Two days later — 18:51
At an abandoned warehouse near the harbor, Dango raised a hand and pointed at the X-ray image of the chip embedded in Kurayami's head.
"If we assume things logically," he said, "Yurei's personality seems to have formed from Kurayami's negative emotions. That control chip—she implanted an additional data set into her brain. It can perceive, learn, and evolve on its own. The database inside the chip is connected to an online system, so if someone figures out this device's IP address and hacks it with bad intentions, the chip will immediately trigger a self-defense protocol, reboot itself, and reset the IP."
He paused, then added grimly, "But viruses are worse. Basic viruses get blocked easily—but if a high-level one gets in, it could directly affect her nervous system."
"What happens if we remove it surgically?" Seto asked.
Dango raised his hand and drew it across his throat.
"Even if she survives, the chances of her returning to normal are slim. It's embedded so deeply it's practically part of her nervous system. Even top-tier surgeons in the country wouldn't dare touch this. The mortality risk alone is way too high."
"So it had to be a back-alley doctor," Seto muttered. "Whoever implanted that chip must've been a genius. But what if it's not a virus—and instead someone's controlling the chip remotely?"
That question crossed my mind.
"That's possible," Dango admitted. "But who knows where milady got the chip from back when she was still in a vegetative state?"
"There's only one group it could be…" Seto walked over and opened the weapons crate Dango had hidden. He laid everything out on the table: a long-range sniper rifle, nano-balls for wound treatment given by Mr. Makoroku, two compact pistols, a small tanto knife, and a single grenade.
"Oni and Arai."
"I'm going after him myself," the black-haired man said.
"I'm coming with you," I offered.
"No." Seto shook his head. "You stay at the hospital with Kurayami. If I fail, they'll definitely send someone to finish her off. I'll send some trusted men to guard you."
"And if you don't make it back…?"
Seto gripped my shoulder and flashed a crooked smile.
"This time, I won't mess up. It'll just be me and Mr. Majima. You can trust us."
He loaded the rifle.
"It's time to hunt a demon." Click~ clack.
At that moment, the azure butterfly took flight into the night sky, merging seamlessly with the surface of the moon.
OMUP Building — 00:45
The bodyguards standing watch in the long hallway outside Arai's room noticed a mysterious armored figure approaching from afar.
"Hey—the company's closed. You can't—"
Pew. Pew.
The man in the green oni mask dropped a silencer to the floor, stepped over the bodies of the two fallen guards, and reached for the door—only to pause when he noticed the air vent beside it. Changing his mind, he adjusted his plan.
Inside the room, Arai was on the phone.
"How many times do I have to tell you to clean things up properly? The cops have no idea what we're doing. Damn it—why are you all so unprofessional?!"
He slammed the phone down.
Thk.
Arai froze.
A long katana blade had pierced straight through his back and emerged from his abdomen. He hadn't even realized someone had entered the room.
"Wh… what is this…?"
The second-in-command of Oniwaban collapsed to his knees, strength draining from his body.
Scrrk.
The oni twisted the blade.
"Ghk—!"
"Do you know why I never create enemies?" the oni said calmly. "Because I leave none alive to become my enemy. Loyalty is something subordinates should have—but you made the mistake of thinking I was one of yours. That was your fatal error."
He leaned closer.
"Without me, those two brats would've made off with your stuffs anyway. Like they say—try to ride a tiger, and you'll end up being devoured." The oni yanked the blade free and swung it toward Arai's neck.
"What… do you want…?"
"I despise people like you the most," the oni replied. "Those who hold power—the kind that can decide who lives and who dies. Power that turns ordinary people into corpses… or leaves them less than whole." He raised the sword again—then stopped. "No…no... that'd be too easy."
The blade shifted.
Slice. Slice.
Arai's left arm and right off the shoulders. "GAAAAAAHHHHHHKKK~~~!"
The oni performed a merciless sword dance, letting his victim scream until his voice gave out. Finally, the blade rested atop Arai's head— and at that moment, a girl's smiling face appeared from the wall itself, slipping through like a ghost beneath a Noh mask. "OHAYO! It's Yurei~"
The miraculous girl emerged as Arai stared in confusion, barely understanding what was happening.
"Y-you… Bi—O—"
"Shh~ It's Yurei," she corrected softly. "Your father must be terribly disappointed in you, Arai-kun."
She nodded to the oni.
Chop!
"You knew I was coming?" the oni said, blood splattering across the wall behind him. "Looks like that thing in your brain is already causing trouble. Good. Saves me the effort."
"No~" Yurei smiled as she gazed at Arai's lifeless body. "By then, I won't need this rotten body anymore."
Boom! Boom~
Fireworks erupted into the sky.
"Hooray~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
The oni walked to the window and looked down at the streets below. Crowds of people wearing digital-reality glasses filled the roads, drawn in by Yurei's enchanting songs. Even the police couldn't stop them. If this continued, a riot was inevitable.
"That brat's getting out of control," the oni muttered.
Then he noticed a glint of light from a building across the way—
CRASH! A bullet shattered the window. The oni's eyes widened as he turned toward the office glass.
"You know~ I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time," Yurei said lightly, before vanishing back into the virtual world.
"'nough said," he muttered.
Across the way, Seto chambered another round and took aim at the oni, who had begun to react.
BANG!
Another shot flew toward him—but the oni raised his metal-braced arm to shield his face. The bullet deflected, but the impact sent him crashing backward through the office door.
He scrambled to his feet and ran, narrowly escaping death from the next shot.
"Arai's dead," Seto reported.
"Shit! That demon wiped out all the bodyguards!" Mr. Majima shouted while infiltrating the lower floors.
"He's heading for the rooftop!" Dango's voice came through. "Mr. Majima's moving to cut him off—hurry!"
"It's time to end the concert," Seto said as he stood, ready to become a true demon hunter. "This time, you won't get away, mofo."
On the other side of the city, Seoki sat inside the emergency room, listening as Kurayami's heartbeat grew slower and slower.
He pulled Kurayami's prototype digital-reality glasses from his shoulder bag and tightly clasped her hand. Looking up at the window, he saw his reflection—only it was Kurayami as a small shrine maiden.
Seeing that, he whispered a prayer.
"Stay with us, Kurayami."
Beep… beep… beep~~~~
Her pulse flatlined.
Just as Seoki reached for the emergency call button— the heartbeat returned.
"Kurayami… Kurayami… can you hear me?" He stared, witnessing a miracle unfold.
Thump… thump… thump… thump… thump… thump… thump-thump-thump-thump…
And at last—the girl opened her eyes with blood streaming from her left eye socket. It was a crescent-shaped pupil.