Playing God

The Metropolitan Police Department's attempt to probe Mrs. Inoue did not proceed smoothly, as a new situation had emerged.

"Alarm! Alarm!"

"An abnormal tremor has been detected in Arakawa Ward."

"It's the Earthquake Catfish! It has appeared again, active in the first block of Nishio-gu Town!"

In the Special Operations Room, urgent sirens blared in unison, while a constant stream of emergency calls flooded in from other departments: witnesses had spotted the supernatural creature designated by the Metropolitan Police Department as the 'Earthquake Catfish' once again appearing in Arakawa Ward.

"Access surveillance equipment in the target area!"

"Deploy the armed helicopters, head to the scene immediately—"

After a moment of thought, Director Takeya issued another order.

"Contact the First Division."

"Request that they dispatch the Self-Defense Force to assist our operations."

The Self-Defense Force's First Division is stationed in Nerima Ward within Tokyo's 23 wards, located in the northwestern part of the city.

With a total of approximately 6,500 professional soldiers, it possesses an engineer battalion, an armed reconnaissance battalion, an anti-aircraft battalion, a chemical defense company, an aviation company, and three infantry regiments.

As the military force tasked with guarding Tokyo, it is responsible for disaster relief and defense. Its salary and benefits go without saying, and its discipline and resolve are among the top tier within the otherwise lackluster Self-Defense Force.

Unlike Tanimura Wataru, a supernatural being transformed from a normal human, the Earthquake Catfish clearly did not appear to be an entity capable of communication. Given that its mere presence caused widespread destruction to the city, the Metropolitan Police Department was simultaneously dispatching 'negotiation experts' while ordering the First Division to mobilize, preparing for both contingencies.

"What is that?"

"It's a monster! Ultraman—no, wait, where is the Self-Defense Force?"

Help us!!

Arakawa Ward, Nishio-gu Town, first block.

Pedestrians stared in a daze at the massive Black Fish that had emerged from the earth and was 'parading through the streets,' followed by the sound of phones dropping to the ground.

Rumble, rumble~~

The Black Fish, as massive as a building, paid no mind to these 'ants.'

Instead, it swam through the earth as if it were its own business; indeed, half its body remained beneath the ground, revealing only a flat, enormous head and a pair of eyes filled with 'wisdom,' its two python-like whiskers swaying as it moved through the streets with a rather leisurely air.

Perhaps because the street was relatively 'spacious,' it did not swim toward the sidewalks or buildings. As for the cars on the road:

"Get out! Get out!"

"Run, there's a monster!!"

"What are the people in front doing? Nani???"

Faced with the giant Black Fish 'swimming' toward them, the cars on the road slammed on their brakes, and drivers and passengers alike jumped out to flee.

The giant Black Fish, carrying a vermilion 'torii' gate on its back, swam forward lazily, occasionally using its whiskers to sweep aside the cars blocking its path, drawing gasps of shock and clamor from the crowd.

But gradually—

"It, it doesn't seem to be attacking us?"

"Is this a movie shoot? But, are there movie props this realistic?"

"Mom, it looks like a catfish."

The pedestrians hiding on the side of the road, after the initial panic subsided, began pulling out their phones:

Posting to Moments!

LINE, Facebook, Discord—there were even quite a few people pointing their phones at themselves, turning to face the giant black catfish, and framing both themselves and the creature in the shot.

"Family, this is your old friend Feng Lan broadcasting live! You won't believe this—"

"So cool! Everyone, look—"

The content creators in the crowd even began live-streaming on the spot!

Tsk.

If I don't give you a taste of color, do you really think I'm a vegetarian?

The giant catfish suddenly stopped. Under the gaze of the onlookers hiding on the sides of the road and under the eaves, its eyes locked onto a heavy truck ahead.

"Woooooo~~"

The giant black catfish raised its head, its wide, flat mouth opening to let out a hiss.

Two rows of snow-white, sharp teeth were revealed in its giant maw, with fangs longer than a human arm, causing the onlookers to gradually snap out of their shock.

This was no harmless little animal. It was merely the long-standing peace that had caused people to lose their vigilance.

The catfish first performed a charging motion, and in the next second, it lunged forward with incredible speed.

'Riding the wind and waves' on the street!

BOOM—

Even though there had been dozens of meters between them, with the giant catfish's sudden charge, the two collided violently.

If time were slowed a hundredfold, one could see the front of the heavy truck instantly flatten and cave in; the windshield shattered and pulverized. Before the shards could even scatter, they were swept toward the rear cargo hold by the massive fish head slamming into it.

The four-meter-tall heavy truck's metal front crumpled like paper, offering no resistance whatsoever!

Immediately following, the shockwave spread across the vehicle's body in a visible trail! Rippling distortions accompanied spiderweb-like cracks that suddenly expanded across the entire carriage.

The unspent force of the impact finally sent the wreckage of the heavy vehicle flying through the air like a lobster.

It swept out with a whistle, a terrifying storm scouring the street!

Rumble!!!

The flying wreckage of the heavy truck slammed violently into a building ahead, the twisted metal piercing through the wall and embedding itself deep into the structure, only coming to a halt after striking a load-bearing pillar.

?????

Faced with such a violent scene, the street fell into a deathly silence.

"Run!"

"A monster--"

"Mommy, waaaah~~"

The next second, someone shouted, and everyone turned and fled for their lives. It was like a receding tide, or an anthill doused with boiling water. What stood before them was certainly no movie, nor was it some rare spectacle to be gawked at.

It was a monster capable of killing with a mere gesture!

"Wooo~~~"

Looking up to the sky, it let out a roar like a steam whistle.

Having finished off its 'enemy,' the giant Black Fish, in a pleasant mood, raised its tail high from the earth.

Bang!

The tail slammed heavily onto the street.

The street cracked into spiderwebs, and ripples of tremors spread outward, causing those still lingering to scramble away on all fours, wailing in terror.

Hmph~~

Still daring to watch?

Do you really think monsters have good tempers?

Akihi Yu, controlling the giant black catfish, let out a cold snort and continued to search for the next target to destroy.

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

Just then, an armed helicopter flew in from the sky. Through the open cabin door, a negotiator picked up a radio with a bitter expression.

"Earthquake Catfish below. Sir, please cease your destructive behavior."

"I am from the government, an official representative."

"We can talk about this."

The giant black catfish seemed attracted by the 'voice' from above. It raised its head, one lantern-sized pupil looking left, the other looking right.

"Please rest assured, we mean no harm--"

Just as the negotiator racked his brain, trying to figure out how to communicate with a 'supernatural catfish,' the Black Fish opened its massive mouth in their direction.

"Danger!"

"Get out of the way!!"

Even if one hasn't eaten pork, one has seen a pig run.

In tokusatsu shows, anime, and movies, this action from the opponent basically only represented one possibility:

Pfft.

A small pebble was spat out by the giant Black Fish.

Compared to its house-like size, the pebble, no bigger than a fingernail, was practically negligible.

But as it flew upward, the pebble expanded in mid-air, turning into a giant boulder the size of a millstone in the blink of an eye!

Earth Style: Rock Bullet Jutsu

This was a ninjutsu where one spat out a small pebble that would continuously expand in the air, striking targets like a solid cannonball.

It was a basic D-rank ninjutsu that every Rock Ninja had to learn. While its power was decent, its speed was a fatal flaw, posing little threat to agile ninjas.

In the World of Fire, the Rock Ninja Group would only use this move for dense bombardment; however, the so-called "slow speed" only applied to ninjas capable of scaling walls and walking on water or trees.

"Dodge--ah!"

The millstone-sized boulder struck the helicopter, which couldn't turn in time. The aircraft plummeted toward a nearby high-rise, trailing thick smoke.

"As expected, communication is impossible,"

In the Metropolitan Police Department conference room, Director Takeya sighed.

"Execute the capture plan. Try to take it alive."

Though he gave the order, he held no expectations in his heart.

Because this transcendent creature was the 'Earthquake Catfish', capable of swimming freely through the earth!

"I am very sorry!"

"The road ahead is under traffic control, please turn back immediately!"

"On what grounds?"

"I'm in a rush to get to—"

Every street surrounding Nishio-gu Town in Arakawa Ward had been cordoned off by the police, who had strung up blockade tape.

The crowd trapped here began to clamor. It was 4:00 PM, the exact time schools were letting out, and with the addition of many housewives out to buy groceries, the area was incredibly congested, with complaints rising one after another.

But soon, there was silence.

Because armored vehicles came roaring in, brutally ramming the vehicles in front of them aside. The pitch-black gun barrels made the nearby car owners too afraid to utter a single word of complaint.

Type 87 Armored Patrol Vehicles and Type 16 Maneuver Combat Vehicles.

Although these steel beasts were merely 'light' armored vehicles, their cold, hard armor, the autocannon barrels pointed diagonally forward, and the serious, unblinking Self-Defense Force soldiers aboard made everyone subconsciously shut their mouths, realizing that something major was happening.

There were no heavy tanks, yet these armored vehicles were already sufficient to conduct a small-scale battle.

Do not be fooled by how arrogant certain yakuza organizations usually act; if they were to face this army in open combat, the military would sweep through every yakuza in Tokyo as easily as eating or drinking.

These were sharp weapons invented by humanity to slaughter their own kind, even if they were now being used to fight a monster.

BOOM!

The Self-Defense Force had not been in Nishio-gu Town for long as they moved along the streets.

The lead armored patrol vehicle was suddenly sent flying into the air. Before the terrified eyes of those in the vehicles behind, it was tossed like a toy by a mischievous child, tumbling through the air before slamming into another armored patrol vehicle. This high-tech creation, worth tens of millions of yen, was reduced to scrap metal without firing a single shot.

"As expected, it won't work."

Armed helicopters, armored vehicles, and drones had countless cameras aimed at Nishio-gu Town, monitoring the battlefield from almost three hundred and sixty degrees.

The many bigwigs at the Metropolitan Police Department looked at the 'giant net' covering the street and felt a collective headache.

That was a 'fishing net' launched by an armed helicopter, woven from aircraft carrier arresting cables; the four-cornered spikes fired by the net-gun had embedded themselves dozens of centimeters into the street. Once entangled, let alone a mere elephant, even a blue whale would have no choice but to surrender.

However—

The Earthquake Catfish, caught in the net, simply sank downward, evading the creation that had condensed countless high-tech efforts.

"The target is an earth-attribute transcendent; it is impossible to control it with this method."

Beside him, the head priest of Yushima Tenmangu shook his head slightly. He was the 'head priest' of the shrine, giving off the impression of a high-minded person detached from the world. Yet, at home, he often played Dream X Treasure; true ascetics who did not eat the food of the mortal world no longer existed.

"Then, in your opinion, sir, how should we respond?"

Faced with the inquiry from Director Takeya, the head priest raised a hand and pointed at the back of the 'Earthquake Catfish'.

"The key,"

"Lies in this torii gate."

He then clamped his mouth shut, leaving everyone feeling quite speechless.

The vermilion 'torii gate' on the back of this 'Earthquake Catfish' was so conspicuous that everyone knew it must be of great significance.

But as for what exactly was hidden within it, the group of head priests and shrine masters from the major shrines could not offer a definitive answer, so the others were even less capable of knowing.

"Mr. Takeya,"

"Let us see how this transcendent creature performs under modern firepower."

As for the people from America, they were all full of excitement. This kind of 'monster' versus army spectacle was exactly what they loved most, and anyway—

Even if there were any losses, it would be the people and buildings of the island nation.

Da-da-da-da,

In Nishio-gu Town, Arakawa Ward, the fierce battle was in full swing. The sound of gunfire and artillery was continuous, as if this were not Tokyo, but the Middle East.

On the Type 87 Armored Patrol Vehicle, the 25mm Oerlikon Self-Propelled Gun spat out lethal projectiles. The 600 rounds per minute formed a steel whip that lashed viciously at the massive Black Fish.

"Wuu?!"

Such dense fire was enough to tear flesh and blood into powder.

Against such a weapon, light armored units were reduced to nothing more than 'slaughter'. Yet, the massive black fish allowed the bullets to bury themselves into its body; not only did it show no reaction, but it was actually attracted by the fire and charged toward this armored patrol vehicle.

"Retreat, retreat, retreat!"

While cursing his superiors in his heart, the gunner shouted at the top of his lungs.

In fact, there was no need for him to say it; the vehicle commander had already violently spun the steering wheel, and the armored vehicle nimbly reversed while turning.

"Commander, headquarters is ordering us to continue firing!"

?

Hearing the words of the radio operator, the commander driving the armored patrol vehicle cursed reflexively.

"Let them go to—"

The radio operator raised a hand and tapped the commander's tactical helmet, signaling that they were currently on an open channel, causing the commander to shut his mouth in disgust.

"Understood, we will continue the attack!"

However, the armored patrol vehicle's assault yielded no results.

"7.62 mm machine gun, 25 mm autocannon, none of it is having any effect, then."

In the Metropolitan Police Department's operations room, Director Takeya rubbed his temples.

"Assault tank, use the 105 mm caliber cannon!"