Watching Mask press the Sunny Doll Killer's head into the filthy puddle on the ground in an extremely brutal manner, the audience watching the live broadcast in front of their screens were all stunned speechless.
"Is this guy... really a serial killer? Could they have made a mistake?"
"No... it must be that Mask's combat ability... is incredibly strong?"
"But looking at this pathetic state... It's really... hard to say."
...
Meanwhile, Rio Futaba, who was at the scene, nodded with satisfaction upon witnessing the scene before her.
Phase one of the plan was completed.
First, overwhelm and take down the Sunny Doll Killer with absolute dominance, without displaying any psychic abilities.
Due to the limitations of television broadcasting and camera movement speeds, viewers watching on screen couldn't fully grasp how terrifying Mask's speed and explosive power truly were.
They would only think...
Was this Sunny Doll Killer perhaps too weak?
Taken down in a single move?
This was the first step in eliminating fear.
As for the second step...
Rio Futaba leapt down from the rooftop, splashing through puddles.
Under the wary gazes of the Metropolitan Police Department members, she slowly walked up to Soichiro Yagami and said calmly,
"Chief Yagami, please have all your subordinates withdraw."
During the previous train incident, Soichiro Yagami had seen Rio Futaba in this outfit and recognised her as one of Mask's companions.
Moreover, the astonishing sight he witnessed back then—the massive bone wall rising instantly—remained unforgettable even today.
It was almost...
Like a supernatural ability!
Judging from how the Sunny Doll Killer remained standing despite dozens of firearms firing simultaneously just moments ago...
This incident, like the previous train malfunction, was definitely not something ordinary humans could handle.
Thinking this, Soichiro Yagami didn't hesitate in the slightest and immediately issued orders to those around him.
"Everyone, retreat to a safe distance!"
"Chief Yagami..."
"Listen to me, I'm the field commander!"
"Understood!"
As the Director of Criminal Investigations who had repeatedly achieved remarkable successes and possessed extensive experience, Soichiro Yagami was a trustworthy superior in his subordinates' eyes.
Although his current command seemed quite unreasonable, the Metropolitan Police Department members, as his subordinates, still obeyed and complied.
Watching as the Metropolitan Police Department members immediately withdrew upon Soichiro Yagami's single command, disappearing into the rain, Rio Futaba wore a thoughtful expression as she privately reflected.
Indeed.
Ye Xing had reasons for everything he did.
Initially, Rio Futaba couldn't understand why an organisation like the Supernatural Society - hidden in the shadows, misunderstood and unrecognised by the world - would need a Metropolitan Police Department official as an ally.
But now it appeared it wasn't just about the intelligence that the Director of Criminal Investigations could provide.
Soichiro Yagami himself was one of the few within the Metropolitan Police Department who possessed both capability and a strong sense of justice, while also holding a high position and being willing to facilitate the Supernatural Society's operations.
"Reporter, cameraman, you two stay."
Hearing these words from Mask, the reporter and cameraman exchanged glances and both nodded.
What lay before them was a once-in-a-decade... no, once-in-a-century news story!
Mysterious hero VS serial killer.
This was practically the modern version of Holmes VS Moriarty.
How could they possibly miss such a perfect live broadcast opportunity?
After uttering those words, Ye Xing released his grip from the back of the Sunny Doll Killer's head, looking down at the other from his superior position.
"Stand up."
The Sunny Doll Killer struggled to rise from the filthy water, his gaze towards Ye Xing brimming with undisguised venomous hatred.
"I'll give you a chance to explain your actions, and then..."
A white, patterned smile appeared on Ye Xing's black mask.
"Become the most ridiculous clown in everyone's eyes."
"Tch..."
The Sunny Doll Killer gritted his teeth. Having just been forced into the filthy water, his hood and face mask were completely soaked and stained with mud, leaving him looking utterly dishevelled.
But...
He first glanced at Mask standing before him, then turned his gaze towards the three psychics in the distance.
The Sunny Doll Killer could sense it.
These four individuals also possessed some kind of special ability.
Fight one against four and break through?
No...
That wasn't a good choice.
Since he had gone to the trouble of risking exposure by calling the television reporters and cameramen, and had started a live broadcast...
He should seize this opportunity to make the world notice him!
Having reached this conclusion, the Sunny Doll Killer made his decision.
First, complete the television interview.
Then, kill everyone on the scene.
After speaking with Soichiro Yagami, Rio Futaba walked over to the television reporter and cameraman, speaking calmly.
"You may begin the interview now."
"Eh, oh... alright."
The reporter was momentarily stunned, then cautiously approached the Sunny Doll Killer with a microphone.
"Um... Mr Sunny Doll Killer, may I ask why you are committing these acts? What is your motive?"
After all, he was a professional television reporter. The first question he asked was the one all viewers most wanted to know.
Simultaneously, this satisfied the Sunny Doll Killer's twisted desire for attention.
"Why am I doing this?"
Facing the live camera, the Sunny Doll Killer pointed at the torrential rain falling from the sky, spread his arms wide, and a fanatical, brainwashed gleam appeared in his eyes.
"Only by completing a living sacrifice to the gods in this manner can we bring sunny weather!"
Hearing this absurd statement, the reporter couldn't help but pause, then asked puzzledly.
"You mean... so-called living sacrifices involve killing those young girls, making them into Sunny Dolls, and offering them to... the gods?"
"Exactly!"
At this moment, the Sunny Doll Killer seemed like someone who had been repressed for too long and was finally unleashing his emotions. His speech became much faster, his voice filled with intense excitement.
"Only this method can appease the gods' wrath! Otherwise, the heavy rain will never stop!"
Hearing this, Ye Xing, standing not far away, exchanged a glance with Rio Futaba beside the cameraman.
Just as expected.
The Sunny Doll Killer's motive was exactly as the Supernatural Society members had guessed.
So now...
It was time to turn him into a clown.
Ye Xing walked up to the camera and waved, as if greeting the audience watching the broadcast.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Mask."
The reporter, cameraman, and Sunny Doll Killer were all stunned.
What are you doing?
Do you really think this is a celebrity interview?
Meanwhile, Hina Amano, who was watching the live television broadcast, murmured to herself upon seeing Ye Xing's action.
"Finally... it begins."
She stood up and slid open the glass door to the balcony.
The rain outside, driven by fierce winds, carried a biting chill that whipped against Hina Amano's face.
Watching the torrential rain pouring down like a river, Hina Amano took a deep breath and once again clasped her hands together, bowing her head and closing her eyes.
...
"So you're saying that unless a living sacrifice is made, the rain will never stop?"
As the reporter asked this question, the Sunshine Doll Killer's sense of achievement and satisfaction reached its peak.
"That is beyond doubt. Only I, as the proxy of the gods, can prevent the city from being flooded and save all of Japan..."
The Sunshine Doll Killer spread his arms and raised his head, projecting an aura of immense confidence.
But halfway through his speech, he froze.
The reporter and cameraman followed the Sunshine Doll Killer's gaze upward.
The rain... had stopped?
"The sky has cleared."
Ye Xing wrapped his right arm around the Sunshine Doll Killer's shoulder, the two of them standing right in front of the camera. He deliberately emphasised once more to the camera lens:
"The rain has stopped."
Silence.
Deafening silence, so intense it became almost awkward.
The sudden cessation of the rain, combined with the Sunshine Doll Killer's earlier supremely confident, arrogant words about gods and living sacrifices...
"Is this guy... insane?"
"What a lunatic."
"Exactly, what does the rain stopping have to do with whether you kill people or not?"
"Since when do gods exist in this world?"
"A clown with mental problems."
Although he was a serial killer who had committed five horrifying crimes, most viewers had never seen the crime scenes or photos of the victims.
The rumoured brutal methods were indeed enough to instil fear in them.
But after the live broadcast began, what had this so-called Sunshine Doll Killer actually shown?
First came his arrogant declaration.
Then he got grabbed by the head with one hand and shoved face-first into the filthy water on the ground like a dog.
Immediately after that came all that nonsense about gods, changing the weather, and living sacrifices.
And before he could even finish speaking, the rain suddenly stopped - a brutal slap in the face.
This was just...
A clown seeking attention.
And this was only the beginning.
Facing the Sunshine Doll Killer, who stood frozen, completely unable to accept reality, Ye Xing intimately kept his arm around the other's shoulder and began his full assault.
"You didn't actually believe you were some chosen proxy of the gods? That you were someone special who could change the weather?"
"The so-called connection between living sacrifices and the weather clearing was just a coincidence."
"Looking at your utterly confident, arrogant appearance, you really thought you were somebody important?"
"Your actions are completely meaningless, like a dog begging for scraps... no, calling you a dog would be an insult to dogs."
"You're just a crying, tantrum-throwing manchild desperate for external attention."
As he said this, a white smiling pattern appeared on Ye Xing's black mask. He leaned close to the Sunshine Doll Killer's ear, his voice soft but clear enough for both the killer and all the viewers watching their screens to hear perfectly.
"What everyone cares about are those five innocent girls who died. As for you?"
"You are nothing. Nobody has the slightest bit of interest in you as a person."
The Sunny Doll Killer's pupils contracted as he shoved Ye Xing's arm away, stumbling back several steps while clutching his head with both hands.
"No... It's not like that!"
His eyes grew increasingly distorted as he roared with near-madness.
"You don't understand at all what I've been through! Since I was young..."
"Mhm mhm, yes yes, I get it."
Ye Xing waved his hand dismissively with an utterly bored expression, cutting him off.
"Probably just the usual clichés - bad family environment, lack of attention growing up, or getting played by some gyaru-type girl in school, right?"
Ye Xing looked toward where the Sunny Doll Killer stood, seeming to look at him yet with no trace of the other's presence in his eyes.
That familiar feeling of being within someone's field of vision yet completely ignored made the Sunny Doll Killer's heart burn with increasing rage.
"Nobody wants to know about you."
Ye Xing's voice carried laughter.
"Just like rubbish belongs in bins, rats in sewers, and cockroaches in dirty corners - having someone like you in Kyoto is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
"Don't mistake everyone's disgust toward insignificant filth like you for attention."
"Nobody cares about lowly existences like you."
The Sunny Doll Killer's eyes twisted as he screamed hoarsely.
"No... that's not true! I am..."
"So much nonsense."
Before the Sunny Doll Killer could roar his protest, Miko Yotsuya - wearing a white coat with pale golden patterns and a matching white mask adorned with light gold designs - had already appeared behind him unnoticed.
"Let everyone see your true, ugly face."
As she spoke, Miko reached out and tore off the yellowed, old mask covering the Sunny Doll Killer's face.
Simultaneously, she drew her long sword from her waist with her right hand, flicking off his hood with the blade.
The Sunny Doll Killer's true appearance was revealed to all viewers watching the live broadcast.
On screen appeared an ugly face—a man in his forties or fifties, with furtive, shifty eyes, balding in the middle with sparse hair.
"No... don't film me!"
After being exposed, the Sunny Doll Killer scrambled about like a cockroach caught in the light, completely disoriented.
Watching his cowering, panicked demeanour on television, viewers wore complex expressions.
"So this is the kind of person he is..."
"Disgusting."
"As expected, criminals who commit such acts have ugly faces too."
"Without his mask and hood, he doesn't even dare show his real face? What a coward."
"No wonder he only dares target young girls as victims. What a nauseating rat."
Looking at the repulsive face on their television screens and remembering his crimes, Kyoto citizens felt the last traces of fear toward the name Sunny Doll Killer completely vanish.
He was just a madman who only dared target young girls.
More than fear, what the crowd felt was disgust and anger.
With that, the goal had been achieved.
Ye Xing, who was on the live broadcast screen, waved to the audience in front of their televisions and chuckled softly.
"OK, that concludes today's live stream. Next..."
He looked towards the snarling face of the Sunny Doll Killer and spoke softly.
"Things are about to get unsuitable for children."
As his words fell, the live stream was instantly cut off.
...
Sitting before the television, Yukino Yukinoshita maintained a calm expression while thinking to herself.
'Mask?'
She couldn't help feeling that his way of speaking and the aura he projected seemed vaguely familiar.
Ye Xing hasn't returned home yet today, and he didn't say where he was going...
Could it be?
No... surely not?
...
Meanwhile.
Ye Xing watched as the Sunny Doll Killer's face continued to contort, now completely inhuman, his eyes revealing an inexplicable excitement.
"Now comes the part I've been most looking forward to."
Rio Futaba, Miko Yotsuya, and Mai Sakurajima stood by his side. Hearing his words, they couldn't help but look at the Sunny Doll Killer with pity in their eyes.
"Kill you... kill all of you!"
The Sunny Doll Killer's facial features began to shift out of place, and his entire body emitted a putrid stench, like a corpse left under the scorching sun for over ten days.
His body started to swell continuously, like a water-filled balloon, growing from his original height of less than 170 centimetres to a giant nearly five metres tall.
The surface of his body kept oozing foul-smelling pus, presenting a nauseating sight.
"This is..."
Soichiro Yagami watched the Sunny Doll Killer's transformation with a furrowed brow.
He had seen human bodies change like this before, but only in corpses submerged in water for many days—a phenomenon known as giant bloating.
This guy...
Really isn't human after all.
"Who will handle this?"
Facing this monster that weighed heavily on Soichiro Yagami's mind and left the TV reporters and cameramen stunned with terror, Rio Futaba's tone remained as composed as ever.
"I'll take care of it."
Ye Xing stepped forward two paces, the pitch-black mask transforming into viscous flames that danced around him, his eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.
Noticing his expression, Rio Futaba, Miko Yotsuya, and Mai Sakurajima all nodded and quietly stepped back some distance.
The three women looked at the still-roaring, no longer human Sunny Doll Killer, all sharing the same thought in their hearts.
Little does he know what kind of torment he's about to face.
"Kill you!"
The Sunny Doll Killer roared as his massive body lunged towards Ye Xing.
The latter didn't draw Onimaru Kunitsuna from his waist, merely speaking softly.
"Come out."
The moment his words fell, the Sunny Doll Killer suddenly felt a terrifying, trembling fear from behind, as if being watched by some dreadful existence.
"That's..."
The TV reporters, cameramen, and Soichiro Yagami stared speechlessly at the suddenly appearing, nearly ten-metre-tall black and white headless monster.
Squish.
Pale and black ghost hands, one on each side, squeezed the Sunny Doll Killer's bloated body like popping a balloon, crushing it completely.
What burst forth wasn't pus or similar matter, but an extremely viscous, fluid-like concentration of evil spirit aura.
"Is it over?"
Hearing Rio Futaba's question, Ye Xing merely chuckled softly and shook his head.
"No, although the battle is over, my enjoyment is only just beginning."
Step by step, he walked through the sewage on the ground, slowly approaching the Sunny Doll Killer.
After the evil spirit power within him had been completely drained, this serial killer had reverted to his original form, his body even becoming withered.
"Heh... heheh..."
The Sunny Doll Killer lay in the puddle, staring at the burning black Mask, the madness in his eyes undiminished.
"My body has long been dead. No matter what you do, I won't feel a thing. You can't make me experience any pain."
"Mm, I know."
Ye Xing smiled and nodded.
From the moment the soul mark was completed, he had already discovered it.
The other was no longer a living person, but a walking corpse maintained by evil spirit power, controlled by a twisted human soul.
Sensations like pain or pleasure had long ceased to exist.
"Oh, by the way, let me introduce you to something."
Ye Xing drew Onimaru Kunitsuna, its blade pure black, from his waist, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"This blade is called Onimaru Kunitsuna. It's a spiritual object that doesn't need to harm the enemy's body; merely touching the enemy's soul is enough to inflict unbearable pain."
Pausing here, Ye Xing smiled slightly.
"Now, guess what I plan to do with this Onimaru Kunitsuna?"