Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

The vortex finally stopped expanding and began to shrink, and the pressure Yuri was facing was gradually subsiding.

The current situation is no better than it was at the beginning, but with hope, things become much easier.

To be honest, just now, at the worst point in his life, Yuri almost felt like he saw the sunrise on the horizon, a bright red thing appearing in his field of vision, making him feel like he might be beyond saving.

If it had flesh and blood, this would be blood seeping from the eyes; if it didn't have flesh and blood, this would be mental derangement. Either way, it would look like a sign of impending doom.

Fortunately, we made it through in the end, and the so-called sunrise...

Yuri looked up at the horizon again. Although he couldn't see the sun, he could already see the orange-red clouds.

...Could it really be the morning glow?

However, what attracts even more attention are the repeating machines that are circling around the vortex, some distance away from Yuri, and following Akemi and her group in circles.

Suppressing his doubts about "what are these guys doing?", Yuri continued his work of dismantling the vortex. The vortex, which had previously been tens of meters high, now had a cylindrical spiritual block with a radius of two meters and a height of more than one meter directly below it, while the height of the vortex itself had decreased by one-fifth.

According to this ratio, the vortex should be exhausted when the height of the pier reaches about four meters. However, this calculation is not accurate. Before actually reaching that point, the vortex should collapse due to its inability to sustain itself.

In fact, it could collapse at any moment now—this time, true victory is in sight.

No new enemies emerged, no old enemies suddenly resurrected, no hidden dangers suddenly erupted, and no traitors appeared to backstab—finally, it's all settled.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Three minutes later.

"Yuri, are you alright?" Akemi's voice was a little weak and hoarse. "That was a bit scary."

“I don’t feel good at all, but at least…” Yuri pressed down hard on the spiritual block below, trying to pull himself out of the pit. He felt that he had started to move. “At least I should be able to get out on my own.”

"Don't push yourself, cough, how about we ask the spirit to help you out?" Yamanaka Yuka sat down on the ground again. "Just now, that vortex was really unstable."

Her throat didn't look very good either.

More than just unstable, when the vortex finally disintegrated, the spiritual energy that had been bound inside scattered and shot out. It's hard to say what happened to others, but Yuri, who was working hard right below the vortex, was immediately pressed into the spiritual block he had created.

"No, no, that's not necessary!" Yuri struggled to pull himself out a little—now he was stuck from his chest to his waist—"I don't need any help at all!"

Yuri believed that his active role was the main factor in the successful conclusion of the incident, and no one else could compare to him—of course, their presence was also necessary, but he had a larger share in terms of contribution—as the primary contributor to this event, he should be able to boast about his achievements instead of waiting to be rescued.

Especially because he got trapped in something he made and was rescued!

Yuri finally managed to pull himself out. Looking around, he saw that nothing had changed compared to before—which was to be expected, since the incident had just occurred at dusk, and there was no reason for the spirit to casually affect reality.

In reality, almost nothing remained. All that was left was the spirit block that Yuri had previously forged (which still had a hole drilled vertically into it). Nothing else was there—no Gate to the Underworld, no Reapers, no ghosts other than spirit binders…

"Where did that circle of ghosts that was just around me go?" Yuri asked after checking his surroundings again—or perhaps he should have asked "that circle of ghosts that was just around the vortex," but by the time he remembered that more accurate question, it was already too late.

“Of course they were blown away. If they hadn’t died from the explosion, they would be…” Mingmei’s voice was much calmer. She pointed to the hotel, “Those facing the street were blown to who knows where, and the others are probably in the hotel right now.”

in the hotel.

Yuri paused for a moment before realizing that it was because of the hotel's U-shaped structure—everyone had been struggling in the recessed area, and when the ghosts were blown away, they were facing all directions, so most of them went straight to the hotel—hopefully they had entered through the windows rather than crashing into the hotel's exterior wall.

I also wish the owner good luck and hope he can rationally deal with the small problem of having a lot of ghosts in his hotel... He seemed very uncomfortable when there were only two before, and I hope he can adapt to this situation more easily now.

"Speaking of which, why are these ghosts standing in a circle around the vortex?" Another question. Yuri had almost stopped thinking about it when he first saw it, but now that he thought about it, it must be the work of these people in front of him.

Yuka Yamanaka's expression visibly brightened, practically screaming "Praise me, praise me!" It seemed like this was a brilliant idea of ​​hers.

Akemi and Ms. Yamanaka exchanged a glance. After Yamanaka Yuka coughed and fell silent, Akemi took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Back then, after you put half your body into the vortex, we quickly figured out what you were planning to do—you intended to waste the vortex’s energy on something completely unrelated, like turning it directly into a spirit block, right?” Yuri’s good friend symbolically confirmed Yuri’s opinion.

Yuri nodded, indicating that he could continue—but in fact, while he was doing so, Akemi had already spoken again and hadn't received a reply from him at all.

“Then, it seems you can’t solve this problem easily at all—a certain bound spirit suggested we pull you out and retreat.” Akemi glanced at a certain armored spirit standing silently behind Yuka in the mountains. “I don’t think this is a good idea, but I can’t think of a solution for the time being—Yuka has come up with one.”

The little Yuka she was talking about tried to straighten her chest, and then started coughing.

“According to Yuka’s theory, the reason you can’t solve this problem is mainly because the ghosts keep pouring into the vortex, and your speed of solving it is not as fast as the speed at which the ghosts strengthen the vortex.” Akemi gestured. “So Yuka came up with a good idea, which is for the few of us to lure the ghosts away to another place—at least to prevent them from continuing to be drawn into the vortex.”

This is indeed one of the reasons, and a significant one at that. Yuri isn't entirely sure of the exact percentage either; he may need to analyze it further upon returning.

Seeing that Yuri did not object, Akemi continued her explanation, "What Yuka thought of was to establish a guiding zone—a little further away on the outside of the vortex."

“Guidance area? What does that mean?” This term is not a proper noun.

“In other words, it’s clear that the vortex’s ability to pull ghosts is divided into two stages—first, at a distance, it’s a kind of inclination to lure them in, and the ghosts are more likely to sleepwalk towards it on their own, without any real attraction.” Mingmei paused and pressed her throat. “Second, in the very close area to the vortex, the ghosts will be sucked in directly and torn apart.”

“That’s right.” This was also Yuri’s personal experience—before stepping into the vortex, Yuri felt almost no suction, and he imagined that the spirits were in the same situation.

If this vortex were a physical entity, say, air, it would certainly create complex chain reactions with other surrounding entities, making it impossible for it to have no impact on the outside world (but Yuri couldn't immediately calculate what those impacts would be). However, since it doesn't actually possess a physical form, it would have almost no interference effect on the outside world.

...Strange, should it behave in this way? Is there no spiritual air in the twilight?

Regardless, this is a fact, Yuri nodded to confirm Akemi's words again.

“If a ghost reaches the vortex, even if only a finger gets inside, it’s unlikely we can stop them from fully entering—these low-level ghosts attracted here don’t have your strength, and expecting them to resist the vortex’s pull is almost impossible.” Akemi raised a hand, and Yuri looked puzzled before realizing the gesture was directed at a sin-devouring girl who had repeatedly opened her mouth to speak. “So, this is the method Yuka suggested—by creating another attractive object at a distance outside the vortex, we can stop the ghosts from entering. In other words, we intercept the ghosts that are jumping into the vortex midway.”

Yuka Yamanaka stopped what she was doing and started listening again—it was just a guess, Yuri was a little suspicious, she was eager for Akemi to talk about the parts she was involved in.

“This guide ring isn’t anything special in shape; it’s just easy to draw on—” Akemi glanced around. “The talismans that were hastily drawn on the ground are almost completely destroyed, but you should still be able to see some traces.”

If you look closely, you can indeed see a few white marks, which should be lime powder.

"Where did the lime powder come from?" Yuri asked immediately.

“One of the things I always carry in my pocket is the chalk I borrowed from the classroom—it’s quite useful for making marks on rough surfaces—” said the thief who infiltrated the school. “Anyway, the important thing is not what I used to draw it, but that after Yuka directed me to draw it and complete the spirit infusion, it did indeed guide the ghosts forward—making them walk around this circle.”

"Like the eerie wind in the funeral home?" Yuri recalled what he had encountered back then—he found the chapel by following the eerie wind, and that's how he officially got involved in this matter.

Akemi paused for a moment, and Yamanaka Yuka immediately chimed in, "That's right. Of course, it would be better to plan using architecture, but, well, in this emergency, we'll just have to make do with what we have.

Did she just make a strange sound? Like the kind of sound someone makes when their throat is so dry it's hoarse?

"Ahem, ahem, in short, this method isn't perfect; some ghosts still slipped through. Fortunately, we managed to catch most of them." Yamanaka Yuka summarized her words, then gestured for Akemi to continue.

"Yes, at the same time, Yuka was also guiding these ghosts by singing—Mr. Fuling was also helping in his own way, although it was a bit rough, but he made sure that not too many ghosts left the group." Akemi glanced at Fuling again.

Yuri began to reminisce—he hadn't heard any of Yamanaka Yuka's singing, but he seemed to vaguely remember the action of binding the spirits... This action should be... using a weapon to drive away the departing ghosts?

“Singing? Singing can guide…” Yuri started to say, then suddenly remembered, “…a lament?”

"Is that the name of this ability?" Akemi shook her head. "In any case, it's not an ordinary song; it carries a power that can influence the actions of ghosts."

Yuka Yamanaka nodded smugly; it seemed Yuri hadn't guessed wrong.

"In short, your battle with the vortex lasted for about half an hour, and we were circling around it for about the same amount of time. Thank goodness you managed to take down the target in time." Akemi sighed, "Otherwise, I think either my leg or Yuka's voice would have been in trouble."

Judging from their current performance, Yuri would bet that the first problem to arise will likely be the voices of the Sin Eater girls.

"Then why did your voice sound like that at the beginning?" A trivial question. "Although you've recovered now... it wasn't you who was making the noise, was it?"

"I'm the one who's always exercising, can't you understand how much energy a delicate girl would expend carrying someone and running around in the middle of the night?" Mingmei glared at me. "This is all thanks to someone—don't pretend nothing's wrong, there's still a lot to deal with later!"

Yuri didn't object to the rest, but where was the frail girl? Was she the one sitting on the ground?

192 Ending

There are still many things to deal with.

First, the most obvious problem... but of course, not the easiest one to deal with.

What should we do with this spirit matter block?

It looked rather murky. This spiritual object that Yuri created on the spot, regardless of anything else, had a hardness somewhere between a piece of candy and wood—which is why Yuri was able to be embedded in it instead of being flattened onto the spiritual block.

Yuri did not have a method to create different kinds of spiritual matter, but if he had a choice, he would definitely choose the most irretrievable kind to create, so as not to be swept back into the vortex.

“The state of the Netherworld Gate below is very strange. I can only say… it’s not particularly stable.” Yuka Yamanaka pointed to the ground below the spirit block. “It didn’t open, but it didn’t disappear immediately either. Instead, it’s stuck in the middle.”

Yuri inquired specifically about what the "middle position" meant, and after summarizing the responses he received, he concluded that "in this place where the barrier between the material world and the underworld is quite thick, the Reapers attempted to open a gate to the underworld—but failed."

That's right, although not exactly the same, just understand the harvester's behavior as trying to dig through the wall—he digs fiercely, damaging the wall, but ultimately fails to make the hole.

Now, this "strange gate to the underworld" below is a trench dug by the Reapers. It failed to connect the two worlds, but if someone wants to open a door here, it will be much easier than before, since the Reapers have already done a large part of the work.

“Then, this spiritual block… I really wanted to say it would act as a plug, but it doesn’t.” Yuka Yamanaka took a breath. “If the gate to the underworld were really opened here, ghosts would always find a way in… or out.”

In other words, this thing is completely non-recyclable waste.

"Can you restore the barrier to its original strength? And add a few more bricks to this obstacle?" Mingmei tried hard to understand the process. "Will this cause any problems?"

"The answer to the first question is no, I don't have that ability, at least not yet—as for the second question..." The Sin Eater girl thought for a moment, "This place is more likely to be haunted, that's about it."

Very well, considering that this matter seems difficult to resolve but not very threatening, Yuri suggests starting to consider the next thing.

What was the next question again?

The spirit-binding creature raised its hand and pointed to the inn.

Yuri looked in the direction the finger was pointing and saw an open window...

It seems to have been opened when I jumped down with Yuka Yamanaka.

Oh no, those damn hunters are still there!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The group rushed to their previous room, with Fuling leading the way and then indicating that there was no threat.

Yuri then entered and immediately stopped at the door, blocking the other two people outside.

Although they shouldn't be disturbed by the scene, Yuri instinctively felt it was best to keep them away from it.

Squat down and touch Hirosaki and Anzai's necks with your hands.

There was no movement.

Before crouching down, Yuri noticed that something was wrong with the two of them. They weren't even rising and falling their chests, nor were they reacting to the person who came in. Moreover, their wide-open eyes looked like their pupils were completely dilated.

From any perspective, these two people are already...

"They're dead?" Mingmei asked directly from behind. "When did this happen?"

"I didn't know. I didn't notice at all until I saw this scene," Yuka Yamanaka responded.

This scene seems so familiar.

"I was just being presumptuous to worry about your mental health," Yuri said, standing up dejectedly. "There was no blood, no obvious external injuries, and the signs of struggle weren't very clear—maybe it was suicide by poisoning."

"Taking poison? Are you sure?"

“No, I was just saying. A proper examination would require magic.” Yuri looked towards the side of the house near the window, where the spirit was examining another person.

It took a long time. If it were just to confirm death, it wouldn't have taken this long. Did you find anything?

A little while later, the spirit turned around, presumably having finished its inspection.

"Well, Mr. Fuling, what did you discover? Is there anything different about Zhongdao's cause of death?" Yuri simply asked directly, since he didn't speak up.

“Zhongdao is not dead, but he is already an empty shell.” The spirit made way for Yuri, who rushed forward in a hurry. “Without a soul, even if it can be restored, it is nothing more than a walking corpse.”

"He can recover?" Yuri's first reaction was actually to silence him. Did he want to wait for him to go back and report the crime, which would bring in the next batch of hunters? Then he heard the second half of the sentence, "About how badly is this walking corpse?"

“Lost in thought, without mind or memory, unable to move, unable to communicate…” Yuka Yamanaka recited, “To put it bluntly, if you give him food he will eat, but if you ask him a question he will not answer, and his behavior pattern is somewhere between dementia and madness.”

Well... it seems there's no need to silence them. If there's anything that can be asked under these circumstances, a thorough investigation will likely uncover it.

“When exactly did they become like this? I wasn’t there at the time—” Akemi pulled Yamanaka Yuka back, without going inside, and peeked into the room to look around. “Although I saw it on the security camera, it’s really shocking to see here in person—did you go too far when you retaliated?”

It seems that the idea of ​​"taking poison" is not very popular.

“I think the situation in the middle path is very likely the result of being impacted by a spiritual storm when the soul is unstable.” Yamanaka Yuka continued, “These hunters tried to bind the spirits to themselves, and they have succeeded—so when the spirits were pulled away again, their souls were also damaged—under such circumstances, being impacted by a spiritual storm could very well result in this situation… I have seen such cases.”

"Can damage to the soul manifest in the body so quickly?" Mingmei pointed to the two figures at her feet. "I don't think this kind of damage could kill so quickly. How did they die?"

The sin-devouring girl looked at Yuri without hesitation.

"What kind of look is that? I really didn't kill anyone—I paralyzed them so they couldn't move, that's true, but I didn't kill anyone!" Yuri immediately began to defend himself. "After being hit by my move, Hirozaki was still trying to communicate with Nakamichi over a distance, you heard that too, he wasn't dead at that time!"

"Is it possible that the power of your spell increased over time, gradually weakening them, and finally... you said the spell paralyzed them completely? And then, because the spell's power increased, they... suddenly died?" The high school girl, a mediocre detective, speculated. "See, that also fits the characteristic of no external injuries—"

"You—" Yuri almost choked on his breath, if he needed to catch his breath.

"Okay, don't be in such a hurry—where's the walkie-talkie? We have surveillance cameras, and although we might not be able to see everything from here, we can at least ask around."

Only mediocre detectives check surveillance footage; real detectives don't rely on it to get things done!

Yuka Yamanaka pulled a walkie-talkie out of her pocket. "It's here, but there's been no sound after the spirit field dissipated. Is that normal?"

"Huh? Let me see?" Akemi took it. "Oh, nothing's wrong, it's just that this switch was turned off. It must have been from a bump. I'll turn it back on now—cough, can you hear me?"

"Yes." It was still that masked voice. "What's the situation on your end? When you left the room, I couldn't see you anymore—although the signal suddenly came back after a while, the walkie-talkie seemed to be malfunctioning, and I didn't dare to leave here to look for you."

"It's all sorted out, we're safe now—but the situation was a bit urgent at one point, so I didn't have time to specifically notify you... When there was no signal, were your surveillance cameras still functioning properly? If so, could you check for me when the person inside the house, the one lying by the door, stopped moving?"