Entering the Black Shadow Kingdom, Bai Qi looked at Xiao Yu, who was asleep in his arms, and a smile bloomed on his lips again.
He had long wanted to study this Son of the World, a being who was suspected to be a reincarnation of a Saint Warrior. Perhaps he could discover some astonishing secrets from him.
However, now was not the time. He still needed to bring his plan to a close.
With that thought, he handed Xiao Yu over to the Black Shadow Ninja beside him, gave a few instructions, and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, inside the Japanese Prime Minister's residence.
"What! The demon has already entered Mount Fuji? What were you guys doing! Where are the great mages from America? Didn't they guarantee they could stop the demon?"
The Japanese Prime Minister was on the verge of madness, unleashing a barrage of angry words into the phone, wishing he could execute the person on the other end on the spot.
It wasn't surprising that the Prime Minister was so furious; the situation was dire.
Previously, a demon had appeared in Tokyo, Japan, but it had done little more than eat and had been quickly subdued.
So, when he heard the report of another demon appearing, the Prime Minister initially hadn't taken it seriously. Moreover, with his American allies backing him, he assumed it would be dealt with swiftly.
The truth proved him wrong, spectacularly so.
This demon was different from the last one. As soon as it landed, it caused widespread destruction, fighting its way from Yokohama all the way to Tokyo. Every city in its path was razed to the ground. The Self-Defense Forces sent to stop it were utterly outmatched, merely serving as fodder. He had finally received word from his "father," stating that there were great mages from America, and he just needed to buy them time to subdue the demon. He had complied, but where were they now?
Where was this so-called great mage?
Mount Fuji was about to erupt, Japan was about to sink, and yet the great mage hadn't shown up.
Just as the Prime Minister, watching the screen showing the imminent eruption of Mount Fuji, was about to crush the phone in his hand, on the other side, Tohru and Uncle found themselves inside the mountain, having followed the tunnel dug by Dai-Kai.
"Why is it getting hotter and hotter?"
Inside the tunnel, Tohru, walking ahead, kept wiping sweat from his brow, feeling as if he had been steamed in a sauna for hours.
Uncle and the others felt the same.
Especially Jade, who was large and had a lot of body fat, making him the least tolerant of heat. In this environment, he stripped off his shirt, sweat pouring off him like rain as he walked, feeling on the verge of dehydration.
"Hang in there a little longer. We're inside a volcano now. The heat means we're going in the right direction."
After walking for an unknown period in the sweltering tunnel, Tohru, with his sharp eyes, finally spotted Dai-Kai digging furiously at the end of the tunnel under the beam of his flashlight.
In the darkness of the tunnel, the flashlight's beam was incredibly conspicuous.
Tohru and the others saw Dai-Kai by the light of the flashlight, and Dai-Kai, noticing them due to the light, also turned.
"Humans?" Dai-Kai turned at the beam of light, his eyes glowing with a scarlet hue. "Persistent, aren't you."
Dai-Kai, who had been planning to slow down and be meticulous as he neared the magma, had his anger towards humans ignited the moment he saw Tohru and the others pursuing him here. Casting aside all caution, he stepped forward and threw a punch.
His swift action startled Tohru and the others, who scattered to dodge.
"Tohru!" Uncle, held aloft by Jade, yelled at Tohru, who had dived to the ground.
Before Uncle could finish, Tohru knew what he was going to say.
"Keep him busy, right? I'll do my best!"
With that, he shouted and performed a forward roll, dodging Dai-Kai's enraged fist once more.
Seeing Tohru repeatedly evade his attacks, Dai-Kai grew impatient. With a wave of his hand, stone spikes erupted from the ground, hurtling towards Tohru from all directions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The stone spikes collided with each other, sending debris flying.
In this situation, Tohru could only dodge, weaving through the barrage of stone spikes.
However, as time wore on, coupled with the scorching heat, Tohru's stamina depleted at an alarming rate. His reactions were noticeably slower than before, and on several occasions, he narrowly avoided being crushed into a paste by the converging stone spikes.
"Uncle! Are you done yet?"
"Almost, don't rush me."
Compared to Tohru, who was teetering on the edge of death, Uncle, not far away, seemed far more relaxed. He calmly prepared his magic, with Jade assisting him, as if they were brewing a pot of hot tea.
Finally, after Tohru had dodged countless fatal attacks from Dai-Kai, Uncle's voice came from behind.
"Demons and monsters, depart! Demons and monsters, depart! Demons and monsters, depart..."
Tohru had never thought Uncle's voice could sound so beautiful, like a celestial melody.
However, this commotion unsettled Dai-Kai. He planted his feet firmly and charged towards Uncle with a roar.
With his immense size, even Tohru couldn't stop him, and could only shout for Uncle to be careful.
Just as Dai-Kai's fist was about to descend, at the critical moment, a green light shot out from the white flower in Uncle's hand, striking Dai-Kai directly in the face.
Subsequently, in a certain ruin park in the western hemisphere, a hell gate materialized out of thin air. A powerful suction force, spanning across space, directly affected Dai-Kai below.
"卑鄙的人类!" (Despicable humans!)
Feeling the immense suction, Dai-Kai dug his heels into the ground, spread his arms to the sides, and desperately clung to the rock wall, resisting the powerful pull.
As Dai-Kai exerted more force, the entire tunnel shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Tohru wiped the sweat from his forehead and retreated to Uncle's side, asking, "Uncle, will this magic really work?"
"Are you questioning Uncle?"
With that, he flicked Tohru's forehead.
"The magic has taken effect. Dai-Kai's struggle now is futile. He will be sent back to hell soon."
Then, he looked at Jade and said, "This place is no longer safe. Let's leave quickly."
However, as the three were about to leave, Dai-Kai, who was still struggling against the immense suction, seemed to have a realization and voluntarily released his grip on the rock wall.
Had he given up?
Of course not.
"In that case, I'll take you all with me!"
Dai-Kai was now consumed by rage. Everything had gone smoothly since his release. The plan Bai Qi had told him had been executed flawlessly. It was all because of these three damned humans. It was their appearance that caused the plan to fail, and he would be sealed back into hell.
Rather than be sealed like this, he might as well go out with a bang, taking three others down with him.