Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

Yuri stared at the sin-eater girl, surprised that she was sending a group message.

“I thought you were alone,” Nakamichi glanced at Yuri beside him, “Where is your spirit binder?”

Yuka Yamanaka was somewhat dissatisfied with this statement, "Then it should be just the two of us, the spirit is my friend."

"Okay, sorry, please forgive my slip of the tongue." Nakamichi gave an awkward smile. "It must be the lack of oxygen that made me dizzy—"

Yuri interrupted their conversation and asked the question that interested him most, "You came to the hospital, and then how did you get here?"

Strictly speaking, this place isn't far from the hospital entrance, but to get here, one must pass through a considerable number of ghosts. How could an ordinary person like him get here? Even if Yuri and Yamanaka Yuka's efforts caused many activated ghosts to chase after them, leaving an open space, Nakamichi couldn't possibly know about this. How could he dare to continue forward?

“When I got to the entrance, I tried calling out to you a few times, but there was no response,” Zhongdao recalled. “It was around 1:30 at the time, and I didn’t dare to shout loudly.”

Around 1:30? At that time, it seemed that Yuri and his group were heading towards the morgue, or had already entered the morgue.

“Then I took out my phone to call you, but there was no signal. I was a little worried, but I had no other way to contact you.” Zhongdao continued, “I waited in the lobby, not daring to go too far in, only peeking out from the corridors on both sides.”

It's possible that the signal is weak in the morgue.

"And then where did you go? We were probably in a place without signal at the time, but we passed the entrance when we were running around the track," Yuka Yamanaka continued.

Although we didn't specifically look for places where the ghost wouldn't come, if there were people around, they should have noticed it.

"Then, I'm not sure when, but it must have been shortly after I put my phone away, my vision went black and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in this room," Zhongdao explained his situation. "I'm not sure if it was a supernatural effect or if someone simply walked up behind me and hit me with a stick."

Yuri thought to himself, "Judging from the fact that he wasn't bleeding from his head, it must be a supernatural effect... wait a minute."

"Wait a minute, you were strangled for so long while you were unconscious, and nothing happened?" Yuri realized after speaking that his words seemed to imply that he was hoping something bad would happen. "I'm not saying I hope something bad happens, but... how did you manage to do that?"

“I don’t know either, but I wasn’t being held down the whole time,” the man who had been knocked unconscious and captured explained. “When I first woke up, there were three ghosts on each side staring at me, and I was so weak that I didn’t dare to move. After a while, I heard footsteps in the hallway outside and started screaming for help—and then I was held down by those ghosts.”

They only reacted when called for help, meaning these ghosts were likely prison guards... they were directly under their control. Yuri glanced at the four half-dead ghosts lying to the side. Although directly controlled, they were still very weak.

“I thought they were just ordinary crazed ghosts. Now it seems we can’t get anything out of them…” Yuka Yamanaka immediately checked the ghosts’ condition. “I didn’t realize it at all before… What a pity.”

Yuri couldn't figure it out either; no matter how you looked at it, it was... well hidden.

Wait a minute, if they are jailers and can determine for themselves whether the people they are guarding are awake, then they should be intelligent.

In other words, they shouldn't be mere repeaters; they might have already reached a level of intelligence, or they might have been elevated to this state. However, in their brief encounter earlier, these ghosts actually displayed the same level of intelligence as ordinary ghosts.

"Can hunger free even the weakest ghosts from their fragmented state of consciousness?" Yuri asked Yuka Yamanaka. "That is, can it give them intelligence?"

“No, but it can make them instinctively start chasing food. While chasing food, they might be thinking about other things—why did you suddenly ask this?” the sin-eater girl answered quickly.

In other words, current evidence suggests that these "prison guards" are not intelligent individuals, but were suddenly activated when they woke up and called for help.

The mastermind is watching this place, and considering the door wasn't locked...

This seemed like a targeted trap, except that Zhongdao woke up earlier than the mastermind expected, and the most crucial part—the ambush—was missing.

Yuri observed the actions of the decoy and the ambushed. Nakamichi seemed oblivious to anything, while Yamanaka Yuka appeared puzzled by Yuri's actions. In other words, neither of them showed any sign of doubt about the current situation.

"How's the Spirit Binding situation going?" Yuri asked Ms. Yamanaka Yuka, who was in charge of the ambush. "If there are no problems, please ask her to come over as well. I feel like we're not far from the mastermind behind this, and we need to concentrate our fighting strength."

It's not just not far off; the mastermind behind it all is probably watching them right now, though it's unclear whether they can hear anything.

“He’s almost finished off his last opponent—after all, it’s an open environment over there, without the advantage of windows, so he’s a little slower than us.” Yuka Yamanaka paused for a moment. “I’ve already sent the signal, and he should be coming over after he’s done.”

During this time, after entering the hospital... no, ever since the time at the funeral home, Yuri had been constantly suspicious of the same thing—the mastermind's behavior was very strange, and he had never been caught red-handed, so he must be quite powerful—at the same time, the force of his attacks was very low.

The Sin Eaters made many mistakes in their pursuit of the mastermind (it's not to say that Yuri wouldn't have made mistakes in his place), but the mastermind never seized these opportunities, and Yuri never even saw the mastermind actually try to catch him.

Why? If the mastermind really wanted to do something, shouldn't they have tried harder?

This time was different. The mastermind actually took effective action, capturing a member of the Sin Eater Society alive and attempting to imprison Mr. Nakamichi as well. He would imprison him near the place where he had lured Yamanaka Yuka and himself here using a ghost aggregation.

The most ideal scenario, of course, is that the mastermind wants Yamanaka Yuka to come and take the person away—in that case, what's the point of leaving a ghost to guard them? But if it's not such a wonderful fantasy, then surely the mastermind must be doing something big here, right?

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.

"Yuri, what are you thinking about?" Yuka Yamanaka tapped Yuri's arm. "Why are you suddenly spacing out?"

“It’s nothing, I just suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness, like we’re playing a game of hide-and-seek—and we don’t even know who we’re looking for.” Yuri spread his hands. “If the mastermind is planning to wear us down until we all give up out of boredom, I feel like he’s close to succeeding.”

Just now, Yuri's internal deductions ultimately failed to reach a conclusion.

He desperately wanted to steer the conclusion toward "So, the mastermind behind this is definitely going to pull off something big here, and give us a quick and painless end," but sadly, he eventually had to admit that, given the other party's behavior, there was a good chance they would run away as soon as they realized the plan wasn't perfect.

“Cough… How long until he gets here? Your spirit binder?” Mr. Bait sat up in bed, put his hands on his knees, and shivered. “I have a feeling that someone is watching us.”

No, don't you understand now? That wasn't an illusion! Yuri roared inwardly, turning his attention to the sin-eater girl—he also wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Almost there, almost done. We'll look around one more time and then start heading this way," Yuka Yamanaka reassured him. "Or should we just push this bed and head straight to meet up with the bound spirit?"

Yuri decided to ignore this whimsical "good" idea.

“No need, I think I’m almost back to being able to move on my own—what!?” Mr. Nakamichi’s words were interrupted by his own exclamation.

The two ghosts that had been standing at the two corners of the house rushed towards him at lightning speed!

When Yuri previously relied on this method of "I'm pondering" to find out what methods the mastermind might be using, he hadn't ruled out these two, but they seemed to be the weakest of the bunch, no different in essence from the four "jailers" piled up to the side. If four couldn't solve the problem, would two? When will this mastermind's habit of creating an air of mystery be resolved?

Despite his resentment, Yuri did not stop. The moment he heard the exclamation, he cast a shield around himself.

Nakamichi instinctively reached out to his two allies, and Yuri and Yamanaka did not disappoint him, each pulling him forcefully towards them, dodging the first charge of the two female demons—

—Then Yuri quickly stepped forward, swept one of the female ghosts aside with a backhand, and kicked the other away. To prevent being pulled around in circles, he released his hand that had been holding onto Nakado, which freed him up to control the two suddenly out-of-control female ghosts.

"Yuga, put—" Yuri noticed the unusual situation on the other side and stopped talking.

Based on past experience, this is the time for Yamanaka Yuka to step in and use a talisman to "purify" the ghosts, allowing them to return to normal—but when Yuri held down the two female ghosts, Yamanaka Yuka didn't follow up in time. In fact, after they worked together to pull Mr. Nakamichi down, Yuri couldn't remember her making any moves in his field of vision… Originally, Yuri thought she might lack close combat skills and planned to leave everything to him, but now…

Now, her face was pale, her eyes were lifeless, and she looked only a step away from falling into a coma.

The sin-eater girl's lips moved slightly, but no sound came out, and Yuri couldn't understand anything she was trying to say.

Yuka Yamanaka lay motionless on the ground.

166 The Dagger Revealed

"Are you alright?" Yuri's calls went unanswered.

Mr. Nakamichi didn't seem to have any problems; he was gesturing back and forth between Yuri and Yamanaka Yuka with his mouth agape, but he certainly couldn't help... and it's even possible that the problem was caused by his contact with him.

Yuri quickly drained the spiritual essence from the two ghosts in his hands, putting them into a near-death state—this wasn't very comfortable, and if Yamanaka Yuka hadn't fainted, she would definitely have objected—but for now, it was the quickest way to stop them from moving.

Follow the authority in urgent matters.

The two ghosts didn't have much spiritual essence left, and their previous entanglement with the aggregate had taken a considerable toll, so Yuri easily accomplished this. He then tossed the two ghosts, who were barely moving, aside and quickly approached Yuka Yamanaka.

"What just happened?" Yuri crouched down, looking at the Sin Eater girl lying on the ground—she looked to be in terrible condition, her eyes were open but unfocused, and her breathing was extremely weak—and unlike the time in the morgue, this time there was no sense of energy gathering around her, but it was easy to feel her weakening.

"What just happened, Mr. Nakamichi!?" Yuri asked again. Nakamichi did not answer his previous question, perhaps misunderstanding who he was asking.

It better be this way.

"I...I don't know, she just suddenly collapsed!" the person on the hospital bed stammered. "Binding spirit...yes, once her binding spirit arrives here, it will definitely solve this problem."

Really? Yuri was skeptical.

It wasn't that he knew the power of spirit binding or couldn't solve this problem, but Yuka Yamanaka lying on the ground looked like a fish that had just been brought ashore and was about to die.

There was a sense of unreality to it. Just a moment ago, she was standing there healthy, and now—Yuri banished these distracting thoughts from his mind. What he needed to do now was not wallow in self-pity, but figure out what had happened and complete the necessary treatment.

This state is not normal. Once it is resolved, Yuka Yamanaka will get up again, of course.

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.

If the spirit binder were here now, Yuri might try to shift the blame. However, half a minute had passed since Yuka collapsed, and the spirit binder still hadn't arrived. This was strange. Given his speed, he should have been at the doorway by now if he were running. What had delayed him? Or had he simply not noticed the danger?

Yuri denied the latter speculation, saying that the spirit and the body are of one mind and body, and should not have failed to notice it—in other words, they must have been held back by the mastermind in another way.

—The feeling of watching everything unfold without knowing it was a trap, even after Yuri knew it was happening, and still not knowing the specifics of what was going on, was absolutely awful.

Yuri thought to himself, "I have to take some risks."

Yuri activated his shield to its maximum strength, then focused his attention on the Sin Eater girl lying on the ground. Her condition had not stabilized and was still deteriorating.

It would be convenient if there were a life gauge above her head, allowing Yuri to estimate where this "stability" would ultimately be—right now, Yuri can only judge by feeling that this stability might eventually stabilize at the point of death.

Just in case, Yuri took off his hat and put it on Yuka Yamanaka's head, giving her a shield as well.

When he's concentrating, his reactions are very slow, leaving him no chance to react effectively to unexpected events; he can only prepare in advance… As for Mr. Nakamichi behind him, he was probably never the primary target, so Yuri decided to let him go. He looks like an ordinary person who's just been stunned; even if someone did come in, there's no reason to attack him first… right?

In short, Yuri convinced himself to take care of this side first.

The shield didn't immediately make Yuka Yamanaka better. Yuri felt that the rate at which her complexion was worsening had slowed down, but he couldn't be sure if it was just his imagination.

Yuri once again banished distracting thoughts from her mind—she shouted to herself internally, "Focus! Use your magical vision to find the reason for her sudden weakness, Yuri!"

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.

In view, Yuka Yamanaka's body was shrouded in mist.

She should be unconscious by now, but her instincts are still hindering Yuri's observation.

However, this obstacle is already quite weak, and if Yuri waits a little longer, it may even be completely eliminated.

It's estimated that by then the person had already been involved in an accident.

Around Yuka in the mountains, more and more magical symbols are appearing. Yuri doesn't need to understand them... they are all too familiar. Although the marks are different, they all symbolize death.

Sin-eaters once escaped death and could be resurrected multiple times, but death would eventually catch up with them. This was the theory proposed by Akemi. Yuri had not confirmed it with Yuka Yamanaka, but it sounded reasonable.

But catching up now is not normal—if that were the case, Yuka Yamanaka should have been prepared. Surely she wouldn't be unaware of the hidden dangers within herself?

Yuri channeled energy into him, attempting to suppress these symbols of death.

In his mind, this should have been an extremely difficult task, since he had never done it before, and preventing death sounded too sophisticated. Even at his most arrogant in the past few months, he didn't think he could easily reverse life and death.

The difficulty manifested itself in another way. He easily extinguished several symbols, and then the same symbols appeared out of thin air around him. The speed at which he eliminated these accumulated "deaths" was almost the same as the speed at which "deaths" appeared.

After observing Yuka Yamanaka's condition, the result was unexpectedly good—as the number of death markers stabilized, Yuka Yamanaka's condition also stabilized.

The bad thing is that Yuri's spiritual essence is being consumed steadily, and at a considerable rate. These death symbols are interconnected and work together, and if Yuri weren't so anxious, he might try to study questions like, "Does this mean these symbols are part of a larger death sign?"

But right now he's facing a situation where one problem leads to another, and it can't continue indefinitely—he needs to find out why this thing suddenly appeared as soon as possible and solve it.

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.

water.

The lake water covered his entire body, hindering his movements.

The air has almost run out; we must rise.

But which way is "up"? Why can't I find "up"? Why do I stay stuck in the same place no matter which way I go?

asphyxia.

I couldn't see anything in my eyes, only a blue light, just like the color of my hair.

We must keep struggling; we cannot give up.

Is this what death is?

The strength to move is being taken away, and the ability to think is disappearing.

Only a blue light remained.

The soul will fly to the sky, the body will sink to the bottom of the lake, and in the end, nothing will be left.

No, no, no—

Even the blue light was fading, leaving only... complete darkness.

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.

After some time, Yuka Yamanaka's condition began to deteriorate again, and even the mist that had been obstructing Yuri's observation began to waver. Taking advantage of this opportunity, and combining it with his perception of the flow of his own spiritual essence, Yuri finally saw the source of her problem—Yukaka Yamanaka was becoming an empty shell. A crack, a gap, appeared on her spiritual body, and her power was flowing out of this gap.

If we had to pinpoint the location, it would be somewhere near the chest cavity, but according to Yuri's observations, this opening is movable and should be considered a systemic injury.

The spiritual essence Yuri expended didn't flow into the symbols in the air—those were merely appearances and signs, not the substance—but rather flowed into Yuka Yamanaka's body, somehow suppressing the loss of her power. However, stopping the loss didn't mean replenishing what had been lost—and the loss would resume as soon as he paused his actions even slightly.

This gap must be plugged, otherwise even if Yuri is completely sacrificed, and her spiritual essence and spiritual matter are burned away, it will only slow down her death. —A considerable portion of this power was originally sustaining her life, but now… although it is still some distance from being completely depleted, it has already made her life extremely precarious.

Fortunately, after the initial devastating loss, the rate of loss is slowing down. At this rate, she should reach a point of equilibrium before it's completely depleted—if she can survive at that point. Unfortunately, given her current barely perceptible breathing, about once every five seconds, it seems unlikely she'll make it.

It may not be the most accurate description, but it's like a human bleeding—it's almost impossible for the blood to drain completely, but the person dies before the blood runs dry.

How did this damn gap appear? Yuri further strengthened the shield on Yuka Yamanaka, and then regretfully confirmed that there was no sign that the gap had been plugged.

This situation is unlike anything we've faced before. It's not a matter of spirituality, but something more fundamental... Could it be the soul? Yuri knows absolutely nothing about the soul.

Let's try another approach. If a shield made purely of energy won't work, what about a more tangible spiritual substance? Yuri placed the hat over Yamanaka Yuka's body, roughly aiming at the gap. Still no effect; simply covering her wasn't enough.

If bandages don't work, just patch it up. Yuri gritted his teeth and began trying to sew his hat back together with the gap.