Seeing the three spiritual beings standing behind Ye Xing, Hina Amano finally understood what Ye Xing meant by fighting alone.
Humans, even psychics like Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya, couldn't enter this Divine Territory.
However, Hachishaku-sama, Tamamo-no-Mae, and the Goat-Headed Deity - being non-human - weren't subject to such restrictions.
Yet the three helpers Ye Xing had summoned through contracts reacted quite differently.
Tamamo-no-Mae stood there quietly, her expression and eyes showing no fluctuation, her entire being radiating just one word.
Elegance.
Although the Goat-Headed Deity kept looking around, wondering why it had suddenly appeared in an unfamiliar environment, it at least appeared relatively normal and not panicked.
But Hachishaku-sama...
"Ah..."
Hachishaku-sama knelt on the ground, staring at the pure white liquid spilt across the ground and on the front of her dress, her face showing heartbroken grief.
"My milk!!!"
Hachishaku-sama looked utterly pitiful, on the verge of tears. Even Hina Amano, who had been crying herself, nearly laughed aloud at this sight.
Hachishaku-sama was truly too unfortunate.
She had just woken up this morning, planning to drink a delicious carton of milk before following someone from the Supernatural Society - perhaps Miko Yotsuya, or Yui Yuigahama, or the two humans and one spirit teaming up - to patrol Kyoto and handle the backlog of exorcism requests, beginning another beautiful day.
But just as she opened the milk, before she could drink it, the world spun around her.
When Hachishaku-sama steadied herself, she discovered all the milk had spilt.
Weeping bitterly, heartbroken, in utter despair.
"That's quite enough."
Watching Hachishaku-sama's adorably foolish expression, Ye Xing said softly.
"First, let's eliminate that fellow. After the battle ends and we return home, I'll give you that milk you've been wanting to drink most."
"Really!?"
Hachishaku-sama stood up immediately, like a simple-minded little girl, upon hearing this and nodded.
"Alright, boss, I'll definitely give it my all!"
Tamamo-no-Mae curled her lips, her eyes revealing a hint of contempt.
"Tch, such a gullible little girl."
Then Tamamo-no-Mae looked at Ye Xing and smiled.
"Ye Xing-kun, I want a drink too."
"Fine, drink, everyone can drink."
The Goat-Headed Deity also looked over.
"&...&&%*"
"You don't get any."
The Goat-Headed Deity shook its head, its gaze turning towards the enormous rainbow-coloured whale swimming through the clouds. Its massive body began trembling, its two front legs waving incessantly.
"&...&...*&!"
Ye Xing nodded with satisfaction and praised.
"Look, finally able to have a satisfying battle with this twisted thing called a god. Look how happy the kid is - it's started breakdancing."
Tamamo-no-Mae, Hachishaku-sama, and Hina Amano all wore expressions of speechlessness.
Are you sure it's dancing with joy rather than trembling with fear?
Ye Xing drew Onimaru Kunitsuna from his waist. The black blade emitted a cloud of smoke, transforming once again into that beautiful woman dressed in black mourning clothes.
"Go fight."
The moment Onimaru Kunitsuna was drawn and transformed into human form, the surrounding spiritual power instantly sharpened.
She pointed at the enormous whale swimming in the clouds and said in a calm tone.
"Hey, Goat-Headed Deity over there, are you more afraid of that thing than your master?"
The Goat-Headed Deity glanced at Ye Xing standing there, then looked at the enormous whale swimming in the clouds, instantly making its decision.
Fuck it!
Fight!
Let's fight this giant whale!
You're a god, but isn't this Goat-Headed Deity one too?
If I can't win, the worst case is death!
But if I disobey Ye Xing's command...
That would be worse than just death.
Wouldn't this guy skin me alive and eat me raw?
Moreover, the Goat-Headed Deity still believed that this human exorcist named Ye Xing couldn't possibly lose.
Even though the enemy this time was a powerful being called a god that even it felt deep fear towards...
Still, he couldn't possibly lose.
"Let's go."
Dark spiritual power manifested around Onimaru Kunitsuna. Though it was the same colour as the spiritual power emitted by evil spirits, the feeling it gave was completely different, without any sense of distortion, only the purest sharpness.
Tamamo-no-Mae and Hachishaku-sama nodded, adjusted their states, and each recited their soul's true name.
""Here, I call forth my true name!""
"Tamamo-no-Mae!"
"Hachishaku!"
The moment they called their true names, both Hachishaku and Tamamo-no-Mae revealed their true forms.
Tamamo-no-Mae transformed into a massive white fox again. Though she seemed somewhat small compared to the Weather God's true form - that whale - a nearly five-metre-tall fox spirit was still an absolute behemoth compared to humans.
Hachishaku-sama's height, however, didn't surge to nearly three metres like when she first called her soul's true name. Instead, she shrank somewhat, becoming about 1.75 metres tall, similar to Saki Kawasaki.
Compressing the surging spiritual power as much as possible, reducing unnecessary physical expansion while enhancing defensive and offensive capabilities.
With Hachishaku-sama's intellect, she could never have conceived such a development path herself - this was the suggestion Rio Futaba provided based on her abilities.
Clearly, Rio Futaba's advice proved effective.
Though Hachishaku-sama's form hadn't expanded dramatically, having consumed numerous bottles of Ye Xing's special milk, her spiritual power intensity now carried greater pressure than the massive, fox-transformed Tamamo-no-Mae.
As Ye Xing's dedicated weapon, Onimaru Kunitsuna acted without hesitation. Dark spiritual power coalesced around her into over a dozen sharp longswords. Raising her right hand, she aimed at the enormous whale swimming through distant clouds and made a gentle downward gesture.
The black longswords shot forth like arrows from a bow, piercing the giant whale's body at speeds barely visible to the naked eye.
"Wuuu!"
A clear, sharp cry echoed through the clouds.
Compared to the Weather God's true form, the dozen or so longswords created by Onimaru Kunitsuna appeared smaller than toothpicks.
Yet the sharp spiritual power they carried began slicing outward from within after penetrating the creature's body.
"It seems..."
Watching the rain-formed whale writhing and roaring in agony within the clouds, Ye Xing's voice carried laughter, though his words made the Goat-Headed Deity tremble violently.
"Even so-called gods can appear so wretched when in pain. That makes things much more interesting."
The Goat-Headed Deity knew this look all too well.
Ye Xing's gaze upon the massive whale mirrored how he had first looked at it - a terrifying blend of appetite, sadistic desire, pleasure, excitement, and madness all mixed together.
Before meeting Ye Xing, the Goat-Headed Deity had never imagined that a mere human could look upon a being bearing the name of god with such an expression.
And now...
This Weather God had become the exorcist's target.
...
Meanwhile, the newly awakened Mai Sakurajima found no sign of Hachishaku-sama in the living room.
"Eh? Where's Hachishaku?"
Mai Sakurajima searched around, brows slightly furrowed, her expression puzzled.
She walked to the window, looking out at the sky that had abruptly shifted from torrential rain to clear blue just over ten minutes earlier.
This unnaturally rapid weather change immediately struck Mai as wrong.
Taking out her phone, just as she intended to message Rio Futaba and others to ask if they'd noticed this bizarre weather, she witnessed the conditions outside transform once more.
The previously clear sky suddenly darkened as if draped in black cloth.
Thick clouds twisted and tangled together as, accompanied by a blinding lightning flash, marble-sized raindrops poured down in sheets.
It seemed as if the sky itself had flooded, as if some powerful being was venting its rage upon Kyoto.
"This is..."
Mai's entire complexion changed as if she'd realised something.
Within mere minutes, torrential rain had abruptly ceased, then instantly shifted from clear skies to this century-rare downpour.
This couldn't possibly be a normal weather variation.
The only explanation...
Mai Sakurajima immediately tried calling Ye Xing's mobile number.
But from the other end of the line came the prompt that the number was out of service area.
Immediately after, Mai Sakurajima called Hina Amano.
This time, the call went through, but it rang until it automatically disconnected with no answer.
"As expected..."
Watching the flashing lightning within the clouds and the torrential rain that seemed capable of submerging the entire Kyoto city, Mai Sakurajima murmured.
"Ye Xing... and Hina too, just as I thought..."
Mai Sakurajima lightly bit her silver teeth and stamped her foot in frustration.
"That guy... actually went alone. Isn't Hina our friend too? Really, always trying to play the hero!"
Mai Sakurajima had decided.
Even though Ye Xing clearly had no intention of involving the Supernatural Society members this time...
She would quickly contact Rio Futaba, Miko Yotsuya, Yui Yuigahama, and even Haruno Yukinoshita, whom she still considered a rival.
An evil god that demanded live sacrifices...
Should be completely eradicated by the Supernatural Society, just like those evil spirits.
...
Half an hour later, elsewhere, within the Divine Territory above the clouds.
"Die!"
Tamamo-no-Mae raised her massive claw and smashed a humanoid creature formed from mist into fragments.
But unlike evil spirits, the creature's body didn't dissipate. Instead, it transformed into wisps of white mist that swirled in the air before merging with other mist particles, forming an even taller giant monster nearly ten metres tall.
Not just the clouds.
Even water droplets from the entire lake had coalesced into the shape of a long serpent, its terrifying size making Tamamo-no-Mae in her true form appear as small as a teddy bear in comparison.
"ROAR!!!"
The Goat-Headed Deity's mouth split open, viciously biting into the serpent's body, only to cause part of its form to scatter into water droplets that reformed completely within a single breath.
Hachishaku-sama narrowed her eyes, her usual dazed expression gone, replaced by undisguised killing intent as she stared at the enormous whale faintly visible within the clouds nearly a hundred metres away. She spoke softly to Ye Xing beside her.
"Boss, it seems we cannot inflict effective damage on this creature, nor the puppets it creates."
Hina Amano, who had witnessed the entire battle, though still somewhat dazed, forced herself to focus and grabbed Ye Xing's sleeve, urgently pleading.
"This is His Divine Territory. His spiritual power is nearly limitless within this area. You can't kill Him here. Please take Hachishaku and the others and leave!"
"We will win."
Ye Xing first declared victory, then, before Hina Amano could continue speaking, posed a question that left both her and Hachishaku-sama momentarily stunned.
"The evil spirits in the Reverse World are formed from humanity's negative impressions. Our power as psychics comes from our positive, true selves. So from where do these so-called gods obtain such spiritual power?"
Although Hina Amano wasn't truly a psychic in the literal sense, having spent so long within the Supernatural Society, she had gained an extremely profound understanding of exorcism through constant exposure. Hearing Ye Xing's question, she only pondered briefly before arriving at a somewhat uncertain answer, cautiously asking.
"Could it be... also originating from humans?"
"Correct."
"But... what specific human emotion does it come from? Is it also negative emotions?"
"I don't think so, but..."
Ye Xing gazed into the distance, watching the enormous rainbow-coloured whale swimming through the clouds while evading Onimaru Kunitsuna's pursuit, and slowly spoke.
"We'll soon know whether my speculation is correct."
"Domain Expansion."
"Demon-Slaying Divine Purification."
As his words fell, the beautiful scenery of this Divine Territory above the clouds was suddenly shrouded in a thick black mist.
Within that black mist came sounds resembling hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of evil spirits screaming in unison.
This sudden phenomenon directly startled Hina Amano, Hachishaku-sama, the Goat-Headed Deity, and even Tamamo-no-Mae, who had lived in the Reverse World for a long time.
What is this thing?
"What in the world is this!?"
During the Kyoto Tower battle, Hachishaku-sama had personally witnessed Ye Xing's Divine Territory - what was called Demon-Slaying Divine Purification.
But at that time, it merely severed external spiritual power, isolated space, and sealed all non-worldly beings within an independent territory. It was completely unlike this current scene, which could be described as a hellish landscape of terror!
Could it be...
This is the true form of Demon-Slaying Divine Purification?
Only Onimaru Kunitsuna, as a weapon, showed no surprise at the current spectacle.
She understood perfectly well just how powerful her master's spiritual power was.
Yet even Onimaru Kunitsuna couldn't be certain.
No matter how strong Ye Xing might be, he remained merely human.
Moreover, this Weather God possessed inexhaustible spiritual power of unknown origin within this Divine Territory of his.
Ye Xing's objective was clear - one might even say he made no attempt to conceal his intentions.
He intended to forcibly annexe this area to his own territory, cutting off the Weather God's replenishment of spiritual power.
Thus...
Slaying a deity became a feasible endeavour.
But would the Weather God, who had existed for at least several centuries, simply stand by and watch as Ye Xing overwrote his Divine Territory with his own Domain?
Obviously not.
"Ooooh~"
Accompanied by the clear cry of the massive whale, the lake water reflecting rainbow hues merged with the cloud layers, forming a humanoid figure approximately two meters tall, shrouded in hazy mist that obscured its features.
The moment this humanoid form appeared, everyone present felt an overwhelmingly powerful spiritual pressure.
"Master..."
"Stay where you are."
Though Onimaru Kunitsuna wanted to transform back into a sword to become his weapon, Ye Xing simply shook his head.
"Focus on dealing with that whale."
The rainbow humanoid monster clearly had Ye Xing as its target.
Moreover, it had gathered most of the Weather God's spiritual power.
Within this Divine Territory...
The Weather God had no true form.
Or rather, as long as spiritual power replenishment existed, any damage inflicted upon him would prove ineffective.
"So it finally begins..."
The rainbow humanoid monster manifested a spear composed of rainwater and clouds, brimming with powerful spiritual energy, and thrust it directly towards Ye Xing.
"Extermination of Evil, The End of Eight Million."
Ye Xing first invoked his soul's true name, then raised his right hand, reaching toward the empty space beside him.
"Appear!"
The black and pale ghost hands didn't materialise separately, instead skipping that stage entirely and merging directly with Ye Xing's arms.
Boom!
The heavy spear struck against a black shield that had formed around Ye Xing's right hand.
Behind the rainbow humanoid stretched resplendent colors like a rainbow.
Yet behind Ye Xing swirled black mist resembling hell itself, filled with the agonised screams of tens of thousands of struggling, wailing evil spirits.
The two sides stood in stark contrast.
At this moment, Hina Amano felt a peculiar sensation.
Judging purely by this spectacle...
Ye Xing appeared more like the villain from stories - the leader of evil spirits commanding his forces to invade this sacred Divine Territory.
"Come..."
Ye Xing's originally black pupils now bore a crimson, kaleidoscopic pattern, while the whites of his eyes bloomed with bloodshot veins, much like the evil spirits of the Reverse World. Two streams of bloody tears flowed from his eyes.
"Come and bring me more pleasure!"
"Susanoo!"
A towering, dark figure of only the upper half of the body rose from nowhere. The black shield in Ye Xing's hand transferred to the figure's right hand, transforming into a massive shield matching its size, and was swung forcefully toward the head of the colourful humanoid monster.
In response, the latter's form abruptly swelled, drawing in the surrounding lake water and clouds. The radiant glow of spiritual power in seven colours was so intense that Hina Amano, watching from afar, could barely look directly at it.
"Mere human, be gone!"