I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 233 The Third Defining Item: The Scales of the Sea's Strange Light! Metal and Water Interact, Re-entering the Walking Gathering!

[Proof of Walking]

At this moment, even the item names on the panel were emitting a faint glow, as if reminding Uesugi Tetsuya that it was time to use them.

However, when Uesugi Tetsu opened the detailed panel, he found that the effects and descriptions had not changed.

Therefore, the proper way to use it is to enter the walking assembly and personally hand it over to the calamity god residing within it.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced out the window.

A light drizzle had started outside, and a few drops hit the transparent car window, blurring his vision.

—The 1.5 wave has only just begun. Even though Shizuoka City seems peaceful now, who can say for sure what will happen next?

If he were to enter the walking assembly now, it would be extremely disrespectful to the aftermath of this wave and to the Tokiwa factory owners who have been planning for quite some time.

The image of that smiling face with a monocle that he had once seen in the haunted village of Arakawa flashed through Uesugi Tetsu's mind.

Factory owner Z...

"Let's wait until the tide has subsided before we go to the gathering to see the God of Calamity."

Temporarily turning off the control panel, Uesugi Tetsu's gaze continued forward, following the steady speed of the car.

Along the way, he saw many brass mechs on the streets.

However, almost all of them were eliminated or subdued by Special Affairs Department agents who arrived immediately before they could cause any trouble. These agents were at least one star stronger than the original agents.

Even without any operators arriving, inexplicable black sword light would descend from the sky, instantly melting away all the [Combat Sequence] mechs belonging to the factory owners.

Another wisp of pale black liquid fell with the rain, turning the brass mech, which had just appeared and had not yet fully collected information about the present world, into a pool of black water.

Subconsciously, goosebumps rose on Uesugi Tetsu's skin.

This sword light... gives the feeling that one who touches it will die instantly, leaving no room for error.

Even if he were to encounter it, he would most likely not escape unscathed.

"The starlight barrier in Shizuoka City actually has this kind of effect by itself...?"

He muttered something to himself, and after witnessing one black sword light after another fall, he arrived at the gate of the Shizuoka City Special Affairs Department headquarters.

Uesugi Tetsu opened the car door and was the first to get out.

There was no aura of demons or ghost stories carrying obvious malice in the surroundings.

He focused his gaze on the office building that was just a stone's throw away and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "The barrier here is ridiculously strong."

In Uesugi Tetsu's perception, the multiple layers of barriers surrounding the Shizuoka City Special Affairs Department headquarters, when stacked together, resembled an impenetrable tortoise shell.

Even a slight leak of energy from the barrier's operation is enough for Uesugi Tetsu to sense the vast, ocean-like spiritual power maintaining its function.

It was far more complex and powerful than the black barrier he had previously seen at the Yagyu Dojo, which was capable of resisting demons and gods.

The Special Affairs Division's true strength was inadvertently revealed at this moment.

"Why don't we have this kind of barrier in our Arakawa Ward...?"

Uesugi Tetsu clicked his tongue, wondering what the situation was like in Arakawa Ward.

But as long as Nanjo is there, things won't get too bad no matter what.

Similar to the black sword light from before, she estimated that she could unleash a large number of them with a wave of her hand to target and strike any demons that appeared.

I don't want to think about these things.

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head, sensing the ghostly aura emanating from the office building.

As the wave arrives, the local demon-like figure of Shizuoka City has indeed returned.

It's that aura...

Meanwhile, the two solemn-faced special affairs officers guarding the door noticed the "sword principle" surging from Uesugi Tetsuya's body.

"Hello, Operator Uesugi."

The two nodded slightly to him, and saw Uesugi Tetsuya's identity in the electronic information prompt that popped up in front of them.

Their tone inevitably carried a hint of respect.

—Because the vast majority of people choose "sword skills" on the path of "skill and reason," choosing the skills they have cultivated since they first held a sword.

After all, the principles of swordsmanship are too abstract and ethereal.

However, they didn't know that Uesugi Tetsu had chosen "Technique and Reason." If they had known, they might have immediately asked for Uesugi Tetsu's contact information in hopes of future communication.

After stopping in front of the barrier and undergoing a very simple identity verification, the three of them passed through the barrier and entered the Special Affairs Department.

As soon as he crossed the barrier, Uesugi Tetsu could clearly feel a gaze, slightly scrutinizing and of unknown origin, falling upon him.

It's that ghost-god level being.

This is probably why they were let in so easily.

The first floor was completely empty. The clerks who were originally in charge of reception and registration had all disappeared, probably to do more important work.

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to ask a question, a pure black feather drifted down in front of him.

As a wisp of smoke rose, a man with waist-length black hair and a calm expression stood in front of Uesugi Tetsuya.

“Operator Uesugi, nice to meet you.” The man nodded to him and extended his right hand. “I am the demon god who now guards Shizuoka City, the Karasu Tengu.”

——【Crow Tengu Clone (3 stars)】

The following label popped up above his head.

Uesugi Tetsu shook hands with the other party without much surprise.

He sensed something different about this demonic aura the moment he got off the bus, and seeing the Tengu now only confirmed his suspicions.

But besides that, there's something else that feels familiar...

Uesugi Tetsuya fell into thought, staring rather rudely at the all-black-clad tengu for a while, recalling the black sword light he had seen many times on the way.

He suddenly looked up again and once again sensed that familiar sense of crisis.

I see……

The one releasing the black sword light through the barrier within the city was the true form of the Karasu Tengu.

Seeing Uesugi Tetsu's actions, Karasu Tengu revealed a faint smile: "You've been discovered, huh? You're quite perceptive, Uesugi Operator."

"Not at all, Lord Karasu Tengu's swordsmanship is superb and truly amazing."

Even just seeing the sword light from afar, Uesugi Tetsu could sense the complex principles of swordsmanship contained within it.

That might be an even better understanding of swordsmanship than Ririko's, and considering that Karasu Tengu is a demon, or perhaps someone's shikigami, it becomes even more remarkable.

"I know why Uesugi is here, but with the current momentum, I really can't spare any extra energy."

The tengu said calmly, "Once the tide has subsided, I will lead you, Uesugi, to retrieve the Scale Armor... Please forgive me."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded: "That's how it should be."

He could naturally distinguish between what was important and what was not, and besides, he could easily wait a few hours.

"Hmm... there's another little guy who wants to say hello to you. He's been hiding there for a long time."

When he said this, the smile on the Tengu's face widened.

He turned to the side, revealing Chisa, who was hiding behind the corner of the wall, peeking out her little head to secretly look in their direction.

She waved in this direction.

"Um... Hello, Uesugi-nii, sis, and Yagyu-nii."

Following her family's instructions, the girl first called out all three of their names before trotting over.

Tamamo clicked her tongue inwardly after hearing this, wondering how someone who had only known her for a few days could put "Uesugi-kun" before her. What had they been talking about on Line these past few days?

No, I'll have to see about that later.

"What an adorable little one. She did quite a good job the other day." Karasu Tengu sighed with some regret. "It's just a pity that she's not very talented, otherwise I would have liked to take her as my apprentice."

Since it was rare for a god-like figure to personally discuss "talent," Uesugi Tetsuya asked another question.
"What does Lord Karasu Tengu find lacking in Chisa's talent?"

The tengu did not speak.

Uesugi Tetsuya understood what he meant.

—If Chisa had even one decent talent, she would already be his apprentice.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with Chisa, Uesugi Tetsu heard the Karasu Tengu speak.

"If there's nothing else, please come upstairs with me."

Upon hearing this, Tamamo, who was behind him, grinned at Uesugi Tetsuya, gave himself a thumbs-up, and said, "Don't worry about us, we know this place very well, big brother, you can go up by yourself!"

Uesugi Tetsu didn't say anything more.

He followed the tengu clone onto the elevator and arrived at the very top of the Shizuoka City Special Affairs Bureau.

Ding dong.

The heavy elevator doors opened.

In an instant, several huge projection screens appeared in front of Uesugi Tetsuya, casting an omnipresent deep blue light.

Dozens of special agents could be seen sitting in the outermost circle, intently working at their desks.

They were either typing away on their keyboards or talking on the landline, completely oblivious to the fact that the elevator doors had opened.

The projection screen displayed a map of the entire Shizuoka City, a predicted level of the current crisis, and many other rapidly changing data that Uesugi Tetsuya couldn't understand.

On the map, red dots representing demons appear from time to time.

Within the inner circle, a total of eighteen Onmyoji, proficient in astronomy and possessing powerful auras, stood on their respective nodes, maintaining the operation of most of the barrier around these nodes.

At the very center of the azure Yin-Yang magic seal, which was also the very center of the entire floor, the man with waist-length black hair turned his head and looked at him.

"If you have nothing else to do, come and watch with me."

The sound of the tengu appeared in Uesugi Tetsuya's ears from several meters away.

The latter didn't speak, but simply nodded and followed the temporarily dimmed spell path to the side of the tengu.

"Let's see."

The tengu's lips moved.

Uesugi Tetsu followed his gaze and his eyes widened slightly.

Because what appeared before Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes at that moment was the entire cityscape of Shizuoka!

Every detail is taken care of.

Skyscrapers, streets and alleys, climate change, people rushing home or to safe zones, special agents flocking to various places, and a few strange monsters randomly appearing in the city.

Uesugi Tetsuya stood "on the clouds" with Karasu Tengu and saw him extend his finger and gently press it on a certain spot.

Then, the pitch-black sword light fell simultaneously.

The barrier extended the power of the tengu crow, transforming it into his limbs.

The perspective narrowed in an instant, allowing the two to confirm the demon's demise, before returning to its original scale in a flash.

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to marvel at the Special Affairs Department's novel technology, he suddenly noticed that Karasu Tengu had raised his hand again and released a sword light.

A chill ran through me, and the source was right there.

He immediately understood the tengu's intention.

This being of such caliber stood right beside him, annihilating demons with almost no mercy...

As for how much he can learn before the wave subsides, that depends on Uesugi Tetsuya himself.

Uesugi Tetsu stopped his wild thoughts, swallowed a portion of calming incense ash, and began to carefully observe the tengu's movements, the trajectory of its spiritual energy flow, and the subtle traces of its swordplay.

With the Eye of Interpretation opened, all of the Tengu's movements became slow and clear in an instant.

Once you enter a state of flow, time seems to fly by.

Uesugi Tetsu felt as if only a blink of an eye had passed before the blurry cityscape of Shizuoka disappeared from his peripheral vision.

Slightly weary, Karasu Tengu withdrew his hand and asked Uesugi Tetsu, who was exiting the Flow of Heart, "Operator Uesugi, did you gain anything?"

[You have observed and gained some understanding of the "Crow Tengu's" use of spiritual power; your skill, Spirit Control Technique - Qi Proficiency +100!]

[You have observed the "Crow Tengu's" swordplay and gained some understanding; your skill, Natural Mind Style, proficiency +100!] [You have observed the "Crow Tengu's" swordplay and gained some understanding; your trait, Sword Principle (8%), has now been changed to Sword Principle (9%)!]

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head, and after snapping out of his high-speed thinking state, he nodded seriously: "Thanks to Your Excellency, I have gained a great deal."

"That would be perfect."

The tengu smiled.

When Uesugi Tetsu looked up again, he found that all the red dots on the map projected on the large screen had disappeared, leaving it completely clean.

Half of the eighteen Onmyoji around also took a break, sitting cross-legged in place to adjust their breathing.

“There’s still plenty of time before the next wave.” Karasu Tengu plucked a black feather from his arm and created a clone. “Let my clone take you, Uesugi Operator, to retrieve the Scale Armor first.”

His main body and his clone spoke together to Uesugi Tetsuya.
"The Five Elements Qi Sea, with metal and water mutually generating each other... I'm sure you, Uesugi Operator, have been waiting impatiently for this for a long time."

The clone took a step forward, and a voice came: "Please follow me."

Metal and water mutually generate each other?

Uesugi Tetsuya's heart stirred, and the knowledge of the five elements' mutual generation and restraint came to mind.

He originally thought that he would need to collect all the five elements to see this effect, but he didn't expect it to work now.

He quickly followed behind the tengu clone and walked out of the top floor.

Shizuoka City Special Affairs Department, 29th floor.

After overcoming numerous identity verifications and checkpoints, Uesugi Tetsu finally saw his original destination in Shizuoka Prefecture, which was also the "reward for the mission" that Nanjo Manami had mentioned.

The dim yellow light cast a shimmering, multicolored glow on the transparent glass case.

Countless complex and vibrant colors emanate from that azure blue scale, meticulously riveted together from each individual scale, resembling the most exquisite gemstone in the world.

However, on this exquisite and perfect scale armor, there are dozens of glaring gaps, which have almost taken up a quarter of the scale armor.

In Uesugi Tetsu's eyes, the surface of this dazzling scale armor even emitted a faint golden light.

A radiance belonging to the epic.

The tengu tapped the glass surface with its finger, causing the glass, which seemed to be alive, to retract.

In the secret chamber, he stared silently at the scales for a long while before reaching out and taking out the most alluring deep blue scale from the very center of the scales.

After it was taken away, Uesugi Tetsu could clearly see that the entire scale armor had changed from a light gold to an extremely deep purple.

The tengu turned around and handed the scale to Uesugi Tetsuya.

He said softly,

"Hai Yiguang... is an old friend of mine."

"I'm entrusting this most important one to you, Operator Uesugi, both as an investment in the next generation and because I believe you won't let it go to waste."

The scale landed in Uesugi Tetsuya's palm. Even after sitting there for a long time, it was not cold. Instead, it exuded a warm and smooth texture like unpolished jade.

A deep purple light enveloped the scales, and a panel popped up—

【The Scales of the Sea】

【Quality: Epic+】

[—The scales on Hai Yiguang's chest. They had witnessed hundreds of years of world changes and the transformation of the world along with Hai Yiguang, and after being shed, they had undergone the baptism of a long time.]

Now, it's in your hands.

The quality of the Epic+ is almost equivalent to the Ubume Feather that he bought from Sheng Hai for 6,000 points.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at the other scales on the scale armor—these scales were probably only of ordinary epic quality, or even ranked at the bottom of epic quality.

The fact that the tengu gave him this single, unique scale was indeed a great gift.

As soon as he held the scale in his hand, Uesugi Tetsu clearly felt his Qi Sea, or rather, the Totsuka Sword fragments within his Qi Sea sensed something, causing the entire Qi Sea to become agitated.

The Tengu noticed the change and chuckled, "If you're going to use it to define your Qi Sea these next few days, it doesn't matter if you stay here now."

"Thank you."

Uesugi Tetsu gripped the scales tightly.

……

Meanwhile, the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Division.

"You guys are really patient, only showing up now that this wave has already subsided."

Inside the office, Nanjo Manami, reclining in her chair, yawned sleepily and snapped her fingers softly.

In an instant, the demons who had just completed their advancements in various parts of the Arakawa district, before they could even cause any trouble, all perished in the strange fluctuations of spiritual energy.

In the distant sky, Dr. Li Dao, who had just completed his second celestial survey without concealing his movements, marveled at the sight.
"This woman is truly terrifying. She's only been above the cap for a little over a month, and she's already reached this level..."

Dr. Li Dao touched his chin, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Speaking of which, isn't she working overtime every day? Where does she find the time to cultivate?"

Arakawa Ward, Uesugi Tetsu's residence.

Ririko, sitting alone in the center of the dojo, calmly opened her eyes.

A pure sword domain immediately expanded from her own center, cutting down and shredding all the demons and monsters near the mansion before Nanjo Manami could make a move.

At the same time, a train bearing the Kisaragi logo was speeding along amidst the surging waves, sending batches of cowardly demons who had been mistakenly sent into the mortal world back to the ordinary world.

"Next stop, the Warring States Cemetery..."

"Next stop, the Warring States Cemetery..."

As soon as the train doors opened, many little demons who had emptied their pockets were hurriedly sent off the train.

Outside the car door, two polite passengers stood on either side, waiting to get off before boarding.

The girl on the left, carrying a small iron hammer on her shoulder and with wheat-colored skin, muttered uncertainly, "The third trial requires taking a vehicle. Could I have gotten on the wrong one?"

The tall passenger on the right, his face covered by an iron mask, squinted and muttered to himself, "So this is the train that the lord spoke of, the one that leads to the mortal world..."

After everyone else got off the train, the two complete strangers boarded together.

The train doors slowly closed.

……

After obtaining the scales, Uesugi Tetsu temporarily bid farewell to the Karasu Tengu who needed to prepare for the next wave and went to a quiet training room that was not in use.

Uesugi Tetsu looked into his dantian and found that even after several minutes, the Totsuka Blade fragments that had fused with the Hannya card were still active.

They couldn't wait for the Scale Armor of the Sea-Shining Light.

Prior to this, the Totsuka Blade fragments and the Ubume feathers, which belonged to the metal and fire attributes respectively, were completely unrelated and were naturally two separate definitions.

But this time is different.

"Metal generates water, and water overcomes fire. I wonder what new effects this will bring."

Uesugi Tetsu still had some expectations.

To reiterate the previous two instances, Uesugi Tetsuya used his inner energy to envelop Hai Yiguang's scales and skillfully placed it above his dantian to observe its reaction.

The next instant, the feathers of the Guhuoniao rose from the sea of ​​qi with a bang, and its whole body was engulfed in raging black flames, clearly showing its dislike for the scales.

In another direction, the Prajna card, enveloped in golden light, rose up, welcoming the arrival of the Scaled Robe with great friendliness and even anticipation.

Finally, the scales floating in the air remained completely still, showing no reaction to hostility and ignoring any goodwill.

He was calm and composed, allowing Uesugi Tetsuya, the master of the Qi Sea, to command him.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded repeatedly: "That's right. When those fragments and feathers came, they were all so frantic that it was impossible to tell the eldest from the second eldest."

He released his control over the scales, allowing them to define their own boundaries within his dantian.

Then, a tangible, thick, and powerful hand of qi grabbed the feather of the Guhuoniao, which was ready to attack, and pressed it down in an instant!

Gululu~
Hot bubbles rise to the surface of the sea of ​​gas, then burst with a crackling sound.

It was obvious that Guhuoniao's feathers were very unwilling.

But no matter how unwilling it is, it has to obediently submit to the visible regulation.

After circling above the sea of ​​air, the azure scales finally landed above the pinkish-white sea, slowly descending and merging with the four-tailed fox card that had just emerged from the sea surface.

There was a crash.

Uesugi Tetsu could see that the already lifelike four-tailed fox card was now framed with a shimmering azure border, and even the background inside the card had turned into a dazzling rainbow.

The scales of the sea's strange light are defined here.

[Because your empty sea of ​​qi is affected by the "scales of the sea's strange light", your willpower +1].

[Because your Void Sea is affected by the "Scales of the Sea's Strange Light" boundary, your Spiritual Arts +2].

[Because your Void Sea is affected by the "Sea Light Scales" effect, your water resistance has increased!]

[Due to the definition of "Sea-like Scales," "Fragments of the Totsuka Sword" have a synergistic effect with it!]

Please check out the联动 (linkage/interaction) effect yourself!

Boom boom!

At that moment, the Prajna card darted to the side of the Four-Tailed Fox card, pressing close to it, with no longer any previous animosity or rejection.

Golden and blue light burst forth simultaneously, then intertwined to become even brighter.

The entire sea of ​​qi emitted a thunderous roar, and for the third time, it expanded wildly toward its boundless boundary.

But this is just the most insignificant change.

Under the gaze of the Eye of Interpretation, the two avatar cards, which are fused with the defining elements, begin to rotate at a fixed rate, constantly strengthening themselves and their essence by borrowing the power of the other.

In addition, the amount of protective energy produced in the same period of time has increased significantly compared to before, more than doubling.

The body's self-healing ability has thus been greatly enhanced.

The effect of the mutual generation of metal and water is evident.

This is merely the effect of the interaction between two defining attributes.

"A vibrant sense of life has also emerged within my Qi Sea..."

Uesugi Tetsuya looked puzzled, not understanding what this feeling was bringing about.

Of course, the effects of defining scales are not all positive.

—The feathers of the Guhuoniao were isolated.

Under the ever-increasing brilliance of azure and gold, the black of the Ubume feathers appeared particularly dull.

At this moment, it was hiding beneath the sea surface, and even though the giant hand had disappeared, it no longer released its power as arrogantly as before.

But this is a minor matter.

The two transformation cards were busy maintaining the balance of metal and water, and had no time to care about the lone Ubume's Feather.

"Given the experience of previous definitions, this one was surprisingly calm."

Uesugi Tetsu pushed open the door to the quiet room, feeling the increasingly abundant power and energy within his body. He went to the window and quietly listened to the surging sound of the waves between heaven and earth.

He still remembers the urgency and unease he felt when he first heard the sound of the waves.

But now, Uesugi Tetsu's mindset is completely different.

Just like the Special Affairs Bureau facing the aftermath of the wave—there were no dramatic changes, no unexpected events, only what arrived as scheduled and passed smoothly.

Gazing at the gradually clearing sky, Uesugi Tetsu laughed and took out a disc-shaped assembly token from his storage backpack.

The edges of the bronze disc gleamed in the sunlight.

……

When he opened his eyes again, Uesugi Tetsu heard a wave that was a thousand times, ten thousand times more powerful than the one in the real world, as if it were about to engulf the world.

"It's been a long time, Uesugi Kogyo."

In a daze, Uesugi Tetsu heard a voice that was slightly pleased and surprised.

"What you received was actually this 'walking certificate'?"

(End of this chapter)