Becoming a god in a low-key way in the supernatural world

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day, a dozen or so people stood or sat around the pavilion on the mountaintop, drooping like wilted cucumbers, each eating the dry food they had brought.

In the pavilion, Kotegawa was holding a large box of still-chilling cooked beef slices, eating heartily with a pot of water.

Next to him were two neatly stacked epaulets.

After he occupied the pavilion, groups would sneak over from time to time, either wanting to pass through or coming here, and without exception, they were all now squatting outside.

Because the weather was too hot at this time, and these people who had lost their epaulets wanted to see someone come and deal with Kotegawa, they simply stayed there and refused to leave.

Kotegawa didn't want to say anything. Anyway, this hill wasn't his private property, so people could squat wherever they wanted, as long as it didn't bother him.

After having a little something to eat, Kotegawa put away the empty box, drank half a pot of water, and counted the epaulets he had acquired once more.

This time, there are ten teams, and if you don't count him, there are a total of twenty-seven people.

There are now twenty-one shoulder patches here, only missing the two elite squads from the Special Division and the Onmyodo.

After we've wiped them out, once the sun has set, we'll go find trouble with the monsters and ghosts.

The monsters and ghosts that were released were all very weak, only around [Difficulty Level 2], but with the sun so bright now, they wouldn't come out at all.

The daytime portion of this quarterfinals is reserved for the ten teams, while the exorcism will take place in the evening.

In previous years, every quarter-final match was a thrilling battle of wits and courage, and its excitement and entertainment value were enough to keep you watching for a whole day.

This time... it was quite exciting, but it was just too short.

On a hillside quite far from the summit, the two remaining teams stood on opposite sides, gazing towards the top.

Someone asked in confusion, "At least three teams have gone to the summit in the past few hours, so why is it so quiet? Have they really joined forces?"

Someone pondered before answering: "They're either lying in ambush on each other, or they're preparing to ambush other teams coming up the mountain."

On the Special Division side, a boy with big eyes whispered to the person in front of him, "Captain, what do we do? Those guys from the Onmyoji Bureau said there's a high probability of an ambush. What should we do?"

The team leader who was asked was a rather burly young man. He glanced at the Yin-Yang Bureau team and said calmly, "Tell them to set off and prepare to go to the mountaintop."

"What about an ambush?" the big-eyed boy asked cautiously. "How about we take another route?"

At this moment, the only girl among the three placed her hand on the hilt of her knife, her eyes filled with unwavering resolve: "So what if the other squads are lying in ambush? Fight them! Ueshiro, don't forget we represent the Special Division!"

"I was just thinking about it cautiously..." Uesugi Keisuke muttered to himself, "After all, there are monsters and ghosts to deal with at night."

Their team and the Onmyo-ryo team are special in the tournament. They are considered true seed teams and are directly guaranteed a spot in the top eight. As a result, they have always been the target of jealousy from other teams. Therefore, it is common for the other eight teams to team up and attack the Special Department and Onmyo-ryo teams first.

Unfortunately, nobody seems to care about this kind of thing.

Therefore, the quarterfinals have already subtly evolved into a battle between two factions.

One group consists of teams that fought their way through the major tournaments, while the other group consists of them and the Onmyoji Guild.

After so many years of competition, neither side would say they hate each other to the core, but if they met on the field, they would definitely not hesitate to take down the other first.

This time was no different; the two teams had joined forces early on, constantly on guard against any potential attacks.

They waited there all morning, only to see the backs of a few small teams heading up the mountain from afar.

So, unsurprisingly, the other eight teams... have probably reached a consensus to eliminate them first and then decide the winner.

On the other side, the three people from the Yin-Yang Bureau were also watching this side. The two sides nodded to each other, each on guard, and began to move towards the top of the mountain.

One side represents the Special Division, and the other represents the Yin-Yang Bureau. Naturally, they each have their own pride and glory, so even knowing that there is an ambush ahead, they will bravely go to meet it.

As planned, the three members of the Special Operations Team led the way in their standard "one-two" formation, while the three members of the Onmyoji Bureau summoned their shikigami to guard the rear and prevent any sneak attacks.

The six of them proceeded slowly and cautiously along the path leading up the mountain.

After all, there are more than twenty opponents. If they all swarm over, even the most inexperienced ones would be enough to chop them into mincemeat.

The scorching sun relentlessly baked the earth.

It took them a full half hour to walk down that mountain path.

As they approached the summit, the six men's expressions became increasingly surprised and doubtful.

That's strange, where's the ambush?

Were they all waiting for them at the mountaintop?

At that moment, a person appeared directly in front of them, holding a wooden sword, and with a handsome and refined appearance.

All six people stopped in their tracks, staring at him in surprise.

Keisuke Uesugi from the Special Division whispered, "It's one of those eight teams that only has one member participating. It seems to be the exorcism club from Kano Middle School... Tsk, poor guy. Looks like he's being used as bait by the other teams to lure us in."

The captain, who was also tall, had a slightly serious look in his eyes.

The girl standing to the right rear stared intently at Kotegawa, took a step forward, and said, "Fish bait? I'll try it first—"

"Hmm?" The other five people glanced at each other slightly.

The girl paused, then said, "I'll take care of it! We can't let the captain take risks! Uesugi's skills aren't that great..."

Keisuke Uesugi stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief.

This woman is so shameless...

Kotekawa Kami was also looking at the six people, and said with a slight sigh, "They've all come."

The girl with the single ponytail, gripping the hilt of her sword, walked to the front of the crowd and shouted, "I'm Rin Tohno from the Special Division! State your name!"

Kotegawa was taken aback. Was this a habit of the Special Division before a confrontation? He cupped his hands in greeting: "Kano Private School, Kotegawa Shinsen."

"Furugawa... what grade are you in?"

"First year of high school."

Why are you carrying a wooden sword?

"Because it's enough."

"Weren't you being bullied? If so, blink!"

"...No, that's not true."

Upon hearing this, Rin Tono's eyes filled with pity. Had she been bullied terribly? She didn't even dare to blink. Those rookies were truly nothing.

She looked ahead and shouted, "Furugawa, give me your phone number!"

Kotegawa, who was trying to figure out what was going on with this girl, was suddenly taken aback.

The other two members of the Special Operations Squad were starting to lose their composure. The captain cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Tono, don't waste time!"

Rin Tono responded in a deep voice, then suddenly sensed something and looked past the Furude River toward the mountaintop.

Many figures stood behind the bushes, coldly watching this side.

Is the other party starting to get impatient?

Suppressing the fierceness in her heart, she slowly drew her sword and looked at Kotegawa: "Kotegawa, I will remember you..."

She dragged the knife with both hands, shouted, and charged forward.

Kotegawa silently watched this clueless girl, speechless. At the same time, the wooden sword in his hand moved, like a fleeting afterimage.

Just as he reached her, Rin Tono, who was about to swing her sword, fell straight down, filled with deep pain and astonishment.

"what happened?"

A group of people on the mountaintop burst into laughter.

Someone shouted, "You idiots in the Special Division, if you all ganged up on him, you might be able to take him down!"

The five people over there were also wondering what had happened. When they heard this, their faces darkened, filled with anger. How dare they call them idiots...

Kotegawa removed Tono Rin's epaulettes and glanced at them sideways.

The mountaintop fell silent instantly, save for the stern rebukes.

After the noisy chatter subsided, Kotekawa, carrying his wooden sword, took a step forward. When he was about five meters away, he looked back and forth between the five people, then cupped his hands in greeting: "Kano, I am Kotekawa Kamimi. Please take care of me."

The captain of the Special Division was still staring at Rin Tono, who had her epaulets removed and was lying on the ground in an unseemly position.

Upon hearing Kotegawa's voice, he fell silent for a moment, then his lips moved: "Special Division, Jumonji Tsuyoshi... No need for that self-introduction, let's get started!"

Kotegawa looked at the long sword in his hand, nodded slightly, and stepped forward.

The three people from the Yin-Yang Bureau at the very back held talismans in their hands and silently chanted incantations.

Water spheres the size of human heads appeared in the surrounding void.

This is a mountain forest, where more powerful fireball spells are not permitted.

The two teams often work together on missions and cooperate quite well.

As the Special Division's squad leader, Tsuyoshi Jumonji, shone with a yellowish-brown light, water spheres instantly transformed into sharp arrows and shot towards Furudegawa.

Keisuke Uesugi, with his large eyes, slyly threw out a kunai.

Although they were just called idiots, they also learned a lot of information... This boy seems different from what they imagined; he might be very strong!

Kotegawa looked at the strange phenomenon around Tsuyoshi Jūmonji with some surprise. As expected, there were still some powerful people in the Special Division, not just people like Shizuka Ichijo and Yasuhiro Ishikawa.

Hmm, it doesn't seem to be true qi, but rather a rather special kind of power, carrying a somewhat heavy feel, which is rather interesting.

He lightly swept his wooden sword, deflecting the incoming kunai, and slightly turned his body to let the incoming water ball whiz past him.

Behind him, Rin Tono awkwardly rolled over, then looked at the puddle of water beside her, touched her buttocks with lingering fear, and glared angrily at the Onmyōryō people.

That was close, just a hair's breadth away...

When Jumonji saw that Kotegawa had calmly dodged all of his attacks, his gaze sharpened, and he instantly realized that he had encountered a formidable enemy!

Keisuke Uesugi chuckled, abandoning his previous probing tone and becoming serious. He bent down, and as if by magic, six darts instantly appeared in his hands. He threw them directly, and the darts, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound, arrived in front of Kotegawa in an instant.

After all, it's only a five-meter distance!

Kotegawa's gaze remained calm and unwavering. With even faster reaction and speed, he intercepted all six darts. Then, with a powerful swing of his longsword, he "returned" a kunai with an intricate pattern.

Keisuke Uesugi hadn't expected this move, so he did a somersault and another kunai flew out of his hand.

The two kunai collided in mid-air, exploding into a shower of sparks before landing on the ground.

Kotegawa looked at him with a hint of admiration.

Not bad, not bad. They're quite capable; they truly deserve to be talents trained by the Special Department.

Keisuke Uesugi wasn't as relaxed as him; his face showed lingering fear and seriousness: "Captain, he's too strong!"