"Chains."
With this softly spoken word, a several-metre-long black chain materialised in Ye Xing's hand.
"You've mostly fought one-on-one before," Ye Xing continued his professional exorcism guidance for Miko, smiling faintly. "The most evil spirits you've faced simultaneously were just four."
"Long blades work well against few enemies, but in situations like this, they can't provide both offence and defence."
His smile suddenly vanished as he said calmly, "Get down."
Before Miko could think, both she and her Hyakume were pressed to the ground by Hachishaku-sama's hands.
The next instant, Ye Xing swung his black chain with such speed it left afterimages and tore through the air with a sharp whistle.
Whoosh!
Like playing a Dynasty Warriors-style crowd-clearing game, any evil spirit touching Ye Xing's chain instantly dissipated into black smoke.
Having already consumed thousands of evil spirits, the concentration of evil spirit power within Ye Xing had reached astonishing levels.
While Oda Noto's free longsword was excellent, how could its attached Spiritual Power compare to Ye Xing's high-density evil spirit power condensed into black chains?
In less than three seconds, Ye Xing's chain swings had already claimed over a dozen evil spirits.
Yui took this scene relatively calmly, having witnessed Ye Xing's exorcism prowess before.
But behind her glasses, Rio Futaba's eyes widened with disbelief at the spectacle.
How was this... completely different from the scenes she'd seen in movies?
In all those supernatural films, when protagonists faced hordes of enemies, they'd have to fight while retreating, sustaining severe injuries before making a desperate counterattack.
At the very least, there should be some back-and-forth, with both sides exchanging blows in a deadlock.
But now...
Why did it seem like Ye Xing was slaughtering these terrifying evil spirits so thoroughly that they couldn't even lift their heads?
Watching the evil spirits and spectres cowering on the ground, trembling as they dodged the sweeping black chains, Rio Futaba could barely maintain her composure.
Just who was the real evil spirit here?!
This was absolute carnage, complete madness.
After a few more seconds, any evil spirits too slow to react or too large to crouch had already dissipated into smoke under the black chains.
A force of nearly a hundred evil spirits and spectres had been reduced by half in less than seven seconds.
And this was just the beginning of the battle.
"You can stand up now."
Ye Xing dispersed the black chains in his hand and spoke to Miko Yotsuya, who was still crouched on the ground.
The latter stood up, looking at the evil spirit forces that had already been halved in number. Even though she'd expected this, she couldn't help being shocked.
What era is this, still doing traditional exorcism?
Why not try this new version where you kill five per second, loot equipment freely, and infinitely devour to grow stronger?
"Let's go, Hyakume."
Having resolved to fight the evil spirits, Miko naturally wouldn't choose to slack off now.
As a psychic like Ye Xing, she needed to do what she could.
"Alright."
Hyakume shared Miko's thoughts. Human and spirit stepped forward simultaneously, charging towards the evil spirits ahead.
Miko's first target was a tall, emaciated evil spirit wearing tattered sackcloth.
Swish!
Her golden pupils showed not a trace of hesitation as her longsword flashed out, severing the creature's head from its neck.
Without pause, Miko immediately reversed her blade and stabbed straight through the fallen head, watching as it dissipated into black smoke.
"Hmm, not bad."
Watching Miko's movements, Ye Xing nodded approvingly, commenting as if he were merely an observer.
"Quite similar to my style."
Though there were minor differences in execution, Miko's swordplay fundamentally mirrored Ye Xing's approach.
Aim for the head—maximum effect with minimum effort.
First strike decapitates, second strike finishes.
Limited by her physical abilities, Miko's movements weren't as swift or clean as his.
Yet, to have progressed this far in just half a month since awakening her Soul Materialisation spoke volumes about Miko's talent.
"Left."
At Hyakume's warning, Miko understood instantly. Without even turning her head, she thrust her sword to the left.
An evil spirit attempting to ambush and bite her found its gaping mouth perfectly impaled by the sharp blade. After emitting an incomprehensible, shrill howl, it too dissipated into smoke.
These were Miko's two greatest talents.
Her extraordinary mental fortitude enabled her to overcome fear in her heart, even before her mind could react. She could suppress her body's instinctive flinching and counterattack the evil spirits.
The other innate ability of Miko Yotsuya was her Soul Materialisation, Hyakume.
Though their vision wasn't shared, their hearts were connected.
With nine eyes now—including one that belonged to the Slaughter Demon—Hyakume's field of view had virtually no blind spots.
A single word of warning from her, and Miko would instantly understand, ensuring that even if an enemy exploited an opening, she could compensate with the fastest reaction.
Miko of the Mystic Eyes, a professional in exorcism.
"Mi… Miko Yotsuya is actually this strong?"
Watching Miko's gallant, unwavering combat stance, Rio Futaba was stunned once again.
Her impression of Miko Yotsuya had been that of a reserved girl, one whose expressions were sparse even when she smiled—almost like she had a poker face.
Who would've thought that beneath that unassuming exterior lay the ability to confront those eerie entities head-on?
So, after all this time…
She was the only one in the Society left in the dark?
As Miko swiftly dispatched two evil spirits, Ye Xing gave a slight nod. It was a shame, he mused, that the weapons he forged from condensed evil spirit aura could only be wielded by him.
While the key to slaying evil spirits lay in whether the wielder was a psychic, that didn't mean the weapon itself was irrelevant.
The spiritual object Oda Noto had provided—one that repelled ordinary evil spirits and spectres just by being present—was middling at best.
Below that were items that could only drive off weaker spectres, utterly useless against evil spirits, or outright fraudulent talismans like the ones the old man had initially sold him.
What, then, constituted a truly powerful spiritual object?
One that could make evil spirits and spectres dissipate upon mere contact—or even proximity.
But according to the old man, such treasures were exceedingly rare.
At the very least, they'd have to be something like an ancient general's sword or an item carried by a genuinely powerful psychic for a lifetime to achieve such an effect.
Of course, Ye Xing only half-believed the old man's words.
After all, he wasn't a real exorcist—just a half-baked amateur who could barely catch glimpses of evil spirits and spectres, unable to even perceive the truly terrifying ones.
"Hah… hah…"
After cutting down two evil spirits in succession, Miko's breathing grew noticeably heavier, and a sheen of sweat formed on her forehead.
Though she trained diligently, she was still bound by human limits—unlike Ye Xing, whose physical abilities grew with every evil spirit he devoured. There was simply no comparison in stamina.
Now, Miko finally understood the words Ye Xing had once told her.
Humans have limits.
No—psychics have limits.
Millions, no, tens of millions of evil spirits and spectres roamed this world.
Yet, as far as Miko knew, only she and Ye Xing could face them directly.
In such a situation…
Would the day of victory ever truly come?
"Don't lose focus."
Ye Xing's quiet warning struck Miko's mind like thunder, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Her pupils contracted in alarm. What had just come over her?
Logically speaking, she had long honed mental resilience far beyond that of ordinary people under the terrifying gazes of evil spirits and spectres.
Now that she had awakened Soul Materialisation and gained the ability to fight against evil spirits, it should have been a great advantage.
So why had she suddenly felt an abyss-like despair just now?
As Miko Yotsuya regained her senses, she finally heard the bizarre flute sound in her ears—like a hundred ants gnawing at her heart—that made her entire body extremely uncomfortable.
She raised her head and saw an evil spirit not far away holding a long flute to its mouth, playing it.
"This is..."
Miko's expression changed. This time, she had actually encountered one of those strange monsters from ghost stories that could captivate people's souls with the sound of musical instruments.
Indeed.
Compared to Kyoto in the Reverse World, the surface world was too safe.
Just as Ye Xing had said, in the surface world, when a battle began was actually up to Miko herself.
As long as she could control her fear, she would always hold the initiative.
But the evil spirits in the Reverse World were more powerful and didn't need to confirm the "being seen" condition, because anyone who entered the Reverse World could see them. Thus, they could attack—or even ambush—at any time.
Just as Miko was thinking this, she suddenly saw Ye Xing flash forward, instantly appearing before the flute-playing evil spirit.
"Playing, playing, won't you ever stop playing?"
Bang!
Ye Xing directly slapped out with his palm, pressing the evil spirit's head—along with the flute in its hand—straight into the ground.
As if not yet satisfied, he followed up with several more kicks, forcibly stomping the evil spirit's entire body into the dirt until it dissipated into black smoke. Only then did he clap his hands with lingering regret.
"Too fragile."
Then, Ye Xing turned to the group of trembling evil spirits and spectres intimidated by his violent actions, wearing a kind smile as he softly spoke.
"There's something I've always wanted to try."
As his words fell, a black, serrated ring had already formed in his right hand.
"Evil spirits don't feel pain."
Ye Xing charged straight into their formation, targeting the largest, most terrifying one—nearly four meters tall, like a mountain of flesh, clearly the most dangerous evil spirit. His face wore a warm, charming smile, but his hands showed no mercy.
"Roar!"
At first, when the serrated ring cut into the evil spirit's body, it still had the strength to let out a loud, pained roar and even swung its right palm like a fan, trying to swat Ye Xing away.
But...
The evil spirit looked at its smooth, clean right wrist.
Where's my hand?
Ye Xing had severed its right hand so quickly that the pain was delayed by a full second before the evil spirit felt it.
"Hisss!!!"
"Aaargh!!!"
Nearly a minute later, that evil spirit had been whittled down to almost nothing.
The other evil spirits and spectres wanted to rush in to help, but seeing Ye Xing—who resembled a demon from hell as he relentlessly carved away with that kind smile, eyes brimming with excitement and madness—they all froze in place, not daring to advance, even taking a few steps back.
"Refreshing."
Ye Xing straightened up, looking at the evil spirit lying on the ground—dismembered and barely alive—before exhaling deeply in satisfaction. He uttered words that left Miko Yotsuya, Yui Yuigahama, and Rio Futaba utterly baffled.
"The Reverse World... is truly wonderful."
This Reverse World, teeming with evil spirits...
Wonderful?
Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba exchanged glances, their eyes filled with incomprehension.
Even for Ye Xing—someone often prone to eccentricity, a born abstract saint—this statement ranked among the most absurd things he had ever said.
Yet, for some reason...
Miko faintly understood the meaning behind Ye Xing's words.
In the surface world, evil spirits weren't nearly as strong.
Ordinary evil spirits would disintegrate upon contact with the black mist condensed from the evil spirit power that Ye Xing wielded, leaving no trace behind.
But the massive, mountain-like evil spirit just now, despite being sliced apart by the ring in Ye Xing's hands, had still managed to endure.
If such a being existed in the surface world, it would undoubtedly reign as a dominant force.
Ye Xing relished the process of slaughtering evil spirits.
Yet most of the time, there was no "process" to speak of—he attacked, the evil spirits died or were devoured, and it was over in an instant.
Finally encountering an evil spirit strong enough to withstand him... for Ye Xing, that really did seem like a joyous occasion.
Wait a minute—
Miko's pupils abruptly contracted in shock.
She... was actually starting to vaguely comprehend that guy Ye Xing's thoughts?
Oh no, oh no.
To Miko, this was even more terrifying than seeing ten thousand evil spirits at once.
Had she... been assimilated by Ye Xing?
Becoming some kind of abstract, comedic girl...
No way!
"Hah..."
Ye Xing slightly parted his lips and, in a motion all too familiar to Miko, swallowed the barely alive evil spirit whole.
Then, he did something that left even the members of the Society—and even Hachishaku-sama—utterly bewildered.
Ye Xing raised his head, his gaze piercing through the dozens of evil spirits before him, landing squarely on the female ghost in a kimono standing at the back. Slowly, he spoke.
"This is the full extent of my strength. There's no need for further testing. Shall we discuss serious matters now?"
After a brief silence, the kimono-clad ghost covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.
"How amusing. Truly amusing."
The evil spirits instinctively parted to either side as the female ghost floated forward without touching the ground.
"Since you've seen through it, this one shall no longer conceal the truth."
"This one is... quite satisfied with the power you've displayed."
Yui Yuigahama and the others were dumbfounded.
What was happening now?
Just moments ago, they had been locked in brutal combat—how had things shifted to casual conversation, as if discussing heroes over wine?
Besides...
What could evil spirits and humans possibly have to talk about?
Wait—
From a distance, Yui Yuigahama suddenly thought of a startling possibility. Her voice dropped to a whisper, her small face filled with shock as she turned to Rio Futaba beside her.
"That female ghost... couldn't possibly have taken a liking to Ye Xing, could she?"
Rio Futaba frowned slightly and waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't be ridiculous. How could—"
Mid-sentence, she paused.
Actually... that might not be impossible.
In those legends and stories, weren't there always records of beautiful female ghosts who fed on the vitality of handsome young men?
Though Rio Futaba was reluctant to admit it, she had to acknowledge.
Ye Xing's appearance was truly exceptional.
And he was still a high school boy!
Wasn't this exactly the kind of prey female ghosts most desired!?
"No, absolutely not!"
Rio Futaba, terrified that Ye Xing might lose his reason, forced down her fear and hurried over to him.
She looked at the evil spirits in the distance and the kimono-clad female ghost right before her eyes. The fear she had barely suppressed resurfaced as she cautiously hid behind Ye Xing, gripping the hem of his clothes with both hands. Though her voice still trembled, her tone was firm.
"Ye... Ye Xing, you mustn't be tempted by her! She... she wants to drain your vitality!"
Hearing Rio Futaba's sudden outburst, Ye Xing was momentarily stunned before replying with exasperation.
"No, wait—do you all have some weird misunderstanding about my preferences?"
"Last time it was Hachishaku-sama, now it's this ghostly lady."
"Let me reiterate: I'm a gentleman of principle. Ghostly women are absolutely not my type!"
Rio Futaba's accusation about the ghost draining men's vitality also seemed to offend the kimono-clad spectre.
Her elegant, dignified features twisted slightly as her embroidered brows furrowed. She spoke softly, her voice a gentle complaint.
"Little girl, that's quite the unfair assumption. Do I look like some petty spirit who would resort to such underhanded tricks just to steal a bit of vitality? You insult me."