I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 404 The Deduction of Rings and Anchor Points! Qiansha, stay close, Master will guide you through the process quickly! Dad, I'm coming right away!
In the pool of blood, Chisa stood motionless, her face numb.

Before her, only several white and red flesh bodies remained, intertwined and writhing.

here it is……

With a focused mind and clear vision, Uesugi Tetsuya immediately recognized the scene before him as Kujo Machi's former high school class.

He could see that Chisa's eyelashes twitched slightly.

Uesugi Tetsu's first reaction was, "Chisa is still alive, that's wonderful..."

He didn't let his mistaken judgment kill her.

However, in the next instant, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly realized the extremely strange anomaly he was facing.

Unable to feel his own body, Uesugi Tetsuya realized that he was currently attached to [Hundred Eyes]. He looked around and confirmed that this was indeed the time when his consciousness had just arrived in Asahikawa City.

In less than thirty seconds, every single one of these fake students in front of Chisa will turn into puddles of mangled flesh on the ground.

Uesugi Tetsuya remained silent, as thoughts kept arising in his mind.

—The “blood moon” did indeed rise just now, and I was even face to face with it at close range. That was the truly terrifying existence hidden in Asahikawa City.

But how did he suddenly return to this point in time?

Could it be that the previous experience was some kind of "lucid dream" or that I entered into a "future prophecy"?
Instead of doing so, Uesugi Tetsu opened the panel and examined it carefully.

On the panel, the area display for [Asahikawa City] has been unlocked, and the [Required Task 1: Light Up the Shrine] above it has also been completed.

Now... I can directly choose to descend into Asahikawa City.

Uesugi Tetsu silently felt the familiar yet unidentified gaze sweeping over him, without making any rash moves.

The number of times I've had a resurrection today is indeed one less.

So, that's confirmed.

The experience he just remembered was not a lucid dream or a prophecy; it was most likely an event that actually happened.

As further evidence, Uesugi Tetsu could even feel that his mind was slightly sluggish and sluggish—only the fire burning from the Sea of ​​Calamity's Divine Treasury: The Fleshly Spirit could gradually alleviate this symptom.

【Palace of Flesh: The Treasure of the Sea God】

[Hidden Treasure Development Progress: 5% → 7%]

The mere cost of one's life increased the development level of the Divine Treasure of the Calamity Sea by 2%, allowing the Divine Treasure, which originally could only enhance the essence of the physical body, to also have a significant effect on the mind.

It can also dispel the erosive aftershocks from the terrifying presence of the "Blood Moon".

Uesugi Tetsuya's mind was only focused on the word "blood moon," without recalling the appearance of the blood-red eyes he had actually seen.

Because if one says it aloud while thinking that the real Blood Eye will affect their true form, that would be quite bad.

Although Uesugi Tetsu wasn't sure if it possessed this ability, he wouldn't be surprised at all that such a terrifying being had a similar ability.

"So... everything that happened in Asahikawa City before was also real?"

Uesugi Tetsu did not give a decisive conclusion.

He had just experienced the consequences of severing ties with God, and the taste was truly unpleasant.

Although it was something I did because I really didn't have the time or any other choice.

After going over the thought in his mind again, Uesugi Tetsu said the exact same words he had said to Chisa the last time he met her, and then carefully observed her reaction.
"Chisa, don't move or make any sound. I am Uesugi Tetsu. If you can hear this, it means that the telepathic communication has been successful."

Chisa's reaction... compared to when she first heard those words.

There is no difference.

Could it be that she has no memory of the past few days?

Instead of making wild guesses, Uesugi Tetsuya directly asked his young apprentice, "Chisa, do you remember what we did together with Miss Kujo before?"

Who is Ms. Kujo?
Is that the new head of the Arakawa Ward?
But my master didn't go with me to meet this senior subordinate, so how can there be any talk of experiencing it?
Upon hearing this, a look of bewilderment appeared on Chisa's face.

"It's alright, it's a good thing you don't remember."

After offering words of comfort, Uesugi Tetsu continued, "Chisa, stay where you are and don't move. Your master will speak to you again later."

Chisa silently hummed in agreement.

At that moment, Qing's voice resonated in my heart.
"Lord Uesugi, I remember."

Then came Karuta's voice: "My lord, I remember it all clearly as well."

Uesugi Tetsu's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

—So, does this mean my identity or interface has activated again?
—Only oneself, and the existence of one's own contract, can retain memories?

Before Uesugi Tetsuya could ponder for long, Karuta whispered in his heart, "Lord Uesugi, this is very likely the manifestation of [Ring]."

"ring?"

"Yes, Lord Uesugi." A slight turning of pages was heard in the heartstrings, and then Karuta spoke, "I hadn't said much before because I had been observing and recording everything along the way."

"I witnessed with my own eyes that, at the moment the Blood Moon descended, it was Miss Kujo Machi inside the house who crushed the amulet you gave me, and then committed suicide with lightning magic—"

"My lord, Your Excellency, and I have finally returned to this 'anchored' point in time by following the endless [loop]."

Karuta's voice was cold: "If I am not mistaken, then only the time in Asahikawa City changes, while the time outside remains unchanged... You can verify this, my lord."

Uesugi Tetsu responded, quickly exited Asahikawa City, glanced at his phone, and after confirming that time in the real world was still flowing normally, returned to Hyakume.

"indeed so."

In his heartstrings, Ge Liuduo let out a soft sigh of relief.
"In other words, Ms. Kujo Machi is the anchor point on this ring."

An anchor point is, naturally, an entity that can anchor both ends.

"If Ms. Kujo's death was the first, equally unchangeable, anchored point in time, then this is the second anchored point in time."

Uesugi Tetsuya understood: "Simply put, Kujo Machi can use [Return by Death] in Asahikawa City, which means he can reload his save file after he dies, right?"

"What you said is mostly correct, but Miss Kujo is probably passive rather than active."

Karuta said, "You can ask Miss Kujo about this later, sir."

She continued to sort through the intelligence she had gathered: "Then, what the chief priest of Shiratsu Shrine said to you before his death is also plausible."

"If the arrival of the Blood Moon will bring about the true end of the Ring, then the 'Visible Girl' is Ms. Kujo Machi, who serves as the 'Anchor Point'."

As soon as she dies, the anchor point will shift forward.

If Miss Kujo is still alive after the Blood Moon truly descends, then even the [Anchor Point] may be contaminated, which in turn could lead to the entire [Ring] being contaminated.

"My lord, is the pollution from the blood moon very serious?"

Uesugi Tetsu affirmed, "Although it's serious, he's almost recovered after dying once." Ao, who hadn't understood anything before and felt like she needed to develop a brain, clicked her tongue in amazement.

— Of course it would be good to die once. How many kinds of forces in this world would not chase after a dead person?

Ge Liu let out a long sigh of relief and drew a conclusion.
"Thus, the existence of the [Ring] is to give Asahikawa City a chance to start over, and the [Anchor Point] is the key to activating the [Ring]."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded repeatedly, then, after thinking of something strange, couldn't help but ask a question.
"But if Kujo Machi can die and rewind time, why did she not know anything when I asked her if she had ever died?"

"Lord Uesugi...you must know that Miss Kujo is not as powerful as you. Apart from her eyes that can see everything, she is just an ordinary person."

Karuto shook his head: "If an ordinary person has too many memories related to mysterious and terrifying beings, they may not even be able to maintain their intellect and will collapse directly."

It turned out to be the case.

Now everything makes sense!

The reason why Kujo Machi's death cannot exceed ninety-nine times is because she herself is an ordinary person, and as an "anchor point," she cannot withstand too many rewinds.

Once this limit is exceeded, the anchor point will collapse, and the [ring] should be opened.

But... in a very bad way.

This is why [Main Quest Two] appears!

Therefore, if Kujo Machi dies more than ninety-nine times, he will probably still complete the "Required Mission 2: Break the Loop".

The rating is just that; it'll probably be terribly low.

Because in doing so, he didn't solve anything; the biggest threat in the entire Asahikawa City was actually strengthened and released.

Rather than that, it would be better to bring in the Sword Saint and wipe out Asahikawa City with a single sword strike, at least preventing the strange creatures inside from coming out and harming people.

The sound of Karuta closing her book echoed in my mind's eye; she offered her judgment, based on the extensive information she had gathered during her first playthrough.
"Lord Uesugi, I'm afraid the existence of that corpse in the sky and the black chains is to seal off the Blood Moon and prevent it from appearing in the world."

Even if the truth isn't exactly this, it should be very close to it.

But who the hell would have thought that?

Uesugi Tetsu cursed inwardly—one was a pale corpse that looked ominous and gave people a sense of horror, and the other was a chain tightly binding the corpse.

I originally thought they were mortal enemies, but it turns out they're on the same side!

The reason why there were traces of blood in the eyes of the palace official's corpse was probably because the Blood Moon could only try to work on those empty pupils, rather than the corpse itself beginning to revive.

Based on the normal passage of time, it will probably be quite some time before the blood moon rises.

But when he beheaded the palace guard, it was like opening the prison gates for Blood Moon and letting it out!
"The corpses of the celestial palace officials must not be moved..."

Uesugi Tetsu silently thought, "If we want to destroy the [Ring] from the inside, we must first solve the problem of the [Blood Moon]."

However, Uesugi Tetsuya currently has no good idea on how to destroy the Blood Moon, a terrifying being that could annihilate him with just a few glances.

"Now is the time for the NPCs who give out divine equipment and strategy guides to make their appearance."

Uesugi Tetsu immediately decided to find the chief priest to get to the bottom of things, and then arrest Kujo Machi's parents as well.

The key NPCs in Asahikawa City either disappear into the shadows or meet a violent end; they won't wait for players to slowly conquer and find them.

Just then, the footsteps of nine wise men could be heard outside the classroom.

Chisa also heard the tapping sound, her throat bobbed, and she asked cautiously, "Master... what should we do?"

As Kujo Machi approached, his sweeping gaze vanished.

Uesugi Tetsu grinned: "Chisa, from now on you don't need to ask any more questions, just stick close to your master."

"This time, your master will guide you through a speedrun in one life!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Uesugi Tetsu, who had not transformed into any demon, fell into a pool of blood without warning.

Surprisingly, they didn't appear next to the shrine...

Uesugi Tetsu had already prepared to arrive at the scene within a minute.

Chisa was stunned for a moment, but a relaxed and happy expression quickly appeared on her face.

Uesugi Tetsu reached out and rubbed her little head, then used his spiritual power to wipe away all the blood and grime from the girl's body.

Finally, he looked to the left of the classroom door where the footsteps disappeared, listened to the increasingly loud and deafening heartbeat, and laughed.
"What's wrong? You're going to be late for school, aren't you going to come into the classroom yet, Ms. Kujo Machi?"

Clearly, Uesugi Tetsu heard the heartbeat outside the wall skip a beat, and then appeared expressionlessly, draped in what appeared to be an "exorcist version of Kujo Machi" (a figure embodying more than just Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity).

Her gaze first fell on Chisa's head, then after a slight pause, it turned to Uesugi Tetsuya, and her heartbeat slowed down slightly.

Kujo Machi shook the few strings of prayer beads on her wrist that were the only ones that had any real use, and said coldly,
"Interesting man, are you here to resolve this issue at school too?"

Is he pretending to be something he's not because he has ulterior motives?

Uesugi Tetsu looked at the few strings of prayer beads that could only rival his half-star smile for a short while, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Miss Kujo, who gave you the audacity to talk to me like that? These few toys?"

He raised his eyebrows.
"You think only a ghost can fight another ghost, and since you can't see anything unusual about me, you conclude that I'm just a nobody with only rudimentary skills?"

Kujo Machi's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was already churning with turmoil.

How did he know I could "see"?

Is he one of them?

Or something else?
"Alright, Miss Kujo, I don't have time to play house with you now."

Uesugi Tetsu beckoned to her: "Come here now, I'll take you and my apprentice to Shiratsu Shrine."

Kujo Machi was momentarily confused by the sudden shift in Uesugi Tetsu's topic.

What is this incredibly handsome man saying? Why does he act so familiar with everyone?
Damn it, does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he's handsome?!
Kujo Machi got angry, and then thought—

If you've met him before, you'll either have photos of the two of you together on your phone, or photos taken without your consent!
Uesugi Tetsu looked at Kujo Machi, who was lost in wild, wild thoughts, and sighed helplessly.

Don't you understand...?

This is also normal.

After all, for her, the words of ordinary humans are simply too unconvincing.

With this thought in mind, Uesugi Tetsuya simply gathered the three incarnations of Akahana, the six-tailed fox, and the hundred-eyed demon into his body.

Then, he smiled and spoke to Kujo Machi, whose entire body had suddenly tensed up.
"Behave yourself, or I'll devour you."

After a few seconds of deathly silence, Kujo Machi, whose entire body was drenched in cold sweat, suddenly knelt on the ground, head bowed, and crawled over, shouting loudly,
"Dad, I'm coming! I'm coming right now! Immediately! Right now!"

(End of this chapter)