Under Izanami's horrified gaze, Ye Xing's body merged with that tall suit of armour. Unlike ordinary humans watching this scene, she could clearly detect the murmurs and roars of evil spirits emanating from within this armour.
It was as if tens of thousands of evil spirits had all attached themselves to his body at this very moment.
The oppressive feeling brought by this intense obsession and massive spiritual power even made Izanami, who considered herself a god, feel somewhat breathless.
"Feeling the pressure?"
Ye Xing, now completely encased in this armour, looked towards the opposing Izanami. Though his voice carried its usual laughter, his eyes held nothing but undisguised anticipation and fervour bordering on madness.
"All the evil spirits, spectres, and souls I've devoured so far - their lingering obsessions and powers from when they were alive are now fully manifested, converging to form this suit of armour that truly lives up to its name: Evil Spirit Possession."
"How is this possible..."
Izanami couldn't believe what Ye Xing was saying, yet she could clearly feel the combined obsession and powerful spiritual energy of tens of thousands of evil spirits gathered on this strange armour called Evil Spirit Possession.
"A mere human..."
Izanami raised her head, a pair of distorted crimson eyes glowing through the swirling mist.
"A mere human, how could you accomplish such a thing! How could you possess this kind of power that can rival and oppose me!?"
"You've made two mistakes..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ye Xing, in his Evil Spirit Possession armour, had already flashed before Izanami. The Onimaru Kunitsuna in his hand, infused with the power of tens of thousands of evil spirits he had devoured, converged into a pitch-black blade aura that slashed towards Izanami's body.
Izanami hurriedly raised both arms to block while rapidly retreating backwards.
The moment her arms made contact with the pitch-black blade aura, they emitted a teeth-grating friction sound. Countless terrifying, distorted faces of evil spirits emerged from the dark blade's aura, issuing mournful wails and screams.
"First."
Watching Izanami, whose two forearm sections had been severed by Onimaru Kunitsuna, creating distance between them - though her expression was unclear, she was clearly intimidated by that previous strike - Ye Xing's voice transmitted through the illusion in the clouds, reaching every corner of Japan.
"Precisely because I am human, I can possess such power. I am a human supremacist. Whether evil spirits or deities, to me, you are the inferior beings."
"Second..."
Listening to the piercing screams of thousands of evil spirits continuously echoing in his mind, Ye Xing's eyes grew even more frenzied, even evoking an emotion called fear in Izanami.
"This isn't some power that merely rivals yours - it's complete domination."
"Don't get too arrogant."
Izanami finally recovered from her shock and fear, her form flickering ghost-like before instantly appearing before Ye Xing.
Her pale, inhuman hand with a stitched-up mouth on its back thrust directly towards Ye Xing's left chest.
"Die!"
The next moment, under the gaze of tens of millions, Izanami's right hand pierced straight through Mask's armour. With the eruption of crimson blood, the sound of torn flesh landed with audible weight.
"Big... big brother..."
Witnessing this scene in the sky, Keika Kawasaki instinctively covered her mouth. Not because her young age made her fear the bloody spectacle, but because she had never seen her most admired big brother get injured in battle before.
And the scene that appeared the next moment amidst the crowd's gasps was so gruesome that Saki Kawasaki immediately covered Keika Kawasaki's eyes, not wanting such cruel imagery to leave shadows in her younger sister's innocent heart.
"Farewell, Mask."
Izanami held a fresh, still-beating red heart in her hand, slowly clenching her fingers as she watched it burst in her grasp.
"I'm afraid I'll never forget you in this lifetime."
"You really take me for Satoru Gojo? Delivering victory speeches already? It's still too early for that."
Hearing this familiar voice by her ear, Izanami had just lifted her head when excruciating pain shot through her chest.
What met her eyes were Ye Xing's wildly frenzied pupils.
"I'm afraid it's still far from over."
Staring at the fist-sized, not-yet-fully-healed bloody hole in the other's chest, Izanami was utterly bewildered.
No way...
Your heart was just dug out and crushed by me, yet you can still move as if nothing happened?
"You... are you even human!?"
Ye Xing nodded with complete seriousness.
"I believe I am."
"Well then... next..."
With one hand piercing through Izanami's chest and the other gripping her shoulder, fingers sinking deep into her flesh, Ye Xing's eyes revealed an eerie mix of anticipation and excitement.
"Let's fight with all our might!"
Amidst the sound of tearing flesh, all the people of Japan watched as Mask seized the shoulder of the self-proclaimed goddess Izanami, then brutally tore off a chunk of her body.
Such bloody and brutal scenes weren't something even many adults dared to watch, let alone a young girl like Keika Kawasaki.
After all, this wasn't some child-friendly anime, nor was it an inspiring heroic manga.
The mouths covering Izanami's body surface tore at each other, forcibly breaking through the sutures that held them, seizing every opportunity to bite into Mask's body.
Mask, who always appeared in a heroic manner, now seemed to have lost all reason, completely impervious to pain, offering no defence whatsoever. Instead, he fought back with mutual injury, as if determined to perish together with Izanami.
Their bodily regeneration couldn't even keep up with their mutual assault.
Amidst the afterimages, only fragments of flesh and blood sprayed through the air, as if the two figures battling in that magnificent hall weren't humanoid beings at all, but rather two wild beasts intent on tearing each other apart until not even scraps remained.
Even without being physically present at the scene, everyone could sense through the intermittent waves from the illusory images and the slight tremors in the ground that this was indeed a battle between humanity's hero and a self-proclaimed evil deity - a conflict far beyond ordinary comprehension.
"Why... why..."
Izanami's blood dripped from her curvaceous body onto the floor, her wounds healing rapidly.
She stared at Mask standing opposite her. Though his evil spirit-armour was extensively damaged and his body bore multiple bloody holes, he remained standing perfectly straight. All the mouths covering her body surface, now completely free from their original sutures, joined the one on her face in emitting a venomous roar.
"Why... won't you just die obediently!!!"
"You... are weak."
Facing Izanami's roar, Ye Xing simply lowered his head, glanced at the crimson blood dripping from his body onto the golden floor, and spoke in a flat tone.
"Your power is strong, but you have no combat experience and cannot endure the pain brought by this level of fighting."
"I may not be able to destroy your body, but..."
Ye Xing raised his head, a trickle of blood sliding down his black mask, staining the white smiling face pattern with a splash of crimson.
"I can completely destroy your soul."
Izanami took a deep breath, and in that single inhalation, her body returned to its original state.
She looked at Mask, once again enveloped in the evil spirit-armour, and spoke, as if suddenly regaining her composure, in a calm tone.
"Bearing the obsessions of thousands of evil spirits gathered together, how long can you maintain this state? Your soul has its limits, too. When that time comes, you'll become a complete madman."
"Perhaps."
Ye Xing nodded noncommittally, chuckling lightly as he spoke.
"But even if I lose my sanity and become a complete madman, my obsession will remain singular - that no matter where you flee, I will find you, and then... tear you to pieces."
"You..."
In that moment, Izanami felt profound fear.
As a deity who had just been born, merely imagining the scene Ye Xing described sent chills running through her very bones.
Madman.
This guy was completely and utterly insane.
Being hunted by such a madman for a lifetime, living in constant fear every moment - that would be the most excruciating torment in the world.
Izanami's wavering also caused changes in her Domain.
The illusion, like a live broadcast, now retained only the visuals, without any sound, as if someone had suddenly pressed the mute button.
Just then, a hand rested on Ye Xing's shoulder.
"You'd better not. While I don't mind personally, my mother would definitely object to me marrying a psychopath, even if this psychopath happens to be very handsome."
The moment he heard that voice, the evil spirit armour covering Ye Xing's body dissipated, returning to his normal Mask attire.
He turned around to see Yui Yuigahama, who had already changed into action attire and used Soul Materialisation to create a disguise, her eyes filled with concern, along with the members of the Supernatural Society standing behind her. He chuckled lightly.
"Hey, everyone's here?"
"Could we not come?"
Mai Sakurajima stepped forward and punched him hard with clear annoyance.
"When will you finally change this habit of not relying on others? I also hope... I also hope..."
Mai seemed somewhat embarrassed, hesitating for a moment before speaking softly.
"That you would rely on us more."
"I already rely on you quite a lot."
Hearing this, Rio Futaba stepped forward, looking at Ye Xing, who had already released the Evil Spirit Possession state, and sighed slightly.
"If you truly relied on us, would you have ended up in such a state where you can't even maintain that power from earlier? You're far too stubborn about pushing yourself."
"Hey, don't say that. Me releasing that power has nothing to do with my condition."
"Still being stubborn?"
"Who's being stubborn?"
Ye Xing explained with complete seriousness.
"Spiritual power is the power of the heart. The state I was in earlier was a special ability formed by the convergence of negative emotions and obsessions. Now that I see you've all come, I don't have any negative emotions left, so naturally it dissipated."
Hearing this, Haruno Yukinoshita - who, being unable to use Soul Materialisation to form a mask for disguise, could only wear an actual mask - couldn't help but chuckle teasingly.
"Typical you. Even at a time like this, you're still so unserious."
"Hey, telling the truth can't be called unserious."
Meanwhile, the grey mist that had originally covered the entire Hitogashima Island had completely dissipated, all concentrated within this palace-like Domain.
After all, Izanami had been genuinely frightened by the battle-crazed Ye Xing, long since abandoning any attempt to attack Hitogashima Island's residents and instead focusing all her power on fighting him.
Therefore, Haruno Yukinoshita and Miko Yotsuya, who had originally been protecting Hitogashima Island's residents, had also entered Izanami's Domain.
"This... is the end, isn't it?"
Holding Mikazuki Munechika, Miko Yotsuya stepped forward and gazed directly at the deity Izanami standing there, softly chanting.
Seeing this, the members, one by one, unleashed their soul's true forms.
"Open your eyes, Hyakume."
"Tear off the disguise, Bone Woman."
"Release the resentment, Emperor Sutoku."
"Break free from the bonds, Suzuhiko-hime."
"Chase the obsession, Kiyohime."
"Dispel the gloom, Hiyoribo."
"Listen to your heart, Hienma."
"Play the melody, Kinnara."
Watching the souls' true forms materialise behind the Supernatural Society members, people across Japan viewing this illusion—though unable to hear the members' liberation incantations due to Izanami's weakening power, which silenced the vision—were certain of one thing.
These individuals were all Mask's allies.
"Big brother..."
Keika Kawasaki watched Mask in the illusion, her small hands clenched tightly before her chest, lips pressed together nervously.
"You must win!"
...
At that moment, Izanami, seeing the sudden appearance of the Supernatural Society members' souls' true forms along with the four spirits Tamamo-no-Mae, the Matchmaking Deity, Kuchisake-onna, and Hachishaku-sama standing there, involuntarily retreated two steps. The mist shrouding her face dissipated, revealing a countenance identical to Rikka Sakuragawa's but twisted into a fierce expression.
"I... I am a deity bearing the name Izanami. You cannot... impossible, absolutely cannot kill me..."
"Killing a deity is something..."
Ye Xing advanced two steps, the tall, headless monster half-black and half-white reappearing behind him.
This time, however, wisps of variously coloured spiritual power drifted from all the members' souls' true forms, including the red thread in the hands of Tamamo-no-Mae, Hachishaku-sama, Kuchisake-onna, and the Matchmaking Deity, all merging into Ye Xing's soul's true form.
"It's not the first time we've done this."
"Great Deity Izanagi."
Watching the tall black-and-white monster behind Ye Xing gradually transform into a humanoid figure clad in magnificent white robes, its body seemingly composed of some metallic substance, with pure golden light emanating from its eye sockets and holding a long sword, the deity Izanami felt unprecedented, intense terror. Trembling, she staggered backwards, uttering desperate pleas.
"No... no... don't kill me..."
Ye Xing's actions showed not the slightest hesitation despite Izanami's desperate entreaties.
The Great Deity Izanagi raised the long sword high and, with his words, brought it down.
"It's over."
Amid a burst of light, people across Japan watched Izanami's body, with an expression seeming to scream in despair, rapidly dissolve like spring snow.
Finally, when Izanami completely vanished, the illusion in the sky disappeared as well.
"Is this... victory?"
People looked at each other, and after nearly half a minute, they finally reacted, erupting into fervent cheers.
"Mask... won!"
...
At that moment, due to Izanami's dissipation, the Domain automatically dissolved.
Everyone looked at their surroundings and realised they were back in the real world, in the underground cavern of Hitogashima Island.
"Did we... win?"
All members' gazes turned forward simultaneously.
When they clearly saw Ye Xing standing there, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, upon seeing Rikka Sakuragawa lying on the ground, having returned to her true appearance, alongside a charred, infant-shaped creature with hollow eye sockets, they couldn't help but frown.
Ignoring the infant-shaped creature, Ye Xing first walked over to Rikka Sakuragawa.
Seeing him approach, her gradually dimming yellow eyes regained some spark as if in a final rally, and she struggled to speak.
"I'm... going to die, right?"
"Yes."
Ye Xing nodded, his tone flat.
"Your soul is already damaged. Even though your body remains immortal, as your soul completely vanishes, the mermaid flesh curse will disappear too, and you'll eventually turn to dust."
"I see..."
Rikka Sakuragawa stared at the cavern ceiling, murmuring to herself.
"I lost..."
Then she turned her gaze to Ye Xing's face. Though breathing had become difficult, she maintained her usual elegant demeanour and spoke slowly.
"If I had to do it all over again, I'd still make the same choice... because life is too boring for me."
"I know."
Ye Xing nodded softly.
"So if we repeated this, you'd still be eliminated by us."
"Yes... the same outcome."
A faint smile touched Rikka Sakuragawa's lips.
"But this isn't your endpoint. The duty of the defeated is to pass the power to decide the world's future to the victor, so..."
Her voice had become almost inaudible; only Ye Xing, standing nearby, could hear.
"There's a girl with reddish-brown long hair, blue eyes, wearing a brown-yellow coat... she's... a key figure in the coming disaster..."