As more and more golden threads poured into the crimson-black vortex cloud high in the sky, Miko Yotsuya and Hina Amano felt the ground beneath their feet begin to tremble.
At first, they thought it was just an illusion caused by dizziness from the overwhelming sight before them.
But then...
The earthquake became increasingly obvious, and the ground even shook violently.
"What is this!?"
Miko Yotsuya struggled to maintain her footing, staring at the open white Gate, her golden eyes filled with disbelief.
"Is this earthquake... caused by that thing?"
As the crimson-black vortex cloud gathered high above, Miko Yotsuya and Hina Amano could feel the shaking of the ground beneath their feet grow more intense.
Both girls came to the same realisation simultaneously.
This crimson-black vortex cloud was the culprit behind the earthquake, and this thing had emerged from that white Gate.
As long as the Gate was closed, they could stop this earthquake.
Without the slightest hesitation, Miko Yotsuya pushed through her exhaustion and rushed straight towards the open white Gate, pressing both hands against it, trying with all her might to close it.
She gritted her teeth, her golden eyes flashing with light. Mikazuki Munechika, which had previously been sheathed at her waist, seemed to sense something and unsheathed itself automatically, its pale golden blade also pressing against the Gate.
"Damn it..."
Miko Yotsuya mobilised all the spiritual power within her body, attempting to force the Gate shut, but the white Gate remained completely unmoved. Moreover, her already dwindling spiritual power was being consumed at a terrifying rate.
"Does it need a key to close it...?"
Noticing the keyhole on the white Gate, Miko realised this.
But even with this realisation, what could she do?
She didn't have the key.
Not only did she lack the key, but Miko Yotsuya had never even seen or heard of such a mysterious Gate capable of causing earthquakes.
"Miko!"
Seeing Miko Yotsuya struggling to hold on, Hina Amano didn't hesitate for even a moment. She immediately ran to the white Gate and pressed her entire body against it, pushing with all her might.
But the next instant, Hina Amano discovered she felt not the slightest strain.
It was like leaning against a solid wall - no matter how hard she pushed, it had no effect whatsoever.
"Hina, you don't have spiritual power in your body! Get away from here!"
Miko immediately understood the reason.
Hina Amano wasn't a true psychic in the strictest sense - at most, she could be considered talented, possessing a constitution that might awaken spiritual power.
Her ability to change the weather and summon lightning was actually achieved through prayer and making part of her body disappear, in exchange for the weather god's intervention.
Aside from her Mystic Eyes that could observe evil spirits and spectres, Hina Amano herself didn't currently possess any special powers.
"Damn it... damn it!"
Realising she couldn't provide any help to Miko Yotsuya, and seeing the other girl's tightly clenched jaw and struggling expression, Hina Amano felt deeply powerless.
Could she only watch as the other person strained with all her might? Only stand by helplessly as this earthquake grew increasingly violent until it ultimately destroyed the entire city of Kyoto?
"Absolutely not..."
A determined light appeared in Hina Amano's eyes as she released her hands and walked several metres away.
Just as Miko Yotsuya breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the other girl had heeded her advice and was planning to evacuate to safety, she saw Hina Amano raise her head, gaze directly at the overcast sky, and shout in a firm voice.
"Hey, you! Give me your power!"
As expected, no response came from the clouds.
But this time, Hina Amano had no intention of praying. Instead, she spoke in an uncompromising tone.
"This isn't a plea... I'm commanding you to fulfil the treaty in the name of our contract!"
The moment Hina Amano uttered the word "contract", the surrounding air seemed to tremble.
In the next instant, a blinding flash of lightning streaked through the clouds.
Hina Amano's body began radiating rainbow-coloured spiritual power.
She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, 'Just as I thought.'
Hina Amano had long suspected this.
Why could she exchange prayers for the ability to change the weather and summon lightning?
And why did parts of her body become semi-transparent with rainbow colours after each prayer?
Because this was the price for obtaining the weather god's assistance.
Cost and condition.
There was only one method that could accomplish such things between humans and evil spirits.
Making a contract.
And regardless of what kind of contract was made, as long as one party hadn't violated it, the other must fulfil its terms, regardless of their relative power.
Simply put.
Hina Amano didn't actually need to pray.
The weather god had been misleading her all along, making her believe that only through devout prayer could she obtain assistance.
In reality, this was part of the contract - abilities Hina Amano had obtained by using her body's gradual transformation, until eventual disappearance, as the condition.
"Amano, you..."
"Miko, stay focused."
Hina Amano didn't elaborate, merely returning to the white Gate, taking a deep breath, and placing both hands upon it.
After she joined, Miko Yotsuya clearly felt much more relieved.
But...
"It won't move..."
No matter how hard Miko Yotsuya and Hina Amano pushed, the white Gate remained motionless. Or rather, the combined spiritual power of the two girls only just balanced the Gate's power, preventing it from opening further.
The crucial problem was that this wasn't the Gate leading to the Reverse World. Even if it didn't open wider, the black-red vortex clouds in the sky continued growing larger, and the ground shaking became increasingly violent.
Continuing like this...
Was meaningless.
Just then, strands of red threads suddenly appeared in mid-air.
Although Miko Yotsuya had never seen this thing before, Hina Amano knew it represented the red thread of the god from Itomori Town.
After the red thread appeared, instead of joking around or saying strange, funny remarks as it usually did, it directly covered the white Gate.
"Thank you."
Hina Amano knew this guardian god of Itomori Town was on their side.
Miko Yotsuya clearly saw that after the red thread joined them, the previously motionless white Gate began to close gradually inward. Though the speed was slow, it was indeed moving.
"Too late... Too slow... We won't make it..."
Even with Mikazuki Munechika, Hina Amano, the suddenly appearing red thread, and her own spiritual power combined, the Gate was indeed closing gradually. But Miko realised this speed was ultimately still too slow.
Judging by how the ground's shaking was intensifying, in twenty more seconds... no, in just ten seconds, an earthquake powerful enough to destroy all of Kyoto would erupt.
Just as Miko Yotsuya and Hina Amano realised that even if they closed the Gate at this rate, it would still be too late, a pale golden light appeared in the air.
"ROAR!!!"
Accompanied by an ear-splitting roar, the suddenly appearing Goat-Headed Deity slammed directly into the white Gate.
Though it wasn't exactly a benevolent god, it was still a god with its own shrine within Kyoto.
If Kyoto were destroyed, the Goat-Headed Deity would be no different from ordinary wandering spirits.
Moreover, it was worried about one thing.
That Lord Ye Xing, who knew where he was now?
But if he found out it hadn't helped at this critical moment but had stood by idly instead...
The Goat-Headed Deity felt intimidated.
It didn't want to be devoured alive by that terrifying human.
After the Goat-Headed Deity joined the effort to push the Gate, the white Gate finally began closing rapidly.
Only a crack remained.
But this tiny gap, less than a centimetre wide, became like an insurmountable chasm, creating another stalemate with those pushing the Gate.
"Just a little more..."
Seeing Miko Yotsuya's pained expression from overexerting her spiritual power, yet still gritting her teeth and persisting, complex emotions flashed in Hina Amano's eyes. She finally made up her mind, silently offering a prayer in her heart.
The next moment, the rainbow-coloured light surrounding Hina Amano suddenly became more dazzling.
Click.
Though it was just a soft sound of the Gate closing, to Miko Yotsuya and Hina Amano at that moment, it sounded like beautiful celestial music.
The two stepped back a few paces and watched as the white Gate, after closing completely, exploded and dissipated like fireworks, leaving not even the slightest trace behind.
As the black-red vortex cloud burst apart, transforming into falling rain, the ground's violent shaking finally ceased.
"We won..."
Miko Yotsuya finally couldn't hold on any longer, collapsing to sit on the ground, her face showing relieved exhaustion.
Finally...
They had won.
No one, not even the brightest-minded Rio Futaba, had anticipated that cutting off Kyoto's power supply and mobile signal communications would be merely supplementary methods to panic Kyoto's citizens.
The real main event was this earthquake that had just occurred.
Although it had taken some time to close the Gate that had appeared from nowhere, Miko Yotsuya and Hina Amano could sense that the magnitude wasn't particularly high - for earthquake-prone Japan, it was merely a minor tremor.
Kyoto's buildings all adhered to strict earthquake-prevention standards and were incapable of collapsing to such a degree.
Most likely, there were no casualties.
...
Somewhat later, inside another power station.
"That earthquake just now..."
Rio Futaba and Mai Sakurajima stood nearby, having learned through the walkie-talkie that Miko Yotsuya and Hina Amano were safe and already heading towards their location.
This was the first piece of good news.
The second piece of good news, according to Soichiro Yagami, was that repairs at this power station were nearly complete, and normal operations could resume in less than five minutes.
Once that happened, everything would become much easier.
Rio Futaba had no intention of restoring mobile signals within Kyoto city, as defending both a power station and communication infrastructure simultaneously would be far too difficult.
The number of evil spirits throughout Kyoto city numbered not just in the thousands? If you included all the spectres, there were hundreds of thousands.
And on the Supernatural Society's side?
Miko Yotsuya, Rio Futaba, Mai Sakurajima, Yui Yuigahama, Hachishaku-sama - even counting Shoko Makinohara and Menma, who were purely burdens, there were only seven.
Faced with such overwhelming numerical disparity, merely defending one power station to prevent Kyoto from plunging into complete darkness tonight was already their limit.
Dispersing their forces further to restore signal communications would be nothing short of suicide.
But the most critical problem now didn't lie in the real world.
With Kyoto's power cut and mobile signals severed, the sudden occurrence of such an earthquake - even if the magnitude itself wasn't enough to cause significant damage - how could one calculate the panic it would create among humans?
If the enemy had no further moves in the real world, the Supernatural Society could already be considered victorious.
But...
The most important person still hadn't returned...
...
Meanwhile, within the Reverse World.
BOOM!!!
Feeling the earth-shaking tremors, before Tamamo-no-Mae could even react, Ye Xing - who had been resting with his eyes closed on her lap - opened his eyes.
"It's finally begun."
The next moment, Tamamo-no-Mae felt her vision blur and found herself standing in the open space outside the abandoned building.
But now she had no mind to be astonished by Ye Xing's speed.
Because the scene unfolding before Tamamo-no-Mae's eyes was something she had never witnessed since her birth in the Reverse World.
The solid ground was splitting open with Abyss-like fissures.
From cracks that should have revealed steel reinforcement, scorching heat emanated, flowing with what appeared to be a magma-like substance.
The ground shook so violently it seemed as if it might shake the very sky of the Reverse World loose.
The moon in the sky had completely transformed into a crimson colour, while the surrounding black mist grew increasingly dense, as if they were submerged in pitch-black seawater.
"This... this is..."
Even with Tamamo-no-Mae's temperament, witnessing such a terrifying transformation occurring within the Reverse World caused her to lose her composure momentarily.
Ye Xing, however, wore an expression of complete calm. Even standing upon the constantly shaking ground, his posture remained perfectly steady as he remarked with interest.
"I see... It's an earthquake..."
"An earthquake?"
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Tamamo-no-Mae's face showed disbelief.
"This concubine has never heard of such an earthquake..."
"You still don't understand."
Ye Xing pointed towards the dark red magma flowing through the fissures and chuckled lightly.
"Do you think such things exist beneath Kyoto's surface? Including this earthquake and these fissures - they're merely reflections of people's fear manifesting within the Reverse World."
Just as Ye Xing's words faded, before Tamamo-no-Mae could respond, heavy, dull thuds echoed from within the black mist behind them.
Thump, thump, thump...
Each time this sound emerged, the ground that had previously stopped shaking would tremble anew.
What filled Tamamo-no-Mae with dread was that this sound...
It sounded like footsteps, and they were getting closer.
"Ye... Ye Xing-kun..."
In Tamamo-no-Mae's trembling, fearful gaze, a dark purple hand emerged from the black mist, grabbed the four evil spirits that Ye Xing had pinned to the ground, which looked as small as insects compared to the hand's size, and dragged them into the black mist.
Then, from within the viscous black mist, came the distinct sound of chewing.
Accompanied by the screams of the four evil spirits, after a few seconds, the black mist returned to deathly silence.
Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on Tamamo-no-Mae's fair forehead.
What exactly was hidden within that black mist...
Just as the silence became so profound that one could hear a pin drop, Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly heard the very familiar sound of a suona in her ears.
Doo doo doo doo!
Tamamo-no-Mae turned her head and stared dumbfounded at the scene before her.
There was Ye Xing, holding a black suona, enthusiastically playing a piece that sounded incredibly rousing and exciting.
And standing behind him was the pale and black headless half-bodied monster, its massive body swaying along with the music.
Was it... dancing?
At this moment, the fear in Tamamo-no-Mae's heart was thoroughly washed away.
She even had a strange feeling, as if the black mist behind her and the monster hidden within it no longer existed at all.
The Reverse World had turned into a disco, and a suona-themed one at that.
Several dozen seconds later, the piece finished.
"How was that, Little Mae?"
Ye Xing looked like he hadn't had enough, smiling as he spoke.
"It's just that there's not enough time now, so I could only offer you this piece of Guren no Yumiya. Next time there's an opportunity, I'll have to play the entire Attack on Titan soundtrack for you from beginning to end."
Tamamo-no-Mae: "..."
She opened her lips slightly, but couldn't utter a single word.
This was really impossible to evaluate...
No, seriously.
What kind of preference is this?
Would a normal person, after witnessing what just happened, become so inspired that they'd immediately start playing the suona?
The most ridiculous part was that whatever was hidden in the black mist, for some unknown reason, actually let Ye Xing finish the entire piece.
What's that supposed to mean? You like suona music too?
The fear that had been making Tamamo-no-Mae tremble just moments before had vanished entirely after listening to this suona version of Guren no Yumiya.
She even felt...
Like she was... fired up?
"What a pity."
Ye Xing glanced at the black and white headless monster behind him, wearing an expression of disappointment.
"You, as my soul's true form, had to be missing such an important part as a mouth. Otherwise, you could provide BGM for me during battles, wouldn't that be great?"
Immediately after saying this, the smile on Ye Xing's face suddenly disappeared. He looked towards the area in the black mist where the giant hand had emerged earlier, raised his right hand, and softly chanted.
"It seems I'll have to get serious this time."
"Gather here, Unlimited Blade Works."