Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

If the mastermind were to use the old method of unleashing a ghost rampage, there would be absolutely no way to defeat them unless the bound spirits went on a killing spree. And according to his understanding, Yuka Yamanaka would almost never go on a killing spree against the controlled ghosts.

"No, we can't just keep probing like this." Yuka Yamanaka took out her phone from her pocket. "I need to contact the others. There might be a gate to the underworld that was opened here."

The Gate to the Underworld, though supposedly based on slightly different principles, is actually almost identical to the Gate to the Shadow Realm in appearance. In other words, Yuka Yamanaka suspects that the ghosts here all came from the Underworld...

This does explain why the number of ghosts here has increased so much overnight. However, these repeaters have almost no self-awareness. Even if they do, they are endlessly trapped in a certain moment in the past, endlessly repeating the scene at that time—they are unlikely to come out of the underworld on their own initiative.

If the Gates of the Underworld caused all these repeating ghosts to emerge, there should also be a large number of intelligent ghosts appearing—but Yuri hasn't seen a single intelligent ghost along the way.

This could perhaps be explained by "what the person who opened the gates of the underworld did to intelligent ghosts," but Yuri felt that this possibility was not very high. Although it sounded somewhat arrogant, Yuri believed that if an effect comparable to the gates of the underworld had occurred, he should have been able to sense it, but in reality, he had no such feeling at all.

From Yuri's perspective, there is certainly something strange about this place, but it shouldn't be the Gate to the Underworld, at least not the kind of gate opening method used by the Rat King to launch a full-scale attack. Rather, it's some other conspiracy.

However, he at least agreed to the part about contacting other people by phone, because perhaps the experiences of others could corroborate what happened here?

Stopping near a bench at a corner, where patients and their families could rest temporarily, Yuka Yamanaka suggested a phone call and began dialing. Mr. Nakamichi sat down on the bench to rest, while Furei and Yuri kept watch around.

The call was answered quickly. It seemed that the person on the other end was alright. Judging from the voice, it should be Mr. Minagawa who answered the phone.

Yuka Yamanaka described what she had seen and her suspicions, and asked about the results of the other party's exploration. Mr. Minagawa's response was not very clear, but in general, Mr. Minagawa also suspected that the gates of the underworld had been opened here. However, he found no trace other than ghosts.

Nothing can prove this except for ghosts.

As for the question of "the disappearance of intelligent ghosts"... Mr. Minagawa rambled on and on, but Yuri only caught the part that said, "It is suspected that they were dealt with by the mastermind behind the scenes to prevent information from being exposed."

The call ended, and their final conclusion was, "Let's investigate further and be prepared to flee if anything goes wrong."

"Don't you need to call the other team again?" Yuri asked, noticing that Yuka Yamanaka was already putting her phone back in her pocket. "Weren't there three teams initially?"

“As for the other team, Mr. Minagawa will contact them… But you’re right, I’ll send them a message too.” Yuka Yamanaka thought for a moment, then took out her phone again and started typing. “Mr. Minagawa just said that we should investigate a little further; we can’t just scare ourselves away before anything happens.”

I actually still suggest that everyone go back and regroup, Yuri thought... but that's just wishful thinking, he also knew that this idea was not feasible in practice.

"By the way, what's your opinion?" After finishing the communication, the Sin Eater girl finally remembered that Yuri, who was not a member of the organization, was present. "If you have any opinions, just say them quickly."

“I don’t believe the gates to the underworld have ever been opened here,” Yuri said bluntly.

The Sin Eater girl opposite him changed her expression, seemingly not expecting Yuri to approach the matter from this angle. However, she reacted quickly, not stunned, but swiftly asking, "Why do you think that?"

"The Gate to the Shadow Realm, the Gate to the Underworld, I don't know the specific principles, but I should be able to sense such a large-scale operation—can't the Sin Eaters sense a large-scale Gate to the Underworld?" The second-rate spiritual mystic offered a reason based on personal perception.

If the opening were only a tiny crack, it wouldn't be so bad, but to create enough ghosts to fill this hospital, the scale is no small matter.

"...I've only experienced the opening of the Gate of the Underworld twice, and it was the same one both times. I sensed that Gate from fifty meters away...I estimate the maximum sensing distance is around one hundred meters..." Yuka Yamanaka began to think, "...That Gate of the Underworld was extremely small, basically only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time..."

The gate to the underworld needed to create this situation must be much larger, Yuri's intuition tells him, and the scope of its influence should also be much greater.

“I don’t have that kind of perception, but the influence of that door might not be proportional to its size?” Mr. Nakamichi joined the discussion. “What I mean is, a larger door will certainly have a larger range of influence, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that a door a hundred times larger will have a hundred times greater influence, does it?”

What he said makes sense; such things can only be judged by personal verification. But right now, there are no conditions for verification, and it's difficult to get a definite answer from abstract inferences.

“Yes, and if the mastermind behind this is going to eliminate all the intelligent ghosts in this place in an attempt to keep it a secret—then this mastermind should also try to suppress the effects of the opening of the Gates of the Underworld. Maybe he has such a way?” Yuka Yamanaka pondered. “Ah, this is troublesome. Why not just do it directly?”

Why not just go for it? Why not just come out and get surrounded and killed by four bound spirits? If you're resorting to such underhanded tactics, it's either because you can't win in a direct confrontation, or you don't want to just be able to win.

“It seems a bit strange to me that the mastermind would eliminate all the intelligent ghosts.” Yuri then explained his theory.

If he were to eliminate all intelligent ghosts, it would mean he's worried someone might find a ghost on the spot and extract information from it. However, the fact that he didn't keep the repeaters under control suggests he's not worried about anyone becoming suspicious after seeing a ghost.

What are some things that you can't find by searching after seeing a tape recorder, but can find out by asking a ghost with the same intelligence?

"His face?" Mr. Nakamichi didn't think for long. "The appearance of the person who carried out the execution?"

Yuka Yamanaka's hesitant expression showed that she had also figured it out, but was just a step too late.

Yuri thought so too, but then came the problem: "Who can tell who someone is just by looking at their face? Can you identify which Reaper it is just by looking at their face? You can't possibly know them."

“No, it’s definitely not the Reapers.” Yuka Yamanaka’s face was pale in the moonlight. “I know a little about the Reapers. They would never accept a large-scale escape of ghosts from the underworld, let alone open the gates to let ghosts out.”

Yuri was still processing this new information when Yamanaka Yuka, whose complexion looked even worse than before, spoke again.

“I don’t know, but it sounds like one of us knows the mastermind directly, is a friend of one of us… or someone we all trust.” The sin-eater girl gritted her teeth. “We need to discuss this after we leave the hospital and meet up.”

Yuri suddenly realized that in this context, his suspicion was rising rapidly. Now he just hoped that this "friend" wasn't referring to him at all.

I don't think so, right? If it were, I wouldn't have reminded them of that, right?

...Then, on the other hand, Yuri knew he was definitely not this "friend," but if that were the case, who could it be?

After taking two more steps, Yuri considered an even more dangerous possibility—what if it wasn't an outsider, but someone from within? An insider's destructive power would certainly be greater than that of a fake outsider.

After taking two more steps, Yuri convinced himself that the situation might not be that bad. After all, upon closer examination, this logic stemmed from the idea that "eliminating intelligent ghosts was to silence them," and that might not actually be true—perhaps intelligent ghosts were needed for alchemy? Didn't that sea urchin from back then devour intelligent ghosts?

Furthermore, it would be unwise to rashly advise Yamanaka Yuka that there might be a mole within their ranks; given her personality, she might immediately assume it was an attempt to sow discord by an insider. As for Mr. Nakamichi… he's truly not familiar with him.

In short, let's rule out the possibility that "Yuka Yamanaka is the mole"—she's definitely not. Yuri has no evidence; all he can say is, if she were capable of being a mole… well, Yuri will accept it. Aside from that, he'll just have to deal with whatever comes his way.

After the conversation, the atmosphere between the three became a little stiff—as usual, the spirit binding was excluded. This spirit binding seemed to remain calm even if the sky were to fall; it must have been a cunning old fox in its previous life.

During the conversation, the three people did not lower their voices to the lowest level, which means that the nearby repeaters could have heard part of the discussion. However, no matter how Yuri observed, he did not find any of the repeaters to do anything suspicious.

If Yuri were to do something, the cameras and repeaters would be what he wanted to control. Now that the cameras were greatly reduced in effectiveness under the cover of the spiritual layer, the repeaters became the most likely sources of intelligence. —That was his initial thought, which is why he had specifically observed the repeaters.

But it seems he was wrong. None of the tape recorders showed any obvious supernatural effects, which meant they were not transmitting information.

To ensure the accuracy of his conclusion, he deliberately lingered a few steps behind, paused for a moment after turning the corner, and then suddenly turned around to observe the outside world.

The result was unchanged, and Yuri had to admit that, at present, it was simply that he was being too suspicious.

Returning to the original plan, Yuri quickly caught up with the two people and the bound spirit who had noticed his actions and stopped to wait for him, and then continued on his way.

Keep going.

Push the tape recorder away.

Keep going.

The density of repeaters did not continue to increase, and Yuri's worst-case scenario, "a large group of repeaters filling the entire area, making it impossible to pass through before they are cleared out," did not materialize in reality.

The journey was already halfway over. Although the presence of the repeating ghosts was still very frightening, no new situations arose. The patients in the ward were mostly asleep, and the corridor was deserted.

Yuri had assumed they would frequently have to dodge the doctors and nurses patrolling the corridors, but that didn't happen at all; on the contrary, they never encountered such people.

Is this situation normal? Yuri looked around and finally decided to give up on the possibility of finding the answer among the few people, including himself.

Author's message

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.

A Floating Life Travelogue

This book was written by an author I know, and it's quite well-written. It's just that updates were inconsistent in the past due to real-world issues, which I found quite regrettable when he stopped updating. Now, it's said that the real-world problems have been resolved, and the process has begun again, so the future looks promising.

I recommend it to everyone.

158 As expected

When the repeaters suddenly attacked Yuri, he actually breathed a sigh of relief.

The true colors have finally been revealed; we've been waiting for you!

Before the repeaters launched their attack, two-thirds of their assigned area had been searched, and the process went very smoothly: no attacks, no explosions, no enemies—no one else was encountered.

The few patients they had were all asleep—there were no VIP wards in the area Yuri's team was searching—and they didn't see a single person patrolling the corridors.

It was so quiet that it felt like the trip had been in vain.

It turns out that the trip was worthwhile after all.

Yuri erected a protective barrier, shielding everyone except the Bound Spirits within it—and the Bound Spirits didn't need his protection, so there shouldn't be any problems.

In the narrow and not-so-wide corridor, the nearby repeating machines were rushing towards them like madmen... then crashing into the spirit bindings and protective walls, unable to move forward even half a step.

This time, the opponents are clearly weaker than before, Yuri thought. It seems that this time, the mastermind behind the scenes has not intentionally strengthened their power.

Moreover, they are much easier to deal with than some rats. The repeaters are much larger than rats, and therefore more likely to block each other. Dozens of repeaters rushed over aggressively, but only six or seven could effectively make contact with Yuri's protective barrier. The number of spirits outside was about the same. He could get rid of them with just a bump and a shake.

The remaining two people, who had hastily pulled out talismans and assumed a defensive stance, were somewhat embarrassed by their failed attempt, but now was not the best time to explain.

“It looks like this defense will hold for longer than I expected, you two,” Yuri said, controlling his pace to get his point across in one go. “Before deciding which window to jump out of, we have a little time to analyze the situation—do you think others have also been attacked at the same time?”

The attack was expected, but there were no particularly obvious signs. Considering that other places were also filled with ghosts, most of the others were probably under heavy attack.

He wasn't asking a question he already knew the answer to; rather, he hoped to receive the reply, "Yes, we sin-eaters have special ways of communicating with each other."

“I’ll call them immediately. If they answer, it means they haven’t been attacked yet; if they don’t answer, it means the opposite.” Yuka Yamanaka couldn’t find a particularly convenient solution. “How long can this protective barrier hold?”

“A few minutes shouldn’t be a problem.” Yuri glanced at the parrots trying to pile up on the outside. “They look fierce, but they’re actually pretty bad.”

With ferocious expressions and ruthless movements, they surged forward, tearing and gnawing—they looked terrifying, but their actual movements were quite weak and powerless. If Yuri were to fight them in his true form, his movements might be restricted due to his size, but the protective barrier didn't have this problem.

The feeling of casually releasing a delaying spell to shut the opponent out... is quite nice, it's just that Yuri hasn't often seen such good things in the past.

“Let’s call Mr. Hirota first,” Nakamichi interjected. “I’m more worried about their group, after all…”

After all, that group consisted of one sin eater and two ordinary people. These weak repeaters were no match for the sin eater, but they were still a threat when dealing with mortals. Yuri was somewhat annoyed that he hadn't insisted on letting the mortals leave. Although he still believed that these people wouldn't listen even if he said it, there was still a significant difference between saying it and not saying it.

The call connected quickly, and a man's voice came from the other end, shouting, "Yuka!? We're being attacked by a horde of weak ghosts! Are you alright over there?"

"It's alright! Where are you? Do you need any help?" Yuka Yamanaka raised her voice slightly. "We're fine here!"

“We’re trapped in a toilet! We just called Mr. Minagawa for backup, and they said they’d be there soon—don’t worry about us, just run!” Her voice had calmed down a bit, but it was still strong. “My spirit-binding is blocking the doorway, so those ghosts can’t get in. Once Mr. Minagawa arrives, we can rush out!”

"Alright, contact me if anything comes up!" Yuka Yamanaka skipped the final pleasantries and hung up the phone.

Yes, both parties were speaking very loudly, so there's no need to specifically ask what they were saying.

“They were lucky; they quickly found a narrow entrance and exit. What about us?” Yuri immediately spoke up. “I think this window over there is good. I’ll take Zhongdao, and your Fuling will take you. Let’s escape through the window—this is the third floor, not far from the ground.”

Although Yuri hadn't yet tried jumping off a building with someone in his arms—he'd considered practicing with Akemi, but doubted she could land safely on her own given the height of her apartment—if he absolutely had to test it, it would be best to find someone he wasn't very familiar with who had to jump. Like the one in front of him.

“My spirit binder just told me that not all the low-level ghosts have been mobilized, only about a third of them… the rest are still standing still in the corridor.” Yuka Yamanaka glanced at the repeaters lying outside the shield. “We should be able to break out normally.”

What is this guy thinking?

“If we’re allowed to go on a killing spree, it’s not impossible,” Yuri pointed out the enemy’s weakness. “If we’re not allowed to kill them, we’ll be tied up very quickly.”

Indeed, judging from the power displayed by these low-level ghosts, it would be easy for Yuka Yamanaka's spirit-binding creatures to wipe them all out with a few wild swings of their weapons.

But the problem is, based on Yuri's experience, she certainly wouldn't be willing to do that.

“It’s not that there’s no way out. Only a portion of the ghosts are controlled to attack us, and they are still gathering here—in other words, the number of controlled ghosts in other places is decreasing.” To Yuri’s surprise, the Sin Eater girl seemed to be somewhat prepared. “My Spirit Binding ability can launch a surprise attack with spiritual power to get us out of the ghosts’ encirclement—it won’t be a long distance, but as long as we run fast enough, we won’t be caught by the ghosts behind us.”

“Continue, and then what?” Yuri hesitated. “Shall we head straight for the gate? Isn’t that a bit…”

Why go to such lengths when a problem could be solved simply by jumping out of the window?

"Then of course we continue searching the rest, right?" The sin-eater girl glared at the fickle spirit before her. "Have you ever wondered why they started attacking us as soon as we got here?"

"...Because we've gone too deep, do they think they can take us down by besieging us like this?" the fence-sitter replied. "If they had started the siege at the gate, we would have run away long ago."

Yuka Yamanaka seemed to choke on her words.

“Perhaps they’ve finally discovered where we are?” Mr. Zhongdao added. “Or perhaps the spiritual layer protection we initially created has worn down? I can’t quite sense it, but that ritual wasn’t permanent, was it?”

Yuri glanced at it; indeed, the spiritual layer had weakened over time, but whether it had truly weakened to the point where they could be detected... that was really hard to judge.

However, this is clearly not the reason, because no one has appeared who would be affected by this spiritual layer. Turning a person into a semi-spirit makes them semi-transparent in normal vision, while conversely, allowing those who can already see spirits to observe them normally—and these ghosts, of course, are all those who can already see spirits.

“I think it’s because we’ve hit the nail on the head and gotten close to what the mastermind is trying to hide!” Yuka Yamanaka announced her conclusion. “In other words, we may be very close to the truth here.”

Yuri immediately objected, "I'm not saying it's impossible, but even so, there's a high chance that the other two teams will encounter the same situation—we split into three teams, and two of them are retreating. What are the chances that the remaining group will suddenly run into the mastermind's vitals?"

Mr. Nakamichi did not speak again, but he looked worried, as if he could see the cracks appearing on Yuri's protective barrier—without any supplies, the barrier probably wouldn't last much longer.

Yuka Yamanaka hesitated, and Yuri decided to strike while the iron was hot. "We can launch another operation soon, but not now. We need to withdraw and regroup first."

At the same time, he adjusted his position, making the worried ordinary people more visible to Yuka in the mountains.

If only they could just say, "Protect the mortals first," but... bringing ordinary people into this event was undoubtedly a mistake. The Sin Eaters could protect themselves, and so could Yuri, but what about ordinary people? Yuri felt they were holding back too much in this kind of dangerous activity.

This was a conclusion that had been repeated several times, and there was no point in thinking about it anymore. Yuri roused himself and prepared to urge Yuka Yamanaka to evacuate from this dangerous environment.

"Tsk, let's retreat—Yuri, can you support Mr. Nakamichi's weight?" The Sin Eater girl was clearly reluctant to do so, but she still agreed—the obvious cracks on Yuri's protective barrier may have also helped.

"I can handle it, no problem." If it were a fall from hundreds of meters in the air and you could control your speed, Yuri couldn't do that, but it's only three stories, a few meters away, he can definitely make it through.

“Alright, I was thinking that if you couldn’t hold on, I would have my spirit-binding help Mr. Nakamichi and you would help me—” Yamanaka Yuka quickly opened the window. “Luckily it’s only the third floor; if it were any higher, there would probably be railings.”