As he spoke, Ye Xing had already appeared before another kidnapper, his right hand seizing the man's head and slamming it casually against the wall, splattering crimson across the surface.
"D-damn it!"
Only now did the remaining kidnappers finally snap out of it. The leader, wielding a semi-automatic rifle, didn't hesitate—he took aim at Ye Xing and pulled the trigger.
"Die, die, die!"
Muzzle flashes erupted alongside deafening gunfire as a barrage of bullets sprayed from the rifle. Though the leader's aim wasn't the best, roughly a fifth of the shots flew straight toward Ye Xing, standing motionless in place.
Facing this hail of bullets, Ye Xing didn't even need to speak before the towering figure of Hachishaku-sama instantly appeared before him.
Bullets struck Hachishaku-sama's body one after another, making her frown slightly.
Yet, within mere seconds, the bullets embedded in her flesh were expelled, clattering to the ground with crisp metallic sounds.
The bullet holes on her body's surface visibly healed at an astonishing rate.
Under the condition of being "seen," evil spirits could harm humans, and humans could likewise harm evil spirits.
But only a psychic could truly kill an evil spirit.
In other words—
If it had been Ye Xing pulling the trigger, then Hachishaku-sama, as an evil spirit, would have been at risk of dispersing.
The key wasn't the firearm itself, but the one wielding it.
From the very beginning, this was never a fair fight.
For the kidnappers, victory was never an option.
From the moment Hachishaku-sama and the pale ghost hand materialised until the battle ended, less than seven seconds had passed.
Seven seconds.
All twenty-three kidnappers died in extremely gruesome ways.
"Done."
Ye Xing turned around, looking at the kidnapped teachers and students as he spoke with a light laugh.
"Not leaving yet? Waiting for dinner?"
Hearing this, the staff of Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten finally snapped out of their daze. Gazing at the bloody scene not far away while suppressing their urge to vomit from fear and disgust, they hastily led the students out.
Observing the scene before him, Ye Xing nodded noncommittally, thinking that this was indeed Kyoto's best kindergarten - the teachers' quality was unexpectedly high.
In such circumstances, none had fled for themselves, and they'd even remembered to take the children along. Truly commendable.
Just then, a very cute little girl with light blue hair cautiously approached Ye Xing and tugged at his sleeve.
"Um... Big Brother."
"What is it, little one?"
The light-blue-haired girl looked adorably shy as she fidgeted and spoke in a small voice.
"Th... thank you for saving us, Big Brother. Are you a hero?"
Ye Xing patted the girl's head, chuckling as he shook his head.
"No, I'm just a passing Kamen Rider."
"Ka... men Raider?"
"Just kidding. Hurry and leave with your teacher."
The girl obediently nodded. When she reached the door, she turned back to look at Ye Xing, sweetly waving her hand.
"Goodbye, Big Brother."
"Bye."
After the light-blue-haired girl left, Ye Xing couldn't help but inhale sharply.
Not because of any peculiar preferences.
But the girl's repeated use of "Big Brother" had triggered an unwanted memory in his mind, nearly giving him PTSD.
After all the teachers and students had left, Ye Xing noticed a beautiful female teacher still sitting on the ground. She wore a black bodycon dress, sexy black stockings paired with leather high heels, and had an extremely curvaceous figure. She was rubbing her ankle, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing Ye Xing's question, the teacher's long, pale fingers gently stroked her stocking-clad ankle in a pitifully alluring manner as she answered with a slight sob.
"I... I twisted my ankle. Could you please help me out?"
"Sure."
Playing the part of someone bewitched by beauty, Ye Xing went over to help her up.
Whether intentional or not, she stumbled against him, her ample curves rubbing against his hand.
"S-sorry."
The teacher's face flushed as she whispered breathily in Ye Xing's ear.
"No need to apologise. Are you a teacher here?"
"Yes."
Hearing this answer, Ye Xing chuckled and waved his hand, though beneath his mask, his eyes turned cruel and merciless.
"No need to apologise..."
"Just let me eat you instead."
Before the female teacher could react, Ye Xing suddenly swung his right fist, delivering a brutal blow to her abdomen.
Immediately after, his left fist followed, sending her body airborne.
"First move, Crushing Blow!"
As the teacher floated mid-air with both feet off the ground, Ye Xing's right hand formed a claw, pulling her towards him.
"Second move, Skull Crusher!"
Thud!
With a dull impact, Ye Xing's full-powered left fist struck squarely on the teacher's chest.
"Third move, Intentional Strike!"
"Next..."
Without giving her any time to recover, Ye Xing's seamless combo continued as he grabbed the dazed teacher, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and with a spectacular flourish, slammed her hard onto the marble floor.
Crash!
The force was so immense that cracks spiderwebbed across the tiled surface.
"Final move, Awe-Inspiring Finish!"
This fluid sequence left both Hachishaku-sama and the pale ghost hand utterly stunned.
Especially Hachishaku-sama.
As a female evil spirit, she couldn't help feeling this combo would deal devastating damage to her kind.
Truly, this was Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten's most shocking punch.
The next moment.
The motionless teacher's body began twisting unnaturally on the floor.
The beautiful facade was merely a disguise.
Beneath it lurked a dishevelled, snake-necked horror with gleaming fangs, a visage straight from hell, eyes burning with malice, and a body the sickly hue of deep cyan - an evil spirit.
"Why... why..."
After eating Ye Xing's full combo, the spirit was already more dead than alive, her form turning translucent.
She couldn't comprehend how her flawless plan - posing as a teacher while manipulating kidnappers from the shadows - had been thwarted by this man.
Even her final attempt to ambush him had been completely anticipated.
"Tch, idiot."
Ye Xing planted his foot on the spirit's abdomen, looking down as he casually opened his mouth to devour her.
"Kindergarten teachers aren't allowed to wear high heels at work."