Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

The condensing clouds slowly dispersed, bright sunlight falling upon the Giant Dragon's carcass.

The high temperature from the Thermal Bomb caused some of the Crystal Stones to melt. They resembled soft, red jelly and looked rather adorable.

If someone were to poke it with a finger, their fingertip would be scalded within three seconds.

Sammy looked at the Giant Dragon's carcass, his eyes full of excitement.

The surrounding U.S. Army soldiers also gathered, their faces curious as their eyes swept over the creature that existed only in mythological stories.

A Giant Dragon.

"I wonder if there's a princess?"

"Of course, there is—the princess of Milante is a princess, isn't she?"

"Hehe, I wonder what the princess's 'seafood' tastes like."

His friend's words made David roll his eyes. "Don't think such disrespectful things," he retorted.

"David, you don't understand. In this era, they might not even have underwear. Imagine a princess who looks noble on the outside, then she lifts her skirt... hehe."

David sighed helplessly at his friend's lewd thoughts.

The villagers hid in their homes, watching the U.S. Army outside their windows with fearful eyes. A translator fluent in Danish stepped forward and began to communicate with them.

He spoke words like 'freedom,' 'democracy,' and 'forces of justice,' leaving the villagers baffled.

"Anyway, we mean no harm and wish to communicate with the people of your country. May I ask if this is within Milante's territory?"

The questioned villager hesitated slightly before replying, "This is Kusha."

"Who is the monarch of Kusha?" the translator asked.

A look of fear suddenly appeared on the villager's face. He quickly shook his head and said, "How could we possibly know the name of the Emperor?"

"Then where is the royal city of Kusha?"

"We don't know. We're just a small village in Kusha."

After receiving this answer, the translator turned to report to Sammy.

Sammy's attention shifted from the Giant Dragon's carcass. He frowned. Kusha... a different country from Milante. Are there Angel Envoys there?

After a moment's thought, Sammy decided to press on. They needed to find a way back.

They had to either find the road to Milante and meet Griffith, or find Kusha's royal city and meet with that Emperor.

Only by doing so would they have a chance to return to Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido.

「」

Since the Giant Dragon's carcass was too large, Sammy didn't order it all taken; that would slow their marching speed. He only had a portion of the meat cut off to take with them and then used drones to scout the surroundings.

The troops continued to advance.

Four hours passed. Sammy checked his watch, a hint of impatience surging within him. He asked the translator, "Still no news of Kusha's royal city?"

"No. Kusha's territory seems to be extremely large, yet its governance over the local tribes is very lax. The villagers have no idea where the royal city is located," the translator reported faithfully.

Sammy's brow furrowed, his eyes sweeping over the troops behind him. After pondering, he made a decision.

They couldn't rely solely on manpower; they needed pack animals to transport ammunition and speed up their progress.

Given how lax Kusha's governance seemed, they probably wouldn't care about the destruction of one or two of their villages.

"Send a hundred men to wipe out that village. Plunder their supplies. Use knives instead of guns to save ammunition, and leave no survivors! The rest of you divide into two groups: one on guard, the other, enjoy lunch."

"Yes, sir!"

The nearby commander began relaying the orders, which the Mountain Tiger Marine Corps swiftly carried out.

Sammy stood his ground. Before him lay vast plains; behind him, he could see the towering forest.

Was it due to a difference in time zones? He frowned, remembering Emily had entered Milante's territory during daylight morning hours. It had also been morning in Milante, indicating that Milante shared the same time zone as Japan. But they had arrived at night. Now, seeing Kusha bathed in bright sunlight, he estimated it was noon. If the time zones were different, their journey to Milante would likely be very long.

It really would be better to prioritize contact with Kusha's Emperor to see if some sort of beneficial exchange was possible. Sammy pondered their future course.

One of his subordinates brought him a well-cooked steak.

A chair and a low table had already been set up. He sat down, uncorked a bottle of red wine, and poured a glass. After savoring a sip, he leisurely picked up his knife and fork and began to eat.

Some black smoke rose in the distance.

He frowned slightly, worried that setting fires would be too conspicuous. But then he reconsidered. This might very well be the most remote and impoverished part of Kusha. The villages they had encountered were all pitifully small, their inhabitants unaware of even the royal city's location. He suspected there wouldn't be any significant figures there. Sammy's frown eased. If people from nearby villages gathered, it would be convenient for them to seize livestock to help transport ammunition and supplies.

Seeing Kusha's vast territory, he had no idea how long they would have to travel here, or where they might encounter Monsters. The soldiers' stamina should be conserved whenever possible.

Sammy bit into the rare steak and chewed a few times.

Mountain Tiger Commander Richard approached, smiling, and reported, "Brigadier General Sammy, we've completed the task. All 131 villagers have been killed. We've seized 30 horses and 200 sheep..."

Listening to Richard's report, Sammy frowned slightly. The supplies seemed a bit scarce. How many days could that amount of food last for over a hundred people?

"Brigadier General Sammy, is there anything you're not satisfied with?"

"No, you've done well. Use the seized livestock to transport supplies and lighten the soldiers' load."

Sammy refocused and decided to check the situation at the next village.

「」

It was strange.

Sammy found Kusha increasingly odd. They had been in its territory for over ten hours now.

In Kusha's territory, they hadn't encountered any large tribes, only small, scattered ones.

Was Kusha's domain that vast?

Moreover, the sunlight hadn't changed much since they arrived; it constantly maintained the intensity of noon.

Did Kusha have no dusk? No night?

None of the villagers they questioned knew where Milante was.

Most importantly, the residents' supplies were clearly insufficient.

As an administrator, Sammy could guarantee that the meager village supplies couldn't keep the villagers alive for even half a month.

One might say the forest had game, but where could villages on the plains find animals?

Sammy couldn't understand. Perhaps the people of this Different World had different physiologies and required less food?

Of course, those were minor issues; the important thing was Milante. If Milante didn't exist, if this was another world entirely, could Emperor Kusha send them back to Abashiri Prison? Sammy's brow furrowed tightly.

He was mounted on a white horse.

Thanks to the 'selfless contributions' from some tribes, the U.S. Army had made significant progress, shifting from manpower to animal power for transport.

Their marching speed had significantly increased.

Richard rode up beside him and said, "Brigadier General Sammy, we've been marching for so long, and the soldiers are a bit tired. Shouldn't we rest here for a while?"

Sammy knew. More than physical exhaustion, the soldiers' weariness was primarily mental.

This was the Different World.

Even their nine previous raids—burning, killing, and looting—could not alleviate the soldiers' underlying tension.

They were supposed to be heading to Milante, but they had ended up in Kusha's territory. It was a nation so vast it seemed to stretch on forever.

Plains, endless plains. Even Sammy was growing weary.

"Rest here," Sammy agreed. He didn't refuse Richard's suggestion; he was a bit hungry himself and fancied some roasted lamb chops.

He was about to dismount when a fierce gale struck, blowing him directly to the ground.

THUD! He hit the ground hard. The pain in his backside was less acute than the confusion in his mind. How could such a fierce wind suddenly spring up on the plains?

Immediately, Sammy felt a cool breeze on his scalp. The strong wind had blown off his toupee, the one that covered his bald spot.

Sammy subconsciously clapped a hand to his head and turned to look for his toupee. He found the soldiers behind him standing aghast, but clearly, they weren't shocked by the sight of their Brigadier General's Mediterranean bald spot.

"What happened?" Sammy asked, turning his head in their direction.

He too was stunned, his expression mirroring that of the other U.S. Army soldiers.

He stared ahead blankly, as if gazing upon the end of the world.

At the edge of the plain, a towering figure made the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, look like a toothpick by comparison.

Its immense body disappeared into the clouds. The shockwaves from its movements caused the sea of clouds to surge, white clouds spreading out in rings like ripples on a lake.

Forgetting to cover his bald spot, Sammy murmured, "What kind of Monster is that?!"

Looking from afar, Sammy didn't know how to describe it. Its form was somewhat like a tree, with countless massive tendrils erupting from its crown. Its surface was marked with innumerable rugged faces. Its lower limbs were incredibly thick, resembling a world-destroying Demon God standing at the edge of the plain.

While Sammy was still in shock, David quickly rode over, shouting, "Brigadier General Sammy! The captured woman is kneeling and calling that thing the Emperor!"

"He's Emperor Kusha?!" Sammy's face was filled with astonishment. He had originally thought 'Emperor' merely referred to someone of noble status, not that the title was so literal—an Emperor who was truly immense! Could this thing even communicate?

Sammy looked at the distant figure, reminded of the first time he had witnessed the world's highest peak, Mount Everest. It was so immense that any thought of opposition died in one's heart.

Damn it, I have to try. Sammy scratched his head, deciding to send someone to communicate with this Emperor Kusha.

"Netizens of the Otherworld, kill."

The thunderous voice boomed from afar.

David understood, and his face turned extremely pale. It seemed Emperor Kusha had quite a temper. No wonder the people in his domain paled at the mere mention of the word 'Emperor.'

"David! What did he say?" Sammy shouted.

David conveyed exactly what Emperor Kusha had said.

Sweat instantly beaded on Sammy's forehead. He was truly desperate now. His mind raced, and he suddenly blurted out, "Quick! Tell the Emperor we're willing to compensate double—no, triple—for the losses Kusha suffered from those nine villages! Please, ask the Emperor to forgive our offense!"

A bitter smile touched David's lips. "Brigadier General Sammy, it's no use saying that now."

Richard's face was grim. "We have no choice but to fight!"

Aozawa, controlling the Demon God form of the Second-stage Terror Emperor, looked down upon the distant U.S. Army and the various villages.

From this perspective, they were all mere insects.