Th-this isn't right, is it? Who's trying to set me up?
No matter how you look at it, this is too absurd. It's like giving me Tyson's fighting ability and telling me to go fight Taro!
They're both called Sukuna, but the difference in their styles is just too massive!
What's going on? You're not telling me there's a monster dozens of meters tall buried in these mountains, are you?
Calm down! I have to stay calm. The more critical the situation, the less I can afford to panic!
—First, I should check my pockets for a Sparklence.
"Hah!"
Taking a deep breath, Ryu, who had been stunned for a good while, finally recovered. Though a storm raged in his heart, his face remained as calm as a placid lake.
Mieruko looked at him a bit strangely. After hearing the name 'Nishikida Kagetatsu,' Ryu had clearly zoned out for a while for no apparent reason.
"Sorry, I just remembered something about my business. I need to make a call." Ryu forced himself to calm down, apologized to Mieruko, and walked off to the side without waiting for a response.
Leaving Mieruko to her confusion, Ryu had already organized his thoughts in that short time:
Mieruko is here, and we just happened to stumble upon Nishikida Shrine. No matter how I think about it, this has to be my [Unfortunate Constitution] at work!
While that's certainly frustrating, there's no need to be scared out of my wits. The situation hasn't reached that level of urgency yet.
After all, even if this Nishikida Shrine is the one from Tiga—the small temple that suppressed the 'Sukuna Demon'—it isn't actually that dangerous once I think about it calmly.
In the show, the Sukuna Demon had been sealed for centuries. As long as no one deliberately damages the shrine and takes the sword that symbolizes the seal, the monster won't be released.
According to Ryu's memory, the Sukuna Demon's revival also had a buffer period—a full day and night. If anything strange happened, Ryu and the others would have plenty of time to escape.
Taking a huge step back, Ryu could always just take his friends and family abroad! Compared to aliens, this was just a giant demon. At least it couldn't fly all over the place and didn't have weapons of mass destruction.
The problem now was to confirm whether this shrine was the one Ryu was thinking of.
—Besides, Ryu was quite interested in the sword inside the shrine. Even if he didn't pull it out, maybe he could channel a spirit just by touching it~
He currently had a constitution quite suitable for spirit channeling. In the context of Baki the Grappler, it corresponded to Miyamoto Musashi. If he could now switch to Nishikida Kagetatsu, wouldn't that be a massive net gain?!
He'd also brought a team of priests tonight. Whether they were useful or not, they could at least serve as window dressing.
...But on second thought, no. It's better to be cautious.
Because of his 'Unfortunate Constitution,' Ryu had to avoid accidents as much as possible. Although the risk was theoretically low, after a moment's thought, he decided to postpone exploring the shrine until another day when he could be better prepared.
At the very least, he'd want to come back in broad daylight, with a party of the nation's strongest mages, before he could feel at ease.
Thus, within seconds, he decided to end today's test of courage.
Chika and the others might be disappointed, but this wasn't something he could indulge the girls on.
Before messaging the girls' group, Ryu first called one of his subordinates to arrange a few things:
If Ultraman was really starting to invade the real world, he needed to get a clear picture of the situation.
"It's me... I need you to reallocate some resources on your end. Free up a few commercial satellites. I have a special mission for you to carry out.
...Yes, a search across all of Japan... Naturally, the more the better. I don't need high precision, just enough to determine if something is there."
"Right, just like that, very good... Hmm? What are we looking for?
The target shouldn't be small. It's just a pyramid.
...No, not from Egypt, and not from South America. A pyramid in Japan!"
The other end of the line fell silent for a long time, the person likely having no idea how to respond.
'Report, sir, there are no pyramids in Japan! Did you misremember something from geography class?'
—Such nonsense was meaningless.
"Of course I trust your judgment, sir, but if... I mean, just in case we can't find it..."
"It would be normal not to find it. After all, Japan doesn't have any pyramids."
"!"
"It would be best if you find it, but it's fine if you don't. This isn't a short-term mission. I need you to monitor Japan's magnetic fields over a long period.
Satellites, signal towers, the Geological Bureau... whatever the resource, whatever the procedure, I'll even get you permits from the Ministry of Internal Affairs if necessary.
You have only one task: to meticulously monitor and record. If any large-scale magnetic field fluctuations occur, you are to immediately investigate the cause."
The corner of Ryu's mouth curled into a self-deprecating smile. Even he thought his next words sounded like something a paranoid lunatic would say.
"If you discover a pyramid during this time, you are to notify me immediately, day or night!"
"Technically, that's not too difficult. We just need to coordinate with the Geological Bureau and integrate the data from various locations. It's just... this search for a pyramid... how long should we expect it to take?"
"Until you find it, or until I tell you the mission is over."
"Th-that..."
"Your salary will be doubled during the mission, and you'll get overtime pay."
"We firmly support Lord Kuse's initiative!"
"By the way, send a helicopter to my location... Yes, have it on standby here, ready to pick us up."
His plan to take a helicopter straight back showed just how agitated Ryu really was.
After hanging up, Ryu immediately searched for the name 'Masaki Keigo' online.
In the show's lore, he was both a famous scientist and an entrepreneur with the vast financial resources to create a 'mechanical shark.' If Masaki Keigo existed in this world, there was no way he'd be unknown!
To Ryu's relief, after a series of searches, he found no one matching Masaki Keigo's profile, only a few ordinary employees with the same name.
As a side note, the scientist currently in the spotlight was still Akihiko Kayaba.
This was a good thing!
It meant that Tiga hadn't fully descended upon his world. Perhaps only a few elements had been integrated by chance. It was a blessing in disguise!
Of course, it was also possible that only the monster had spawned, but not the Ultraman—
Dammit, don't think about something so hopeless! It must be because the integration level is low, and he hasn't spawned yet!
After taking several deep breaths, Ryu managed to compose himself and returned to Mieruko's side.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh, it's okay." Mieruko tilted her head.
Her observational skills were quite sharp; she noticed that Ryu's expression had brightened considerably.
She didn't know yet that Ryu was planning to end the test of courage and just assumed he'd received some good news about his business.
Beep!
Just as Ryu was about to message Chika and tell her to wait in place for the helicopter, a notification sound came from his pocket.
He took out his phone and saw it was a LINE message from Chika, which made him frown slightly.
"Looks like they've arrived."
"Chika and Rurikawa-san?"
"Mmm..."
But when Ryu opened the message, a ripple disturbed his previously calm expression, and a flicker of worry crossed the depths of his eyes.
—Chika's message said nothing at all. It was just two punctuation marks.
Did she accidentally touch the screen? Or was this one of Chika's pranks?
In the worst-case scenario... surely my luck isn't that bad, right?
Tsk!
I hope it was just a mistake!
He tapped his thumb, switching to Ruri's chat window. But just as he was about to tap again, his fingertip stopped as if guided by some unseen force.
"A call..."
After a moment of thought, Ryu switched screens again.
________________________________________
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