Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

This is like trying to kick Yuri out of the game like a baseball; I really can't think of any other possibility.

Why, why didn't I ask clearly how long the beacon's pre-arrest was?

The situation is dire. Movement is difficult; falling through the air offers no cushioning. Taking a direct hit like that probably wouldn't cause much damage, but it would definitely deflect me. It's unlikely I'd be thrown a great distance like a normal object, but not even deflecting me is pure fantasy. This might not have any effect, but the possibility of it is greater. In any case, I must at least try to struggle.

Yuri deployed his shield and tried to reach out. The second half failed, and while the shield blocked the attack, it also absorbed some of the power... or at least Yuri hoped it absorbed some of it.

On the other hand, the moment he came into contact with the stick, Yuri tried to undo the enhancements the rat had received, consuming the spiritual essence like paper thrown into a fire.

The result was not significantly different. Although Yuri did feel that the opponent's strength had weakened a bit, they were still far from being relegated.

Or rather, if it were a direct downgrade, shouldn't we see a tiny mouse that can't even wield a spirit weapon? The opponent might become weak, but its physical form shouldn't change much.

And then there was nothing more to do... there was nothing more to be done, so it was all up to fate.

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.

The deviation occurred as expected; according to Yuri's new trajectory, he should have fallen to the ground, narrowly missing the edge of the black mist. The other rat spirits didn't have the reaction speed of the guard rat spirit, but they were also converging on this side.

Then Yuri, unable to put up an effective resistance, would be surrounded and beaten to death—in this situation, the Rat King still only allowed his subordinates to take action. Was it because he devoted too much energy to controlling the rats' mental network?

Yuri doesn't know the answer to this question, and he probably never will.

To be precise, if he hadn't finally felt the immense pressure coming from above, he would have felt he would never have known anything else.

Before he landed on the ground, Yuri sensed a new, large crack appearing above him.

Aside from Line 2, nobody would do something like this at this time. —Yay!

In fact, judging by the size of the crack, Yuri was feeling stupid for the umpteenth time during this period.

Although the distance is still quite far, about ten meters high, if it were just a line, aiming at Yuri who was falling next to the black mist, he might not actually be able to touch the black mist.

But Yuri just realized—that thing was two or three meters tall, and much longer. He had fallen to the ground half a meter above the black mist; for Yuri, that was a huge margin of error… but for that thing, it shouldn't be a problem.

However, Yuri knew why Line 2 was telling him to get close to the other person before using it. If the other person appeared from more than ten meters away, there would be all sorts of angle problems if they didn't get close.

Fortunately, this time it won't be like that. The angle wasn't perfect this time, but the error has been minimized as much as possible.

Moreover, even if he didn't do his best, Yuri no longer has the ability to move his position to help him get a better shot.

Time continued to pass, and Yuri fell into the middle of a pile of rats.

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.

Time slowed down again, but it was very unstable, indicating that the Rat King had strengthened the mental connection once more.

“Carrying a beacon for location tracking, you’re not an assassin, you’re just a carrier…” The Rat King’s voice was quite calm. “I see—your own strength is indeed negligible, because the real problem lies elsewhere.”

"Why would you even think I'm an assassin for a second? Do I look like someone you could fight?" Yuri tried to spread his hands in his mind. "Even if I self-destructed, it would be difficult for me to hurt you."

Besides, Yuri didn't know how he would self-destruct.

“That’s true, but I find it hard to imagine that some fool would rush up like that without even the ability to protect himself.” The Rat King’s voice still carried a hint of sarcasm, but this time it seemed to be directed at himself. “In the end, I made more mistakes. I was too greedy. I should have just killed you from a distance.”

That's true, Yuri agreed, but he didn't intend to say it aloud.

“Answer my last question, or I will use my last strength against you—you don’t want to face that outcome—I still have time to deal serious damage to you before the massive scrap metal attack arrives. …Whether I can kill you or not is unclear, but at least I can severely injure you.”

The Rat King's words didn't sound like a lie.

In fact, even if he said "I'll have time to tear you to pieces," Yuri wouldn't completely doubt it... the difference in levels is too great.

"Go ahead and ask, what is the question?" If you can avoid being attacked simply by answering questions, that would be so convenient. Of course, I still won't reveal the secrets.

“It’s not a secret, you fool. The question is this… how did you manage to fool me?” The Rat King’s emotions seemed somewhat… like he was gritting his teeth. “I’m sure I collected your thoughts at the time. I’ve been eavesdropping on your mental activities to some extent. Even when you were at your best, you couldn’t completely block my observation—but I didn’t notice that you left a part of yourself that didn’t stop.”

Yuri realized that the Rat King hadn't finished speaking.

“I was absolutely certain you were planning a shutdown, and your actions proved it perfectly, but you didn’t. You fooled me and seized the opportunity to retaliate… brilliant—but how did you do it? My understanding of you should be correct.” The Rat King, filled with immense curiosity, said, “I can admit I failed this time, but I must know exactly how I failed.”

The rate of time's passage is fluctuating, becoming even more unstable when something emerges from the cracks above.

Overall, time is still moving faster and faster.

"Don't look up there. At this close range, I'm already being disturbed—so if you want an answer, you'd better answer quickly, or I won't receive one before the final moment arrives..." The Rat King stopped after saying this.

“Telling you wouldn’t hurt. Since it’s a spirit, it probably doesn’t have cardiovascular problems… What a pity.” Yuri was originally worried that the other party would be so angry that he would die, but suddenly realized that it would be better to just anger the Rat King to death.

"Speak plainly." The Rat King sensed the malice in Yuri's words, but he probably didn't have time to care about such trivial matters right now.

"It's true that I lost the gamble of choosing between two options. I did intend to completely stop thinking, or at least compress it to the minimum. Your perception is correct. You have indeed learned my judgment, which is true and accurate."

"but?"

“But there was one problem that caused me to fail. I didn’t stop.” Yuri looked calmly at the front of the car peeking out from the sky. “In other words, I don’t know how to describe it, but even when I was in good condition, I tried to stop thinking. But I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t stop. No matter what, there was always a part of me thinking.”

"You—" The Rat King's message was filled with barely concealed shock. "—" "—" "—"

Okay, it seems he's so angry he can't speak.

Just as Yuri was silently praying, the Rat King recovered and said, "You mean, you didn't intend to trick me at all, but just happened to fit the conditions for tricking me because of your own situation—'wanting it completely but not actually having it'!?"

"That's pretty much the gist of it, Your Majesty the Rat King." Yuri regretted not having seen the Rat King's face yet, otherwise he might have seen the expression of a high-level spirit exploding with anger.

That's right, you thought I was on a higher floor, but actually I'm in the basement.

The problem with rock-paper-scissors is that even if you make a mistake, as long as you get it wrong enough times, you can still win in the end. And as long as you don't say it out loud, it really looks like you've calculated it yourself.

"—I really want to break my promise. Your name is Yuri, right? I've remembered you."

After leaving his final words, the Rat King completely released control, allowing Yuri to return to the normal subjective flow of time.

Even if a rat were gnawing at his face, he wouldn't want to move at all.

In the final moments before the train crashed down from the sky, a strange thought popped into his mind.

Is this already the second advanced spirit to "remember" itself? Hopefully, the Rat King can join the hunter's queue.

Chapter 105 A Journey Through the Film World: The Special Train

I felt dizzy, as if the whole world was spinning.

Yuri tried to figure out what had just happened.

At that moment, he was lying on the ground in the middle of a swarm of rats, and the damage-absorbing shield he had erected in an emergency was being rapidly reduced by the rats' attacks.

Yuri did not change the type of shield, because the front of the vehicle would arrive soon anyway.

It looks exactly like the main body of Line 2, but it shouldn't be... If the main body itself were to launch an attack, it should...

Should...should what?

In any case, Yuri felt it shouldn't be the original body; that seemed... too reckless.

The Rat King in the black mist didn't make any reaction that Yuri could see, which was actually quite unusual. If they were of the same level, it was unlikely that he would just take such a direct hit like that.

But Yuri didn't have the energy to think about it anymore; all he wanted to do was watch the train crash down.

Until the very last moment, Yuri did not witness any unusual changes.

Unless he seemed to see the front of the car "grinning" at some point, that's one possibility.

In short, the front of the car hit his position without any obstruction, and also struck the black fog next to him.

The black fog was positioned slightly higher than Yuri, who was lying in the middle of the rat pile. Yuri thought this would allow him to see what was underneath the fog... but unfortunately, it was a failure.

Yuri was certain he hadn't missed a single moment, but when Line Two tore through the black mist, all that was below was the Guardian Rat Spirit and a swarm of tiny rats.

The tails of these little mice seem a bit strange.

Before Yuri could even assess what this meant, the front of the vehicle struck its initial target: Yuri, who was lying next to the black mist.

And then... right now.

Yuri looked around and recognized the decorations and structure of the place.

Of course, it's too obvious; this is a train carriage, the kind with seats but no sleeper berths.

Looking out the carriage window, all that could be seen was darkness. Yuri wondered if the glass itself was blackened, as there was no light outside at all, which seemed unusual.

He was the only spirit in the carriage; there was nothing else that moved.

"Is anyone here? Or is there a spirit? Is there anyone who can answer?" Yuri floated to the seat, and then the seat seemed to have a suction force, pulling him to his designated spot.

He originally thought he would float normally on the seat, but instead he made intimate contact with the seat.

This may be the first time he has experienced the action of "sitting down," although it was forced upon him.

To be honest, it's just so-so. The seat isn't exactly uncomfortable, but it's not much better than feeling floaty.

Upon reflection, I realized that I had been standing steadily on the floor of the carriage.

This carriage is special; even spirits can make stable contact with it.

Half a minute passed, and no one replied. However, Yuri had already identified his prime suspect—he believed that this matter was inextricably linked to Line 2.

Even without any evidence, just the fact that it looks like a train carriage makes it impossible for him to escape involvement.

Yuri gently knocked on the window, but no sound came out. The texture was slightly different from that of Akemi's window, but very similar. Yuri could only vaguely sense that it was different, but he couldn't pinpoint the problem.

Am I still not fully awake? But spirits shouldn't dream.

Yuri racked his brains, trying to assess his situation.

Perhaps we could check the next carriage?

Yuri rested for a while, and after making sure no one was coming to find him, he got up and moved forward.

Or rather, moving in the direction the seat was facing, with complete darkness outside the window, Yuri wasn't really sure which way was forward.

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.

He didn't encounter anyone in either of the two carriages, and there was no difference between the carriages. Yuri began to suspect that he had actually triggered a maze-like event, and had unknowingly returned to the starting point?

In any case, he gradually discovered one thing: everything around him, from the ground to the windows, from the chairs to the overhead lights, was made of spiritual matter, but its nature was different from what he had seen before.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

Just as he was hesitating about whether to turn back, Yuri finally saw other moving objects in the third carriage.

A self-moving handcart was walking towards him.

Perhaps we shouldn't have used the word "walked"?

He grabbed the shelf armrest as it tried to slip past him.

I've heard that on real trains, vendors push carts around selling all sorts of things to passengers.

Yuri didn't intend to buy anything, but he figured that if he just grabbed this shelf, he could find a salesperson and find out what was going on with this strange place.

Then the shelf opened.

"What are you doing? You boarded the bus using a complimentary ticket; there are no free services!"

...It seems we've found a waiter.

“I don’t have any money to buy services, I don’t even have a coin on me!” Yuri replied. “I’m looking for a waiter, or anyone I can talk to—and obviously you are.”

"Let me go right now, or I'll complain to the Train Master! If the Train Master gets angry, you'll be thrown right in the middle of the meat grinder!" The shelf was quite uncooperative, but judging from its threatening tone, it didn't seem to be bluffing.

“No problem, but you have to answer my question first. I’ll let go now.” Yuri released his hand as he spoke. “This complimentary ticket was given to me personally by the Train Spirit. Do you understand what I mean?”

Yuri attempted to intimidate others by taking advantage of their power.

"Alright, then tell me what you want to ask?" The shelf hesitated for a moment, but didn't run away.

"Where are we?" Although it seemed embarrassing to ask, Yuri really wanted to know the answer.

"...How dare you say that the train conductor personally gave you the ticket?" The shelf remained silent for a while before answering.

“It’s true.” Yuri knew this meant, “If I personally gave you the ticket, how could you not know where you are?” and answered with a forced smile.

“Then let me ask you a question: how did you get on the truck?” the container asked Yuri in return.

"It looks like it was bumped into. What happened?" Yuri replied, "You haven't answered my question yet."

"Then of course we're in the car now, otherwise? I'm sorry, I won't keep you company!"

The container then confidently and swaggered away from Yuri.

Yuri was intimidated by the other party's confidence. After hesitating for a moment, seeing that the other party had already moved a few meters away, Yuri finally decided to stop him again.

Then, the voice of a train spirit echoed through the carriage.

"Passenger Yuri, please continue moving forward and stop bothering the salesperson."

Yuri glanced at the shelf that was still moving forward, but it didn't react at all. Did it not hear?