Since the raid began from the East Sea team, and after contacting the Heaven's God team, half a day had passed filled with gloom. No one knew when the Central Continent team would strike, or if they were waiting for them, fully rested, near Diaoyu Island. In short, having lost the wisdom of Adam, the East Sea team was utterly at a loss.

“Perhaps we were truly wrong…”

On the ship’s deck, Miyata Kuraki and Aoi Sora walked slowly, one ahead of the other. The atmosphere in the meeting room had become so stifling that they could no longer bear to stay put, so they agreed to step out for a walk.

“Then we should proceed according to the established strategy Adam gave us,” Sora murmured, looking down at Miyata Kuraki.

“Not about that… I mean our attitude toward the Shina people—no, I mean our attitude toward the Chinese people.”

Aoi Sora immediately fell silent. She rarely spoke about such matters; she knew Miyata Kuraki’s background well. His grandfather was a Japanese Army officer, a Colonel, during the Second World War, and his father was a core member of the Black Dragon Society. Being raised entirely within right-wing ideology from birth, he had been indoctrinated with the most repulsive of these notions.

In contrast, one of Aoi Sora’s generational ancestors was a member of the Japanese Communist Party. Although the party had faded over time, her family were genuine friends of China. When massive afforestation projects took place in China’s Northwest, her family had sent many people to contribute significantly. Consequently, Sora had spent nearly half her childhood in China. Her experiences there had broadened her horizons considerably. She knew that the world was not as the Japanese right-wing portrayed it, and that China was not the enemy depicted by the Japanese right. It was a great nation…

But what could she achieve with her limited power? The Japanese right-wing ran rampant, blatantly revising textbooks and refusing to acknowledge the crimes of WWII. Meanwhile, due to these stubborn and long-standing anti-China actions by the right-wing factions, the Chinese side grew increasingly resentful toward Japan, making the concept of 'hereditary enmity' feel frighteningly real.

Even here, within the Reincarnation Squad, most of the partners she faced were already captive to these very ideas.

She knew that Miyata Kuraki was different from his father; he was actually a kind-hearted man. The reason he entered the Reincarnation World was because he had been deeply troubled by his failure to save his companions during a car accident. Yet, even this good-natured person had been poisoned by the toxins of Japanese right-wing and militaristic thought. He habitually referred to Chinese people with the slur, ‘Shina people,’ and displayed all sorts of disdain.

Could it be that we Japanese are exactly as some American writers described us: only humble before the strong, and utterly arrogant and shameless toward the weak? For instance, when facing the vastly superior Central Continent team…

Aoi Sora looked at Miyata Kuraki with a complex expression, listening intently to every word he said.

“…There are no inferior races in this world, only inferior individuals. Every nation has its greatness, its remarkable figures, but concurrently, it harbors the despicable—the traitors, the vile, the cowardly, and so on. It is absolutely not as my grandfather and father taught me—that the Chinese lost their soul long ago, and since the Song Dynasty, they could only be called Shina people. It is not like that. Adam was quite right. We have the Yamato Spirit, and they have their Chinese Heart. Neither is superior or inferior…”

Miyata Kuraki stared intently into the distance, murmuring, “Ever since our first team battle, when we learned about the three strongest squads—Demon, Heaven’s God, and Central Continent—we’ve heard countless tales about the strongest, Zheng Zha, his clones, and his comrades… I don’t believe that such powerful individuals could be despicable. Every powerhouse deserves respect. Only those who possess sufficient courage, spirit, will, and resolve can become strong. Perhaps we were truly wrong… The Chinese are still the people who forged a glorious history; perhaps they are merely sleeping, as Napoleon suggested.”

“Is this the congenital defect of our Yamato people?”

“What congenital defect?” Miyata Kuraki asked curiously.

“Oppressing the weak and worshipping the strong…”

Miyata Kuraki immediately fell silent, repeating those eight characters under his breath. The look in his eyes was indescribably complicated. After a long pause, he sighed again and said, “Perhaps it is a congenital defect… But if I could fight a decisive battle against true strength, even if it meant perishing instantly like a cherry blossom, such a magnificent, sword-like end would be enough… If I can return to the real world alive, I will certainly go to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall in China and kneel to apologize. If I can live…”

“If we are to die… I hope you can hold my hand when we go.”

She gently held Miyata Kuraki’s waist. The two stood there quietly, experiencing what might be their final moment of tenderness.

“No!”

Suddenly, Aoi Sora shrieked. Her face flushed crimson as she rushed toward the meeting room, clearly flustered and enraged by what she had seen. Miyata Kuraki was momentarily stunned, then seemed to snap back to reality, following the girl behind her with an equally furious expression as they both charged into the meeting room.

Inside, Koizumi Masao was lunging at Zhao Yingkong of the Central Continent team, his eyes bloodshot. He roared curses, using his remaining arm to violently tear at Zhao Yingkong’s clothing. As the two burst in, they witnessed him rip away her blouse and chest wrapping in a swift motion, exposing those indescribably magnificent breasts to everyone’s view.

“What do you think you are doing!”

Before Aoi Sora could speak, Miyata Kuraki roared and lashed out with his foot, slamming into Koizumi Masao’s back. He sent the man, who was larger than him, flying several meters away. With a loud bang, Masao crashed into a nearby hardwood table, shattering it to splinters.

“Are you insane? If you want to mess with women, go back to the ‘Main God’ space and create them yourself! Don't disgrace our Yamato people here! She is a prisoner, not some whore for you to play with!” Masao shouted loudly.

Koizumi Masao swiped a hand across the blood streaming from his forehead, stood up with a savage grin, and roared back, “I think you’re the insane one! You unilaterally abandoned Adam’s support, you sage of the Heaven’s God team—do you think you’re better than him? You’re driving us toward certain death! I won’t die alongside you! And certainly not a humiliating death at the hands of those Shina people… those Shina pigs…”

“Shut up! Respecting your enemy is respecting yourself! Refer to them as Chinese!” Kuraki bellowed, preparing to lunge at Koizumi Masao again.

Koizumi Masao seemed to be throwing caution to the wind. He backed away while shouting, “Have you forgotten the honor of the Yamato people? Where is your Bushido soul? To call those swine Chinese… Have you forgotten how your fathers fought on the plains of Manchuria? How can you feel sympathy for that inferior race?”

Miyata Kuraki roared and drew his Japanese katana. He shouted back, “You truly are insane! What is going on inside your head? Do you find pleasure in attacking those who cannot fight back?”

“That’s right! Such an inferior race requires no chivalry!” Masao retorted.

“Then to whom do you show chivalry? Members of the Heaven’s God team?” Kuraki brought the tip of his blade down onto Masao’s scalp, stopping short of cutting, and asked coldly.

“…If it were members of the Heaven’s God team, then naturally that would be different.” As Kuraki prepared to strike, Masao broke out in a cold sweat, his voice laced with caution.

“You…” Hearing this, Miyata Kuraki was so choked with rage he couldn’t speak. His sword-wielding hand trembled violently, leaving a shallow cut on Koizumi Masao’s scalp.

Those around them rushed forward to intervene, and several people managed to pull the two men apart. Some muttered quietly, “Anyway, we’re enemies with the Central Continent team now; just hand her over to him. Why show chivalry to those Shina people…”

“You… you are all insane! What exactly are you thinking?!” Kuraki was utterly furious. But as he looked closely, he saw that the gazes of the others were filled with incomprehension and a slight disdain, as if his words were the ones that sounded crazy.

“…Is this truly our congenital defect? Despising the weak and worshipping the strong, so shameless and vile… Is this really the Bushido spirit and Yamato Soul I have always believed in?”

Miyata Kuraki felt his beliefs and his world suddenly beginning to collapse. Only when a small hand tightly grasped his own did he snap back to reality. Aoi Sora stood firmly behind him. “This is the real Yamato people. Because of the national brainwashing and the prevalence of the right-wing factions, most people exhibit some degree of this tendency, to varying degrees. We are just a tiny fraction of the populace. Koizumi Masao is also a small fraction, but the majority in between have slowly begun to lean rightward…”

“Is that so?”

Miyata Kuraki’s heart grew heavier. These people who were once his companions now seemed so grotesque. Before he could say anything, a piercing alarm suddenly blared from outside the meeting room, signaling an enemy attack across the entire fleet.

The Central Continent team… they had arrived!