I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 484 The unexpected person
"Xiao Qiong, you care about this low-level competition?"

The area where the two were located was the Kengan Association's branch in the 'New Bunkyo Ward': the spectator seats on this floor were not open to students; however, students who considered themselves to be quite skilled could come here to earn some extra money.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to compete, but to be a sparring partner; an ordinary person's sparring partner can't withstand the punches and kicks of an extraordinary person.

But there will always be those who are dissatisfied with the status quo: those young people below wearing all sorts of ridiculous 'disguises' are examples.

Hina Hongo was quite certain that nine out of ten of them were students from Academy City.

The last one is the teacher.

The money you earn from one fight in the ring is enough to be a sparring partner for several weeks!
Of course, these people have to bear the consequences of their studies being delayed by injuries; if it weren't for the fact that the 'Kengan Association' is so wealthy and provides free treatment as long as the victim isn't killed, these 'participants' would probably be in an even more difficult situation.

After all, there can only be one winner!
"Yes, I do care about it a bit."

Anyone who can catch the eye of their older brother must be at least a Demon-level expert: even if they aren't now, they will eventually reach that level.

So Qiong Mei stopped and looked down at the huge arena through the one-way glass of the corridor.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

The host on stage is holding a microphone, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

"Today we welcome ten more 'challengers.' Who among them will emerge victorious and take home the million-dollar prize? Stay tuned!"

"Hmm? The prize money is quite substantial."

The average monthly salary of a corporate worker in an island nation is about 300,000 yen, which is about 2,000 US dollars.

If you can make it to the end, it's equivalent to three months' salary for an average person.

Standing above, Qiong Mei casually remarked,
This made Hina tilt her head and smile.

"Xiao Qiong, do you still care about 'money' now?"

What a joke! With Brother Xiao Qiong's power, who would object to the entire financial system built by a mere 'mortal'? Who would dare to object?
On the other hand, what difference is there between government-issued currency and waste paper in front of Him, 'He'?
"Of course, don't forget—"

“I used to take on simple jobs online to supplement my family’s income.”

Before the arrival of the extraordinary power, Yu and Sora's parents passed away, and their lives were not very good: especially since Yu insisted on letting Sora continue to study at the prestigious girls' school.

At that time, Sora used her computer skills to do some light novel illustrations and polish short stories. It was for this reason that she joined the 'Network Club' headed by Hongo Himeya, all for the money!
"I'd almost forgotten~~"

Looking back on her past 'school life', even Hina Hongo, who owns the 'Kengan Association', can't help but feel a little nostalgic.

Attending high school like a normal girl is not just a simple pretense—since she killed her 'godfather leader', she has gained the power to control her own destiny.

Back then, they used 'biological weapons' as their trump card to outwit and outmaneuver the island nation's government; now, they are using their formidable personal strength and deeply entrenched powerful connections to force the government to back down.

Like the match below:
"The first team to enter the game is—"

As the host raised his hand to signal, a muscular man wearing a tight-fitting wrestling suit and a red hood appeared.

"Bull Warrior!"

A man over two meters tall walked to the 1.5-meter-tall ring.

Without even raising his hand for leverage, he pushed off with his feet and leaped onto the ring as if he were on a spring.

It's easy to lift a heavy weight!

? !
This move caught the attention of the spectators in the stands.

Dog-grade!

It could even be a strong dog.

"10, bet on the red side to win!"

"50, I bet on the red side to win!"

"40, me."

Immediately, impatient onlookers shouted out, which made the host's smile seem a bit more 'genuine'.

He also has performance targets; the more people betting at each session, the higher the host's salary. Otherwise, why would he work so hard to create a lively atmosphere? It's all for the money!
With money, one can purchase various internal benefits of the 'Kengan Association,' thus going further on the path to transcendence.

"It seems everyone is very enthusiastic. Next up is the blue team's player—"

As a timid boy wearing a flame mask grabbed the edge of the ring and jumped twice before finally climbing onto it, a chorus of boos erupted from the audience.

In betting, you can only make money if the stakes are evenly matched!

This kind of game is obviously weak, so nobody bets on it.
So, those who bet on 'Bull Warrior' won't make much money even if they do.

it's here,
Gambling is legal!

That's right, gambling is legal in the island nation if you're in a government-designated location.

For example, the Kengan Association—of course, the powerful figures behind the Kengan Association contributed their efforts when pushing for this bill.

Their reasoning is simple and straightforward. As we all know, spiritual power is a combination of physical and mental forces. Compared to the measurable physical constitution, the mental state is much more ethereal. So, can the most primal human emotion of 'gambling' also be used as a way to increase spiritual power?

You should definitely give it a try.

Regardless of how far-fetched the reasoning may be, the parliament ultimately passed the bill by a large majority, allowing open betting in places like the 'Kengan Association'.

Fighting in the Kengan Association ring is naturally legal.

However, most students will not step into such violent and bloody places too early:

To make money, you must have the ability.

"A battle with no suspense whatsoever,"

"Hmm, one move."

The two beautiful girls, observing from above, had already made their assessment of the battle below.

Bang!
"I surrender, I surrender."

Sure enough, the fight ended in one move, with just a sweeping kick.

On the ring, the 'Bull Warrior' knocked down his opponent with one move: his 'cautious' appearance was filled with a sense of restraint, as if he was afraid of 'killing' his opponent.

"Get out of here! Students, go to class!"

"With this little strength, you dare to embarrass yourself?"

Which school is this from?

"Boring, I want to see rivers of blood—"

Amid a chorus of boos, the flame-hatted boy, who had been knocked down, slunk off the stage and limped away.

So strong?
The remaining 'contestants' were wearing masks.

But you don't even need to look to know that the faces under the masks are extremely ugly.

The students who dare to come here all possess some spiritual power, meaning most are at the Weak Dog level—before the arrival of the superhumans, they could even arm-wrestle with Tyson. But now, merely being at the Weak Dog level isn't enough, besides:

"Isn't that guy our Dongbang High School's physical education teacher?"

"How dare you! What's the meaning of a dignified physical education teacher participating in a 'boxing tournament'?"

Some students who recognized the other student muttered curses under their breath. What the hell? They were just poor students here to earn some extra money, but why was the PE teacher on the field too?

Next,
Is the head coach starting to warm up?

However, no matter how much people complain, the Kengan Association has never restricted the identities of its participants: even if they are demons, monsters, sea monsters, heretics, or even evil spirits, as long as they can prove that they are 'intelligent beings', they can participate in the Kengan Association's competitions.

Achieve your desires with your fists! Here, you can obtain money, power, extraordinary items, and guidance from renowned masters!
It must be said that the Kengan Association organized by Hina Hongo is quite good; at least for many lower-level superhumans, it is a channel for advancement.

Although she initially only wanted to find a skilled martial artist and absorb their techniques to achieve her dream of becoming the 'strongest human', this dream proved pale and powerless in the face of the endless stream of powerful demons and dragon-level demon kings.

The strongest? Human?

Sorry, but almost all the truly top-tier experts have a blood relationship with 'gods'.

This also led to Hina Hongo's confusion.

"Next up is the last challenger."

Just half an hour later, the host wiped his sweat, unable to keep up the act any longer.

As this "bull warrior" easily defeated everyone, the subsequent betting became one-sided. In this situation, the stakes seemed high, but the actual returns were small, and the entertainment value was poor. Some impatient viewers even started playing on their phones.

"Please welcome the blue team's contestant—Ultraman!"

The last contestant took a deep breath and strode towards the ring.

???

"Hey, hey, hey, is there a little kid under that mask?"

"What era are we living in? Ultraman?"

Do you also believe in light?

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

Although Ultraman is considered one of the representative works of 'tokusatsu dramas', that was a long time ago: starting in the 60s, it accompanied the island nation through its 'golden age'; later, due to a series of problems, it eventually declined.

In the last ten years or so, they have almost always faked their death by releasing various short dramas, commemorative works, and compilation compilations. Now, they are even more despised by the younger generation.

In this extraordinary era, Ultraman neither manifests himself before people like the 'ancient' monsters and gods, nor does he have the profound influence of technological power, so his status is naturally very awkward.

"Hey student, are you going to fight a monster by wearing that mask on stage?"

Even the PE teacher, who was known as the 'Bull Warrior,' couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"No,"

Kamijou Touma, upon taking the stage, struck a pose.
"The 'monster' I'm meant to defeat isn't here."

?

The teacher wearing the bull's head mask was taken aback for a moment, then immediately struck a pose as well.

"Very good, among this group of students, you are the best in terms of quality."

It's not about physical fitness, but mental fitness!

The student wearing the 'Ultraman' mask showed neither panic nor hesitation in his presence; even the firmness in his words proved that he possessed the heart of a strong person.

"Wow, the Bull Warrior is getting serious!"

"It seems this challenger is quite strong, everyone please place your bets as soon as possible!" No matter how the host encouraged them, the odds remained very low: the first eight challengers couldn't last more than a few rounds, could this last one be a miracle?

"So, the match—ah?!"

The host, who was about to announce the start of the match, was stunned and stood frozen on the stage.

"What are you doing?"

"People from the Kengan Association can do that too?!"

"My God, look at the prize pool!"

In an instant, on the big screen, the numbers below the odds for Bull Warrior and Ultraman reversed, forming a series of zeros. There is only one possibility for this:
"You bet 50 billion on that student?"

In the glass corridor above, Hongo Hime looked at Sora, who had put down her phone;
Then he looked at the boy wearing an Ultraman mask on the stage.

"Too weak,"

He's just an ordinary person!

That 'Bull Warrior' was clearly hiding his true power.
After all, he was once a rising star of the Kengan Association, but he was imprisoned and investigated because he was involved in a major incident, and was only recently released.

"Xiao Qiong, is this the target that has caught your attention?"

Even though Hongo Hime was a Demon-level powerhouse, she couldn't see anything special about this boy no matter how she looked at him.

It doesn't even have 'spiritual power'!

"Um,"

Qiong Mei nodded slightly.

Since he's the one my brother is paying attention to, he must have some extraordinary qualities.

As for the 50 billion bet, it's just pocket change for Qiong Mei right now.

"Interesting. Let me see what he's capable of."

"Oh oh oh oh oh!!!"

"These odds."

"If 'Bull Warriors' wins, we'll be rich!"

The audience erupted in cheers. No amount of emotional manipulation could compare to the sheer volume of money.

"Charge, Bull Warrior!"

"Kill him in one go—"

"We've all bet our money on you!"

"Looks like you have a 'big shot' backing you up, kid."

Glancing at the enormous sum of money hidden beneath the 'Ultraman' mask on the big screen, 'Bull Warrior' sneered.

What's going on? Life has finally settled down, and I'm back in this familiar place to box, only to run into a 'young master' who's here to experience life in my very first fight?

How disgusting!

"what?"

Touma Kamijou, hidden behind the Ultraman mask, looked completely bewildered.

Big shot? I'm just an ordinary high school student, how could I possibly know any big shot? Could it be something from before my 'amnesia'?
"Sorry, I don't know any important people."

Composing himself, Touma Kamijou habitually uttered his catchphrase.

“I’m just an ordinary high school student like any other.”

?

“No ordinary high school student would step onto this stage.”

As soon as the host shouted "Start," the bull warrior wearing the "bull mask" moved swiftly and quickly approached Touma Kamijou; taking advantage of his height and long arms, he raised his hand and threw a straight punch at Touma's face!
"it's over,"

Hina Hongo, standing in the glass corridor above, spoke with certainty.
That punch was just a pretext.
The real killer move is the hidden sweeping kick!
glance--

Beneath the Ultraman mask, Touma Kamijou glanced around, tilted his head to dodge the straight punch, and simultaneously raised his leg to block.

Bang!
He was kicked and staggered to the side, but:

"Blocked it?"

Hongo Himeya was slightly taken aback, her pupils contracting and forming a five-pointed star shape.

It shouldn’t be!

The 'Ultraman' boy showed no spiritual energy fluctuations, even if he was exceptionally gifted; judging from his posture, he was clearly a student in school, how could he possibly block the attack of the experienced 'Bull Warrior'?
"As expected, 'Ultraman' is no pushover; he blocked 'Bull Warrior's' attack!"

The 'Bull Warrior' wearing a bull's head mask had already crouched down and pressed forward, his fists gathering power to unleash a flurry of afterimages in the air.

"A spectacular combo!"

As the host explained, everything seemed to slow down in Touma's highly focused eyes.

So fast!

Even so, the opponent's punches were still very fast.

I can see it clearly!
With both fists naturally drawn to the jawline, knees bent, center of gravity shifted downward to dodge, and then the body quickly stood up from the upper right. Immediately afterwards, the same movement was reversed, with the body lowered to dodge and then standing up from the upper left, which is the classic 'shake and dodge' in boxing.

Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush
Dense fist shadows whistled past the Ultraman mask from left to right, but did not harm the boy who was swaying rapidly from side to side.

It looked like a team move that both sides had rehearsed hundreds of times—but that was impossible!
Putting aside the fact that the two had no reason to fake the fight, just look at the audience watching:

"What a sharp dodge!"

"It's pre-reading, at least at the level of a dozen or so times!"

"I misjudged him. This 'Ultraman' boy is a seasoned martial artist."

The audience may lack skill themselves, but having watched matches daily, they possess some discernment; they all cried foul, but—

"wrong!"

Ji Nai, who was watching from above, immediately refuted this view.

"That boy had absolutely no 'predictive' ability; he was more like..."

The girl frowned, a five-pointed star appearing in her pupils, and thought of a possibility, but it was too incredible.

"More like a fragmented 'first of first'?"

Qiong Mei gave the answer directly.
"Correct."

Hongo Hime looked down at the arena with a look of surprise on her face.

You should know that she didn't even master the 'first of the first'!
The entire Kengan Association—no, the entire world; as far as she knew, only three people possessed this skill.

Ten-Headed Demon King, Kuroki Gensai, and Takashi.

"Although it's still quite immature, it does have a hint of 'first among firsts' about it."

"I see, no wonder you bet on him."

Just as Hongo Himeko realized what was happening, the battle below took an unexpected turn.

"I surrender,"

The 'Bull Warrior' wearing a bull mask flew back, raising his right hand high.

???

"how come--"

"That's right, thinking about it carefully, there's a big shot behind that 'Ultraman'."

The audience was stunned at first, but then they all came to their senses.

Making money is important, but you also need to be alive to enjoy it.

A powerful figure has placed a heavy bet on that 'Ultraman' boy. In this situation, it is wise to admit defeat decisively: if you anger a powerful figure, can you hide in the Kengan Association forever?

As for the money they lost...
"and many more!"

Touma Kamijou dodged a combo attack, but raised his hand to stop the opponent.

"I really don't know any important people,"

"I'm not doing this for money, but to pursue greater power."

"Hey buddy, didn't you just say you were an 'ordinary high school student you could see anywhere'?"

The fact that the opponent didn't seem to want to win made the 'Bull Warrior' a little impatient. Could it be that such a victory had hurt his 'pride'?

"right,"

"That reflects my situation and is also my goal: I hope everyone can be a normal high school student."

Kamijou Touma, striking a pose, gave a serious explanation.

"This is my whim!"

?

Understood,
This is a man who fights for others.

"it is good,"

The 'Bull Warrior', once again assuming its stance, finally got serious.

"Get stronger here?"

"That's a great idea, then—"

A blur appeared before his eyes, and a voice rang out behind Touma Kamijou.

"Start practicing from the basics!"

Snapped,

(End of this chapter)