"Welcome back, Takina~~" In the hotel conference room, Chisato Nishikigi immediately rushed over when she saw Luo Shu and Takina Inoue return. She grabbed Takina's hand without hesitation.
"Chisato..." Takina, caught off guard, could only let herself be seized, showing a helpless smile.
"When I heard you two were surrounding the target just now, I was really worried. Thankfully, nothing unexpected happened." Chisato energetically shook Takina's hand up and down, then after a few seconds, she turned and locked her gaze onto Luo Shu.
"Eh?" Luo Shu felt the pressure of Chisato's stare and helplessly reached out his hand.
"Hehe~~" Chisato grinned, cheerfully grabbing Luo Shu's hand and shaking it a few times. "Welcome back safe and sound! Oh, and by the way, you really pulled off something big this time, Luo Shu."
"I wouldn't say it's a major achievement just yet," Luo Shu shook his head, denying her assessment. His eyes then shifted to Hilda and Mika, who were standing near the projection equipment.
"What did the Chief say?" he asked.
"Proceed with the clean-up as usual," Hilda replied while picking up a file from the table and handing it to Mika, who passed it over to Luo Shu. "Thanks to your reconnaissance, Mr. Luo, we were able to pinpoint the movements of Yakushiji Katsuhiko and successfully eliminate him. This is the autopsy report on the corpse."
Luo Shu casually flipped through the report Mika handed him, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "What does this 'BS200' mentioned here mean?"
Standing beside him, Mika explained, "In headquarters' studies on demons, they discovered that across all demon specimens, their average body strength measures around 200. For comparison, the average human adult measures roughly 10."
Mika pointed at a number in the file in front of Luo Shu. "See this, MI210? That's the approximate strength level of the demon crystal extracted from the body. It's considered fairly standard."
"You probably encountered minor demons during your earlier missions, right? Their average stats are about MI50 and BS50. In other words, both their mental and physical strength are roughly five times that of an average adult."
"As for greater demons, the average value sits around 200—that's data from the latest HQ research."
"These numbers look perfectly normal, don't they? So normal they couldn't be any more ordinary." Luo Shu, after hearing Mika's explanation, suddenly displayed a meaningful expression.
"And that's exactly why it's abnormal."
A voice came from the conference room's speaker, connected to the laptop—Tachibana Kirika.
A moment later, the projection behind Hilda flickered, revealing Kirika sitting in her office chair, clad in her uniform, her expression stern.
"I don't buy it. I don't believe that someone bold enough to target a high-ranking demon would be just an ordinary demon himself."
Chisato, hands behind her back, lightly skipped over to Luo Shu's side, glancing at the screen showing Kirika as she spoke.
"So, you're saying we got played? That the enemy pulled a shell game on us?"
"First faking death in secret, then while we relaxed, sneaking off to the demon's sealed location to secretly seize the body..."
Takina thought for a moment and quickly grasped Yakushiji Katsuhiko's rough plan, her expression darkening.
"It looks like the enemy had this plan figured out from the very start."
"I'd say that possibility is quite high," Kirika calmly replied, glancing at Luo Shu. Then she asked, "If I were to bring that Kannagi heiress back, do you think you could persuade her?"
"I can only say I'll try my best."
Luo Shu didn't mention anything about it being harder to deceive a girl a second time. After all, judging from his impression of Ayano Kannagi, she might very well fall for it twice.
But rather than dwell on Ayano's situation, Luo Shu had something else he wanted to say.
"Um… Chief... do you think there's another possibility?"
"What do you mean?" Kirika shifted her gaze to Luo Shu. "If you've got an idea, speak freely. With your level of mental strength, there's a high chance you've noticed subtle details the rest of us missed."
"Internally, we'd say your MI value is above 300 at least."
MI value... so MI stands for Mental Intensity? Luo Shu noted silently, then cautiously suggested, "What if… the enemy has used this fake death trick more than once already?"
"What are you implying?"
At those words, not just Kirika, but everyone present stiffened.
If Yakushiji Katsuhiko was merely the enemy's fake identity after faking death once… then who was he before that?
Chisato, quick on the uptake, immediately caught onto what Luo Shu was suggesting.
"Wait, wait… you can't mean that person, right? But wasn't he eliminated after entering the country? Both Natsuki-chan and Sharon took him down, didn't they?"
Only then did Takina realize who Luo Shu was hinting at.
"The one who crossed the border suddenly—the traitor from True Astronomy? The original owner of the Heart of the Demon?!"
"If that's the case… then we weren't the only ones fooled."
Mika crossed his arms, his expression grim. "The enemy first smuggled in that Abyss artifact stolen from True Astronomy, then used the fake death involving Sharon and Instructor Minamiya to pose as Yakushiji Katsuhiko. After that, he faked death again and took on someone else's identity, vanishing from everyone's sight… Such tactics… I suppose that's exactly what you'd expect from a True Astronomy demon sorcerer."
Two staged deaths—one to evade True Astronomy, demon hunters, and the Onmyo Bureau's pursuit; another to slip past SDS's surveillance and vanish completely.
Mika couldn't help but feel impressed by such mastery.
At that moment, Luo Shu spoke with meaningful weight. "Only this explains why members of True Astronomy were working alongside Yakushiji Katsuhiko, and also why, after the True Astronomy members were killed, Yakushiji still pursued the sealed demon."
"After all, from a logical standpoint, once your dominant partners are dead and the Abyss artifact you intended to use for possession is lost, even someone as reckless as Yakushiji Katsuhiko should realize the plan's hopeless."
"But he acted anyway. That's the biggest problem."
Raising his head, Luo Shu looked straight at Kirika and added, "Of course, there's still one more thing: why didn't that demon sorcerer try to possess the demon himself? Why cooperate with Yakushiji Katsuhiko instead? I'm guessing you know the reason, Chief?"
"I do."
Kirika looked at Luo Shu in clear surprise, thinking to herself that she'd really stumbled upon a hidden gem. She hadn't expected the rookie Awakener she picked up to have such extraordinary potential.
"The traitor from True Astronomy, that demon sorcerer Marpa, carries succubus blood."
"And precisely because of that, while he can activate the Heart of the Demon's power, he can't fully unleash its potential or use it to hypnotize higher-level demons."
"According to intel from the European branch, the Heart seems to be an heirloom passed down from Marpa's ancestors. That's also why he's afraid to push its power too far—he fears that once activated to its limits, he'll cease to be himself."
Marpa? Not Ishaha? Isn't that one of the Demon Barons, a Mind Flayer who can seize human bodies? Luo Shu thought silently, comparing this to the intelligence Utaha had given him. Wait… could it be that Marpa is just another body taken over by Ishaha? That even his identity as a demon sorcerer is fake?
Realizing that, Luo Shu pondered for a moment but ultimately chose not to share this theory with Kirika.
Because this wasn't deduction anymore—this was like reading straight from the answer key.
Luo Shu wasn't ready to expose himself that much.
"So, because of the succubus bloodline, Marpa couldn't fully wield the Heart's power and logically sought out Yakushiji Katsuhiko, later taking his body. At the same time, to avoid enemies, he prepared a backup body to possess the sealed demon species..." Hilda's expression darkened as she continued, her tone turning grim. "I've encountered this kind of body-snatching demon in Europe before. In the short term, the best targets for possession are usually close blood relatives."
"In other words, the enemy is still hiding somewhere within the Yakushiji family?"
Chisato clapped her hands, suddenly enlightened.
"Right! In that case, boss, I think the regional lockdown across Chiba Prefecture should stay in place."
"As long as we can confirm the Yakushiji family members' locations in Chiba, we can directly capture the demon sorcerer. Then, using him, we should be able to locate the demon's sealed site, right?"
However, upon hearing Chisato's plan, Kirika chuckled coldly.
"There's no need to search for the sealed location anymore. Riko extracted it earlier from the demon corpse."
"Hah. That demon deliberately exposed the location to convince us he was dead."
"Of course, there's a chance the location is a trap, but I'm inclined to believe it's genuine. Judging by the situation, our enemy most likely plans to swoop in as the 'mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.'"
Seeing Kirika's cold smile, Luo Shu cautiously asked, "So… the Chief already has a plan?"
Kirika's expression shifted into a grin. "Lift the lockdown. Reassure the public. We're heading straight for the sealed site."
"Hmph, if he wants to play the oriole, then let him. We'll set a trap of our own and net everyone who's scheming."
"I don't believe they'll stay put once we attempt to transfer the sealed demon."
With that, Kirika began issuing direct orders to everyone present.
"Hilda, you and your team retreat publicly, then board a speedboat from the port under our control and lie in wait offshore in Tokyo Bay, near the Bōsō Peninsula."
"Luo Shu, you'll take Chisato and Takina, pick up that Kannagi heiress, and lead three tactical squads directly to the demon's sealed site in two hours. Try to transfer it."
"Mika, you and Mizuki handle the hazardous materials, be ready to support Luo Shu as backup."
"Understood?"
"Understood!" (xN)
"Then move out! GOGOGO!!"
At Kirika's enthusiastic push in the projection, everyone immediately sprang into action. But just as Luo Shu lifted his foot to head out, Kirika suddenly said:
"Luo Shu, wait a moment. I need to speak with you."
Luo Shu, who had been about to leave, froze in place. He glanced at Chisato, who was happily waving him goodbye while dragging Takina out of the room, and his expression turned rather strange.
In the end, under everyone's knowing, and somewhat congratulatory gazes, the conference room was left with only Luo Shu and Kirika on the screen… alone.