The moment the sharp blade touched his eyeball, a crisp sound of metal breaking rang out, and the dark blade instantly shattered, sending fragments flying everywhere, yet Allen's eyeball didn't even have a single scratch.
"A good tactic," Allen commented, without even blinking, "Too bad it's meaningless."
Arima Kishou's pupils contracted violently, and the hand holding the broken blade trembled slightly. He had never seen such terrifying defense; even IXA couldn't harm the opponent in the slightest.
"Why don't you kill me?" Arima Kishou asked in a deep voice, his tone still calm.
"Loneliness," Allen released his grip on Arima Kishou's hand and turned to walk towards the French window, "Those who stand at the peak always long for an opponent who can truly understand them."
Raindrops tapped against the glass, blurring the night view of Tokyo outside. Arima Kishou moved his sore wrist, watching Allen's back. This man's power had already exceeded common sense, but what startled him more was that bottomless loneliness.
"So you deliberately provoked a war just to find an opponent who could rival you?" Arima Kishou's voice carried a hint of imperceptible wavering.
Allen's finger traced across the glass, leaving a water mark: "War is just a means, not an end. I just want to see how much fun this country can bring me."
Arima Kishou was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I can become your opponent."
Allen turned around, his scarlet eyes narrowing slightly: "Oh?"
"Give me time," Arima Kishou looked directly into those inhuman eyes, "I will become strong enough, strong enough to make you no longer feel lonely, strong enough to catch up to you!"
The sound of rain filled the silence between them. Allen suddenly laughed, a hint of playfulness in his smile: "Interesting. Do you know what you're saying, White Reaper?"
"I am very clear-headed," Arima Kishou's voice was calm and firm, "Rather than letting the entire country fall into war, it's better for me to bear this responsibility."
Allen slowly approached, each step making the air heavier: "Do you know how strong you need to become to rival me?"
"I don't know," Arima Kishou did not back down, "But I will find a way."
Allen's smile gradually faded, his scarlet eyes staring directly at Arima Kishou: "You cannot become strong by relying on others' charity."
The sound of rain outside the window suddenly became urgent, raindrops hitting the glass with a dense patter. A trace of unwillingness flashed in Arima Kishou's grey eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.
"I understand," He slowly bent down to pick up the broken IXA, "Then, I'll see you on the battlefield."
Allen turned to look at Tokyo in the rain: "If you truly have the ability, then catch up to me during the war."
Arima Kishou said nothing more, turning to walk towards the door. Just as he was about to leave, his footsteps paused slightly: "There are tens of millions of innocent civilians in Tokyo."
"Your Neon army and the United States army have harmed many innocent people."
"I will not lay a hand on innocent people. I am not like those beasts," Allen said without looking back.
After hearing this, Arima Kishou had made his decision.
The door gently closed, and silence returned to the apartment.
Suddenly, his sensory net captured several high-speed moving targets—five F-35 fighter jets were taking off from Yokota Air Base, speeding towards Tokyo.
"Their movements are faster than I imagined," Allen's lips curved slightly, "It seems they take me very seriously."
At the same time, in the underground command center of the Prime Ministers Official Residence.
"All units, attention, the target is locked inside a high-end apartment in District 20," the Minister of Defense said into the communicator, "The first wave of attack will be carried out by the Air Self-Defense Forces' F-15Js."
"Are you sure the target won't move?" the Prime Minister asked with a grave expression.
"According to intelligence, he doesn't seem to have any intention of escaping," a military officer replied, "Instead, he seems to be waiting for our attack."
The Prime Minister took a deep breath: "Commence operation."
Above District 20, four F-15J fighter jets dispatched by Neon roared past, their air-to-ground missiles already prepared on their pylons.
"Hawkeye 1 locking target, requesting fire permission."
"Permission granted."
"Missiles launched!"
Four missiles, trailing long plumes of exhaust, sped towards the apartment building where Allen was located. Just as they were about to hit the target, the missiles strangely hovered in mid-air, as if they had hit an invisible wall.
Inside the apartment, Allen still stood by the window, not even turning his head: "Is this all you've got?"
With a gentle push of his Psychokinesis, the four missiles returned the way they came, flying back towards the fighter jets that launched them at an even faster speed.
"Evade! Evade!" The pilots' terrified shouts rang out in the communication channel.
But it was too late. Four fighter jets, each worth hundreds of millions of yen, turned into four fireballs in the sky. The shockwaves of the explosions shattered the windows of nearby buildings, and countless fragments rained down. However, just as they were about to hit the ground, they were pulverized into dust by an invisible force.
Inside the command center, there was a deathly silence. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the monitoring screens.
"This... this is impossible..." The Minister of Defense's voice trembled.
The Prime Minister's face became extremely grim: "Immediately contact the United States army stationed in Neon and request support!"
Yokota Air Base, United States Air Force 5th Air Wing Command.
"Sir, four of Neon's Self-Defense Forces F-15Js have been shot down!" A military officer rushed into the command room.
Commander Colonel Williams suddenly stood up: "Shot down by what?"
"According to radar, it was their own launched missiles."
Williams's face changed: "Immediately deploy Blackbird Squadron! This is not a regular mission, I repeat, this is not a regular mission!"
Five F-35 fighter jets took off from the runway, speeding towards Tokyo. At the same time, six Apache attack helicopters also took off from the base, their Hellfire missiles glinting coldly under the sun.
Tokyo's streets were already in chaos. Citizens watched in horror as the debris of exploding fighter jets fell from the sky, screams rising and falling. Police sirens blared throughout the city as police and Self-Defense Forces personnel urgently evacuated the crowds.
Inside the Anteiku coffee shop, Yoshimura Kuzen and the ghouls gathered in front of the television. The news was urgently reporting the unfolding situation.
"Unidentified armed individuals have appeared in District 20. The Self-Defense Forces have already commenced operations. Citizens, please remain calm and evacuate in an orderly manner!"
Kaneki Ken's face was pale: "Was it him?"
Kirishima Touka clenched her fists: "That madman, he really declared war on the entire country!"
Yoshimura Kuzen's brows were tightly furrowed: "Notify everyone to immediately enter the underground shelter."
Just as they were preparing to evacuate, the coffee shop door was suddenly pushed open. Arima Kishou, soaked to the bone, stood at the entrance, his white hair plastered to his forehead.
"It's too late," His voice was unusually calm, "The war has already begun."
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