I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 230 Two-and-a-Half-Star Special Salvage: The Demon King's Heaven on Earth! Learned by Yaegaki! Entering the Mokumen Labyrinth.

On this desolate and barren land, someone is walking aimlessly forward, measuring the distance, time, history, and future of the earth with their own two legs.

The scorching sun is gone, and the silver moon has disappeared.

All life and organisms have vanished into nothingness long ago.

Someone once asked him, "What's the point of staying sober and moving forward even after everything has disappeared?"

The very existence of something is meaningful.

If someone remembers the past, then that past existence has meaning.

Suddenly, the man stopped his steps, which had been lingering for countless years, and raised his eyes toward the sunless sky.

Those eyes seemed to contain the ultimate truth, as if all the answers were written within them.

The man sensed the countless, endless ripples emanating from beyond the vast expanse of time.

Therefore, I have doubts.

"Is it even possible...?"

He murmured softly, his eyes lowered.

I glimpsed another version of myself.

I glimpsed so many beautiful past moments that hadn't yet happened and that could still be salvaged.

After a long silence and a fleeting moment of envy, the man's fingers tightened, bringing everything together as "one".

The endless possibilities and branches cease here, and the long and arduous journey of life and its torments become nourishment for the mind.

He sighed calmly.

"Don't become like me."

……

"Don't become like me."

A lonely sigh, like a dream, falls into the deep sea of ​​memory.

Uesugi Tetsu opened his bewildered eyes. The warm afternoon sunlight entered his pupils, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Uesugi-kun, you're awake?"

Yagyu Akira's voice came from the side.

Uesugi Tetsu looked over and saw Yagyu Akira, who was wearing a taekwondo uniform and had a smile on his face, as well as a plate of peeled and neatly cut apple flesh.

A toothpick with a rounded end is thoughtfully inserted on top.

With the return of consciousness, the mountain of life experiences, accumulated to millions, all slipped away like sand through one's fingers.

No matter what, you can't catch it.

Uesugi Tetsu felt dazed, as if he had forgotten many important things.

It's like waking up from a dream and not being able to remember anything at all.

"You slept for two whole days after you were taken in by the teacher's instructor." Yagyu Chi paused, then asked with some curiosity, "Uesugi-kun, what did he teach you?"

"Yaegaki."

Uesugi Tetsu still remembers this very clearly.

Yagyu Chi hummed in agreement and nodded, appearing completely calm.

"—You learned Yaegaki after only one lesson and in such a short time?"

In his heart, Yagyu Akira fell into serious self-doubt.

Having sensed the other's worries, Uesugi Tetsu didn't say much. Instead, he ate several pieces of apple before asking Yagyu Akira, who had seemingly composed himself.
"Should we start tackling the Mumu Lian Maze tomorrow?"

Yagyu Chi clenched his fist and nodded seriously: "It will begin tomorrow morning."

After exchanging a few more words with Uesugi Tetsuya and confirming that the former was alright, Yagyu Akira immediately stood up and spoke.

"Uesugi-kun, just let me know if you need anything."

After saying that, he strode out of the ordinary house, which was probably located in a corner of the dojo.

Uesugi Tetsu watched Yagyu Akira's retreating figure, then stuffed another piece of fresh apple into his mouth, still not quite understanding what was going on.

Did I just upset him?

That's it.

For someone like Yagyu-kun, no amount of stimulation will only further motivate him.

—But since we're going to conquer the Mumu Lian dungeon tomorrow, that means two days have already passed.

Forty-eight hours have passed.

The countdown to the opening of the 2.5-star gacha pool has ended and reached zero.

After activating his Spirit Control Technique and taking a deep breath of abundant spiritual energy to cleanse his mind, Uesugi Tetsuya felt refreshed.

—But before that, you must look at the prompts about your state of mind that pop up.

[Because you experienced countless branching futures in the Unique Salvage: Myriad Phenomena branch, your state of mind has been greatly enhanced!]

A branching future...?
Uesugi Tetsu stared at the line of text.

In a daze, several memorable fragments flashed through my mind.

The cherry blossom trees in the high school, the silhouette of a white-haired woman, a fan base reaching seven figures...

But when he finally mustered the energy to try and delve into those memories, he found that he couldn't remember anything else.

There are only these two or three fragmented segments.

"So, this special salvage that cost two thousand Soul Ashes was just a dream?"

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange tingling sensation in his nose. After pondering for a while without finding a solution, he could only look down.

[Your Willpower +10!]

[Your mental state has reached the mid-stage of the Hundred Refinements realm, but because you do not possess the "Embryo of the Heart," your mental state level cannot be further improved.]

Your state of mind remains unchanged.

[Middle Section: The Unity of Man and Sword (Like a mirror, refined a hundred times, returning to oneness).]

[Current Mindset Level: Intermediate - Mirror-like - Refined]

[Note: Before finding the "Embryo of the Heart," the mental state level cannot be officially upgraded to "Hundred Refinements."]

Sure enough.

Uesugi Tetsuya once again fully activated the Spirit Control Technique, feeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathering at his fingertips like threads, then obediently moving according to his will.

It is almost precise down to the microscopic level.

Not only that, his control over his physical body and internal energy has also increased significantly, and he can even feel that the practice of breathing techniques has become easier.

The changes brought about by this special salvage operation are far more than just a mere ten points of willpower increase!
Uesugi Tetsu spread his five fingers and carefully manipulated the qi and spiritual power to slowly merge together.

A few minutes later, a protective aura, one or two orders of magnitude stronger than before, formed on his body surface.

Uesugi Tetsu's eyes shone.

No matter what important thing I've forgotten...

But without a doubt, the changes brought about by spending two thousand Soul Ash were absolutely worth it!
"So, it turns out that the teacher training college was actually the right thing to do."

After circulating the Spirit Control Technique several times, and with his perception further enhanced, Uesugi Tetsuya finally noticed the ripples and movements flowing in the Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Although subtle, Uesugi Tetsuya discovered its existence after repeated observations.

—The aftershocks of the wave are coming.

How did the teacher realize it?

The old man clearly showed no signs of spiritual energy fluctuations, yet he was able to sense it several days earlier than he could.

You have to understand that you can accomplish so much in just a few days.

Uesugi Tetsu put the last piece of fruit into his mouth, rolled out of bed, and went to the wide-open window.

In its current state, let us once again observe the pitch-black barrier that is clearly already in operation.

"This barrier is truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship."

In just a few minutes, Uesugi Tetsuya, who was wholeheartedly using his spirit control technique to sense the barrier, learned two moves from it—that would make the shield formed by spiritual energy even stronger.

The circulation of Qi was further enhanced.

Satisfied, Uesugi Tetsu turned his gaze away, basking in the warm sunlight, and opened the notification for the two-and-a-half-star gacha pool.

[Countdown to the opening of the 2.5-star special salvage event: 00:00:00]

The countdown to the opening of the salvage operation has ended!

[Special 2.5-star salvage event is now open!]

After a flash, a brand new gacha pool page appeared before Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes.

The new option is now listed below [Two-Star Limited Salvage: Edo Suburbs].

——【Special 2.5-Star Drop: The Demon King's Heaven on Earth!】

After reading the entire gacha pool name, three question marks popped up on Uesugi Tetsu's forehead.

What the hell?

Compared to previous names like "Secluded Bamboo Forest" and "Abandoned Shrine," this gacha banner name is full of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur).

Furthermore, what is the relationship between this gacha pool and its name?
Uesugi Tetsu lowered his gaze.

There were no moving creatures on the monotonous, semi-transparent page.

Only the leaden sky, the desolate land stretching endlessly like scorched earth, and the black clumps floating in mid-air like impurities and dust, their state of being indeterminate—whether gaseous or liquid—were visible.

Where is the "Demon King"?

What does this scene have to do with "heaven on earth"?
It should be called hell, shouldn't it?

Uesugi Tetsuya, who had originally hoped to find a gacha NPC similar to Hyakume, waited for a while and searched for a long time, but found no trace of this "Demon King".

The card pool was desolate and lifeless.

Only the buttons for "Single Salvage" and "Ten-Session Salvage" emit a dark, fluorescent glow.

Each salvage attempt will cost a fixed 500 Soul Ash.

During this special salvage operation, you will obtain an unknown item of unknown quality.

[Note: Each time you perform a 10-pull, you are guaranteed to receive at least one item related to the "Demon King".]

It costs 500 Soul Ashes to pull once, there's no discount for the first 10 pulls, and the minimum quality isn't guaranteed...

Uesugi Tetsuya's lips twitched as he tried to obtain a simplified panel by pressing and holding the black icon with his mind, but to no avail.

Do you really think his ashes came from the wind?

"Aside from the ten-pull that costs a whopping 5,000 Soul Ash, is it all just unknown...?"

Uesugi Tetsu narrowed his eyes, his fingers itching to move.

Regardless, now that the new gacha pool is open, I should at least try it out a couple of times.

I don't have the ability to do a full ten-pull, but I can definitely do a single pull.

With a slight thought, the button for "Single Salvage" glowed faintly.

In an instant, an indescribable black mass burst open, splattering a large area of ​​black across the gacha pool page.

Under Uesugi Tetsu's gaze, the object shrouded in black was revealed.

Upon seeing it clearly, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.

ha?
A gray bento box covered in panda stickers?

He reached out and let the lightly weighted lunchbox fall into his hand, then fell into deep thought.

I spent 500 points of Great Soul Ash and only got this thing?

But the next instant, a panel that popped up from above the lunchbox made him change his mind.

That’s right!

At the same time, he quickly abandoned the idea of ​​opening the bento box to find out what was inside.

【Demon King's Handmade Bento】

【Quality: Super Epic】

[Effects: After consumption, the user will suffer from panic, terror, spiritual energy dissipation, or other debuffs (78 in total). Exceptions apply to certain individuals. Certain individuals will receive an equivalent amount of buffs after consuming this bento.] [—An ordinary bento, but believe me, you wouldn't want to know what it tastes like.]

After thoroughly examining the contents of the bento box, Uesugi Tetsu's gaze towards the desolate landscape on the gacha page instantly turned fervent.

Five hundred Soul Ashes can be exchanged for a super epic quality item...

Aside from the special two-and-a-half-star salvage: The Demon King's Earthly Paradise, where else would you find such a great opportunity to snag a bargain?
Although the "specific candidate" was not specified or given any clues, it would still be worth it even if we treated it as pure poison!

As he ran his fingers over the rough, chipped edges of the bento box, Uesugi Tetsu's gaze became subtle.

The name of this new pool sounds impressive but doesn't look very appealing, yet it actually has some real substance.

How about we try one more time?
Before Uesugi Tetsuya could make a decision, his itchy hand clicked the salvage button on its own.

Snapped!
Another floating, ball-shaped object exploded, and the card-drawing animation was exactly the same as before.

But this time, the props that appeared were completely different.

[The broken large red button]

[Quality: Deteriorated]

[Effect: None]

[—A red button made of ordinary engineering plastic; pressing it will not do anything.]

Uesugi Tetsu placed the red button, which was about half the size of his palm, in his hand and examined it closely several times, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Even though he risked pressing the button twice with all his might, until the center of the button was completely crushed, nothing happened.

Uesugi Che was speechless for a while.

Kids probably wouldn't buy this kind of toy even at a 100-yen store.

Looking at the number of soul ash that had changed again as a result, Uesugi Tetsu grinned.

What a loss.

He glanced at the remaining Soul Ash—he still had 3,400 white Soul Ash points left, and he would need them for quite some time.

It's better to stop for now and restrain your urge to draw cards.

After all, if you continue to do single draws, you might end up with six "big red buttons" in a row, resulting in a complete loss.

Even if you're going to pull, it's more cost-effective to save up for a 10-pull before going into the gacha pool.

If you ask Uesugi Tetsu, this Demon King gacha pool should be renamed the Gambling Monster gacha pool.

"You can't afford to offend."

After struggling to close the Demon King gacha pool, Uesugi Tetsu realized that there was no prompt to learn Yaegaki.

He recalled Shi Fandai's ghostly steps once more and fell into deep thought.

This footwork is indeed very difficult.

Before entering the special salvage operation, Uesugi Tetsu had only learned the basics of this step.

It's likely that the proficiency panel will only appear after he completes this first step.

this is nothing.

The footwork was already deeply imprinted in his memory; he only needed to observe and study it further to learn it.

It's just a matter of two or three portions of incense ash for soothing the soul.

After taking a few steps, he picked up his phone from next to the fruit plate and unlocked it. Uesugi Tetsuya didn't forget to clear the red dots on his LINE account as usual.

In these turbulent times, it's always good to pay more attention to and respond to other people's messages.

Skipping over a bunch of meaningless messages and emojis, Uesugi Tetsuya looked at the puppy avatar.

The message above was sent a day ago.

[Tamamo's sister!: Uesugi-kun! You were right, those two lurking in the shadows were definitely bad guys!]

[Tamamo's sister!: The operator said they aren't "little old men," but rather machines disguised as little old men.]

[Tamamo's younger sister! : Hehe, thanks to you, I've done it again!]

The message from Chisa was very simple, just a report on the progress of the matter concerning the little old man.

However, the amount of information conveyed in his words was explosive.

mechanical……?
Uesugi Tetsuya keenly grasped the keyword and immediately associated it with "Tokoyo Factory".

As Sheng Hai had said before, the owners of the eternal world factories would take advantage of the aftermath of the wave to test the real world, and this machine disguised as a harmless little ghost story might just be their advance scout.

More importantly, these scouts managed to sneak into the headquarters of the Special Affairs Department without anyone noticing—even if it was just the headquarters in Shizuoka City!

"We definitely need to be careful about this."

After immediately discussing the issue with Nanjo Aimi, Kitano Runa, Tamamo, and other personnel from the Special Affairs Department, Uesugi Tetsuya replied with an "Awesome!" and put down his phone.

Feeling the increasingly intense "qi" surging between heaven and earth, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but exhale.

"The Demon Guide Association, the Sengoku Daimyo, the Tokoyo Factory Owner... and perhaps there are many more forces I don't yet know about that are secretly reaching out into the mortal world."

After a simple sigh, Uesugi Tetsu's eyes did not waver in the slightest; on the contrary, they became even more resolute.

The world is experiencing frequent unrest, and a crisis may have already arrived.

But beneath the chaos lies a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that never existed before and was almost monopolized.

To seize opportunities amidst such turmoil... the only way is to move forward!
Only a power greater than anyone else's can stand firm amidst the chaos and waves.

Within the barrier of the Yagyu Dojo, which covers an area of ​​tens of thousands of square meters, most of the spiritual energy changed its flow in an instant, rushing madly towards the same point on the ground.

Like being swallowed by a whale and sucked into the sea.

Many disciples from the dojo drew their sharp swords, their eyes gleaming.

"Don't be impatient."

The aged voice of the teacher appeared in the ears of each disciple. He glanced in a certain direction and smiled with a hint of surprise: "This is normal."

……

The next day.

[You have mastered the secret technique, Eightfold Wall!]

【Yaegaki (entry 0/800)】

[Effect: Swift as lightning, ghostly as a phantom.]

Those who achieve one-eighth of the result have already distinguished themselves from the crowd.

Wow!

A sudden gust of wind arose, scattering fallen leaves across the floor.

Only the equally thin, bluish-green leaf ten meters away from Uesugi Tetsuya remained unmoved.

It might have been a fleeting moment, or it might have been Uesugi Tetsuya who was always there.

Without making a sound, Uesugi Tetsuya had already stepped on the base of the green leaf with his toes.

Bending down, I picked it up.

"Yaegaki is worthy of the word 'secret method'."

Examining the veins on the leaf, Uesugi Tetsu used his inner energy to wrap it around his finger and flicked it towards Yagyu Akira, who was not far away.

But before the leaf had flown halfway, it was pinched back down by the two fingers that had flung it out.

As always, without warning or any sign of trouble.

Uesugi Tetsu breathed a slight sigh of relief and exclaimed, "As expected, it lives up to its reputation."

He nodded toward Yagyu Akira, who had instinctively reached out but grasped nothing.
"Yagyu-kun, let's go."

"it is good."

Amidst the whistling wind, Yagyu Akira, who had also only mastered the first step of the Yaegaki technique, secretly clenched his fist.

……

After being taken to the Special Affairs Department's shuttle bus by Tamamo, Uesugi Tetsuya and his two companions arrived at a relatively deserted mountain forest in less than two hours.

Upon getting off the car, Uesugi Tetsuya immediately noticed the Special Affairs Bureau's sign hanging high above.

The surrounding trees were cleared clean, and dozens of tents were erected on the open ground. The complex aura of shikigami and barriers permeated Uesugi Tetsuya's senses.

There are many shikigami, and the types of barriers are equally numerous.

Tamamo followed behind and jumped out of the car: "This is our temporary camp for the maze walkthrough!"

Tamamo shouted towards the camp and waved.

Immediately, a female agent from the Special Affairs Department who looked slightly older than Tamamo and wore black-rimmed glasses walked over.

"Tamamo, Yagyu-kun, it's been a long time! And this is..."

The operator, who had only practiced some basic breathing techniques, looked at Uesugi Tetsuya, who showed no signs of strength, and asked with slight hesitation.

"This is the Uesugi brother who single-handedly chopped down the illegal phone booth!"

Tamamo patted Uesugi Tetsuya's back hard, but the shockwave from the circulating qi made her little hand ache.

She hissed through her teeth in pain.

"Same, and also the absolute main force in this raid on the Mumu Lian Maze!"

"Operator Uesugi!"

Upon hearing the name, the operative, whose eyes had been filled with worry, raised his voice excitedly.

She immediately turned to the side: "Please come into the camp first, meet all the operators for this mission, and then let us explain the current maze to you."

"Thank you."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded, and seeing the barrier open, he followed her into the largest tent in the camp.

As the tent opened, a dozen or so pairs of eyes, some scrutinizing and some filled with surprise, fell upon Uesugi Tetsuya, who was walking in the middle.

His gaze swept across these faces in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, he gained a general understanding of everyone's strength.

It's neither strong nor weak; it's passable, albeit barely.

Two or three main operators, and the rest are roughly the same as Tamamo, used to gather information and prepare for battle.

So, Uesugi Tetsu walked to the table, meeting their gazes, and withdrew his Jade Heart Technique and Spirit Condensation Technique, allowing his aura to fill the tent. He spoke softly.
"I am Uesugi Tetsu, an operator from the Arakawa District. From now on, I will be fully responsible for the strategy of conquering the Mumuren Maze."

After looking around, Uesugi Tetsu tapped the table with his knuckles.

"Gentlemen, do you have any objections?"

No one spoke; everyone's gazes spoke volumes.

Given the vast disparity in strength, all Special Affairs officers familiar with the basic regulations knew what to do.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded in satisfaction.
"Let's synchronize our information first."

Fifteen minutes later.

"--This is roughly all the information in the original maze."

The middle-aged man with slicked-back hair paused for a moment before continuing, "But under the influence of the impending wave, no one knows how the labyrinth of the new kind of ghost stories will change."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded: "The sooner the better to remove the maze, the better?"

The middle-aged man nodded.

"Let's do it now." Uesugi Tetsuya concealed his aura once more. "Take a headcount, then set off."

"Yes!" the crowd responded.

Leading five operators out of the tent, Uesugi Tetsuya traversed several layers of barriers in just two or three minutes and arrived at the real Mumu Lian Maze.

Its entrance is an ordinary-looking cave.

But Uesugi Tetsu stopped in his tracks, instinctively sensing an eerie and chilling aura emanating from it.

There is weirdness.

Ghost Stories Cluster...

He squinted and asked, "What about the Ghost/God level?"

The tall, muscular operator closest to them spoke in a deep voice: "The Demon Gods have more important things to do; the Mumu Maze isn't even on their list."

Staring into the darkness, which seemed like a gaping maw capable of swallowing everything in its path, Uesugi Tetsu placed his hand on Kaga Kiyomitsu.

"Then let's go in."

(End of this chapter)