I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 393 Ai Ling, You're Free

"Shura!"

Jiu Kong Yao Ai, who was the first to arrive at the battlefield and succeeded in her move, shouted out loud.

brush,

Holding the 'Decapitation Blade', Xiao followed closely behind, leaping to Jiu Kong's side and slashing the blade, crackling with black lightning, at nothing in the way.

Clang!

The next second, accompanied by a crashing sound that shot straight into the sky, the great demon 'Red Lotus's' claws were blocked by the decapitation blade.

"It's you again, you troublesome brat."

With Teach's mangled corpse still hanging from one arm, and the claws that the other hand swung out blocked, the great demon 'Red Lotus' was very displeased.

"Let's withdraw!"

Taking advantage of Xiao blocking 'Red Lotus', Jiu Kong Yao Ai slipped away.

It's not that she's 'betraying her teammates,' but rather that Jiu Kong Yao Ai, who stole three treasures, is the target: as long as she can get onto the Shenmu, the remaining superhumans in the island nation can't just stand by and watch, right?

Moreover, given 'Red Lotus's' personality, it would be perfectly normal for her to casually kill a few extraordinary individuals who blocked her way.

"Mai, Mr. Luffy, let's go!"

Seeing that Jiu Kong Yao Ai was heading straight for the 'Shenmu', Director Zhu Ya had no choice but to shoulder the explosive blade.

Now the coalition only has three 'cards' left. They know that Jiu Kongyao is trying to 'shift the blame,' but they have no choice but to step in.

"it is good,"

The policewoman agreed.
She is no longer the weak person she used to be; now there are no elders to shield her from the storms of life.

Therefore, you must fight on your own.

"Earth Spider, come!"

In an instant, the human and the spider merged, and Kawai Mai, transformed into the Spider Woman, swung her six long legs and leaped off the 'Shinmoku', rushing forward at high speed across the sea; at the same time, she placed her hands on the hilt of the sword at her waist, assuming the starting stance for a draw-and-slash.

"Five Gates - Open!"

On the other side, Luffy, with one hand on the deck, let out a low growl, and his 'spiritual power' rose up like a torch, visible to the naked eye. Just by looking at his aura, he was already no less powerful than a Demon-level being.

"shave!"

With a flash, Luffy arrived first, rushing in front of Kawai Mai at a speed that was like 'teleportation'.

"Muskets and muskets fire wildly!"

Once the Eight Gates are opened, the entire body is filled with numerical values.

Luffy swung his arm out, and although he only had one arm, it was as if the 'Thousand-Hand Guanyin' had instantly blossomed.

Countless fists, carrying flames generated by friction with the air, bombarded the 'Shura' who had been kicked away, and then slammed into the great demon 'Red Lotus' who was chasing after Jiu Kong Yao Ai.

"what?"

However, 'Guren's' lightning chakra mode is also filled with the beauty of 'numericals'.

Facing the 'countless' fists hurtling towards him, the lion smiled nonchalantly.

crackling

"You brat—"

The sound came from behind him, and Luffy, who was shocked, had only turned halfway around when he was swept away by an irresistible force.

"Can you keep up with my speed?"

Whoosh—Boom!

Luffy transformed into a beam of light and hurtled out, crashing violently into the sea and creating massive waves.

competitive

It's a long story, but the exchange lasted less than half a second.

Mai arrived a little later, a faint blue light flashing at her waist.

"Supersonic sword draw!"

After the fusion, the female police officer, whose strength was at the level of a tiger, also delivered a remarkable strike; the supersonic blade couldn't even keep up with the sound, and before the sound of the blade being drawn could be heard, it had already slashed horizontally towards the great demon 'Red Lotus'.

叮、

However, 'Red Lotus' simply raised two fingers and easily caught the long sword 'decorated' with countless cracks.

splash,

Almost at the moment it was clamped,

The knife immediately disintegrated along the crack, turning into countless fragments.

?

The fragments of the longsword did not fall. If time were slowed down a thousand times, one could see that, due to inertia, all the fragments emitted a soft blue light and continued to fly forward. After bypassing the red lotus's claws, they suddenly reassembled into a longsword and continued to cut forward.

"--cut!"

I never expected them to have such a move.
Just as the cracked longsword was about to strike, Honglian opened her mouth full of fangs and suddenly bit forward!
click,

Wow~~
The longsword once again shattered into countless fragments!
This time, it wasn't that Mai deliberately disintegrated to bypass the opponent's defenses, but rather that she was forcibly bitten to pieces by the great demon 'Red Lotus'.

However, it doesn't matter, this long sword called 'Thousand Blades' was originally in this form.

"Scatter,"

As Mai, now fused with the Spider Woman, twisted her wrist, countless fragments of long swords suddenly swirled, transforming into a storm of sharp blades that enveloped 'Crimson Lotus,' threatening to tear him to pieces!

"Hey, break it down into smaller parts?"

The great demon 'Red Lotus' turned its head and flicked its wrist.
"I can do it too!"

splash,

His lion mane suddenly spread out, each strand like a sharp blade!
As 'Red Lotus' turned her head, it was as if thousands of blades suddenly scattered, sweeping out in all directions.

Ding ding ding ding ding,

Amidst the continuous clanging of metal, countless sparks burst forth in a dazzling display.

However, for Kawai Mai, who was so close, there was no 'beauty' whatsoever, only a chilling killing intent and a sense of crisis.

"Spider stuck to its armor."

She had just created the superalloy slime armor when she was swept away by a dense barrage of lion mane blades!
Even with secret techniques and extraordinary swords, a warrior of the Tiger level would be nothing more than a high-ranking soldier who would fall in one or two moves in front of the great demon 'Red Lotus'; fortunately, Takashi had caught up, and on the other side, holding two broken sword hilts, Yagyu Onoda also came rushing in with a howling wind.

"Honglian, stop playing around."

Paper Dance floated over, its gaze sweeping over the corpse of 'Teach' still hanging on 'Red Lotus's' hand.

"Send the body to Blood Hakama, don't delay the important business."

"Tsk, fine—"

Honglian smacked her lips in annoyance, and amidst flashes of lightning, she flew towards the 'Beast Mother' where 'Blood Hakka' was located, carrying Teach's headless corpse.

"No need to get excited, everyone."

Facing the group of superhumans who were armed and surrounding her, Paper Dance, whose arm had been restored to its original state, calmly waved her hand.

"Three collectibles, if they're lost, they're lost."

"As for Teach, he was supposed to be 'dealt with' anyway."

Paper Dance, holding a folding fan and gently waving it, seemed unconcerned about the lost treasure, and instead calmly inquired about the others.

"You are all extraordinary beings with some knowledge, have you ever heard of a Ghost-level extraordinary being creating another stable Ghost-level extraordinary being?"

To fight or not to fight

Why are we suddenly chatting?

The island nation's government did not take this "Paper Dance" lightly; on the contrary, it attached great importance to it.

Because the Nine-Tails' forces initially revived Blood Hakama and Kamimaru!

Blood Hakama is skilled in various Yin-Yang arts, collecting souls, instigating wars, and setting up various formations. It can be said that the Nine-Tailed Fox's current status is almost entirely due to him.

Paper Dance, on the other hand, is different. Every time she appears, she either slacks off or goes easy on the enemy, and she doesn't seem to have any sense of oppression or the ruthlessness that a villainous boss should have. But if you say she is harmless, the Japanese government would be the first to disagree.

It now appears that she secretly collected many of the island nation's 'historical treasures,' which is truly despicable!
"Your Excellency Paper Dance, what do you mean by that?"

Because she was too slow, Director Zhuya, who hadn't had a chance to make a move yet, stood on the sea with her explosive blade in hand, looking up and asking.

As supernatural powers spread, humanity also developed many rules and regulations.

High-ranking superhumans can grant ordinary people extraordinary abilities, though this is generally only achievable at the Tiger or Demon level. For example, the source of superhuman power is the 'Kessho-seki' (killing stone), which was scattered everywhere by the Blood Hakama (blood-stained hakama) and later almost entirely collected by the Nine-Tailed Fox's forces. At the same time, the Blood Hakama can also create Tiger-level half-demons: the deceased Yamagami Toru, Army's Saito Suke, and a certain missing murderer all came from this.

but--

"A demon-level being created from another demon-level being... isn't that you?"

That's right, the one who has appeared so far capable of creating a Ghost-level superhuman is none other than the Paper Dance in front of us.

"Hehe, you guys overestimate him."

Paper Dance gently waved her folding fan and patiently explained:

"A Ghost-level being is a powerful demon; it cannot be created casually."

"To create a stable Oni-level powerhouse, even a great Onmyoji like Abe no Seimei would need to consume a lot of materials and allow a person of superior talent to train and cultivate before they can reach the level of a Great Demon."

After speaking, Paper Dance, who had covered the lower half of her face with a folding fan, glanced at the crowd below.

“You are all exceptionally talented individuals, and you should understand that this threshold is not so easy to cross.”

That's right.
Everyone present could boast of being a 'one in a million genius,' and they had never slacked off in their training, having also faced numerous life-or-death battles. Yet, only Yagyu Onoda broke through to the Demon level, demonstrating that the threshold of becoming a Great Demon is no easy feat!
In a flash,

Director Zhu Ya's expression changed drastically as her thoughts raced the fastest!

"It seems some people have already guessed it. In that case, please allow me to take my leave."

As always, Paper Dance would retreat gracefully when faced with a master, leaving behind only a group of extraordinary individuals looking at each other in bewilderment, and Director Zhu Ya, whose face was ashen and who was muttering to herself.

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is!"

Doesn't that mean -

Finished!

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.

"Get out of the way!"

He was punched in the mouth by his own 'illusion' and coughed up blood.

Mr. Takahashi, who was lying limp on the ground, seemed to have lost his fighting ability, but he braced himself with his limbs and suddenly darted forward along the ground.

"what?"

Caught off guard, the other person actually passed between his legs, even the 'Mr. Takahashi Illusion' couldn't help but be stunned.

Mr. Takahashi, who had crawled between his own fantasies, didn't bother to get up and charged forward on all fours.

Just ahead, not far away, was his daughter—

"That's it."

brush,

A figure wearing a white military overcoat stood in front of Mr. Takahashi, whose chest was covered in blood.

“I admire your courage, but courage alone is not enough.”

Kafka's illusions are like an unshakeable wall.

"Courage without strength is recklessness."

The real Kafka was someone who aspired to be a 'partner of justice' from a young age; however, when faced with the demon tide of Mount Koya, he would have died at the hands of the lowest-ranking demons if Yuu hadn't arrived in time.

Kafka's illusion inherited the original's thoughts, so it understood that Takahashi Eileen could not turn back.

Not at least not now!

"Ahem, Mr. Kafka, these are your words:"

Mr. Takahashi, dressed in military uniform, pulled a specially made cell phone from his waist, raised the screen, and pointed it at—

The daughter hiding behind the 'Kafka illusion'.

"Takahashi Eileen,"

The image shown is of Kafka Lu Jiang.

"I'm sorry to talk to you in this way, but I really can't leave."

Kafka and Shio, these two demon-level powerhouses from the Osaka direction, need to be on guard against Abe no Seimei at all times: only they can slightly delay the strongest Onmyoji in history, and then wait for the strongest modern Yu-kun to come and deal with him.

“I understand your situation very well.”

"I won't advise you to let go of your resentment, but—"

On the phone, the serious Kafka Lu will continue speaking, word by word.

"Aren't family the ones who can understand each other?"

In life, conflicts will inevitably arise when interacting with anyone. There will be arguments, curses, and even physical altercations. But only with a family member, even when the argument is heated, will one still worry about the other person; even if one swears oaths, upon hearing that the other person is not doing well, one will still rush back.

"As for strength, I don't think I can be considered weak."

A voice, cold yet gentle, rang out. It was Yura, who had somehow intensified her efforts to freeze the giant cat demon, and drifted in.

"Since I approved this plan, I will naturally take full responsibility for it."

Unlike the middle school girl who acts cute in front of Yu, in front of others, Yura Hanakain is already a big shot whose word is law!

"Takahashi Eileen, you can turn back."

Right here, today.

"I"

Looking at her father, whose chest was covered in blood, and on the other side, at Hayakawa Kojiro, who was being trampled underfoot by "herself" and looked resentful, Takahashi Eileen hesitated.

"But... Paper Dance Sister..."

"Hehehe~~ You don't need to worry about me, little Ai Ling."

? !
A silvery voice rang out, causing everyone who was about to be successfully 'converted' to turn their heads.

"Paper Dance!"

Yuluo raised her hands, and the icy longbow and arrows fell into them.

"Don't be nervous, little Onmyoji."

In response, Paper Dance waved her hand nonchalantly as always, indicating that she had no intention of fighting.

“I’m here to give Xiao Ailing ‘freedom’.”

???

"Sister Paper Dance, it's me."

"No explanation needed, little Ai Ling."

She raised her hand to interrupt Takahashi Eileen's words, and Paper Dance was still smiling, but her smile was more indifferent than anything else.

“I’m not a ‘good person.’ From the very beginning, you were just my ‘pawn,’ and now—”

It's time to reap the rewards.

With a wave of the paper dance fan, countless colors floated out from the illusions of Takahashi Eileen, Kafka, Mr. Takahashi, Hayakawa Kojiro, and the giant cat 'Mitsuko', flying towards the paper dance.

These lights were dreamlike and ethereal, as if they were a mixture of all the colors in the world, and as if they could transform into all creations in the world, even living beings.

"Meow?!"

Countless cat souls also entered the light and danced towards the paper.

"This is."

"my power?"

In the blink of an eye, the giant cat disappeared again, as did the illusions of Kafka, Mr. Takahashi, and Hayakawa Kojiro. The biggest change was in Takahashi Eileen, who felt that the extraordinary power that seemed to be at her fingertips vanish in an instant!

"Ah~~"

Having lost her powers and suddenly becoming an ordinary person, the little girl slipped and fell to the side.

"Ailing!"

Although he didn't know what had happened, Mr. Takahashi in military uniform instinctively lunged forward, hugged his daughter, and fell onto the ice crystals.

The giant cat that had been the group's resting place had disappeared again, leaving only the giant ice crystal platform created by Yura to support the four people and a bewildered kitten.

"Little Ai Ling, you are free."

The paper dance, with its endless colors, vanished, leaving behind a message that was neither a blessing nor a curse.

"Let's live in this era again as ordinary people."

(End of this chapter)