At this moment, Soichiro Yagami watched as the worm-like evil spirit—as large as a train—was cleanly bisected by a single stroke of Onimaru Kunitsuna, utterly dumbfounded.
So he hadn't been deceived after all.
Onimaru Kunitsuna truly was a blade meant for slaying evil spirits!?
No wonder...
No wonder he had said back then that rather than dulling its edge in a display case, Onimaru Kunitsuna could only realise its true value in his hands.
As if to confirm Ye Xing's words, Onimaru Kunitsuna—having just slain a powerful evil spirit—vibrated with half its blade drawn, emitting a pleasant hum.
"Behave."
At Ye Xing's reprimand, Onimaru Kunitsuna stilled. Though merely a sword, it somehow exuded a pitiable aura, obediently returning fully to its scabbard.
Only a spiritual object of Onimaru Kunitsuna's calibre could withstand the power Ye Xing unleashed.
If it had been that ordinary longsword Miko Yotsuya obtained from the old man, it wouldn't have been able to project sword Qi—the blade would likely have shattered to pieces before the strike was even completed.
"Chief Yagami."
Now, hearing this address almost gave Soichiro Yagami PTSD; he couldn't shake the feeling that this Mask was about to do something shocking again.
But Ye Xing simply walked slowly up to him, watched as the bone-white shield vanished, stood face to face with the Metropolitan Police Department's criminal affairs director, and said with amusement in his voice,
"What do you think just happened here?"
"This..."
Soichiro Yagami's lips trembled, his expression deeply conflicted.
His rationality...
No, he had no rationality left now.
What had just occurred couldn't possibly be an illusion.
Did evil spirits truly exist in this world?
Seeing the indescribable look on Soichiro Yagami's face and receiving no answer, Ye Xing turned to Saki Kawasaki and Marin Kitagawa, who were standing nearby.
"What about you two?"
Both his and Rio Futaba's voices were disguised, so Saki Kawasaki and Marin Kitagawa naturally couldn't recognise them.
However, the playful tone, tinged with laughter, felt vaguely familiar to the two girls.
"I... we, this..."
Saki Kawasaki shielded her younger sister behind her and cautiously asked in a tentative voice.
"Could you let us go?"
Saki Kawasaki was terrified.
And she wasn't the only one—Marin Kitagawa was equally frightened.
After witnessing what had just happened, any normal person would struggle to process it.
"Of course."
To both Saki and Marin's surprise, the mysterious figure wearing a black mask, who gave off a villainous air, nodded directly and even waved at them.
"Bye-bye."
Saki was taken aback. Though she didn't understand why, she clearly had no intention of staying any longer in this dangerous place with her sister.
Just as she was about to take her sister's hand and leave with her and Marin, Keika Kawasaki darted out from behind her.
Then, in front of everyone, she did something completely unexpected.
Thump.
Keika Kawasaki wrapped her arms tightly around Ye Xing's leg, tilting her little head up with a look of reluctance.
"Masked Knight, when can we see you again next time?"
Ye Xing ruffled Keika's little head and chuckled.
"For your own safety, it's best if we don't meet again."
"Hmm..."
Seeing that Keika still refused to leave, Saki quickly stepped forward, took her sister's hand, and left together with Marin.
After they had all gone, Soichiro Yagami looked at Ye Xing with a complicated expression and murmured.
"Aren't you planning to... silence these witnesses?"
Ye Xing reacted as if deeply shocked.
"Chief Yagami, what kind of talk is that? Your thinking is far too twisted. It's a good thing you joined the Metropolitan Police Department—otherwise, you'd be of no benefit to society at all."
Soichiro Yagami: "..."
Good grief.
Isn't that the other way around?
You're making it sound like I'm the criminal here.
Meanwhile, Rio Futaba was directing Bone Woman to clean up the battlefield.
"Ugh... how disgusting."
Bone Woman parted her lips slightly, transforming the remains of the evil spirits into black Qi and swallowing them, her face filled with utter distaste.
Rio Futaba said impatiently.
"Enough, you should be grateful you have something to eat. After all, they were quite powerful evil spirits—we can't let them go to waste."
"Heh."
Bone Woman had always been the type to either say nothing at all or speak bluntly, never holding back her shocking remarks.
In response to Rio Futaba's words, she merely offered a cold sneer.
"You get to feast on delicacies at night while I'm stuck here eating this disgusting stuff? You're really something, Lord Quantum."
Hearing Bone Woman's sarcastic tone, Rio Futaba frowned slightly.
"What delicacies? What are you talking about? I can't devour evil spirits."
"Heh."
Bone Woman let out two more cold laughs, speaking meaningfully.
"You can't eat evil spirits, but you can eat other things. How enviable. I do all the work during battles, but when it's time to enjoy, it never comes to me. Such exploitation."
Rio Futaba finally understood what Bone Woman meant by "eating," her fair face flushing crimson as she gritted her silver teeth.
"You... stop talking nonsense!"
After stamping her foot in anger, Rio Futaba glanced at the skeletal frame beneath Bone Woman's kimono and said flatly.
"Besides, you don't even have that function."
"Even without a body, the mouth can still..."
"Stop talking!"
...
Meanwhile, Ye Xing was sitting on the tram tracks with Soichiro Yagami, the Criminal Affairs Director of the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department.
He put his arm around the other man's shoulder, speaking intimately.
"Hey, old Ya."
Soichiro Yagami looked utterly exasperated.
"My surname is Yagami."
"Oh, hey, old Gami."
Soichiro Yagami: "..."
"You can just call me Soichiro."
"That's what I was waiting for."
Ye Xing didn't stand on ceremony at all, addressing him directly by name.
"Soichiro, after today's events, you should understand now that evil spirits exist in this world."
Soichiro Yagami's expression was complicated, ultimately letting out a helpless sigh.
"Yes... I've seen them now."
He couldn't deny what had just happened.
Even if he called it a hallucination...
But those dead rescue workers, those sacrificed subordinates from the Metropolitan Police Department - were all those lives fake?
There truly were monsters in this world that ordinary people didn't know about, yet they existed.
"So, what do you plan to do?"
Hearing Ye Xing's question, Soichiro Yagami replied without hesitation.
"What else can I do? Such dangerous matters must be reported to higher authorities immediately, and appropriate measures taken..."
"No."
Just as Soichiro Yagami was halfway through his sentence, Rio Futaba suddenly approached and interrupted him.
Then, Rio Futaba looked at Ye Xing and spoke softly.
"I've pretty much figured out the true identity of this evil spirit."
Ye Xing nodded slightly, praising with a smile.
"Not bad, just as expected of you."
Hearing this praise, Rio Futaba didn't look happy; instead, she sighed slightly, her tone full of resignation.
"You'd already noticed, hadn't you?"
"Yes, pretty much."
"Since when?"
"Let me think... probably when we first entered the Reverse World. I thought it was possible back then."
"And you didn't say anything all this time?"
Listening to Rio Futaba's somewhat reproachful words, Ye Xing just replied indifferently.
"Even if I'd said something, it wouldn't have mattered. Besides, this was training you."
"Tch, you were just being lazy, weren't you?"
As Rio Futaba's words fell, Soichiro Yagami suddenly felt his vision blur.
Then he found himself sitting in a train seat.
"This...?"
Looking at Soichiro Yagami's utterly bewildered expression, Ye Xing smiled and said.
"Soichiro, this place is the real world."
Hearing this, Soichiro Yagami grew even more confused.
"Then that place just now..."
Ye Xing glanced at Rio Futaba. "You explain it."
"Alright."
Without asking too many questions, Rio Futaba told Soichiro Yagami everything about the Reverse World and the Gates.
Though she didn't trust this Director of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Affairs Bureau from Kyoto...
Since Ye Xing had said so, she would follow his instructions.
"This... this..."
After hearing Rio Futaba's explanation, Soichiro Yagami was completely shaken, his face a mixture of belief and doubt.
"You... aren't joking with me, are you?"
Ye Xing shrugged and countered.
"What do you think?"
Soichiro Yagami pondered for a few seconds before speaking thoughtfully.
"If that's the case... your ability to leave no traces during your operations, appearing and vanishing like instant teleportation, would make perfect sense."
"But..."
Soichiro Yagami's tone shifted, his expression turning grave.
"Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you for telling me all this?"
Hearing this, Ye Xing nearly burst out laughing, barely suppressing his amusement as he waved a hand.
"Soichiro, you still don't understand."
"Don't understand what?"
Ye Xing patted Soichiro Yagami's shoulder, his voice carrying laughter, but his words sent a chill down the other man's spine.
"If there ever comes a day when your Metropolitan Police Department uncovers my true identity..."
"That wouldn't be my doom."
"It would be the death sentence for every single member of your Metropolitan Police Department."
Soichiro Yagami's expression froze.
He could see the other's eyes were completely serious—this was no joke.
With Mask's abilities...
This wasn't an empty threat.
The other truly had the power to make it happen.
"Look how tense you are."
A hint of amusement suddenly returned to Ye Xing's eyes as he patted Soichiro Yagami's shoulder again.
"Just joking with you. I don't have much interest in killing people."
Soichiro Yagami breathed a sigh of relief.
He could feel that the white shirt beneath his suit jacket was already soaked with sweat.
Collecting himself, Soichiro Yagami spoke in a serious, low voice.
"Then... why are you telling me all this?"
"Well... that relates to the true nature of the Reverse World I just explained to you."
Ye Xing asked as if casually.
"Soichiro, what do you think that thing just now really was?"
Soichiro Yagami frowned slightly, confused.
"That thing... wasn't it what you called an evil spirit?"
Rio Futaba, sitting opposite, shook her head and slowly explained.
"It is an evil spirit, but it's not just an evil spirit. If I had to describe it with one word..."
At this point, Rio Futaba exchanged a glance with Ye Xing, and they spoke in unison.
"Train."
Soichiro Yagami was stunned by this.
"Train? That thing was a train?"
Rio Futaba explained calmly.
"Rather than a train, it's more accurate to say it's an evil spirit formed from people's negative impressions of trains - the oppression, crowding, lifelessness and numerous other negative associations."
Soichiro Yagami was completely baffled.
"Wait, just negative impressions can form such a monster? That doesn't conform to science..."
Rio Futaba interrupted Soichiro Yagami's words.
"Science is merely humanity's temporary summary of known laws. Believing that current scientific understanding can explain everything is itself a form of superstition."
The power boost Rio Futaba gained from this battle was merely secondary.
The most important discovery was that she had finally uncovered the true nature of the Reverse World.
That place where evil spirits roamed, thick black mist hung in the air, and a red moon hung in the sky—it wasn't simply a copy of Kyoto City.
That world was fundamentally constructed from human thoughts.
Except for the buildings, everything else—whether evil spirits or spectres—was formed from negative thoughts.
Precisely because of this.
When structures in the Reverse World were destroyed or objects were moved, they would return to their original state, completely identical to the real world, upon the next entry.
Because the Reverse World itself was formed according to human perception of Kyoto City.
"If that's the case..."
Soichiro Yagami wore a thoughtful expression as he spoke slowly.
"If some disaster causing public panic occurred in the real world, would the resulting negative emotions make that so-called Reverse World even more dangerous?"
Ye Xing nodded with a smile.
"You catch on quickly, Soichiro. Preventing public panic to avoid increasing our exorcism difficulties is one aspect."
"The other aspect..."
Ye Xing spoke slowly.
"The bodies of your subordinates and the rescue personnel remain in the Reverse World on the other side. If you report this matter to the higher-ups without any evidence, you should be well aware of the consequences."
Soichiro Yagami was left speechless.
Leaving aside whether those two high school-aged girls would be willing to serve as his eyewitnesses...
Reporting to the higher-ups with only eyewitness testimony and no other evidence, claiming he encountered a terrifying evil spirit the size of an electric train in the underground passage?
Soichiro Yagami didn't need to think to know the outcome.
With better luck, it would be paid administrative leave, with a return home to recuperate.
With worse luck, it would be a direct assignment to a psychiatric hospital.
Soichiro Yagami showed a bitter expression, his gaze complex as he looked at Ye Xing.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Ye Xing's approach had always been one of sincerity.
"I need someone within the Metropolitan Police Department who has authority and intelligence channels, and whom I can trust."
Soichiro Yagami's lips trembled as he murmured.
"Worthy of trust... me?"
"Of course."
Ye Xing patted Soichiro Yagami's shoulder, a smiling pattern appearing on his black mask.
"You and I - we stole Onimaru Kunitsuna together..."
"Accomplices."
...
When Soichiro Yagami left the underground passage and returned to the platform, reporters wielding cameras and microphones immediately surrounded him.
"Chief Yagami, what exactly happened this time?"
"Chief Yagami, have you identified the cause of the train malfunction?"
"Chief Yagami, according to rescued passengers, they witnessed a mysterious person wearing a black mask at the scene who threatened them with a gun - is this true?"
Facing the reporters' questions, Soichiro Yagami remained silent for over ten seconds. Only when the entire area had quieted down did he speak in a serious, deep voice.
"Regarding the cause of the train malfunction, I'm not a professional and have no right to comment."
"But concerning the so-called mysterious person wearing a black mask - the urban legend 'Mask' that's been circulating online recently - I can responsibly tell everyone."
At this point, Soichiro Yagami scanned the crowd with intense eyes.
"It's complete nonsense."
"But the testimony of the rescued passengers..."
Soichiro Yagami waved his hand dismissively, his tone calm.
"That was merely hallucinations caused by the absence of lighting in the underground passage, combined with emotional tension. Our Metropolitan Police Department personnel found no traces of any 'Mask' at the scene."
"This is nothing but baseless rumours spreading misinformation."
"No such person exists in Kyoto."
...
Meanwhile, walking along the street with Ye Xing, having changed back into her usual clothes and wearing her glasses again, Rio Futaba couldn't help asking curiously.
"Can Chief Yagami really control this situation?"
Ye Xing nodded and smiled.
"Given his capabilities, it shouldn't be a problem."
"But..."
Rio Futaba showed a hesitant expression, pushing up her glasses.
"Even though the rescue personnel and Metropolitan Police Department members left no traces, they did suddenly disappear. How should that be explained?"
"The Metropolitan Police Department higher-ups will find a way."
"Hmm, that's good then."
From a certain perspective, Ye Xing believed that he and the Metropolitan Police Department still shared the same objective up to this point.
Did the Metropolitan Police Department exist to uphold justice?
No, that was Light Yagami's goal.
What the Metropolitan Police Department upheld wasn't justice, but the order that allowed society to function stably.
Apart from Soichiro Yagami, who was present at the scene, everyone else's eyes saw the search-and-rescue personnel and Metropolitan Police Department members vanish without a trace.
The higher-ups at the Metropolitan Police Department would naturally investigate this matter, but both Ye Xing and Rio Futaba knew very well that the Department wouldn't find anything.
After all, once that worm evil spirit was eliminated and the originally fused areas separated, all traces of the battle, including the bodies of the deceased, remained in the Reverse World on the other side.
This was equivalent to nothing having happened in the real world at all.
"It's almost ten o'clock already..."
Rio Futaba glanced at her phone screen, her pretty face slightly flushed as she murmured.
"I'm quite tired today and need to replenish my energy."
Ye Xing's response was straightforward.
"Alright, I'll fill you up right away."