Inside the hotel's presidential suite.
Lu Cheng's face held a playful smile.
Just now, he had watched Kamiya Makoto's entire process from hope to despair through the backend of the System Furnace.
The disappearance of the Shikigami was, of course, also his doing... The final look in those eyes, filled with betrayal and fear, brought him a pleasure that originated from the depths of his soul.
Kamiya Makoto's suffering, to him, was merely a satisfying variable in his experimental data.
Ruzuki Rin knelt on the carpet, offering a freshly brewed cup of black tea with impeccably elegant movements.
She could clearly sense her master's current joy; that invisible aura made her even her breathing cautious.
"Master, has that little bug... lost its usefulness?"
She asked in a low voice, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
In her opinion, Kamiya Makoto had already collapsed and could no longer stir up any trouble.
"No."
Lu Cheng shook his head.
"On the contrary, his most valuable moment has just begun."
"Before, he was just a toy I used to amuse that demon blade."
"And now..."
"He will become the first stone I throw into this pond."
A deep, cold glint flashed in his eyes as he issued a new command to Ruzuki Rin.
"Use your identity in the Amaterasu Group to report Kamiya Makoto's intelligence."
Ruzuki Rin's body trembled slightly, instantly understanding her master's intention.
Her master intended to use Kamiya Makoto as a chess piece to leverage the core of the entire Eastern supernatural world, the Amaterasu Group!
He was merely her master's bait... "Rin understands."
She respectfully lowered her head, without the slightest hesitation, and immediately took action.
A carefully embellished piece of intelligence thus quietly flowed into that ancient organization guarding this land.
Having done all this, Lu Cheng comfortably closed his eyes.
He was very much looking forward to it.
How would the National Luck of the East, those who proudly called themselves "descendants of Amaterasu," make their appearance?
...Meanwhile, somewhere in Tokyo.
In a large council hall, the atmosphere was solemn and grave.
This was the core hub of the Amaterasu Group.
A massive holographic projection displayed the intelligence Ruzuki Rin had just uploaded.
"Wild Onmyoji?"
"High-level demon... able to escape from the Crying Train Conductor?"
Inside the council hall, several elders in traditional attire engaged in disbelieving discussions.
They were the elders of the Amaterasu Group, each once a formidable powerhouse.
"Rin's intelligence is never wrong."
"She's only been back in Tokyo a few days, and she already has a new discovery..."
"The question is not about the truth of the intelligence, but about what is truly behind this young man named Kamiya Makoto."
Just as everyone was discussing, at a loss.
A voice, arrogant and confident, rang out from the entrance of the council hall.
"A bunch of old men whose fangs are almost all gone, discussing a wild dog that barely escaped, what a waste of time."
Everyone looked over at the sound, only to see a young man slowly walking in.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with dazzling silver hair, dressed in the Amaterasu Group's special black combat uniform, and a pair of golden eyes full of arrogance.
Ise Ryuichi!
The undisputed strongest among the Amaterasu Group's younger generation!
The favored son, hailed as the "Child of the Sun"!
Seeing him, the faces of several elders showed complex expressions, admiration mixed with resignation at his arrogance.
"Ryuichi, watch your words!"
The man in the main seat frowned and rebuked.
"Hai, hai."
Ise Ryuichi impatiently waved his hand, walked straight to the table, looked at Kamiya Makoto's photo on the table, and showed a scornful smile.
"Such an interesting fellow, instead of having endless meetings and analyses here, why don't I go and personally make contact with him?"
He stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and a flame named "excitement" ignited in his pupils.
"All powers not controlled by Amaterasu should be purified, or... submit to me."
"I volunteer to assess this unstable factor."
"I will bring him back and make him spill everything he knows."
His words were incredibly arrogant, yet no one could refute him.
Because he had the capital to back it up.
The man in the main seat was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Very well."
"Go and return quickly."
"Yes!"
A triumphant smile appeared on Ise Ryuichi's face... Tokyo, a dark and damp alley.
Kamiya Makoto leaned against the grimy wall, his body trembling uncontrollably from pain and cold.
The excruciating pain of his broken ribs was less than a thousandth of what he felt in his heart at that moment.
"Why..."
Betrayal!
Even the System?
His hope, his future, were all built upon this existence called "System."
But now, this last reliance had also betrayed him?
Just then, the light at the alley entrance was completely blocked by a figure.
A powerful oppressive sensation made it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Kamiya Makoto laboriously raised his head.
What met his eyes was a silver-haired, golden-eyed young man, looking down at him from above.
That gaze was not like looking at a person, but more like examining a piece of merchandise, with a hint of disdain.
Kamiya Makoto's heart sank sharply.
That look again!
Exactly like that man!
Ise Ryuichi slowly walked up to him, squatted down, reached out, and grabbed Kamiya Makoto's chin, forcing him to look up.
He carefully scrutinized the expression on Kamiya Makoto's face, a mix of pain, unwillingness, and despair, and a playful glint flashed in his eyes.
"To actually come out alive from the Crying Train Conductor's hands?"
His voice carried a high-handed scrutiny and mockery.
"This wild dog is quite interesting."