Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01 during the Spirit Awakening Era

"Oh! Thank you very much then, I'm very strong! Just give me your orders! Just give me a share!" Onizuka Eikichi was a sensible man. He knew he wasn't the main force if he went alone, but he was confident he could handle helping Shinji Ikari by carrying some exorcism tools. "Come with me, let me show you the former king's mount."

“Okay! Hmm?” Shinji Ikari followed Eikichi Onizuka to the motorcycle. Shinji was somewhat surprised. A man dressed in what was supposed to be a biker outfit was leaning against the motorcycle. Shinji glanced at him; there was no shadow beneath his feet—it was a ghost! But this figure didn't seem to have the usual deathly aura. “Becoming a legend and a Heroic Spirit? This is really interesting…” To be honest, Shinji was quite surprised. Although the manga repeatedly emphasized how legendary and heroic Eikichi Onizuka's older brother was, he really hadn't expected this…

"Let's go! This time, let's protect all living beings together!"

Chapter 19 Asking

"Hmm? So this way it can be faster?" Shinji Ikari, wearing a simple helmet, felt the powerful output of the old Z2 motorcycle roaring beneath him, propelling the somewhat vintage motorcycle straight towards the mountains north of Lake Ashi.

During the ride, Shinji Ikari and the lingering remnant of the motorcycle, or rather, the Heroic Spirit, constantly provided Shinji with subtle guidance as he sped along. This guidance wasn't given through direct verbal instruction, but rather through sudden flashes of inspiration. It might be a momentary quicker shift in gear or a slight adjustment in braking, which could give Shinji a faster cornering speed. This almost hands-on teaching greatly benefited Shinji.

"Not wearing a helmet is no good habit." Shinji Ikari smirked, not bothering to say anything more. He did want to get to his destination as quickly as possible, but he wanted to arrive safely, not to throw his life away. Besides, once he got there, the presence of the police was almost inevitable. Regardless of whether he was there to help them, these guys would be happy to give him a few tickets and fine him tens of thousands of yen to liven things up after seeing him riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

"You prefer the sound of the wind rushing past your ears while riding a motorcycle? Ah~ I just want to get to my destination faster. For someone in my profession, getting there faster often means fewer deaths." It seemed like Shinji Ikari was muttering to himself, but it was clear that the Heroic Spirit attached to the motorcycle could communicate in this strange way. As for how the other party communicated with Shinji, it was a kind of sudden thought.

Clearly, the other party greatly appreciated Shinji Ikari's decision to go and rescue people, and also intended to take care of Eikichi Onizuka's junior. So, without any hesitation, he gave Shinji Ikari comprehensive guidance. It has to be said that the skills of this kind of road hustler are no worse than those of the riders who pursue speed on the racetrack!

Finally, about ten minutes later, Shinji Ikari, who wasn't riding too fast on the mountain road, arrived at the scene as dusk was falling. When he arrived, a group of police officers had already set up a cordon. These police officers were standing nervously outside the cordon. On the ground, you wouldn't know it was winter.

"Shinji! Over here! Over here! Huh? Why are you riding that kind of bike? Where's your Falcon?! Why are you riding a used one?!" Just as Shinji pulled over and took off his helmet to show his ID to the police, Izumo no Okuni started calling out Shinji's name and waving at him. However, she noticed that Shinji had changed his ride; it seemed to be an older model motorcycle...

"Okuni-nee, how is it?" Shinji Ikari bent down and crossed the police line. Several police officers saw that Shinji knew the beautiful and sexy Onmyōryō priestess, so they let him pass without asking any questions. Shinji walked to Izumo Okuni's side. The sun was about to set, and the things that were supposed to come out of the mountains might come out soon. He hadn't paid much attention to it along the way, but after arriving here, he immediately noticed that the temperature had dropped a lot.

The police outside might think it's just the cool mountain air, but for Shinji Ikari and his team of exorcists, the best description of this environment is "a chilling wind." To put it bluntly, it's not a question of what might be here, but rather how much or how big it is.

"Huh? Why did you change to a motorcycle? I was planning to ride back with you, but you changed to a used model." Izumo Okuni had a "Ha! Men! Spendthrift!" look on his face.

"Motorcycle? Take a closer look?" Shinji Ikari shrugged. It seemed that Izumo no Okuni had only been there for a short time, so he simply walked over to the policeman next to him. "Hello, I am Shinji Ikari from the Onmyōryō. This is my identification." Shinji Ikari showed his identification.

"Hey... kid, you look really young. Are you in high school?" The policeman looked at Shinji Ikari hesitantly for a few moments. "Kid... no offense, but it's not worth it for a few bucks."

"Uncle, thank you for your advice. It's a pity I'm a few years late. So, can you tell me now?" Shinji Ikari smiled and thanked the middle-aged policeman for his concern, then quickly began to speak.

"Alright, ask away." The police officer understood immediately. Shinji Ikari had been doing this for several years, so it was too late for him to say anything. He nodded and prepared to listen to Shinji's questions.

"When was the earliest related report? You can think back to when, for example, strange eyewitness accounts, or bizarre disappearances." Shinji Ikari took out his notebook to make a note. Under normal circumstances, such situations are basically caused by people who died in accidents and were unwilling to leave. They linger here and, over time, their intelligence is lost, and they begin to follow their instincts to attack humans. Eventually... as no one manages it, more and more people die like this, and it becomes such a ghostly place.

“That’s been a long time…” the middle-aged policeman frowned.

"Then take your time and tell me." Shinji Ikari nodded. See, here it comes.

“When I was very young, I heard the elders in my family say that there were mountain spirits on this mountain that would eat people, and that they all had the habit of hanging bells on their doors at night,” the old policeman said. “But I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone in the family losing anything.”

"Hmm... such a custom exists? Does it still exist now?" Shinji Ikari nodded. Able to descend the mountain? Is it a cursed spirit? The bell... is it a sound-based restraint?

"That's all. As for missing persons, the earliest one I remember was a girl named Tomoko. She was a few years older than me. She suddenly disappeared when I was in elementary school. Back then, we mobilized a lot of people to go up the mountain to look for her, but we never found her. Hey, you know, it seems like every year there are always some strange things happening, like seeing strange things in the mountains, people running in the mountains, hearing people singing in the mountains. There aren't really that many missing persons, but... you know, there are always those who commit suicide." The middle-aged policeman shrugged. "But we've already given the bodies a proper burial."

"Hmm...hmm..." Shinji Ikari quickly jotted down the information. After someone dies, the body might be important, or it might not. The first one was a woman! Then there was a series of seemingly unexpected situations. "So how long have we known about this?"

"Someone called the police yesterday afternoon, saying they saw a car overturn on the mountain, but we couldn't find the overturned vehicle when we went up the mountain," the middle-aged policeman said, stroking his chin.

"Do you know the person who called the police?" Shinji Ikari frowned. Normally, if someone is a witness to a paranormal event, they are already possessed by a vengeful spirit, making it impossible for them to report to the police. If it's a cursed spirit, well, it's probably not them who will see the police.

"Uh... I don't know her. She's from out of town." The middle-aged policeman was taken aback. He hadn't expected Shinji Ikari to be more concerned about the person who reported the crime than the case. The policeman was immediately stunned. "She's a young woman, dressed very fashionably, but she looks very panicked. There's no blood on her."

"Are you wearing red or black clothing or accessories?" Shinji Ikari continued to ask, his slightly furrowed brows giving the middle-aged policeman the feeling that something was quite serious.

"Um... um, I don't think so." After thinking carefully for a moment, the middle-aged policeman scratched his head, trying his best to recall. "The top was a white sleeveless shirt, paired with a beige short skirt. Is there a problem?"

"At least you're lucky you didn't get a red or black swan event." Shinji Ikari's words sent a chill down the old policeman's spine. "Call her, make up any excuse, and try to get some information out of her. Ask how she's been these past few days. If she's been having a lot of bad luck, suggest she go to a nearby Buddhist temple to pray and listen to the monks preach for a week. But if she's very lucky..."

"Gulp..." The middle-aged policeman asked with a serious expression, "What happens if I'm very lucky?"

“Hey, that means something has come looking for her. We have to go see her.” Shinji Ikari shrugged and said calmly.

"..." The middle-aged policeman's hands trembled as he pulled several horse racing tickets from his pocket. "I...I..."

"Got it?" Shinji Ikari nodded. That girl probably can't escape either. This policeman is already in such a state. Heh, the luck borrowed from the devil will be repaid with a life.

"Hmm..." The middle-aged policeman's forehead was visibly covered in sweat.

"Wow..." Izumo Okuni casually snatched the horse betting tickets from the policeman's hand, quickly flipped through them, and as a regular horse bettor himself, he said, "23 tickets, all correct, tsk tsk! You've probably won about 200 million yen, why are you still going to work! Oh~ right, thank you for the police badge on your forehead, without it you'd probably be dead."

"Kneel down, kowtow three times towards the mountain, and swear that you will use all the money you win here for the welfare of this region, and that you will find their descendants and help them as much as possible. Say it three times loudly." Shinji Ikari shrugged. This kind of thing wasn't hard to break, but first, you had to boost this guy's confidence. As he spoke, Shinji Ikari took a briefcase from Izumo no Okuni, took out a red candle from it, lit it, and placed it in front of the policeman.

"Good, good!" The middle-aged policeman knelt down with a thud, kowtowed three times to the mountains that had become somewhat dark in front of him, and then shouted three times what Shinji Ikari had said. Of course, this action also attracted the attention of all the other policemen.

"..." After the policeman finished speaking, the candle suddenly went out in the windless environment... The middle-aged policeman's face was contorted, and he looked at Shinji Ikari with a look of fear.

"Don't panic, take this. This is the agreement you made with them. Remember to keep it. If you ever stop, this candle will light up by itself, and then..."

"Then?!"

"Buy yourself a burial plot before the candle burns out."

Chapter 20 A Man's Sprint

"Is it okay for you to scare them like that?" Izumo no Okuni stood smiling as she followed Shinji Ikari to examine the Toyota sedan that had been covered in giant handprints before plunging off the road. Okuni glanced at the stream and woods beside them, a smirk playing on her lips. "Oh dear, oh dear... this is going to be interesting!"

It wasn't that Shinji Ikari wanted to cheat that policeman. Can you really accept money from a demon in peace? It's like paying for someone's life! Although it seems like the policeman gained nothing by doing this, at least his life was saved. And since the deed was done, it's not just about losing money to avoid trouble; there might even be some good fortune.

It was the last rays of the setting sun before sunset. Normally, it should have started to feel slightly cooler after a while, but now a gentle breeze was blowing, and to a normal person it would feel like a cold wind was blowing.

"Snap!" Shinji Ikari casually pulled a talisman from his pouch and stuck it on a tree by the roadside. The characters written in cinnabar instantly turned as red as flowing blood. Shinji didn't care. After all, this talisman was only to ensure his way back. Although he wasn't afraid of these guys causing trouble, he found it troublesome, so he stuck a talisman on a tree every few hundred meters.

"Scare them? You know that with these kinds of things, there's a certain probability of getting a little bit of ghost energy from contact. Even if you don't, just a little bit of ghost energy can make them unlucky for days. Wouldn't it be better to go back and rub some salt in their wounds?" Shinji Ikari teased the little devils with his flashlight without turning his head. Sigh, none of them can fight as well as Himuro-neechan. They're too weak. A bunch of little devils who aren't even earthbound spirits.

"That's right, oh, it looks like that." A-Guo looked at the broken guardrail not far away, and two or three policemen who kept complaining. These guys were lucky enough not to have gotten into any trouble. These police badges and national emblems are things that embody willpower and have a bit of the effect of warding off evil spirits.

“Leave the rest to us. You can go down the mountain now. Here, wash your hands and wipe your eyes with this. No matter what you see, follow the runes I stuck on the tree down the mountain.” Shinji Ikari tossed him a bottle of water containing a few locust leaves.

"You are..." The young policeman caught the water bottle, looking at the two people in front of him with a blank expression, a child and a... very shy older woman, and then asked him to wash his hands? To wipe his eyes?

"The Yin-Yang Bureau, oh~ Do you want to know more?" A-Guo took out his ID and showed it to the police. The two young policemen immediately shook their heads in unison, hurriedly started washing their hands and wiping their eyes with water, and also washed their faces.

"Everything depends on you!" The two policemen bowed to Shinji Ikari and Okuni, then turned and fled as if they were running away. After washing their eyes, they could clearly see several glittering talismans that stretched all the way to the foot of the mountain. The two quickly followed the path down.

"So it's getting dark..." Okuni looked at the rapidly darkening sky, a cryptic smile on his face, and said nonchalantly, "Good luck, Shinji-kun~" After saying that, he suddenly disappeared.

"Hey... if you want to run away, you can just say so." Shinji Ikari had an indifferent expression. At this moment, as night fell, dark clouds quickly covered the sky. It was no longer a description, but a reality. Basically, you wouldn't even know if you had your eyes open. The flashlight in your hand could only illuminate a few meters in front of you at most, no better than a candle.

"It's alright, but actually, a little light would be even scarier at this moment," Shinji Ikari said calmly. These guys were complaining about him shining a flashlight on them earlier, but that's just how it is. "Why aren't you singing? Doesn't that take away a lot of the fun?" Shinji Ikari cracked his neck, and his spiritual energy began to circulate. With a blink of his eyes, he could clearly see the environment in front of him.

In the distance, some figures seemed to be moving about, and from the nearby woods, the sounds of footsteps and clattering could be heard. Shinji Ikari's lips curled into a smile. It seemed there wasn't anything particularly dangerous here, at least not enough to create an illusion, but...

"Quite a few!" Shinji Ikari shook his head as he looked at the large group of missing limbs and wandering spirits rushing towards him from all directions. Why bother killing these wandering spirits whose spiritual power he couldn't even break through? Even if he killed a lot of these guys, the bureaucrats of the Onmyōryō would only give him a C-level mission at most, which would be enough to get rid of him. That was far from the high-level mission rewards he wanted.

"But even you guys shouldn't have the strength to overturn a car into the river." Shinji Ikari wasn't afraid. As these guys pounced on him, he gently tapped his forehead with his finger to draw a cross. Compared to talismans and Buddhist hand gestures, the cross has a similar effect, and most importantly, it requires fewer strokes! It's also cheaper!

The first evil spirit to pounce was instantly cleansed of its deathly and yin energy by the cross-shaped purification effect infused with spiritual power on its forehead. It transformed into a trembling old man, tears streaming down his face, and vanished. Following him were spirits of various ages and clothing, all purified and then dissipating. For them, they had wandered the world for far too long; their souls had been worn down to almost nothing, and rebirth was now a distant dream.

In no time, Shinji Ikari had helped dozens of wandering spirits find peace, but suddenly, the wandering spirits in the vicinity vanished.

"This thing is strange!" Whether it was because Shinji Ikari's ritual to deliver the spirits from the dead was a little too loud, or because there were suddenly many fewer wandering souls, Shinji Ikari saw a dark red pillar of light shining from afar, rapidly approaching. But for some reason, in Shinji Ikari's perception, it didn't seem like just one, but rather like a group.

"In short, we'll know once we fight!" Shinji Ikari began to mobilize all his spiritual power. Without even looking, he knew that the car covered in red handprints on the riverbank below was no longer there, because it was now transforming into the Wolf of Mount Akina. Listen to that piercing howl; without a doubt, this was the real guy who had come.

"Also, although I don't know if there are traffic laws in the underworld, if the traffic police see this, you'll have tickets plastered all over your car!" Shinji Ikari looked at the menacing ghost in the car and his eyes became serious. Although he knew many techniques that could easily deal with this thing, his current spiritual power was simply not enough to support such techniques, and it was a bit of a problem for him.

However, Shinji Ikari did not hesitate. He raised his hand and began to condense a spirit ball, then kicked it away with a "Crimson Ball Rush." ​​The crimson spirit ball shot out in a straight line like a projectile fired from a heavy cannon, tearing through the air with a shrill sound no less than the opponent's ghostly howl, and flew over with a roar.

However, the opponent was clearly much stronger than the low-level cursed spirit that Shinji Ikari had blasted away. In an instant, it swerved the steering wheel sharply. The speeding Toyota, with a maneuver that could infuriate Newton, made a sharp turn and, with a serpentine dodge, narrowly avoided the spirit ball that could have seriously injured it. But the layers of hands that stretched out from the car body were blasted in half in an instant!

However, the side of the car that the other vehicle swung at him slashed like a shovel, and the evil spirits that sprang up from the car body grabbed at Shinji Ikari like a claw.

"Tsk..." Shinji Ikari clicked his tongue as he looked at the overwhelming attack before him. "Should I call Himuro for help?"

"Oh... It's been a while since I've seen you. Has Shinji gotten even stronger? This guy really seems to have no end in sight!" Sitting in mid-air on a specially made barrier rope, with her full and alluring thighs crossed, she rested her chin on one hand and looked at Shinji Ikari fighting below with a playful look in her eyes.

Izumo no Okuni kept an eye on Shinji Ikari for two reasons. Firstly, he had thoroughly offended her on their first meeting. Secondly, she had discovered many interesting things about him. For instance, this brat had the audacity to visit the Himuro Mansion, considered one of the forbidden zones of the underworld! He had even managed to wear down a powerful, almost godlike being who had lost his mind, by repeatedly harassing him until the miasma was removed and he regained his sanity. He even called Himuro "older sister"! How shameless! But thanks to him, at least the Onmyōryō (the Bureau of Yin and Yang) was now one less forbidden zone that sent chills down their spines.

Now, the thing in front of him, formed from a confluence of resentment and evil spirits, far surpasses the concept of a typical vengeful ghost. It can even be considered a malevolent spirit, and it even has a vessel to possess it. This is not so easy to deal with. If he reports the truth, this will not only fall into the category of a B-rank mission. Although it will be troublesome, it probably won't be too difficult for Shinji! The only question is whether he can resolve the problem in a while.

Just as Izumo no Okuni had guessed, the spirit ball fired by the giant foot only grazed the ghost car and did not cause enough damage. Instead, Shinji Ikari had to face the counterattack of the evil spirit. Although with Shinji Ikari's strength, even if he was hit and did not die, he would probably feel very uncomfortable!

"Buzzing..." Suddenly a roaring sound came from afar, and a beam of light suddenly pierced through the thin layer of miasma. A motorcycle that looked like it was burning with white flames rushed through the miasma and into the room!

"Wow... really, is it true, men attracting each other?" Izumo no Okuni covered her mouth with her small hand, revealing an expression of amazement. Although there were some things on this motorcycle, Izumo no Okuni had only thought it was Shinji Ikari's motorcycle and hadn't looked at it carefully. But now it seemed that it was not like that at all! Izumo no Okuni felt her heart pounding!

The motorcycle, wreathed in white flames, made a sharp turn and stopped in front of Shinji Ikari, its headlights pointing directly at the eerie, dilapidated Toyota ahead, as if it were ready for a final, decisive battle.

"Ha..." Shinji Ikari, who had just dodged the attack with a roll, didn't hesitate and climbed on, but sat on the back seat. "This isn't an easy task for you, but with you here, it's doomed!"

The engines on both sides roared, clearly intending to launch a desperate attack on each other and kill the other on the spot.

"My palm is burning fiercely, and he is roaring, 'Let me deliver the final blow and burn everything to ashes! Blazing Finger!'" Shinji Ikari muttered in a low voice! At the same time, his aura and spiritual power rapidly gathered in his palm, and simultaneously, the front wheel of his motorcycle lifted off the ground and he charged at high speed. The oncoming ghost motorcycle roared wildly and swayed from side to side as it charged towards him!

In an instant, both sides reached their maximum speed and sprinted towards each other head-on! They were poised to collide head-on!

Chapter 21 Himuro Kirie

"What a manly battle!" Izumo no Okuni, sitting on the rope in mid-air, exclaimed with admiration, as below, the heroic spirit's motorcycle and the ghost car possessed by the evil spirit were charging head-on.

In a distance of only four or five hundred meters, the two sides sprinting together would arrive at each other's faces in an instant. At close range, the evil ghost carriage was even more ferocious, with fierce ghosts roaring all over the carriage. Just feeling the ghostly howls was enough to cause a huge mental shock to normal people, enough to make them seriously ill. As for being brushed by these ghosts... those who survived would only be left with serious illnesses.

At that moment, the motorcycle wheel swerved slightly, and the whole motorcycle spun sideways. Shinji Ikari was stunned at first, but when he saw the demon claw that had grazed his scalp, the corners of his mouth curled up. That driving skill was incredibly cool!

Shinji Ikari reached out and poked his hand into the car door next to his face. Just as he had guessed, it didn't feel like hitting a metal plate at all. Instead, it felt like he was plunging into grease. Then, following the direction of the motorcycle's high-speed gliding, his palm, burning with spiritual energy, tore a huge gash in the side of the car in an instant. Some pitch-black resentment sprayed out from it, and the amount of bleeding was enormous.

"Wow...wow! This little guy's going to be rich!" Izumo no Okuni exclaimed, watching the scene unfold. Undoubtedly, the intense resentment remaining here would force the Onmyoji Bureau to seal off the area, meaning this incident would be classified as at least a Rank B event. It looks like this little rascal is about to pocket a year's wages for an average worker?!

"Trying to run away?" Clearly, this was a bad blow to the ghost. In that instant, the ghost chariot was severely damaged, and the flames on its front dimmed. Instinctively seeking advantage and avoiding harm, it subconsciously tried to turn around and run away.

Shinji Ikari, of course, would not allow the other party to run away like that. The used ZII motorcycle, almost touching the car's position, drew a semi-circle, turned around, and suddenly sped up. Under the control of a professional racing Heroic Spirit, the speeding motorcycle closely followed behind the car, and the two sides chased each other at a speed of nearly 200 kilometers per hour on the mountain road.

The fierce mountain wind made Shinji Ikari's scalp tingle, but he could clearly feel that the Heroic Spirit residing on the motorcycle was extremely excited, obviously thrilled to be able to participate in such an event after death. Both were racing at completely unreasonable speeds, chasing each other as if there was no end in sight.

"Hey boss! Can the mountain road ahead throw me to the other side?" Shinji Ikari looked up and saw a very narrow mountain road ahead, only a dozen meters wide. At his current speed... he could easily jump into the air and fly across. As for whether he'd fall to his death... he was kidding. His second master kicked him off a cliff on the very first day of his training to cultivate his spirit! This distance was a piece of cake! Besides, he had a unique way of slowing down in mid-air!

There was no special response, but it was clear that Masaki was very satisfied with Shinji Ikari's spirit. The engine roared to full speed and then sprinted towards the edge of the mountain, with the speedometer rapidly approaching 260 km/h.

The scenery in the night had turned into a continuous expanse of black, and everything seemed stretched out. The place, which was already like a ghostly realm because of the resentment, now looked more like a distorted world. Yes, it was the kind of world where Cthulhu was giving out candy! Shinji Ikari quickly took his hands off the handlebars, adjusted his posture on the motorcycle, bent down and stepped on the motorcycle seat, ready to jump!

With a sudden screech of brakes, the motorcycle's back seat was launched high into the air, sending Shinji Ikari soaring into the sky. Looking down at the rapidly speeding demon below, Shinji laughed. The burning light on his right hand quickly coalesced into a blazing purple flame, which then condensed into a ball of light that appeared faintly in his hand before rapidly splitting into several smaller purple orbs. Shinji kicked one of these orbs, unleashing a powerful kick: "Splittering Purple Flame Bullet!"

The purple fireball, kicked away, instantly split into countless purple light spots that enveloped the mountain road below, then exploded densely on the ground! It completely covered the ghost car that had just turned the corner at full speed. The mountain road was instantly blasted apart by the exploding spiritual energy fireballs, sending rocks flying everywhere!

"Hmm!?" Although Shinji Ikari couldn't be heard shouting, Izumo Okuni, resting her chin on her hand, watched the purple flames explode on the ground with a playful look in her eyes. Shinji Ikari had actually managed to do this; this wasn't the destructive power of a simple exorcist. Interesting, very interesting. "Little brat, you really do have something up your sleeve, huh? But... the owner of this technique seems to be someone forbidden! But it has nothing to do with our Onmyōryō, hehe!" Despite saying this, Izumo Okuni still jumped out.

"Put-put-put..." The ZII motorcycle stopped beside Shinji Ikari, who had just landed. After Shinji's massive attack, his spiritual energy was almost depleted and he needed to catch his breath, but he still had some energy left, so he wasn't too weak.

"Oh! Oh! Congratulations!" Izumo no Okuni landed next to Shinji Ikari and quickly congratulated him. Basically, there were no surprises. As long as this thing was dragged back, the resolution of this B-rank disaster event was practically guaranteed. Moreover, if the remains could be brought back, the rating might even be raised.

"Didn't kill him..." Shinji Ikari sighed. Although the Purple Flame Bullet he just used was powerful, as a technique for wide-area long-range attacks, it consumed a lot of energy. However, because it was a spread attack, the attack power of a single spirit flame bullet was inevitably dispersed.

Of course, the Ghost Car, which had just been hit by a dense barrage of attacks, was now severely damaged by this blast after taking a hit from the finger. It was almost dead, and its blood flames had become very sparse. At this moment, the entire car was stuck there, unable to move.

"I must say, you bastard, you're really amazing. You managed to take care of this thing. Not bad at all~ Old Man Moth will be very impressed with you~" Izumo no Okuni landed beside Shinji Ikari, looking at him with a smile. As the thing was severely damaged, all the strange phenomena in the entire mountain area disappeared, and the rural starry sky appeared above their heads.

"It's not resolved, and it seems to be recovering. How interesting. Doesn't consuming a large number of spirits cause its own disorder?" Shinji Ikari shrugged, then reached into the small bag hanging on the motorcycle and began searching.

“Yes, how could such a thing be born in these mountains? If it weren’t for good luck, it wouldn’t have been able to complete its spiritual awakening and gain consciousness. Even if it were bound to this mountain area, it would still be a top-tier evil spirit, only one step away from becoming a malevolent spirit.” Izumo no Okuni frowned.

"This is something you need to investigate thoroughly." Shinji Ikari shrugged. What happened afterward was completely beyond his comprehension, and this incident gave him a rather deliberate feeling. Although the missing persons records were deliberately traced back to a long time ago, to be honest, which village hasn't had a few people go missing?! In this era of spiritual energy revival, life is incredibly difficult for humans.

"Leaving troublesome matters to ladies isn't what a man does!" Izumo no Okuni sat on the railing, looking at the scenery below, his gaze sweeping over a few places, a faint smile playing on his lips. "After all, these are turbulent times~ By the way, what are you planning to do with this thing! Waiting for the Onmyodo to send someone might be too late!"

"Ah! Found it!" Shinji Ikari pulled out something wrapped in layers of barrier rope. The moment Shinji took it out, the surrounding temperature dropped sharply! Upon seeing this, Izumo no Okuni immediately jumped ten meters away, and even his motorcycle roared, clearly feeling uneasy.

"You actually carry something this deadly around with you?! Aren't you afraid of dying?" Izumo no Okuni stared intently at the object in Shinji Ikari's hand. A-rank? No! The curse aura emanating from it far surpasses that! S-rank! Is this brat trying to commit suicide?

"What do I have to fear from the Divine Mirror given to me by Himuro-nee?" Shinji Ikari glanced disdainfully at Izumo no Okuni, then cut his finger and dripped his blood onto it. The barrier rope quickly dissipated, revealing a beautiful woman with a face so pale it was almost transparent. She smiled gently and waved to Shinji as a greeting, though she seemed to be suspended in mid-air by ropes. "Himuro-nee! It's been a while since I last greeted you. Did you like the offerings from last time?"

"Too sweet." Himuro Kirie, the shrine maiden used to seal the gates of the underworld, an S-rank evil spirit! Izumo Okuni, in the distance, swallowed hard and tried to shrink himself down, praying that he would not be noticed by this evil spirit. The number of high-level Onmyoji and exorcists who died in the Himuro mansion back then was proof of the overwhelming ferocity of the person in front of him. Being looked at by her would bring bad luck for a long time, or it might even shorten one's lifespan.

"Um... okay, I'll remember to put less sugar in. If the strawberry cake is too sweet, how about trying blueberry next time?" Shinji Ikari was clearly a little surprised. He made ten strawberry cupcakes at a time and sent them over through the mirror as tribute. Generally speaking, this kind of dessert should be extremely irresistible to women! How come she thought it was too sweet? She almost didn't want to drink the even sweeter milk tea last time and even returned the cup to ask for it back.

"Okay!" Himuro Kirie had a good impression of the boy who helped her regain her sanity and had been helping her find a way to seal the Gate of the Underworld, or at least make things easier for her. Naturally, she was willing to help him out.

Izumo no Okuni, standing behind Shinji Ikari, is going crazy. "You're chatting so happily with a monster! Does the Jujutsu Association even know?! And you even fed her strawberry cake! Why don't you feed her yourself?!"

"By the way, will this last for a while?" Shinji Ikari turned the mirror around, and Izumo no Okuni, who was reflected in the mirror, almost froze. Fortunately, Shinji Ikari pointed the mirror at the broken-down car, and at that moment the car obviously began to struggle wildly. The blood flames that were about to go out twisted wildly, and countless hands stretched out from the damaged car body as if trying to lift the car up and forcibly drive away.

"Can it last a week?" The barrier rope suddenly stretched out, binding the ghost car like vines in an instant, dragging it towards the direction of the Divine Mirror. As if knowing its fate after being dragged in, the ghost car frantically clawed at the ground in a final, desperate resistance.

However, without a doubt, the difference in their realms rendered its efforts completely futile. In the end, amidst a tooth-grinding sound, it was dragged into the Divine Mirror, replacing Himuro Kirie, and bound before the Gate of the Underworld as a support for the seal. Himuro Kirie climbed down from the gate, waved her hand, and took a sip of the warm tea from the tea set beside her, letting out a long sigh, "Thank you!"

"You're too kind, Sister Himuro. I'll make it as soon as I get all the ingredients. Would you like one of each flavor of milk tea this time?"

"Yeah! Thank you for your hard work!"

"Alright! See you later!"

"See you!"

Chapter 22 Get up! Time to work overtime!