The evil spirit dissolved into thick black Qi that Ye Xing swallowed whole.
"Mmm, not bad."
Ye Xing nodded in satisfaction.
His primary objective here had been to devour this particular evil spirit.
Though it hadn't even gotten a chance to attack before being consumed, this spirit was actually formidable.
Not only could it simultaneously control over twenty humans' actions and thoughts, but its human disguise had been flawless.
As for why the spirit had orchestrated this?
Simple: to grow stronger.
Had its plan succeeded - detonating bombs when Metropolitan Police Department forces stormed the building...
The deaths of hundreds of children, school staff and police officers would have generated unimaginably potent resentment.
This area contained only this single evil spirit.
It sought to create catastrophe, devouring souls and resentment to increase its power.
In the end, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—the plan failed, and it became Ye Xing's meal.
...
Meanwhile, outside the gates of Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten.
Upon hearing gunshots, Soichiro Yagami's expression changed instantly. He immediately issued the order for the Self-Defence Forces and Metropolitan Police Department units to launch their attack.
But before they could enter the school building, the teachers and students who had escaped from the kidnappers came running out.
"Priority is evacuating the innocent!"
Faced with the choice between storming the scene to eliminate the targets or protecting the hostages' lives, Soichiro Yagami, as the on-site commander, unhesitatingly chose the latter.
The kindergarten students were all under six years old, mostly crying and unable to speak coherently.
It was only from the adult school staff that Soichiro Yagami obtained information about what had happened on-site.
"That mysterious man?"
Soichiro Yagami listened to his subordinate's report, his brow furrowed and his expression grave.
Just one person, capable of killing over twenty armed kidnappers?
How was that possible!?
Soichiro Yagami stared at the school building before him, gritting his teeth as he spoke in a low voice.
"All of you, retreat to a safe distance. I'm going in alone."
Hearing this, the Metropolitan Police Department members paled and hurriedly dissuaded him.
"That's impossible, Director Yagami! There are bombs in there—"
Before he could finish, Soichiro Yagami waved his hand decisively, his expression resolute.
"That's exactly why I'm ordering you to retreat."
Soichiro Yagami had made up his mind.
He had to meet this unidentified individual.
At the very least, he needed to exchange a few words with them. Even if he could only glean a sliver of information, it would be worthy of his position as Director of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau.
With years of investigative experience, Soichiro Yagami had already noticed the anomalies in Kyoto over the past month.
Crime rates were steadily rising, and the scale of the crimes was becoming increasingly horrifying.
Armed thugs publicly kidnapping an entire kindergarten's staff and students—it was unbelievable.
It was almost as if...
Someone was manipulating these individuals, causing them to commit such utterly illogical crimes.
Soichiro Yagami suspected that this unidentified individual, who had appeared by some means and rescued all the hostages, might know the truth.
He couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.
Moreover, given the large number of hostages in this kidnapping incident—most of them children—Soichiro Yagami, as the commander, feared there might still be children trapped inside the school building.
The kidnappers had planted bombs in the building, which could detonate at any moment.
To ensure all hostages had escaped and to negotiate with the unidentified individual, Soichiro Yagami was willing to take the risk.
"Snipers, all in position!"
The Metropolitan Police Department member barked into his radio. At the command over the channel, snipers immediately took aim from rooftops all around, covering every exit of Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten.
"Director Yagami..."
"No more words."
Director Soichiro Yagami patted his subordinate's shoulder and spoke in a grave voice.
"Don't worry."
...
Meanwhile, in the clubroom of Sobu High School.
"The hostages have been rescued, the hostages have been rescued!"
"Repeating, all hostages inside the kindergarten have been successfully rescued!"
Watching the live broadcast, Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya finally breathed sighs of relief as they saw the reporter's announcement, the children running out of the kindergarten, and the parents who'd been waiting outside the cordon finally reuniting with their kids.
"That's wonderful, truly wonderful."
Observing Yui and Miko's expressions of relief - even to the point of tears glistening in their eyes - Rio Futaba maintained a calm exterior, yet felt deeply puzzled inside.
No matter how you looked at it, this reaction seemed too exaggerated.
It might make sense if someone close to them had been involved.
But would normal people get this emotionally invested in a hostage situation that didn't concern them?
Something wasn't right here. Definitely not right.
"Um... Futaba-san, we'll be going now."
Miko put away her phone, tugged at Yui's sleeve, and gave her a meaningful look.
Yui immediately understood.
Although the hostages had been rescued, Ye Xing hadn't left the scene yet.
While they couldn't offer much help, the least they could do was wait by the Gate for his return.
After the two girls left, Rio took a sip of coffee while staring at the photo of an unidentified individual captured by frontline reporters on her phone screen, murmuring to herself.
"Those eyes... why do they seem familiar?"
...
Elsewhere, in the corridor of Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten.
"Freeze!"
Soichiro Yagami, wearing heavy bulletproof gear, immediately raised his gun and shouted when he saw Ye Xing emerging from the activity room.
"By the authority of the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department, you're under arrest! Don't resist or I'll shoot!"
Ye Xing turned around, his eyes behind the pure black mask radiating amusement.
"Director Yagami, do you really think your pistol can threaten someone who just took down over twenty armed kidnappers - some wielding semi-automatic rifles - with bare hands?"
Though it was Ye Xing making the speaking motions, the voice that came out was Hachishaku-sama's distorted tones, making gender identification impossible.
This question made Soichiro's heart sink.
The stranger was right.
Anyone capable of killing over twenty armed kidnappers bare-handed - regardless of method - clearly wouldn't be intimidated by a handgun.
In the silent corridor, the only sound was the soft drip of blood from Ye Xing's gloves hitting the floor.
Gritting his teeth, Soichiro stared into Ye Xing's eyes and spoke gravely.
"Just who are you?"