Chapter 176

"Is the me in the parallel world studying Eight Extremes Fist instead of Taekwondo?"

In Beika Town, Kyogoku Makoto scratched his head, considering whether he should switch to martial arts.

As a mere ordinary person, how could he possibly sit at the same table as that group of mages?

His greatest achievement in life was breaking a load-bearing pillar weighing several tons with his bare hands, then picking it up to use as a weapon and throwing it hundreds of meters into the sky, though he hadn't hit the enemy...

That achievement was far too insignificant.

Perhaps the parallel-world version of himself possessed some extraordinary fortune.

"Yo-ho, Rikuo is actually one of the seven directors? Not bad at all."

In Tokyo, the Great Yokai Nura Rihan squeezed out a smile and leisurely sipped a cup of tea.

Rikuo being on the same level as Hidetomo in the parallel world showed that he had achieved significant growth.

Compared to his grandson in this world, who had yet to develop sufficient resolve, that Rikuo was far more excellent.

In that case...

His goal now was clear.

Before the tide of the new era arrived, he would first use "devilish training" to cultivate Rikuo to Hidetomo's level; even if he couldn't rival Heroic Spirits, he would at least be a top-tier combat force in the demon-slaying world.

It didn't need to be overwhelmingly strong, just enough to have the power to protect himself.

At the training base of the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office in Chiba City, a series of jokes also rang out.

"Sure enough, excellent people are excellent wherever they go. Sister Yomi is a big shot in the parallel world too."

"Ara ara, with such an excellent instructor, it's only natural that our strength is improving by leaps and bounds."

"I wonder which Yomi-chan is stronger, the one from this world or the other?"

"So cool!"

"Wuwuwu... (Nishimiya Shoko is gesturing in sign language)."

"Ahem, let the old man translate. Shoko means..."

【The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy. The seven directors stared silently at the combat projection. Suddenly, Hanakain Hidetomo, dressed in archaic yin-yang robes, stood up and clenched his fists, saying in a deep voice, "Spirit-summoning magecraft, summoning Heroic Spirits... Are you kidding me? Such a thing is actually possible?"】

【"And a Heroic Spirit summoned right here on our home soil?!"】

【"When did they manage to pull off a ritual of this level right under our noses?!"】

【Seeing the calm broken, a female mage wearing glasses exclaimed in shock.】

【"Those mages in that small place are truly formidable, actually bypassing us. If they hadn't fought their way out of Fuyuki, who knows how long it would have taken for us to find out."】

【"Hmph, the Clock Tower knew about it even earlier than we did," Isayama Yomi said coldly. "They really are experts at covering things up."】

【Kyogoku Makoto slowly lifted his legs and rested them on the table. "Ultimately, it's the incompetence of our Spirit-Summoning Division. We couldn't even detect these things."】

【Hearing this, Nura Rikuo, who was observing the battle in the projection, was displeased.】

【"Heh... usually, our Spirit-Summoning Division receives the least amount of resource allocation, yet when things go wrong, you start blaming us."】

【"Isn't this your problem this time?"】

【Kyogoku Makoto's eyes turned dangerous, and the magecraft circuits in his fists flickered.】

【Nura Rikuo was cold, and with the surge of magecraft power, countless powerful shikigami appeared behind him. "What, do you want to fight? Who's afraid of who!"】

【"Alright, stop it!"】

【Hanakain Hidetomo rubbed his temples. "We have reached a life-or-death moment. The Director-General has set the tone: for the sake of Tokyo, we must intercept the Heroic Spirits, targeting that dark King!"】

【"Her true identity is King Arthur from British mythology."】

【"Hmph! You should have said so sooner."】

【Kyogoku Makoto slowly stood up, his eyes cold, his fists clashing to produce powerful ripples.】

【"My physical magecraft has already reached its peak, only one step away from that realm. Even facing a Heroic Spirit head-on, I do not fear them, and besides, I have..."】

【"Me."】

【A chestnut-haired girl stood up and adjusted her glasses.】

【She was one of the directors of the Onmyo Bureau, proud of her reinforcement magecraft that had reached the limits of a mortal. Combined with Kyogoku Makoto's maxed-out physical combat, they were enough to face a Heroic Spirit.】

【"Then, the front line will be up to you," Isayama Yomi said calmly.】

【Then, one powerful mage after another stood up and issued orders from the hub.】

【The Onmyo Bureau, an organization established at the end of the Warring States period with over four hundred years of history, began to operate at high speed.】

【One by one, veteran mages received their orders to assemble, laying out a massive magecraft array on the ley lines beneath the plaza, large enough to cover half the city.】

【All for the sake of... inviting the guest into the trap!】

"Looks pretty awesome!"

Many people's eyes lit up.

With so many powerful mages, there should be some capable of rivaling Luo Shu and the Purge King.

Saving Tokyo—there was a chance!

【"Boom!"】

【Amidst the collision of red and black thunder, the constantly rampaging light cannons and the war-god-like figure charged recklessly through the Tokyo economic zone, passing through Hamura, Higashikurume, Inagi, Kiyose, Kodaira, Komae...】

【23 special wards, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages...】

【Half of the urban area was submerged in dark red magecraft releases and razed to the ground.】

【Black Saber coldly raised her sword, her hair fluttering; the wind began to rise.】

【It gradually expanded, forming a whirlwind that kept growing until it drove the airflow of the entire city.】

【Connecting heaven and earth.】

【Near the center, it could almost be called a Category 12 gale!】

【Lingering on the dark magic sword, the very concept of wind seemed to freeze at this moment.】

【The violent wind whipped up a piercing whistle; anyone who got close would have their eardrums shattered.】

【"Strike Air—!!"】

【Black Saber said coldly, slashing down fiercely toward the ground below.】

【This was the roar of the Wind God, a scene resembling the apocalypse.】

【Vehicle wrecks were swept away!】

【With a roar, rows of buildings weighing who knows how many tons were forcibly uprooted!】

【Forming a hideous dragon that submerged Heracles, incidentally destroying countless buildings.】

【"Roar!"】

【In the ruins, Heracles roared, and after taking a world-destroying Strike Air head-on, a bloody hole exploded in his chest, followed by the growth of countless fiber-like flesh that frantically entangled and healed.】

【This was the power of God Hand!】

【The Berserker quickly recovered to his peak state, raising his Noble Phantasm-grade stone axe to slash down fiercely.】

【"Boom!"】

【A series of thunderous roars passed by, the sword techniques he knew by heart slashing down, leaving behind magnificent, intuitive kilometer-long axe marks on the ground!】

【The mobility of the two broken-tier Heroic Spirits was too high, and their endurance was too great...】

【In the blink of an eye, they went from one city district to another, and then to the next!】

【The two were majestic and awe-inspiring, cold and murderous, their faces written with invincibility.】

【It was just... hard on the Japanese public.】

【In almost no time, the once-prosperous Tokyo economic zone was beaten into ruins, filled with smoke; as far as the eye could see, it was nothing but rubble.】

【The international metropolis of 37 million residents fell into total darkness and bombardment, on the verge of collapse.】

【At this moment, ten thousand people trembled, and the heart-wrenching wails and sobs echoed through the blood-colored sky; casualties were countless, numbering no one knew if it was hundreds of thousands or millions.】

【No one could have imagined such a situation!】

【Even if these two gods were to withdraw now, Japan's economy would suffer a massive regression!】

In reality, countless Japanese logged onto the Observer Network to vent their grievances.

"Why wasn't the Holy Grail War held in America instead of our home soil?"

"New York is such a huge place, it's a pity not to let the Heroic Spirits wreak havoc there."

"It's unfair!! Why is it only us in Yamato suffering while other countries are fine!"