Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01 during the Spirit Awakening Era

"What you're saying sounds like gambling?" Ritsuko Akagi frowned; Shinji Ikari's words were quite unexpected.

“Because most of the stuff was scavenged, and the remaining small portion…” Shinji Ikari smirked, “…was murdered and robbed.”

“…” Ritsuko Akagi raised an eyebrow. That’s really realistic.

"Hmm?" Shinji Ikari glanced at a stall owner, who seemed to be a cat selling seafood. In front of it were two large bathtubs filled with various kinds of fish, which were almost sold out. Nearby, many demons and monsters were eating these rare seafood raw, their faces covered in blood. Only one egg remained in the pool. Shinji Ikari gestured for Ritsuko Akagi to follow him over. "It's been a long time, Master."

"How come you're still alive, you little bastard?" The stall owner, a large orange cat dressed in human clothes, crossed his arms and said irritably as Shinji Ikari walked over. Shinji had caused trouble at the mountain god festival three times, and his stall had been smashed twice. How could he possibly maintain a good temper towards Shinji?

"Business is pretty good, so you can go back early now?" Shinji Ikari looked at the cat spirit in front of him with a big smile. This cat was one of the few yokai that had helped him, and in some cases, Shinji and the cat had a little bit of mutual trust.

"Are you stupid?" The cat spirit rolled its eyes in a very human way, which made Ritsuko Akagi, who was also squatting down next to it, look at it with a curious expression. "Who is this woman? Your mother? She doesn't look like her at all."

"She's my boss, just came over to hang out." Shinji Ikari briefly introduced Ritsuko Akagi without mentioning her name.

"Heh... NERV, huh? My stock will be restocked soon. So you unlucky bastard, if you're not going to buy anything, get out of my stall!" (Cat Monk)

"Buy what? Buy this egg?" Shinji Ikari pointed to the only egg left in the pool, an egg the size of an ostrich egg. "You don't have anything else to buy me."

"Twenty-five million? You can't afford that, you poor wretch!" The cat shopkeeper revealed a contemptuous expression in a very human way.

"Is this some kind of reverse psychology tactic?" Shinji Ikari's face also wore a mocking expression. "I do have twenty million, but what is that? You have to explain it to me, otherwise you can't just put an ostrich egg here to scare people."

"I found it, I don't know what it is, but the creature inside is very strong, but it's about to die!" The cat spirit sighed. "I've tried many methods to hatch or nurture it, but all have failed. If you really want it, it'll cost 22 million yen. Take the karma while it's still alive!"

"Hmm, this doesn't sound like a legitimate story." Shinji Ikari blinked. The story was vague, so listening to it was like not listening at all. It might just be a found ostrich egg being used to swindle people. Such things had happened before here, and there were even people who specialized in making fakes.

Someone once disguised an ordinary goose egg as emitting a strong fire element, leading many to believe it was the egg of a phoenix, or a phoenix-like bird-like demon. Well... once opened, well, it smelled quite good.

"Check it yourself, I know you have a way." The cat owner shook its head. It was telling the truth. If it didn't feel that the cause and effect of seeing a ghost was too great, it might be doomed if the real owner came back and found out that it had actually caused the death of the creature inside the egg.

“Hey…” Shinji Ikari paused for a moment, then reached out his hand. He had only meant to argue, but he hadn’t expected this big orange cat to actually let him try. Well, there was no harm in trying anyway, so Shinji Ikari didn’t hold back at all.

But before he could even put his hand in the water, the cat stopped him, saying, "Try it once, 100,000 yen. If you kill him, you'll have to pay 15 million yen!"

"Huh?! Why don't you just rob me?" Shinji Ikari withdrew his hand, glaring at Nekomamushi. Was this guy deliberately trying to cause trouble?

"This is necessary. People need to understand the consequences. They can't just try it casually, and we can't push them too far. What if they mess things up and I end up with nothing?" The Cat Master spoke with reason and conviction. In this wretched place, there are too many ill-intentioned people or demons. There are plenty of people who, even if they can't afford to buy a powerful creature, will forcibly kill it to prevent others from buying it when they discover it.

"That makes some sense, doesn't it?" Mei Isayama leaned closer. She'd been wandering around the area, spending four or five hundred thousand yen, and had nothing that interested her anymore. She noticed Shinji Ikari talking to the orange cat, so she came over out of curiosity. Finding out what it was all about, she simply pulled ten Fukuzawa Yukichi bills from her bag. "Here, one hundred thousand! Shinji, test it out. If it's something good, it's mine!"

Seeing the trouble Isayama was giving him, Shinji Ikari sighed, placed his hand on the egg, and slowly and inefficiently injected his own energy into it. Then, he began to sense the creature inside, which made Shinji feel extremely "snake-like?"

"Just like most people guessed, I wonder which great demon was so careless." The cat spirit nodded. Many people had paid to investigate, and they all basically believed it was the egg of a snake demon of unknown species. Although it seemed to be ridiculously powerful, snake demons were not uncommon, and they were also difficult to raise as pets. It seemed like spending 20 million to eat it was not worth it.

"Heh, a snake demon? Very strong?" Mei Isayama looked at Shinji Ikari. When Shinji looked at her, his eyes clearly flickered. Was he indicating that she should buy it? Hmm? Shinji's superior next to him also seemed to be indicating something to him.

"It does seem quite strong, but it's really weak right now. Have you infused it with spiritual energy?" Shinji Ikari glanced at Nekobozu, unaware that Ritsuko Akagi's eyes were also starting to light up with excitement. She and Mei Isayama seemed to have exchanged some words.

"I bought it! How long can you sustain it?" Izayama Mei is still quite wealthy, and he's just worried about not having a good shikigami or assistant! He's taking a gamble with these twenty million. If he succeeds, he'll be rich! If he fails to tame it, he can still make a good connection! Maybe he can get it or its parents to help him in the future. And lastly, if he really fails... Shinji Ikari is quite familiar with the chefs at Totsuki Academy. He's bringing such rare ingredients there, so they can't possibly charge him for his meals, can they?

"Place your order now! I can only last five days at most, I guarantee it won't die! Where should I send it?" The cat shopkeeper reached into his pocket, pulled out a POS machine, and started entering the amount. This wasn't ancient times anymore; copper coins were now replaced by gold and silver as higher currencies, and large transactions had to go through human banks. "This egg has been with me for quite a while, so let's do each other a favor. I'll round down the 22 million, so take it for 20 million yen. Remember, the karma from now on is yours too."

“Delivered to…” Mei Isayama looked at Ritsuko Akagi, who was beaming with joy. Ritsuko nodded decisively, “To the Third New Tokyo City…” After hearing Mei Isayama recite the address across from his house, Shinji Ikari’s face remained completely expressionless. When did this woman get the house? But judging from Ritsuko Akagi’s expression, it was probably hard to imagine that this was going to happen.

"Alright! You're here to watch the food battle, right? Then it'll be delivered tomorrow? The total is 2010 million yen, including shipping." Nekobozu entered the amount into the POS machine. Isayama Mei glanced at it, confirmed it, and then took out his credit card to swipe the money. "Speaking of which, you unlucky fellow, since you came this year, the mountain god festival has definitely tasted off. If you're easily frightened, you'd better leave soon." While processing the orders, Nekobozu quickly muttered a few words under his breath.

"Thanks for the reminder, but I came here specifically for the Food Wars. I won't leave until I get to eat it," Shinji Ikari said with a smile.

"Good advice is useless against this damned devil! The deal is done, get lost, I'm busy, ugh, just seeing you makes me angry!" The cat shooed Shinji away like trash, feeling extremely unlucky every time it saw him.

"Hey~ See you tomorrow then?" Izayama Mei reached into the pool, touched the egg, and smiled, hoping it would be easy to raise.

"Don't worry, I already have some ideas on how to solve the survival problem. After all, compared to others, we have enough stock." Before leaving the stall, Ritsuko Akagi's lips curled up, her smile very happy. A monster's egg—that was her biggest gain from this trip. "If you're willing to sign a joint research agreement, I'll apply for a subsidy, although it might be disbursed in installments."

"No need, I can afford twenty million," Isayama Mei said with a smile. "But I'll have to rely on you for the initial assistance."

"Don't worry, I will do my best. To be honest, I've never hatched an egg before, so this might be a very interesting experience."

"Hahaha...now that you mention it, I'm right too!"

Chapter 126 This is just a dish (6K5 long chapter, please vote)

"It looks like there are a lot of people watching." With Shinji Ikari and Mei Isayama by her side, Ritsuko Akagi didn't need to worry too much and could relax a bit.

"Indeed, there are a lot. After all, in previous years, although there was food and drink involved in the mountain god festival, and some chefs would come here to sell some special dishes, firstly, their skill level was limited, so they wouldn't have such overwhelming popularity; secondly, encountering such a real food battle at the mountain god festival is not uncommon." Shinji Ikari explained roughly, and Dojima Gin and Morishita Yamato could indeed be considered to be at the pinnacle of the chef profession.

"Then why did Dojima Gin specify the food battle at the Mountain God Festival? Isn't that just making them laugh at us?" Akagi Ritsuko voiced her question. The Mountain God Festival certainly has enough influence, but it's clear that this isn't a human's home ground. Holding a food battle here is definitely not a wise decision. Regardless of who wins or loses, the result will be terrible.

"This wasn't a decision made by Dojima Gin." Shinji Ikari's expression was somewhat helpless. As a student from Nakiri Academy, he knew a bit about the rules of Totsuki Academy. "Dojima Gin proposed a food battle to Morishita Yamato and specified the content of the food battle. Therefore, the location of the remaining food battles will be determined by Morishita Yamato. This is for the sake of so-called relative fairness. If Morishita Yamato is particular, he can also appoint at least two neutral judges."

"Is that so...? Morishita Yamato specified this place?" Akagi Ritsuko frowned; there was a huge problem here.

"As expected of Shinji, he knows everything. Looks like this meal won't be peaceful, huh? Hey, Shinji!" Gojo Satoru came over and waved to Shinji. "Ryoko-chan is excellent, she's already keeping up with Gin Dojima's moves! It's just that Yamato Morishita on the other side hasn't made a move at all, not even a single preparation. That makes me very curious~"

“Yes, something bad was almost inevitable. The question is how bad it will be. But even you came, so the association is taking it pretty seriously.” Shinji Ikari glanced at Ryoko Sakaki, who was busy at the makeshift food battle table, and Gin Dojima, who was equally busy. Shinji laughed. Ryoko Sakaki seemed to be under a lot of pressure lately; she almost broke her back the other night.

"That smile is disgusting." Mei Isayama succinctly commented on Shinji Ikari's smile.

"After all, Ryoko is his girlfriend, beautiful and outstanding, so we should understand." Gojo Satoru seemed to be explaining things to Shinji Ikari, but the implication behind his words was not so friendly. This is exactly what happens when close friends kick each other when they're down.

"..." Ritsuko Akagi looked at Mei Isayama and Satoru Gojo, and suddenly smiled. Wasn't the three of them like this once upon a time? Moreover, that man is about to come to NERV headquarters with Unit-02. When that happens, there will definitely be another round of chaotic excitement to watch.

"The food battle is... only a few minutes away." Mei Isayama glanced at his watch to check the time. Judging from the time on his watch, there were only a few minutes left before the food battle officially began. "Is this Yamato Morishita arrogant, or does he have some trump card? Why is he so calm?"

"They must have been prepared. If they didn't want to participate in any food battles, why did they accept the challenge?" Mei Isayama clicked her tongue. She felt that she should have bought some snacks before coming up, but then she remembered the shelves at the service station where she met Shinji Ikari, which had been emptied by the Ghoul Souls. She knew that was impossible.

"Isn't there any opening remarks or anything?" Ritsuko Akagi looked at the scene with some confusion. Gin Dojima and Ryoko Sakaki suddenly started heating the pot and began to process and marinate the ingredients they had prepared. It was a bit unexpected. She had done some research before coming and knew roughly what Food Wars was about (Totsuki Academy version).

But now, Ritsuko Akagi looked around and saw that apart from a few people sitting at a table in the distance, who were probably the judges, the rest of the people didn't seem to be doing much. Meanwhile, Gin Dojima and Ryoko Sakaki started preparing their own meal.

Meanwhile, Morishita Yamato remained motionless before the table, a half-smile on his face. Behind him, several people who were supposed to be guards were kneeling before a box, as if praying or watching over it, completely ignoring the puzzled, mocking, and surprised looks around them.

"Because... this is what a true food war is all about. The food wars at the academy are all about simplifying the food selection and downplaying the outcome. There are no explanations, no nonsense, and no one will even give you a speech." Shinji Ikari said with a smile, "It's a life-or-death battle for chefs. Why bother with such complicated things? Cooking is the key. As for why this food war is so attractive... I think you'll find out soon enough."

"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it." Shinji Ikari's words filled Ritsuko Akagi with anticipation, and she didn't have to wait too long. The delicious aroma began to spread from Gin Dojima's stove as he stir-fried the ingredients. The fragrance was irresistible, and the rumbling in her stomach spread like a plague among the crowd, rising and falling endlessly.

"Hiss... I'm starving..." Mei Isayama sniffed. It smelled so good! She was so hungry! It smelled so good! This food battle was just too tempting. "Shinji, why aren't you reacting to how good it smells?"

"I'll take you to a small restaurant for a few meals next time, and you'll see." Shinji Ikari shrugged. Why was he able to resist? He was a chef, and his pastry skills were pretty good, so his resistance to delicious food was naturally high. Of course, the more crucial reason might be that a certain Uncle Yukihira had seriously cooked a few meals in his spare time, and these meals successfully increased Shinji Ikari's resistance to the "drug."

"Oh, is that the little street-side restaurant that Misato Katsuragi mentioned that made her hallucinate?" Shinji Ikari's words immediately piqued Ritsuko Akagi's interest.

"Yukihira Restaurant? That uncle is difficult to deal with!" Isayama Mei had naturally been there, and had even managed to order some of Yukihira's cooking. However, when she privately asked Yukihira Seiichiro to cook for her, the uncle would always use various tricks to avoid the question, giving her no chance at all, which made Isayama Mei very angry.

"Yukihira Restaurant? I'll remember that. Is it in Third New Tokyo?" Perhaps it was the environment, but Gojo Satoru actually started to care about whether the restaurant was good.

However, resistance is just resistance, not exemption or immunity. As Gin Dojima continued cooking, the delicious aroma spread even further. Shinji Ikari, like most people, quickly shut his mouth and stopped talking. This was the subconscious reaction of everyone when they were hungry. He remained silent, only swallowing his saliva incessantly, accompanied by the rumbling in his stomach.

"Let's serve the food..." After an agonizing hour, the moment finally arrived. Dojima Gin had finished all the cooking, and the small casseroles were brought to the judges. Everyone eagerly opened the lids of the casseroles, and in an instant, a rich aroma swept through the entire venue like a tsunami. Even at the other end of the mountain god festival, one could smell the rich aroma.

"The smell of curry? What did he make?" Mei Isayama looked at Shinji Ikari. "Aren't you going to explain yourself since you're the only fake cook here?"

"Don't look at me, I understand. I was helping out up there. The only thing I can guess is curry lobster seafood risotto." Shinji Ikari pouted, took a deep breath, and then slumped down. "I'm so hungry."

"Huh? He actually brought some over to the other side too. What's the significance of that?" Shinji Ikari was taken aback. Ryoko Sakaki was carrying two insulated containers, inside which were small casseroles that Shinji had watched her put in. To be honest, Shinji had just thought they were for him, and he was wondering why Ryoko was being so extravagant. Even if she was spoiling him, he couldn't possibly eat it all. So why... oh, she took it to the other side!

“…Thank you for your kindness.” Wearing a red coat, Morishita Yamato looked at the insulated food container handed to her, her lips twitching slightly. She glanced at the kitchen counter opposite her, bowed slightly, and thanked Sakaki Ryoko in a somewhat hoarse voice. However, her next words made Sakaki Ryoko’s eyes narrow. “A farewell meal like this before you leave is enough.”

"..." Ryoko Sakaki looked at the person in front of her with a horrified expression, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something, but then she didn't know what to say.

“Go back now. Dojima Gin should be able to guarantee your safety. Oh, your boyfriend is here too. You'll be even safer with him.” He nodded to Sakaki Ryoko, indicating that she could go back. “Minions, let’s eat. You can leave it to Michiko. It’s almost time. You’re really lucky. This farewell meal was made by a chef from the Totsuki Group who is far more capable than me.”

"Hey..." The group of underlings who had been kneeling beside the box stood up one after another. Perhaps because they had been kneeling for too long, their bodies were a little stiff, and their movements were somewhat unsteady. However, their stiffness changed the moment they put the first spoonful of food into their mouths after they had shared the utensils and the casserole. A warm feeling instantly spread throughout their bodies.

"Skill is close to the Way, interesting. Dojima Gin, you've always been quiet, yet you've consistently been the top student of your year. There's a reason for that." Morishita Yamato laughed, and he didn't stand on ceremony.

Since someone has gone to such lengths to prepare a farewell meal for him, why should he refuse? All Morishita Yamato can do now is savor the meal carefully and give his opinion based on his own feelings. However, Morishita Yamato's skill level is very high, and his own culinary skills have been somewhat slow to improve over the years due to various delays.

"What did he say?" Seeing Ryoko Sakaki return with the food box, Gin Dojima stood there, watching the judges praise his dishes with admiration, while he ate his rice without any manners. He shook his head. Just as Shinji Ikari had guessed, the food battles here were different from those outside. At the very least, the judges here were not human.

Yes, none of the five judges sitting on the platform were human. After all, it was a mountain god festival. Although people could come, most of them were wealthy gourmets who valued their lives and wouldn't come to such a high-risk place. Even if they wanted to buy something, they would usually ask someone else to buy it for them.

“He said…he said…thank you for the farewell meal, Chef.” After hesitating for a moment, Ryoko Sakaki still honestly said, “Chef, aren’t we here for a food battle? Why would he say…”

"Because his dish... is a dish he wanted to make himself, a food war? Perhaps even life and death are no longer important to him." Dojima Gin took a deep breath. When he met Morishita Yamato that day, Morishita Yamato bluntly said that he would not hold back, but Dojima Gin immediately realized that this "not holding back" was not directed at him.

"Are you planning to admit defeat?" After the group of judges finished their small bowl of curry lobster seafood rice, they started banging on the table and shouting loudly. They felt that the two human chefs must have tried their best to make a top-notch meal to please them, the few among the monsters who knew about food.

“My cooking is very simple and quick, it just takes a little while, it’s not quite at its most flavorful yet.” As Morishita Yamato said this, a cruel smile spread across his face.

"Time's up!" The undead man who had once been in charge of executing Wright stood there with a smile on his face. "Although Big Brother's plan failed in reality, this food battle has actually given us the best opportunity for revenge! We who know our enemies but are too cowardly to take revenge will use Big Brother and Michiko's hands to complete our revenge!"

"Hmph! Yes, my whole family was slaughtered by these bastards. Those damned cops knew who the criminals were, but they did nothing." Without any hesitation, the vajra pierced his own heart, and blood gushed from the bleeding port like a fountain.

"Yes, Sorata, Yuko, I can finally see you today!" The man in the front row grinned maliciously and plunged his vajra into his own heart, blood spurting onto the floor.

"Hey! Jiro, Father, Mother, I did it today!" The tattooed Yakuza plunged a pale bone knife into his own neck with force, then slashed half of his neck open, blood gushing out like a fountain.

Dozens of living people in the room plunged their own vital organs without hesitation, spraying fresh blood into the hall. A strange array began to converge towards the center, and the array symbols, emitting the stench of blood, began to glow on the ground.

"Big brother! Michiko! Please!" The last zombie grinned and chopped off his own head. Perhaps because of his special nature, his body held his head and respectfully placed it in front of a shrine. Inside the shrine was a small wooden bucket filled with talismans, inside which was the corpse of a woman. The corpse had many marks from being chopped with kitchen utensils.

"What happened!" The agents from the Countermeasures Bureau outside had already noticed something was wrong. The resentment that erupted when the ritual, which was completed by dozens of people voluntarily, instantly shattered the concealment array that had been set up in the room. The terrifying resentment began to swirl around, and finally, like swallows returning to their nests, it converged into the wooden barrel. The blood on the ground also flowed towards the barrel like rivers flowing into the sea.

"Damn it! It's a human sacrifice! Morishita Yamato, that madman! He!" The countermeasures officer instinctively tried to stop it, but someone next to him suddenly changed his expression and pounced on his colleague.

Almost simultaneously, a plank from the barrel shattered and flew directly in his direction. With a crisp sound, the plank pierced into the nearby support pillar like a steel nail.

"Run! Get out of here right now! Then request backup! Something terrible has happened!" The operator, who had rushed to his colleague, pressed his headset and roared. This damned blood sacrifice was just the beginning! Or rather, the prelude! Morishita-ya was a restaurant, and a damn one at that, famous for its fresh ingredients, so they had their own slaughterhouse right next to this building... Countless shattered spirits were now flowing in through the established array, and the current situation had already exceeded the capabilities of these operators who were only meant to guard ordinary people.

"Approve it, approve it."

Which way does this path lead?

It's the path leading to Tenjin Shrine!

Please let me through quickly.

People without a valid reason cannot pass.

To celebrate the child turning seven years old

I prepared a gift before visiting the shrine.

The journey there is easy, but the journey back is terrifying!

It's scary as it is, let's pass it anyway, let's pass it..."

An ancient nursery rhyme with a rather sinister meaning was being sung leisurely by a woman in this blood-soaked scene of a large-scale blood sacrifice. The two agents were certain that there was not a single woman in the Morishita-ya building! Those beautiful female waitresses had long been dismissed by Morishita Yamato.

The operator trapped underneath was about to look up to see what was happening when the other person on top of him pressed his head down to the ground. "Don't look! If you can, don't listen! We're already done for, don't let others get hurt! To hear 'The Song of Passage' here, I'm going crazy... I must be going crazy!" Then the operator lost consciousness and didn't know what his colleague behind him was saying, because his consciousness had fallen into chaos.

He stared blankly ahead, and in his last glimpse, he saw a girl dressed in blood, with skin as white as snow. Her long, jet-black hair, like brocade, cascaded down the entire room like a waterfall. She slowly landed from mid-air, gently placing her fair, jade-like ankles on the floor, as if afraid of disturbing a sleeping person.

With a slightly sorrowful expression, she glanced at the operator, who immediately fainted. His hair turned white overnight, making him look as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

Unbeknownst to him, the girl's eyes were filled with sorrow, and tears of blood began to stream down her face. With gentle movements, she lifted the suddenly decaying head of the zombie and carefully placed it on the zombie's neck. Her long, black hair slowly stitched up the severed head.

Long hair, flowing throughout the room, cascaded down. Entangled in the black hair, the others were taken out one by one from the blood sacrifice instruments, their bodies smoothed out, and they lay flat on their backs. The long black hair meticulously stitched up their wounds. Their eyes were wide open, then slowly closed.

After doing all this, she slowly walked forward, flicked her hand, and a black curtain was lifted, revealing several kitchen knives. These knives were covered in dried blood. Her fingers gently brushed over them, and drops of dark blood fell onto the knives, mingling with the dried blood. Her black hair slowly swirled around the knives, and the girl wore the same smile as those who had already fallen to the ground. She slowly pierced her own body with the kitchen knife.

A massive amount of resentment erupted instantly! The girl finally looked up at the sky and let out a hoarse roar!

"I'm going to die... This is... a change in the heavens?" Izumo no Okuni stood on the roof of a building not far from Morishita-ya, listening to the nursery rhymes that were ringing out from all directions, his face turned deathly pale.

This power... The last time I saw it was when a serpent was undergoing its tribulation. If it succeeded, after the tribulation, its body would shed its old body and become a true dragon. However, that great monster failed its tribulation for various reasons and was shattered to pieces by the lightning.

"What a clever move... Morishita Yamato!" Izumo no Okuni bit her finger. She had never felt so helpless before. Why was she here? At that time, there was a choice between Asou Yuu and Yakushiji Ryoko. Although Asou Yuu failed, she at least brought out some information. After Shinji Ikari learned about it, he immediately notified the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang), and Izumo no Okuni immediately contacted Yakushiji Ryoko.

Izumo no Okuni made easy contact with Yakushiji Ryoko, who successfully solved the mystery of Tsukimi Island, confirming that the Evil Spirits Group did indeed obtain something from there, and found a notebook by Morishita Yamato there. This notebook was urgently sent to the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang) and the Spellcaster Association.

After an emergency analysis, both sides sensed that things were going badly and sent their last remaining manpower to Morishita-ya, but it now seems that they were still a step too late!

As the terrifying nursery rhyme "The Song of Passage" resounded through the sky, the other party's ritual was completed. As for the signs of change in the sky, it was clear that the tribulation lightning was about to strike.

All the countermeasures bureau agents near Morishita-ya had already collapsed. Their colleagues' notification came too late; they didn't have time to escape.

"Answer the phone! Answer the phone! Answer the phone! Answer the phone! Answer the phone! Answer the phone! Shinji, you little brat, answer the phone now!" Izumo no Okuni grabbed his phone and immediately dialed, but as the call didn't connect for a long time, he started cursing.

Why didn't Shinji Ikari answer the phone? Because the scene was too noisy, and unfortunately, he couldn't hear the phone's ringtone.

Why did this happen? Because at the same time Morishita began the blood sacrifice, she smiled and opened the box in front of her.

"This is the dish I've prepared! The most important thing about food... is its original flavor, so it's still alive now."

"How dare you! How dare you!"

"Human! Do you think the Totsuki Organization can protect you?!"

"You actually turned a monster into a dish during the mountain god's festival! You have a death wish!"

The scene erupted in uproar. None of the demons, not even Dojima Gin, had expected Morishita Yamato to bring out such a dish at the end. During the mountain god festival, he had marinated a shrimp demon in a special wine. The rich aroma of the wine filled the entire space the moment the lid was opened, but it could not extinguish the demons' anger.

"Hey...it's just a dish..." Feeling the stinging pain in his back, Morishita Yamato picked up a kitchen knife. For some reason, his hand trembled slightly, as if the knife weighed a ton, until a hand as white as jade rested on the back of his hand, and the knife fell...

"Boom!" Thunder roared from the heavens above the Mountain God's Sacrifice.