Chapter 43: Run! Run! Run!

What on earth are those damned Japanese playing at?! Forcing us to resort to smuggling, and doing it under the cover of darkness, no less!

South of Tokyo, in Kanagawa Prefecture, on the outskirts of Yokohama City, Caesar was complaining.

Along the deserted coastline, two figures were trudging through the dark. Before the Second World War, this place had been a continuous stretch of fishing villages, but by now the fishermen had all moved into Yokohama to become urbanites, leaving behind only the piers where they once moored their fishing boats, now corroded beyond recognition by the sea.

Logically speaking, a ghost town like this shouldn't have an airport—or rather, it once had, but it had been abandoned for a long time. Yet the Principal's pilot somehow had the skill to land a plane on such a short runway, bringing them down safely.

Originally, the agreed-upon time with the Japan Branch was the following day, but Schneider figured that those Japanese definitely wouldn't comply obediently and would try every possible means to hoodwink the imperial commissioners dispatched by Cassel College. Besides, since these were all inexperienced freshmen, they looked easy to fool.

Unlike other branches, the Japan Branch was an autonomous region and not under the direct jurisdiction of the college. Coupled with the Principal's high regard for the mission, Schneider put his mind to work and devised a plan to arrive ahead of schedule, intending to catch the Japan Branch off guard.

Actually, the mission for the imperial commissioners this simple-minded time was quite straightforward: just figure out what was happening within the Japan Branch. There was no need for fighting or conflict; at most, it was just wandering around doing investigative paperwork. In the words of Principal Anjou, it was as easy as pie.

So far, the only problem was that the young lord had never done this kind of stealthy work before, and he was currently quite disgruntled.

Chu Zihang had no idea how to comfort him, so he simply stated the facts with pure logic: If we hadn't smuggled ourselves in, we would have left tracks at customs, and the Japan Branch would have noticed.

I know.

Caesar frowned. The more time he spent with Chu Zihang, the more puzzled he became. Chu Zihang seemed completely incapable of understanding the concept of banter, possessing a bluntness that was utterly infuriating.

Yet looking back, when Chu Zihang had first entered the college, he had clearly projected an aura of profound cunning. This forced Caesar to remain even more vigilant, suspecting that this rival might have evolved once again and was deliberately provoking him.

He simply couldn't tell whether Chu Zihang's words were intentional or purposeful. In any case, he arrived at only one conclusion: this fellow was a deeply calculating individual who demanded the utmost caution.

Yet annoyingly, Chu Zihang always wore a deadpan expression, and executed it without a single flaw. Caesar couldn't read a single thought from that face, which gave him a splitting headache.

Then there was the other team member, the mysterious girl Ivina. She was similarly devoid of outward emotion—even worse than a deadpan, she simply had no expression at all.

As the leader of the three-person squad, Caesar felt a headache coming on at the thought: Wasn't Ivina supposed to rendezvous with us in Japan? Where is she?

Deciding Caesar should be the team leader was a decision Schneider had reached after careful deliberation. After all, this mission was an investigation, requiring someone silver-tongued. Caesar's skills in dealing with people, if not maxed out, at least completely overshadowed the other two.

Caesar was quite satisfied with becoming the leader of two S-class individuals and was determined to achieve results that would make everyone look at him with new eyes, proving that he was by no means inferior to the S-class.

Yet upon arriving in Japan, he discovered that although he was the leader, not a single team member listened to him. Chu Zihang said nothing at all, as if silently resisting his orders, and Ivina was even worse—she had simply vanished.

Professor Schneider said Ivina applied for solo action herself. She seemed to have other business, so she arrived before us.

At this point, Chu Zihang glanced around the quiet surroundings, and confirming there was no one in sight, said, She has definitely reached Japan, and earlier than us at that, but she doesn't seem to have any intention of waiting for us.

Never mind, we can rendezvous later. It's all the same. Things had reached this stage, and Caesar had to take a step back, pretending his team consisted only of Chu Zihang, especially since that girl didn't look like the type to obey orders anyway.

As for her so-called other business...

Did Professor Schneider reveal what Ivina is up to? Isn't she European? She's probably never been to Japan before. Surely a European wouldn't have any relatives or friends in Japan, would they?

Caesar frowned as he spoke, but Chu Zihang merely shook his head.

Forget it. Never mind her. What kind of waves can she make by herself? The two of us can complete the mission alone.

...

The sound of rain, the sound of wind, the sound of hooves. In a distorted and grotesque world, only these three sounds remained, as if in a split second, they had stepped into another dimension.

Nibelungen, Odin... Damn it, what an old camper! Tang Xi realized what had happened almost instantly, unable to resist cursing inwardly.

Although she had known from the start that Odin wouldn't let her off so easily—and even suspected that Odin was behind the incident on the Greenland ice sheet—she still hadn't expected him to strike at this exact moment.

Upon arriving in Japan, Tang Xi knew well that this was an important layout site for Odin, and she knew Odin wouldn't watch idly as she destroyed his centuries-old arrangements. Therefore, she had always been on guard, constantly resolving troubles at the fastest possible speed.

In just a few days,橘政宗 (橘政宗) was dead, the Phantom Menace had been subjugated, and Cassel College had been duly notified. She had stirred the entire situation in Japan into chaos precisely to catch the opponent off guard while anticipating their reaction.

And then the adversary finally reacted, only to open with such a grand spectacle.

Odin in the flesh had actually come? Really? Wasn't this old camper supposed to be the most cautious of all? Why had he suddenly become so bold?

Or perhaps...

With some hidden calculations in her mind, Tang Xi grabbed Gungnir from the ground, preparing to test the waters.

The very next moment, she froze. An indescribable power erupted the instant she touched Gungnir, and she instantly lost control of Erii's body.

She was being logged out against her will!

Erii was completely bewildered. She had no idea what was happening; suddenly regaining her body, she felt utterly helpless.

Tang Xi's plan was shattered in a flash of inspiration. Through the spark of the moment, she hurriedly told Erii, Run!

Only then did Erii snap out of her daze. She turned and bolted backward. The somewhat dim-witted girl didn't know what that thing was, but her intuition had always been remarkably accurate, and she acutely realized just how dangerous that entity was!

The rhythmic clatter of hooves—*clop, clop, clop*—grew closer and closer. Behind the corner, a tall, magnificent horse seemed ready to appear at any second. The dim street lamps extinguished one by one, the street corner grew pitch black inch by inch, and when the horseman arrived, even the light was swallowed whole!

Just as Erii was about to sprint out of the street, Tang Xi realized something and looked back.

It was like tons of molten lava surging forth. Amidst the blinding, brilliant light stood a pitch-black figure. He wore a silver mask, rode an eight-legged steed, and the magnificent horse breathed lightning!

That was a god, a sovereign... and a demon!