Meanwhile, Kyoto City's eternal scapegoat, always the first to charge into action and forever on the front lines, Chief of Police Soichiro Yagami was engaged in a heated exchange with the person in charge of Kyoto Station.
"What exactly is going on!? Passengers are trapped in pitch-black train tunnels—do you have any idea how much trouble this could cause!? If we're not careful, lives could be lost!"
Faced with Chief Yagami's stern questioning, the station manager wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and replied cautiously.
"Chief Yagami, we've already dispatched professional rescue personnel. It won't take long before..."
"Won't take long!?"
Hearing this, Chief Yagami grew even angrier, tapping his watch with his left wrist as he shouted furiously.
"Fifteen minutes have passed. Where are your men? Where are the rescue teams you dispatched!? Not even a single message has come back!"
"This... this..."
The station manager was drenched in sweat, unable to respond.
He didn't know why either.
The professional rescue personnel he had dispatched could maintain contact initially, but once they ventured deeper into the tunnel, they would inexplicably lose communication.
Several teams sent in succession had all met the same fate.
"No need to say more."
Soichiro Yagami waved his hand dismissively, clearly having no intention of continuing the argument with the manager, and spoke in a low voice.
"From this moment onward, our Metropolitan Police Department will take over the rescue operation to immediately evacuate all trapped passengers."
"Chief Yagami, this..."
"No further discussion needed."
Soichiro Yagami glanced at the manager, his expression stern.
"If any of the passengers trapped in the underground railway tunnel suffer accidents, or even die, can you bear that responsibility?"
"This... this..."
The manager stammered, replying with a troubled expression.
"But... the environment inside the underground tunnel is pitch black, and the terrain is quite complex. Without professional training, there's a high probability of danger."
Soichiro Yagami gave the manager a sidelong glance.
"The power to the tracks has been cut off, right?"
"Yes, it was cut off immediately when the malfunction occurred."
"Good."
Soichiro Yagami had no intention of continuing to argue with the manager.
He represented the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department, a law enforcement agency.
Further delays would only increase the likelihood of accidents befalling the passengers trapped in the tunnel.
Soichiro Yagami was an excellent Director of Criminal Investigations. Though somewhat rigid in character, he always prioritised public safety above all else.
"You few, come with me."
Soichiro Yagami took two squads, totalling no more than twenty members. They weren't wearing bulletproof vests or carrying any heavy weapons, just basic handguns.
After all, the objective was to rescue passengers trapped in the train, not to confront any violent gangs.
Soichiro Yagami jumped down onto the tracks and led the two squads, striding quickly into the deep, dark tunnel.
After advancing nearly a hundred metres into the tunnel, everyone felt a chilling breeze pass by them.
None of the Metropolitan Police Department members, including Soichiro Yagami, found this particularly unusual.
After all, this was an underground tunnel—a bit of cold wind was perfectly normal.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the train tunnel.
"It's a bit cold."
Rio Futaba wrapped her clothes tighter around herself, rubbing her hands together and blowing into her palms.
Seeing her shivering from the cold, Ye Xing smiled.
"Should I carry you as we walk?"
"What are you talking about?"
Rio Futaba frowned slightly.
"We're preparing for an exorcism right now, be serious."
After saying this, she pushed up her glasses, her face slightly flushed, and added in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"But... after we eliminate the evil spirits, I wouldn't mind letting you hold me for a bit."
Ye Xing remained as straightforward as ever, replying sincerely without any concealment.
"So reluctant? Then I'll go find Miko tonight."
"Don't you dare!"
Rio Futaba snorted lightly and reached out to grab his sleeve.
"Besides, Miko said she's busy tonight."
"Then I'll find Mai."
"Mai-senpai is busy too; they're both watching over Shoko Makinohara."
"Then I'll go find Hachishaku-sama."
Rio Futaba looked displeased.
"You're putting me last?"
Ye Xing chuckled in reply.
"What are you saying? How could that be?"
"Good that you know your place..."
Before Rio Futaba could finish, Ye Xing said very sincerely.
"There are still a few others I haven't mentioned yet."
Rio Futaba's expression froze, and after a long moment, she helplessly sighed and held her forehead.
"You... really are a scumbag."
"No, I'm a pure love warrior."
"Hmph, as if I'd believe that."
After complaining like this, Rio Futaba looked at the deep, dark underground tunnel ahead and slowly said.
"Back to business, this really was my mistake."
"I didn't consider that evil spirits might exist in the train tunnels."
"Thinking about it carefully, this environment is actually perfect for evil spirits to hide and develop secretly. It's already very dark here, so even if there's a highly opened Gate affecting reality, no passengers would notice anything unusual."
"Not considering this... was my error."
Looking at Rio Futaba's self-blaming expression and eyes, Ye Xing simply said calmly.
"There's no need to blame yourself. You and Miko can't possibly investigate places like this during your usual patrols."
"Just save everyone before the situation gets worse."
Rio Futaba nodded, then gave Ye Xing a meaningful look, a smile unconsciously curling at the corner of her lips.
"The you from before would never say something like that."
"Don't talk nonsense."
Ye Xing waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm the chosen one, selected by heaven to save this world, possessing unrivalled talent."
Rio Futaba couldn't help but laugh, using the drawn-out tone that Ye Xing typically used, replying noncommittally.
"Fiiine"
...
Five minutes later, at the Metropolitan Police Department squad led by Soichiro Yagami.
"What's... this smell?"
Soichiro Yagami's expression changed as he raised his right hand, signalling the officers behind him to stop.
As a detective with many years of criminal investigation experience, he was highly sensitive to the smell currently drifting through the air.
Since his early days on the job, Soichiro Yagami had often encountered this smell that was rarely encountered in daily life.
The smell of blood.
Not the blood of animals, but the blood of humans.
"Proceed with caution."
Soichiro Yagami drew his pistol from his waist, holding it with both hands as he advanced step by step.
The passage was pitch-black, devoid of light, with only the torch beams of several Metropolitan Police Department officers illuminating the scene ahead.
With each step forward, the metallic scent of blood in the air grew increasingly heavy.
"This is!?"
When the torchlight suddenly swept across the ground, accompanied by a sticky sensation underfoot, Soichiro Yagami finally identified the source of the blood permeating the air.
The scene before him caused even someone with years of investigative experience like himself to widen his eyes in shock.
The ground was covered in viscous blood.
And floating upon that dark crimson river were dismembered human remains.
"This..."
An ordinary person would have been paralysed with terror by now.
But as the Director of Criminal Investigations, Soichiro Yagami tightened his grip on the firearm, crouched down, and leaned closer to examine the wound patterns on the dismembered corpses.
"These are... tearing wounds? As if caused by some kind of animal's bite..."
Through the clothing on the mutilated bodies, Soichiro Yagami had already determined these victims were the rescue teams dispatched by headquarters to save trapped members.
But why?
Why had they died in such a bizarre manner?
"Could there be some kind of wild beast lurking in the underground passages?"
Soichiro Yagami frowned deeply, thinking this was impossible.
Never mind whether there were hiding places for beasts in the underground passages.
The train tracks normally carried high-voltage electricity—any contact would be instantly fatal.
How could any beast survive in such an environment?
"Contact headquarters, request..."
Soichiro Yagami turned his head, but his words trailed off as he froze.
Somehow, the Metropolitan Police Department members had vanished, leaving only a few lonely, flickering torches lying on the ground.
At the edge of his vision, in the profound darkness, a figure standing three to four metres tall, with an extremely thin—almost elongated—build, was slowly approaching.
In the darkness, Soichiro Yagami couldn't make out its features, hearing only faint whimpers like the sound of wind.
"You... can see me?"
Soichiro Yagami's face paled.
What is this thing!?
In that moment, Soichiro Yagami recalled the fear and pressure he'd experienced when encountering Hachishaku-sama at Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten.
This thing...
Was definitely not human.
The instant this thought formed in Soichiro Yagami's mind, he raised his pistol, aimed at the elongated spectre's head, and without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The deafening gunshot echoed through the underground passage.
Before Soichiro Yagami could even sigh in relief, he saw the elongated spectre merely tilt its head back when struck by the bullet.
Then, it continued advancing toward him, step by step.
The eerie, whisper-like voice, reminiscent of a gentle breeze, sounded again.
"You... really can see me."
"Heh, so firearms are useless..."
Soichiro Yagami showed a bitter smile, his expression one of despair as if he had expected this all along.
For some reason.
He didn't even feel the slightest bit surprised.
First, the tall woman in white, and now that Mask.
Soichiro Yagami even had a strange thought.
If bullets actually worked against the monster before him, that would be what truly surprised him.
This world...
Had it gone mad?
Though Soichiro Yagami thought this, his sense of responsibility as the head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau wouldn't allow him to give up at such a moment.
Clenching his teeth tightly, he emptied all the bullets from his gun's chamber in one go, then immediately turned around and quickly ran toward the dark passage ahead.
After being hit by seven or eight bullets in succession, the slender shadow merely paused briefly where it stood before beginning to move again.
Under the condition of observation, humans could harm evil spirits.
But they could only cause damage.
Only psychics could truly eliminate evil spirits.
Weapons weren't the most important factor—the wielder was.
Even if Soichiro Yagami fired hundreds, or even thousands of bullets from his gun, he couldn't truly kill an evil spirit.
But if the gun were in the hands of a psychic, there would be a possibility of eliminating the evil spirit.
Of course.
The most effective were spiritual objects that inherently contained spiritual power.
Even bullets that had been blessed would work.
Soichiro Yagami ran for nearly a kilometre. Fortunately, he hadn't neglected his usual exercise routine; otherwise, his stamina would have given out long ago.
Finally, he saw the train ahead of him, stationary on the tracks.
Soichiro Yagami ran to the rear of the carriage and, using his flashlight to search, found the emergency switch and opened the rear door.
After entering the dimly lit carriage, he initially intended to continue forward but then stopped, turned back, and relocked the door.
Soichiro Yagami didn't know what that slender shadow actually was.
He could only hope that the train's exterior would be enough to keep it out.
Otherwise...
Recalling the bloody scene on the ground, Soichiro Yagami felt a heavy weight in his heart. He retrieved a spare magazine from his waist, reloaded his firearm, and only then continued to advance slowly towards the front of the carriage.
"Everyone, please remain calm!"
A single train is divided into many carriages.
Soichiro Yagami was grateful that the train had malfunctioned outside of peak commuting hours.
Otherwise, far more than just a few hundred passengers would have been trapped inside.
"I am Soichiro Yagami, Director of the Criminal Affairs Bureau at the Metropolitan Police Department. Please form an orderly line and follow me for an organised evacuation!"
With the staff's assistance, Soichiro Yagami led the passengers from the rear of the train, guiding them slowly forward.
Logically speaking, heading in this direction meant there were still nearly five kilometres to the next station, which was much further than simply returning the way they had come from the rear of the carriage.
But...
Actively approaching that slender, shadowy figure would be sheer suicide, wouldn't it?
...
Inside the carriage, Saki Kawasaki, Marin Kitagawa, and Keika Kawasaki were among the passengers, moving slowly forward under the guidance of Soichiro Yagami and the staff.
Just then.
CRASH!!!
The entire train carriage suddenly shook violently.
"Keika!"
Saki Kawasaki grabbed a handrail, using her other arm to pull Keika Kawasaki protectively into her embrace.
"I'm alright, sis."
Saki let out a sigh of relief, but then noticed Marin Kitagawa sitting in a nearby seat, clutching her ankle with a pained expression.
"What's wrong, Marin? Did you get hit somewhere?"
"I-It's nothing."
Marin forced a smile and waved her hand, suppressing the pain.
"I just twisted my ankle a little."
"Can you still walk?"
"Yes, no problem."
Because Marin had sprained her ankle and found walking difficult, the three of them, who had originally been in the middle of the queue, waited until the other passengers had moved past before getting to their feet.
The staff led at the front of the line, while Soichiro Yagami, holding his firearm, remained at the very rear.
He kept a vigilant watch on the back of the train; when the carriage had suddenly shaken, he had nearly made the kind of mistake only a rookie officer would make – firing accidentally due to nerves.
Soichiro Yagami could feel sweat beading in his palms.
It wasn't that he was cowardly.
But when facing an existence beyond all rational measure, any normal person would inevitably have such a reaction.
Just as the passengers were almost entirely evacuated from the train, everyone suddenly heard a piercing shriek.
"You... can all see me!"
Following this shrill, inhuman screech, Soichiro Yagami saw the slender, shadowy figure abruptly appear at the far edge of his vision.
In that moment, he finally realised.
It wasn't that he had failed to see its face clearly.
It was that the thing had no face at all.
Its entire form was composed purely of a dense, black mist.
Without a moment's hesitation, Soichiro Yagami pulled the trigger.
BANG!
As the bullet shot forth, the slender shadowy figure merely flickered, evading it effortlessly.
Then, it let out another ear-splitting, piercing shriek and lunged towards Marin Kitagawa, Saki Kawasaki, Keika Kawasaki, and Soichiro Yagami, who stood shielding them.
Bang, bang, bang...
Soichiro Yagami didn't hesitate, choosing once again to empty his magazine.
Yet the result remained the same.
The firearm's bullets couldn't even provide the slightest hindrance against that slender spectre.
Watching the spectre that had already closed within mere metres, both Marin Kitagawa and Saki Kawasaki's bodies had frozen stiff.
Their minds went completely blank, utterly incapable of any reaction.
Just then, a petite figure clad in white clothing crashed directly through the train's roof, landing before the slender spectre.
"Bone Woman."
"Yes."
With those two words spoken, a woman in a traditional kimono instantly appeared.
From within her wide sleeves extended a bone spike that pierced through the slender spectre's head at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.
"Hmm? This is far too weak..."
Only now did Soichiro Yagami clearly see the mysterious figure's attire.
A long coat, boots, a mask, and pure white long hair.
Though the build appeared quite petite, like Mask, one couldn't determine gender from appearance alone.
Only the clothing colours differed from Mask.
This mysterious figure's overall outfit was a ghastly white, resembling bone.
Their mask seemed to be made of bone-like material, obscuring any facial features.
"Not injured, I hope?"
The mysterious figure turned around, their voice indistinguishable as male or female, yet those eyes gave Saki Kawasaki and Marin Kitagawa an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Just as Soichiro Yagami was about to respond, his expression suddenly changed.
"Behind you!"
As his words fell, several identical slender spectres, exact copies in appearance, emerged from ground untouched by light, lunging to tear at the mysterious figure before them.
"How dreadfully dull"
With this slightly lazy, seductive female voice, an enormous furry animal paw suddenly appeared, crushing several slender spectres directly into dust.
Only after this paw withdrew did Soichiro Yagami and the others, along with Rio Futaba, clearly see the true appearance of the one who had acted.
Tamamo-no-Mae, dressed in a traditional kimono like an ancient Japanese woman, walked slowly to Rio Futaba's side and spoke with a smile.
"And him? Didn't he come with you?"
Rio Futaba wasn't surprised that Tamamo-no-Mae could recognise her in this disguise.
After all, the other was a powerful spectre - it would be truly shameful if she couldn't manage even this much.
"He's helping evacuate the innocent."
"What?"
Hearing this, Tamamo-no-Mae seemed somewhat surprised.
"He's actually evacuating innocents? That doesn't sound like his style."
"He is indeed evacuating them."
Rio Futaba spoke calmly.
"Just... in his own unique way."
...
Meanwhile, outside the train, Ye Xing, who had changed into his Mask attire, stood holding a black pistol, watching the hundreds of passengers and train staff before him. A white smiling face pattern appeared on his pure black mask.
"I'll count to ten."
"After I finish counting, I'll begin hunting you."
"Only those who reach the platform before I catch you will survive."
"The countdown begins now."
"10, 9, 8, 7..."