Whose personality mask's power comes from the heroic spirit?

Looking at the time, it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon, and Kurosawa Mika was a little hesitant.

"It's almost time for the devil."

"I will leave before then." Iwanaga Kotoko replied with a smile.

"If that's the case..." Kurosawa Mika thought for a moment, and recalling the remuneration that Iwanaga Kotoko had agreed upon before, she still couldn't resist the temptation of money.

"Well, Akane-chan, could you please go to the hotel next door and tidy up the three rooms I booked earlier?" Iwanaga Kotoko looked at Shinjo Akane and asked, "I hope there will be a soft bed to rest on when I come back."

"Don't be so mean." Shinjo Akane warned, "Be careful or your already bad reputation in the industry will be ruined."

"Hey."

Sitting in Kurosawa Mika's car, Taiyi looked helplessly at Iwanaga Kotoko who was sitting in the back seat after seeing that she had reminded him not to come to Fang Xili's reservation list for today.

The little girl was laughing like a weasel seeing a lone chick.

The main point is to carry out bad intentions to the end.

……

The sun goes up the mountain, and the water cages.

There is a long-abandoned parking lot nearby.

There were fallen leaves everywhere, and no sign of anyone staying there.

Kurosawa Mika parked the car in the parking lot.

"There is a long-abandoned hot spring hotel on the west side, but the road up the mountain was blocked by a landslide a few years ago. However, there is a pond on the east side of the hot spring hotel, and a water cage bridge over the pond can lead to the mountain. Near this parking lot, if you climb up a little, you can see an abandoned cable car station. Although the station line is abandoned, it is a shortcut that leads all the way to the area near the top of the mountain - Yugong." Kurosawa Mika introduced to Taichi and Iwanaga Kotoko after turning off the engine and parking the car.

"Where do you plan to start?"

"Although I really want to start exploring from that hot spring hotel, for your peace of mind, let's start walking up along the cable car line." Iwanaga Kotoko said to Kurosawa Mika with a smile.

"But, although I've heard about this place before, it's really desolate here." After getting out of the car, Iwanaga Kotoko stretched her arms and legs, looked around for a few times, and shook her head helplessly, "This is obviously a place suitable for monsters and ghosts to survive, but there is not a single monster to be seen here."

"Well, after all, this mountain is dominated by vengeful spirits." Taiyi looked up at the mountain in front of him and his eyes narrowed slightly.

There was a foul smell in the air, but this smell inexplicably made Taiyi feel somewhat happy physically and mentally.

However, the mountain within sight, with its back to the sun, seemed to be surrounded by a layer of faint black light.

[“It’s a bad feeling.” Mordred’s voice sounded in the internal meeting. “If I had a body, I’d probably have goose bumps all over my arms right now.”

"It's a bit like a 'barrier'." Minamoto no Raikou murmured, "But the way this barrier is formed... makes people feel uncomfortable."

"Eh? Ah... well, what Mordred and Raikoh say makes sense." Jeanne felt that if she didn't say something, she would seem out of place.]

Chapter 31 Kurosawa Mika wants to scold

The abandoned cable car line is surrounded by overgrown weeds.

Logically speaking, mosquitoes should be frequent in places with such overgrown weeds.

But after walking for such a long time, not to mention the shadow of an insect, even the sound of an insect could not be heard.

You can only vaguely hear the sound of flowing water hitting rocks and the friction of leaves in the wind.

"The cable car relay station is not far ahead. If you walk west along the relay station, you will pass through a forest and see an abandoned shrine." Kurosawa Mika glanced at the time on her watch, looking a little nervous. "It's getting late. Why don't we stop here today and I'll take you around the mountain tomorrow?"

"What's that tunnel over there?" Kotoko Iwanaga asked Kurosawa Mika, pointing to the slightly eerie dark tunnel to the west.

"I heard that the original intention was to open a tourist route to the top of the mountain, but because of frequent accidents after the construction began, coupled with the continuous disappearance of people, the construction was stopped and the road itself was blocked." Kurosawa Mika replied in a hurried tone, "Time is really running out, let's get out of here quickly."

"Iwanaga." Seeing that Kurosawa Mika was about to cry, Taichi reminded Iwanaga Kotoko, signaling her not to really scare Kurosawa Mika so much that she would not dare to bring them here again.

After all, there are not many people who are familiar with the internal facilities of Rishang Mountain and are cautious enough not to commit suicide.

"Okay, okay." Kotoko Iwanaga took her walking stick from the tree beside her, shook it, then turned around and walked down the mountain.

"I'm sorry, Iwanaga just has a bad personality, but she doesn't have many bad intentions." Taichi explained to Kurosawa Mika somewhat embarrassedly.

"I've heard of it, too." Kurosawa Mika showed a relieved look on her face, "After all, Miss Iwanaga is still very famous in the circle."

Although mostly negative.

When the devil's time came, Taiyi and the other two just returned to the starting station of the cable car line.

Looking in from the window of the departure station, there were several figures clinging to the window, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Something like mist began to gradually appear in the air.

[“What a refreshing feeling! My body is starting to feel more solid!” Mordred shouted in surprise.

"With the same feeling, if we stay a little longer, it is not impossible for the bodies of the three of us to materialize in the real world." Minamoto no Raikou added.

"But there is a hint of hatred in the air, which may confuse people's minds. Master, you should quickly take Miss Kurosawa and Miss Iwanaga away from here." Jeanne also reminded.]

"It's a bit too late!" A panicked look appeared on Kurosawa Mika's face. "Although this is the outskirts of the foot of the mountain, there are still many vengeful spirits on the way to the parking lot!"

"Iwanaga, get on my back." Taichi directly carried Iwanaga Kotoko on his back, then looked at Kurosawa Mika, "Run."

Perhaps because the time had not yet come, the vengeful spirit kept staring at the three people along the way, but did not actively attack them.

But Kurosawa Mika still suffered a lot of mental pressure.

When the three of them arrived at the parking lot, the sun's rays could no longer reach them.

A gloomy and terrifying atmosphere immediately swept around.

She hurriedly used the key to open the car door and got into the driver's seat. After Taichi and others entered the car, Kurosawa Mika immediately locked the car door, started the car and drove quickly away from Hikami Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, many vengeful spirits floating in the air, dressed as witches but surprisingly bold, were staring straight at the direction the car was going.

Even though they were not rational at all, they still felt it vaguely.

Their salvation lies in that car.

[“Master, it seems something is marked on your body.” Jeanne reminded in her mental meeting.

"Yes, it should be the evil spirits in the mountains." Minamoto no Raikou added, "Generally, people who are targeted by evil spirits will be marked like this."

"If it were an ordinary person, they would be lured into the mountain, their minds would be confused, and they would completely lose their rationality. I think this is why Rishang Mountain has become a holy place for suicides."

"But there are several of us in the Master's body, and we are the type who are extremely sensitive to the markings of evil spirits and can remove the markings by hand, so the Master does not have to worry about the danger of being confused. But I hope the Master can still be vigilant. Even if there is resentment, the barrier that cannot confuse the mind can be broken by words."]

By the time she returned to the coffee shop, Kurosawa Mika had regained her usual calm.

At the same time, she also truly understood why people in the circle had such deep negative emotions towards Iwanaga Kotoko.

The ambiguous stance is secondary, the main reason is that she has a funny personality and is very good at making enemies.

"Ms. Iwanaga, even if I go to Mt. Hijo again tomorrow, I will not stay there before four o'clock." Kurosawa Mika looked at Iwanaga Kotoko with gritted teeth, "If it happens again, I will abandon you all and run away alone."

"Yes..." Kotoko Iwanaga didn't intend to take Kurosawa Mika's attitude to heart at all.

"I'm really sorry!" Taichi could only keep apologizing to Kurosawa Mika.

"It failed." Seeing Kurosawa Mika walking into the coffee shop with a heavy heart, Iwanaga Kotoko put away her nonchalant attitude and stared at her cane with some regret and murmured, "I'm sorry for Miss Kurosawa's mental endurance, but all the 'small rituals' I set up in the mountains were exposed and destroyed, and in just a moment."

"We haven't even reached the central area yet, and an evil spirit of this level has already appeared... Mt. Hijo is really dangerous." Iwanaga Kotoko sighed, then looked up at Taichi, "What do you think? After the Hour of Demons, did Mordred and Minamoto no Raikou show up on that mountain?"

This time when she went up the mountain, Iwanaga Kotoko had three purposes.

Familiarize yourself with the internal environment of Mt. Higami, set up a small ritual to test the strength level of the evil spirits in the mountain, and test whether the environment in Mt. Higami can make Mordred and Minamoto no Raikou appear.

"Well, if we stay a little longer, there is almost a chance that we will appear in the real world." Taiyi nodded and replied.

"Then our adventure today was not in vain." Iwanaga Kotoko breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's go up the mountain from the 'water' side tomorrow, and look for the so-called 'night spring'."

"Come to think of it, Ms. Kurosawa clearly told us about the dangers of Mt. Higashino, but she never mentioned the importance of the 'water' of Mt. Higashino from beginning to end." Iwanaga Kotoko murmured as she looked towards the direction of the coffee shop in confusion.

Chapter 32: Redemption is to prepare a spare tire

"Ah? Miss Kurosawa lost contact after she went out last night?"

Early the next morning, Taiyi and his two companions went to the coffee shop, wanting to ask Kurosawa Mika to take them to the Sun Mountain, but as soon as they entered the door, they heard the "bad news" that Fang Xili was not here.

"Yeah." Fang Xili nodded nervously, "I only found out that Miss Mihua went out after watching the surveillance video today. Then I went to her room to observe the situation and found that she not only didn't change her clothes, but she didn't even bring her cell phone."

"Can we take a look at the surveillance video?" Kotoko Iwanaga looked at Fang Xili and asked.

"...Please follow me." After hesitating for a moment, still worried about the safety of Kurosawa Mika, Fang Xili chose to agree and took Taiyi and the other two into the private residence behind.

The monitoring room is in one of the rooms.

In the surveillance video, in the early hours of the morning, Kurosawa Mika appeared in the lobby on the first floor, staggering in her nightgown, and after opening the lock of the lobby door, she disappeared into the night.

“It’s just like…” Akane Shinjo held her breath.

"It was like something was controlling my consciousness and luring me away," Iwanaga Kotoko completed the sentence.

"Could it be the Higashin Mountain?" Taichi offered his own opinion. "I almost got marked with that 'mark' yesterday. Fortunately, the mark was removed by the remaining power of Mordred and the others in my body."

"It's possible." Iwanaga Kotoko pinched her chin, "I'll ask the nearby monsters about the situation and see if the direction she left was Mt. Hijo."

"...If, if Miss Mihua was really bewitched by Rishangshan...what would she do?" The expression on Fang Xili's face was quite shaken.

"Then we might find her body on Mt. Higami." Before leaving, Kotoko Iwanaga informed Fang Xili of this uncertain future without leaving any hope.

If Fang Xili didn't come, she would just collapse on the floor with lifeless eyes.

"In any case, before the body is found, she still has a chance of survival." Taiyi said, "I remember that Miss Kurosawa said that you have a talent for 'shadow seeing' that is far superior to hers. Can you use this ability to lead us to find Miss Kurosawa's whereabouts?"

Fang Xili looked up at Taiyi blankly, then nodded heavily.

"If we can find Miss Mihua."

Not long after, Iwanaga Kotoko came back with a few little monsters.

"Ms. Kurosawa is quite famous among the local monsters, so we found out the answer right away." Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head with a bad look on her face. "The monster that last saw her was in the direction leading to Mt. Hikami."

"Everyone, pack up first. Once you're ready, we'll set off for Mount Rishang." Taiyi reminded, "By the way, Miss Bu Laifang, could you please look for a map of Mount Rishang in Miss Kurosawa's collection?"

"I'll try to find it." Fang Xili responded.

"It must be our actions yesterday that put Miss Kurosawa in a difficult position." After returning to the hotel, Tai said with a sullen look.

"Well, since you've been marked, then Miss Kurosawa should inevitably be marked as well." Iwanaga Kotoko nodded in agreement, "Although I should have been marked as well, I don't know if the evil spirits in Higami Mountain don't intend to target me, or if they think I have surplus value, so they didn't lure me over."

"It's already this late, there's no point in thinking too much." Shinjo Akane put on the small backpack she brought with her, then turned to look at Taichi and Iwanaga Kotoko, "The most urgent thing is to find Miss Kurosawa's whereabouts as soon as possible and rescue her."

Based on the in-game plot experience, Akane Shinjo believes that Kurosawa Mika is not in danger of life now, but is just locked in a coffin as a backup to suppress Yequan.

I just don't know if Hinasaki Fukaba is locked in the coffin now.

……

The taxi stopped some distance away from Rishang Mountain.

The driver refused to go any further no matter what he said.

Taiyi and his companions had no choice but to get out of the car and walk forward.

There was nothing in Taiyi's backpack except a few flashlights, drinking water and a few pieces of bread.

In Shinjo Akane's backpack is the Spark doll of Ultra Beast Lorelei.

Kotoko Iwanaga brought nothing with her except her cane.

What Fang Xili didn't come with was the "projector" that Kurosawa Mika left at home and an old map of Rishang Mountain.

"Ms. Bulaifang, it's time for your 'Shadow Vision' to come into play." Taiyi turned his head and looked at Bulaifang Xili and reminded her.

"...The sunlight is too bright." Fang Xili was silent for a few seconds and then looked at Taiyi with some embarrassment and explained, "I can only vaguely see a little bit of the outline."

"What if we add the 'Projector'?" Taiyi suggested, "You can try to combine your 'Shadow Vision' with the special ability of the 'Projector'."

"Let me try." After taking a deep breath, Fang Xili raised the projector in front of her eyes.

After a few seconds, she finally took a step forward and walked firmly in a certain direction.

Taiyi and the other two looked at each other and hurriedly followed.

Not long after climbing up Rishang Mountain, Fang Xili stopped in front of a bridge.

The name of the bridge is written on a tattered sign next to it.

"Water Cage Bridge"

Across the bridge, there stands a somewhat dilapidated torii gate.

"Miss Mihua got on this bridge." Fang Xili replied, her voice trembling a little.