"Stop it!"
"We must stop that Jishin Namazu!"
In the Metropolitan Police Department's combat room, Superintendent General Takeya threw himself at the console, roaring into the microphone.
Bunkyo Ward...
This area was home to a large number of top universities, as well as private elementary, middle, and high schools for the nobility. It couldn't be said that all the students there were 'rich or noble', but at the very least, they were from middle-class families and above. Most of these families had some social connections and were not the kind of ordinary people who could be easily dismissed.
Once the 'Jishin Namazu' was allowed to cause destruction in Bunkyo Ward, he, the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Department... would have to prepare to bow, kneel, and retire!
And this was with the full support of the Prime Minister's official residence.
Otherwise, just the wild bombing in Arakawa Ward before would have been enough for him to step down.
"We can't do it!"
Facing his order,
the armed helicopter pilot of the First Division of the Self-Defense Forces on the front line also cursed back.
"That monster can burrow into the ground. How are we supposed to stop it?!"
"Sir, we need tactical guidance!"
The so-called 'tactical guidance', in the island nation, meant... calling in the American soldiers.
America had been at war for almost 250 years since its founding: the Revolutionary War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq...
'The flames of the lighthouse still shine, the aircraft carriers of the United States set sail; the army of freedom leaves the border, and war burns in another land' was not just a joke, but a fact piled up by corpses.
"Sorry, Mr. Takeya."
However, the suzerain state's lord was in the conference room. Brigadier General Thomas shook his head.
"Although Yokosuka Base also has some 'bunker busters', by the time they are re-equipped and arrive, it will already be..."
Too late.
And, whether the bunker busters could kill that supernatural creature called the 'Jishin Namazu', Brigadier General Thomas did not dare to guarantee.
These bunker busters were America's sharp weapons for dealing with underground facilities in the Middle East. But the opponent in Tokyo had not yet been suppressed to the point of needing to hide underground, so not many 'Spear' hypersonic bunker busters were equipped.
"Bastard, bastard!!"
He punched the console, startling the staff next to him.
The flesh and blood of an ordinary person was no match for metal. Blood flowed from his skinned knuckles, but Superintendent General Takeya seemed to be unaware, just staring intently at the Jishin Namazu that was constantly swimming in the ground, heading towards Bunkyo Ward.
Supernatural, supernatural...
If he also had supernatural power in his hands, why would he be in such a sorry state?
"Eh?"
Among the three heading to Kouou Academy, Tennyo Ei turned her head to look at the street.
One after another, high-end black sedans roared past, like speeding black arrows, drawing winding trajectories on the street.
Speeding, running red lights, honking loudly, these sedans seemed to have gone mad, announcing to other vehicles and pedestrians: stay away from me!
"What's going on..."
The class president Nao also felt it was incredible.
This was Tokyo, and it was the core 'Bunkyo Ward'!
Driving like this, your license would be revoked 100%.
You might even face a few years in prison.
Beep, beep, beep. x2
At that moment, Akiyoshi Yuu and Tennyo Ei's phones rang.
"Kazu-chan... what?"
"Yes, we're not far from the campus... location? Okay... eh, just wait here?"
Compared to Tennyo Ei, who was nodding repeatedly at the urgent words on the other end of the phone, Akiyoshi Yuu, after listening to his sister's words, only had one reply:
"Stay where you are. I'll be there soon."
"Yuu-kun, did something happen?"
To the class president Iai Nao's question, Akiyoshi Yuu turned his head and lifted his chin towards the west.
"A terrorist attack is spreading this way."
?
Screech—
A few minutes later, a speeding black sedan dragged several scorched marks on the ground and came to an abrupt stop next to the three of them.
"Ei, get in the car!"
The car door opened, and Nagisa Kazuha, usually like a flower on a high peak, anxiously grabbed Tennyo Ei's wrist and almost 'dragged' her into the car.
The next second, before the car door was even closed, the sedan suddenly accelerated and sped away, leaving the class president Nao with a dazed expression.
What on earth... is going on?
Rumble.
The 'Jishin Namazu' in its 'berserk' state continued to travel through the earth, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right.
Its actions seemed to have no pattern at all.
And every time it emerged from the ground, cars, houses, parks, bridges... no matter what kind of building, it would collapse into ruins in front of its huge size, causing a mess!
"Everyone, don't panic!"
"Don't crowd, don't run around, follow the command—"
A large number of police officers had arrived in Bunkyo Ward and were working hard to evacuate the crowd.
Thanks to the frequent natural disasters in the island nation, various emergency escape drills had been taught from kindergarten all the way to high school.
The crowd was considered orderly, but wherever the Jishin Namazu went, it was still a scene of chaos.
Rumble~~~
The huge black body 'swam' in the earth.
Cars were just duckweed in front of it, and houses were just slightly larger 'pebbles'. Wherever it passed, houses collapsed and buildings crumbled... even if the giant black fish didn't care about those 'ants', its every move was still a fatal crisis for ordinary people.
"Report, the Jishin Namazu... is approaching 'Kouou Girls' High School'!"
"What?!"
In the combat room of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
Superintendent General Takeya staggered back, as if he had been hit on the head with a stick, his head buzzing.
Kouou Girls' High School...
That was a typical noble girls' school, and most of the students there were the daughters of old nobles and emerging powerful figures. And many were only daughters... if something happened to these famous young ladies, Superintendent General Takeya dared not imagine if those crazy parents would tear him alive!
"At all costs, stop..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
How to stop it?
Unlike the Self-Defense Forces in other places, who were just getting paid to pass the time.
The First Division was already the elite of the elite, and their fighting will was also considered good.
But... facing a supernatural creature that could freely burrow into the earth, how could they stop it?
Jump out of a plane, take out a transformation device, and pull this Jishin Namazu out of the ground—
Like Heracles, lift the opponent into the sky and strangle them?
His gaze fell on the footage sent back from the front line. The Jishin Namazu crashed through a building, its huge body falling onto the street, blocking a group of speeding black sedans. Superintendent General Takeya closed his eyes in pain.
It's over!
"Young lady, quickly go!"
A huge black monster crashed through a building and appeared, slamming onto the street and blocking the way.
Kicking open the car door, the middle-aged driver in a suit and sunglasses jumped out of the car. While opening the rear door, he stared at the 'supernatural creature' in front of him.
That's right, he knew this was a supernatural creature!
As the young lady's driver and also her bodyguard, the middle-aged man had already learned from the master about the appearance of the 'supernatural'. But he didn't expect to have to face a 'supernatural creature' so soon, nor did he expect... the other party to be so terrifying.
Boom!
The road was blocked by the collapsed building, and a large number of high-end sedans were stopped.
Faced with danger, the young ladies lost their composure, screaming and either fleeing or being supported... or even dragged away by their drivers and bodyguards.
"This... this is..."
Nagisa Kazuha, who had gotten out of the car, was also stunned by the scene before her. Fortunately:
"Run, Kazu-chan!"
Tennyo Ei, who had just gotten out of the car, saw the monster in front and grabbed Nagisa Kazuha's hand without hesitation, turning to run.
"Monster, look here!"
The middle-aged driver took out his pistol, released the safety, and aimed at the giant black fish.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
This situation was not uncommon. Several other drivers also took out their guns and shot.
In the gun-banned island nation, to be able to pull out a pistol on the street was enough to show the great power of the people behind these 'drivers'.
However, it was useless.
Swish.
A whisker as thick as a bucket swept across, and the middle-aged driver was sent flying.
He smashed into the glass of a shop next to him and fell inside with countless fragments.
Then the Jishin Namazu continued forward, its huge body crushing the abandoned luxury cars. Amidst the screeching of metal, these luxury items worth hundreds of millions were all turned into a pile of scrap. If they were sent to a scrap yard, they wouldn't even need to be compressed. The engine, car body, and glass were completely mixed together and pressed into an iron cake.
The huge 'Jishin Namazu' seemed to have no concept of 'good and evil' at all. It swam forward on its own, crushing everything in its path, making the fleeing young ladies let out the highest-pitched screams of their lives.
It's about time...
Slap.
Under the feet of Tennyo Ei, who was being pulled by Nagisa Kazuha, a bulge suddenly appeared for some reason.
Suddenly losing her balance, the girl fell heavily to the ground.
"Ah~~"
"Kazu-chan?"
Tennyo Ei, who was firmly holding the other's wrist, turned around and tried to help Nagisa Kazuha up, but:
Although she had been independent and strong since she was a child, to run with a peer...
"Ei, don't mind me, quickly go!"
Forcefully shaking off the other's hand, Nagisa Kazuha, who had fallen heavily to the ground, felt her legs so weak they didn't seem to belong to her, but fortunately, she could still speak clearly.
"Go."
"Run!"
"As long as you can survive—"
"...No."
The trembling Tennyo Ei did not turn and run, but instead:
She took a step forward and stood in front of Nagisa Kazuha.
"I'm the older sister!"
"If I run today, I'll regret it for the rest of my life! To live like that..."
What's the point?
Swish.
She opened her arms and stood in front of her fallen younger sister.
The petite girl bit her lower lip so hard that she even drew blood.
'Grandpa, everyone else has a mom and dad. Where are my mom and dad?'
'Hahaha, well~~'
The old man in a priest's robe scratched his head, trying to continue to brush it off with a laugh, but faced with the little girl's repeated questioning:
'Ei's father is a... big shot.'
'Her mother was an infatuated person, but unfortunately she met the wrong person.'
'...and that's how it is. Don't worry, Ei, Grandpa will always be with you.'
However, a few years later, the old man who managed the small shrine passed away.
From then on, the little girl often went to her 'father's' house nearby and secretly watched the happy family of three.
Envy, jealousy, resentment, unwillingness...
Until one day:
'Do you want to play together?'
Facing the hand extended by her 'younger sister', the hesitant little girl finally chose to hold it.
It's so warm...
"To me—"
Scenes from the past flashed through her mind. The mountain-like shadow was right in front of her. Tennyo Ei took a deep breath.
"Stop!!!!!!"
Circles of sound waves spread out, resounding through the entire block.
?!
The sound was not loud, but it echoed in everyone's ears. Whether it was the fleeing young ladies, drivers, bodyguards... or the helpless armed helicopter pilots in the sky, as well as the soldiers and police rushing over from afar.
"Stop————————"
The most terrifying thing, naturally, was the combat room of the Metropolitan Police Department, which was monitoring the battlefield through countless surveillance devices.
Countless large and small speakers all returned to one sentence, and the repeated echoing sound waves made the entire combat room turn upside down. Everyone was shaken and fell, almost losing consciousness.
"This is?!"
Staggering to his knees, Superintendent General Takeya raised his head with all his might and stared at the surveillance screen.
On the screen, the once invincible 'Jishin Namazu' had stopped!
And opposite it:
Swish.
A ray of light descended from the sky and landed on Tennyo Ei.
A white 'chihaya' floated over and covered her body. A red 'hibakama' wrapped around her waist and fell like a long skirt.
A golden tenkan landed on her head, shining brightly. On both sides of the tenkan, branches grew out of thin air, and cherry blossoms bloomed on the branches, swaying with a light fragrance.
Ting-a-ling-ling~~
A 'kagura suzu', with a long colorful ribbon and composed of three layers of bells, fell into her hand, making Tennyo Ei, who was prepared to die, look down in confusion.
Is this... am I already dead?
She was very familiar with this attire, because after her grandfather passed away, she was the 'Mikogami' of the shrine.
During the annual festival, her 'formal attire' was this.
But:
Boom.
The monster like a small mountain in front of her moved again. Without time to think, Tennyo Ei almost 'reflexively' raised the kagura suzu in her hand.
"Evil spirit—begone!"
Swish————
In the sky, a vermilion torii gate flew over from nowhere.
Under the dumbfounded gazes of everyone, this torii gate that fell from the sky plunged into the back of the giant black fish with a squelch.
"Wuuu wuuu~~~"
As the torii gate fell, the giant black fish's body immediately began to shrink and shrink.
In the end, it actually turned into a 'pocket-sized' creature only half a person tall... no, compared to a normal catfish, it was still a behemoth.
The 'pocket-sized' Jishin Namazu swam to the feet of the 'dressed-up' Tennyo Ei and rubbed against her hibakama like a puppy.
"Ah?"
"Good~~ boy~~?"
Patting its forehead, Tennyo Ei's face was full of bewilderment, and the three philosophical questions appeared in her mind:
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?