I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 223 Acquires a powerful item, receives an invitation to the Nine Tribulations Academy's secret realm challenge, guess what my amazing buff is?

Bai Banruo's mask remained unmoved, and her eyes behind it remained indifferent.

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the black smoke skull that was so close to him, a fleeting feeling of surprise passing through his mind, leaving only a sense of inevitability.

The Demon Guide Association, upon seeing him in the mortal world, would naturally recognize him as "Great Onmyoji Che".

Because during the Warring States period five hundred years ago, Bodhidharma, whom he not only witnessed but also had direct contact with, escaped under the protection of the Great Master.

At that time, the Grand Master called Bodhidharma "a genius that the Demon Guide Society has only seen once in a hundred years".

Therefore, if Bodhidharma had not died, it would have been almost certain that he would have become one of the high-ranking members of the Demon Guide Association five hundred years later.

And this turning point in his life, which was like a Bodhidharma's, will surely be remembered clearly by the other party.

That can only be the reason.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have much of a connection with the Demon Guide Association—the death of a mere two-and-a-half-star Nue would be of no consequence whatsoever.

Uesugi Tetsuya stared silently at the skull, as if he were looking at the manipulator behind it, who was separated by an infinite distance.

Suddenly, he smiled.

He raised Kaga Kiyomitsu and gestured with it, then a hoarse, chilling voice came from Uesugi Tetsu's throat: "My master said long ago—'Let Daruma wait, I will personally send them to reunite.'"

Of course, Uesugi Tetsu could not admit that he was the Great Onmyoji Tetsu, even though he looked exactly like the Great Onmyoji Tetsu from the outside.

In five hundred years, Bodhidharma and the Demon Guide Society have grown much stronger than before. Naturally, they would consider, "How strong is the Great Yin-Yang Master Che now?"
At least until they have figured this out, the Demon Guide Association cannot act recklessly.

You need to make good use of this.

The skull, having heard his words, fell silent.

Seconds later, the black skull, its eyes filled with fear and a cold expression, vanished into thin air with the gentle breeze.

[Please note that you have been placed under the surveillance of the mortal force, the "Demon Guide Association"!]

He casually brushed away the notification in front of him, and feeling a deep emptiness within his body, Uesugi Tetsuya exhaled and raised his head.

The black phone booth is dead, so the process of turning this area of ​​Shizuoka City into a haunted house will naturally stop and then disappear, and the sky will clear up again.

The brief but long-awaited sunlight shone down like gold.

When Uesugi Tetsu turned his head again, he found that the streets, buildings, and the faces of the survivors in the area that had been shrouded by the haunted house were still not very good.

Or rather, it's very bad.

But this is no longer my responsibility.

Listening to the rumble of a jeep engine coming from afar, Uesugi Tetsu looked at the operators who popped their heads out of the window and greeted them with an incredibly amazed look and tone.

"—Gentlemen, you'll have to work hard from now on."

"No, no, no, it's not hard at all!"

"The little things we did are nothing compared to your contributions, Uesugi!"

No one responded to Uesugi Tetsuya's words; instead, they expressed their admiration and respect in different ways.

Uesugi Tetsu smiled, said nothing more, just sent Tamamo a "mission accomplished" emoji, and then walked back towards the original haunted house.

His work is over.

……

After Uesugi Tetsu leisurely spent more than ten minutes walking out, he found that Tamamo's family members were indeed safe and sound.

Tamamo's parents had fainted from the very beginning, so they were at a loss and didn't really understand what was happening; her two younger brothers were only frightened by the "non-existent danger," and then it was over.

On the contrary, Tamamo, until Uesugi Tetsu saw her still holding Chisa, who was even smaller than her, buried her head in the latter's chest and cried loudly.

With snot and tears streaming down her face, she stained her younger sister's white dress again.

How shameful!

Originally, Tamamo's younger brothers didn't cry either.

As a result, when they saw Tamamo crying for so long, they seemed to be infected by her emotions, so one after another they raised their heads and started to cry loudly.

Tamamo's parents were pulled aside by Yasui's junior officer to learn some basic information, and they had no time to pay attention to this matter.

So only Chisa, who had recently been given a panacea by Uesugi Tetsuya and whose body and mind had been refreshed to their best state, was left to comfort the three "children".

She pats his head here and offers a few words of comfort there, as if she were the eldest sister.

Uesugi Tetsu watched this scene from a distance.

He originally wanted to ask Qian Sha how she felt after taking the panacea, but now it wasn't appropriate for him to go up and say anything.

Let Tamamo finish crying first...

"Sister, may Chisa go wash her face over there?"

The girl in the now-dirty white dress pointed to her face, which looked like a kitten's, and rubbed her chin against Tamamo's forehead, laughing.

"I'll be back soon."

"Hmm... Slurp~ Chisa-chan, be careful..."

Tamamo sniffed, reluctantly letting go of her arms, and watched the girl walk with small, quick steps toward the public restroom a dozen meters away.

After raising her head, Tamamo quickly saw Uesugi Tetsuya standing beside her.

In an instant, the girl's face turned red.

“It’s only natural, it’s nothing… Tamamo, calm yourself down first, I need to go find your sister for something.”

After using his inner energy to condense a thread to transmit his voice, Uesugi Tetsu walked to the door of the restroom.

But as he approached, he faintly heard hoarse, fearful, and almost suffocating sobs coming from the deepest stall in the restroom.

When Uesugi Tetsu glanced at the empty washbasin again, he understood everything without even thinking.

He didn't say much or push the door open to go inside.

I just stood at the door, quietly listening to the sobs inside grow louder and louder, then gradually fade away from their peak, finally turning into sporadic sniffling sounds.

It's unclear whether those emotions were finally released or if the girl suppressed them again.

Wow.

The sensor-activated faucet dispensed water automatically, followed by a series of gurgling sounds, like someone vigorously washing their face.

After the tap had run several times, Uesugi Tetsu finally saw Chisa emerge from the bathroom.

Now, Chisa's eyes are only slightly red.

Apart from that, there was absolutely no indication that she had just been crying.

Chisa, who had just stepped off the stairs, paused in surprise.
"Big brother……"

Upon seeing the familiar clothing worn by Uesugi Tetsuya, who seemed to have been waiting there for some time, and the swaying Hannya mask at his waist, the intelligent Chisa naturally knew who he was.

He probably heard everything that had just happened, but he didn't say anything to save face for the child.

The girl's face immediately turned as red as a hot kettle, and she lowered her head in embarrassment, fiddling with her fingers.

"What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Uesugi Tetsu tapped Kaga Kiyomitsu, causing it to add eight layers of demon-repelling debuffs to the small black amulet in its hand, before extending it in front of Chisa.

"Chisa, this amulet is for you. If you wear it close to your body, you won't be afraid of demons and monsters."

Chisa stared at the powerful-looking protective amulet radiating various colors in front of her nose, immediately forgetting her embarrassment and waving her hands hastily.
"No, no, no, big brother, you've already saved me, I can't let you..."

"Now that I've saved you, I really don't want anything to happen to you." Uesugi Tetsu said, forcefully shoving the amulet into Chisa's hand. "Otherwise, wouldn't all my efforts have been wasted?"

Chisa was taken aback when she heard this.

What my older brother said does seem to make some sense.

"And Chisa."

Uesugi Tetsu gazed at the girl who had looked up, her eyes still a little red, and spoke in the exact same tone he had used when he rescued her from the black phone booth.

"I'm very optimistic about you."

This is not a lie, but a fair assessment by Uesugi Tetsu after he had thoroughly learned about Chisa's personal situation and what she had done before his arrival.

A calm and collected mind in the face of danger, an indomitable will to never give up in the face of difficulties, and the courage to risk one's life in critical moments...

If Chisa were willing to come into contact with the supernatural and join the Special Affairs Department, she would surely achieve great things in time, and might even become a powerful deity guarding a region many years later.

Such a promising talent should naturally be brought over to Nanjo-nee for a closer look and to be properly nurtured.

Therefore, Uesugi Tetsu said, "Chisa, if you want to become strong enough to protect your family, you can come to the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Office in Tokyo."

Chisa's eyes lit up at first.

But then, the girl holding the amulet shook her head dejectedly.

"Big brother... I took the test in my hometown before, and the uncle who came to test me said I didn't have the talent for cultivation."

Afterwards, with my sister's help, I studied the basic spirit-gathering technique for a long time, but it didn't have any noticeable effect.

"talent?"

Uesugi Tetsu laughed and shrugged. "Is this kind of thing important? I've never had any talent either, but I've still gotten to where I am today."

Staring blankly at the girl, Uesugi Tetsu held up a finger in front of her eyes: "Chisa, remember this. What limits you is never your talent, but whether you want to or not."

"If you want to, you can do it—belief is your magic, and anything is possible."

“And another thing,” Uesugi Tetsu corrected, “My name is Uesugi Tetsu. You can call me Uesugi-kun or Uesugi-nii-san. Just calling me ‘big brother’ feels a bit strange, like some old man talking about watching goldfish.”

Chisa blinked.

After a long while, she gripped the amulet that made her palms slightly numb, and nodded emphatically.
"Uesugi-nii, I understand!"

"That's good."

Uesugi Tetsu snapped his fingers, leading her toward the source of the demonic aura that had descended from the sky.

Chisa walked casually to Tamamo's side, while Uesugi Tetsu looked at the demon-level figure who had appeared in the perception circle half a minute earlier and arrived much faster than the scheduled support time.

Noticing Uesugi Tetsu's gaze, Yasui immediately introduced the man in front of him, who was wearing an unusually large, pure black haori.

"Lord Nakamura, this is the young hero who single-handedly eliminated the black phone booth, Uesugi Tetsu, Uesugi-kun!"

The man called Nakamura turned to look at Uesugi Tetsuya, and nodded slightly to him: "In any case, I must thank you for standing up for me, Uesugi-kun."

After thanking him, Nakamura finally took a good look at him.

The man patted Uesugi Tetsuya on the shoulder and exclaimed, "No wonder Nanjo wanted to raise your potential level without hesitation. Now it seems that her judgment was indeed very accurate."

Uesugi Tetsuya found it rather strange.

Because, in his perception, the aura emanating from this demon-god level Nakamura was slightly different from that of the demon-god level figures he had encountered before.

Although there are still fundamental differences in their life forms, comparatively speaking, it seems to lack a bit of majesty, a bit of oppression, a bit of... power?
Or is it that all those ghosts and gods I've encountered before were extraordinary?
Which one is the reason?
Uesugi Tetsu didn't understand for a moment.

He couldn't possibly ask such a personal question to a supernatural figure he was meeting for the first time.

So Uesugi Tetsu had no choice but to keep the question to himself and wait for an answer later.

"If there's nothing else, Junior Commander Yasui, I'll conduct a thorough inspection of Shizuoka City for a week and then leave." Nakamura glanced at his phone, then rubbed his temples with a troubled expression.
"I had barely landed when three or four more tasks appeared on this list."

Even though he was already in his early forties, he couldn't help but complain, "Even if it's incredibly durable, you can't treat it like a super ox or horse and exploit it like that."

Yasui, the junior officer, also sighed: "The 1.5th wave is coming up in a few days. Since you, Lord Nakamura, have chosen to become an 'executor,' it's understandable that things will be a bit hectic lately."

"Then, Mr. Yasui, I wish you success in your work."

A sudden surge of spiritual energy, so subtle that it was almost overlooked by Uesugi Tetsu, propelled Nakamura, who was wearing a wide black haori, into the air a thousand meters high within seconds.

The next instant, a terrifying thought, as powerful as the sun, swept across the ground.

Uesugi Tetsu felt his breath catch in his throat, and he was almost forced into the ground by the substantial pressure to become a dry radish.

He looked around again and found that everyone, including Yasui, was completely unaware, continuing their conversations and tasks as usual.

—It seems that without sufficient strength, one cannot even perceive the terrifying aspects of a demon-god level.

Uesugi Tetsu circulated his internal energy several times before he could barely eliminate the subtle discomfort.

He shook his head and heard Tamamo beside him say that they should first send their family to the Special Affairs Office in Shizuoka City to prevent harm from the 1.5th wave and the demons.

—From the very beginning, her younger siblings and parents came to Shizuoka City for this purpose.

—It's just that the timing of the black phone booths was too opportune.

"Well then, Uesugi-san, I'll be going now."

"Okay, Chisa, just make sure you get plenty of rest these next couple of days."

After accepting thanks from Chisa and Tamamo's parents, Uesugi Tetsu bid farewell to Chisa, who was already holding the amulet with great affection.

"Uesugi-nii... um, why not call him Uesugi-dai-nii?"

Uesugi Tetsu could still hear Tamamo muttering in confusion as she got into the black sedan belonging to the Special Affairs Department.

Watching the car drive away, Uesugi Tetsu said to Yasui, who was almost constantly giving orders to the surrounding operators, "If any demons appear, call me anytime."

After saying that, Uesugi Tetsu moved a chair over and found a shady spot to lean against.

—Since Tamamo is sending his family to the Special Affairs Department building, he might as well take this opportunity to check out the two special items he obtained after completing the mission.

First, there was the red brass rotary telephone, exactly the same as, and even more exquisite in, that was placed in the black telephone booth.

【An old-fashioned rotary telephone (special item)】

[Quality: None]

[Effect: When using this phone to communicate with others, you can obtain their names and locations.]

At first, people thought it was just an ordinary phone call.

Uesugi Tetsu's indifferent gaze swept down until he finished reading the "Effect" section, after which he suddenly sat up.

I'm super, box!

This thing is ridiculously powerful in certain specific situations!
However, Uesugi Tetsuya suspected... if he used it to make a phone call to a being of the demon-god level or even higher, would the other party be aware of this effect?

For powerful spirits and deities, this is not an impossible thing.

"Hmm... I'll use Nanjo-nee as a test case next time."

Without taking out the actual phone, Uesugi Tetsuya moved on to the next special item.

【Walking Permit (Special Item)】

[Quality: None]

[Effect: None]

[—Give it to the caretaker of the procession, and He will understand its purpose.]

The incomprehensible yet impressive introduction perfectly matches the mysterious aura of the wanderer.

Uesugi Tetsuya took it out and examined the letter in his hand, which was the same size as an ordinary envelope and had a white jade-like texture.

This material... reminded him of the Key of History that the God of Calamity had given him during the Walking Gathering.

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've participated in a walking gathering.

Previously, the God of Calamity said that it was not allowed to enter for at least a week, but the current time interval has far exceeded that—Uesugi Tetsuya forgot about it when he got busy.

After all, it was nearly a hundred days ago for him, and there wasn't anything particularly attractive about the walking gathering.

"If you have some free time later, take some time to visit the gathering place."

Having made this decision in his mind, Uesugi Tetsu leaned back in his exceptionally sturdy engineering plastic chair and took a short rest.

Numerous special agents came and went around him, but none of them bothered him.

Now that the near-god-level black phone booth is dead, the next task will pose no difficulty to the Special Affairs Department.

"Yo, Uesugi-nii."

It was Tamamo's cheerful voice that woke Uesugi Tetsuya.

He slowly opened his eyes, full of energy, yawned, and saw the golden-red sunset slowly sinking towards the horizon.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at Yasui, who was still calmly talking to the people around him, and asked Tamamo,

"Shizuoka City, is everything alright?"

"Well, there are only a few minor issues left. There's nothing else we need from you, Uesugi-nii."

Tamamo shrugged, then extended her hand to him: "Let's go back to Hamamatsu to pick up Yagyu."

"Right on my mind."

Uesugi Tetsuichi grasped her hand and stood up from the chair, then heard Tamamo's sincere voice coming from beside him.

"Thank you so much for helping me and my family this time, Uesugi-san."

"You should be thankful."

Uesugi Tetsu lowered his head and shrugged at Tamamo, saying, "Tamamo, you should remember to help me out a lot in the future."

Yuzao immediately displayed an aura of unparalleled strength, forcefully patted her puffed-out chest, and loudly proclaimed, "I will not shirk my duty!"

The two hitched a ride with the Special Affairs Department and arrived in the outskirts of Hamamatsu City shortly after the moon rose.

The once deserted streets and alleys were now bustling with activity; you could find a huge crowd in any noisy spot.

The appearance of the secret realm and its reputation on the top 100 list have attracted countless challengers and busybodies who have settled not far from it.

This has made the surrounding area bustling with activity.

While walking, Uesugi Tetsu happened to pass by the old bus stop where he had previously boarded the Kisaragi train.

He then realized that he was in a hurry and hadn't had time to look at the black and gold VIP card and the note that had appeared on the seat.

Putting the VIP card aside for the moment, Uesugi Tetsuya first clutched the unremarkable piece of paper in his hand and waved it in front of his eyes.

The front of the note explained how to use the Black Gold VIP card.

— [By channeling spiritual energy into the card and silently reciting the destination in your mind, you will know when the next Kisaragi Train will arrive.]

This simple description made Uesugi Tetsuya's eye twitch.

This is practically a blatant declaration that "trains are available on demand."

Hmm... it's best to use such a huge privilege sparingly. It's never a good idea to suddenly change course on a train that's halfway through its journey unless absolutely necessary.

Once or twice is fine.

If this happened too often, Uesugi Tetsu was afraid that every time he entered the mortal world, he would encounter a bunch of powerful demons whose journeys he had delayed.

Then the back...

Uesugi Tetsu blinked.

There is only one sentence on the back.

--【haven't seen you for a long time】.

Uesugi Tetsuya looked at the bus stop, which seemed no different from any other, and said softly,
"haven't seen you for a long time."

……

"Yagyu, how much have you finished?"

"I've used up all three chances... I'm on the thirty-seventh floor."

The two looked in the direction that Yagyu Akira was pointing.

He discovered that even after reaching the thirty-seventh floor, his ranking had already been pushed to the bottom of the top 100 list, dropping to around eighty.

And there are at least fifty or sixty more names followed by the ranking of "[Thirty-seventh floor]".

Yagyu Chi explained, "The stone tablet was recently updated again—if it's the same floor, the less time you spend on the walkthrough, the higher your ranking."

When Uesugi Tetsu looked up again, he found that the person at the top was not Minamoto Shizumi.

It was Kyujou-in Jin.

Although he still hadn't killed the projection on the forty-first floor, he had already surpassed Yuan Jingshui.

Uesugi Tetsuya was not surprised by this.

The Eye of Interpretation opened, looking towards the kimono-clad beauty chatting and laughing at the edge of the field of vision... Just like before, no matter which angle you looked at her, she was a humanoid nuclear bomb emitting white light.

This four-stage breathing method is too abnormal.

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was sighing inwardly, he heard Tamamo click her tongue and say...

"Damn, Jiujieyuan Jin is still as abnormal as ever. He just eats and drinks all day, lies there and does nothing, yet he still easily takes first place in the top 100. I almost doubt if he's even the same species as us."

As she spoke, Tamamo sighed regretfully.

"If he had taken it seriously from the beginning, he might be on par with the eldest sister of the Yuan family by now. What a pity."

How can one reach this level without any cultivation?

Uesugi Tetsu suddenly began to doubt his earlier statement to Chisa that "talent is not important"... How come there are monsters everywhere in this world?

But then he thought about it again and found himself amused.

Monsters are good. The more monsters there are in the present world, the easier it will be to deal with the mortal realm and subsequent waves...

In the distance, Jiujieyuan Jin suddenly turned around and looked at him, following his gaze.

The young man, whose charm was outrageously high, turned slightly pale. Surrounded by onlookers, he turned his head and asked with a hint of anticipation in his eyes, "..."
"This one, why don't you try the secret realm?"

Of all those eyes on me, why did they just happen to pick me out?
Or perhaps, it's some kind of special connection between the strong?
Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow, feeling countless gazes directed at him.

He pondered for a moment, recalling the hint he had seen earlier—

[You have obtained an unknown and powerful buff!]

[This buff will take effect the next time you enter the "Projection Realm"!]

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(End of this chapter)