Hearing the voice from above, the Māra felt as if its soul had frozen solid at that moment.
Without the slightest hesitation, and lacking even the courage to look up, it instantly flashed away, fleeing into the distance.
Bloody hell.
Today was truly bloody hell.
The Māra couldn't comprehend at all how a mere human could instil such fear in it.
Clearly, evil spirits were the ones who held the upper hand, able to slaughter humans at will and enjoy their fear and panic before death.
Why had it been reduced to such a state?
As the Māra fled, it emitted a piercing screech from its mouth.
A few seconds later, hundreds of evil spirits with various faces, all emitting black Qi and terrifying appearances, poured in from all directions of the parking lot.
"Block that human!"
The Māra had absolutely no intention of engaging Ye Xing in battle.
Just a bit more.
If only it could kill all the humans in the hotel, the accumulated death resentment would be enough to elevate its power by one... no, several levels!
At that moment, calling upon his companions to kill this exorcist together would be the best strategy.
"Quite a crowd you've brought."
Surrounded by hundreds of terrifying evil spirits from all directions, Ye Xing couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.
"Though exquisite cuisine is wonderful, an occasional all-you-can-eat buffet is something one shouldn't miss either."
Ye Xing swung the shower head in his hand a couple of times like a meteor hammer, facing the hundreds of horrifying evil spirits as he murmured.
"Well then, let's begin."
As his words fell, several bolder evil spirits had already pounced forward with claws bared.
"You... can see us!"
"Go to hell then."
With his left hand, Ye Xing swung the shower head sideways like a meteor hammer, striking an evil spirit directly in the temple, while his right hand clenched into a fist that punched straight through the gaping mouth and out the back of its skull.
Immediately after, he slightly opened his mouth as the evil spirit's body transformed into a cloud of black Qi that flowed into his abdomen.
"Not bad flavour."
Seeing their fellow evil spirit being devoured by this human before them, the previously eager, claw-baring evil spirits couldn't help but retreat slightly, expressions of terror appearing on their faces.
"What's wrong?"
Ye Xing looked around at these evil spirits and chuckled lightly.
"If you won't come over, then I'll have to come to you."
The Māra that had already fled to the parking lot entrance saw its subordinates hesitating before this human and, in a panic, jumped, shouting.
"Kill him!"
Though these evil spirits were stronger than ordinary spectres, they clearly weren't highly intelligent beings.
Their obedience to their superior's command, combined with their instinctive desire to kill humans, momentarily overwhelmed their fear of the human before them.
"Kill you!"
Hundreds of evil spirits swarmed forward simultaneously. Even as Ye Xing swung his shower head, facing evil spirits pouncing from all directions and angles, he ultimately couldn't achieve perfect defence.
Sharp teeth pierced through his body.
Hundreds of evil spirit hands tore at his limbs.
The cruelty of this scene resembled a sinner fallen into hell being tortured by minor demons.
Wrapped in layer upon layer of evil spirits, the Māra could no longer see the human's body.
Only a pair of eyes remained.
Even at this point, those human eyes still showed no trace of fear or panic.
They remained fixed directly on the Māra.
That pitiless, emotionless cold gaze made even the evil spirit feel an inexplicable fear in its heart.
When a human facing evil spirits shows no fear, defying normal logic...
The party that should feel fear becomes the evil spirits who usually hold the upper hand.
Thump.
Just then, a soft sound emerged.
The Māra felt something warm and round strike its face.
Looking down at the ground, it discovered a bloodshot crimson eyeball lying there.
Bang...
At that moment, another dull thud sounded.
From within the encirclement of hundreds of evil spirits, several fragments emitting black Qi were ejected.
"Could it be..."
The Māra's expression changed.
Bang, crack, bang...
The initial two sounds seemed to have merely heralded some abnormal occurrence.
What followed was a series of noises resembling popcorn popping, densely packed and even merging into a continuous stream.
The Māra looked up and saw the encirclement formed by hundreds of evil spirits visibly dissolving like spring snow...
No, the word 'dissolving' was far too gentle.
A more accurate description would be...
Exploding.
Starting from the evil spirits at the very centre of the circle, their bodies swelled unnaturally before bursting like balloons inflated to their limits, scattering fragments carrying black aura across the ground.
Amidst the scene of evil spirits exploding one after another and debris flying everywhere, Ye Xing, covered in wounds, slowly lifted his left foot and took a step forward as crimson blood dripped onto the ground.
Then another step.
Throughout, Ye Xing's eyes remained fixed on the Māra's face.
Step by step, like this, draped in the remains of evil spirits emitting black Qi, he steadily advanced towards his opponent.
The wounds on his body healed at a remarkably visible speed, leaving only a dark red river of blood behind him and the scattered remains of evil spirits on the ground as evidence that a battle had indeed just taken place.
"No, no..."
The Māra retreated, its twisted and ferocious face now showing deep fear.
Those were hundreds of evil spirits...
Could they not even delay the opponent for a moment?
"I told you, I see you."
Ye Xing walked up to the Māra and slowly extended his right hand, reaching towards its face.
"I am the strongest exorcist, and also the strongest exorcism weapon."
"No... no..."
The Māra opened its mouth wide, spewing ethereal blue flames in a desperate attempt to block Ye Xing's approaching hand.
But what met its eyes was a ghost hand, pale with sharp nails and entirely pitch-black.
...
Meanwhile, in the hotel's penthouse, Shizuka Hiratsuka paced incessantly, her face filled with worry.
Onimaru Kunitsuna in human form followed silently behind her.
"Why hasn't he returned yet..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka turned to look at Onimaru Kunitsuna, pursed her lips and frowned.
"Could something have happened?"
"Please rest assured..."
Just as Onimaru Kunitsuna spoke halfway, it suddenly flickered and disappeared from Shizuka Hiratsuka's sight.
"Eh? What's this?"
Seeing the woman in black mourning clothes vanish, Shizuka Hiratsuka was momentarily stunned before murmuring to herself as if remembering something.
"Is... is it over?"
...
Five minutes later, in the hotel's underground car park.
"Master."
Onimaru Kunitsuna, dressed in black mourning clothes, approached Ye Xing and spoke softly.
"You've worked hard."
"Ha, it was no trouble at all."
Ye Xing took a tissue from his pocket with his right hand, wiped the corner of his mouth, and replied with a smile.
"I enjoyed my meal thoroughly."
"This humble one always believed you would achieve victory."
Onimaru Kunitsuna smiled faintly as she prepared to transform back into her blade form.
This human manifestation wasn't actually part of her inherent abilities as a sword.
Even though Onimaru Kunitsuna was a legendary blade of Japan, one of the so-called Five Great Swords of the World, she remained, at her core, merely a spiritual object, incapable of such feats on her own.
Her ability to take human form was actually achieved through borrowing Ye Xing's power.
Soul Materialisation was an idealistic ability.
For some reason, in Ye Xing's perception, famous blades of Onimaru Kunitsuna's calibre ought to be capable of transforming into humans.
Thus, through drawing upon his power, she could manifest in human form.
Just as she intended to revert to her blade form and return to her master's waist, her peripheral vision caught sight of something that instantly ignited a chilling murderous intent in her eyes.
"Master, since this humble one has returned, please entrust this object to me."
"Oh, this? Take it."
Ye Xing paid little mind, simply handing the shower head he held to Onimaru Kunitsuna.
Upon receiving it, she gazed at the smooth metallic object with undisguised killing intent in her eyes. Her pale, delicate palms came together with an ear-grating crunch, crushing the shower head into fragments.
Then, Onimaru Kunitsuna brushed aside the black hair at her temple, performed an elegant bow to Ye Xing, and resumed her gentle Yamato Nadeshiko demeanour. Covering her mouth with a light laugh, she said:
"Thank you for your understanding."
Immediately after, Onimaru Kunitsuna transformed back into her true form and returned to Ye Xing's waist.
"Really, taking a shower head as an opponent... what a twisted personality for a famous sword," Ye Xing chuckled softly, shaking his head as he walked leisurely towards the underground parking lot exit.
...
When Shizuka Hiratsuka, along with the other guests from the top floor, arrived at the hotel's ground floor lobby, they noticed something quite peculiar.
The surroundings...
Showed no traces whatsoever.
Everything appeared normal - no blood, no gruesomely killed human corpses, no terrifying evil spirits, nor even the scent of blood in the air.
Even the elevator that had previously collapsed had returned to its original state.
It was as if everything that had transpired during those tens of minutes had never occurred at all.
"Was it all... an illusion?" Shizuka Hiratsuka frowned slightly, glancing at the other equally bewildered guests.
'Whatever the case may be,' she thought, 'what just happened was definitely not an illusion.'
While other areas remained unchanged, the hotel lobby was completely devoid of staff members.
Undoubtedly, those innocent people killed by the evil spirits were absolutely not mere illusions.
The Reverse World was constructed based on the real world, formed from the negative impressions and emotions within human hearts.
This meant that the scenes within the Reverse World took reality as their reference, not the other way around.
At this moment, the hotel in the Reverse World might still retain that bloody, cruel appearance.
But as people's impressions of this hotel in the real world gradually returned to normal, it would overwrite the hotel in the Reverse World, much like replacing computer files.
It was essentially a refresh.
Thus, any traces left in the Reverse World naturally couldn't be found in the real world.
...
Meanwhile, in Shibuya's commercial pedestrian street.
While maintaining their surveillance, Miko Yotsuya, Mai Sakurajima, and Rio Futaba heard a sudden roar filled with endless resentment pierce through the pouring rain.
"It's here."
Miko Yotsuya stood up, placing her right hand on the hilt of Mikazuki Munechika at her waist, her golden eyes revealing solemn intensity.
"Get ready, don't let it escape."
"Yes, understood."
Rio Futaba and Mai Sakurajima nodded slightly. Even without communication, the three shared a perfect understanding.
At this moment, they hadn't activated their Soul Materialisation abilities, remaining in their ordinary states.
On one hand, this was to conserve energy and prepare for battle.
On the other hand, Ye Xing had once said something.
"When the battle between evil spirits and exorcists begins is determined by the exorcists."
In their non-Soul Materialisation state, a psychic's aura is indistinguishable from that of an ordinary human.
And in the cities of the real world, nearly every location contains residual human auras.
Under this cover, for evil spirits to determine whether humans are present in the nearby area would be like finding a needle in a haystack - completely impossible.
Of course, in the Reverse World, that would be a different story.
After all, there are no living humans in the Reverse World. Any human entering would immediately alert the evil spirits.
And Rio Futaba had formulated their plan based precisely on this point.
The time gap between the evil spirit manipulating this incident pulling this area into the Reverse World and detecting their presence was their greatest advantage.
Though lacking Hyakume's observation, as professional exorcists, their equipment was complete.
Rio Futaba held binoculars while Mai Sakurajima and Miko Yotsuya held umbrellas for her on either side.
Without needing a special reminder, the pale ghost hand had already shrunk itself to human hand size, hiding in some unknown corner.
In the torrential rain, Rio Futaba stared intently at the Gate on the street, barely blinking for long periods, afraid of missing any suspicious traces.
Bzz... bzz...
The street lamps on both sides of the road suddenly flickered several times.
After emitting bursts of dazzling sparks, the lights disappeared.
An evil spirit - bare-chested, thin as dried bones, wearing tattered grey trousers - appeared from nowhere, slowly walking from the other end of the street toward the Gate.
"That should be our target."
Rio Futaba could immediately tell this was definitely not human.
One reason was that in this downpour, no normal person would walk so leisurely without an umbrella.
Of course, the more important reason was that, although its form wasn't distorted like that of ordinary evil spirits, its entire upper body was painted black.
"This is... the Nuribotoke."
Facing this evil spirit - whether it originated from the Reverse World, formed from people's negative impressions, or originally belonged to the real world, but in any case, highly famous, ranked among the Hyakki Yagyō - the expressions of Rio Futaba, Mai Sakurajima, and Miko Yotsuya all grew solemn.
"Wait a little longer..."
Rio Futaba held the binoculars, observing the Nuribotoke as it stepped towards the Gate, gradually approaching the three people's hiding place. Suppressing the tension in her chest, she strove to maintain a calm demeanour.
1, 2, 3, 4...
For some reason, although the Nuribotoke's movements appeared slow, its forward pace was remarkably swift.
In just four seconds, it had covered nearly twenty metres.
Watching as the distance between it and their position dwindled to less than ten metres, Futaba murmured.
"Now."
"Tear off the disguise, Bone Woman."
As Rio Futaba spoke the true name of her soul, Bone Woman instantly appeared behind her.
A cage resembling white bones rose from the spot where the Nuribotoke stood.
"Hmm?"
The Nuribotoke, originally moving as slowly as an elderly person, reacted with surprising speed. It crouched slightly, its withered, thin legs instantly swelling into terrifyingly muscular forms, preparing to dodge and escape.
"Break free from restraints, Suzuhiko-hime!"
With the battle already begun, Mai Sakurajima no longer needed to hide. Almost simultaneously with Rio Futaba, she called out the true name of her own soul.
Suzuhiko-hime appeared in a light pink gauze dress, holding a pale pink paper umbrella. With a gentle shake, cherry blossom petals formed from spiritual power enveloped the Nuribotoke's body.
Under Suzuhiko-hime's charm ability, the Nuribotoke briefly froze for less than a breath before regaining clarity.
But that was enough.
The white bone cage created by Bone Woman had already trapped the Nuribotoke. Sharp bone spikes instantly extended from each pale bone, piercing towards the evil spirit's body like the famous Western torture device, the iron maiden.
"Miko!"
"Mm, I know."
Miko Yotsuya opened her eyes, several strange colours flashing in her golden pupils. Eye-patterned markings appeared on her fair wrists.
She leapt down directly from the five-metre-high floor, landing lightly on the ground. Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately drew Mikazuki Munechika from her waist.
The pale golden blade reflected a brilliant light in the rain.
"Slash."
Miko Yotsuya flashed forward, appearing before the bone cage. Her golden eyes showed no emotion as she gripped Mikazuki Munechika's hilt with both hands and swung it towards the Nuribotoke.
At that moment, even the rain seemed to be parted by this single slash.
The dull sound of bone spikes piercing flesh contrasted with the elegant, pale golden light of the blade.
The Nuribotoke stood in place, its face becoming ferocious and distorted.
Just as it attempted to release another Gate from within its body and retrieve the Gate from the street to return to its full power, its field of vision slowly split in two.
The next moment, this powerful evil spirit that had fused with two Gates understood.
What had been split in two wasn't its vision.
But its own body.
What echoed in its ears was the sound of the blade tip piercing through its head, and Miko Yotsuya's softly spoken words.
"A professional exorcist never forgets to deliver the finishing blow."