As soon as Taichi heard X say that the barrier was expanding and noticed the thin fog around them, which had made visibility quite good, was thickening and spreading outward again, he knew the situation was about to get worse.
"The culprit is trying to engulf all of Tokyo," Taichi muttered.
"Why all of Tokyo?" Kotoko Iwanaga, who had chosen to be useless and wait for an opportunity, turned to Taichi and asked after hearing his muttering. "Why not all of Japan? Or the whole world?"
"I have a collaborator who is connected to all the security cameras in Tokyo," Taichi explained. "The abnormal phenomena caused by the light beams only reached the border between Tokyo and other prefectures."
Kotoko's lips parted slightly, and she fell silent. She wanted to ask more, like how he was connected to his collaborator, as Taichi wasn't wearing an earpiece. But since it involved privacy and a third party who wasn't present, she knew she wouldn't get that information.
"Do you have any strategy, 'Goddess of Wisdom'?" Taichi asked, scratching his head as he looked at Kotoko.
"None at all," Kotoko replied, shrugging helplessly. "Besides some baffling information I got from that spirit, I didn't have time to prepare anything, and the situation has already escalated to this point."
"Taichi, transform!" X suggested. "I've already analyzed some of the ways that energy layer works. With my light energy, I might be able to temporarily stop the fog from harming humans! However, this will consume a lot of energy, and we probably won't be able to transform for a while afterward."
"Akane, I'm counting on you. You guys wait for Mordred and Yukino here," Taichi said, turning to Akane. "I have to go."
Akane instantly understood what Taichi meant. She nodded silently. As Taichi suddenly ran into a nearby alley, and Kotoko stood there in a daze, Akane quietly muttered, "Come back safe."
To avoid being detected by Kotoko, Taichi used the network for his mobile transformation, emitting no light at all. The place where the data converged into X's body was... at Tokyo Tower!
"X! Let's do it!"
"Alright, Taichi, let's stop this disaster from spreading!"
Telephone card, switch!
Ultraman X, Mordred Armor mode!
To prevent anyone from trying to break into the barrier and creating more victims, it was also necessary to hide information about the interior.
"X-Barrier Dome!"
This move was originally used to contain a certain element within a specific area to prevent it from spreading. However, this time, Taichi was shielding a large area that included Shibuya and several surrounding wards.
The dome barrier took shape and rapidly contracted. He had to lock all the fog inside within a second. He also had to lock in the unidentified things Kotoko called "otherworldly visitors" to prevent the disaster from spreading.
The massive energy consumption caused X's indicator lights to start flashing red, and the flashing became more intense.
"Sorry, Taichi, from now on, you're on your own..." X turned his body into data and used the last bit of energy to put Taichi back on the ground.
"X... you go and get some rest," Taichi said, his expression strained as he slumped against a wall in a corner of a building near Tokyo Tower, in a security camera's blind spot. He looked at his phone, which was lying in his gauntlet. He wondered if X would wake up before this whole thing was over. If he didn't, things would get worse. After all, there would be no one to delete the security camera footage. The actions of Taichi and his group tonight would probably be seen by certain people.
"Hey! Taichi! How are things on your side?!" Mordred's anxious voice rang in Taichi's mind. "I suddenly felt a wave of weakness on my end. It must have been caused by the anomaly on your end!"
"Yeah, sorry. I just used up a lot of energy," Taichi explained. "Later, when my light energy wasn't enough, I had X use most of my physical strength as well. The fog has been successfully locked inside, and the disaster has been barely contained."
"Mordred, the safety of Akane Shinjo, Yukino Yukinoshita, and the newly-arrived Kotoko Iwanaga is up to you. I'm outside the barrier now and can't get back in."
"Ah, leave it to me! As much as I want to say that, I can't protect so many people by myself! And I still have to track down that Hannya-masked person!" Mordred complained.
"The new girl, Kotoko Iwanaga, can command Yokai. You can let her handle finding the culprit's whereabouts. You just need to protect them. Besides, she should leave a few Yokai behind to investigate and explore the surrounding environment, which can fill the void of having zero surveillance after X went offline," Taichi reminded her.
"Really? Well, that's great! My forte is fighting, not finding people!" Mordred said, sounding a little relieved.
To ensure that all the fog was locked inside, X had been high up, monitoring the distance between the barrier and the fog. As a result, Taichi was dropped off outside the barrier.
"Hey, are you okay?" A rather cold voice suddenly came from a short distance away. "Are you hurt?" The headlights from a car shone into the alley, preventing Taichi from seeing the other person's face, but judging by their height... they were just over a meter tall? A child?
"I'm not hurt. I just lost track of time while on a night run and ended up a little exhausted," Taichi replied.
Just as he finished speaking, Taichi felt a gentle touch on the tip of his nose, and it felt a little damp.
"Hold on." The figure turned around and grabbed something, then jogged over.
"...Here," the little girl said, her eyes instantly becoming sharp when she saw that Taichi's clothes weren't wet with sweat. But she still handed him the sports drink.
Taichi blinked and took the drink. The girl's face was difficult to see because of the backlight, but he had an impression of her hairstyle and body shape. She was the scientist who went by the alias Ai Haibara, whose real name was Shiho Miyano. He had often guessed correctly when playing silhouette games.
"Ai-kun? Are you done?" An old man's voice came from the alley entrance behind them, followed by footsteps.
"Don't come any closer!" The little girl's expression changed, and she yelled loudly with her back to the light. The raindrops began to fall as if a dam had broken, pouring down with the little girl's shout.