In this crossover anime, I fight against the supernatural in my everyday world.

He turned around, looked at Tamamo who was slumped on the ground, exhausted, and reached out his hand.

"Can you still stand up?"

Tamamo-no-Mae did not choose to be stubborn; she simply took Yoru's hand and used all her strength to stand up.

Although her pretty and charming face still showed obvious signs of fatigue, she did not suffer any serious injuries and forced a smile.

"Lord Night Star... our contract terms... don't include... oh... don't include the clause that you will come to save me... you will come to save me... I am overjoyed."

"That means the contract needs to be upgraded."

Upon hearing Ye Xing's smiling words, Tamamo-no-Mae's attention was not on the simple statement itself, but rather on the way Ye Xing looked at her, which seemed to have changed compared to before.

I don't know how to describe Tamamo-no-Mae.

If I had to put it into words, Ye Xing used to always look at me with an appreciative gaze.

This kind of appreciation is not the kind of possessiveness or love that arises when you see a beautiful woman.

Rather, it is a condescending, unemotional appreciation of the ingredients by the diner.

That's why Tamamo-no-Mae has always been somewhat timid and hesitant, fearing that this mentally unstable exorcist might one day suddenly decide to eat her.

But now, it seems that Ye Xingjun has begun to truly treat her as an equal, rather than as a source of food.

In addition, there's the statement that the contract needs to be upgraded...

Does this prove that you've finally earned a place in the other person's heart?

Let's talk somewhere safer.

.......

Five minutes later, inside a residential building on the street.

"Once again, let me thank you for your rescue."

Tamamo-no-Mae bowed deeply, completely unconcerned that the gesture would reveal the glimpse of snow-white skin beneath her loose kimono.

"No need for further thanks."

Ye Xing waved his hand and smiled.

"If you really want to thank me, then let me have a bite. I haven't tasted what you taste like yet."

Tamamo-no-Mae's smile froze, and she said awkwardly.

"That...is not necessary."

"Alright, let's get back to the main point. Why did this happen?"

Ye Xing sat down on the sofa, removed the "mask" disguise, and returned to her usual attire.

Tamamo-no-Mae was about to answer when the sight of that crimson figure startled her, causing her pupils to shrink.

"Lord Ye...Lord Yexing, are you injured?"

Ye Xing looked down and saw a long, deep wound on his right arm, the flesh split open on both sides, looking horribly gruesome. Blood slid down his arm, dripping from his fingertips onto the ground.

"Oh, that? It doesn't matter."

Ye Xing waved his hand dismissively.

"I just used a power that puts a high strain on my body in order to eliminate those guys as quickly as possible, so it's normal for this to happen."

As he spoke, a layer of black flames appeared around his wound. After burning for a few moments, the thin wound healed rapidly, leaving not even a scar.

Seeing this, Tamamo-no-Mae was amazed by Yoru's strong recovery ability, but she couldn't help but feel a little heavy-hearted.

The last time... even when fighting that giant evil spirit, the opponent had never suffered such injuries.

But this time, he got injured.

Is it because they want to protect themselves?

This was the first time Tamamo-no-Mae had felt such a weak and powerless sense of guilt.

She knew now was not the time for self-pity, so she composed herself, her brows furrowed slightly as she murmured to herself.

"I don't know why, but during my routine patrol and intelligence gathering in the inner world, those evil spirits that were supposed to dissipate on their own suddenly appeared in the black mist and attacked me and my subordinates like madmen."

Tamamo-no-Mae truly didn't understand why such a thing had happened.

Judging from the feeling she got from that giant centipede evil spirit, it was the kind of creature that, while possessing immense power, had no capacity for thought and acted solely on instinct.

Logically speaking, in an area where such an evil spirit exists, there shouldn't be any other evil spirits, otherwise they would become food for the other.

But then, something so illogical happened.

Is someone targeting me?

impossible.

Tamamo-no-Mae frowned, thinking to herself that she wasn't the kind of monster that devoured all evil spirits indiscriminately. Apart from those evil spirits that acted on instinct, trespassed into her territory, and launched attacks, she basically wouldn't devour other members of her kind.

How could I have made enemies with other evil spirits?

Again.

Tamamo-no-Mae has yet to discover a second evil spirit in the underworld who possesses the same high intelligence as herself and is capable of using tactics like driving one tiger to devour another.

too weird.

"Wait a moment..."

Tamamo-no-Mae seemed to have thought of something, and her expression suddenly changed as she looked at Yoru-hoshi sitting there.

"Since you were able to come to the Otherworld to save me, does that mean that in the real world, it is currently dawn or dusk?"

"Yes."

"Could it be..."

Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly thought of a possibility that horrified her.

"This attack wasn't aimed at me, but rather to force you into the Underworld... But why force you into the Underworld when it makes absolutely no sense..."

At this point, Tamamo-no-Mae paused.

If it were just about letting Ye Xing enter the inner world, it would be meaningless for a psychic like him who can travel between the inner and real worlds at any time through a "door".

but...

Upon realizing this, Tamamo-no-Mae's expression changed, and she suddenly stood up, her tone extremely tense and urgent.

"Lord Night Star, which area's 'gate' did you enter from?"

"What happened in that unfinished building about two kilometers away?"

Seeing that Yoruichi "seemed" not to have realized anything was wrong, Tamamo-no-Mae pursed her lips, looking anxious.

"It's too late to explain."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tamamo-no-Mae transformed into her true form. However, this time, she deliberately didn't become that large, only about the size of a tiger in a zoo.

"Please allow me to carry you; let's hurry and check on the condition of that 'door'!"

As Yohoshi rode Tamamo-no-Mae and watched the scenery on both sides of the street rush by, he couldn't help but sigh.

“A professional exorcist should have a personal mount. I hereby declare that Tama is now an unofficial member of the Xyz Society, specifically responsible for letting me ride her.”

At this moment, Tamamo-no-Mae had no mind to respond to Yoru-sei's abstract words.

Dragging her weary body, she ran frantically and quickly arrived at the location of the "door" the other person had mentioned.

When they arrived at the unfinished building, what came into Tamamo-no-Mae's eyes was a scene she had already guessed, but one she least wanted to see.

Nothing at all.

open.

There is no "door".

"The 'door' has been destroyed..."

Tamamo-no-Mae transformed back into human form. Exhaustion in her body and despair in her heart made it impossible for her to continue. She slowly sat down against the wall, her face bitter.

"This concubine only knows about this one 'door'..."

Ye Xing stopped smiling and nodded slightly.

"Yes, this is the only one I know."

The atmosphere fell silent.

A "door" is a passage connecting two worlds.

As Ye Xing approached the "Gate" in the real world, Tamamo-no-Mae in the underworld was inexplicably attacked and faced the danger of death.

This is definitely not a coincidence.

Clearly, this was a pre-planned conspiracy.

The purpose is simple.

Without the "door," there would be no connecting passage between the inner world and the real world.

The other party intends to use this to trap Ye Xing in the inner world.

Normally, this wouldn't be considered a big deal.

As long as you find the evil spirit that has merged with the "gate", or wait for a new "gate" to be created, you can go back. Anyway, there is no shortage of food and drink in the inner world. It's just that there are no humans, so there is no problem in surviving.

Regardless of what was behind this long-planned conspiracy, would a powerful being capable of influencing two worlds at the same time go to such lengths to trap Ye Xing in the inner world just to annoy the other party?

No, this is absolutely impossible.

Through the dusty window, Tamamo-no-Mae saw a scarlet crescent moon appear in the sky.

For some reason, she felt that the moon in the world today was redder than usual.

It was as if dark red blood was about to seep out at any moment, creating an eerie and dangerous atmosphere.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Tamamo-no-Mae noticed that the thick black fog had somehow enveloped the unfinished building where she and Yoru-no-Shiki were.

Emerging from them were hundreds of distorted pupils and screams filled with murderous intent.

"You...can see?"