Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

The kendo training lasted from 7:30 to 11:30. The four hours of rehabilitation exercises had pushed Amamiya Rin's body to its limit. He sat on the ground to rest for a while, put the wooden sword back in its sheath, and returned to his ward with his cane.

"...That patient..."

"...How terrifying..."

"Another number has been added..."

"I've heard that other cities have it too..."

"...Is it an infectious disease?"

As she walked down the corridor, Amamiya Rin overheard patients and nurses whispering and discussing something.

"No way..."

Amamiya Rin's expression changed slightly as she glanced at the faces of several nurses. They looked uneasy and excited, as if they were discussing some bizarre topic.

He had seen this situation before.

It was at Morita Hospital. On the day I woke up, after my first examination and returning to my ward, I noticed the nurses whispering to each other.

Then, about ten days later, the Morita Hospital was completely wiped out.

"Could it be that a paranormal event has occurred at this hospital as well... Uh, I think I should be more confident. Kyoko Harase has been to this hospital, as have Kayako and Toshio Saeki. A paranormal event has already happened."

Amamiya Rin suddenly realized that if he hadn't sacrificed Kawakami Tomie to hold Kayako back, this hospital would have faced the same fate of total annihilation as Morita Hospital before long.

"Nurse, is something strange happening at the hospital?"

Amamiya Rin rubbed her face and walked over to a few nurses who were chatting, striking up a conversation with them.

Amamiya Rin asked very directly; he wasn't good at beating around the bush.

The nurses looked at each other, seemingly exchanging glances to see if they could speak.

"It's not a secret. Many people have seen it. Yesterday and this morning, a lot of strange patients were brought in. Their symptoms were terrifying. For some reason, their brains had melted away."

After a moment, a nurse spoke mysteriously.

"Yeah, it was terrifying! I almost threw up when I saw it!"

"I have never heard of any disease or virus that can cause that kind of harm."

"I heard that a similar case occurred in the city next door. Apparently, an entire school had its students die from brain melting."

"How terrifying, how could such a thing happen?"

Once one person started talking, the other nurses joined in, each chiming in with their own opinions.

"Has the cause still not been confirmed?"

A boy approached and asked with some concern.

"Not yet, because it's too bizarre to determine the underlying principle."

A nurse answered.

"...dissolve..."

Amamiya Rin's expression turned serious, and he uttered a single word.

Although I've forgotten the specifics, just the element of "brain melting" is enough to determine what happened.

Dissolve, Junji Ito's Dissolve series!

The man who made a pact with the devil went around apologizing, and the brains of those who heard his apology would melt. In the final installment of the series, the man apologized to everyone on the island nation at a press conference and wiped out the country in one fell swoop.

All I can say is that the cartoonists in this country are really daring. In their comics, Japan is always on the verge of destruction, sometimes it manages to be saved, and sometimes it's completely dead.

This is Junji Ito's worldview, and the ending is naturally that he dies completely.

"Brother, do you know the inside story?"

The boy in the black school uniform noticed Amamiya Rin's expression and quickly asked him.

"There's no inside story. I know and have heard similar things, but it's just an urban legend."

Amamiya Rin shook her head slightly and organized her thoughts.

"Urban legend?"

People around them turned their curious gazes toward them, urging Amamiya Rin to continue.

They also believe that brain dissolution is more likely a supernatural phenomenon, such as a curse, than a disease.

"Yes, there's a legend about an apology maniac. I heard there was a young man who apologized to everyone he went around. The people he apologized to would eventually die from brain dissolution. The only way to escape this fate was to cover your ears as soon as you saw him about to apologize. In that school you mentioned, there was someone who was so frightened that he didn't hear the apology finish and that's how he survived."

As Amamiya Rin spoke, she pondered the words.

It's really terrible that the protagonist of the Dissolve series has appeared in this city.

However, that person seemed to be just an ordinary person. Although he could dissolve other people's brains by apologizing, his body was still that of a normal person and he did not have superhuman strength.

The only thing to be wary of is the demon behind the protagonist.

That demon that can kill 120 million people in one go!

(Or maybe I should run away, escape this country... The problem is, I don't have a passport! I also don't have any memories of my predecessor, and leaving the country isn't something that can be done in a short time.)

Amamiya Rin felt extremely troubled. He knew this world was terrible, but only half a month after he crossed over, another world-destroying being appeared near him. How could he possibly withstand this?

Under immense pressure, Amamiya Rin could only return to her ward in the end, as it was lunchtime.

Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; if you miss a meal, you'll feel hungry. What he needs most right now is to replenish the energy he's used up during rehabilitation.

He had just finished lunch and put down his chopsticks when his phone suddenly vibrated.

(Whose text message?)

Yu Gonglin picked up her phone from the bedside table, opened the cover, and saw a text message from an unknown number lit up on the screen.

[I witnessed the face of the serial killer in this city, but I can't describe the whole process in this text message. However, I desperately want to stop the killer's evil deeds. If you are willing to help me, please send me your phone number. If you are not willing to help me, please forward this text message to 10 friends within three days. Otherwise, you may be the next victim...]

"Is it wrong not to share this?"

The format of the text message gave Amamiya Rin a strong sense of déjà vu.

He had encountered similar things in his past life, such as on social media and through text messages, which were mostly scams or pranks.

However, he knew very well that this time seemed to be different.

He had heard of the serial murders before.

Professor Matsuura, I heard him mention this when he was experimenting with hypnosis on Professor Matsuura last time. There has been a series of murders in the city recently, and four young women have been victimized. The only known cause of death so far is excessive blood loss, and the murderer has not yet been found.

"Excessive blood loss...a vampire?"

Amamiya Rin immediately thought of what Fujino Terumi had experienced a few days ago.

The victim was a young woman who died from excessive blood loss... What could the killer be but a vampire?!

"Tomie is modifying monsters, dissolving demons, vampires—how come so many unusual things are popping up all at once!?"

Amamiya Rin realized that his shallow meditation could no longer maintain his composure.