Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Kyoto has very few high-rise buildings due to historical preservation and earthquake considerations, but in recent years, with technological advancements, skyscrapers have gradually begun to appear.

The Nishiki Hotel headquarters of the Eagle Group is the tallest of them all.

The result is that a purely enormous monster has been created.

Nobita stood on the roof of a nearby building, but even so, he was still not up to the knees of that terrifying giant.

The giant's face and limbs have now taken shape, and it is indeed Takatsuki Tetsujin himself, but his eyes are dull and lifeless, as if he has not yet taken control of this body.

Multiple missiles struck the giant's body in turn, but it was quickly repaired, and when the smoke cleared, there was no visible damage.

The latest bombing squadron has set off, equipped with sub-nuclear weapons recently transferred from Aramco, and is ready for deployment.

In addition, the electromagnetic railgun, which is still in the experimental stage, is being adjusted and will take about ten more minutes to complete its deployment.

Modern Japan has become an open-air testing ground for all kinds of weapons, and we not only cannot resist, but we also have to welcome it with open arms.

The giant's body moved slowly, its expressionless head twisting awkwardly, and large swathes of building debris scattered.

Any one of these debris pieces could crush a car.

The newly activated supernatural alert has been sounded throughout Kyoto. The mournful wailing sound pierces the sky, and the giant that can be seen from almost the entire city creates an oppressive atmosphere that makes it hard to breathe.

"Can I even cut this thing?"

Nobita looked at the cards in his hand and realized that only the Allies of Justice might be of some use.

"Or perhaps we could follow Muramasa Taki's example and enter the body of a Titan?"

As Nobita pondered his strategy, Renault, clad in crimson and black armor, flew over from behind, landing with a roll to dissipate the force and arriving beside Nobita.

The two figures, one in white and one in red, stood out in the sunlight, like a knight and a warrior, immediately attracting the attention of the helicopter camera that was risking its life to broadcast live from not far away.

"Zoom in! Zoom in! Okay, lock onto them, viewers. We can see that the Silver Knight and the Crimson Warrior have appeared side by side! Are they friends? Or are they heroes who have chosen to join forces in the face of danger?! Could they be our hope in the fight against this terrifying giant monster? Kyoto Broadcasting will continue to broadcast live for you—"

The reporter shouted at the top of his lungs, fully arousing his emotions.

"Knight Guild Master, do you have any battle plans?" Renault glanced at the helicopter and then ignored it, marveling at the size of the giant with a suppressed burning desire in his eyes.

He could sense that the giant possessed "essence blood" within him that could allow him to break through the limits of his blood energy.

If we have to say who benefits from today's chaos, Renault is definitely one of them.

The greater the chaos, the greater his chance of obtaining Nobi and Muramasa's extraordinary blood.

Even if we settle for second best and play it safe, we might still be able to take the opportunity to obtain the giant's blood essence and achieve our first breakthrough in blood energy limits.

As for failing and not being able to win, can't he just run away? He doesn't have any superhero baggage. Everything he does is for profit. When danger threatens his life, even if he chooses to leave, Nobi and the others can't say anything afterward. At most, it will lower their trust level.

However, if one could seize the opportunity to obtain three waves of blood at once, enough to break through the blood energy limit.

Renault easily suppressed his greed, his reason prevailing throughout.

It is not yet clear whether there is a digestion period for absorbing essence and blood to break through the blood energy limit, and whether it is impossible to break through multiple times directly.

If that's the case, turning against the mutual aid association now would not be a wise choice, as subsequent actions would be much more difficult, and all the previous efforts would be wasted.

"The heartbeat. The giant's weakness lies in the Heart of Suppression. The bombing from the outside is unlikely to expose that heart, so our best chance of success is to enter it and destroy the Heart of Suppression."

Nobi pointed to the hotel's ground floor, which was still barely discernible; he planned to break in from there.

Renault nodded: "But we can't be left unattended outside, right?"

“That’s right. Muramasa and I both need you to observe the situation outside, Mori. If things go wrong, don’t worry about us.” Nobi had no intention of letting Lareno go in. Firstly, it was too dangerous, and secondly, Muramasa Taki’s experience showed that once inside, communication with the outside world would be cut off, leaving only private messages between players for communication.

Uesugi and Oshima could naturally relay the situation through the news, but such relaying could be cut off at any time, so it was better to leave one person outside.

At the scene, there was no other choice but Renault.

"I understand. Stay in touch, and be careful, Knight."

Renault said solemnly, his previous performance lacking in dynamism, which inexplicably gave Nobi a sense of trustworthiness and reliability.

This is also a kind of contrast that Renault portrays.

Patting Renault on the shoulder, Nobita looked up at the giant who had already begun to raise his hands. Without wasting any time, he leaped between buildings, approaching the hotel entrance a hundred meters away.

high altitude.

The giant's eyes slowly regained some luster from their emptiness, along with that deep-rooted, corrupted intent to kill.

"All things wither, but my heart flourishes!"

A muffled voice came out, and the giant stretched out his hand, raising it high towards the sky.

Then, raindrops seeped from the ground, light flowed out, and then, surprisingly, they reversed direction and returned to the sky.

In this process of return, plants are rapidly withering and turning yellow, and the people who are still stationed and have not completely evacuated are aging quickly, with young people becoming middle-aged and middle-aged people becoming elderly.

The old man from the fire brigade was lying half-dead, barely breathing, but not yet dead.

Conversely, the giant Takaji's face quickly became younger, returning to his most spirited age.

Turning his head, his gaze, filled with insane killing intent, met the camera of the live-streaming helicopter.

The moment of silence fell over countless viewers watching the live stream, their hearts skipping a beat.

In reality, there are no buildings in Kyoto that are over 100 meters tall; most buildings are kept under 50 meters.

Chapter 190: Scorched Earth Strategy

The electromagnetic railgun array, hastily deployed fifty kilometers away from the giant, emitted a whistling sound.

As the charge was completed, the six electromagnetic rails emitted a faint hum, and the depleted uranium alloy projectile was launched at high speed, instantly accelerated to eight times the speed of sound.

The sharp, piercing friction tore through the air, and within ten seconds, six projectiles struck various parts of the giant's torso.

The shockwave transformed into a visible milky-white ring of air that swept across large areas of flesh and skin. Thick blood flowed down the wounds like a waterfall, and the white bones were clearly visible.

But within seconds, these wounds quickly sprouted granulation tissue and healed completely.

The indifferent giant picked up the bullet, held it in his palm as if launching a marble, and casually flicked it towards a certain spot.

In an instant, it was as if a hole had been torn open in Kyoto's low-rise buildings, and a large cloud of dust rose up.

"The results were as expected, but the giant's recovery speed exceeded our expectations. Considering the charging frequency of the electromagnetic gun, we recommend using conventional explosive weapons. While most of the personnel have completed their evacuation and he is still unable to move, we will use him as a target for fire coverage."

"The giants seem to be able to absorb the life force of the surrounding area to replenish themselves. We must clear out as many people as possible from the vicinity of the battlefield."

Commander McCullough observed the giant on the screen, which had returned to its previous state. Its legs were already restless, as if it could break free of its restraints and walk through the city at any moment.

"Authorization confirmed, bombing permitted, connect me to the President's line."

While the giant's insane regenerative abilities certainly arouse greed, given the current almost uncontrollable situation, communication and cooperation are out of the question; what needs to be done now is...

On the screen in front of him appeared an image of the president sitting in the Oval Office.

"Your Excellency, in view of the threat posed by the giants, I request that nuclear strike measures be prepared to ensure the safety of our allies."

If even subnuclear weapons cannot kill the giants, then nuclear weapons are undoubtedly the last resort; they cannot place all their hopes on the superhumans.

The president was not too surprised to hear this, as he had been informed of the situation at the scene.

“McCurow, given Japan’s concerns about nuclear security, I do not recommend using a nuclear strike before we have exhausted all other options. Have you considered that if even a nuclear strike fails, we humans will lose our last line of defense against the supernatural?”

McCullough understood the president's unspoken meaning.

The first part of the president's statement was a joke. If the situation really threatens the United States, all the concerns about Japan's nuclear security are nonsense. The president can press the nuclear button until it smokes.

The second half of the sentence makes some sense, but it serves more as a cover-up.

The real purpose is nothing more than two things. First, the giant does not have the risk of continuous proliferation like the Spider Lily, nor does it come and go without a trace like the Demon Blade. This opportunity can be used to collect more layers of combat data.

Secondly, they had ideas about the giants' regenerative abilities and did not want to completely destroy them unless absolutely necessary.

Unlike other monsters that have appeared, the giant was originally human and has shown the ability to regain his youth, which is why countless eyes are already watching this place.

Anyway, this isn't their territory. Even if the Titans destroy the entire city of Kyoto, it would be worth it if they could obtain Titan samples for research.

Having figured all this out, McCullough knew what to do next.

To appease our allies' concerns about nuclear weapons, let's do a thorough cleanup first.

That would just be enough to balance out a number of the Ministry of National Defense's accounts.

Currently, battlefield command is divided into three parts.

McCullough, as the commander-in-chief, was responsible for coordinating various long-range offensive tactics.

The original on-site commander may have lost too much vitality and become unresponsive, so the on-site command was handed over to the captain of the Talos T team.

In addition to these two commanders, there is also an extraordinary commander led by Leon, who is responsible for communicating with Muramasa Taki and dealing with the situation using extraordinary methods.

But ever since Muramasa Taki lost contact, Leon's command has been limited to on-site analysis, leaving the mystics and supernatural experts to speculate, turning it into a giant seminar.

"The Demon-Slaying Chronicles are practically worn out from being read so many times, but they never mention anything like that!"

"No, no, since that thing was unearthed from Koga, it must be related to the Fourth Muramasa and the cursed sword. There are records here that Hosei and the Koga ninja killed the Fourth Muramasa and brought back the cursed sword."

The "Record of Subduing Demons with Wonderful Dharma" left by Facheng has now almost become an official reference book, a must-read for experts in the study of extraordinary beings.

It is also the only confirmed extraordinary record to date.

Unfortunately, some parts are vague and lack detail, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps with their imagination.

Since yesterday, they have been trying to find the origin of the giants' superhuman strength and weaknesses from the records. So far, they have made many guesses and reported them to the commander-in-chief for verification, but the results have not been ideal.

"Wait, here's the latest intelligence. According to information, Kazuhito Kawakami, the last successor of the Koga ninja, once possessed a 'Guardian Scroll,' which was said to have been passed down through generations. However, shortly before his death, this Guardian Scroll was quietly sold to a collector. This happened shortly after the subway incident."

"You mean, the one who bought that Guardian Scroll was Takatsukasa Tetsujin, and that the scroll contains a location? Takatsukasa Tetsujin used this scroll to find what the Koga ninja needed to protect?"

"That makes sense. The fact that they could fight the demon sword alongside Hosei shows that the Koga ninjas also possessed extraordinary power. So, could what they were protecting actually be related to ninjutsu?"

With the influx of the latest information, the discussion has heated up again.

However, the hope of finding a way to fight the Titans in these materials is still too slim.

Leon silently left his seat and answered a video call on his phone.

"Minister Leon, I have reached the safe zone. If the situation cannot be salvaged, I will pray for the divine flower to intervene." Dr. Miles in the video looked solemn, holding the spider lily in his arms.

Leon hesitated: "Commander McCullough agreed that if the bombing is ineffective, you are permitted to intercept it. However, if I remember correctly, asking the Divine Flower for help will not only consume the accumulated willpower, but will also put a burden on you. Currently, you are the only one among us who can communicate with the Divine Flower. If you want to use the Divine Flower to deal with the Titans, even if you have enough willpower, you yourself may not be able to withstand it."

“It’s alright.” Dr. Millai’s words were decisive. She pointed to the device she was wearing on her head. “This thing will record my status and ensure that all data is saved.”

Oh, I see. That puts my mind at ease—no way! That's not what Leon was worried about!

But if something happens to Dr. Mila, there will be no one left to communicate with the Divine Flower.

"The bombing has begun! That's all for now. I'll set up the equipment in a bit so you can understand the situation here."

Miley found cover and nervously observed the situation outside, while freeing her hands to set up the experimental equipment.

"Third shelter experiment, operator: Millai. Location: Kyoto. Target: 100-meter Regenerated Titan. Willpower collection estimate. Ready!"

Outside, the area within a radius of several hundred meters of the giant was designated as a bombing zone, and an absolute scorched earth strategy was implemented.

Countless warheads of all kinds bombarded the area relentlessly, and before a mushroom cloud could even form, it was destroyed by the next round of explosions.

Thermite bombs were scattered like celestial maidens on the giant's body, napalm stuck to it, flames soared into the sky, mixed with various explosions, and in the smoke, one could barely see the splattered flesh and the falling blood rain. In no time, the smell of burnt protein permeated the entire city of Kyoto, making people want to vomit.

Finally, more than ten thermobaric warheads, trailing orange-red flames, pierced into the smoke. The moment the warheads split open at the giant's waist, head, and legs, the oxygen within a radius of hundreds of meters was evacuated into a vacuum.

A terrifying wave of fire, thousands of degrees high, instantly engulfed everything around it. The giant's flesh was instantly vaporized and carbonized, exposing the white bones and pulsating organs inside.

However, the thick, gelatinous blood constantly secreted within the body stubbornly resists the erosion of the high temperature, continuously reclaiming lost ground.

As the mushroom cloud of the last thermobaric bomb dissipated, most of the giant's body had turned into a bare skeleton, with dark gold fascia adhering between the exposed vertebrae, and half-melted alloy shrapnel hanging from the gap in his pelvis.

dong dong.

The giant's heart pounded faster, his bones continued to grow, and granulation tissue grew between his flesh and blood, like thousands of blood worms writhing. In the blink of an eye, he was back to normal.

There was no trace of the original hotel building left on its body. Perhaps the bombing had helped a lot, as the giant had completely broken free from the hotel and was able to move freely.

Having already distanced himself from the crowd, Renault barely managed to snap out of it and glanced at the player list.

Fortunately, the two people inside the giant's body are still alive.

"The next step is probably to drop a nuclear bomb, right? Should I run away?" Renault had no interest in testing whether his blood energy could withstand a nuclear explosion.

And it's highly unlikely that he could withstand a nuclear explosion right now; if he could withstand a nuclear explosion, he would already be building his own land-based divine kingdom.

[Mori: How's the situation? Did the bombing have any impact?]

[Zhi: It's alright, it was just a bit hot just now.]