The moment Rikka Sakuragawa finished speaking, thick mist instantly surged through the previously dim underground cave.
Unlike the viscous black fog of the Reverse World, this was a grey mist permeated with a sense of deathly stillness.
The dense fog didn't just fill the underground cave - it emerged throughout the entire Hitogashima Island.
"This is..."
Miko Yotsuya watched as waves of mist surged towards them, her golden eyes flickering as she spoke softly.
"Open your eyes, Hyakume!"
As Miko uttered the soul's true name, Hyakume instantly appeared behind her, dozens of eyes across her body opening simultaneously, releasing light of varying colours from within.
The pale golden Mikazuki Munechika in her hand also emitted sharp spiritual power similar in colour to her golden pupils, forming a protective barrier.
Seeing the grey mist being kept at a distance of over ten metres by Miko, the members all breathed sighs of relief.
"Nobody move."
Kazusa Touma turned around, looking at the Hitogashima Island residents who appeared panicked and confused about what was happening. She raised Juzumaru Tsunetsugu in her hand and spoke coldly.
"If you move, I'll cut you down."
Though the members felt Kazusa's words were too harsh, they had to admit they were effective.
With the presence of familiar island residents like the Kobune sisters, Hizuru Minakata, and Ginjiro Nezu helping to soothe everyone's emotions, the inhabitants of Hitogashima Island remained obediently in place, none daring to venture away recklessly.
Though they didn't know the members of the Supernatural Society, since Ginjiro Nezu and others had stated these people were protecting everyone's safety, they seemed trustworthy enough.
Moreover...
This vast expanse of grey mist was clearly abnormal. Who knew what terrifying things might be hidden within? No one would dare rush into it carelessly.
Just as Rio Futaba was closely observing the grey mist, a drifting, eerie voice emerged from the dense fog - sounding like two women's voices overlapping.
"The desire to protect everyone... I see, so this is your desire."
Kazusa Touma, who had heard Izanami's voice before, instantly recognised that one of the overlapping female voices belonged to Izanami.
As for the other voice...
It went without saying - it must be that woman named Rikka Sakuragawa.
"This desire will lead to your failure."
The voices of Rikka Sakuragawa and Izanami continued drifting from the mist.
"How long can you resist relying on spiritual power? As higher beings, protecting useless ordinary people - when your spiritual power is exhausted, both you and the insects you're trying to protect will be completely devoured by this grey mist of desire."
"Heh."
In response to Izanami and Rikka Sakuragawa's words, Haruno Yukinoshita merely sneered twice before immediately retorting.
"You should worry more about how you'll beg for mercy when we capture you - though begging won't help anyway, since we'll definitely eliminate you."
"Is that so... Then come try to find me..."
The voices of Rikka Sakuragawa and Izanami grew gradually fainter until they finally disappeared within the mist.
Observing the vast grey mist before them, Rio Futaba frowned slightly and turned to Miko Yotsuya with some concern.
"Miko, how much longer can you hold out?"
"I'm fine, it's quite easy."
Miko Yotsuya reversed the Mikazuki Munechika in her hand and planted it point-down in the ground, replying calmly.
"At this level, judging by my current spiritual power consumption rate, I can maintain this for five or six hours without problem."
Rio Futaba sighed in relief upon hearing this, but then frowned again when she looked back at the grey mist.
"Desire... transformation... brainwashing... Rikka Sakuragawa's soul's true form, Izanami, is an ability type born from these three elements... This grey mist might be something similar..."
Speaking of which, Rio turned to the other members and said softly.
"I'll try entering this grey mist first to see what changes occur upon contact. Afterwards, we can..."
Before Rio could finish speaking, and before the other members could voice their opinions, they suddenly saw a figure charge directly into the grey mist.
"Kira?"
Watching as Light Yagami's figure seemed to be completely swallowed up and vanish after entering the grey mist, everyone was stunned.
Rio Futaba had originally thought that, aside from Miko Yotsuya, she had the strongest spiritual power among everyone present, making her best suited to gather information about this grey mist.
As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Facing Rikka Sakuragawa's new ability, Rio Futaba, as the tactical advisor, first thought was to collect intelligence, find the weakness of this ability, analyse it, and then devise countermeasures.
Unexpectedly, before she could act, Light Yagami charged forward first.
Truly worthy of being Kira, how brave.
At that moment, as Light Yagami abandoned his instinctive use of spiritual power to resist and his body came into direct contact with the grey mist, the scene before his eyes transformed.
He was no longer on Hitogashima Island but on the streets of Tokyo, surrounded by continuous streams of people.
Everyone was chanting one name.
"Kira... Kira... Kira!"
Light Yagami looked up and saw a large screen broadcasting a news report.
"Since Kira first appeared three years ago until today, Japan's crime rate has rapidly declined, now approaching zero indefinitely. A new world without crime or evil is right before us."
Then, Soichiro Yagami's voice came from behind Light Yagami.
"Light, what are you spacing out for?"
Light turned around and saw his mother, father, and younger sister, Sayu Yagami, standing there, all smiling at him. Sayu eagerly stepped forward to urge him.
"Bro, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up! Dad went all out today to book a high-end restaurant for your celebration banquet."
"Celebration banquet...?"
"Yeah, to celebrate you getting into To-Oh University with the top grades in all of Japan! What's with your memory? Are you so happy you've gone stupid?"
Hearing his sister's words, along with the surrounding crowd fervently chanting Kira's name and the news report about the crime rate approaching zero indefinitely on the large screen, Light Yagami felt momentarily confused.
But only for a brief moment. Clarity quickly returned to his brown eyes as he smiled faintly, shook his head, and murmured to himself.
"Such a future is indeed quite wonderful, but what a pity..."
Watching the scene before him shatter like broken glass, Light said calmly.
"If it were a celebration banquet, I would definitely invite Ye Xing and Ryuzaki. Moreover... with a monster like Ye Xing around, it would be quite difficult for me to achieve first place..."
"This... is not the future I seek."
...
When Light Yagami emerged from the grey mist and told Rio Futaba everything that had just happened, she thoughtfully remarked.
"Hmm... constructing an illusory future... Even you experienced brief confusion. If it were an ordinary person... they would likely already be lost within it. As for what happens after being lost, it's hard to say - perhaps they'd be turned into puppets, or maybe they'd become walking corpses."
Rio Futaba looked at the members and spoke softly.
"Considering search efficiency... We'll need to split into teams."
"Miko, Yukinoshita, you two stay here. With Shadow Mio, Shadow Ushio, Miss Minakata and Mr Nezu, that should be enough to ensure everyone's safety."
"As for the remaining groups..."
Before Rio Futaba could finish, Light Yagami walked into the grey mist on his own, leaving behind only a light laugh and a few words.
"Though we're good friends, I'll take this rare opportunity for competition and act alone. If I find Rikka Sakuragawa first, consider it my victory."
Rio Futaba shook her head helplessly, choosing not to bother with Light Yagami, who had gone off alone, and continued with the grouping.
"Matchmaking Deity, Yui, you two will be with Kazusa."
"Got it!"
Only by putting two naturally airheaded, sunny personalities together could they barely withstand Kazusa Touma's cold aura. But if it were Setsuna Ogiso, she could achieve a one-for-one balance with Kazusa Touma.
Commonly known as the Kazusa Touma inequality.
"Mai-senpai's abilities aren't suited for direct combat, so she'll be with me."
"Similarly, for Hina, Tamamo-no-Mae, Hachishaku-sama, Kuchisake-onna - you four will form a team. This is the most stable arrangement."
After the grouping was completed, the members entered the grey mist according to the teams assigned by Rio Futaba.
While feeling nervous, they even held a faint, inexplicable anticipation in their hearts.
What would the future that Izanami had constructed for them actually look like?
The moment Mai Sakurajima stepped into the grey mist, the scene before her changed.
She found herself in a wedding hall. Looking down, she discovered she was wearing an exquisite, beautiful white wedding dress. Sitting in the audience below were not only her mother and sister, but even the members of the Supernatural Society.
And standing opposite her...
"Ye Xing?"
Seeing Ye Xing dressed in a black suit and smiling, Mai Sakurajima already understood the content of this illusion.
"It's our wedding..."
Mai Sakurajima first couldn't help but show a hint of joyful, happy smile, but then shook her head helplessly.
"Though I really wish this were real, this must be fake. It can't even make me feel the slightest bit confused, because..."
Mai Sakurajima looked at Miko and the others sitting in the audience and sighed softly.
"Given your personality, even if we were to hold a wedding, it would be held simultaneously with everyone. There's absolutely no way something that could cause a showdown situation like this would happen..."
The moment she spoke these words, Mai Sakurajima emerged from the illusion.
She looked at Rio Futaba beside her and found the other woman wearing an equally complicated expression.
"Your illusion... was also a wedding?"
"Yes, yours too?"
"Right, so the reason you noticed something was wrong..."
Hearing Mai Sakurajima's question, Rio Futaba rolled her eyes, took off her glasses, tied her grey long curls into a ponytail, and said with a mix of helplessness and emotion.
"Given his personality, even if he were to hold a wedding, it would be with everyone simultaneously. The kind of scenario that could trigger a showdown like in the illusion would absolutely never happen."
"Just as I thought."
Even Rikka Sakuragawa, the creator of this Domain, probably never imagined that while the illusion she constructed did respond to each person's inner desires, Ye Xing's character was too abstract. Choices that normal people would make became abnormal when applied to him, causing a fundamental breakdown in logic. In the end, not only did it fail to confuse the members of the Supernatural Society, it didn't even give them a moment's hesitation.
Completely ineffective.
The ultimate victory of the innate abstract saint, the Harem God, Kyoto's number one eroge player.
...
Meanwhile, at the centre of Hitogashima Island, within a palace-like, magnificent building.
"Is this it?"
Ye Xing looked out at the vast grey mist beyond the window, his gaze turning to Rikka Sakuragawa, sitting on a throne forged from gold and jewels, her body continuously crumbling and repairing itself as he chuckled mockingly.
"You don't actually think sitting on a golden toilet makes you an emperor, do you? Your Domain appears to be nothing more than this flashy but hollow display."
"Though I don't understand what you're saying..."
Rikka Sakuragawa's two crimson eyes glowed with an eerie light.
"If you want to kill me, just try it."
"Need you to teach me?"
Black flames once again surged across Ye Xing's face, forming a pitch-black mask as he whispered.
"Let's go, Onimaru Kunitsuna."
Rikka Sakuragawa slowly raised her hand, blood dripping from her fingertips onto the ground.
"Go forth, Izanami."
...
Meanwhile, in Kyoto city, Natsumi Suga, who was wandering through streets and alleys in search of valuable news stories, suddenly heard the crowd gasp in unison.
"What is that?"
"Am I seeing things... can you all see it too?"
"Is that... Mask?"
Natsumi Suga froze for a moment, seeing everyone looking up towards the sky, and she instinctively raised her head as well.
The sight that met her eyes made her completely stunned, and even the notebook and pen she used to record news information fell from her hands onto the ground.
In the clouds, a mirage-like illusion appeared.
Within this illusion was a woman whose face was obscured by swirling mist, engaged in combat with someone wearing a black coat and a pitch-black mask, dressed exactly like Mask.
"That's..."
Natsumi Suga's mouth opened slightly, unable to believe what she was seeing was real.
What exactly was this?
A projection? Or an illusion?
Not just in Kyoto city - people across all of Japan were witnessing the phantom image appearing in the sky.
At this moment, everyone's attention and gaze was captured by the scene before them.
"Give up."
Izanami raised her arm, forcibly blocking a slash from Onimaru Kunitsuna, the wound in her arm instantly healing.
From her throne, Rikka Sakuragawa slowly spoke.
"This place is a Domain constructed from human desires. As long as desire still exists in people's hearts, then I am invincible."
"Putting on airs now?"
Ye Xing's voice still carried laughter.
"The last person who claimed to be invincible was cut in half. You'll meet the same fate, but I'll cut you vertically."
"I am no longer human."
Rikka Sakuragawa's face appeared in the illusion materialising in the sky. Everyone who witnessed this immediately recognised her - this woman was the subject of Mask's warning letter, the one who caused all these tragedies, Rikka Sakuragawa.
Rising from her golden throne, Rikka Sakuragawa spoke slowly.
"Now, I am the true Izanami."
"Fusion, Izanami."
As her words faded, the Izanami that had been floating in the air disappeared. In its place, a hazy mist enveloped Rikka Sakuragawa's face.
The fissures covering her body transformed into mouth-like openings, emitting violent screams that were instantly silenced as threads forcibly stitched them shut. Her entire form had completely transformed into a monstrous appearance.
"How pitiful..."
Seeing the stitched-shut mouths on Rikka Sakuragawa's body that struggled to voice their cries, and her current form - more terrifying and grotesque than any evil spirit - Ye Xing simply shook his head and murmured softly.
"Possessing a soul's true form that guides desire, yet ultimately being controlled by your own soul's true form due to those very desires... Unable to even master your own power. You... are nothing but weak."
People watching the sky's spectacle from the streets all heard Mask's words.
Amid the silence, a somewhat childish voice suddenly broke the stillness.
"Mask will definitely win!"
Hearing Keika Kawasaki's voice, a petite, cute girl wearing gothic lolita fashion with an eye patch, standing at the other end of the crowd, immediately chimed in competitively.
"That's right! Mask is the strongest and will definitely achieve victory!"
"Of course that's true."
Hearing the successive cheers from Keika Kawasaki and Rikka Takanashi, Takeshi Aoki, standing among the crowd with a cigarette in his mouth, couldn't help but smile slightly. Clenching his fist, he shouted loudly.
"After all, this is the hero I support!"
Throughout Japan, Mask's supporters were everywhere. Led by these people, everyone witnessing this scene transitioned from initial shock and confusion to voicing their support for Mask.
Meanwhile, in the palace, Rikka Sakuragawa... no, she should now be called Izanami, felt the ground trembling beneath her feet and murmured to herself.
"No... how can this be... my power..."
"Can you feel it?"
Ye Xing raised his Onimaru Kunitsuna and declared word by word.
"Now, everyone desires only one thing."
"That is Mask's victory."
"And I... will not fail."
As his words faded, Izanami saw a towering, headless monster nearly ten metres tall - half black, half white - appear behind Ye Xing.
From the blade of his Onimaru Kunitsuna, metallic chains blossomed forth, merging with the black-and-white headless monster to form what resembled armour.
Ye Xing's body was gradually enveloped by this living armour, his usual calm and flippant tone completely gone as he shouted with a voice that seemed capable of shaking souls to their core.
"Here and now, I call forth my true name!"
"Evil Spirit Possession!"