I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

The fact that even an Onmyoji like Tsuchimikado Arashi, who hasn't yet reached the level of a demon or god, could communicate with that person through rituals is the best proof of this.

shuh...

The faint, blood-red light that flickered in his peripheral vision caught Uesugi Tetsuya's attention, then vanished suddenly under his questioning gaze.

The doctor, who was focused on suppressing the incantation, also breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm afraid Tsuchimikado will be unable to continue participating in the competition."

The doctor clasped his hands together, breathing heavily, and quickly communicated with the judge, whose face was grave.

The two then reached a consensus.

"The sideline doctor and the referee agreed that Tsuchimikado Arashi's current condition is no longer suitable for continuing the match."

Therefore, their spot has been cancelled, and they have withdrawn from the competition.

Even ghosts and gods can only temporarily suppress the backlash on Tsuchimikado Arashi; to truly eradicate it, they would probably have to send him back to the Tsuchimikado family.

No one objected.

Even those who didn't know the details could understand that something terrifying had almost happened.

The official ghost of the digital seeding tournament appeared on the sidelines.

Together with the physician, they suppressed the crimson runes that were still trying to writhe, and then quickly left the Sky City arena.

Uesugi Tetsuya on the ring was stunned.

The cursed one was perfectly fine, but the one who cursed himself was cursed away?

what's the situation?

Are so many terrifyingly powerful demons and gods helpless against this?

Just how terrifying is Tsuchimikado Arashi cursing himself with?

Not only did it fail completely, but the expert they hired also backfired.

Uesugi Tetsu was completely confused.

With a cautious mindset, he still carefully examined himself from the inside out once again.

However, no signs of being cursed were found.

In conclusion, let's keep the challenge going.

Uesugi Tetsu asked Kaga Kiyomitsu, and after receiving the same answer, he looked at Kamo Teruichi.

He Maohui was also looking at him, his brows furrowed.

He watched the entire thing without blinking for a second and remained silent.

Because He Mao Huiyi knew very well that there was not much difference in strength between himself and Arashi. On the contrary, he lacked a decisive means like an extreme curse.

Now, Arashi has proven that Uesugi Tetsuya possesses ridiculously strong curse resistance.

Physically, one would need to penetrate two layers of a tortoise shell that can regenerate rapidly to barely injure the opponent; mentally, one would at least have to face a sword heart that has been tempered and refined through countless trials.

Uesugi Tetsu is basically an ultimate hedgehog with its body covered in thorns and blades, and it can also unleash lightning strikes.

"I challenge, ranked third, He Maohui first."

"I accept."

The challenges that followed reignited the Sky City Arena.

……

About half an hour later, Uesugi Tetsuya, after a hard-fought battle, defeated Kamo Teruichi.

After letting out a soft breath, Uesugi Tetsu wiped away the blood that had dripped onto his chin with the back of his hand.

Although his internal energy and spiritual power were almost depleted, Uesugi Tetsuya still felt that the latter posed a greater threat than Kamo Teruichi and Tsuchimikado Arashi.

He Mao Huiyi's methods mostly involve the Five Elements and Yin-Yang principles, and he uses mostly straightforward methods.

Therefore, Uesugi Tetsuya won decisively, going head-to-head from the start until the end.

Aside from a few fatal abrasions, there were no other difficulties.

Naturally, they also kept their key trump card, the two-foot-tall man, until the "final round."

On the contrary, his fight with Tsuchimikado Arashi, though brief, was full of deadly moves and dangers.

If the opponent's curse hadn't inexplicably failed at the end, the outcome might have been very different.

……

"The renowned Tsuchimikado and Kamo were actually defeated by this Uesugi Tetsu?"

"What kind of grassroots underdog success stories are there?"

Gasps of amazement rose and fell from the audience.

Throughout history, audiences have always enjoyed stories of ordinary people defeating wealthy nobles.

But someone immediately retorted: "Grassroots? What makes you define him as a grassroots? Shouldn't the real grassroots have been eliminated long ago?"

"Not to mention Tokugawa Ririko, who was with him, she is a descendant of the behemoth that is 'Tokugawa'!"

"—Because Uesugi Tetsu was still attending Sakurato High School not long ago."

These words immediately drew the attention of everyone around.

The boy who was still wearing the Sakurato High School uniform even during the holidays repeated, "Because, Uesugi Tetsu was a second-year student at Sakurato High School not long ago... and he didn't even have much of a presence."

Under the pressure of countless stares, the ordinary-looking boy continued to force a smile.

"On the contrary, Tokugawa Ririko is the ace of our school's kendo club. She even won the Jade Dragon Flag Championship before."

For a moment, a large area around fell into a deathly silence.

Seconds later, shouts of "Holy crap!", screams, and yells rose and fell, spreading like wildfire throughout the venue.

Kujou Oborozuki glanced thoughtfully at the chaotic audience seats, then at Nanjou Manami, who had found a recliner and was sipping her iced cola with the same care she would take when savoring red wine.

"Nanjo Manami, aren't you surprised?"

Surprised? Why should I be surprised?

Nanjo Manami finished the last bit of cola in her glass, and Akatsuki Ran, who was wearing a Special Affairs Department uniform, came forward and refilled her glass under the unspeakable gaze of Kujo Oborozuki.

Kujou Oborozuki looked at her junior sister, who seemed like a completely different person in just a few months, and couldn't help but twitch her brow.

"Hey... Ran-chan, you're just giving in like that?"

Xiao Yuelan shook the half-full Coke bottle in her hand: "Senior Brother, you don't know this, do you? I can drink two glasses and have the whole bottle left. Why not do such a good deal?"

Simply put, they'd run away as soon as they were given food.

Kujou Oborozuki: "..."

Nanjo Manami ignored the interaction between the two and continued speaking.

"From the very beginning, I believed that Uesugi would win the championship."

"He is the genius I consider to be one in a thousand years. How could he possibly stop here?"

"millennium……"

Kujo Ogyue was speechless.

Even if Nanjo Manami thinks highly of Uesugi Tetsuya, this expectation is a bit too much.

A genius of a millennium means that Uesugi Tetsuya's future achievements can be compared to those of Seimei and that Kamiizumi.

The man shook his head: "It's too early to talk about these things now."

"I only said this because you asked me... As for whether my views are right or wrong, let time prove it. Time will show who is right."

Nanjo Aimi didn't say anything more, but continued to savor the cola that couldn't escape the bubbles due to the constraints of Yin-Yang magic.

Kujo Oborozuki silently watched the red Hannya mask.

He still didn't believe it.

She didn't believe Nanjo Manami's words, nor did she believe that her luck was so good that she would witness the rise of a future legend.

……

"Beautiful! This is truly an eye-opener for this humble monk!"

Hozoin Inari clapped his hands with great delight.

"Senior Brother Yuanzheng, Sister Ogasawara! This trip was definitely worthwhile!"

The young monk's eyes seemed to ripple with autumn water: "If only I could go up and have a match with him..."

Motonobu Okabe did not reply.

Or rather, it has completely blocked out all information and sounds from the outside world.

He simply stared at the man wearing the Red Hannya mask, named Uesugi Tetsu...

Or rather, a man named "Che".

The Great Onmyoji, Che.

She was now certain that the person was almost certainly Che.

Even if it's impossible to occupy the last point, then it should be someone like a direct disciple who has inherited Che's mantle.

But if it's Che, there are still two points of doubt.

Why is it that Che, who was able to control thunder back then, has not become a god or demon even now?

How did he manage to stay young and survive into this era?

Let alone ghosts and gods, even if Che becomes an even greater being, Okabe Motonobu completely believes that he can do it.

But that didn't stop Motonobu Okabe from wanting to rush up and stab the guy twice, and then tear that damn mask off his face.

Okabe Motonobu's hands, resting on his knees, clenched tightly, his narrowed eyes, swirling with complex emotions, drooping into the shadows.

She just wanted an answer.

Whether for himself or for the entire Imagawa family...

Still on behalf of the lord.

……

Off the stage, Uesugi Tetsu handed Kaga Kiyomitsu back to Ririko.

Witnessing this scene, He Maohui, who is now ranked TOP4, looked extremely displeased.

Lost.

I have lost to someone of commoner blood.

In fact, the opponent hadn't even used their full strength yet.

He Maohui's teeth were clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

But the thought that Tsuchimikado Arashi had to withdraw from the competition and go home made him feel a little better.

But then...

He Maohui looked up at Lili Zi, whose clear sword heart hung high above her head.

The Tokugawa family is probably not easy to defeat either.

Tokugawa Ririko was already difficult to deal with, and with that sword, her own skills were deliberately tricked into being demonstrated by Uesugi Tetsu!

boom.

He Maohui couldn't help but slam his fist on the armrest of the seat, making a dull thud.

Have I become some kind of nobody in their eyes, someone they can just sweep away at will?

The more He Maohui thought about it, the angrier he became.

But just as the fire in my heart was about to ignite, it was suddenly extinguished.

Forget it.

The young man sighed, leaned back in his chair, and touched the "TOP5" nameplate.