Witnessing the sudden appearance of a pitch-black longsword in Ye Xing's hand, the dozen or so believers gathered in the room were utterly dumbfounded.
The middle-aged man blocking the doorway froze momentarily before immediately aiming at Ye Xing standing there, attempting to pull the trigger.
Yet the next second, instead of the expected gunshot, he only felt a slight chill on his wrist.
Clatter.
Only when he heard the crisp sound from the floor did the middle-aged man notice that the hand holding his gun had somehow fallen to the ground, leaving behind a cleanly severed wrist gushing with blood.
Before he could process this, a dark flash crossed his vision, tearing his sight in two from the centre.
After vertically bisecting the middle-aged man, Ye Xing turned to the remaining cultists in the room and softly declared, "Good. Now it's your turn."
Over the following minute, Natsumi Suga remained pressed against the wall, watching helplessly as Ye Xing swung the pitch-black longsword, cleaving each cultist in half.
Being cleanly split in two was actually the more fortunate way to die.
Natsumi Suga saw with her own eyes as Ye Xing single-handedly grabbed a cultist by the neck, lifting them like a chick before slamming them violently against the wall. The cultist's body burst like a balloon, though what erupted wasn't air but fragments of flesh, blood and bone.
Had she not witnessed it herself, she wouldn't have believed anyone could physically smash another human being to pieces.
Yet even as she found the carnage brutal and bloody, a doubt lingered in Natsumi's heart.
Was Ye Xing truly Mask?
She had been certain before, but now she wasn't so sure.
She had personally witnessed Mask's combat style - a composed, almost mocking approach backed by overwhelming power.
The current Ye Xing... seemed to be venting rage, mercilessly eliminating these cultists with the most cruel and bloody methods.
What Natsumi Suga couldn't observe was that whenever a cultist's body was torn apart like a ragdoll, a pitch-black ghost hand in mid-air would grasp the spirit floating from the remains, which Ye Xing would then devour.
"As expected, these people know nothing..."
After killing all the cultists, standing amidst the blood and corpses, Ye Xing murmured to himself while savouring their souls and memories.
Indeed, their memories contained little of value.
If there was anything noteworthy, it was just one thing.
These people had truly witnessed so-called spiritual power - eerie, ghostly blue flames floating in the air.
This suggested that their earlier claim about high-ranking officials in the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department being chosen by the goddess Izanami and granted power - believers like Seishu Akoya and Tasuke Tamura, who were psychics - was likely true.
Viewed this way, many puzzling aspects of Seishu Akoya's recent high-profile, direct assault on the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters could now be explained.
According to Seishu Akoya's character of pursuing twisted justice, even if it meant revealing his true form - a monstrous fusion with his soul's essence - when facing what he deemed as the evil Mask, he should have transformed without hesitation, regardless of the consequences. Yet he didn't.
Perhaps it wasn't just the awakening of spiritual power...
From the very beginning, the entire plan that Seishu Akoya believed was his own creation was actually the result of manipulation, without him realising anything amiss.
Rather than his actions being targeted at Mask, it would be more accurate to say the mastermind's initial goal was to use public opinion to drive out Soichiro Yagami, the true controller of the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department, who was suspected of being Mask's accomplice.
Under those circumstances, Soichiro Yagami had only two choices: either treat Mask as a criminal who killed Metropolitan Police Department members, or admit that Seishu Akoya, the commander of the mobile unit, had gone insane and killed his colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Department.
Choosing the former would obviously make Mask's future operations much more difficult. Although Ye Xing acted according to his whims, Mask's overall behaviour pattern clearly fell under chaotic good - he wouldn't kill innocent police officers who were merely following orders.
Choosing the latter, while causing no loss to Mask, would mean that even if the Special Operations Group was dissolved, someone new would still need to be appointed as Criminal Affairs Director - especially concerning if someone in the police hierarchy had already become believers of that Izanami goddess.
"Trying to replace him with someone under your control... The position of Criminal Affairs Director is indeed crucial..."
Listening to Ye Xing's murmuring and seeing the corpses scattered everywhere with the thick blood gathered like a miniature lake, Natsumi Suga took a deep breath, forcibly steadying her emotions. Only after a long moment did she speak words that surprised even herself.
"What... what should we do? If the police discover this... it would be very troublesome."
Natsumi Suga certainly knew what self-defence meant.
But the scene before her eyes had probably far exceeded the definition of self-defence.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Hearing Ye Xing's question, Natsumi Suga tried to keep her gaze fixed on his face rather than looking at the blood and corpses on the ground, forcing herself to speak softly.
"I am, after all, a well-known media professional. Before meeting you, I was running around the city every day in search of valuable news. Traffic accident death scenes, suicide jump sites, bodies fished out of the river after days of soaking, swollen like balloons - I've seen all these scenes. Though I'm still somewhat uncomfortable, if you think I'd be so distressed as to vomit, you're greatly underestimating me, Natsumi Suga."
Seeing Natsumi Suga's slightly proud expression as she boasted about her courage, Ye Xing chuckled and shook his head.
"I killed people right in front of you... Oh, I killed people in front of you again. Your reaction is really not normal."
"Perhaps it's because I've been staying with abnormal people for too long."
Natsumi Suga shook her head helplessly, glanced at the marks on the floor, and spoke with a complicated expression.
"Hmm... how should we deal with these marks... we need to think of a way..."
"I'll handle it."
Ye Xing said lightly with a smile, walking straight towards the door.
Behind him, black flames ignited on the floor, burning away all the bloodstains, corpses, flesh chunks, and bones in the room... no, it would be more accurate to say they were devoured, as not even smoke was produced.
By the time Ye Xing reached the door, Natsumi Suga saw that the empty room had returned to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened.
"This... this..."
Watching as the black flames disappeared after devouring all remaining traces, seemingly consuming their own existence as well, Natsumi Suga was completely stunned.
She had witnessed Ye Xing's terrifying power - his body withstanding bullets and him slamming a grown man against a wall with one hand, reducing the man to fragments.
But what were those black flames?
This was already a superhuman ability, wasn't it!?
As a professional journalist who had repeatedly reported on Mask, Natsumi Suga immediately recalled that, in several incidents in which Mask had appeared, eyewitnesses had described how the hem of his black coat would turn into burning black flames during combat.
Moreover, Natsumi Suga had seen it with her own eyes.
That kind of black flame... was exactly the same as what had just appeared behind Ye Xing.
Indeed... her speculation wasn't wrong - he was Mask.
"Sigh..."
In that moment, many thoughts flashed through Natsumi Suga's mind. Putting on a deliberately lazy expression, she stretched with a long yawn and said with a smile.
"After going through something like this, I need some alcohol to relax. Want to join me?"
Ye Xing said seriously.
"I haven't reached the legal drinking age yet. You're inducing crime here."
Natsumi Suga pursed her lips, grabbed Ye Xing's arm, and said irritably.
"Stop pretending to be a good boy here, let's go."
...
Meanwhile, in Kaguya Shinomiya's bedroom.
Kaguya Shinomiya lay on her soft bed with her smooth black hair spread out, staring absentmindedly at a particular spot on the ceiling in the dimly lit room, murmuring to herself.
"Accepting failure... is true strength? That guy always says things that are hard to understand."
Recalling today's events, Kaguya Shinomiya's thoughts kept turning.
Even that Ye Xing... has failed before?
What did he mean about his failure causing a close friend to abandon their future and dreams?
In Japan's joint exams, Ye Xing was first.
In the joint exams between Sobu High School and Shuchi'in Academy, Ye Xing was still first.
Even in Sobu High School's cultural festival, a relaxing activity that doesn't emphasise academic ability, he was still undeniably first... second, and third too - he swept the top three positions entirely.
In what could someone like Ye Xing have failed, leading to such serious consequences?
Could it possibly be...
Love?
At this thought, Kaguya Shinomiya felt that while the idea was somewhat absurd, given Ye Xing's personality, it was entirely possible.
In the club he belonged to, apart from himself, all the members were girls; moreover, they were all lovely young beauties with outstanding looks, each with their own distinct style and unique charms.
If nothing were to happen in such a situation, Kaguya Shinomiya wouldn't believe it even if she were beaten to death.
Yet Kaguya had a vague feeling that someone with Ye Xing's temperament wouldn't view mere romantic difficulties as failures, and it was hard to imagine him failing in matters of love at all.
Then what on earth... could it be?
Perhaps this failure Ye Xing mentioned was just a spur-of-the-moment excuse, deliberately crafted to comfort her?
As she pondered, Kaguya suddenly realised something was amiss. A delicate blush spread across her cheeks as she instinctively buried her face in the pillow, murmuring to herself.
"Why am I... thinking about this guy so much... It's like I'm possessed..."
Kaguya finally snapped back to reality.
When had Ye Xing suddenly carved out a place in her life without her noticing?
When did this actually begin?
Was it when she developed Adolescence Syndrome? Or when Ye Xing came to her home today?
Or perhaps even earlier... the moment he appeared at the gate of Shuchi'in Academy?
What Kaguya Shinomiya found most unbelievable was the emergence of an emotion in her heart that she hadn't felt in a very long time.
Anticipation.
Anticipation for the next time she would meet Ye Xing.
"I clearly... had long since abandoned such things... so why..."
Kaguya Shinomiya felt her cheeks burning. Even though it was well past her usual bedtime, she felt no sleepiness at all. Unable to resist, she sat up in her bed and went to sit before the computer she hadn't opened in a long time.
Like an elderly person detached from modern times who had just encountered a computer, it took her nearly two minutes to successfully open the web browser. Her slender, pale fingers typed characters clumsily on the keyboard.
"What exactly is this NTR Dojo game..."
After hitting the Enter key, what appeared before Kaguya Shinomiya wasn't game information. Clearly, this world didn't contain the masterpiece that even Kyoto's number one eroge player would marvel at.
However...
While the game didn't exist, the term NTR did exist.
The definition that appeared before her eyes first made Kaguya freeze momentarily, then, after looking more closely, her pretty face flushed crimson. Unable to help herself, she gritted her teeth, both embarrassed and angry as she murmured:
"What kind of things has that guy been exposed to normally!?"
...
Meanwhile, at the Shinomiya main family residence.
"Um... family head..."
The bodyguard who had accompanied Gan'an Shinomiya to Sobu High School that day - clearly this Shinomiya family head's trusted confidant, who had previously been a Kengan fighter - first called out softly at the door, then remained in place waiting for Gan'an Shinomiya's permission before entering.
"What is it?"
"Well... there's an additional search record on Lady Kaguya's computer..."
"Hmm? Her computer? That's really unlike her. What was it about? It wasn't about romance, was it?"
Gan'an Shinomiya thought about how Ye Xing had visited his daughter just today. If Kaguya was suddenly searching for romance-related things on her computer this late at night, that would be a serious problem.
"No... it has nothing to do with romance..."
"That's good then."
Gan'an Shinomiya first breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't oppose such an excellent young man dating his daughter after guessing Ye Xing's true identity, if things were progressing this quickly, his feelings would inevitably become somewhat complicated.
But the next second, he noticed the complex, hesitant expression on his bodyguard's face and couldn't help frowning slightly.
"What exactly did Kaguya search for? Something that would make you hesitate like this?"
"Well... that..."
The bodyguard hesitated before carefully speaking up.
"Lady Kaguya searched for... NTR Dojo."
"Eh?"
Gan'an Shinomiya froze momentarily, unable to believe what he heard.
"What thing?"
"Family head, so-called NTR refers to..."
"Do I need you to tell me what NTR means?"
Gan'an Shinomiya wore an extremely complex expression, his breathing becoming noticeably heavier, almost to the point of choking.
How could his pure, innocent daughter, who knew nothing of the world, know such a term, let alone search for it online!?
That kid Ye Xing...
I entrusted my daughter's safety to you, not for you to develop strange fetishes for Kaguya, the eldest daughter of the family!
...
Elsewhere, in a two-storey detached house within Tokyo.
"Light, may I come in?"
Hearing the knocking sound, Light Yagami, who had been sitting at his desk doing homework, put down his book and softly replied.
"Yes, come in."
Soichiro Yagami pushed the door open and slowly entered. He glanced at the books placed before Light Yagami, a look of relief appearing in his eyes, then directly sat on the edge of the bed. After remaining silent for several seconds, he finally spoke slowly.
"Since I returned, we haven't properly talked about my resignation."
"Father, you don't need to specifically discuss it with me."
Light turned around, looked at his father, and replied with a smile.
"You must have your reasons for resigning voluntarily. As for all that nonsense in the media, I wouldn't believe a single word of it. You don't need to worry about my feelings."
Soichiro Yagami nodded, showing a faint smile.
"You're still so mature... hardly like a high school student your age. Sometimes I worry you're too grown-up, losing the youthful vitality you should have."
Light replied with a smile.
"Perhaps I'm not as mature as you imagine, and might even be quite childish and idealistic?"
Soichiro didn't respond to this remark. Instead, he restrained his smile, slightly bent forward as if pondering something, and slowly said.
"Now there's something I must ask your opinion about before making a decision."
"What is it, Father?"
"The Director of the Metropolitan Police Department met with me a few days ago, saying he wanted... me to take a position at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."
Upon hearing this, Light showed a slight smile, with a hint of joy appearing on his face.
"Isn't that good? You can continue your previous work, stay in Tokyo, and remain with your family."
"That's precisely the problem."
Soichiro Yagami looked directly into his son's eyes and said gravely.
"The position the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is offering me is head of the Special Investigation Unit, which is..."
"The Special Operations Group pursuing Kira."
At this point, Soichiro paused before continuing to ask.
"I've never asked before - what are your thoughts about Kira...?"
Faced with this question, Light seemed to be considering his answer. After a few seconds, he finally replied with a smile.
"Well... I don't really have any particular opinion. I haven't paid much attention to this Kira, but if the rumours circulating are true, then I think he's just someone who wants to make some changes to this world, that's all."
"What about the invitation from the Police Director..."
"I hope you'll accept it."
Light's attitude showed no hesitation as he said softly.
"I know you might still be wavering."
"But only by joining the investigation team and truly understanding what Kira has done, perhaps then can you make a judgment about this person."
"Besides, wouldn't it be such a waste for an excellent detective like you to retire at this age?"