I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Imagawa Yoshimoto silently called out "Kochikame" in his heart.

She didn't ask any more questions or give any more instructions; she just watched quietly.

She allowed the translucent, miniature version of Che to project from her soul, a phantom that only she could see, to accompany her.

When he had nothing to do, Imagawa Yoshimoto often liked to stare at Xiao Che's phantom image without saying a word, so that Xiao Che would not speak either.

It was as if the great Onmyoji Che, who suddenly appeared five hundred years ago and reversed the course of her and the Imagawa family's fate, and who could speak incredibly astonishing words in a calm tone, was still obediently standing in front of her.

I will listen to her, do what she says, and do things for her that she wouldn't even dare to imagine.

Imagawa Yoshimoto knew why he had ordered the Imagawa clan's army to advance towards the border of the mortal realm, and he was even clearer about the true purpose of her mission.

It is not like those foolish and greedy demons, other daimyo of the Warring States period, or other forces in the world of the dead, who attempted to conquer the mortal world or carve out a small piece of land in this world where "every inch of land is precious".

—Imagawa Yoshimoto was far from naive.

Her only goal was to find that person.

Uesugi Tetsu.

Five hundred years ago, Uesugi Tetsu was already capable of doing those earth-shattering things, and he even left behind "Little Tetsu" to lay the groundwork for the present era.

Five hundred years later, how powerful will the man named "Uesugi Tetsu" become after experiencing the trials and tribulations of time...?

Yoshimoto Imagawa's fingertips twitched slightly.

Then, the woman gave a faint smile.

but it does not matter.

Because I am Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Today, the Warring States period was undoubtedly the dominant power in the world.

"With Uesugi Tetsuya, everything will be twice as effective."

Imagawa Yoshimoto thought.

Just as five hundred years ago, when she was seriously ill in the cold winter and unable to move, and the Imagawa family was on the verge of collapse, his return turned everything around.

and so.

No matter how critical the situation, things will get better as long as Che arrives.

As for the large army that gathers in the mortal world and pretends to attack the present world, it is just a decoy.

Imagawa Yoshimoto wasn't that stupid; he wouldn't think that she could actually conquer the modern world with just her small army.

She knew very well that the power of the world was far more than what was on the surface.

Therefore, this is a "bait and switch," merely a smokescreen to attract the attention of many powerful forces.

She herself had already boarded the limited-time Kisaragi Train and was about to enter the real world silently.

Of course, the person sitting in the Kisaragi Train at this moment is not her true form.

When the situation is unclear, or when facing the unknown, Imagawa Yoshimoto would certainly not put himself in an uncontrollable and dangerous situation.

Although she was able to sit here because this carefully prepared clone of hers had no power and was almost no different from a real ordinary person.

Even so, it was still far better than the days when she was seriously ill and bedridden, and even breathing was difficult.

At least, she can walk, eat, and drink normally, and later she can even feel the air of the "present world" that she has been away from for five hundred years.

Moreover, this clone can still bring Xiao Che—through the mark that is closely connected to her soul.

Imagawa Yoshimoto lowered his head again, took out the thin black cell phone from his pocket, and examined it.

This little gadget from the modern world is quite interesting.

It can be used not only to communicate in real time with her retainers who remain in the mortal realm, but also to remotely control the movements of the army using certain "terms".

It also makes it easy to find a lot of knowledge that used to require a long time to find in books.

"Technology is very useful."

As for her ordinary, unremarkable face and makeup, which would be easily lost in a crowd.

It was also a "disguise of an ordinary modern person" carefully designed by several retainers after conducting in-depth research on the present world.

Given Imagawa Yoshimoto's magnanimity and character, he could certainly accept this necessary pretense.

After fiddling with his phone for a while, Yoshimoto Imagawa turned his gaze to the smooth, mirror-like interior walls of the Kisaragi Train.

She recalled that she had previously spent a lot of money to communicate with the mastermind behind the Kisaragi Train, so that most of the carriages would be decorated with portraits of Uesugi Tetsu that she had drawn herself.

As a result, within a few days, all those portraits were inexplicably removed and completely cleaned up.

The reason is said to be "numerous complaints from dissatisfied passengers".

Imagawa Yoshimoto remained skeptical.

What is the connection between Che, the Ruyue Station, and the train...?

She doesn't know for now.

The train's loudspeaker announced that the train was about to arrive at a stop along the way, accompanied by the low, continuous sound of the tide coming from afar.

The sound of the waves is really loud.

However, these were all trivial matters to her.

The second wave was merely a "line" that passed through, not the destination itself.

There are plenty of opportunities in the future if you want to make a difference in the present world.

It is said that Che is currently in Hokkaido...

Hokkaido.

That place was in the far north, a place she had never set foot in before.

I heard that in winter, the snow falls heavily there, accumulating a thick layer on the ground, turning the world into a vast expanse of white.

Imagawa Yoshimoto actually hated winter, in the last year of her life.

However, if Che were around, he wouldn't be so annoying.

"But there's no need to rush over..."

Imagawa Yoshimoto thought.

First, go to Shizuoka Prefecture.

There, too, was something she desperately wanted to see.

The rest of the journey was silent.

People kept getting on and off the train, but none of them could get Yoshimoto Imagawa to pay even a fraction of his attention.

The journey flew by in silence and amidst the dazzling lights outside the window.

In just a few hours, we arrived in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

That is, Junpu Castle from the Warring States period.

Imagawa Yoshimoto got off the Kisaragi train and passed through the makeshift checkpoints set up by the Special Affairs Department in the vicinity without any problems.

—It's just a legitimate, clean identity document and a normal need to ride the Kisaragi Train.

The Imagawa family, a dominant force in the world for half an era, had naturally already made arrangements for her, the head of the family.

It's incredibly easy to arrange things for an ordinary person in the modern world who has no power, poses no threat, and carries no unusual items.

Since even if Imagawa Yoshimoto were allowed to act freely in the present world, he couldn't do anything, so why bother to guard against him?

Stepping out of the "checkpoint area" set up by the Special Affairs Department, one is immediately greeted by a dense forest of steel structures.

In the moonlight, the towering structure cast dappled shadows.

This is completely different from the urban layout of Junfu City five hundred years ago in her memory.

Imagawa Yoshimoto stood at the edge of the sidewalk, feeling a rare, subtle sense of bewilderment, unsure of where to go or what to do.

After calming herself down, she opened the small "handbook" that Shiraishi had prepared for her in advance.

Then, following the tutorial marked with pictures and simple text, I took out the black phone from my pocket and operated it with a slightly clumsy yet incredibly precise touch.

She wanted to follow the instructions in the booklet to call an expensive taxi that would be available at any time.

But after waiting for quite a while, Yoshimoto Imagawa still hadn't seen the taxi that should have appeared by now.

[Searching for nearby vehicles...]

Imagawa Yoshimoto stared at the spinning circle on the screen for a while, then turned his head to look at the deserted street.

"No car?" — Of course, there is no car.

—The second wave has arrived, and evacuation warnings have been issued. Who would still be driving a taxi on the street?

no way.

Yoshimoto Imagawa had no choice but to follow the instructions in the manual, exit the software, open the navigation, and prepare to walk there.

Enter destination: Imagawa-kan.

"It's not that far."

She looked at the little arrow on the screen that represented her and found it quite amusing.

Because the wave warning has been fully implemented and has been repeated several times.

The Imagawa-kan, a popular historical site that is usually quite popular, is now deserted, with no other tourists in sight, and even the security guards on their daily patrols are nowhere to be seen.

This area of ​​the city is protected by the Special Affairs Bureau's barrier, so no demons will "appear out of thin air," and naturally there aren't many Special Affairs Bureau agents there.

Before long, she arrived at the entrance of the Imagawa House.

Gazing at the almost unchanged gate and steps, a fleeting sense of disorientation crossed Imagawa Yoshimoto's eyes.

"This place hasn't changed at all..."

She said nothing more, but slowly walked into the repaired stone path.

Not only did the main framework of the pavilions and towers remain unchanged, but even the details were only minor repairs.

For a moment, Imagawa Yoshimoto even thought that it was just a simple summer night in the Sengoku period.

Then, she stopped.

In the center of that meticulously maintained courtyard, she saw the giant cherry-colored tree that required several people to encircle.

The branches are lush and dense, like a forest, and the cherry blossoms stand tall and graceful like a canopy.

Imagawa Yoshimoto slowly walked into the small wooden pavilion and sat down on the unchanged stone bench.

The cherry blossom branches swayed vigorously, as if delighted by her arrival.

She gazed up at it quietly for a long, long time.

Moonlight filtered through the cherry blossoms, casting dappled patterns that fell upon her calm, serene eyes.

There were no words, no expressions, just a silent stare.

After a long while, Imagawa Yoshimoto slowly turned around, deftly plucked a cherry blossom from the end of a branch, and then quietly left the Imagawa Pavilion, just as he had come.

—It seems he took good care of it.

Okay, let's go to Hokkaido.

Go to that place where it snows heavily.

……

Hokkaido, Sapporo.

Several hours earlier, Uesugi Tetsu, who was sitting cross-legged in the dojo, clearly sensed the changes in his surroundings.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the world is rapidly increasing and strengthening at a stable and continuous rate.

Unlike the relatively short and intense impact of the first wave.

The spiritual energy growth brought about by the second wave appeared to be more enduring and far-reaching, like the tide slowly and steadily washing over the coastline.

"It's time for those demons and monsters to emerge from the mortal world..."

As if to confirm his thoughts, a long-lost yet familiar mission prompt suddenly popped up in the void before him—

[A special limited-time event, "Catastrophe," has begun!]

The objectives of this mission are as follows:

[Objective 1: To curb the "erosion" of the present world by the eternal world.]

[Note: The greater the influence of beings from the mortal realm on the present world, the deeper the "erosion," and the closer the mortal realm and the present world become.]

[Objective Two: To exorcise the eight sufferings, with illness being a key manifestation.]

Rewards for this limited-time event will be distributed based on a comprehensive evaluation of participation and contribution. The higher your overall contribution, the richer the rewards!

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow.

This task... came at a rather opportune time.

Objective 1 is easy to understand.

During the wave, beings from the mortal realm will invade the mortal realm on a large scale. The destruction, killing, and even the mere existence itself they cause will act as a wedge, deepening the connection between the two realms and making the barrier more fragile.

This "erosion" must be curbed.

The key lies in objective two.

Suffering from illness.

This defeated opponent, having already been slain once, is still unwilling to give up on the mortal world?

Uesugi Tetsu's eyes turned cold.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he sensed unusual fluctuations around the villa.

In relatively peripheral locations of the mortal world, in places that were deliberately left unprotected, the spiritual energy "waves" from the mortal realm were instantly submerged.

Naturally, those demons and monsters will appear.

But Uesugi Tetsuya was too lazy to even get up.

With just a slight thought, several "homeless people" who had just fallen from the mortal world and did not yet understand what was happening were crushed into dust by the invisible force of thought.

Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes lit up with a hint of joy.

Although these homeless people don't give much soul ash, compared to the factory owner's stingy mechanical cannon fodder, the "drop rate" of these proper demons is much higher.

When he opened his Thousand Eyes again and scanned the entire city of Sapporo, he found that all those present in the city were small, insignificant "shrimp" with no chance of being defeated.

strangeness.

Uesugi Tetsu frowned slightly.

Although Hokkaido has a relatively low population density, Sapporo, as one of the largest cities, shouldn't have only attracted this level of small fry in the second wave, right?
This was quite different from what he had envisioned.

He picked up his phone, opened Line, and sent a question to Nanjo Manami.

Nanjo Aimi's reply came almost instantly, her tone as concise and efficient as ever.

[Yin Yang Grand Master Nanjo Manami: Learning from the previous lessons... the main battlefield for resisting the first wave of attacks from the mortal world isn't in the present world, otherwise how much money and effort would be spent on post-disaster reconstruction after the war?]

Why didn't you invite me when there was such a good thing?
It seems she's still holding a grudge about what happened before.

As Uesugi Tetsu was thinking, the notification popped up on the screen again.

[Yin Yang Grand Master - Nanjo Aimi: Reply with 1 to send frontline coordinates.]

【Moon Sand Sauce: 111111】

Immediately afterwards, incredibly precise geographic coordinates were sent over, along with detailed directions.

[Yin-Yang Grand Master Nanjo Aimi: On the front lines, three-star level is the bare minimum, and demon-level is not uncommon. Don't be too conspicuous when you go there.]

[Tsuki-suna-chan: Then she'll definitely try to survive, transforming into a mosquito to slither around and suck the blood of her teammates.]

Nanjo Aimi did not reply.

"Riri!"

Uesugi Tetsu called out into the room and briefly explained the relevant matters concerning the "front lines" to her.

"Shall we go?"

"Walk."

"By the way, what about Chisa?"

"Send it to the Hokkaido headquarters next door. Isn't Nanjo Taiyoshi there?"

"Then—"

Let's go.

Off we go, to the front lines of the Second Wave! (End of Chapter)