Following the trail of filthy black aura, Kawashima Toya finally arrived at an extremely remote, unfinished street ten minutes later.
The entire street looked as if it had been bombed. Ruins and debris were everywhere, overgrown with vines twisted like evil spirits.
Although it was noon, an uncontrollable chill seeped into his bones.
This sensation felt like a deadly poison trying to invade his body.
In the next second, a surge of terrifying power swelled within him, dispersing all the chilling aura.
Suddenly, Toya froze, staring incredulously at a figure as thin as a bamboo pole, nothing but skin and bones.
"Is that a ghost?"
In the distance, the emaciated but extremely tall figure slowly turned its head. Its hollow, eerie eyes stared straight at Toya, and it began to scream frantically, "You can see me? You can see me!!!"
The frantic screams gradually turned into a roar as it charged at Toya like a mindless beast.
"Reckless fool." Toya was stunned for a moment, then sneered. "If this were an ordinary world, I might have ignored you."
"But do you not see who I am now?"
As he spoke, Points of Death belonging to the evil spirit frantically appeared in Toya's vision.
It could be said that the evil spirit's entire body was covered in Points of Death; a single touch would turn it to ash.
Without another word, Toya swung Murasame casually.
The Points of Death shattered, and the bamboo-like body of the evil spirit dissipated into the air.
After dealing with the evil spirit, Toya frowned. "Trouble!"
"I shouldn't have alerted that ghost. Now the aura is disrupted."
The filthy black aura that had been clear in his vision was now disturbed by the ashes of the dissipated ghost, making it indistinguishable.
"The only certainty is that Ebina Hina was taken here." Toya looked towards the highest point of the abandoned, unfinished street. "I'll check over there."
"Evil God minions don't kidnap irrelevant people without reason."
"These lunatics would never capture someone useless."
Those who worshipped Evil Gods were madmen. Even if they weren't mad initially, they would eventually become so.
If Evil God minions caught someone useless, they would usually kill them on the spot rather than wasting time.
Ten seconds later, Toya arrived at the highest point of the street—an abandoned, unfinished building about seven stories high—and looked out.
Only after reaching the vantage point did Toya realize the anomaly of this area.
This street appeared to be an unfinished construction project, but it looked more like the aftermath of a battle.
The area was far larger than he had imagined; at a glance, it looked like a small city.
However, almost all the buildings were dilapidated, leaving only piles of rubble and broken bricks.
"This shouldn't be. Given Japan's nature, they would never waste so much space."
"What exactly happened here?"
"Forget it. I'll just find the person and leave. Why worry about this?"
Toya scanned the entire abandoned city. A completely intact skyscraper stood silently in the center of the ruins.
"It's obvious she's there. Are they betting on whether I dare to go?"
He fell silent. In such a vast abandoned city, a single intact skyscraper stood tall and majestic.
Even an idiot could tell there was something wrong with that building.
Filthy black aura belonging to an Evil God coiled around the entire structure. Under the dense black aura, the building seemed on the verge of coming alive.
With such a thick, bizarre aura, it was only a matter of time before the building gained sentience.
"Wait, they haven't gone in yet?" Thanks to the teachings of Shishou Scáthach, the current Toya was not much inferior to some Heroic Spirits.
Under his sharp gaze, he spotted three Evil God minions dragging a girl toward the bizarre building.
"Not far! I can catch up!" Toya glanced at the majestic building that seemed close at hand within the ruins and decided to pursue.
As long as he maintained his distance, he could try his best.
With that, Toya leaped from the seven-story unfinished building, landing steadily on the ground.
At this moment, Ebina Hina, who was being dragged by the three Evil God minions toward the bizarre skyscraper, felt terrible.
"What's wrong with me?"
"I feel like I'm forgetting something!"
"Why are there so many people in my head?"
Ebina felt as if her consciousness had been split into thousands of pieces, with countless frenzied "selves" screaming.
"Faster, go faster!"
"Closer, get a little closer!"
"Only by getting close to that place can we gaze upon the Holy Glory."
Ebina felt her consciousness sinking almost completely, losing her sense of self, leaving only that extreme excitement and madness.
"Ebina Hina, hold on a little longer!"
Suddenly, a single remaining light shone in Ebina's nearly submerged consciousness.