"How… how is that possible…"
Facing the gaze of the Spider Evil Spirit, Yotsuya Miko felt as if her entire body had fallen into an ice cave, and a deep chill permeated her bones.
She wanted to turn and run, but her body wouldn't obey, unable to move even a single finger.
Yotsuya Miko's golden pupils trembled, but this time she didn't cry.
It wasn't because she wasn't afraid, but because she was already numb with fear.
"You can see!"
The Spider Evil Spirit let out a piercing roar, several long legs standing around the rooftop, its massive body completely obscuring the warm sunlight from above.
It squeezed out incomprehensible yet chillingly terrifying sounds from its throat, and the human face on the spider's body suddenly elongated, lunging towards Yotsuya Miko to bite her.
"Am I… going to die?"
Facing the attack of the Evil Spirit, Yotsuya Miko suddenly felt a sense of quietness around her.
At this moment of life and death, what came to her mind was not fear.
But regret.
What exactly were the "door" Yozora mentioned and the secret of the Evil Spirit?
It seemed that she would never get the answer to this question.
Just as the Evil Spirit's foul-smelling mouth was about to bite into Yotsuya Miko's pale neck, an arm suddenly blocked the way.
Along with a bone-jarring sound of flesh rubbing, the blood flowing from the wound accumulated into a red puddle on the smooth ground.
"Are you hurt?"
Hearing the voice beside her, Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but look up.
She saw Yozora standing between her and the Evil Spirit, his face still bearing that lazy, half-asleep expression, even yawning.
This expression, as if he were sunbathing on a beach and enjoying a vacation, formed a strong sense of incongruity with the sight of the Evil Spirit's sharp teeth deeply embedded in Yozora's arm, with blood overflowing from the wound.
"Looks like you're not hurt."
Yozora glanced at Yotsuya Miko, and seeing that she seemed fine, he nodded noncommittally.
Then, he turned to look at the spider-shaped Evil Spirit, revealing a benevolent smile.
"Does it taste good?"
The Spider Evil Spirit seemed to not have expected Yozora to react so calmly to its terrifying appearance, even having the mind to joke, and was clearly stunned by the question.
However, the next second, its four eyeballs began to rotate rapidly, and black mist emanated from its body.
"You can see too!? I'll kill you!"
The Evil Spirit released its mouth, retracted its neck a few meters, as if recharging, and pounced again.
"Oh, you can even do a launch start?"
Hearing Yozora's lighthearted words, Yotsuya Miko felt a sense of absurdity.
What time is it, and he's still complaining here?
However…
Although Yotsuya Miko didn't know what 'launch start' meant, she felt that the term had an inexplicable aptness for the way the Evil Spirit attacked.
"It's over."
Facing the biting Evil Spirit, Yozora merely said softly.
The next second, Yotsuya Miko saw the Evil Spirit's massive spider body inflate like a water-filled balloon.
"Bang!"
With a deafening sound, the Evil Spirit, large enough to cover the entire rooftop and block out the sun, directly exploded, turning into a cloud of black smoke that gradually dissipated.
"This is!?"
Witnessing this astonishing scene, Yotsuya Miko was dumbfounded.
What's going on?
Why did the Evil Spirit suddenly self-destruct?
"Okay, done."
Hearing Yozora's voice, Yotsuya Miko snapped back from the scene she had just witnessed.
Her legs gave out, and she slumped to the ground; the fear she hadn't had time to feel earlier now surged forth in this moment of relaxation.
"Calm down."
Seeing Yotsuya Miko panting heavily, her eyes brimming with tears, and looking inexplicably alluring, Yozora quickly patted her shoulder and comforted her.
He remembered that in the original anime plot, she had been so scared by an Evil Spirit while on the train that she lost control of her bladder.
If it happened again on this rooftop, it would be difficult to clean up.
"Ye... Yozora."
Yotsuya Miko's pupils trembled as she grabbed Yozora's sleeve, her voice shaking.
"The... the Evil Spirit, it disguised itself as Teacher Hiratsuka!"
"Oh, I know."
"No, listen to me, you didn't see it, the Evil Spirit directly transformed into Teacher Hiratsuka's appearance!"
"I said, I heard you."
Seeing Yozora's unperturbed expression, Yotsuya Miko was stunned, thinking she hadn't made herself clear enough, and quickly added again.
"Did you not understand what I meant? The Evil Spirit disguised itself as..."
"I said, I heard you, very clearly."
Yozora shrugged, uncaringly.
"You've said it three times now, what exactly do you mean? Do you want me to condemn that incredibly cunning Evil Spirit for using such despicable methods to deceive an innocent high school girl?"
"Uh..."
Yotsuya Miko looked speechless, thinking that wasn't what she meant at all; she just wanted to explain the seriousness of the situation.
She didn't know if Yozora hadn't understood, or if he had understood but simply didn't care.
From her less than a day of interaction with him, the latter seemed more likely.
After this playful banter, Yotsuya Miko, for some reason, felt her emotions had calmed down considerably.
She gently caressed her chest, recalling the scene from earlier, and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Why did that Evil Spirit suddenly explode? Is that also your special ability?"
"How should I describe it to you?"
Yozora pondered for a moment, then smiled and began to explain.
"You can understand it as a special constitution of mine."
"I am essentially the collective of all the Evil Spirits I have devoured."
"How many exactly? I don't remember clearly, but it's around several hundred."
"Even a tiny bit of my blood is not something an ordinary Evil Spirit is qualified to devour. Simply put, it was 'burst' from being overfilled."
Yotsuya Miko nodded numbly; under the continuous intense emotional Shock of fear and shock, she was unable to react to anything Yozora said.
After this day, her Worldview had completely collapsed.
"By the way."
Yotsuya Miko used Yozora's arm for support and struggled to stand up from the ground, recalling that Evil Spirit, her eyes showing lingering fear.
"I've never encountered an Evil Spirit that can disguise itself as a human before. I almost died."
Yozora nodded slightly, his smile fading, and said calmly.
"Although it wasn't my intention, it's for the best."
Yotsuya Miko tilted her head, confused: "What's for the best?"
Yozora replied casually.
"What you just saw, the Evil Spirit disguising itself as a human, is one of the effects brought about by the Gate."