SCIAW: Chapter 289/290

Chapter 289: Be Careful, Be Cautious, and Fight Fast to Win Fast

Through the crystal ball, it was clear that the evil spirit behind Takahashi Ryoichi was devouring the souls of Hiroki Kakutani and Masaru Ota, who had just died.

"Eat, eat…"

This was the first time Sonoko had seen something like this.

"This is one of the evil spirit's abilities—devouring," Ren explained calmly. "By consuming souls that haven't yet dissipated, it strengthens its own soul. It's not a conscious reaction, but a survival instinct."

He continued, "Evil spirits aren't without limits. If they don't devour other souls, they'll begin to disintegrate and self-destruct over time."

"Normally speaking, two years is already well beyond the lifespan of an evil spirit."

"It just shows how strong Takahashi Ryoichi's obsession with revenge is. That unconscious hatred formed an invisible contract with the evil spirit, allowing it to remain attached to him far longer than usual."

"And because of that, the evil spirit returns some of its power to him. Otherwise, how could an ordinary person have the strength to split someone in half with an axe?"

Indeed, it was hard to imagine what kind of force was required to do something like that—not with a guillotine, but a regular axe.

However, if he gained power from the evil spirit, then it became far more plausible.

Judging by the situation earlier, with the aid of the evil spirit, Takahashi Ryoichi's strength might be comparable to a Warrior Path Sequence 8.

As for the evil spirit itself, it was nearly on par with him. The only thing that needed caution was its supernatural ability—specifically, its scream.

Then again, whether this particular evil spirit had a scream ability was still unclear.

Last time, while observing the evil spirits on Tsukikage Island, Ren had noticed that they didn't possess any true screaming ability, just mental interference.

He wasn't sure if Atsuko's evil spirit had the scream.

Staying vigilant, cautious, and curious, Ren took out the maple leaf gold coin. He silently asked whether Atsuko's evil spirit had the screaming ability, then infused it with spirituality and flipped it.

The coin landed—heads up.

Oh… so it does.

The evil spirit's scream was indeed mentally disruptive. If caught by it, it would be quite troublesome—especially since he'd also be facing the enhanced Takahashi Ryoichi.

In that case, it was better to target Takahashi Ryoichi first.

Glancing at the crystal ball on the table, Ren saw that Takahashi Ryoichi had already crossed the suspension bridge. Ren lightly tapped the table with his fingers, and the crystal ball darkened.

Ren stood from his seat.

"Sonoko, go stay with Ayako and Chikako. I'll take care of things."

"Ren, be careful."

"I will. Don't worry."

After reassuring Sonoko, Ren walked toward the entrance.

This might be the first time he'd used an extraordinary ability in actual combat, right?

That thought made him a little excited. But he quickly remembered Ryuuguin Seiya. The excitement was immediately tempered.

When facing any situation, one had to stay cautious.

At this moment, Takahashi Ryoichi—who looked mild-mannered—had already crossed the suspension bridge and stood before the villa.

His head was slightly lowered. His expression was indescribably twisted and menacing.

"It's time to act."

But just as he stepped forward, he noticed the surroundings getting brighter.

"?"

Subconsciously, he looked up—and a dazzling golden light shone down from the sky. The brightness stung his eyes and gave him a sense of foreboding.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

A sharp scream suddenly echoed through the air, catching Takahashi Ryoichi off guard. The familiar voice made him react instantly.

"Atsuko? Atsuko, is that you?!"

But he soon heard nothing. The world around him grew strangely quiet.

"Atsuko? Atsuko!"

Overwhelmed by unease, Takahashi Ryoichi immediately pulled out the axe hidden behind his back and kept his guard up…

Ahhhhhhh!

The evil spirit caught in the holy light suffered intense damage.

Holy light was like poison to spirits. When the radiant energy touched its body, the pain was unbearable—like being completely purified.

The agony was so great the evil spirit instinctively tried to flee.

But that panicked reaction came too late.

A glowing tarot card had already appeared before it.

The evil spirit opened its mouth to retaliate.

Too late.

Shh!

The holy-light-imbued tarot card pierced straight through it. Even though it had tried to counterattack, it couldn't keep up.

The divine energy inflicted devastating internal damage. The evil spirit didn't even get a chance to escape—it was incinerated by the holy light in an instant.

Click!

The villa door slowly opened. Ren stepped out at a calm pace.

He glanced at the unconscious Takahashi Ryoichi, who was now trapped in a dream. A faint smile appeared.

"The Nightmare ability is really handy. And the Solar-High Priest holy light is extremely effective against evil spirits."

Ren strolled forward and raised his hand to collect the remaining fragments of the evil spirit.

At that moment, clear river water appeared beside him. As the water spread, it began to draw together the spirit's remnants, gradually forming a metallic black skull-shaped whistle.

Ren examined it and confirmed:

"A whistle containing the scream ability of the evil spirit. It can cause significant mental shock to anyone who hears it."

Mental damage was the most troublesome aspect of evil spirits.

Attacks on the spiritual level had no fixed form, and most supernatural abilities were ineffective against spirits unless they had specific traits.

But once proper preparations were in place, the threat level of evil spirits dropped significantly.

In short, dealing with evil spirits was easier with source materials.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 290: Establishing a Trade-Off with Evil Spirits

The evil spirit known as Atsuko had been destroyed, and Takahashi Ryoichi, still trapped in a dream, had lost all ability to resist.

Ren was quite intrigued by this unusual case of someone possessed by an evil spirit.

He activated his spiritual vision and observed for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

The color of the etheric body was dull and lifeless, and the entire body had been deeply affected. His spiritual body also showed signs of heavy fatigue.

Ren turned off his spiritual vision and observed directly with his eyes.

"Aging."

He murmured, shaking his head.

The evil spirit had used the host's life force and emotions as food. By feeding on those, it had prolonged its own existence.

This might have been the price for borrowing the power of an evil spirit. Just like Takahashi Ryoichi's wish—he was willing to give anything for revenge.

Ren wasn't sure if Ryoichi had made that decision knowingly, but it was likely the evil spirit had taken root the moment such emotions surfaced.

Ryoichi's spirit had been in a prolonged state of negative emotion and madness. Previously, the power of the evil spirit had suppressed it, maintaining a fragile balance between his spirit body and the 24 etheric bodies. But now, it was all unraveling.

His once-youthful skin dried out rapidly.

His thick, sturdy body also began to shrink.

Based on the condition of his etheric body and spirit body, Ren could judge that Takahashi Ryoichi's physical age had reached about 60.

No wonder people say extraordinary power comes at a price. This one was simply too steep.

Ren felt a wave of emotion.

Someone in his twenties had already entered a state of physical decline. Even if he woke from this deep sleep, he'd likely go completely insane.

No one could withstand a blow like this. Especially since Takahashi Ryoichi's spirit body was already deteriorating, there was a high chance he'd descend into madness at any moment.

Of course, Ren didn't have any particular sympathy for this outcome.

If it were in the original narrative, maybe his actions would seem somewhat justified. But now that the truth had been divined, the result could only be described as his own choice.

In your dream, fulfill your revenge.

But once you wake, a prison cell will be your future.

After taking one last glance at Takahashi Ryoichi, who remained unconscious on the ground, Ren turned and walked back into the villa.

There was no cell signal in the deep mountains. Communication with the outside world still relied on old-fashioned landlines.

Back in the room, he found the vintage phone and dialed Sato Miwako's number.

The call connected quickly.

"Excuse me, who is this?"

"Long time no see, Officer Sato."

"Hm?"

Sato Miwako froze for a moment. Then, recognizing the voice, she glanced around the office and lowered her tone.

"Another case?"

"Yeah. This time might be a bit tricky."

"Huh? You guys are running into trouble during school hours?"

Sato Miwako recalled that today was Wednesday. It wasn't a holiday.

"Though it's not something a student should say, I took leave today to accompany my girlfriend to her sister's college reunion."

"A high school student meeting his girlfriend's sister, huh?"

Sato Miwako quietly clicked her tongue.

This was basically meeting the family.

She shook her head, choosing not to dwell on it, and got straight to the point.

"So, what kind of trouble?"

"On the mountain road leading to the villa where the reunion was being held, one of the guests suddenly killed two others. The method was pretty brutal. Beheading and decapitation. Doesn't seem like something between old classmates. More like revenge."

Sato Miwako's expression turned serious.

"Give me the exact location."

"It's in the mountains of Saitama Prefecture," Ren said, then provided a specific entrance.

After jotting it down, Sato Miwako balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear, closed her notebook, and walked toward Inspector Megure's office.

"I've got the location. Are you alright over there?"

"I'm fine. We knocked out the murderer outside the villa. He'll be out cold for a while."

"Alright. Inspector Megure and I will head out immediately."

Beheading and decapitation weren't part of ordinary violent crimes. Sato Miwako rushed straight into Inspector Megure's office.

Bang!

"Inspector Megure! This one's brutal. The criminal killed two people, and the method was extremely savage."

Inspector Megure's expression darkened.

"Let's go, now!"

After the incident on Tsukikage Island, all of Tokyo had been on edge. Any significant case could easily escalate.

Without delay, Inspector Megure ordered members of the Criminal Division and forensic staff to accompany him.

He sat in the passenger seat while Sato Miwako drove at full speed.

"The location's really in Saitama Prefecture?"

Glancing at the note Sato Miwako had written, Inspector Megure murmured, then immediately contacted the Saitama Prefecture police.

Their own headquarters might not be familiar with such a remote location, but the local police definitely would be. Cooperation was necessary.

After coordinating the response, Inspector Megure finally let out a slow breath.

But doubts lingered.

"Officer Sato, why didn't the person call the police directly?"

That was a very strange detail.

"Ah, the person who contacted me is one of my informants. He works as a bodyguard and occasionally shares tips. I think this time it was at his employer's request. Probably trying to avoid unwanted attention."

"I see."

Inspector Megure nodded. That did sound like something wealthy people would do.

"Also, his identity is probably inconvenient. As far as I know, he's a hidden bodyguard. Exposing that would create unnecessary trouble for his employer."

That kind of thing wasn't unusual.

Hidden bodyguards for rich families often avoided the spotlight, and they tried not to contact law enforcement directly unless necessary. Megure had seen similar cases before.

(To be continued.)