Seeing the train passengers still standing frozen in place, Ye Xing simply performed the simplest, most efficient action.
He pulled back the slide of his pistol and directly pulled the trigger, firing a shot into the air.
Bang!
Following the deafening gunshot came the passengers' panicked screams as they scattered.
They didn't dare not run.
Because the countdown behind them continued.
"6, 5, 4, 3..."
Watching these people disappear from his field of vision, Ye Xing dissipated the pistol formed from evil spirit power and murmured with a light laugh.
"Solved."
He had no patience to explain the existence of the Reverse World and evil spirits to these people.
Even less energy to spare protecting these helpless weaklings when the exorcism was about to begin.
As a cautious professional exorcist, Ye Xing knew one thing very well.
Often, what kills heroes isn't villains.
But the naively foolish masses.
From his journey with Rio Futaba, he estimated that running about one kilometre forward would take them beyond the Gate's area of influence.
Using the most efficient and convenient method to minimise collateral damage.
That was the professional approach.
Only...
"I don't see Keika Kawasaki and the others..."
Ye Xing didn't linger in the underground passage, directly turning to board the train.
When he reached the first passenger carriage, he saw Saki Kawasaki supporting Marin Kitagawa, with Keika Kawasaki standing behind them, along with Soichiro Yagami, Rio Futaba, and Tamamo-no-Mae.
"You're...!?"
Seeing the mysterious figure wearing a pure black mask and dressed entirely in black - exactly matching the urban legend - appear before her eyes, Saki Kawasaki's jaw dropped in shock.
"Hmph hmph."
Keika Kawasaki's small face was full of smug satisfaction.
"See, sister? I told you the hero who saves everyone really exists."
Saki Kawasaki stared, dumbfounded, at Mask.
So...
This person wasn't just an urban legend, but actually existed?
"You've finally arrived."
Tamamo-no-Mae simply waved her hand, and a sudden, inexplicable force pressed Soichiro Yagami, Marin Kitagawa, and the Kawasaki sisters into the train seats.
Then, with graceful steps, she walked up to Ye Xing, gazing with a half-smile at the eyes behind his mask, a smile curling at the corners of her lips.
"This situation is quite troublesome."
Tamamo-no-Mae turned around and pointed towards the rear of the train, speaking softly.
"I can sense that those shadows earlier were merely small fragments separated from a certain entity."
"The true monster still lurks within that darkness."
Ye Xing nodded slightly, gazing at Tamamo-no-Mae standing before him with a light laugh.
"Such a dangerous matter, and you'd willingly put yourself at risk - this really doesn't suit your character."
"Those words hurt me deeply."
Tamamo-no-Mae covered her mouth with a light laugh, her every movement radiating a natural, innate charm.
"The degree to which the Gate within this creature has opened has already transformed this several-kilometre-long underground passage into an area where the Reverse World and reality have merged. That is to say..."
Before Tamamo-no-Mae could finish, Rio Futaba spoke calmly.
"That is to say, this evil spirit isn't just a threat to the real world, but also a terrifying existence for you who lives in the Reverse World, correct?"
Tamamo-no-Mae smiled and nodded.
"You're still as clever as ever."
Listening to the conversation between the two humans and the youkai, Marin Kitagawa and Saki Kawasaki were completely bewildered.
What were they talking about?
Reverse World?
Evil spirits?
Was this... cosplay?
But those slender ghostly shadows earlier... were clearly bizarre entities they had never seen before.
Could it be that in this world...
Ghosts actually existed?
Meanwhile, Keika Kawasaki wasn't overthinking it at all.
Her large, dewy eyes were fixed intently on Ye Xing, sparkling with bright little stars.
'Big Brother is still so cool, as expected.'
"This incident... is it related to you again?"
Soichiro Yagami massaged his forehead and sighed helplessly.
He had come to realise this.
Among the few blemishes in his lifelong career as a police detective, almost all of them were related to this Mask.
He was truly being countered by fate.
"Chief Yagami, that's not quite right."
Ye Xing sat directly opposite Soichiro Yagami, speaking with amusement in his eyes.
"If not for me and my companions taking action today..."
At this point, the amusement in his eyes instantly vanished as he spoke word by word.
"All the passengers on this train..."
"Would have died."
Hearing this, Soichiro Yagami felt a heavy weight in his heart.
He knew the other wasn't exaggerating to scare him.
That slender, ghostly shadow had been able to kill several rescue teams sent by the station manager silently.
Even professional members of the Metropolitan Police Department disappeared in an instant, without even having the chance to fire their guns or call for help.
This was not a monster that humans could deal with.
"So what should we do now?"
"Right now..."
Ye Xing was about to suggest that Soichiro Yagami evacuate the Kawasaki sisters and Marin Kitagawa first.
But just as he reached this point, Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly changed expression and softly warned.
"It's coming."
As these two words left her lips, a very strange sound suddenly reached everyone's ears.
Rumble... rumble...
The sound grew from distant to near, approaching at an extremely rapid pace.
"What is this..."
Marin Kitagawa listened to the bizarre yet strangely familiar sound, accompanied by clattering vibrations, when, suddenly, her pupils dilated in shock as if she'd realised something.
"A train!?"
Soichiro Yagami and Saki Kawasaki both paled upon hearing this.
That sound...
Wasn't it exactly like a moving train?
But...
Their own train was still stationary on the tracks, so how could another train be approaching?
If the two trains collided, given the high speed of trains...
Wouldn't they all be crushed into pulp!?
Unlike the terrified Marin and others, Ye Xing merely thought to himself.
'Hmm... seven minutes and thirty-two seconds have passed now.'
'At normal walking speed, they should be about two kilometres away.'
'No one would slack off when their lives are threatened.'
'Even accounting for reduced speed due to exhaustion, they're definitely beyond one kilometre by now.'
'Safety confirmed.'
Saying this, Ye Xing turned to Rio Futaba with a light laugh.
"Your turn."
"Alright."
Without another word, Rio Futaba took two steps forward and took a deep breath, as if gathering strength.
Two seconds later, a barely perceptible glimmer appeared in her eyes as she extended both hands forward, speaking word by word in perfect sync with her soul's true form, Bone Woman.
"Wall of Sighs."
As Rio Futaba and Bone Woman's voices faded, the train suddenly began shaking violently.
"What's... happening!?"
Before Soichiro Yagami could even brace himself, he witnessed a scene that he, Marin Kitagawa and the others would find unforgettable for the rest of their lives.
Before Rio Futaba, at the connection between two carriages, suddenly rose an enormous white wall resembling stacked bones, engraved with patterns of weeping and screaming.
The wall was so massive that it completely blocked everyone's vision, only stopping when it filled the entire underground passage.
"What... what is this thing?"
Soichiro Yagami and Saki Kawasaki stared dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.
In comparison, Marin Kitagawa, being more exposed to otaku culture and having a richer imagination, handled it slightly better.
But only slightly.
Witnessing such a scene that should only appear in anime materialise before her eyes, Marin also wore an expression of disbelief.
Only Keika Kawasaki sat, resting her chin on one hand and swinging her little legs.
Far from being shocked.
Her expression suggested she found it somewhat boring.
What Wall of Sighs.
So uninteresting.
Keika only wanted to see Big Brother take action and eliminate those monsters.
She had no interest whatsoever in that petite figure dressed in bone-white clothing.
Perhaps this was what they called being a Ye Xing exclusive fan.
Gazing at the massive, thick bone wall that now occupied the entire underground passage, Tamamo-no-Mae examined Rio Futaba with keen interest.
She noticed that after unleashing such power, the other girl was only slightly breathless - appearing somewhat fatigued, but clearly not yet reaching her limit.
Tamamo-no-Mae was deeply curious.
Not long ago, during their first encounter, this petite girl with generous proportions had been merely an ordinary human trembling before her. Yet now, she possessed power of such calibre that it made even Tamamo-no-Mae feel a sense of danger.
Such rapid growth was truly astonishing.
Considering this, Tamamo-no-Mae felt increasingly grateful for her decision to come here today.
She observed Ye Xing sitting motionless with unreadable eyes, thinking to herself: 'Not only is his personal power formidable, but he can also guide those around him to grow stronger? I wonder... would his methods work on a non-human existence like myself?'
Tamamo-no-Mae also desired to become stronger.
Just then—
BOOM!!!
The Wall of Sighs suddenly trembled violently.
The entire underground passage shook from the impact, sending clouds of dust raining down.
Not only were Marin Kitagawa and the others startled, but even Rio Futaba herself flinched at the sudden tremor.
Moments later, she began examining the Wall of Sighs she had created, noticing fine cracks spreading across its surface, and murmured: "Hmm... one more impact like that and it won't hold. The power of whatever's on the other side is formidable."
"You've done well already."
Ye Xing patted Rio Futaba's head and praised her with a light laugh.
The evil spirit capable of creating such a high-level supernatural incident and merging such a large area of the real world with the Reverse World undoubtedly possessed extraordinary power—likely comparable to that of the giant evil spirit they'd encountered before.
For Rio Futaba to withstand a full-force attack from such a being with her current strength was truly impressive.
Everyone's Soul Materialisation ability had a fundamental type.
Take Light Yagami's Emperor Sutoku, for example—compared to combating evil spirits, the lightning-fast Emperor Sutoku leaned more toward killing humans. This reflected the true nature of Light Yagami's heart.
The same principle applied to Miko Yotsuya's Hyakume.
Having never feared confronting evil spirits, and after awakening her Mystic Eyes, she'd been forced to pretend not to see them daily before meeting Ye Xing—this left her with a deep-seated hatred toward such entities, and she wished to find and eradicate them from the world.
Thus, her soul manifestation, Hyakume, specialised in supportive abilities focused on tracking evil spirits.
As for Rio Futaba's Bone Woman, its most proficient ability type is also related to her inner state during awakening:
Defence.
Or perhaps, it was the power to protect others.
Rio Futaba had always wanted to become someone needed by others.
And this power was an ability awakened precisely to protect the Supernatural Society, to protect those who needed her and whom she needed in return.
"It truly is a powerful monster..."
Even with the wall formed of white bones blocking the way ahead, Tamamo-no-Mae could faintly sense that the presence on the other side of the wall was radiating a dangerous aura that made even her heart tremble.
After saying this, she glanced at Ye Xing sitting there and hurriedly explained.
"I had no idea such a monster existed beneath Kyoto City before this—I wasn't deliberately hiding it, okay..."
"Enough, no need to explain."
Ye Xing waved his hand, cutting off Tamamo-no-Mae's words.
The other party truly had no reason to deceive him.
Moreover, the contract could not be violated.
Even now, Soichiro Yagami had not forgotten his duties as the Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Through the conversation between the two humans and one spirit, he had confirmed one thing once again.
Whether it was that mysterious person with golden pupils from last time, the unidentified individual with brown, medium-length hair wearing pure white clothes—who together, according to bystanders, eradicated that violent organisation—or the person before him now who could casually create a massive white wall...
When acting alongside Mask, these individuals all followed his commands.
And only Mask had participated in all these incidents.
By this point, Soichiro Yagami was no longer pursuing the other's true identity merely out of duty as the Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
After all, the higher-ups at the Metropolitan Police Department had already given him a suggestion.
Beings like Mask—who might not even be human—if such information were made public, would only cause panic among the citizens and further drastically reduce the already precarious trust the public had in the Kyoto City Metropolitan Police Department.
Moreover...
In the incident where the Kyoto City Museum was invaded, regardless of whether Soichiro Yagami was willing to accept it or not, regardless of the reasons—whether to protect cultural artefacts or to protect the lives of his subordinates from being sacrificed in vain—
He had, in practical terms, become Mask's accomplice.
There was a word that might seem somewhat peculiar to describe Soichiro Yagami now.
But indeed, no more fitting term existed.
Moral corruption.
After the first impact, this brief moment of calm did not allow anyone to let their guard down.
Quite the opposite.
An intense premonition of danger lingered in everyone's hearts.
The underground passage trembled once again.
"It's coming."
Without needing Tamamo-no-Mae's specific reminder, Ye Xing also knew that the evil spirit on the other side—whose true form remained unseen—had launched another charge.
The wall would not withstand a second impact.
"Chief Yagami."
Hearing Ye Xing's voice, Soichiro Yagami involuntarily looked up, watching as the other walked step by step right up to the white wall.
"I once told you that the true face of the world is not what you imagined."
"Kyoto City is facing an unprecedented crisis, one completely beyond ordinary comprehension."
Soichiro Yagami frowned deeply and spoke in a low voice.
"Are you trying to say that you are the justice protecting Kyoto City, and our Metropolitan Police Department is merely an obstacle in the way?"
"An obstacle... You certainly have a clear self-perception."
Ye Xing shook his head, then spoke softly.
"But justice... that's something I don't care about. I'm not someone who pursues justice - it's just that what I want to do happens to align with justice."
Having said this, Ye Xing turned around and looked directly into Soichiro Yagami's eyes.
"That's precisely why I have no restraints on me, and my actions won't face any limitations."
"Others' opinions, the Metropolitan Police Department's views, even the world's perspective - I don't care about any of them at all."
"There's only one thing I care about."
Ye Xing extended his right hand beside him, and a massive pale ghost hand materialised in mid-air. Onimaru Kunitsuna, excitedly emitting metallic clashing sounds, automatically unsheathed itself and placed its own hilt into his grasp.
"That is..."
Watching the pitch-black blade that was cheering and excitedly humming in Ye Xing's hand, Soichiro Yagami's expression became extremely complicated.
This famous sword...
Why would it acknowledge him?
"Chief Yagami."
Ye Xing turned to face the wall that had already developed fine cracks, feeling the increasingly intense tremors coming from the ground below. Standing in the constantly shaking train carriage, he slowly spoke.
"You must have been struggling with whether helping me obtain Onimaru Kunitsuna back then was the right thing to do or not."
These words struck right at the heart of Soichiro Yagami's concerns.
He had violated his duties as the Criminal Affairs Director and as a member of the Metropolitan Police Department by helping a criminal.
This matter had kept Soichiro Yagami tossing and turning for several consecutive nights, tormented by his own moral conscience and unable to sleep.
Just at that moment.
Boom!
A tremendous roar echoed through the space.
The pure white wall, unable to withstand the impact force, shattered into fragments.
Amid the swirling white fragments, what emerged was the terrifying true form of the evil spirit.
A worm-like appearance, its head composed of hundreds upon hundreds of expressionless, bland human faces twisted together into one distorted mass.
Its massive body was comparable in size to the train carriage they were in.
Amid the falling white bone fragments, under the horrified gazes of Marin Kitagawa, Soichiro Yagami, and Saki Kawasaki, and Keika Kawasaki's excited, expectant eyes, black flames ignited along the blade of Onimaru Kunitsuna in Ye Xing's hand.
He swung Onimaru Kunitsuna, slashing toward the writhing giant worm evil spirit, his softly spoken words clearly audible to Soichiro Yagami.
"The question that troubles you will find its answer at this moment."