I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 296 Challenge the fourth-ranked opponent, Tsuchimikado Arashi! The final sword strike completely shattered Yanliu's Dao Heart!
With the rules changed in this way, there is no longer any room for trial and error.

If you want to challenge someone higher up, you need to choose the opponent from among the available options who gives you the best chance of winning and who gives you the most information.

In other words, the advantage increases as you progress.

After Yin Yang Quan Zhu disappeared into mid-air, the remaining contestants either lowered their heads in thought or looked at each other in bewilderment.

The central area of ​​the venue fell into a silent silence for a moment, because no one wanted to be the first sucker to take the plunge and challenge the top.

Except for Ririko.

"I challenge, ranked tenth, Aonosuke."

A calm voice came from Ririko, who was still standing, instantly drawing the attention of all the cameras and eyes.

……

"They both share the surname Tokugawa and both practice the Four Extremes Breathing Technique, yet the difference between them is so vast?"

Kyuuketsuin Jin touched her slightly bulging belly after being stuffed, staring at Tokugawa Haruhiko, who turned to face the camera and bowed his head deeply, muttering to himself in confusion.

"Of course."

Yuan Xinshui gave a rare, light scoff: "I met Tokugawa Haruhiko a few years ago, and back then he looked like he was destined for failure."

I just didn't expect that after so much time, he wouldn't have changed or grown at all.

After a pause, Yuan Xinshui's gaze lingered on the calm yet domineering face that occupied most of the screen.
"As for Tokugawa Ririko, she is probably the one with the highest level of swordsmanship and mental fortitude in the entire seeding tournament."

"There's one more thing, Xiao Jin—"

Yuan Xinshui said, "I'm afraid that Tokugawa Ririko is not practicing the Tokugawa family's Four Extremes Breathing Method, but rather the Corona Breathing Method, which is the same as Uesugi Tetsu's."

"Sigh...Isn't she the fifth daughter of the Tokugawa family? This doesn't make sense, does it?"

Kujou-in Jin looked completely puzzled.

"You haven't seen that old tortoise of the Tokugawa family, so you probably don't know."

Yuan Xinshui seemed to recall some unpleasant memories, so she said coldly, "If Lilizi had also practiced the Four Extremes Breathing Technique, then what happened on the arena just now would never have happened."

"That old tortoise wouldn't hand over something like the Four Extremes Breathing Technique to someone he can't control."

Sitting next to Jin Jiujie, who was turning her head around as if afraid someone might approach, Yuan Xinshui asserted.
"In other words, there is a high probability that the rumor that Tokugawa Ririko was kicked out of the Tokugawa family when she was a child is true."

She paused, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.

"It's truly impressive that he managed to achieve this all on his own."

It's hard to imagine how much she has sacrificed to get to where she is today.

"Phew... Sister Xinshui."

After quickly checking that all the doors and windows were locked, Jiu Jieyuan Jin clasped his hands together and stuck out his tongue at her: "Don't talk about such important people in my house in the future, or you'll be in big trouble if someone hears you."

"Big shot..."

Yuan Xinshui's expression remained unchanged. After gazing thoughtfully at Jiujieyuan Jin for a while, she nodded: "Then I'll try my best."

Kyuuketsuin Jin breathed a sigh of relief, expressed her gratitude, and then asked curiously, "Then, Shin-sui-nee, how do you compare Tokugawa Ririko's swordsmanship and mental state?"

"Maybe he's taller than her, or maybe they're about the same height... I'm not sure anyway."

Yuan Xinshui rubbed her knee with her fingers, her eyes showing some interest: "I didn't go to the scene to see it with my own eyes, how would I know what her sword heart is like?"

Half, half a catty, eight taels?!
Jin Jiujie was shocked.

Has Tokugawa Ririko's "sword heart" really reached this level?!

—The answer is of course, otherwise Tokugawa Motoyasu and Tokugawa Ryuji wouldn't be standing in the Sky Castle stadium right now.

"Ryuji, if you were defeated by Riko, what would you think?"

The old man stared at the horribly injured Tokugawa Haruhiko for a moment, then turned to the ramrod straight-backed young man beside him and asked.

"I?"

Tokugawa Ryuji answered without hesitation.
"I won't lose to my little sister."

"It's just a hypothetical scenario," Tokugawa Motoyasu said with a smile. "What if you became Haruhiko?"

Tokugawa Ryuji glanced at his sixth brother's appearance and sighed with disappointment: "Great-grandfather... losing is losing. Admitting you're not as good as others isn't a difficult thing."

"When my younger sister was still at home, my sixth brother would often mock and tease her. Now that my younger sister has experienced many things and grown up, my sixth brother is still the same as before."

Now that we've met again, being made to look like this is what they deserve.

Tokugawa Ryuji said, "Back then, my sixth brother should have foreseen this day."

After a brief silence, the old man beside me let out a long sigh.

"How magnanimous you are, Ryuji."

Tokugawa Motoyasu's aged face was etched with wrinkles, and he gave a dry laugh.

"If I had been treated like this when I was young, I definitely wouldn't have thought like you."

"Great-Grandpa, please don't say that..."

Tokugawa Ryuji quickly added, "If it were Hoshino in that position, he would probably think about the same thing, since we both practice swordsmanship."

"Yes, you practice swordsmanship."

Tokugawa Motoyasu smiled warmly at him, then leaned his frail, aged body against the dragon-headed wooden cane with a sigh of relief.
“But I am not.”

……

Aonosuke, who hadn't even warmed his seat in the TOP10, looked troubled.

He was just considering whether to move up one position and kick this soft persimmon Yan Liu, whose underwear is completely exposed, to the goalkeeper position.

Before he could even hesitate for two seconds, Tokugawa Ririko was about to challenge him.

Tsk, what a reckless fool...

They clearly said there was only one chance.

Aonosuke pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling genuinely weary.

He had watched most of Ririko's match, so he knew that the girl wielding Uesugi Tetsuya's sword was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

At least……

Aonosuke glanced at Enryū, who was still sitting on his head.

It's nothing compared to the guy above.

The idea is tricky; there's no need to match it up right now.

It's okay to admit defeat after being challenged...

Moreover, a swordswoman with Tokugawa Ririko's personality would never be content to remain a top-ten gatekeeper.

Of course, the most crucial thing is still that person.

Aonosuke remained expressionless, but the image of Saito Ryuichi appeared in his mind.

The head of the Saito family has conceded defeat in every battle so far, and despite his ranking dropping to almost 30th, he hasn't made a single move.

This level of patience is truly remarkable; one could call it the "viper of Mino."

He wouldn't be forced to use his trump card at the very beginning of this phase.

In the blink of an eye, Aonosuke had made up his mind.

There's nothing shameful about admitting defeat, as long as you see what it can bring.

A beam of light enveloped the two, causing Ririko to fall onto the main arena for the first time.

Before Aonosuke even opened his eyes, he keenly sensed a very faint chill on his neck.

"I surrender."

The moment he opened his mouth, the chill dissipated.

Only then did Aonosuke fully open his eyes and see Ririko, who was smacking her lips and looking displeased, right in front of him.

Suppressing his instinct to unleash Yin-Yang magic, Aonosuke breathed a slight sigh of relief: "How scary, Ms. Ririko."

I almost got beheaded at the very beginning.

Ririko frowned, having just been about to draw her sword decisively but then having to press it back down.

"Such a rare sparring opportunity, one that wouldn't matter even if you were about to die, is being wasted by simply conceding defeat instead of fighting. What a waste..."

Aonosuke smiled but remained silent.

"As expected, there's a big difference between the thought processes of us roughnecks wielding swords and you Onmyoji."

Ririko helplessly shrugged.

Forget it.

Let's continue upwards. After the pillar of light teleported Aonosuke down, it didn't "attack" Ririko.

It seemed as if they knew she would continue to take on the challenge.

Just as the referee and the director had thought, Ririko looked up and glanced subtly at Yanliu, who was sitting in the TOP9 position.

The director's camera followed Ririko's gaze.

In addition, the director also "thoughtfully" replayed the three sentences that Ririko had said earlier: "Wash your neck clean and get ready, I'm coming to chop you up," and "I don't like you."

This immediately caused the audience in the venue to cheer and start making a ruckus.

And what about Yanliu, who is about to be challenged?

Sitting in the TOP9 position, he felt a chill run through his body.

After being defeated several times in a row, Yanliu's mental state was almost broken, and he stopped making boastful remarks.

Deep down, he actually had the thought of admitting defeat.

"But Yan Liu could not admit defeat. His arrogance, pride, and concern for face, coupled with the current atmosphere, made it impossible for him to do so."

As he spoke, Uesugi Tetsu grabbed the two-foot-tall man by the back of his neck, pulled the screaming man off his body, and threw him heavily onto the table.

"Lord Che, what are you doing—"

collapse!
A flick on the forehead sent the man's remaining words flying back.

Uesugi Tetsuya, who had just figured out how to gently use his internal energy to deflect two feet away, breathed a sigh of relief.

It felt like I had experienced a battle even more terrifying than fighting a hundred Flame Streams at the same time.

“Che—”

bang!

Just as the two-foot-tall man was about to speak, his words were shattered by a hellish cleaver.

Uesugi Tetsu said sternly, "Erchi, if you do this again without permission, I'm going to lock you up in the Jizo statue's little dark room!"

Halfway through his speech, seeing the tearful expression on Erke's face, Uesugi Tetsu's tone softened slightly.

"Don't you even know where you are... Be good, and don't think about these things again..."

But as soon as he said those words, Er Chi's tears vanished instantly, replaced by a look of eager anticipation.

She accurately grasped the key phrase, raised her slender white finger, and blinked her large eyes with a hint of surprise, saying, "Then, Lord Che, do you mean that as long as there are fewer people..."

Isn't this a complete lack of lessons learned?

Uesugi Tetsu's face darkened instantly. He immediately used his internal energy to seal Erchi's mouth shut, then threw her into the Jizo statue to make her reflect on her actions.

Sure enough, once you have one, you want two; once you get an inch, you want a mile.

When faced with a greedy fellow like Erchi, we can't back down an inch!

Soon, a series of rapid-fire vibrations began to resonate within my heartstrings.

Uesugi Tetsu immediately shut down the channel, and also made sure to close the communication channels between Kaga Kiyomitsu and Futaba, to prevent that guy from bothering Kaga.

When he lowered his head again, the battle on the ring had already begun!

— Riri didn't say a word when facing Yanliu.

For such a brainless, arrogant fool who can't see his own place, just give him a good beating.

The beam of light dissipated.

A chilling killing intent erupted in an instant, cutting a trail of blood on Yan Liu's waist and abdomen.

Start with zero frame!

Yan Liu lowered his head in astonishment as he instinctively made a defensive move, which was ignored by the Sword Domain.

My defenses were ineffective...

why?
But just as the word "why" flashed through Yan Liu's mind, the pale and black blade tip illuminated his pupils.

The battle has already begun, yet they still can't concentrate.

This guy……

Do you look down on me?
As Ririko stepped down, she was already within three feet of Yan Liu!
Kaga Kiyomitsu shot out like lightning, aiming straight for Yanliu's eye socket.

Instinctively, Yanliu wanted to raise his hand and use his skills and internal energy to deflect or parry the sword.

But before he could even raise his hand halfway, he experienced intense, phantom pain in both hands and the upper part of his head, a pain that felt incredibly real.

Yanliu's arm froze.

If this continues, he'll be beheaded with a single sword strike!

Without a second thought, Yan Liu immediately gave up the fight for control, barely managed to turn his head to the side, and retreated in a disheveled manner.

Ririko gazed at Yanliu's cheekbone, which had been cut open by Kaga Kiyomitsu, and couldn't help but raise one eyebrow.

Even though Yan Liu was arrogant before, he still had basic strength and was barely qualified to make those boastful remarks.

But now...

They were defeated in just two moves?
After watching several battles, Ririko had a very clear understanding of Yanliu's strength.

If Yanliu hadn't fought Uesugi-kun at the beginning, after those two moves, he would have at most gotten his clothes slightly dirty, how could he have ended up in such a sorry state?

"This kind of mindset is like cheap glass, it's so fragile, it'll collapse at the slightest breeze and shatter at the slightest touch."

Disappointed, Ririko stared at the flames that were a side effect of Kaga Kiyomitsu, and even focused her attention on them. She sighed inexplicably.
"Your life has been so smooth sailing."

Before the words were finished, pale blades rained down.

Unlike when she dealt with Tokugawa Haruhiko, where her main goal was to humiliate him, this time, facing an opponent who had completely lost his value, Ririko only wanted to crush him like a whirlwind.

Rotten food has completely lost its value and meaning in terms of taste.

Let's take it down quickly.

Just a few dozen seconds later, Flame Flow, whose entire body had been intentionally weakened by Kaga Kiyomitsu, allowing the Pale Sorrow to adhere to its relatively normal effect, screamed and gave up resisting.

With a blank expression, Ririko beheaded him, piercing his heart and ruthlessly shattering his last shred of composure, thus securing victory.

—In this way, Ririko rose to ninth place.

Uesugi Tetsu's gaze swept over the contestants above her one by one.

The odds of winning against Lin Renye should be over 50% or 60%.

I'm sure I can win against Kitamura Yoyu, whose spirit and energy have waned.

As for Takizawa Kai... it's hard to say.

Having personally experienced the bombardment of his Five Elements Yin Yang Technique, Uesugi Tetsu stroked his chin.

However, all the methods used to feed the cannons have already been used on him, so Ririko should have already thought of corresponding countermeasures.

The key is——

Uesugi Tetsu looked up at the two Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado and Kamo families, who had barely spoken and showed little expression.

Tsuchimikado Arashi, Kamo Teruichi.

The two men looked at him at the same time, scrutinizing him.

Apart from Saito Ryuichi, the other two Onmyoji from ancient Onmyoji families, who were ranked in the top 3 or 4 from the beginning, also did not make a move.

He hadn't forgotten his original intention in wanting Ririko to participate in the seeding battle: to get her to take second place and, incidentally, to help him collect the "All Things Folding Fan".

In that case, these two are the mountains that must be climbed.

—The main problem with Onmyoji is that they have too many unknown methods and hidden tricks, and sometimes you can easily fall into their trap if you're not careful.

This led to a complete loss.

These two came from ancient and prestigious families, and their methods at that time were countless.

With a sudden change of heart, Uesugi Tetsuya had an idea in mind.

He smiled at Ririko on the stage, plucked a string, and made the Kaga Kiyomitsu in her hand buzz twice with her.

Ririko was first surprised, then frowned and resisted, and finally felt helpless.

Then Uesugi Tetsu stood up and looked at the young Onmyoji, whose surname was "Tsuchimikado," who seemed to have sensed something and whose gaze was deep.
"I challenge Tsuchimikado Arashi, who is ranked fourth."

Without a moment's hesitation, Tsuchimikado Arashi stood up and responded loudly.
"I accept."

Give up?

For them, it was an option that was absolutely impossible.

(End of this chapter)