamoto no Yorimitsu had just stood, but she countered with a backhanded slash, inflicting new wounds on its iron limb.

Inside a shrine, Yaezakura remained oblivious to the outside turmoil, kneeling in devout prayer.

Outside, the Earth Spider and Minamoto no Yorimitsu remained locked in stalemate.

Then, suddenly, an umbrella appeared on the battlefield.

Amid the ruins, the figure beneath the umbrella was concealed, but one could sense his keen interest in the grand spectacle.

“That is!?” Minamoto no Yorimitsu tensed, drawing her sword in caution.

“Oh my, the mighty Earth Spider is so thoroughly restrained. Look at all those scars, it pains me to see,” the umbrella bearer said with faux sympathy as he suddenly appeared two meters from the Earth Spider’s side.

His tone—mocking and pitying—infuriated the yokai, who surged with power.

“Shut your mouth, you bastard!”

With a surge of yokai energy, the earth churned violently. The already ravaged buildings nearby crumbled further, leaving only those farthest from the battlefield intact.

Among those spared was the shrine.

The umbrella bearer sighed, a note of resignation in his voice.

“You’ve been at this for so long; shouldn’t you give me a hand? My job’s quite heavy, you know.”

The Earth Spider snorted coldly, eyes locked on the wary Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

“Think you can handle this guy all by yourself?”

“You’re not at your peak, and neither is she. You won’t hold her back.”

The Earth Spider considered this, conceding it made sense.

“Then let’s get started. I can’t wait to see the world cloaked in a hundred demons.”

“And that Yamata no Orochi was killed in such a disgraceful way—when he returns, I’ll make sure we have a proper fight!”

With that, it spat out a black sphere the size of a human head, within which countless malicious souls churned.

The umbrella bearer chuckled softly, summoning the sphere to his hand, then slowly ascending to fifty meters above the ground before stopping.

He folded his hands inside the umbrella; no one saw the motion, but a crisp clap echoed through the air, followed by his solemn voice.

“Summoning the Underworld.”