I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 78 Broken Knife
the next day,
The sun rose as usual.

Students continue attending classes, and office workers still have to squeeze onto the subway. Only the powerful and wealthy, who occupy the ruling class, have time for romance and leisure.

Setagaya Ward,

A large number of people are coming and going in a classic island building.

The building's back garden is not only planted with a large number of cherry blossoms and willows, but also features a small and exquisite rockery with a winding mountain spring flowing down, its waters gurgling softly.

The morning sun shines into the garden, casting a golden glow on the willow branches, which sway and dance in the wind.

Inside a small pavilion next to the artificial hill, two men from the island nation sat facing each other.

"Yagyu-kun,"

"Now that the extraordinary has appeared, it is time for you and me to do something great."

The first person to speak had gray hair and was dressed in a suit from the last century; yet he was full of energy, holding a cane in his hand, which he swung with the air of a military knife.

"Your family's 'Yagyu Shinkage-ryu' style, if aided by extraordinary power, will surely shine brightly!"

"Mr. Onoda, you flatter me,"

Sitting opposite the elderly man with graying hair was a man dressed in a blue samurai outfit. He was nearly middle-aged, appearing to be between thirty-seven or thirty-eight and forty years old. He was tall, but had a bitter smile on his face.

"Extraordinary power is not so easy to obtain."

"Although my Yagyu family has some influence in the martial arts world, nowadays..."

It's already past its prime!

The new shade of the willow tree flows.
The island nation's renowned swordsmanship school is inherited from the Sengoku period's "Sword Saint," Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.

The Yagyu family was originally a powerful clan during the Sengoku period. The head of the family, Yagyu Muneyoshi, served under both Miyoshi Nagayoshi and Oda Nobunaga. He thoroughly mastered the Shinkage-ryu school, which had been passed down to the 'Sword Saint', and founded the largest branch of Shinkage-ryu—the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu.

Subsequently, Muneyoshi's son, Yagyu Munenori, and Munenori's son, Yagyu Jubei, continued to develop and improve the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school, making it one of the largest swordsmanship schools in the Edo period.

The three were known as the "Yagyu Tengu" (Three Tengu of Yagyu). In Japan, the fact that they were nicknamed "Tengu" speaks volumes about their strength.

In their time, fame was built on the corpses of their opponents!
Even though the essence of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school is 'no-sword taking'.

but--

No matter how fast a knife is, can it be faster than a gun?
With the passage of time, the decline of the Yagyu family was already inevitable.

"Yagyu-kun, please don't underestimate yourself,"

The old man with gray hair didn't think so. He understood very well that once one obtains extraordinary power, a knife can indeed be faster than a gun!
"Times have changed. With the blessing of extraordinary power, it is no big deal to be faster than a galloping horse or tear apart a tiger or leopard."

"If it could be paired with real killing swordsmanship, it would be even more powerful."

"I understand what Mr. Onoda means."

Yagyu Harushige sighed.

He is the current head of the Yagyu family: what does a family of swordsmen like them have left besides a 'nominal name'?

The difference between a person pulling out an American-style iaido sword and someone else's lifetime of arduous training is immense; the samurai sword has long since faded from the historical stage.

The old man in front of me, 'Onoda,' was using 'extraordinary power' as bait to invite me to 'join him in a great undertaking': anyone with a brain knows that this is an extremely dangerous thing.

But the allure of extraordinary power is irresistible to anyone who practices martial arts!

So Onoda Tomoyuki was on his side, and he was just waiting for her to agree.

The Yagyu family's current meager power is not even a hair's breadth compared to those emerging financial conglomerates; obtaining the legendary 'supernatural potion' from the government is virtually impossible! It's only a matter of time before they agree—

Beep beep beep

Just then, a series of cell phone ringtones sounded.

Yagyu Hara apologized, pulled out a smartphone, and the conversation abruptly shifted from a high-minded discussion to a casual, everyday conversation.

"Dad, the traffic police have impounded my car! You need to figure something out!"

"You unfilial son!"

Almost spitting out blood in anger, the middle-aged man, Yagyu Harushige, turned around embarrassedly and gave the white-haired old man an awkward smile.

"Mr. Onoda, look—"

“Mr. Yagyu, please go and attend to your family matters. You need not worry about me.”

As the other person hurriedly left, the gray-haired old man couldn't help but shake his head.

Has the once-famous Yagyu family fallen so low?

Ok? !

After sitting there for a few minutes, the old man with gray hair suddenly changed his expression.

"Come out."

Step, step, step, step.

Amidst heavy footsteps, a burly man with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing an exoskeleton, stepped into the back garden.

Colonel Gureh,

"Yagyu.Hachi!!"

With a heavy thud of his cane on the ground, the entire pavilion shattered, and the white-haired old man slowly rose to his feet.

Da da da da,

Amidst the distinctive sound of helicopter rotors, a fleet of classic Black Hawk helicopters appeared in the distance, surrounding the area. They did not approach but hovered thousands of meters away, effectively sealing off the region.

"Mr. Onoda, we meet again."

Colonel Guile, with his helmet visor open, approached step by step.

The 'spiritual energy' within his body had already boiled over, and wherever it passed, flowers and plants snapped in mid-air; branches and leaves all submitted.

"Lay down your weapons and surrender to America."

"otherwise--"

"Don't think about it!"

The old man pounced like a tiger.
He swung his cane at Colonel Gu Lie's head.

Clang! !

With a piercing metallic clang, the wood covering the cane shattered, revealing the military knife inside.

Colonel Guile raised his arm, using his alloy exoskeleton to block the opponent's sudden attack, and with a single step, he charged towards the opponent like a steel chariot.

At the same time, the walls exploded, and four American superhuman officers wearing exoskeleton armor crashed into the back garden.

The battle suddenly broke out!

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.

"Wow, what exaggerated firepower."

A few hundred meters from the Yagyu family's house, on the rooftop of a building, Iori Kazuka, clad in exoskeleton armor, watched the continuous explosions and intense gunfire in the distance, marveling at the sight. "The target possesses the ability to control humans, armor, and weapons; the Metropolitan Police Department has designated him 'The Puppet Master.'"

Fuji Seiko, who was carrying a heavy anti-materiel sniper rifle, spoke up, reminding her superior and partner.

"Its puppet control range is up to 20 meters, and it can control 10 different types of firearms at once. If it feels that its body is out of control, it will immediately resist with its 'demonic power'."

"Based on the list submitted by the Self-Defense Forces, and subtracting the losses incurred by the enemy at the American embassy, ​​this level of firepower—"

It can only last for ten minutes at most!

Once the ammunition is used up, he's just a slightly troublesome 'puppet master'.

It must be said that America's ranking of it in the 'Wolf' category is justified.

"So, you mean we don't even need to lift a finger?"

Besides the two people in charge of this side, Hoshino Tanimura guarded the other side with two superhuman dogs; the remaining area was guarded by three American superhuman officers, plus a kappa.

It can be said that the island nation and the United States mobilized almost their entire forces to capture this 'puppet master'!

reason--

"The other side has used the 'space folding' technology again!"

In the command center at the rear, countless cameras were pointed at the center of the battlefield, at the figure clad in samurai armor, whose arms were constantly expanding and transforming into rocket launchers.

"Record every single moment, don't miss a single second or frame, these are all valuable experimental data!"

Is this 'Samurai Armor' strong?
of course not!
After discovering the other party's true identity, America has plenty of ways to take him down.

In the embassy incident, although the other party showed characteristics of controlling humans and possessing a large amount of heavy firepower, their 'true form' was no different from ordinary superhumans, and they were even wounded in the arm by Colonel Guile.

The reason why the American authorities went to such lengths to surround the enemy and send five extraordinary officers, including Guile, into close combat was certainly not because they had suddenly lost their minds.

Not only the officers present, but also many people in white coats were watching the battle on the screen with great interest, as if they wished they could run to the scene and study it.

This extraordinary individual, codenamed 'Puppet Master,' possesses the ability to conceal an entire regiment's worth of weaponry on his person!

"Space folding technology."

During the battle, large numbers of firearms kept appearing out of thin air from the samurai's armor.

From the American perspective, this ability is nothing short of a revolutionary 'science fiction' technique.

If it can be cracked, even if it's just by imitation, it will allow America to achieve a leapfrog development: Imagine an astronaut with empty hands suddenly taking out a large amount of material from the space station. The limitation on space development is nothing more than the carrying capacity.

Through the video, the richest man in America, who smashes starships every day, was so excited that he seemed to see his dream beckoning him.

Mars development!
"Attention all units, the enemy is running out of ammunition."

After a barrage of bombardments, the scene appeared quite spectacular, almost reducing the Yagyu family residence and several nearby buildings to ruins.

However, the elderly man with gray hair hiding in his armor grew increasingly impatient. The five superhumans sent by America were heavily armored, and ordinary firearms could not harm them at all; they could also dodge weapons such as anti-tank rocket launchers with their agility.

Moreover, it was a five-on-one fight that showed no sportsmanship!

The fact that they weren't defeated on the spot was because their opponent didn't possess any 'sorcery'.

wrong--

Tear!

A beam of transparent light suddenly shot across the battlefield, instantly cleaving a cluster of guns firing in the air into a shower of metal parts.

Colonel Guile, the only one rated 'D-' by America, possesses the self-created skill 'Sonic Hand Chop'.

Once this ability lands, even a superhuman will bleed on the spot. Although he needed to charge up his 'Sonic Hand Chop', giving the white-haired old man Onoda time to react, this was still a five-on-one situation, and the other superhuman officers weren't just watching!

His whistling punches and kicks are equally threatening, and he is equipped with a variety of high-tech gadgets.

no,

Continuing to fight will only lead to defeat and capture!

Onoda realized that the other party did not intend to kill him, but rather planned to capture him alive.

This is his only chance.

"Wrist missile!"

Raising his hand again, several armor-piercing bullets flew from the armored samurai's wrist; taking advantage of the American officer's dodge, Onoda, hidden inside the armored samurai, turned and ran without hesitation. As long as one lives, one has everything; if one dies, it means one has nothing.

"Attention all units! Attention all units!"

"Target begins to escape!"

The sky was filled with countless drones, which could clearly monitor every corner of the area.

Inside the building, there are also a large number of miniature 'Black Bee' drones scattered throughout.

Make sure the other party has nowhere to hide!
A fully-fledged American is far beyond the capabilities of a D-class superhuman.

Lots of drones.
As he fled at breakneck speed, Onoda, hidden beneath his armor, also saw the sky filled with drones.

As for the buildings, it's obvious they're riddled with traps. He'd only be defeated faster if he dared to hide inside; his only option is to break out.

The surrounding buildings rushed past, and the old man beneath the armored mask's pupils contracted.

Ahead, he saw a girl who looked to be no more than a high school student, with two dogs, one blind and the other with a broken leg.

The girl merely raised her hand and pointed at this extraordinary being who was rushing towards her with an icy expression.

"Mrs. Tanimura, please note, the target is heading towards you."

"Roar!!!" x2
Two roars drowned out the sound coming from the earpiece. The blind Shiba Inu and the broken-legged military dog ​​suddenly swelled up, transforming into three-meter-tall behemoths in the blink of an eye! Such a huge size did not affect their speed. With a push of their feet, they instantly appeared on the left and right sides of the armored warrior.

? !
Faced with the roaring giant claws, the armored warrior could only struggle to raise his sword to meet them.

boom----

"Wow, that's brutal."

On the other side of the rooftop,

Iori Kazuka witnessed firsthand how the 'Puppet Master' was sent flying backward by a single claw strike, piercing through the house behind him and sending up plumes of dust, and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

Although Wataru Tanimura is dead, the two extraordinary dogs he left behind have reached the edge of the 'Tiger' level. In American classification terms, that would be D+ level.

Facing a puppeteer whose ammunition was almost exhausted, the gigantic demon hound was fully capable of crushing him.

"It seems we really don't need to make an appearance."

With such a seemingly insurmountable situation, Iori Kazuka couldn't help but make another bold prediction.

"Master Zhiwu——"

An old, mournful cry interrupted her.

"help me!"

???

(End of this chapter)