Chapter 96: Bankai!
"So, right now, this evil spirit is equivalent to a exorcism tool. Just destroying its spiritual body is useless."
The realm of the dead was the realm where evil spirits existed. It coexisted with reality, but generally did not interfere with it, so ordinary people basically had a very hard time sensing evil spirits.
Even if ordinary people used an exorcist's ghost-seeing techniques to observe them, without enough spirit, it was still difficult to sense evil spirits through those alternative methods.
That was why Yin-Yang Eyes, which could pass through reality and the realm of the dead without any conditions, could be used to connect evil spirits from the realm of the dead to modified flesh in reality.
With that, Kasumizuki's explanation for why the so-called evil god before him could not be killed made sense.
Only…
"Didn't you say you didn't know whether Yin-Yang Eyes were a spiritual trait or just an organ?"
Luke remembered his previous conversation with Kasumizuki.
Her answer back then had been: she did not know!
"Oh! Wasn't that because I was afraid someone might overhear us? What if the cultists learned about the plan and suddenly didn't dare go all in?"
Kasumizuki said simply.
"Who knows what kind of eavesdropping methods they have? Last time, my face-to-face conversation was somehow monitored through some inexplicable method. I already suffered a loss once, so this time, I could only keep it from you and trust that you could hold on."
"Then couldn't you have hinted at it indirectly… Forget it. I'll settle accounts with you later."
Luke asked Kasumizuki, "What you meant just now is that even if I kill its spiritual body here, it will keep reviving because of its flesh in reality?"
"Yes. Beside me, there's a whole pile of cultists who have fallen into endless fear because of the soul fragments and blood sacrifice ritual inside their bodies. They're continuously providing fear for it, allowing it to revive nonstop."
"And its absorption range has already expanded greatly. Even if I broke regulations and killed these cultists, it wouldn't affect it much anymore."
Kasumizuki glanced at the gamblers trembling on the ground, kneeling and not daring to raise their heads even a little, then closed her eyes again.
"This… Since its flesh is equivalent to a exorcism tool, that flesh should lock its spiritual body in reality and stop it from returning to the realm of the dead, right? Then… can we kill the body in reality?"
Kasumizuki thought about her wording, then spoke.
"We can, but it is ultimately different from a exorcism tool. Its flesh and soul are stitched together rather than being one body, so destroying either the flesh or the soul alone cannot completely destroy it."
"Destroying the flesh will only release the evil spirit that never belonged to that flesh in the first place."
"And ultimately, it is what these cultists call… uh, an evil god. It's not like ordinary stupid evil spirits."
"So I don't know whether, after we destroy the anchor that is its flesh, it will actively return to the realm of the dead or find a new host to dwell in."
"Although forcing it back into the realm of the dead and making it unable to affect reality would be enough, it descended through Miko's Yin-Yang Eyes. Who knows whether it will still have the ability to return to reality after going back?"
"So if we don't get rid of it, it may leave a hidden danger for Miko."
Luke nodded and summarized, "In other words, we have to destroy it from reality and from here at the same time to stop it from escaping and completely eliminate it, right?"
"Exactly!"
Kasumizuki confirmed.
"So, have you rested enough? In your current state, can you coordinate with my side?"
So this girl had been waiting for him to recover his strength.
Luke looked at Kasumizuki's eyes and said speechlessly, "So you rambled on and on just to wait for me to recover…"
"Seriously, couldn't you just tell me how to kill this evil spirit? Didn't you say before that you had already prepared? Then of course I would wait for you and keep a trump card."
Beside them, the evil spirit was still continuing its ritual.
That dance like a toad's hopping grew wider and faster.
The human features on its body became clearer and clearer, gradually approaching a complete person. Although the newly born thing had limited intelligence, it had descended from a human soul, so it could still understand some language.
Because of that, it felt a trace of unease toward the huge eyes in the sky and the spiritual body holding a weapon before it.
But the newborn it did not yet have enough power. It could only continue its ritual, absorb the power of fear, expand its range, and fill the dream.
At that point, it could devour all the souls of the people before it.
"Isn't this just making full preparations in case something goes wrong? After all, with both of our spirits supporting things, as long as Miko-chan's dream doesn't completely fall into darkness, the two of you will be fine."
"Yes, yes, yes. The two of us really are too strong."
Luke sighed, feeling Kasumizuki's spiritual power.
"Anyway, confirm this: I move first, then you move. That order is more reasonable, right?"
First kill the spiritual body, then eliminate the flesh in reality, the flesh that could not run even with legs. That was naturally better.
"That's right. But there's a delay on my side—your image and voice take a little while before they reach me. Right, Matsuzuki?"
Kasumizuki paused to confirm in reality.
"Yes, there is a delay. So you need to keep killing it so it has no time to escape… Its current revival time is very short…"
"So do you need me to call Mikasa now and have her feed you that potion I sent over with the Mirror of the Soul? The potion can greatly increase your spirit for a period of time."
Luke declined her kindness.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure it has no time to revive."
"Is that really okay? Although it's very expensive, I can give it to you for free this time."
"No need. I have enough power."
"Fine, then prepare your Bankai!"
Kasumizuki, who knew his methods, said that.
"What Bankai? Have you watched too much anime?"
Luke speechlessly gripped the exorcism tool.
The "Bankai" Kasumizuki mentioned was because his spirit far surpassed ordinary people, allowing him to clearly sense the exorcism tool's power.
So compared to how ordinary exorcists used exorcism tools, he could squeeze out the exorcism tool's power completely, like a juicer.
This method was just like the rune at his heart.
It exchanged the exorcism tool's weakness for a period of time in the future for an extreme burst in the short term.
However, this cost was not unacceptable.
At worst, he would let the guandao lie inside the shrine for a few more months. After all, ever since he had been reported, it had already been lying in the shrine the whole time.
And so, Luke sensed the power stored inside the exorcism tool and released it completely after a long absence.
"Bankai! The Guandao That Got Reported!"
"Damn it! You brat, you still criticize me?! Didn't you shout it out too?!"
Kasumizuki shouted speechlessly.
In an instant, the power radiating from the guandao exorcism tool once again suppressed the newborn evil spirit's fear, dyeing most of the pitch-black dream white again.
"Eh?"
The evil spirit stopped its ritual. The mouth it had grown earlier made a confused sound, unable to understand what had happened.
"This should be about enough."
Kasumizuki also assessed his increased power.
"Heh. It's not over yet."
Just releasing the exorcism tool was still not enough. Luke would not leave the evil spirit even the slightest chance.
System, add points!
[Notice]: You have used the item [Item Enhancement Stone]. [Magical Cat Pendant] → [Magical Cat Pendant (Enhanced)]!
The entries of [Magical Cat Pendant] have changed as follows:
[Passive 1: Cat's Agility]: When you wear this pendant, regardless of attribute limits, you gain an additional 5 (3 → 5) Agility.
[Passive 2: Cat's Grace]: When you wear this pendant, regardless of attribute limits, you gain an additional 5 (3 → 5) Spirit.
The dream changed again. The blackness completely retreated, and the entire street fully lit up.
The evil spirit looked at the darkness that symbolized terror being completely pushed back, and its body stiffened in confusion. In this white dream, most of its senses had been covered over.
Only its faint connection to reality still allowed it to sense its own existence.
And Kasumizuki, watching through Matsuzuki Saki, sucked in a breath at the sudden burst of spiritual power.
She had seen methods of entering dreams before.
However, even the cultists, who were the most willing to take unusual paths and had considerable mastery over the soul, had to be careful and spend a long time operating when facing the dream of a "perfectly ordinary" high school girl like Yotsuya Miko.
They did not dare act too recklessly in someone else's home field.
So this absurd and rare thing, suppressing someone else's home field purely through spiritual power inside their dream, was the first time she had ever seen it in her life.
And so, she turned her gaze toward the owner of the dream: Yotsuya Miko.
Miko tightly gripped the dagger, feeling her own change.
Because she had previously mixed her spirit with Luke's to construct the dream scene, and because Luke had attached himself to her spirit to protect her from fear, she could sense the power of spirit even more clearly.
Spirit and dreams were very difficult to control. Even in a lucid dream with self-awareness, if the dream's owner wanted to construct a clear scene, it consumed a great deal of spirit.
That was why, in the dream the cultists had arranged for her, the completely personal safe scene she had unconsciously constructed, the bathroom, had been both cramped and short-lived.
But now, influenced by Luke's spiritual power, Miko felt that even constructing an entire realistic street full of people coming and going would be easy.
The golden dagger shone brightly in her hand, resonating with her soul in surging waves.
Only now, after being affected by this powerful spirit, did she understand what kind of energy the dagger truly contained.
The release of spirit came in waves, each stronger than the last, until one extremely huge surge swept through the dream. Only then did the two extra points of spirit fully release.
The night turned into bright, sunlit day.
"Move, move! Kasumizuki… Kasumizuki? Hm? Where did she go?"
Luke, who had just been about to act, looked in confusion at the eyes that had suddenly vanished from the sky.
After a short interval, that pair of eyes appeared again.
"Hiss! You brat, are you cheating? Could you not use your spiritual power so hard? You squeezed Matsuzuki offline."
"Sorry. I'll control it a bit."
Luke reined in some of his spiritual power, leaving Matsuzuki a little space to observe Miko's dream.
"Is there also an evil god hidden inside your body? Or are you hiding a Nine-Tails fox in your stomach?"
Kasumizuki helplessly pressed her free hand against her head. That final, largest spiritual fluctuation just now had nearly knocked her unconscious.
"Heh. It's a tool spirit! Enough talk. I'm moving."
His body flickered, and he moved beside the evil spirit as if teleporting.
Before it could react, he instantly dismantled it like a jigsaw puzzle.
Every single point of the Spirit attribute was a natural moat. Raising it by two points in one go had drastically increased his Spirit. Right now, it allowed him to easily perform some outrageous operations inside Miko's dream.
"Shibuya Jun, smash it for me."
Kasumizuki's voice also came.
After a long period of blood sacrifice, the evil spirit had absorbed fear from the cultists and those affected around it, completely strengthening its power.
Because of that, the evil spirit that had turned into puzzle pieces continuously restored its body at extremely high speed. In an instant, most of its body had healed.
But before its body could finish reconnecting, the exorcism tool once again struck it, shattering it even more thoroughly.
"Jump for me again, why don't you?!"
Luke sensed the steady stream of spiritual power coming from the dream, repairing the evil spirit's body.
But no matter how fast it was, as long as it restored itself, the only thing waiting for it was to be split apart again.
Again and again, it restored.
Again and again, it was cut apart.
"My side is done."
Kasumizuki reminded him.
"Ugh!"
The evil spirit desperately reconstructed its body, trying to have the power of the realm of the dead pull it back to its homeland.
But the exorcism tool once again tore it apart.
After cutting the evil spirit to pieces again, Luke heard a system notification beside his ear.
This evil spirit finally did not revive again.
[Notice]: [Career Mission (Exorcist)]: As someone second to none in the exorcist industry, you need an incident to prove that you are outstanding. Resolve one ghost-god. Completed (1/1). You have received the reward: 12h Spirit Time Chamber Experience Card. Please claim the reward in the real world.
[Notice]: Your exorcist career route has been fully completed. Please add a new career card in time to obtain a new career mission.
He waited in place for a while, carefully sensing everything in the dream with his spirit.
There no longer seemed to be any trace of the evil spirit's existence.
"How is it?"
Kasumizuki asked.
"It should be completely dead."
He dismissed the exorcism tool manifested in the dream.
"That's good. This time, I finally don't have to chop off my finger. Worth celebrating, worth celebrating."
Kasumizuki also let out a breath of relief.
Luke's mouth twitched. The god this miko served was probably not anything decent either.
"This guy was actually kind of interesting. It thought of using Yin-Yang Eyes to connect to the realm of the dead inside a dream, then using a blood sacrifice to draw power and construct itself into a exorcism tool. As expected of an anti-humanity element."
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly remembered something and asked Kasumizuki, "Oh, right. Speaking of humanoid exorcism tools, you still haven't paid me the final balance for the mannequin I gave you before, have you?"
"…Mannequin? What mannequin?"
"Hey, don't play dumb with me."
"Hello, hello? The signal here is a little bad. I'm hanging up first."
"This rotten thing."
Luke looked speechlessly at the eyes that instantly vanished from the sky.
…
The cultists' church.
Kasumizuki pulled her hand away from Matsuzuki Saki's back in panic.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have rambled on with him so much. He actually remembered the mannequin!"
Matsuzuki Saki and Shibuya Jun looked at each other.
"Then why don't you settle our appearance fees too?"
"Hm? Matsuzuki is one thing, but what did you do that counts as merit?"
Kasumizuki glanced at Shibuya Jun, who was holding a hammer after having just smashed the cult leader's head open.
"No, how do I not have merit? Did you use the Shibuya Map for free? Without me, how could you have found these cultists so quickly?"
Shibuya Jun immediately complained, waving the crystal ball in his hand.
He had allowed Kasumizuki to follow the luck route and find the cultists' base in an extremely short time.
Kasumizuki thought for a moment.
"That's true… then I'll give you ten thousand yen. No need to thank me. Take it and spend it."
Shibuya Jun looked at the banknote in her hand, took off his robe, and revealed his muscles.
"…Careful, or I'll fight you to the death."
"Heh."
Kasumizuki contemptuously swept a glance over his muscles and flexed her hand.
"What, you think you're that bastard's single-track maid? Did I not beat you into submission last time? Want to practice again?"
Shibuya Jun immediately picked up the robe on the ground and put it back on.
"Even if it's for my dignity… please give me a little more."
Buzz~
Kasumizuki glanced at her phone. It was a call from the police station.
They had already cooperated with her and sealed off the nearby area for a long time.
"Haa, no more joking… I already prepared your payment."
"Luke and I bought a building together before, and I'm currently looking for tenants. So how about I give you a divination shop as payment?"
"How big is it?"
"Twenty square meters. That should be enough for a divination shop, right?"
"Can I add some money and have you get me a bigger place? Like an entire floor?"
"What do you need that much space for?"
"I don't want to open a divination shop. I want to open a gym."
Shibuya Jun said with a serious expression.
Kasumizuki was speechless for a moment.
"You're a diviner who won't open a divination shop and wants to open a gym instead? I'll punch you to death!"
"There's no choice, Big Sis… young lady, young lady! Don't hit me! …Competition is too fierce now. I can't keep up with those miko divination shops that use divination as a cover but are basically selling risqué content!"
Shibuya Jun dodged Kasumizuki's fists and said that speechlessly.
…
(Don't forget to vote and leave a comment below! The more you vote, the more chapters I upload weekly.)
...
Read more chapters in advance:
patréon.com/U22
(Note: Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.)