Japan, Ogasawara Islands.
Two speedboats were slowly docking at the pier of a small island. Due to the tsunami, this area had been covered by Yunyi's magic. Even though it had thawed now, the damaged environment could not be restored immediately.
Tatsuya Shiba, Miyuki Shiba, and Masaki Ichijo jumped off the speedboat. Looking at the seaside villa in front of them, the three exchanged glances and then slowly walked onto the beach, heading towards the villa. On the other speedboat were the guards responsible for protecting the three of them. However, on the way there, Tatsuya Shiba warned them not to leave the speedboat without permission, otherwise it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
When the three arrived at the villa's gate, the main entrance was pushed open. Xiaoxue walked straight to the gate, opened the tightly closed iron gate, and welcomed the three inside.
"The three of you, please follow me. Yunyi is waiting for you inside," Xiaoxue said calmly.
Tatsuya Shiba nodded and led Miyuki Shiba to follow. Masaki Ichijo paused for a moment, taking in the surroundings before catching up.
" Shiba, there must be quite a few people lying in ambush around here, right?" Masaki Ichijo asked in a low voice.
Tatsuya Shiba nodded; he too had noticed the situation nearby.
"Please don't worry, all three of you. The situation on Ogasawara's side is rather special. Those people are only there to prevent some unimportant individuals from interfering with your meeting; they won't threaten you." Hearing Masaki Ichijo's words behind her, Xiaoxue spoke up without a care, directly pointing out his concerns.
Masaki Ichijo pursed his lips and didn't say much. After personally experiencing how terrifying Yunyi was, he had lost his former pride.
Led by Xiaoxue, the three entered the villa, where Yunyi was sitting on the sofa in the living room waiting for them.
"Oh? You got here pretty quickly." Upon seeing the three of them, Yunyi raised his hand to greet them.
The three of them had quite a few expressions on their faces when they saw Yunyi. The reason was simple: Yunyi wasn't just sitting there waiting; there was a chessboard in front of him, and opposite him, Kasumi Saegusa and Izumi Saegusa were playing a game against him.
Who would have thought that the outside world is currently facing war? And yet, the very person who instigated this war is playing chess. Moreover, when Miyuki Shiba stepped forward and looked at the black and white pieces intertwined on the chessboard, she couldn't figure out what kind of game it was.
After the twins from Saegusa placed a piece, Yunyi placed his black piece. Immediately, the twins opposite him exclaimed, "Oh! How come there are five in a row again! Waaah~"
Hearing their exclamations, the expressions on the three faces turned even more grim. So this wasn't Go, but Gomoku (Five in a Row)?
Yunyi laughed nonchalantly, "Alright, so what if we lost? Go and call Mayumi downstairs. Tell her the guests have arrived."
Kasumi Saegusa and Izumi Saegusa nodded. They both knew that Yunyi and the others had something important to discuss, and it was obviously not appropriate for them to listen in. They obediently got up, greeted Tatsuya Shiba and the others, and went upstairs. As for Xiaoxue, she had already gone upstairs by now.
At Yunyi's invitation, Tatsuya Shiba and his two companions took their seats. Not long after, Mayumi Saegusa also came down. After exchanging greetings Tatsuya Shiba the three of them, she then began to discuss business at Yunyi's suggestion.
" Tatsuya, tell me, what do you want to talk about by calling me here?" Yunyi asked bluntly.
Upon hearing this question, Tatsuya Shiba was somewhat speechless. He had arranged to meet Yunyi three days prior, but they hadn't agreed to a temporary ceasefire at that time. After all, Tatsuya Shiba couldn't represent Japan, and Yunyi couldn't possibly agree to it.
In those three days, the situation in the war between the two countries underwent a dramatic change. The high command of the Japan military had never imagined that the army of the Great Asian Alliance would possess such formidable combat power. Of course, the increase in the combat power of the united side was not due to the magicians becoming stronger, but rather to a significant improvement in their technological level.
In past wars, although the role of mages has become increasingly important, firepower has remained an indispensable part of the armies of all nations. But this time, the equipment used by the allied forces far exceeded their expectations.
While supersonic missiles had appeared in previous battles, the ones the Allied forces deployed this time boasted terminal penetration speeds exceeding Mach 10. Moreover, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. In the ensuing battle, the Allied forces essentially unleashed a missile barrage on the Japan army. Faced with such overwhelming firepower, the Japan army suffered a crushing defeat. In less than three days, the Allied forces had already captured Kyoto.
The Japan army has now built a defensive line in Aichi Prefecture. If this line is breached, the allied forces can take Shizuoka in one fell swoop and march straight to Tokyo!
Moreover, for Japan, the Great Asian Alliance isn't the only enemy they face. While the US fleet was annihilated by Tatsuya Shiba's Material Burst, the landing force has infiltrated Tokyo. These parasitized soldiers possess combat power far exceeding that of ordinary soldiers; even deploying military mages wouldn't be easy to wipe them out. Now, the remaining US fleet has reached Tokyo Bay, seemingly seeking revenge for their fallen comrades.
Besieged on all sides, Japan now felt like it was on the verge of collapse. Most of the high-ranking military officials who launched the Great Asian Alliance had been dismissed. Although they hadn't yet been tried or executed, their fate was predictable. The newly appointed military leaders and government officials were now focused on how to end the current war. They were prepared to bleed heavily; they were willing to pay any price to preserve the country.
Within these three days, Japan had already made initial contact with the America. However, the conditions the America government offered in response were impossible for Japan to meet.
The America government is demanding that Japan hand over the magicians who cast Strategic-Class Magic in Ogasawara and Tokyo. How can the Japan government possibly comply?
The one who cast the magic in Ogasawara was Yunyi, who wasn't even on the Japan side. How could he possibly sacrifice himself for them? The other was a member of the Yotsuba Family, one of the Ten Master Clans. Given the current situation, who would dare to provoke the Yotsuba Family now? Were they afraid that Japan wasn't already being destroyed fast enough?
With the US military's peace talks rejected, their hopes were pinned on the UN. However, their peace request to the UN government has yet to receive a response, further fueling the despair in Japan.