I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 218 What?! I'm hitting myself?! Two Uesugi Tetsuyas! The imminent arrival of Minamoto no Shizumi.

Uesugi Tetsu gazed at the Grand Master, whose entire body shone with a crimson-gold radiance, awaiting his answer.

"Even though I haven't sorted out my chaotic thoughts, how could I not recognize the person who sent me to the underworld?"

The scorching mountain air flowed from the great demon's mouth.

It stood upright with its enormous body, looking down at the person who had killed it... or should it be called a demon?

Never mind, such trivial details are insignificant.

The Grand Master lowered his head and pondered for a moment before continuing to speak in the silent white space: "The moment I saw you, many things came to mind..."

Did you regain your senses because you saw me?

Uesugi Tetsuya's thoughts suddenly shifted.

It was because I was the one who ultimately killed the Great Master with my sword that he developed such a deep impression of me, which triggered the "bug" in this Warring States Projection Secret Realm.
He pondered for a moment, then narrowed his eyes: "So, how did you recognize me?"

—After all, he has now transformed into his original form using Thousand Faces, and he is not wearing the Prajna Mask at his waist. The Great Master should not recognize him at a glance.

"Hahahaha!"

A rumbling laugh echoed from the cracks in the stone and wood, and sparks of crimson gold shot out with the air currents. The Great Master raised his massive arm, encased in gilded patterns, and pointed it at Kaga Kiyomitsu.

"I was killed by this very katana, how could I not recognize it?!"

Upon hearing this, Kaga Kiyomitsu trembled slightly.

It's probably wondering if it did something wrong.

Uesugi Tetsu finally reacted.

—Although a long time had passed for him, the Daitai Hoshi who was being imprinted before him woke up immediately after his death and saw him and Kaga Kiyomitsu again.

There's no way they wouldn't recognize it.

"So... Che." The Grand Master's gaze was deep and unfathomable. After surveying the surroundings, he asked in a low voice, "What happened? And where is this place?"

"A secret realm."

Upon hearing this question, Uesugi Tetsu temporarily put away his stance, lowered the tip of his sword, and explained briefly: "It is a copy of the projections of many strong people from our era, which then appear in later generations as challenges."

After explaining the current situation, Uesugi Tetsu spoke, revealing the answer that the Great Master most wanted to know.
"—You were indeed killed by me."

The Grand Master, whose body was as large as a mountain, was slightly taken aback.

The bright flame deep within the obsidian pupils flickered.

The face, composed of wood and stone that had been there for thousands of years, was first taken aback, then showed a slight look of disappointment.

Finally, everything returned to stillness, like wood and stone.

Rough and tough.

"Is that so?"

The Grand Master nodded: "It's a real pity that we couldn't nip you in the bud."

But even as it said this, there was not a trace of regret in its tone.

Only after doing everything that should be done can one feel relieved and at ease.

Before Uesugi Tetsu could speak, the Great Master continued, "What about Daruma? Did he escape back then?"

Uesugi Tetsu replied, "They ran away."

The Grand Master couldn't help but show his delight, and even his silvery-white brow bone lifted slightly.

"Don't laugh yet, old man."

Uesugi Tetsu raised his eyes and said calmly, "It won't be long before I send him to the underworld with me, so that he can keep you company."

"I am looking forward."

Unexpectedly, the Grand Master did not get angry or sneer, but instead nodded at him happily.

It lowered its head and stared at Uesugi Tetsuya, whose aura and threat were significantly stronger than before.
“Since I am dead and Bodhidharma has escaped, he will surely reappear before you after he has achieved great success in his cultivation, Che.”

The Grand Master spoke with great anticipation.
"If I had the chance, I would love to witness you two risking everything you have so far to fight each other."

At this point, it paused, and sighed.
"Unfortunately, I will never see it."

This time, the Grand Master's words were filled with genuine regret.

"Have you finished talking nonsense?"

After patiently listening to everything the Great Master said, Uesugi Tetsu asked a question in return.

He raised Kaga Kiyomitsu again and said, word by word, "No matter what happens to Daruma in the future, and no matter whether I kill him or not, it has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Yes, it has nothing to do with me anymore."

The Grand Master took a deep breath, and the gilded patterns on his body burst forth with an incomparably dazzling light.

A tremendous roar emanated from the depths of its body, unleashing wave after wave of spiritual energy.

This is its trump card and ultimate move, which was interrupted by Lei Long and Kaga Kiyomitsu before it was born.

But this time, Uesugi Tetsuya let it do as it pleased.

"Come!"

A full minute later, the Grand Master, whose body was completely overloaded with the Mountain God's Rock Heart, opened his arms and spoke in a resounding voice.
"Che—let me see how much you've improved these past few days!"

Uesugi Tetsuya said happily,

"That's right."

He grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth, but the mask of Shiro Hannya completely concealed his human face.
"Older people should talk less..."

"Do more!"

In the thirty-ninth trial space, which has a volume of 10,000 cubic meters, the opponents who had fought to the death once again charged at each other with all their might.

Amidst the falling lightning, blades, and earth and rocks, faint, unrestrained laughter echoed.

……

The Warring States Projection Secret Realm, Level 40.

Blinded in one eye, missing one hand, with most of his lower body gone, and not a single patch of flesh on his body intact, Uesugi Tetsu lay sprawled on the transparent floor.

Breaths filled with thick blood mist struck the Qi circulation that had been rapidly re-established in the Qi Sea, maintaining Uesugi Tetsuya's basic vital signs.

He rolled over, and it took him a while to refocus his blurry vision.

His fragmented thoughts coalesced into a linear train of thought, and Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly shouted.
"Xiaojia."

Buzz?
Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was being gripped tightly in the right hand, was startled and felt as if his internal organs were about to be shattered.

He coughed heavily twice before asking in a hoarse voice, "Did we kill the Grand Master?"

hum!
Kaga Kiyomitsu echoed in his heart,

"—Of course!"

"I see, we won..."

Uesugi Tetsu murmured, a hint of joy involuntarily appearing on his broken face.

because,

—The Great Mage was killed head-on by himself without using "Wrath"!
Even though Xiao Jia underwent several enhancements, possessing an empty Qi Sea, and having advanced the Natural Mind Flow to the expert level, and also learned the profound meaning of the Sword of No Ignorance...

Even after all that growth and development, he only managed to gain a slight edge over his opponent.

"Grand Master, you are truly powerful."

Kaga Kiyomitsu hummed with delight and raised the hilt of his sword in agreement.

If the Great Master is already this powerful, what kind of methods would Saito Ryuichi, who could easily kill it, possess...?

"Hit! Master! Little Jia wants to hit!"

Sensing what Uesugi Tetsu was thinking, the almost unharmed Kaga Kiyomitsu couldn't help but fly into the air, swaying back and forth with anticipation and excitement.

Uesugi Tetsu: "You bastard, aren't you worried at all seeing your master in such a miserable state?"

"It's terrible now, but it'll be alright in a bit, won't it?"

Kaga Kiyomitsu was the most experienced in this—every time it saw its owner suddenly die, it would hold itself back perfectly fine a little while later.

At first, there was fear, worry, and concern; the emotions were extremely rich.

But after dozens of times, Kaga Kiyomitsu completely stopped paying attention.

Uesugi Tetsu closed his eyes in resignation; it seemed impossible to expect Kakashi to become a sweet and caring daughter.

"Let's drag me over there first, Jia." Uesugi Tetsu, who didn't have the strength to speak, plucked at his heartstrings. "Let me touch the mist."

Kaga Kiyomitsu flicked the Sorrow of Parting from the tip of his blade, wrapped it around Uesugi Tetsu's wrist, and dragged him over.

A few seconds later, Uesugi Tetsu raised his fingertips and stared at the mist in front of him, which was no different from the previous thirty-nine floors.

This projection across forty floors...

If he's right, this projection should bring him a big surprise.

He narrowed his eyes and said before touching him, "Little Jia, prepare your defenses."

The person who understands your own fighting style best is, of course, yourself.

Once the domain of the sorrow of parting had spread out and the protective shield of qi above his head had piled up layer upon layer, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly reached out his palm toward the edge of the mist.

The high walls shrouded in mist vanished in an instant!

……

[Ryuichi Saito, 39th Floor]

[Anonymous Person #666, 39th Floor]

The real-time changes to the top 100 list immediately caused a huge uproar on the Special Affairs Office forum.

—At the very top, Saito Ryuichi discovered that even after anonymity, one still possesses a unique identification number, and thus canceled the meaningless anonymity.

[Did you get promoted to Junior Rank today?: A second level 39 has appeared! Doesn't this mean this mysterious person is on par with Saito Ryuichi?!]

[Anonymous: Who is this Anonymous user #666? I'm offering a large reward for information!]

[No problem, just a casual stroll: Can't the upstairs neighbors find him themselves? This guy's in Hamamatsu City right now, he might not even be out of the secret realm yet, just block him off, wouldn't that solve everything?]

[After being a shadow for three hundred years: I'm now preparing for my offline event. If you want to know more, comment "1" below. I'll contact you one by one through private messages.]

Immediately, hundreds of replies with the number "1" appeared under this post.

"Xiao Ru, why are you typing 1 too?"

In the long shadowy "highway", the shadowy woman holding a special phone turned around and looked at the wet woman behind her who covered the phone screen with her long hair.

Hiyoribo silently emitted light next to Nure's forehead—with a light source, Nure wouldn't hurt her eyes when looking at her phone.

Ru Nu replied softly, "Sister Ying, if you can resist the urge to deduct 1 in this situation, your family will need to hire a master."

What does this mean?
The woman in the shadows scratched her head in confusion, then first addressed her earlier question: "Why did you need to find this anonymous user, number 666?"

"You may not know this, but in many places, there are behind-the-scenes betting matches between top seeded players and other highly competitive contests..."

If someone knew about number 666 before anyone else, it would be like making a fortune ahead of time.

The experienced actress has made a fortune thanks to her sharp eye.

Suddenly, Nurami shouted, "Kage-nee, look! Saito Ryuichi has run out!"

The woman in the shadows looked down and saw the golden verified name.

[Ryuichi Saito: First of all, please stop tagging me everywhere.]

[Saito Ryuichi: Then, regarding that powerhouse number 666... ​​To be honest, the projection of that powerhouse on the fortieth floor was extremely monstrous; it killed me in just a few moves. Therefore, this number 666 isn't just about as strong as me, but possibly much stronger, since I only barely made it to the thirty-ninth floor.]

As soon as Saito Ryuichi finished speaking, hundreds more replies appeared under his post.

Everyone was shocked to hear Saito Ryuichi's own admission, and the already heated atmosphere became even more intense.

—【Ryuichi Saito: Anonymous User #666 is stronger than me!】

Posts with titles like that quickly topped the search rankings.

The woman hesitated and muttered, "Kage-nee, do you think what Saito said could be true?"

The woman in the shadows chuckled: "No one would believe this kid's words. Xiao Ru, you've seen him before. Let me put it bluntly, this kid was full of bad ideas when he was young, and his bad ideas will only double as he grows up."

"In my opinion, he didn't just barely make it past the 39th floor, but almost made it past the 40th floor."

As if to confirm what the woman in the shadows had said, someone immediately replied to the top-ranked post.

【Don't enter the [room]! : This is not actually the case.】

【Don't go into the room! : It's one thing for Saito to be modest, but you guys actually believe him?】

It's just a simple secret realm challenge. Don't they know how many things Saito has done in the past?

He could even single-handedly revive the nearly destroyed Saito family... The strategist himself could destroy the 39th floor; how could that No. 666 compare?

This means that the rational statements of those who use the "■" symbol, which is usually only blocked due to its high level of secrecy, have gained a lot of recognition.

Soon, comments like "To be honest, it's true" and "I met Saito when I was a kid, Brother ■ is right" appeared below.

This contrasted sharply with another group of operators who believed that Anonymous Agent 666 could easily defeat a scion of a prestigious family like Saito, and they began a passionate exchange of insults.

Before long, a bunch of people started tagging the anonymous user 666, who was impossible to tag, urging him to quickly clear the 40th floor of the secret realm and shut up the other group of people.

……

At this very moment, on the fortieth floor of the projection secret realm.

The moment the mist dissipated, a bluish-purple thunder dragon descended from the sky without warning!

Uesugi Tetsuya, who had prepared 100,000 moves in advance, was naturally unharmed.

He tilted his head back, looking at the all-too-familiar lightning and spiritual energy fluctuations, and subconsciously muttered a word.
"Damn, it really is... This is a completely different story when he gets angry. He's not even in the same league as the Grand Master."

Uesugi Tetsu turned his head and saw a four-tailed fox wearing a priest's robe, waving a folding fan, with four scarlet tails swaying behind her, and a breathtakingly beautiful face.

In the next instant, before the heavily injured Uesugi Tetsuya could react, that face he knew all too well was already within arm's reach!

The three stages belonging to the Natural Rhythm School suddenly bloom!

Then, Kaga Kiyomitsu, who had been instructed to do so, appeared at the designated location and blocked the attack without missing a beat.

"Hmm...Kaga Kiyomitsu?"

The four-tailed fox, who had been radiating a cold, murderous aura, blinked.

He crouched down, frowned, and began to examine Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was more powerful, more beautiful, and more agile than he had imagined.

The four-tailed fox raised its hand, wanting to touch the hilt of Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword.

But then, a dry and hoarse voice rang out.

"Xiao Jia, come back."

Slightly confused, Kaga Kiyomitsu quickly broke free from the five fingers that had almost grasped him and returned behind Uesugi Tetsu.

To be precise, it was behind Uesugi Tetsuya, whose body was severely injured and crippled.

With Kaga Kiyomitsu's help, Uesugi Tetsuya struggled to sit up, grinning at the projection in front of him, which was frowning and deep in thought.

"Hello, it's me."

"what's the situation?"

The projection stroked its chin, tilting its head in confusion: "A second version of myself appeared, looking half-dead? What kind of plot twist is this?"

Uesugi Tetsu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the projection had stopped its frenzied attacks.

Fortunately, seeing myself still triggered the secret realm bug.

Otherwise, facing his own full power when he's in "rage" mode, his defenses would be practically nonexistent, and he'd be reduced to ashes in two or three seconds at most.

"To be precise, I am Uesugi Tetsu."

Uesugi Tetsu held up his charred fingers and explained with a smile.
"Although you are also Uesugi Tetsu, you are nothing more than a mere projection."

The projector was stunned at first, then couldn't help but laugh.

He pointed to himself and asked, "Me? A projection?"

"Correct."

Uesugi Tetsu continued, "You are just a stage boss in this mission realm, copied down from the Warring States period and placed here for people to conquer."

The projection burst into laughter: "I'm still just a stage boss? Don't be ridiculous. There were only a handful of truly powerful figures in the Warring States period. I was just... "

Halfway through his sentence, the projector suddenly glanced at the transparent space in the corner of its eye, a look of surprise flashing in its eyes.

Only then did he begin to look around.

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow: "What are you doing? Can you even say it?"

"me……"

The projector opened its mouth several times, but still couldn't get the rest of the message out.

After a brief silence, the projection stared directly at Uesugi Tetsuya and said with utmost seriousness,
"I forgot."

Uesugi Tetsuya understood.

—Things about the system and the mission were not imprinted in this secret realm along with ordinary memories.

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head: "No need to rush. It's normal for you to forget. This just proves that you are the real projection."

The projection stared coldly at him.
"Then how can you prove that you're not just a projection of someone else, albeit a more miserable one?"

"Even Little Jia didn't notice...?"

Uesugi Tetsu snapped his fingers, causing Kaga Kiyomitsu to float in front of the projection: "Take another look at your waist."

Upon hearing this, Projection drew the "Kaga Kiyomitsu" sword from its waist and placed it flat in its hand.

He looked down, then looked up again, and finally clicked his tongue in displeasure: "What I have in my hand... is actually an inanimate object. Why didn't I notice it before?"

Uesugi Tetsu opened his mouth,
"You are a projection."

"I am indeed a projection."

The projector nodded helplessly, but immediately reached out its hand again.

"Wow, Jia has become so beautiful! Let me touch her and see..."

Without a word, Kaga Kiyomitsu flew back behind Uesugi Tetsuya, causing the projection to squint its eyes in displeasure.

But Uesugi Tetsu knew he wasn't an unreasonable person.

So he sat there and waited, and in less than ten seconds, the projection also sat down and looked at him.
"—Then, explain the current situation to me, this amnesiac projection, in detail."

Two minutes later.

"I understand."

The projection waved the folding fan in its hand, then snapped it shut: "So you're going to kill me now and go collect the reward for the 40th floor?"

"Are you willing to die like this?"

The projection retorted, "When have I ever truly lived?"

Uesugi Tetsu responded, pondered for a while, then looked up and said seriously, "But it would be a real shame if you died so simply like that."

"Heroes see the same thing."

The projection laughed: "According to you, proficiency will increase significantly in this secret realm. Although simple cultivation will not increase proficiency, it did not say that sparring is not allowed."

Uesugi Tetsu touched his exposed jawbone and said, "I don't think such a basic mistake would happen in this secret realm."

"Even so, it is a very special situation that two people with slightly different ways of thinking and perspectives can sit face to face together."

That's true.

The two Uesugi Tetsuyas exchanged a smile and said in unison, "If that's the case, then what are we waiting for?"

In the fortieth level of the Warring States Projection Secret Realm, Uesugi Tetsu sat and discussed philosophy with his own projection.

……

It wasn't until Uesugi Tetsuya had begged him many times that he finally kicked the projection of Kaga Kiyomitsu's decapitation out of the secret realm, and it was already the morning of the next day.

Uesugi Tetsuya, having reaped a bountiful harvest, looked up and silently praised himself.
"The flow of time is the same on both sides, what a pity."

He looked around and found that there were more than two or three times as many people surrounding the silver vortex.

Even with the "pass" screening mechanism, it still couldn't stop the enthusiasm of geniuses from all directions.

"Uesugi-kun, you're finally out."

Yagyu Akira's voice drew Uesugi Tetsu's attention back.

Despite having stayed up all night, Yagyu Akira, still full of energy, asked, "I don't know about Uesugi-kun yet..."

Uesugi Tetsu knew that he was asking about his strategy.

He first looked at the ranking changes on the top 100 list and found that there were already dozens of people at or below the 36th floor, pushing Liu Shengchi down to around the 60th place.

“Thirty-seventh floor,” he said. “I was defeated by the projection from the thirty-eighth floor.”

The 37th floor, though higher than most people, only ranks eleventh on the top 100 list.

Later, he might be pushed down the rankings by the various talents who gathered there, just like him, and drop to the dozens.

Upon hearing this, Yagyu Chi felt a mixture of joy and disappointment.

He couldn't understand why he had such complicated feelings.

So he could only nod and say he understood.

"Yagyu-kun, shall we go together?"

Upon hearing from the surrounding area that Minamoto no Shizumi would be arriving soon, Uesugi Tetsu immediately considered retreating.

Fortunately, I can enter the secret realm remotely; otherwise, if I had met Yuan Jingshui in front of the secret realm, I would have been in trouble.

The trouble doesn't refer to her personally, but rather to the many busybodies who are inevitably around her.

Liu Shengchi shook his head: "No, I'll take another look."

Uesugi Tetsu didn't insist. He walked alone through the now bustling and lively streets and returned to his room at the guesthouse.

Wow.

After closing the door, Uesugi Tetsu saw Tamamo sleeping in the corner, but her whole body was twisted into a "big" shape, and she had even kicked off all the blankets on her body with her little feet.

"Is this guy still a child...?"

Uesugi Tetsu sighed, lowered his voice and walked to Tamamo's side, carefully covering her with the blanket and tucking in the drafty gaps.

Unlike them, Tamamo is a truly ordinary person.

If you don't cover yourself with a blanket, you really will catch a cold, and you might even accidentally develop a high fever.

After doing all this, Uesugi Tetsu tiptoed to the luxurious private bathroom stall with its own window and locked the door.

He rubbed his hands together and looked at the densely packed prompts he had gathered from the battle, from the discussions he hadn't had time to see yet, and from the unreserved exchanges with his projection that was using "rage."

(End of this chapter)