However, Gu Mo didn't look back; he merely shook his head gently and waved his hand lightly... The people nearby suddenly realized and quickly retreated with their rifles. Moments later, accompanied by a dull sound, several sturdy men in black suits forcefully pushed a French-made 1897 75mm cannon onto the stage.

——commonly known as the Italian artillery.

They swiftly adjusted the cannon's barrel, aiming at Yato on the distant building, and waited seriously for the host's command.

"...!!"

Even though Yato was indifferent to life and death and disheartened, at this moment, being aimed at from a distance by that dark cannon barrel, he couldn't help but feel a cold sense of fear from within, even though it was merely a product of human technology from over a century ago, not even on the same existential plane.

Logically, he shouldn't care about these things at all, but at this moment, there was an intuition that if this cannon fired, he would definitely die...

Isn't this a bit exaggerated? Even if not considering previous ties, couldn't they just shoot him? Was there any need to resort to such cruel execution by cannon?

"Hey! Hey hey! What are you doing, what are you up to... This isn't right! It's wrong, it's wrong!"

Gu Mo turned around and, upon seeing this scene, frowned. He hurriedly waved his hands repeatedly, chasing this unreliable group off the stage, as if this wasn't at all his intention—just a misunderstanding by the people below.

Looking again towards Yato's direction, the ever-conspicuous but unquestioned green mask wore a reassuring smile as Gu Mo spoke:

"I'm not someone unreasonable, since Mr. Yato truly doesn't wish to accept it, then this precious and rare lucky opportunity will be given to someone else. We'll redraw later; for now, let's draw an opponent from this side..."

So accommodating?

For a moment, not only Yato but also others felt somewhat surprised; was he really being let off so easily? It didn't seem normal.

As for the reason given by the man on stage that he was a reasonable person, everyone tacitly ignored it—that's just talk, nobody would believe it...

"Let's see who the lucky winner on this side is... Oh oh oh, look, let's welcome Mr. Fujisaki Kouta!"

Drawing a slip of paper from another box, raising it high, Gu Mo loudly announced the result. Simultaneously, a spotlight shone down, landing on the old monster occupying a delicate high school boy's body in the audience, welcoming cheers and applause from all directions.

"Eek! Excellent! I won!"

Dazzling light shone from afar, and applause and cheers erupted from all around. In that moment, Fujisaki Kouta's mind turned hazy, as if forgetting who he was or what he was to do—his heart swelling like a balloon, filled with ecstasy.

He leaped high, raising his arms forcefully, shouting loudly in all directions, venting his excitement, exclaiming ecstatically: "It's me! It's me! I won! I won!"

"Congratulations, bro..."

"Can't believe it, so lucky..."

"Get up there! Good luck! We're all behind you!"

The crowd around him loudly encouraged, offering a myriad of opinions, some even patting his shoulder in support... In this scenario, a dizzy and ecstatic Fujisaki Kouta grinned widely, constantly thanking those around him, pushing through the crowd to step onto the stage.

It's me! Haha! I'm so lucky!

Unable to stop smiling, he waved excitedly to all sides on the stage, shouting back, genuinely like a fan who'd been lucky enough to get a stage interaction with an idol at a concert, almost dizzy with happiness.

But as the cold wind blew on stage, he came back to his senses in a daze, looking around in confusion to find himself still raising his arms in wild excitement...

The next moment, Fujisaki Kouta awoke with a start, breaking out in a cold sweat!

What have I done!!

"It seems our contestant here is really passionate and full of energy, so now let's draw the opponent from the other side..." At this moment, Gu Mo had already cheerfully returned to the first box, reaching inside.

"Wait—wait!"

Fujisaki Kouta shouted at the top of his lungs in a frenzied urgency to stop the action.

"Oh, does contestant Fujisaki Kouta have a special view on this?" The green-masked devil seemed to have anticipated this, stopping leisurely and smilingly looked at him as he asked.

"I... I..." Fujisaki Kouta's face flushed red, desperately wanting to refuse like Yato, but upon seeing himself already on stage and thinking of why he walked here in a daze, he knew the other side wouldn't give him a chance to refuse.

No way! No matter what, I must survive!

Now I don't even have a weapon; if they choose Kamimura Raishin or Visakha to fight me, I'd be slaughtered like a pig!

So the only way is—

"Yato! Get up here immediately! Hurry!" He turned his head, looking at his "son," shouting with ultimate fury and command, "And bring Chi up with you!"

Exactly, only by having Yato, who dared not defy him, come up as his opponent, could he—as a "father"—survive, and also bring the Divine Artifact Chi back within his reach, preventing from being utterly powerless!

As for Yato over there, he was completely stunned.

"Didn't you hear me? Or do you mean to say you're not even listening to me anymore?!" Fujisaki Kouta grew anxious, berating and urging repeatedly in anger.

"..."

"..."

Silently, the young man with purple hair and blue eyes holding the Fei Artifact took a deep breath, lightly leaping onto the stage, looking even more pale and like a swaying walking corpse.

"Looks like Mr. Yato has changed his mind, so no need for a redraw... Actually, I think sometimes it's better to have short-term pain than long-term pain, realizing things sooner rather than being constantly manipulated." Gu Mo smiled while speaking, hinting with his words, "Hope you come to realize it soon; it's all for your good."

Yato did not respond, his eyes filled with constant grayness.

"Alright, prepare yourselves, as we're about to start... Using this stage as the boundary; however, I hope you don't act, or both will be considered losers..."

Taking a few steps back while speaking and going offstage, Gu Mo pulled aside the inside of his suit, taking out a slingshot from his collar—made from tree branches, forming a "Y" shape with high-elasticity rubber bands tied at the ends, like a toy.

The green-masked devil quickly crumpled the slip with Fujisaki Kouta's name into a ball, placing the insubstantial paper ball into the slingshot's pouch, drawing the slingshot aiming at the distant sky, and released it.

The taut rubber bands snapped back, shooting the paper ball out.

He put the slingshot back into his pocket, excitedly saying, "Watch for the signal... Alright! The match begins!"

As his words fell.

In the distance of the night, a flash of light shone on the horizon, accompanied by a huge explosion.

A military helicopter, seemingly sent from the nearby US Military Base to investigate the state of this chaotic city, spiraled with a trail of smoke as if struck, rapidly descending in an emergency landing, drawing a clear trajectory in the sky there...

......

(PS: Finally a holiday today, another year... Tomorrow heading back home, and also visiting the ceramic city, as I'll be busy with decoration after the new year, so tomorrow probably... Ahahahaha, today's weather is really nice, and in a week it's Lunar New Year's Eve, wishing everyone a healthy new year.)

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