Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 342, The Evil Spirit in the Rain

Crack—! A deafening sound, as if space itself had shattered!

The entire Kurosawa Shrine trembled violently! The decaying beams and pillars of the worship hall emitted a sickening groan! The thick, leaden clouds in the sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, but what was revealed was not the starry sky, but a more profound and eerie sky filled with a dark green, ghostly light!

Crash——!!!
It wasn't snow! A torrential downpour, icy cold and murky like mud, poured down without warning and with fury! This rain carried a strong stench of decay and a deep-seated resentment, instantly extinguishing all light and striking everyone's hearts hard!
Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai hid under the eaves of a teahouse near the main hall of Kurosawa Shrine. Both of them leaned against the decaying wall, and Mai-senpai released a concealment barrier to hide them.

"What exactly is that?" Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but ask, "Is some ancient evil spirit sealed inside the Kurosawa Shrine? And those frogmen? Are they made from living people?"

"I don't know." Mai-senpai shook her head repeatedly with a wry smile, then looked up at the entire inner world.

The torrential rain had turned the entire inner world into a vast expanse of water, and for a moment the two of them fell silent.

Faced with this situation, no one expected it. Who could have imagined that such a powerful being existed in the inner world?
According to Mai-senpai, the underworld, which has been neglected for a long time, will have some small monsters, but they are all easy to deal with. However, what we saw today is something we can't fight against!

"Junior, do you think I'm good?" Mai-senpai smiled wryly as she showed her bow and arrows to Uesugi Muneyuki.

"Incredible!" Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but nod. The power of Mai-senpai's arrow was comparable to an RPG rocket. It was the first time he had ever seen Mai-senpai go all out. The destructive power was comparable to the Tiger and Apache!

No wonder the beings of the underworld once had the ability to change the world. It is only because modern technology and firepower have advanced that these beings of the underworld have gradually disappeared. Otherwise, the appearance of a fierce general of this caliber on an ancient battlefield would have greatly changed the course of the entire battlefield.

However, Mai-senpai has two weaknesses. First, her close-combat ability is far inferior to her ranged ability. Second, the people in the Otherworld are like glass cannons, which are very powerful but also very fragile.

“Normally, when encountering a monster of this level, what I would do is return to headquarters and request the highest level of support.” Mai-senpai nodded, saying with a hint of self-deprecation, “But now…”

“You’re the strongest right now, where are you going to get support?” Uesugi Muneyuki also felt despair.

“Strange, Kurosawa Shrine was established in 1684. It was originally just a shrine for the folk belief of the god of Gunma Mountain. Where did the rain god come from? Moreover, there have never been any problems in the rituals and traditions. Where did such a terrifying existence come from?” Senior Mai said in a low voice, “It seems that our exploration of Kurosawa Shrine will have to end here. I’m sorry, Muneyuki… even I have things I can’t do.”

"I understand." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

"The biggest problem now is, will she let us go back?"

Mai-senpai swallowed hard.

Amidst the torrential rain, the entrance to the distant Kurosawa Shrine was completely invisible, and the invisibility barrier between the two could not be maintained for long.

Rain Woman, Rain Woman… Uesugi Muneyuki looked at his glowing red azure stone, pondering what to do.

"I have a plan!"

At the same time, Takahashi and his two companions lacked Mai-senpai's ability to conceal themselves. They were immediately found by the Rain Woman. The cold, resentful rain continued to pour down, the shrine ruins twisted and distorted under the dark green sky, and the muddy puddles where Sato Kosuke had died still bubbled ominously. The remaining three were like prisoners trapped in a damp, cold hell. The Rain Woman's wet, white-clad figure hovered under the eaves of the worship hall, radiating a soul-chilling disgust and resentment.

"Use this!" Having already used up his life-saving amulet, Takahashi, seeing the situation was dire, immediately pulled out three syringes from his person: "These were given to me by the Lord! Inject them immediately!"

Misaki Nakamura was the first to receive the injection. Instantly, she felt a strange connection between herself and the other world. She raised her hand, and the raindrops beside her transformed into rows of fine needles.

I have superpowers! I have superpowers!
The shift from despair to hope happens in an instant: "You...bastard!"

Extreme fear instantly transformed into a hysterical urge to attack! She gathered all the raindrops around her and poured all her spiritual power into them without hesitation!
"Die, die, die! Disappear!" she screamed, her arms flailing wildly! Dozens of poison needles were no longer precise, cold stars, but transformed into a chaotic rain of needles shimmering with an eerie green light, shooting indiscriminately towards the Rain Woman under the eaves and Ryuzaki and Saya beside her! This was a desperate frenzy, and also a final struggle.

However, the needles, imbued with spiritual power, slowed down abruptly as they approached the dense moisture and desperate resentment surrounding the Rain Woman. The green light flashing at their tips dimmed and went out quickly, like a candle flickering in the wind!
Something even more terrifying happened!
The murky rainwater seemed to come alive! It entangled itself around the dull needles, instantly corroding and dissolving them! The needles turned black and twisted at a visible speed, eventually turning into puddles of foul-smelling, rusty mud!
"No...it's impossible!" Misaki's scream caught in her throat, turning into an incredulous sob. The weapon she relied on for survival, the one she was so proud of, was as fragile and laughable as a child's toy in this rainy world.

Backlash!

Just as Misaki lost her composure due to the destruction of her weapon, the puddle of water at her feet, soaked by the resentful rain, suddenly surged violently upwards!

Those weren't water droplets! They were countless sharp, slender "water needles" formed from murky rainwater and dark resentment! They were densely packed, like a thicket of thorns piercing out from the abyss of hell, instantly piercing Misaki's feet, calves, thighs, waist, abdomen, chest... all the way to her head!
*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!* …

The sounds of piercing, so dense they were chilling, came in rapid succession! Misaki's body was instantly pierced and suspended in mid-air like a rag doll! Her eyes were wide open, her pupils dilated with excruciating pain and extreme fear, and her mouth opened in vain, but no sound came out, only large gushes of dark red blood foam mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed out.

The "water needles" didn't disappear after piercing her; instead, they twisted and swelled inside her like living things! Her body contorted and folded at bizarre angles, defying the laws of physics, and her bones emitted a teeth-grinding cracking sound. It felt as if countless cold, damp venomous snakes were crawling and swelling beneath her skin.

Finally—the woman in the rain reached out and gently squeezed.

"boom!"

A muffled thud! Misaki's body, like a sack filled with sewage, was completely burst and torn apart from the inside by countless twisting water needles! Torn clothes, broken bones, rotting internal organs, and foul-smelling blood mixed with resentment sprayed out like a ripped garbage bag, scattering in a radial pattern onto the surrounding cold rain and decaying buildings. Only a few bloodstained pieces of cloth remained hanging from the twisted water needles, and a large puddle of filth quickly washed away and diluted by the rain. The air was thick with the sweet, pungent stench of rust and rotting internal organs. "Aaaaaah—! Misaki! Kosuke!" Kobayashi Ayako completely broke down upon witnessing this scene. She screamed hysterically, dropping the injection in her hand, and losing all her courage in the process.

In that very instant, her soul was polluted, assimilated, and distorted by the omnipresent, cold, mournful sound of the rain!
As they fled, deep within the shrine, the ancient well, long since dried up and covered in moss and snow, suddenly began to gurgle! Without warning, murky, foul-smelling water gushed out like a fountain! The turbid water, like living tentacles, clung to the slippery ground and remaining snow, silently and swiftly spreading towards the mentally broken Ayako!

When Ayako was awakened by the cold touch on her ankle, it was too late!

Wow——!
Several slippery, icy "arms" formed from well water suddenly wrapped around her ankles and calves! The force was astonishing, instantly dragging her down!
"Help! Kenta! Help me!" Ayako screamed in a shrill, distorted voice, her hands scratching futilely at the cold, slippery ground and snow, leaving deep finger marks.

Pfft!
With a muffled thud, the gushing, foul water from the well stopped instantly, leaving only a few strands of soaked hair and a torn piece of clothing hanging on the cold well rim, swaying slightly in the chilling rain. From the depths of the well, a few faint bubbles seemed to pop, then all was silent.

Kenta Takahashi witnessed the deaths of two of his companions.

No, this is not a partner at all. This is just a potential talent that he selected according to the Venerable's standards after he came to Kanto to develop his career!
The ruthless and cunning leader now only had deep-seated fear and despair on his face; all he wanted now was to survive!

He roared, as if grasping at a last straw. Taking advantage of his two companions drawing the Rain Woman's attention, he used all his spiritual power to raise more than a dozen walls to block the view, and his body suddenly fled towards the exit of the inner world! He had to leave this place! Escape this hell!

For a fleeting moment, the entrance between the inner and outer worlds did indeed open. His body was completely soaked by the torrential rain, yet as he approached the entrance, he sensed the presence of the outer world: the fresh, cool air, the scent of wood and leaves from the forest, and…

However, just as he entered the entrance, the Rain Woman, who had been hovering under the eaves as if she were just quietly "watching the show," seemed to twitch slightly on her face, which was covered by wet hair.

A colder, purer feeling of "annoyance" struck the exit that Takahashi was about to leave with, like an invisible hammer blow!

Hiss—!
It sounded like cloth being torn apart! The exit from the surface world that Takahashi had regarded as an escape route was forcibly ripped open and torn apart like a cheap curtain by the will of the Rain Woman! Revealing the even darker void rolling behind it!

"No—!" Takahashi's body was stuck in a state of being half-real and half-illusory, half in the surface world and half in the gap between the inner world. As the Rain Woman clasped her hands together, Takahashi was cut in half at the waist.

The cold, resentful rain continued to fall.

The shrine ruins were a scene of utter devastation: mud, bloodstains, filthy splattered debris, rags and hair at the wellhead…

Beneath the eaves of the temple, the rain woman's wet, white-clad figure still hovered. Thick, long hair obscured her face, and she was enveloped in moisture and despair. She seemed to slightly "turn her head," and her cold, weary gaze, seemingly containing the entire dark green sky and endless resentful rain, slowly searched for the two remaining people—Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai.

That gaze was colder than the biting, resentful rain. It seemed to silently declare: Disturbance, death. Next?
Unbeknownst to her, fog seemed to rise around her, and a very thick white fog completely enveloped the Rain Woman.

The Rain Woman didn't care. This was her world, and her heavy rain could sense everything. These two wouldn't be able to hide for long.

An absolute, suffocating silence, mixed with the stench of blood, decay, and burning souls, enveloped everything. Only the incessant, resentful sound of rain echoed through the ruins, like a death knell tolling for the dead, or a prelude for the living. Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai's nerves were stretched to the limit; in this damp, cold hell constructed of pure resentment, they became the final targets.

As expected, running away was useless.

Uesugi Muneyuki had already gotten the answer. He knew that this other world was the Rain Woman, and the Rain Woman was this other world, just like the Odaiba Building was Hironaka Mariko. If the Rain Woman didn't want Uesugi Shirama and Shirama to leave, then it would be impossible for them to leave.

This is valuable intelligence obtained by four other people using their life certificates.

However, in a head-on confrontation... even if Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai combined, they might not have a chance of winning.

But how will you know if you don't try?
Uesugi Muneyuki had a plan...

Toru Miyahara, a chain smoker, was struggling to exhale smoke. After a while, he would have to crank up his emergency inhaler to regain his energy.

But this had already achieved the effect that Uesugi Muneyuki needed. At this moment, the small area of ​​Kurosawa Shrine was completely covered by thick fog, even though it was raining heavily.

"Are you ready?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked in a low voice.

"Are you sure this will work?" Mai-senpai's expression shifted uncertainly. "If we preserve all our remaining spiritual power, perhaps we can hide a little longer or take a gamble..."

“It’s no use. Even if we can temporarily repel her, so what? We still can’t get out.” Uesugi Muneyuki said in a low voice, “Just do as I say.”

“Alright.” Shirakawa Mai paused for a few seconds, then said with a mix of sadness and relief, “I never thought we would possibly die together. It’s just a pity about Minami and the others. If you had gone missing, they would have searched the whole world for you.”

"Don't say such discouraging things. After we solve this big problem, I'm going back to Tokyo to continue solving cases, and I'll also be preparing to marry Minami!" Uesugi Muneyuki forced a smile, his gaze piercing through the thick fog and looking directly in the direction of the Rain Woman.

We have no choice but to take a gamble!

Because the quartzite is shining!
(End of this chapter)