"So now... what should we do?"
The gazes of the others turned toward Rio Futaba, who had the sharpest mind and served as the Supernatural Society's chief operations strategist, and Miko Yotsuya, who possessed the strongest combat capability in Ye Xing's absence, awaiting their decision.
Rio Futaba furrowed her brow deeply, her mind racing.
The situation had developed too suddenly - not just for her, but all present members felt somewhat caught off guard.
"The most critical issue right now..."
Rio Futaba took out her phone to check the time before speaking slowly to everyone.
"...is that there are less than twenty minutes until seven o'clock. Once the Demon Hour passes, even if Hachishaku opens a Gate, Ye Xing won't be able to leave the Reverse World."
The difference between evil spirits and psychics lies in the fact that the former can travel between both worlds regardless of the time period.
Although Rio Futaba knew that, compared to pure humans, Ye Xing possessed a constitution somewhat similar to that of evil spirits, no one knew whether Ye Xing could rely on this trait to travel through a Gate to another world at times other than dawn or dusk.
The most important issue remained what had just been discussed.
They didn't dare gamble.
If, after Hachishaku-sama opened a Gate, what emerged wasn't Ye Xing but those terrifying evil spirits from the Reverse World, this action would be equivalent to digging their own graves.
"Wait a moment..."
Just as Rio Futaba was deep in thought, Miko Yotsuya suddenly spoke up with a thoughtful expression.
"Don't you think that the attacks launched against us psychics feel more like thunder with little rain?"
Mai Sakurajima nodded, her brow slightly furrowed as she said.
"That's somewhat true. Although many evil spirits are attacking, none of them possesses particularly powerful strength. According to Ye Xing's evaluation system, if the danger level in Tokyo was S-rank, this would be at most B-rank."
At such a critical moment, even Yui Yuigahama, who usually appeared ditzy, was thinking seriously. Hearing Mai Sakurajima's words, she couldn't help but speak up.
"Do you think... perhaps it's because... this is all the power the enemy can mobilise?"
"What do you mean..."
Yui Yuigahama explained slowly as she thought.
"Think about it - if we consider every power station in Kyoto as a stronghold, then after the enemy destroys them, they must still allocate forces to guard these strongholds. Otherwise, Kyoto's authorities would definitely send people to immediately conduct repairs."
Hearing Yui Yuigahama's words, a glimmer of hope flashed in Rio Futaba's eyes, and even her usually flat, emotionless voice couldn't help but carry a trace of excitement.
"Exactly, Dango is absolutely right - this is the solution to break the deadlock!"
Rio Futaba took a deep breath and spoke in an urgent tone.
"Just as Dango said, after the power circuits are cut off, although Kyoto's higher-ups won't know evil spirits did this, they'll definitely send people for emergency repairs. That's beyond doubt."
"And we've all seen the type of evil spirits that can affect humans - the kind that don't even need to merge the surrounding area with the Reverse World to launch direct attacks."
Hearing this, Mai Sakurajima's pupils contracted slightly in shock.
"You mean... every power station is guarded by evil spirits that have merged with humans... and they'll kill anyone who approaches there?"
"Precisely."
Though she was not wearing glasses, Rio Futaba habitually made the gesture of pushing up her spectacles.
"I'm not entirely sure how many power stations there are in Kyoto City, but judging by the city's scale, there should be at least four or five."
"Normally, power stations are built with redundancy in mind. Each station only operates at about sixty to seventy percent capacity. This is specifically designed so that if one station experiences sudden failure, the others can maintain the city's power supply without exceeding their capacity or damaging the machinery."
"That means..."
Rio Futaba took another deep breath and delivered her final conclusion.
"We're about to engage in an offensive-defensive battle with the enemy, but the advantage is on our side because we don't need to eliminate all the evil spirits in every power station. We only need to restore three or four stations, or even just one or two, to resume Kyoto's power supply."
Miko Yotsuya nodded slightly, her tone grave.
"The difficulty lies in... how to maintain the power stations' operation while under constant attack from evil spirits, at least until tomorrow morning..."
At this point, Miko fell silent.
The others present also went quiet.
Protect a power station continuously until dawn tomorrow?
It wasn't even seven o'clock yet.
The only silver lining was that it was summer, with longer days and shorter nights, but even with good fortune, they'd still need to hold out against the evil spirits' attacks for nearly twelve hours.
"This is the only way."
Mai Sakurajima's eyes showed determination as she spoke each word clearly.
"We cannot let this city fall into darkness. This isn't just for the citizens - it's also for Ye Xing, who's trapped in the Reverse World."
Everyone understood Mai's meaning.
If the power supply wasn't restored tonight, aside from places like the Metropolitan Police Department and hospitals that had emergency diesel generators, the rest of Kyoto City would plunge into complete darkness.
This would inevitably cause panic and tension among the citizens.
And all this negative emotion would converge into the Reverse World, materialising into one or even multiple terrifying evil spirits. The only human in the Reverse World - Kyoto's top exorcist Ye Xing - would be their primary target.
"Our disadvantages are quite obvious now."
Mai Sakurajima spoke softly.
"On our side, we need to protect Shoko and Menma, plus Hachishaku-sama, who's in poor condition. We should also avoid fighting in public places; otherwise, we risk exposing our true identities."
"And the enemies are evil spirits that ordinary people can't detect, who can attack us at any time. But this is also our advantage."
"As long as we eliminate those who have merged with humans and can directly interfere with reality, the remaining evil spirits won't be able to stop the ordinary field personnel from repairing the power stations, no matter how desperate they become."
Rio Futaba nodded in agreement.
"I share your thinking, but before we set out, there are two most important matters."
"First, if we're going to clean up the power stations, we need someone to tell us the locations, not obstruct us, and maintain order at the scenes."
"Second, and most importantly..."
At this point, Rio Futaba raised the mobile phone in her hand.
"With mobile signals now cut off, we need another way to communicate. Although I've prepared radio walkie-talkies, these civilian devices have a range of less than two kilometres. We need to split into at least two teams to repair two power stations simultaneously, and the distance between them exceeds the walkie-talkies' maximum range."
Miko Yotsuya had already understood Rio Futaba's meaning. Beneath her mask, her golden eyes showed determination as she nodded.
"Yes, those evil spirits that have merged with humans, while gaining the ability to directly interfere with reality, also have a fatal weakness - ordinary people can harm them."
"This time, the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department can indeed help us."
Rio Futaba nodded, then looked at Hachishaku-sama, who was slumped on the ground, and at Shoko Makinohara and Menma, who might be attacked by evil spirits but had no power to fight back. Her eyes couldn't help but show some hesitation.
Before she could speak, Yui Yuigahama took the initiative to say,
"You go handle the power stations. I'll take them into hiding and be responsible for their safety."
"Are you sure, Yui? This is quite..."
"Quite dangerous, I know."
Yui Yuigahama smiled as she interrupted Rio Futaba.
She naturally understood that Hachishaku-sama, who possessed the power to open Gates, was like a nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment with unpredictable consequences in the eyes of their enemies.
If their enemies were lucky, the evil spirits emerging from the Reverse World would directly kill Hachishaku-sama without their opponents needing to lift a finger.
If they were lucky...
Then the strongest exorcist in history, the innate abstract holy body, the great eroge shooter would make an appearance.
In the current situation, since the enemy held the advantage, they naturally wouldn't want to pin all their hopes on so-called luck.
Yui Yuigahama took a deep breath, her eyes showing determination as she looked at Mai Sakurajima, Miko Yotsuya, and Rio Futaba before her, and said with a smile,
"This is the most efficient method, and the only way to maximise our success rate and ensure Ye Xing's safety as much as possible."
"Prepare yourselves, and then, let's move."
After Rio Futaba nodded, she said with complex emotions,
"He's not part of this operation..."
Miko Yotsuya let out a soft sigh and spoke quietly.
"If he were here, he would probably say something like this."
"What would he say?"
"If you try to protect every single person in Kyoto city, you won't be able to protect anyone at all."
...
Twenty minutes later, outside the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department.
Soichiro Yagami sat in the police car, listening to reports from officers across the city on the radio. His square-jawed face was tense with worry, his eyes filled with concern and confusion.
If it were just one power station or one area experiencing a sudden electrical failure, that would be understandable.
But for all power stations to malfunction simultaneously, cutting off electricity supply to the entire city of Kyoto, this was too bizarre, completely illogical and strange.
Moreover, the officers he had dispatched, along with maintenance crews, to repair the various power stations, had completely lost contact after arriving at their destinations.
Strange.
Extremely strange.
Could it be...
Although Soichiro Yagami didn't possess the ability to observe, the sheer strangeness and eeriness of the situation immediately made him think of evil spirits.
Was this a supernatural incident?
But why?
Why hadn't Mask come to find him?
Was it because Mask was currently fighting against the mastermind behind all this?
Or perhaps...
Soichiro Yagami didn't dare to continue that line of thought.
He had personally witnessed that psychopathic murderer known as the Sunny Doll Killer, and that monstrous worm as large as a train in the dark, deep underground passage.
Those things were absolutely not something that could be dealt with using guns or blades.
Even the Metropolitan Police Department's heavy weapons unit would be utterly helpless against such monsters.
If Mask were truly dead...
Then Kyoto City would be on the brink of destruction.
Just then, someone knocked on Soichiro Yagami's car window.
As he frowned with displeasure at the interruption of his thoughts, he saw through the window a white mask with pale golden patterns.
"You are!?"
Soichiro Yagami quickly opened the car door and stepped out of the police vehicle.
He saw the three mysterious individuals who had accompanied Mask during the Sunny Doll Killer incident now standing before him.
"Chief Yagami, time is short, so I'll be brief."
Miko Yotsuya spoke rapidly.
"Please provide us with the locations of all power stations responsible for Kyoto's electricity supply. Also, we'd like to use the Metropolitan Police Department's dedicated communication channels and radios to maintain contact with each other."
"Please dispatch two heavy weapons units from the Metropolitan Police Department to accompany us to the power stations to confront the enemy."
"And most importantly..."
When Miko reached this point, both Rio Futaba and Mai Sakurajima's eyes flickered with surprise.
According to the original plan, there were only the first two conditions.
What could this final condition be?
Miko Yotsuya looked directly into Soichiro Yagami's eyes and spoke slowly.
"It's currently 7:05. If we haven't sent back any messages by 8:30, I hope you can persuade the higher-ups at Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department to evacuate all residents from the entire city of Kyoto."
"The entire city of Kyoto?"
Soichiro Yagami's expression changed dramatically, his pupils dilating in shock.
"Is... is that really necessary?"
Miko Yotsuya replied without hesitation.
"Yes."
There was one thing Miko Yotsuya wasn't certain about.
Since the Reverse World's essence was an idealistic world formed by the negative emotions and thoughts of Kyoto's citizens...
Then, if Kyoto's population were to suddenly decrease, or even disappear entirely, would the Reverse World still undergo changes?
Or would it simply vanish completely?
Miko Yotsuya wasn't sure, but for the safety of Kyoto's citizens and Ye Xing, who was currently in the Reverse World, evacuating the entire city was worth attempting.
"This... the difficulty is too high, I can't do it."
Although Soichiro Yagami very much wanted to agree, he understood that he lacked the capability despite his willingness.
"Under these emergency circumstances with citywide power outages and loss of lighting, even if we start evacuations while it's still daylight, with Kyoto's massive scale, we'd only be able to evacuate a very small portion of citizens by 8:30. Moreover, I don't have a convincing reason that would satisfy the higher-ups. It's truly impossible."
"I see..."
Miko knew that as Mask's assistant, if Soichiro Yagami could do it, he definitely would.
It was just that the situation had occurred too suddenly, and there genuinely wasn't enough time.
"Then what about the other two conditions I mentioned earlier? Can those be done?"
"That... shouldn't be a problem."
Soichiro Yagami furrowed his brows tightly.
"I can provide you with the Metropolitan Police Department's dedicated walkie-talkies and specially allocate a channel for your use. As for the heavy weapons unit... as the Criminal Affairs Director, I also have the authority to mobilise them directly without going through the higher-ups... it's just..."
Soichiro Yagami glanced around and asked the question that concerned him most.
"You have another friend... he...?"
"Still alive and well."
Mai Sakurajima spoke in an utterly calm tone.
"Due to certain circumstances, he cannot participate in this operation."
As a former professional actress, Mai Sakurajima's acting was flawless. Not a trace of worry or anxiety could be detected in her words, making Soichiro Yagami believe that Mask was merely handling other matters.
...
While the Supernatural Society team and Soichiro Yagami were coordinating plans to save Kyoto City, inside an abandoned building in the Reverse World.
"Have they finally stopped...?"
Seeing that no new evil spirits were emerging from the stairwell and the black mist appeared to have calmed, Tamamo-no-Mae let out a relieved sigh.
She watched Ye Xing, who was calmly sheathing his sword with a relaxed expression, feeling speechless with astonishment.
In just this period, he had slain at least thousands of evil spirits.
While these evil spirits weren't particularly strong within the Reverse World, they would still be considered formidable entities in the real world.
Yet before Ye Xing, they were nothing more than minor foes that could be eliminated with a single strike.
Moreover, his speed of devouring evil spirits to replenish his power far exceeded the consumption required for combat.
The only conceivable concern would be the mental and psychological pressure from prolonged battle.
For anyone else—even Miko Yotsuya—even if they possessed Ye Xing's abilities, their psychological endurance would have reached its limit during this nearly hour-long assault, facing countless terrifying evil spirits swarming relentlessly.
But Ye Xing was different.
He was purely mentally ill, feeling absolutely no pressure whatsoever—even enjoying himself.
"Ye Xing-kun, please rest for a while."
Tamamo-no-Mae slightly lifted the hem of her kimono, revealing two soft, plump thighs pressed together, pale and smooth.
"Please rest your head on my lap. It's certainly more comfortable than the cold, hard ground."
Ye Xing glanced at Tamamo-no-Mae sitting there in the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko pose and shook his head with a light laugh.
"I'd like to, but..."
He walked to the window, looking outside as he said calmly.
"The main course is arriving."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Tamamo-no-Mae looked outside and saw a hunchbacked bald monk, an exceptionally tall woman with an indistinct face, a woman wearing a bright red kimono with dripping wet hair, and finally a monster with a dog's face slowly emerging from the black mist.
"That's..."
The moment she saw these four entities, Tamamo-no-Mae's face paled with horror.
"Nozuchi-bō, Takame, Hashihime, and… Inugami!?"