"Is it over?"
On the other side of the winding mountain road.
A spiky-haired young man, Noriyuki Izuna, and the cold-faced Yomi Isayama, gripping her treasured sword, stared solemnly at the laptop placed on a rock.
On the screen, footage of Luo Shu's battle with Yoshimura played on loop.
"Chirp chirp!!"
Small, fox-like spirit beasts called kuda-gitsune, their fur dark blue and no larger than a fist, darted out from the forest and scrambled up Noriyuki's body.
A few of them carried miniature recording devices tied to their backs as they climbed from his feet to his hands.
"Good work."
Noriyuki Izuna removed the recording equipment from the kuda-gitsune and fed them some ball-shaped treats before turning to Yomi Isayama, who was intently watching the computer footage in slow motion:
"Yomi, did you spot anything?"
Yomi Isayama didn't respond immediately. Instead, she reached for the laptop, paused the footage, and stared at the image of the fake Luo Shu being ambushed and killed by Yoshimura before saying gravely:
"Exceptionally advanced illusion technique."
"Normal illusionists manipulate the target's mind by influencing the blue flame representing divinity above their heads. But that man is different."
"His illusions have physical substance, which is why surveillance equipment could capture them."
"After all, ordinary mental illusions can't be recorded by cameras."
"Physical illusions..." Noriyuki Izuna's mouth twitched slightly as he spoke with noticeable strain in his voice:
"The Special Defence Section and Onmyou Agency's Divine Generals definitely don't have illusionists of this calibre. We'd know if they did."
"And if we broaden our search domestically, only the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan, the great yokai Nurarihyon's Shin Kyōka Suigetsu technique, could achieve this level of physical illusion."
"But according to the Chief, that level of illusion is only possible because of Nurarihyon's innate abilities."
The thought that the man they'd just seen at the Metropolitan Police Department had honed his illusion skills to surpass even a great yokai's innate talents made Noriyuki's expression visibly uncomfortable:
"According to intelligence from the Special Defence Section, that man appears to be a recent recruit to SDS."
"With illusion skills like that, he's just a rookie? That's executive-level capability right there."
"That's precisely the issue."
Yomi Isayama said calmly:
"Prior to being recruited by SDS, domestic records show him as nothing more than an ordinary Chinese exchange student without any trace of supernatural involvement."
Hearing this, Noriyuki's pupils contracted as he said intently:
"The footage from the kuda-gitsune shows nothing ordinary about him."
"Whether it's the initial illusion trickery that made that Ghoul reveal its abilities, or the way he kept switching bullets to test the Ghoul's capabilities during the process – none of that is something an ordinary person could pull off."
"An elite secretly trained by one of China's major factions? But then why join SDS?"
"Those are questions for the Chief to worry about."
Yomi fast-forwarded the footage before stopping at a particular frame.
"What concerns me more is... what is this ability?"
Noriyuki turned to look at the laptop screen resting on a nearby rock.
The paused image showed Touka Kirishima and Kaya Irimi suddenly suffering severe injuries and collapsing helplessly, frozen at the moment they hit the ground.
Yomi studied the image with a grave expression:
"No warning, no physical contact. Just an instant to critically injure two Ghouls of unknown strength. Our records contain no corresponding abilities like this."
Noriyuki ventured cautiously:
"A high-grade Abyss Artefact? Tier 3, or even... 4?"
Yomi Isayama controlled the mouse to zoom in on the image, focusing specifically on the rings on Luo Shu's hands:
"The probability is high, but we can't rule out the possibility of it being a unique ability of his."
"Haha, Yomi, you're being too pessimistic... Regardless, someone whose illusions can reach the level of physical illusions and possesses the ability to instantly inflict severe damage... Such a person... such a person..."
Noriyuki Izuna's expression gradually turned extremely grim as he spoke:
"Such a person is simply a monster!!"
Yomi Isayama paid no attention to Noriyuki Izuna's fear-filled words. Instead, she hugged her treasured sword and turned away:
"Let's go."
"Where to?" Noriyuki Izuna was startled and asked, "You're not actually planning to approach him, are you?"
"There's no need for contact anymore." Yomi Isayama's expression remained perfectly calm. "I can't afford the price to enlist his help. In that case, approaching him would only invite humiliation. Better not to go at all."
Hearing this, though Noriyuki Izuna wanted to say it wasn't that serious, he inwardly agreed with Yomi Isayama's assessment.
Though Luo Shu appeared five or six years younger than him, after witnessing that battle just now, he automatically categorised the other party as a National-Level Sorcerer—someone on par with the executive members of various occult organisations worldwide.
Fortunately, there had been an unusual number of such young monsters lately, giving Noriyuki Izuna an excuse to console himself.
"The Onmyou Agency has its prodigy, Suzuka Dairenji, and the Flame Shrine Maiden Shirayuki Hotogi. The Kannagi family produced Ayano Kannagi, who inherited Enraiha."
"Those people were already terrifying enough, and now the SDS has spawned this kind of monster too."
"I wonder if the Chief can coax that Witch from her family into joining us. Otherwise, our Countermeasures Division will be under immense pressure facing these freaks."
At this point, Noriyuki Izuna couldn't help but grumble:
"Being born in the same era as these people is just the worst."
Yomi Isayama didn't respond. Though she was hailed as the Sword Saint, truth be told, compared to the individuals Noriyuki Izuna mentioned, she was still far outmatched.
"Stop muttering to yourself and hurry up submitting the report to the Chief."
As she spoke, Yomi Isayama gazed at the winding mountain road, her eyes flickering with thought.
"Once that man submits his report on the Ghouls, we'll probably be swamped with work."
"True, but given how terrifying that man is, I can't help feeling the Ghouls aren't much of a threat."
Noriyuki Izuna scratched the back of his head and muttered, but seeing that Yomi Isayama ignored him and walked off, he quickly called out:
"Hey, Yomi, wait up! I haven't packed the equipment yet!"
Fumbling hastily, Noriyuki Izuna gathered the gear, hoisted the toolbags, and hurried after Yomi Isayama.