SCIAW: Chapter 494/495

Chapter 494: Too Overpowered

Saturday night, the second night of their vacation in Izu.

Since they had class on Monday, they would return tomorrow afternoon. So tonight was their last night in Izu.

After dinner, at 7:12, the sky outside was already draped in black.

Even at night, the bustling streets of Izu were lively and full of people.

Wearing what looked like ordinary summer clothes, Sakuya and Isumi, dressed in a thick kimono, walked onto a less crowded street.

"As expected of the night owl's Extraordinary trait."

After nightfall, Sakuya clearly felt her perception expand several times over. She could see straight into the dark woods beside the street, completely unaffected by the darkness.

She felt even more energetic than usual after nightfall, and it was only growing.

Sakuya could tell it was not just simple energy. It surpassed the body's limits, an extremely precise and overpowered state.

The definition of Sleepless was thrown right out.

"No wonder I do not need to sleep at night. No one could sleep in this state."

"Isumi, are your exorcism methods stronger, or are Sequence abilities stronger?"

Isumi thought seriously for a moment, then said,

"There is no difference."

"The reason you feel your abilities are stronger is only because you are protected by Ren. The power of the Sequence Pathways is very strong, but it all comes at a cost. The cost you need to pay is being protected by Ren, so you do not bear it yourself."

Isumi clearly understood the true nature of the Sequence's power.

It was power gained by bearing madness and chaos as the price to fight madness and chaos.

Putting oneself into madness and chaos was a gamble.

It was like betting one's life, placing everything on the other side of the scale to gain power. This was a power one would only choose when there was no other choice.

Originally it should have been like that, but now the other side of the scale was being weighed down by Ren.

He did not even pay much attention to it, simply thinking there was no cost, which greatly raised the cost-effectiveness of choosing the Sequence.

"…Indeed. Ren is still too overpowered."

He suppressed all the so-called side effects, directly raising the value of choosing this path to a very high level, so more people would choose it.

Having realized this, Sakuya fully agreed.

What was unusual was not the Sequence itself, but the Sequence led by Ren.

"He suppresses all the side effects of the Sequence, completely eliminating any worries about side effects."

"Among us, only Chika has suffered from corruption and madness."

"That was when Ren had not realized he could control madness and corruption. After Chika's incident, we have not encountered similar problems."

Judging from Chika's condition, corruption and madness were still terrifying. As for the psychological trauma she experienced, Sakuya did not want to know the specifics at all.

However, considering she would continue on this path in the future, she might consider asking Ren to let her experience it after she prepared herself mentally.

Sakuya's gaze shifted around.

There were not many people on this street, probably because it was not the bustling area of Izu.

"Isumi, are there really evil spirits here?"

"The birth of an evil spirit is troublesome and requires a more enclosed environment. When an evil spirit is born, it occupies that area and turns it into its territory, which is the domain where evil spirits appear."

"On a street like this, unless a ghost has exceptionally deep resentment, evil spirits might be born. Otherwise, they are generally earth-bound spirits confined to an area. Like those souls in the forest."

Isumi pointed toward the woods by the street.

"Eh…"

Sakuya stiffened without thinking, her neck turning mechanically. She had not seen any souls.

"Are there, are there any?"

Isumi did not explain. She stopped, reached out, and wiped Sakuya's eyes, temporarily using her miko spiritual power to let Sakuya see ghosts.

Once she could see them, Sakuya saw translucent souls drifting through the woods.

Each soul seemed to retain how they had died, which shocked Sakuya when she saw them.

"There really are!?"

"Earth-bound spirits. They were murdered in the woods and became bound to this place because of it. However, these earth-bound spirits cannot move freely and do not carry much resentment, so some will dissipate after a time… Only souls with stronger resentment can exist for long."

"Of course, the existence of earth-bound spirits requires many conditions. This forest became a spiritual field because dozens of people were killed here, which created the conditions for their birth."

Isumi explained slowly while Sakuya stood speechless in shock.

Once she calmed down, Sakuya scanned the forest. Sure enough, those souls only wandered the woods with no signs of consciousness.

"Then, do these souls have a big impact on ordinary people?"

"Generally, not much. Ordinary earth-bound spirits have little impact on people. Those who enter the spiritual field will feel a chill, and people with weaker constitutions might catch a cold or fever after leaving."

"Doesn't that make it like the Amamiya Residence?"

"The situation at Ren's residence is different. Because it is the territory of evil spirits, the three dead souls inside have all become very dangerous evil spirits due to love and hatred. So Ren's residence is actually more dangerous."

A spiritual field where only earth-bound spirits wander and a house occupied by evil spirits are completely different concepts.

Living in a house occupied by evil spirits, most people, unless they had an exceptionally strong horoscope, would be toyed with to death by them.

Isumi changed the subject.

"However, those three evil spirits should be even more afraid of encountering Ren."

"So those three evil spirits were killed, and the spiritual field that had formed in that house became something Ren deliberately preserved… A zero-energy air-conditioned room?"

"…So, Ren is still too overpowered."

Sakuya grumbled.

"Also, he probably preserved that kind of spiritual field in the room just to avoid paying too much rent, or even to use it as a free air-conditioned room, right?"

Sakuya strongly suspected that after Ren gained the ability to kill evil spirits, that was exactly what he thought.

"So, where is our target this time?"

The hotel that murder happened.

When Isumi said the hotel, Sakuya immediately recalled the news she had seen that morning.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 495: Resolving Evil Spirits

As night fell, the two arrived in front of the hotel.

Because of the murder that occurred last night, the area around the equestrian statue at the hotel entrance was still cordoned off with No Entry barriers.

Looking closely, one could see a large amount of fresh red on the statue's upright spear, with more red on the statue's body and base.

It had not rained yesterday, and the blood had already begun turning black due to the temperature.

These visible traces alone were enough to show how gruesome the murder here had been.

Even without getting closer, Sakuya and Isumi could see an almost transparent soul with a gaping hole in its chest.

Reddish substances were still seeping from the hole in that soul's chest.

"A malevolent spirit beginning its transformation."

The moment Isumi saw that soul, she understood that it had already begun to transform into a malevolent spirit.

"Isumi, did you not say that ordinary souls would not become malevolent spirits?"

"Hmm, that only applies to ordinary souls. People who harbor extraordinary obsession and resentment before death often break the rule that ordinary souls cannot become malevolent spirits."

"Therefore, love, hatred, and obsession become powerful driving forces."

Isumi explained in detail.

"The hatred of being murdered is also one of the driving forces for becoming a malevolent spirit."

"Clearly, this victim harbored intense hatred, which is why the residual soul has begun to show anomalies."

Then Isumi took an amulet from her kimono sleeve.

If such a soul completed its transformation, things would become very troublesome.

It could still be handled, but it would be much more difficult than now.

Just as Isumi was about to act, Sakuya stopped her.

"The Police are still watching nearby."

She pointed to the Police patrolling close by.

Since a major murder had occurred here yesterday, even though the case had been solved and the culprit arrested with the help of a high school detective, it did not mean the Police's work was over.

The day before yesterday, there had been a murder in the forest. Yesterday morning, the culprit was caught. Then last night, a very heinous murder occurred in Izu's largest five-star hotel.

Two consecutive murders within a single day meant the Izu Police had no choice but to take it seriously.

"Isumi, can you set up a barrier, one that blocks people's sight?"

"It requires some preparation."

Isumi temporarily set aside her plan to deal with the residual soul quickly. Setting up a barrier within a certain range to block others' sight, or even block entry, was possible, but it would take time.

"Then let us take a little more time to handle it."

Sakuya immediately decided on the method.

"Unless absolutely necessary, we do not need to draw attention to ourselves."

"But…"

Isumi understood this method could reduce trouble, but she also noticed that the residual soul was already beginning to transform into a malevolent spirit.

It was nighttime, which would accelerate the transformation, and the speed was still increasing.

"Do not worry."

Sakuya offered a calming word, then raised a metallic-looking amulet in her hand.

"The amulet Ren made can help at critical moments."

She always carried the amulet Ren had given her. In this situation, it could be of great use.

If Isumi was too slow, her amulet could create an opening for Isumi to act on the residual soul.

"Understood."

Seeing the amulet, Isumi immediately began preparing the barrier.

She took out another amulet from her sleeve, and her spiritual power quickly constructed a barrier around the statue to block surrounding sight.

Because this was an operation in public, setting up the barrier took some time.

Sakuya kept watch on the surroundings.

Due to the fence and the fact that yesterday's murder was not a secret, no pedestrians approached the statue on their own.

With almost no interference, Isumi completed the sight-blocking barrier.

"It is done."

Her gaze locked onto the incomplete soul beside the statue.

A large amount of red substance was already emerging from the chest of that incomplete soul, and it was rapidly transforming into a malevolent spirit.

However, it was still some distance from completing the transformation.

Isumi pulled out an amulet and flung it at the soul.

Infused with purification, the spiritual power carried the amulet and affixed it to the soul's chest.

The pure white spiritual power, symbolizing purification, instantly dispelled the red substance from the incomplete part of the soul's chest.

The previously unconscious soul suddenly seemed to regain rationality, its crimson eyes staring fixedly at a certain spot in the surrounding crowd.

That gaze was not directed at Isumi, but at the direction of the woman who had killed him.

Even though that woman had already been taken away by the Police, the resentment still allowed the soul to pinpoint her location.

However, the resentment did not spread outward. The amulet on its chest had already completely dispelled the soul's hatred.

That consciousness vanished instantly, along with the soul itself.

"Whew. It went even smoother than expected."

Isumi let out a sigh of relief, wiping the fine sweat from her forehead.

That soul had been one step away from transforming immediately. If it had completed the transformation, it would have become troublesome.

"How was it?"

"Very smooth."

Glancing at the surroundings, Isumi nodded slightly.

"The hatred of being murdered prompted the soul's rapid transformation, which is why it almost became a malevolent spirit."

"So malevolent spirits actually transform gradually."

It was Sakuya's first time seeing such a scene.

Thanks to the temporary ability to see ghosts that Isumi had given her, she had also seen the red substance appearing in the missing part of the man's soul.

"A soul's transformation into a malevolent spirit requires time."

"Normally, it should persist for a while, transforming through intense hatred and affecting its surroundings. This man's soul transformed too quickly."

"However, I think this phenomenon also involves external stimuli."

(To be continued.)