Chapter 46: Thus Speaks the Dao

Pedestrians in the city, bathing in the sunlight, frowned as they looked up at the sky shrouded in dark clouds.

"It's going to rain again. Oh no, I didn't bring an umbrella."

"Should we duck into a mall? We can grab some ice cream while we're at it."

"I want vanilla!"

The small group of young people walked toward a nearby shopping mall with lighthearted laughter.

*Splat!*

Fluid splattered irregularly forward. A sticky sensation and a pungent smell of iron appeared simultaneously. The surrounding youths stared in a dazed silence as the athletic, blonde-haired young man walking at the very front was sliced cleanly in half from top to bottom.

Blood and whitish matter splashed everywhere, sticking to the eyes of the person standing closest.

After a brief, stunned silence.

"He... he killed someone!"

"Ahhh!!"

*Bang!!*

A sudden burst of flames drowned out the piercing screams. The sword-wielding ghost that had cleaved the man in two casually slashed the chubby, bespectacled otaku who had been screaming the loudest, then turned its gaze toward the distance.

A slender female figure stood atop a huge billboard. Behind her, the mall was already engulfed in roaring flames, creating a surreal mural formed by shattering, flying glass and the groaning, warped iron framework melted by intense heat.

A Jorogumo—a specter whose resentment in death birthed raging fires.

"Ahahaha!" A harsh, shrieking, monstrous laughter echoed through several neighboring streets, causing anyone who heard it to instinctively feel suffocated.

A Ubume. Most who hear her laughter meet a grim fate; in folklore, she is considered a profoundly inauspicious apparition.

A Mizuchi, a massive demon, a Kurozuka...

All sorts of vividly rendered monsters were recognized by those who knew the lore, and the entire district plunged into instant chaos!

*Boom!* With a ground-shaking tremor, the upper floors of the tallest skyscraper began to collapse amid falling rubble. A colossal demon-faced spider stood tall atop the highest building, its mere presence causing countless casualties in an instant.

"Lads! Charge with me toward the most prosperous city of this era! My Night Parade of One Hundred Demons must be magnificent!"

His voice sounded like rolling thunder, echoing in all directions.

By now, Chiba City was completely enveloped in an ominous, malevolent cloud of miasma. Everyone within its borders felt an unease welling up from their souls, their hearts pounding wildly.

With the Earth Spider's declaration, the demons and fiends instantly descended into an even more ecstatic frenzy.

"Boss, what do we do now?" Vodka asked, feeling deeply unsettled. Although following his boss in the past had involved operations challenging various nations, they had never been this insane. Launching a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons alongside actual monsters—in the past, anyone who dared utter such words in front of him would have been dragged out for a five-minute electrocution session.

Gin had already shaken off his initial emotional shock and was analyzing the situation with cold logic.

"Find an opportunity to leave. That thing might be able to withstand modern firepower, but we can't."

He had not been blinded by the sudden descent of supernatural power.

Just as there is no single greatest firearm, only the greatest firearm user.

He could handle guys armed with sniper rifles and assault rifles using nothing more than his antique Beretta, simply because his own personal skills were formidable enough.

The same applied to the Earth Spider's ability to run amok.

However, in the supernatural domain, they lacked this advantage. Having just acquired supernatural abilities without even knowing how to wield them, they could only operate purely on instinct—a crude method of utilization that was simply too painful for him to watch.

Vodka nodded. "Then should we contact the Organization now?"

Gin glanced sideways at the still naive Vodka, his eyes narrowing slightly. "First, let's head to the safe house we prepared and get ready."

"Huh? Get ready for what?"

"...Ready to leave the Organization." Gin forced down his rising anger, dropped those words, and turned to walk away.

Vodka, still trying to process the statement, didn't have time to think further and hurriedly gave chase.

"Wait for me, Boss!"

Meanwhile.

"Calm down, Yamanaka-kun! That is not an enemy you can handle!"

"Are you just going to stand by and watch while that monster slaughters the city?!" Yamanaka Toru grabbed Asakawa Yuya by the collar and roared furiously.

"The Self-Defense Force has already been mobilized. All we can do right now is report the situation here to the Metropolitan Police Department and have Tokyo prepare as quickly as possible."

Asakawa Yuya wore a grave expression.

"That monster is an Earth Spider. Just after breaking its seal and appearing in Yamabe District, it was able to withstand anti-tank missiles and possesses earth-elemental sorcery. Let alone us, even the Self-Defense Force cannot stop it—not to mention that it has now gathered the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. If you charge in like that, you aren't saving people; you're squandering the potential of your own power to save even more people in the future."

Yamanaka Toru knew full well that what Asakawa said was right. How could someone like him, weak as he was, ever match a monster like that?

Yet, his inner conscience tortured him relentlessly. Having lost everything, left with nothing but a burning sense of justice, he found it impossible to accept.

With a glance, Asakawa signaled nearby personnel to calm Yamanaka down, then began broadcasting the scene before him in real-time to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Looking up at the sky shrouded in demonic clouds, he let out a long sigh.

After today, news of spirits and the supernatural would likely spread across the entire country, bringing with it the news that even foreign nations would learn of Japan's plight.

————

On the rooftop of Sobu High School.

Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at Mizuki Baku, who had brought his own reclining chair and was leisurely sunbathing, veins visibly throbbing on her forehead.

"I'm saying, there's a limit to being arrogant!"

Immediately afterward, she tried to persuade him with earnest advice.

"Even if your grades are great, society doesn't just look at grades. Which high school student acts like you? Aren't you worried about what you'll do once you enter society?"

Events proved that her nagging was, indeed, useful.

Mizuki Baku turned slightly on his side, looking at the older teacher who was relentlessly urged by her parents to marry yet dared not go home, and said lazily.

"What if society revolves around me?"

"Huh? Are you out of your mind?" Hiratsuka Shizuka retorted.

————

The Metropolitan Police Department.

All high-ranking officials had assembled at top speed. Heavily armed personnel rushed in and out, and a tense atmosphere permeated the entire headquarters.

"The Earth Spider."

The massive screen played footage of the Earth Spider occupying the highest building, surrounded by hideous and terrifying monsters—some setting fires, others unleashing torrents of water, wielding blades, spears, swords, halberds, sharp claws, and brutal fists.

The scenes of bloody violence battered everyone's minds. Many high-ranking officials who had risen through administrative desks turned deathly pale, looking as though they might vomit at any second.

"The Earth Spider has reappeared. We do not know how much of its strength has recovered this time, but the only certainty is that it is stronger than before, and it has the One Hundred Demons as its vanguard. Do you see that dark cloud? That is the manifestation of the Earth Spider's malevolent energy."

Director Hakuba wore a grim expression, repeating the intelligence he had received from Dilu.

"Its target is undoubtedly Tokyo. Based on the trajectory of its movements, it will most likely land through Chiba City, Mihara Ward, Zoshino City, Funabashi City, Ichikawa City... and finally make landfall in Edogawa Ward to enter Tokyo!"

Odagiri Toshiro took a deep breath as he reported this heavy intelligence.

Everyone's minds buzzed with ringing noise.

Chiba Prefecture belonged to the Greater Tokyo Area, right next door. Just how close was it? Forty kilometers—a distance you could cover with a single press of the gas pedal.

At such a distance, even fast-responding military units wouldn't be able to defend against it, let alone fend off an Earth Spider capable of weathering missiles along with its massive army.

Were they going to drop a nuclear bomb on Tokyo itself?!

"What does Master Dilu say?" some high-ranking official asked anxiously, attempting to seek help from the most reliable Buddhist monk available.

"The Master has already set out toward the area where the One Hundred Demons are expected to make landfall. Gentlemen, the battle is ours to fight now. Prepare yourselves—we are going to war with monsters in Tokyo."

"I hereby announce that all firepower and personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department are under my sole command. No one is permitted to question or disobey orders!"

Director Hakuba closed his eyes for a split second, then opened them with an unwavering gaze.

All the usual bureaucratic meetings and red tape were cast aside; they had to defend Tokyo!

That being said, many dignitaries had probably already fled.

They were all 'big shots,' so who didn't know who?

Things had reached this point, and having been cornered onto the boat by that bastard Hakuba, realizing they couldn't run away either, the officials could only sit at their desks with expressions of resolute martyrdom.