"Huh? Ye Xing-kun?"
Yui turned around in surprise to see Ye Xing standing there.
Why would he be here at one in the morning?
Unlike the bewildered Yui, Miko heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Ye Xing's voice and seeing him there. Then, as if remembering something urgent, she quickly warned:
"Be careful, she's not like ordinary evil spirits—"
"Yeah, I know."
Without letting Miko finish, Ye Xing waved her off and took two steps forward. Gazing at the silent Hachishaku-sama standing some distance away, his expression turned contemplative as he spoke slowly.
"Never thought I'd see the real Hachishaku-sama one day. Your reputation precedes you."
Hachishaku-sama seemed somewhat wary, glancing at the black flames consuming the paper scraps before parting her lips to emit an eerily cold voice.
"You... who?"
Ye Xing shrugged.
"Definitely not a little boy—not your usual type, anyway."
In Miko Yotsuya's eyes, Hachishaku-sama was a legendary yokai who had claimed countless lives.
But in Ye Xing's mind, his impression of Hachishaku-sama was completely different.
What's a model worker?
What's the unparalleled pinnacle of the 'small horse pulling big cart' genre?
Hachishaku-sama obviously couldn't understand these references. After all, this was the normal world, not some otherworld. Her character setting didn't include being pulled by small horses either. She merely repeated emotionlessly:
"Who... are you?"
Hearing this question, Ye Xing suddenly dropped his frivolous smile and walked forward with calm composure.
As he passed, the yellowed paper scraps on the ground began burning with black flames.
"My name is Ye Xing, age 16. I live in the bustling southwest district of Kyoto City and am currently single."
"I attend Kyoto Municipal Sobu High School, usually finishing classes before 5 pm. I don't smoke and dislike alcohol."
"Every night around 10 pm, I go out to ensure at least eight hours of nocturnal activities."
"Before school, I consume many delicious evil spirits and engage in relaxing activities to help my body and mind unwind."
"This lifestyle keeps me refreshed for each new day. My physical health is excellent, and psychiatrists praise me for being completely normal - except mentally."
Beside him, Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya, along with the dog, Sable, stared blankly at this self-introduction.
What did this mean? Why was he suddenly giving a self-introduction?
Was this a matchmaking session with Hachishaku-sama?
"In summary."
By the time he said this, Ye Xing had already walked right up to Hachishaku-sama.
"I am the existence that eradicates all evil spirits and protects this beautiful world - the natural enemy of creatures like you."
As these words fell, Ye Xing extended his right hand toward Hachishaku-sama, fingers gradually closing into a phantom grip as he enunciated each word:
"Come out."
With this command, Yuigahama saw a gigantic pale hand materialise mid-air. Its five fingers with sharp black nails swiftly clenched, effortlessly grasping the towering Hachishaku-sama like a toy.
"W-what is this!?"
Both Yuigahama and Sable were dumbfounded.
The human and dog pair were utterly stunned by the spectacle before them - the towering woman in white, the shower of yellowed paper scraps, the enormous ghostly pale hand.
Were they filming a movie?
Yuigahama and Sable exchanged glances, equally unable to comprehend the scene.
"Ye... Ye Xing."
Miko leaned against the wall, fighting against the overwhelming fatigue that made her want to close her eyes, forcing herself to speak.
"Be careful... this isn't an ordinary evil spirit."
As if proving Miko's words, the pale ghost hand that had enveloped Hachishaku-sama suddenly exploded into black Qi, dissipating into the air.
"You... can see me too."
Now Hachishaku-sama had completely shed her disguise.
Legend told how she would target minors who'd recently lost family members, mimicking the deceased's voice to lure them from their homes before taking them to secluded places for brutal murders.
And now, Hachishaku-sama's originally dignified and beautiful face had twisted into the true visage of an evil spirit. The black pupils gradually expanded until they became pure ink-black, fixed unwaveringly on Ye Xing's face.
"Throwing a tantrum?"
Unlike Miko Yotsuya, who wore an anxious expression upon seeing the pale ghostly hand disappear, Ye Xing remained as composed as ever, even finding the mood to tease with a smile.
"Normally, I'm a cautious person. At this point, I should retreat. But..."
Ye Xing glanced back at Miko Yotsuya and Yui Yuigahama, as well as Sable, who was crouched on the ground with his tongue lolling out. Shaking his head, he met Hachishaku-sama's gaze and murmured softly.
"It seems this time, I'll have to get a little serious."
As the words left his lips, Ye Xing's right hand shot out again, clenching into a loose fist aimed at Hachishaku-sama.
"Come out."
At his command, the enormous pale ghostly hand reappeared.
Yui Yuigahama didn't understand, but Miko Yotsuya, who had also awakened the ability of Soul Materialisation, knew the reason.
Simply put, whether it was her Hyakume or Ye Xing's pale ghostly hand, they were merely projections of the user's heart and soul.
If a projection was destroyed, it would affect the user to some extent. But as long as they could bear the cost, it could be summoned again.
The pale, ghostly hand seemed to find it humiliating that merely Hachishaku-sama had destroyed it. The moment it manifested, it raised a middle finger, making an internationally recognised friendly gesture at Hachishaku-sama.
This absurd sight left both Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya utterly speechless.
Truly a projection of the heart and soul.
The pale, ghostly hand couldn't even speak, yet its abstract nature was clearly no less than Ye Xing's.
If it ever grew a mouth, wouldn't it gain the ability to launch psychological attacks too?
"Go."
As Ye Xing softly uttered the word, the enormous pale ghostly hand lunged at Hachishaku-sama in the same manner as before.
Hachishaku-sama stood there motionless, ink-black eyes locked onto the approaching ghostly hand.
'The same attack? How could that possibly work?'
Miko's heart, which had relaxed upon Ye Xing's arrival, now sank to the depths.
In terms of raw power, neither her Hyakume nor Ye Xing's ghostly hand could rival Hachishaku-sama.
After all, this was a legendary monster from Japan, with centuries of inheritance and widespread notoriety—far beyond any ordinary evil spirit.
Miko was still a novice at exorcism, but even she knew that repeating the same attack would only yield the same result.
The fact that Ye Xing could summon the pale ghostly hand twice spoke volumes about his strength.
But how long could he sustain it?
Once his power was exhausted, their fate would remain unchanged.
Just as Miko was thinking this, Ye Xing did something entirely unexpected.
While Hachishaku-sama's attention was wholly focused on the pale, ghostly hand, Ye Xing had silently circled behind it without notice.
Then, he drew a silver nail from his pocket and, without a trace of mercy in his eyes, drove it straight into Hachishaku-sama's back.
The towering, eight-foot-tall figure toppled over prone on the ground, emitting piercing shrieks that made Miko Yotsuya and Yui Yuigahama feel as though their eardrums might rupture.
The pale ghostly hand gave no quarter, its five fingers tipped with sharp black nails like blades, directly piercing through Hachishaku-sama's limbs and pinning her firmly to the ground.
After completing this, Ye Xing crouched down to meet Hachishaku-sama's ink-black, terrifying eyes directly, smiling as he spoke.
"As a professional exorcist, the ghost hand is merely one of my tools."
"The true weapon against evil spirits... is myself."