Chapter 264: Chapter 216: Chaos in Tokyo: Unhindered in the Metropolis (Middle)

Meanwhile, on the internet.

"Everyone! We just received an evacuation notice! We have to get to the air-raid shelters immediately! The authorities are saying Tokyo Tower was attacked. I think this is probably related to the Great Demon King. The government is about to send in the army!"

"I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s total chaos over here! My god! With this kind of mobilization, are they planning to bomb all of Tokyo?"

"If I didn’t have a good idea of what was going on, I’d almost think Tokyo was about to be hit by the third atomic bomb in Japan’s history!"

"..."

Some of the Japanese people, while evacuating with the crowds, still found the time to film videos and upload them to the internet.

The footage was mostly chaotic, with the camera shaking violently.

"Dammit! My phone lost its signal! How about you guys?"

"Ours too!"

"..."

Suddenly, one of the Japanese citizens cried out, and many similar shouts followed.

The Japanese government had cut off the wireless signal supply in the affected areas.

But inevitably, a few slipped through the cracks, allowing the videos to spread rapidly online.

"Japan’s army is being deployed?! Such a massive mobilization, all for just one person?"

"An army encirclement... Japan is trying to completely annihilate the Great Demon King in one fell swoop!"

"He’s been through multiple battles in a single day—it’s basically a gauntlet. And now, after they lost, they’re sending an army to hunt him down. Japan really can’t afford to lose, can they."

"Speaking of which, with a fully-formed army being deployed this time, there’s no way the Great Demon King can survive, right?"

"..."

Heated discussions erupted on foreign websites.

Deploying such a large-scale military force for just one person was truly a rare event.

「Special Security Bureau Headquarters.」

"According to reliable intelligence, Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force has deployed at least thirty thousand soldiers, equipped with heavy weapons, armored vehicles, and artillery. The Air Self-Defense Force has also scrambled numerous aircraft. Within the affected area, it’s basically confirmed: this time, Japan is getting serious."

The intelligence officer’s voice echoed in the conference room, leaving everyone in a brief silence.

It was one crisis after another.

Everyone had just been celebrating Yi Beidou’s victory over Tanaka Shoukichi, where he had broken through the deadly trap set by Japan’s numerous Saint Experts. Now, they were faced with an encirclement by the Japanese army.

Within a single day, Yi Beidou had first fought Guan Shan Dayou, then went to the Heaven-Reaching Lodge to battle Tsuchimikado Kazai. Tonight, he had just won a life-or-death struggle against Tanaka Shoukichi, and now he had to face the terrifying might of a modern army.

He had no time to catch his breath. Even a man of iron would likely have collapsed from exhaustion.

But unfortunately, they had no way, and no justification, to help Yi Beidou in a foreign country.

They didn’t even know the extent of his injuries or the state of his condition.

The tribulations were like a tide, one wave crashing after another.

「Near Tokyo Tower.」 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Having just killed Ishikawa Yu and Nakamura Masao, Yi Beidou’s figure flickered rapidly across the rooftop of a tall building.

Unfortunately, in his perception, the four remaining auras were rapidly ascending. They had clearly boarded a helicopter and taken to the sky.

For now, it was impossible for him to catch them.

Yi Beidou stopped, his expression unchanging.

’They can run, but they can’t hide forever.’

They couldn’t stay in the air forever. The moment they landed would be the moment they died.

His Celestial Demon Sensing had already locked onto them; they could not escape.

"Hm?"

Just then, Yi Beidou sensed the commotion of the crowd below and heard the voice from the broadcast.

’A terrorist attack?’

Yi Beidou’s brow twitched. A sense of crisis arose in his perception, and a red glow seemed to materialize out of thin air, radiating from the surrounding space. It was the aura of the tribulation about to descend upon him.

The chain of tribulations had not yet ended.

Connecting this to the content of the broadcast, he immediately understood.

The Japanese army had been deployed.

There was a saying: "When the guns roar, the Martial Arts Dao falls." Even with the indestructible body of a Saint, a direct barrage from dozens of machine guns would likely leave it riddled with holes.

Not long ago, when he had first entered Japan, he had faced dozens of submachine guns. Although it was only a single volley, his charge had still resulted in bullets piercing his skin, causing superficial wounds.

It could be said that a modern army was the greatest threat to a Saint Expert.

Therefore, even some immensely powerful Ancient Ones, who had lived for over a thousand years, had to hide and operate from the shadows, doing their best to avoid confronting modern governments.

’Come to think of it, I’ve never faced a modern army head-on before. I just finished off a few remnants of the old era, so I might as well experience the power of this new one.’

Yi Beidou’s expression was calm.

He stopped advancing. Instead, with a flicker, he broke through the door to the rooftop access and entered the commercial building below him.

The duration of the Sixth Layer of Reverse Chaos he had previously used was at its limit, and the backlash was imminent. Before confronting the modern army head-on, he had to resolve this hidden danger.

At this point, due to the emergency evacuation ordered by the Japanese government, most citizens had already left the buildings. The commercial building was completely empty.

He casually found a room and sat cross-legged on the floor.

BOOM!

Soon, the backlash from the Celestial Demon Dissolution struck. The reversed Life Magnetic Field abruptly corrected itself, generating violent fluctuations and power.

WHOOSH!

The Demon Flame on Yi Beidou’s body erupted, and the veins on his skin bulged as if to burst. His entire face contorted in pain.

Meanwhile, the Deity he was suppressing inside his body suffered once again, less than half a day after the last time.

"AHHHH!"

The mass of the Deity’s magnetic field, bound by the Demon-Suppressing Seven-Star Needle formed from Demon Flame, trembled violently and let out a wail of agony. Its already dim light faded even further.

If anyone who didn’t know the situation were to witness this, they would surely be moved to tears by the heart-wrenching sight.

"Hm?"

But soon, Yi Beidou noticed something different.

Compared to the backlash he suffered after the battle at the Heaven-Reaching Lodge, this one was clearly much weaker.

Otherwise, the Deity suppressed within him wouldn’t just be struggling; it would have likely entered a state of annihilation by now.

The fact that it could still struggle meant it still had some power left.

’Is it because of the Tribulation Star Possession?’

Yi Beidou had a good guess as to the reason.

He had performed Reverse Tribulation and Calamity, casting Tribulation Star Possession to boost his strength once more. This boost, like a Secret Technique, was only temporary. It was the equivalent of temporarily reinforcing and raising the walls of a bucket, giving him a greater ability to handle the splashing waves of the backlash.

As a result, the backlash from Celestial Demon Dissolution was naturally reduced, and the Refinement of the Deity’s magnetic field weakened accordingly.

’Perhaps... I can try to go beyond the Sixth Layer of Reverse Chaos?’

Yi Beidou thought to himself.

About ten minutes later, after adjusting his own magnetic field and aura, he stood up.

After a series of battles in a single day, even his innate Celestial Demon Body couldn’t withstand this level of exertion. Moreover, his body had been genuinely injured in the recent fight against Tanaka Shoukichi.

Before the next battle, he needed to find a way to recover as much of his physical ability as possible.

He needed some food.

Fortunately, in this day and age, food was the one thing big cities had in abundance.

「Meanwhile.」

The Japanese army, carrying various heavy weapons, was steadily tightening its encirclement. A dense swarm of helicopters, fighter jets, and drones flew over the city.

Among them, four helicopters flew at an altitude of several hundred meters. Aboard were the four Japanese Saint Experts who had just escaped.

"He’s in that building."

At that moment, the four of them simultaneously looked toward the high-rise where Yi Beidou was, a sharp glint in their eyes.

Even while airborne, they were still using their Saint Realm Divine Powers at full strength, helping the army lock onto Yi Beidou’s position as quickly as possible.

Right now, their only hope was to witness Yi Beidou’s death with their own eyes.

They wouldn’t dare to land as long as Yi Beidou was alive.

Countless modern soldiers and heavy weapons converged on the building.

Ground and air—there were no blind spots.

This was a force capable of annihilating the armed forces of a small nation, yet now it was being used to deal with just one man.