Utaha Kasumigaoka didn't hesitate much. Without even taking time to think it through, she immediately grabbed Ye Xing's arm.
"Ye Xing, we're on a high floor—let's get downstairs first!"
But when they ran out of the bookstore and reached the fire escape entrance, Utaha saw many people moving upward from the floors below.
"This…"
Utaha froze, thinking to herself, 'Didn't these people hear the fire alarm ringing inside the building?'
What difference was there between running upward and seeking death?
Just then, a middle-aged woman, noticing Utaha and Ye Xing standing dazed at the fire escape entrance, halted her hurried steps and said anxiously,
"You two, stop standing there—hurry up and go upstairs! The fire has already blocked the lower floors; there's no way out down there!"
"How… how could that be…"
Hearing this, Utaha's mind went blank, her eyes filled with disbelief.
How was it possible?
From the moment the fire alarm sounded to when she ran out of the bookstore, at most half a minute had passed.
And she was currently on the ninth floor of this building!
Under normal circumstances, even if a fire spread, it couldn't possibly move at such an unnaturally fast speed.
Was it because the building's construction standards were subpar, using some cheap, flammable material?
Impossible.
This was Yukinoshita Construction Company's landmark project, marking their expansion into Kyoto's market. Forget cutting corners—even if they were operating at a loss, the quality would definitely meet the highest standards. How could something like this happen?
"Kasumigaoka, let's go up first."
While Utaha was still in shock, Ye Xing had already taken the lead, pulling her upward along the stairs.
Coincidentally, although this building by Yukinoshita Construction had been completed, it hadn't yet officially opened to the public. Many shops and companies had only signed contracts but hadn't moved in. The highest floor open to the public today was the one hosting the Mask fan meet-up—the comic convention venue on the twenty-first floor.
"Huff… huff… I'm so tired…"
By the time they reached the nineteenth floor, Utaha was clearly running out of stamina. After all, she wasn't the sporty type—more the kind who preferred staying indoors and avoided outdoor activities.
Running up ten floors in one go, combined with the suddenness of the situation, left her breathing erratic. With no chance to stop and rest, Utaha clutched her abdomen, a pained expression on her face.
"I… I think I've got a stitch…"
Hearing this, Ye Xing didn't hesitate in the slightest. He scooped Utaha up into his arms.
"Eh… eh!? You… you…"
Utaha looked completely caught off guard. She wanted to tell Ye Xing to put her down, but seeing how effortlessly he carried her—as if it were no burden at all, without slowing their ascent—she ultimately chose to stay silent.
She wasn't stupid.
At this critical moment of life and death, if one still played at being reserved and observing the propriety between men and women, they might as well jump off the building directly – that would be better than being burned to death.
At a time like this, worrying about trivial matters would make one a complete fool.
After making their way to the top floor of the building and entering the convention venue, Ye Xing saw that the originally spacious area now appeared somewhat crowded.
Fortunately, neither Aoki nor Eriri's mother was short of money, not to mention the possible behind-the-scenes sponsorship from Haruno Yukinoshita, the young lady of the company that owned the building. Instead of partitioning the space, they had rented the entire floor as the venue, and most vendors and companies hadn't moved in yet.
Otherwise, with everyone in the building rushing upstairs, there wouldn't have been enough space, and it could easily have led to a stampede.
Ye Xing set Utaha Kasumigaoka down on the floor. She let out a long sigh of relief, her legs feeling weak and numb after the climb, barely able to stand steadily.
The reactions of those present upon seeing the two of them enter varied considerably.
Eriri, wearing a mask and standing with her mother, was momentarily stunned when she saw Utaha Kasumigaoka entering with Ye Xing – and being carried by him at that. A complex feeling welled up in her heart.
Damn it.
Why did she have to run into this sharp-tongued woman here?
Although Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri weren't in the same grade, as two of the most beautiful girls at Toyogasaki High School, they had interacted numerous times.
Somehow though...
Eriri and Utaha seemed naturally predisposed to dislike each other. Perhaps it was competition between talented beauties, or maybe they were simply incompatible.
Whenever these two met at school, the atmosphere would turn awkwardly silent. This was precisely why Toyogasaki High School's administration had separated them – one remained at school to receive Ye Xing and Shizuka Hiratsuka, while the other went to Sobu High School for the exchange program.
If Eriri and Utaha had both served as student representatives, they probably would have started fighting before the Sobu High School delegation even arrived.
Eriri never expected to encounter her here.
And at her most vulnerable moment, no less!
If the other girl recognised her and asked why she was here, how should she respond?
If people at school discovered she was an otaku, her image as the golden-haired mixed-race beauty would be completely shattered!
Wait a minute...
Frowning slightly, Eriri hid in an inconspicuous corner, secretly observing Utaha Kasumigaoka standing there.
You... why are you here too?
Could it be that Utaha Kasumigaoka was also an otaku, or even... a fan of Mask?
At this thought, Eriri's feelings became complicated.
People who like Mask... probably aren't bad people, right?
Meanwhile, Saki Kawasaki visibly relaxed when she saw Ye Xing enter.
"Saki, Marin."
Ye Xing brought Utaha Kasumigaoka over to the two girls and introduced her with a smile.
"This is Utaha Kasumigaoka from Toyogasaki High School."
"Hello, Kasumigaoka-san."
Saki Kawasaki first forced a smile and greeted him, then leaned close to Ye Xing's ear, lowering her voice with a worried expression.
"Before you returned, I asked several people who ran up from downstairs. This isn't an ordinary fire - they said the flames are dark green and spread at an unnaturally fast rate, almost as if they're trying to consume this entire building... I'm afraid it's..."
"An incident related to the supernatural..."
Ye Xing nodded as Onimaru Kunitsuna, in human form, appeared behind him. Without needing words, he immediately headed toward the exit of the convention venue.
The two famous swords, Onimaru Kunitsuna and Mikazuki Munechika, existed in a transitional state between spiritual objects and physical entities. Their nature was quite special, similar to Hachishaku-sama, who had fused with a Gate - they could choose whether to manifest visibly before people.
Yet at this moment, Ye Xing couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Everyone's Soul Materialisation ability had its advantages and disadvantages, and his was no exception.
Setting aside The End of Eight Million's 'I Think Therefore' power for now...
The black-and-white ghost hands couldn't handle reconnaissance work.
How could they conduct reconnaissance?
They had no heads, eyes, ears, mouths - nothing at all.
If Miko Yotsuya were here, she could send Hyakume to investigate. After all, her vision could connect with Hyakume's, essentially creating a mobile camera.
Even Rio Futaba and the others could send out their soul's true forms. If those were destroyed, they would only lose some physical and mental energy at worst, and could reform them after recovering - they were reusable.
Although the black-and-white ghost hands had strong combat power and were convenient to use, they couldn't accomplish such tasks.
Faced with this emergency situation, what was the first choice of the strongest exorcist in history...?
Ye Xing, with lightning speed, directly took out his phone, opened the Supernatural Society team chat group, and quickly typed a short message.
Ye Xing: Star in danger, urgent rescue.
To Mai Sakurajima and the others, this distress signal carried a simple meaning.
My star is in danger.
Yui Yuigahama: Is Ye Xing in danger? Weren't you going to the convention today? That should be at the Yukinoshita Construction building, right? I'll come immediately!
Seeing this quickly typed message from Dango, Ye Xing hurriedly added another line.
Ye Xing: Not in danger, I was just joking. But we have indeed encountered an incident.
Good grief, little Dango, you're so reckless?
You don't even know what's happening, yet you're already preparing to charge over?
Thank goodness your Soul Materialisation is Kiyohime and not Light Yagami's Emperor Sutoku; otherwise, if you could fly, wouldn't you just break through the window in front of all these people?
Just then, sudden exclamations erupted throughout the venue.
"That... what is that..."
"Oh my god... am I dreaming?"
"This... this flame colour..."
Ye Xing quickly walked over and stood before the windows at the edge of the floor. Below the building, he saw the surrounding area had become a sea of dark green flames.
The height of the fire sea wasn't particularly exaggerated. Based on his superhuman vision, it stood about four to five meters tall, while the fire sea was about three meters thick.
However, that eerie dark green colour clearly wasn't normal flame. Besides, how could normal flames form a ring of fire surrounding this building out of thin air without any combustible material?
Ye Xing's gaze didn't linger for long. He immediately took a photo and sent it to the group chat, adding a message.
Ye Xing: The flames have entered beneath the building, and ordinary people can observe them too. This indicates that whatever created this sea of fire and these flames possesses power strong enough to affect reality.
Rio Futaba noticed the detail in Ye Xing's words and immediately asked.
Rio Futaba: Existence... does that mean whatever created this sea of fire isn't an evil spirit?
Ye Xing: Possibly, but this spiritual power feels different to me, and it smells different, too.
Coming from Ye Xing, these words carried considerable credibility.
After all, when it came to the taste of evil spirits and spiritual power, nobody in this world could possibly know more than this gourmet.
One could say this.
Not counting Miko Yotsuya, Ye Xing had consumed more evil spirits than any other member of the Supernatural Society had ever seen.
If he said the taste seemed off, then there was definitely something wrong.
Mai Sakurajima: "But... aren't the only ones that can directly affect reality those evil spirits that have fused with a Gate, or merged with humans?"
Miko Yotsuya: "No, Mai-senpai... there's another possibility."
Miko Yotsuya: A psychic... as long as they've awakened the Soul Materialisation ability, they can actively manifest it before ordinary people, bypassing the rules of observation.
This was something the Supernatural group had long known.
Although they'd always used the Soul Materialisation ability to fight evil spirits...
It wasn't only useful for combating evil spirits.
For example, Light Yagami used Soul Materialisation to actively manifest, bypass the observation rule, and selectively appear to carry out elusive punishments against evil people without leaving any trace.
Yui Yuigahama: Miko, are you saying... this time's enemy... is a psychic... a human like us?
Miko Yotsuya: That's one possibility, but it's not certain. It might be some new trick created by evil spirits.
Although they said this in the group, members, including Miko Yotsuya herself, thought this possibility was quite low.
Creating such an imposing sea of fire capable of surrounding an entire building, while still having energy to spare to control that dark green flame flowing into the building...
The enemy's spiritual power was formidable.
Stronger than Shuten-dōji, Hannya, and Ushikubi-no-Onna.
Even within the Supernatural Society, aside from Ye Xing, only Miko Yotsuya and Rio Futaba could reach this level of spiritual power.
Moreover, was the enemy currently displaying their full power?
Not necessarily.
As the chief strategist of the Supernatural Society, Rio Futaba immediately began arranging the battle plan.
Rio Futaba: Mai-senpai, you take Hachishaku-sama and Kuchisake-onna, then go with Yui. The four of you should act together - even if you encounter the enemy, you should be able to hold out for a while.
Rio Futaba: Miko, you should reach the scene as quickly as possible, but be careful about hiding your main body. Have Hyakume search for the enemy's traces, with locating the enemy's main body as the top priority.
Rio Futaba: Hina, your ability isn't combat-oriented. Send me your location, I'll come find you immediately, then we'll head to the scene together. Perhaps the rain you create might counteract this dark green spiritual flame.
Seeing Rio Futaba's arranged battle plan, Yui Yuigahama couldn't help but speak up.
Yui Yuigahama: What about Ye Xing? He's alone there, if the enemy goes after him...
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone could sense Rio Futaba's exasperation even through their phone screens.
Rio Futaba: Yui, you're truly the strongest love-struck person I've ever met. Going after Ye Xing? He has Onimaru Kunitsuna, Tamamo-no-Mae, and the Goat-Headed Deity, plus he's the strongest one. The enemy actively seeking him out? That would be wonderful news - we could wrap up early today and think about where to go shopping later."
Yui Yuigahama replied with a cute tongue-out emoji.
Yui Yuigahama: I'm just worried...
Miko Yotsuya: No need to worry about Ye Xing. If he loses, we're all finished today - we might as well arrange a joint burial. Let me say this first - as the founding member who joined the Supernatural Society earliest, my name should be placed next to his.
Hina Amano: Miko... your way of speaking recently... seems to be getting more and more abstract.
Miko Yotsuya: Really? I don't feel that way at all.
Rio Futaba: Sigh... you've been infected after all.
Seeing that the Supernatural Society members had arranged their plans, Ye Xing put down his phone, took another look at the sea of flames outside the window, and returned to Marin Kitagawa, Saki Kawasaki, and Utaha Kasumigaoka's side.
Under such widespread spiritual power, it was difficult for him to pinpoint the enemy's main body.
Perhaps this was the main reason the enemy created this spiritual sea of flames - to conceal their own traces.
Just as Ye Xing was pondering this, Toka Takanashi suddenly approached, her dark red eyes showing concern as she pursed her lips slightly and whispered.
"What should we do now?"
Ye Xing shrugged and smiled.
"You're asking me? Well, I don't have any solutions either."
Toka Takanashi remained silent for a moment before continuing.
"Aren't you an exorcist? Could you at least... send Rikka away from here? Don't worry about me, as long as she's safe."
"Can't do it."
Ye Xing shook his head, looking at the panicked people in the exhibition hall as he spoke softly.
"Expecting me to guarantee everyone's safe evacuation in this situation is unrealistic."
This incident, just like the one at Toyogasaki High School, wasn't suitable for using his Domain.
Without being able to confirm the enemy's main body location, recklessly deploying his domain would be equivalent to delivering these people straight into the tiger's mouth if the enemy's main body wasn't within his domain's coverage range.
After all, Demon-Slaying Divine Purification was never a Domain born for protection - Ye Xing had simply developed peculiar applications for it.
"And acting rashly would only make us targets. The enemy hasn't made further moves yet, perhaps because they're using the people here as leverage. Waiting calmly is our best option."
Hearing this, Toka Takanashi showed a complicated expression and murmured, "So... we really can only wait like this?"
Ye Xing chuckled at her response and suddenly pointed at the highly accurate Mask cosplay outfit made by Aoki that was placed beside the life-sized Mask figurine. "Otherwise, I could put on that outfit and pretend to be Mask - maybe that would scare the enemy away?"
Toka let out a slight sigh and said helplessly, "At a time like this, you're still making strange jokes. Even if you wear the cosplay outfit and act perfectly, that... whatever it is... would still be able to tell you're not the real Mask, right?"
"You're right."
Ye Xing nodded, then turned his gaze to an inconspicuous corner of the venue. He strode directly over, pulled out a petite, mysterious figure wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a hat from behind a standing banner, and chuckled softly. "Little blonde, you're still hiding at a time like this?"