I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 125 'War' Under a Tacit Understanding

“This is 'KYG',”

"I'll bring you firsthand information from the scene, wow—it's spectacular."

Clusters of fireballs burst open in the sky above the mountains, stretching endlessly to the horizon, appearing to be densely packed with hundreds of them!

As these fireballs exploded, a visible white blast of air spread out, looking like dandelions blooming in the sky; after the shockwave, the classic mushroom cloud slowly rose, covering the entire sky as far as the eye could see in billowing smoke.

The sky was filled with the aftershocks of the explosion; the destructive power of human technological weapons, unleashed at full force, was equally terrifying.

It's a thermobaric weapon!

[What a terrifying scene! Those demons are doomed.]

Human technology is unparalleled! All extraordinary abilities can only bow down in submission!

"Pshaw, if a superhuman can't handle a thermobaric weapon, surely they can handle you? Besides, what if it's an evil superhuman?"

The live stream was still filled with the usual bickering, a scene that even the young streamer couldn't help but remark:

"Has the so-called 'demon tide' really come to an end like this?"

"Two thousand five hundred thermobaric bombs."

At the summit of a mountain in the Koyasan mountain range, the 'blood-stained hakama' marveled.

"Only a wealthy and powerful country like the United States could afford to drop so many 'sub-nuclear weapons' all at once."

The United States has a history of 300 years, and it has been at war almost all the time. You can say it's bad, but you can't say it's incompetent: only the United States, which accounts for nearly 40% of the world's annual military expenditure, could drop more than 2,000 high-yield thermobaric bombs without batting an eye.

Moreover, this isn't a war between humans, so why bother with any 'public opinion' direction?

Naturally, we should do whatever is ruthless we can!
but:

"Everything is going as expected,"

The actual number of the demons created by the 'Blood Hakama' clone is around 300 million.

Despite its seemingly vast size, it is scattered across more than 3,000 square kilometers of Wakayama Prefecture, appearing as sparse as sesame seeds: the sheer number of illusions creates the spectacular sight of millions of demons.

The mere two thousand or so thermobaric bombs could not possibly cover such a large area: these thermobaric bombs were all deployed on the outer perimeter.

This means that by forming a 'circle' around the island nation's defensive line, they killed approximately 40 demons while also halting the spread of the demon tide, giving the island nation's precarious defenses a chance to breathe. Then:
There is no more.

This is certainly not because America and the island nation have run out of thermobaric weapons.

America, with its thousands of nuclear warheads, couldn't possibly be unable to produce even a few thousand thermobaric weapons.

Moreover, this world has been a place where 'extraordinary' beings have existed for some time now. If governments around the world are not actively preparing for war, then Yu should question whether he needs to be so cautious.

In other words, America and the island nation have the capability to directly bomb Waka Prefecture into a scorched wasteland!

But they didn't do that, and the reason isn't hard to guess.

"The wages of avarice is death."

The man in blood-stained khaki, his face covered by a white cloth, gave a cold laugh and gestured to the side.

"Hai Ren, go."

"Give the guests a 'return gift'."

brush,

The sea ninja beside him made no move, his entire body sinking into the shadow created by the explosion's light beneath his feet.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"That's a thermobaric weapon?"

The continuous explosions in the sky amidst the 'demon tide' caused the superhumans and Self-Defense Forces fighting against it to look up.

"The power of technology is amazing!"

Witnessing the terrifying destructive power of an explosion that cleared hundreds of meters in a single burst, the Igoya siblings wore serious expressions.

"Yes, we still have a long way to go, sister."

Even if they joined forces to use 'composite ninjutsu', they could only cause damage within a few dozen meters, while the explosions in the distant demon tide could affect hundreds of meters, and seemed to stretch endlessly to the left and right of their line of sight.

Under such a level of bombing,
Even the overwhelming 'demonic tide' suddenly stopped, abruptly cut off by the flames and impact.

In terms of destructive power, the power of technology is no less than that of the extraordinary.

"Take care of the remaining demons,"

Today's battle should now be over.

Although, in Isogai Dai's opinion, it shouldn't end so simply.

the other side,
"Phew, it's over."

Amidst the corpses of the demons scattered on the ground, Saito, whose body was marked with black patterns, let out a long sigh of relief.

His "sorcery" is terrifying in one-on-one combat; once it is "integrated" into a body, the user's life or death is almost entirely out of their control. But other than that, he has no other abilities.

The battle was entirely a "Xia Ji Eight Cuts" style of melee combat; it was extremely inefficient, and if the fight continued, he might have to enter his "demon form".

"Don't let your guard down, this is a crisis for us."

In a flash, the middle-aged Yamagami Toru appeared beside him.

"This is just the beginning."

Strictly speaking, they were actually under the command of that 'Blood Hakama'!
Faced with this surging tide of demons, the two decided to stand on the side of 'humans': of course, the consequence of doing so was that they might face the reckoning of the Blood Hakama.

click,

The sound of a door opening came from the house below.
"Big Brother,"

First, a little girl walked out of her house, then a cautious middle-aged man and woman, and a baby being held in someone's arms.

"Thank you for saving my family."

The little girl bowed to the two people on the roof, which looked somewhat comical, but it softened the expressions of the two people on the roof.

It wasn't just this one house; as the demons disappeared from the sky, residents continued to open their doors on this street littered with wreckage. They first looked fearfully at the demon remains scattered on the ground, then bowed to the two people standing on the rooftop to express their gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Saito-kun and Yamakami-san!"

"Thanks to you all, we were able to survive."

"You are all heroes!"

Even those who dared not go out offered their praise from their windows.

"I am not a hero,"

Holding two broken daggers, Saito, who looked like a high school student, shook his head slightly.

"I'm just doing what I believe is right." "Everyone,"

Yamagami Toru, who was holding the steel pipe, turned his head and looked around.

"Although the demon tide has receded, there may still be unknown enemies. Please take refuge at home first."

After persuading the residents to return, the two stood amidst a large number of demon remains, quietly awaiting their 'judgment'; however, even as the Self-Defense Force soldiers poured into the street, neither the 'Blood Hakama' nor the 'Paper Dance' appeared.

"It seems that we lowly pawns aren't even worth 'purging'?"

"Or perhaps that sir is too busy to deal with us."

Saito glanced at the Self-Defense Force soldiers jogging towards him.

"time to go."

"Eh? Gentlemen, sir, please wait a moment—"

As the leading Self-Defense Force officer raised his hand to stop them, the two figures vanished from the rooftop in a flash.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the sea outside Wakayama,

The "Joint Fleet," a combination of the Third and Fifth Fleets, was scattered across the Pacific Ocean. All the warships were on high alert and formed defensive formations, with even the sailors in the cabins holding their weapons in guard.

Meanwhile, in the command center of the research vessel "Voyage", high-ranking American officials gathered in a circle, each with a solemn expression.

In the center of them was an island-style shrine, inside which was enshrined a huge leaf.

"Alarm! Alarm!"

"The Carl Vinson has been attacked by an extraordinary force!"

While the high-ranking official remained silent, a series of urgent sounds suddenly rang out from the control panel next to him.

"The enemy is 'Sea Ninja,' she's appeared in the main control room, requesting—ah!"

With a scream, the cries for help were cut off: only a series of heavy thuds remained, which made the faces of the American officials in the restaurant even more serious.

"Send a rescue team to the USS Carl Vinson."

As soon as the white lieutenant general gave the order, warships immediately moved towards the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, while armed helicopters took off and surrounded the behemoth. But before these "reinforcements" arrived:
"USS Stennis has been subjected to an extraordinary attack!"

Another urgent distress call rang out, this time from another aircraft carrier.

"The enemy is the extraordinary being 'Sea Ninja,' please—"

With a slicing sound followed by angry curses, the chaotic sounds of gunfire were abruptly cut off, leaving the high-ranking officials present even more dignified.

Such a fast killing speed!

Within just over ten minutes, both aircraft carriers fell into a state of 'silence'.

There's only one reason: the 'Sea Ninja' stormed these two aircraft carriers! The symbols of the planet's strongest military power vanished amidst screams of agony: this means that all five thousand men on board the two carriers have...
"Five thousand people sacrificed their lives for the country,"

"America will remember their sacrifice."

The white lieutenant general spoke slowly, setting the tone for the matter. As for the domestic situation?

Ha, this time all the tycoons will stand behind him; the Donald Party and the Elephant Party are more 'united' than ever before, and no media outlet will say a word more than necessary.

Don't be fooled by the fact that America used to be in such a state of turmoil over the deaths of a few soldiers; ultimately, it's just a battle between the two parties. Every protest has a financial backer behind it. But once the Democrats and Republicans unite, they'll show you the 'iron fist' of the capitalist world!
After waiting for another ten minutes or so, the "rescue" personnel boarded the USS Carl Vinson and USS Stennis and delivered the news that all the people on board had perished. Only then did the American officials breathe a long sigh of relief.

"It seems that this is the other party's 'response'."

"Alright, next we'll keep the intensity of the war within a certain range."

The vast numbers of 'slave demons' have never been a threat to America, after all, their specialty is 'bombardment': scientists claim that humanity's nuclear weapons could destroy an ecosystem a dozen times over. And 90 percent of those are concentrated in the hands of America and Russia.

Besides this ultimate trump card, America, which is at war every year, also has the world's largest stockpile of conventional weapons.

Let alone Wakayama Prefecture, even the entire island nation of America is confident that it could be reduced to ruins: Afghanistan, once considered a 'military power,' has been bombed by America and become one of the 'least developed countries in the world.'

However, if it's an assassination by supernatural forces—

For example, just now: Blood Hakama, who suffered a 'loss' under the thermobaric bomb, sent out the assassin 'Sea Ninja'.

They easily infiltrated two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and slaughtered thousands of people on both ships in just over ten minutes!
If they could slaughter these naval soldiers, they could certainly slaughter these high-ranking officers as well: if it weren't for the 'talisman' they obtained in the room.

Indeed, the shrine in the center of their house enshrined a token obtained from the 'Divine Tree Shrine'.

This is a protective charm that the island nation's government has been licking for so long.

Within a hundred meters of this leaf's cover, all evil spirits must retreat; otherwise:

They're just not giving Inari the God of Fire any face!
At least among the extraordinary beings that have appeared so far, none have dared to provoke the God of Abundance.

Blood-stained trousers are not allowed!

"I'll leave the rest of the war to you all."

Now that the 'Sea Ninja' has left, they are safe.

Next, they will tacitly maintain the intensity of the war: they must not allow those 'minion demons' to break out and force the island nation to turn against Russia; at the same time, they must continue to capture 'minion demons' and manufacture them into new extraordinary drugs to leech off the world and maintain America's status.

"And, we offer our deepest respect to the God of Abundance."

After saying this, a group of blond, blue-eyed old white men clapped their hands and bowed their heads toward the leaves in the shrine, thanking this 'god' for his protection.

If it weren't for maintaining the dignity of the army, they would have loved to wear fox masks, cherry blossom sachets, or other 'sacred objects' to protect themselves.

After all, who wouldn't be afraid of a superhuman assassination?
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Whoohoo~~"

"it is finally over."

At the foot of the mountain, behind the traffic jam on the highway, Squad Leader Nao breathed a sigh of relief.

Not only her, but also Qiongmei and Youluo were panting heavily. Their 'first battle' had come to a successful conclusion.

In fact, not much time had passed. From the arrival of the rescue team to the devastation caused by the thermobaric bombs, and then the retreat of the demonic tide, only about half an hour had passed.

However, those short half-hour hours felt like two days to them: swarms of flying demons, swooping descents, cries for help from ordinary people, and roars of the brave.
Countless voices, some brave, some desperate, some crying, and some cursing, together created a unique oppressive atmosphere on the battlefield, making them tense up as well!
As the demon tide receded, the relaxed girls noticed the mangled limbs of the demons scattered on the ground, and their expressions turned grim.

"It seems that the impact was still too great for you."

With a wave of its hand, the enormous 'Black Owl' flapped its wings and glided close to the ground.

“Your spiritual energy is almost depleted.”

"Let's go back and rest first."

The war has 'temporarily' come to an end, and what follows is a tug-of-war: many extraordinary beings are openly leveling up, while the island nation and the American government are taking the opportunity to obtain a large number of extraordinary potions. Yu can both increase his proficiency and make his chakra spread autonomously, which will satisfy all forces. It can be said that he has won big!
As for who's unlucky?

A giant, dark bird carrying the crowd flew over the heads of the large number of islanders stuck in traffic.

(End of this chapter)