As he spoke, Ye Xing released all restraints on his Qi.
To the physician-attired evil spirit, the being before it was no longer human.
It saw a throne forged from mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, piled high with countless evil spirits.
And upon that throne sat the human now standing before it.
"You... can see me?"
Ye Xing leaned closer, his dark eyes brimming with mirth as they locked onto the spirit's pupil-less white orbs.
The creature trembled violently, its lips quivering beneath the mask as its legs turned to jelly.
"Stand properly."
With a smile, Ye Xing patted the evil spirit's shoulder before methodically pulling out the remaining three storage slabs.
Mai Sakurajima, Yui Yuigahama, and Kazusa Touma stood up from the metal slabs, their expressions changing involuntarily upon seeing the terrifying doctor evil spirit clad in a bloodstained white coat.
Slap!
Ye Xing immediately delivered a resounding backhand slap to the white-coated evil spirit.
"Scaring people, are we?"
Under the force of that powerful strike, the evil spirit's head spun several times, its neck twisting into a corkscrew shape.
It felt immense fear, along with a deep sense of injustice.
It hadn't done anything at all.
Why had it been slapped?
Slap!
Just as it thought this, Ye Xing raised his hand again and delivered another slap.
This time in the opposite direction, with equal force, neatly untwisting the evil spirit's corkscrewed neck back to normal.
'Ye Xing is truly too kind. I could cry.'
"Giving me attitude after just two slaps, eh?"
The three girls watched the white-coated evil spirit being slapped twice in succession, utterly at a loss.
Even Yui Yuigahama, who had long witnessed Ye Xing's exorcisms, still couldn't get used to such scenes.
Who exorcised evil spirits like this?
Which side was the evil spirit here?
Only then did the white-coated evil spirit finally react.
Without hesitation, not even bothering with the corpses on the metal slabs, it turned and scrambled desperately towards the morgue exit.
Seeing the evil spirit's panicked retreat, before Mai Sakurajima, Yui Yuigahama or Kazusa Touma could speak, Ye Xing remarked calmly:
"Lesson one of exorcism."
"What ordinary people see as terrifying evil spirits are merely prey."
"We are the predators."
"Let's go."
...
Meanwhile, the white-coated evil spirit was fleeing at full speed.
It was terrified.
Despite its cowering, utterly cowardly appearance, this evil spirit was actually one of many that had crossed from the Reverse World into reality, far more powerful than ordinary spirits.
Precisely because of this,
The white-coated evil spirit could keenly sense just how terrifying that human had been.
That... was no human at all.
The overlapping illusions of thousands of evil spirits, coupled with that bloodline-deep sense of oppression, left the white-coated evil spirit unable to even consider resistance.
Only by leaving this area immediately could it hope to continue existing.
The evil spirit raced up the stairwell until reaching the iron door leading to basement level B2.
Bursting through the door, it finally felt its body relax.
Thank goodness...
That thing hadn't pursued it.
The evil spirit exhaled deeply, feeling like it had nearly been scared back into being human.
Had it known such monsters existed in the real world, it would have stayed in the Reverse World.
Just then, the evil spirit suddenly noticed something.
Was this...
Really basement level B2?
Why did the sign still say B3?
Tap, tap, tap...
Light footsteps echoed from around the corridor's corner.
Startled, the evil spirit immediately bolted upwards through the stairwell again.
Another climb.
Another door.
Another sight of the familiar B3 sign.
The white-coated evil spirit felt despair.
How could this be happening?
Could it be...
The legendary ghost wall?
Tap, tap, tap...
At last, those unhurried footsteps rounded the corner, appearing at the far end of the corridor.
"Run."
Ye Xing's lightly mocking voice rang out.
"Why don't you keep running?"
Only when they saw the white-coated evil spirit standing there did Mai Sakurajima and Yui Yuigahama finally realise something was wrong.
According to the patterns summarised by Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya, ordinary people couldn't observe evil spirits or spectres.
Only in extremely rare exceptions.
Such as after entering the Reverse World, or when an evil spirit that had merged with a human body could break this rule.
"Is this... the Reverse World?"
Hearing Mai's question, Ye Xing continued walking forward, merely extending his right hand to receive Onimaru Kunitsuna from the pale ghost hand.
"If you mean the Reverse World... the nature might be similar, with one difference."
Ye Xing spoke calmly as he slowly approached the white-coated evil spirit.
"This is my world."
As his words fell, the hospital's snow-white walls were instantly engulfed by surging black flames.
"This... this is..."
Not just Yui and Mai, even the usually airheaded Kazusa Touma was stunned by the sight before them.
The polished floor tiles reflected light, yet on either side raged towering black flames.
Ye Xing, holding a black longsword, advanced step by step towards the bloodstained white-coated evil spirit at the other end.
The scene carried an almost religious solemnity.
This was the new ability Ye Xing had gained after devouring that giant evil spirit, which had fused with the Gate within its body.
"Didn't I tell you to stand still?"
Facing Ye Xing's relentless advance and pitiless gaze, the white-coated evil spirit was on the verge of collapse.
Under such overwhelming pressure, its last shreds of reason vanished.
Replaced by the primal instincts of an evil spirit.
"You... can see me!"
The blood on the white-coated evil spirit's mask had already dripped onto the floor.
What was once merely a bloodstained white coat had now completely transformed into a blood-soaked garment.
Two trails of bloody tears seeped from its pupil-less, white eyes.
To Mai Sakurajima and the others' surprise, the moment the white-coated evil spirit let out that hoarse roar, Ye Xing's figure flickered as he appeared right in front of it.
Then, he raised his hand and delivered another crisp, resounding slap to the evil spirit's face.
"Bastard, who gave you permission to steal my lines?"
The white-coated evil spirit's head spun violently over a dozen times on its neck before barely coming to a stop.
Any normal person would have died instantly from such an injury.
But an evil spirit's resilience was clearly far greater.
The white-coated spirit let out a furious howl, its pupil-less, blood-tear-filled eyes fixed intently on Ye Xing.
Yet in the next second, it did something entirely unexpected.
The white-coat... no, it should now be called the blood-soaked evil spirit.
In a flash, it leapt spider-like onto a section of ceiling untouched by the black flames, then began crawling upside-down at terrifying speed before pouncing viciously towards Mai Sakurajima and the others standing nearby.
The blood-soaked spirit's terrifying howls combined with its grotesque, inverted crawling motion left Yui Yuigahama and Mai Sakurajima's minds completely blank with fear.
Kazusa Touma, however, merely furrowed her brows slightly, her expression remaining impassive as she tensed her core and shifted her right foot back a few centimetres, gathering strength.
By the time the blood-soaked spirit reached them, she had completed her wind-up - her right leg, clad in trousers, lifting to deliver a powerful kick straight to the spirit's horrifying face.
Bang!
Yet the tremendous impact sound didn't come from Kazusa's kick.
In the split second before the spirit could reach her, an inky ghost hand materialised, slamming the evil spirit violently into the ground.
Kazusa lowered her foot, casually brushing a strand of black hair aside without the slightest change in expression.
Mai and Yui stared in stunned silence.
Wait... Kazusa-san, you're this hardcore?
Facing such a terrifying evil spirit without even blinking?
Even Miko Yotsuya had undergone intense internal struggle before resolving to fight evil spirits, only awakening her Soul Materialisation ability out of a desire to protect Yui.
Was Kazusa Touma even more formidable than Miko?
"Kazusa-san... are you, are you hurt?" Yui asked anxiously.
Kazusa simply waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine."
Still unconvinced, Yui hurried over to inspect her, only relaxing with a relieved sigh after confirming no injuries. She then frowned slightly. "Why take such risks? Couldn't you have left it to Ye Xing?"
"Huh?" Kazusa's delicate brows knitted together. "Can Ye Xing actually handle these things? I didn't know that."
"Uh..." Mai looked utterly exasperated.
"Didn't he help you deal with that supernatural incident last time? The one with the piano?"
"Huh?" Kazusa's tone was completely matter-of-fact. "That was real? I thought he was just having some kind of episode."
Mai Sakurajima and Yui Yuigahama: "..."
The two girls exchanged glances before speaking in unison, offering their heartfelt assessment: "You're impressive."
Ye Xing walked over slowly, looking down at the blood-soaked evil spirit pinned to the ground by the pitch-black ghost hand. Though immobilised, it still panted heavily and continued its guttural howls. He shook his head with a light chuckle.
"You're... weak."
The blood-soaked evil spirit had completely lost its reason, merely roaring incessantly. Its eyes, brimming with bloody tears, seemed ready to burst from their sockets.
"The second principle an exorcist must remember," Ye Xing said softly, turning the tip of Onimaru Kunitsuna as he addressed Mai Sakurajima and the others before him.
"Evil spirits feel no pain."
"In battle, never show them an ounce of mercy."
As he spoke, Ye Xing drove the tip of Onimaru Kunitsuna into the evil spirit's back, precisely where its heart would be. With a twist of his wrist, he began rotating the blade at a deliberately measured pace—neither too fast nor too slow—grinding it deeper into the spirit's form.
A spiritual object of Onimaru Kunitsuna's calibre carried innate spiritual power that naturally overwhelmed evil spirits. After slaying hundreds, if not thousands, of such entities, its edge had grown sharper than ever. The blade and its razor-sharp intent carved through the spirit from within, like a torturous dismemberment.
The spirit's near-human face contorted in agony, reduced to choked whimpers as black mist seeped from its wounds. Keeping his right hand steady on the rotating sword, Ye Xing crouched slightly and reached out with his left, seizing the spirit's hair to yank its head upward. The force was so brutal that Mai and the others could hear the skin of its neck tearing and bones creaking under the strain.
"No matter how human they appear..." Ye Xing's eyes gleamed with manic exhilaration and twisted delight as he enunciated each word.
"Evil spirits... will never be human."
Crack!
The moment he finished speaking, Ye Xing wrenched the spirit's head clean off its shoulders. No blood gushed forth—only a wisp of black mist from the severed stump. He planted the head beneath his foot, methodically crushing it into a misshapen, splintered pulp. Throughout, his gaze never left Mai and the others, as if this were no more remarkable than washing his hands or eating a slice of bread.
Witnessing this, Mai and Yui shared the same thought:
Ye Xing...
He was born to be an exorcist.
As the blood-soaked spirit's remains dissolved into black mist, Yui exhaled in relief and patted her chest. "Is it finally over...?"
"No, not yet." Mai frowned slightly, speaking in a hushed tone. "I'm no psychic, but according to Futaba's analysis, an incident of this scale—one that severely impacts the real world—shouldn't be caused by an evil spirit of this level alone."
Hearing this, Ye Xing smiled approvingly.
"My consort, your intuition is quite sharp."
"Piss off."
Mai Sakurajima retorted irritably.
"When Futaba helps you analyse things, she's your consort. When I help you, I become your consort too? How terribly pragmatic of you, mere underclassman."
As she spoke, Mai habitually raised her foot, preparing to stomp on Ye Xing's instep.
Since they'd met, she'd only succeeded once - at the Wakayama hotel when she'd surrendered her first kiss.
Yet even knowing she'd likely miss, Mai would still attempt it.
This counted as one of their little romantic games.
But just as Mai raised her foot, Kazusa Touma swiftly lifted her left foot and stepped on Mai's shoe, stating flatly:
"Don't step on him."
Both Mai and Yui Yuigahama froze.
Seriously...
This was beyond loyal.
Kazusa Touma - with her striking beauty, exceptional piano skills, and transcendent elegance - was an unapproachable iceberg to outsiders. Yet when it came to Ye Xing, she became this gentle and considerate?
Who could withstand this?
At this moment, Satan Mai Sakurajima felt an unprecedented threat.
"Back to business."
Ye Xing paused, waiting until Kazusa removed her foot from Mai's shoe before continuing:
"This evil spirit carries the scent of a Gate."
Before Mai or Yui could interject, he added:
"But it doesn't contain a Gate itself."
"Possessing a Gate's power without containing a Gate?"
Mai frowned, muttering to herself.
"Does this imply something... even more terrifying lurking behind?"
"Perhaps."
Ye Xing nodded noncommittally, his mind flashing the names Menma and Shoko Makinohara.
A benevolent spectre and a gradually awakening psychic with Mystic Eyes, both connected to Kyoto Municipal Hospital, where supernatural phenomena occurred. Could such a coincidence exist?
The first Tarot card drawn was Death.
If this death truly represented the deceased Menma and terminally ill Shoko as he suspected, why would this human-spectre pair appear on the Supernatural Society's future path?
Perhaps they, too, could become the Society's allies?
Ye Xing glanced toward the stairwell, addressing the three girls - Mai, Yui and Kazusa:
"The evil spirit we just killed was merely a lackey."
"But consider it your beginner's tutorial before becoming exorcists."
"That's all for today. Dismissed."
...
Meanwhile, in a Tokyo hotel room.
A slouching teenager with messy hair, dark eye circles, wearing baggy jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt, crouched on a chair, intently studying his laptop.
His scrolling method was peculiar: he used only his right index finger to tap the arrow keys.
"L."
An elderly man in an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat entered.
"Have you decided which case to investigate?"
"Hmm..."
The youth called L nibbled his fingernail pensively.
"The mysterious Mask in Kyoto City, and the serial deaths of criminals and ex-convicts in Tokyo... This really is a difficult choice. Both sound quite intriguing."
The old man chuckled, took out his phone, swiped to an image, and handed it to L.
"Perhaps after seeing this, you'll know how to decide."
L took the phone, his eyes glinting with an unusual light as he saw the photo on the screen.
Displayed was an image of an alleyway wall.
Beside it lay the dismembered corpse of a man.
On the wall, written in blood, was a message:
"L, as the world's greatest detective, do you have what it takes to stop me?"
"I'm right here in Tokyo, eagerly awaiting our showdown."
"I am absolute justice."
"Signed: KIRA."