Zongman I fight weirdness in everyday world

“Yui…”

What Yuiigahama Yui, Yukinoshita Yukino, and Futaba Rio didn't expect was that upon hearing the words of the young version of Makinohara Shoko, the real Makinohara Shoko didn't refute them, but instead nodded calmly.

“She's right. Deep down, I do have such thoughts.”

“Shoko, you…”

“I really only bring pain to others… Someone like me is just a burden and a drag.”

Makinohara Shoko paused for a moment, then raised her head to look directly at the "herself" in front of her, her eyes revealing determination as she said, word by word.

“But, that was the me of the past.”

She took two steps forward, biting her silver teeth as she spoke.

“Saying that my existence will cause pain to everyone in the Aobuta Club, even to Yozora? What a joke!?”

“That self-pitying me is a thing of the past.”

“No matter what I am like, no matter what kind of burden I bring, everyone has always been by my side.”

“Yui, Rio, Yukino… everyone, and Yozora, are the reason I strive to keep living.”

As she said this, Makinohara Shoko's long black hair, which had been hanging loose, suddenly fluttered as if blown by a breeze.

“I will absolutely not allow anyone, including the so-called myself, to deny this meaning!”

Chapter 466: The World of the Other Shore, the Death God Breaks Down

“Have you finally come to a resolution?”

As Makinohara Shoko finished speaking, a gentle yet slightly cold female voice echoed in her mind.

“To face the desire to die, to be free from it all, yet to persist in living because of certain reasons, certain people, a certain person.”

“I have heard your true feelings, and I know your resolution.”

“Now, you are qualified to wield this power.”

“Now that you know the future you desire, then call out my true name here.”

Makinohara Shoko took a deep breath, the light of spiritual power appearing in her eyes, and the light-colored dress she was wearing began to move on its own.

“Here, I call out your true name.”

“Face death, Spider Lily!”

The moment Makinohara Shoko called out the true name of her soul, a soft sound like a heartbeat echoed in the room.

A crimson flower, as red as blood, slowly bloomed in mid-air.

The next second, a beautiful girl wearing a white, loose-fitting kimono, adorned with bright red flowers, emerged from the flower. Although her feet were on the ground, she made no sound as she moved behind Makinohara Shoko.

The Spider Lily glanced at the little girl still standing there, symbolizing the part of Makinohara Shoko's heart that longed for death and liberation, which had materialized in this hospital, and extended her slender, white right hand, as if extending an invitation, and spoke softly.

“Come here.”

The little girl version of Makinohara Shoko didn't say anything, but silently walked over, her body turning into a crimson flower formed of spiritual power, becoming a beautiful hair ornament on the Spider Lily's hair.

“This girl… is she really a part of Shoko's heart…”

Seeing this scene, Futaba Rio couldn't help but reveal a thoughtful expression.

This was a completely new phenomenon that the Aobuta Club had never seen before.

After awakening the ability to materialize the soul and facing her true heart, the part of Shoko's heart that longed for death and liberation, the negative part, merged with Shoko's soul form, the Spider Lily?

Futaba Rio had originally thought that the little girl version of Makinohara Shoko was a puppet created by the God of Death to deliberately disrupt Makinohara Shoko's mind.

But it seemed that she was really a part of Shoko's true heart?

If that was the case, then this place, like the Reverse World, was a world built on idealism?

Then…

In such an area, is it possible to encounter the dark symbol of one's own heart?

For example, another Futaba Rio, and the dark versions of all the Aobuta Club members?

…

On the other side, in a certain ward on the top floor of the hospital, a figure composed of black mist seemed to sense something and let out a twisted roar of anger.

“Why… why… why!!!?”

This god, symbolizing death, held its head in its hands. Although its faceless face showed no expression, one could tell from its body language that it had completely broken down.

“Why is this happening… impossible, this is impossible!!!”

The God of Death really didn't understand why there was a problem with its seamless plan.

It had originally planned to use Makinohara Shoko, who had always longed for liberation and yearned for death, to bring her, along with Futaba Rio, Yukinoshita Yukino, and Yuiigahama Yui, into this area, and then create a dangerous environment, materialize the part of Makinohara Shoko's heart that yearned for death, and guide her to become its puppet, or rather, its apostle.

Based on the God of Death's understanding of the people in the Aobuta Club, since these ignorant and foolish humans were willing to confront this god for an ordinary person, it meant that they were irrational and controlled by emotions, which was the weakness of most humans.

Facing their former companion, Makinohara Shoko, how could Yuiigahama Yui, Futaba Rio, and Yukinoshita Yukino act without hesitation?

At that time, it would directly use their hesitation to completely kill the three of them here.

But the God of Death never expected that such a thing would happen.

In this situation, Makinohara Shoko, facing the part of her true heart that sought death, actually completely suppressed it when she thought of the members of the Aobuta Club and that Yozora, and… even awakened the ability to materialize her soul? Even the part that it had materialized with its own power had merged with her soul form, turning the situation from being in its favor to trying to steal a chicken but losing rice instead.

What kind of development was this?

Could it be that this was the power of bonds?

“These guys…”

The God of Death muttered through gritted teeth, obviously furious.

When Makinohara Shoko recognized her true heart, accepted it, but no longer recognized the self that sought death, the area that it had created using Makinohara Shoko's true heart was also weakened.

To put it simply.

Just now, the God of Death only needed to provide the spiritual power for materialization. In fact, the construction of the evil spirits in this hospital ward building, all of this, was a symbol of Makinohara Shoko's true heart.

This is also why, no matter where Rio Futaba took Yukino and the others to hide, they would be found by those two nurse spirits. Although Shoko Makinohara didn't know it herself, at that time, she subconsciously hoped to be discovered and to die here, finding release.

But now...

The God of Death could no longer sense their location.

"Mere humans... how dare you defy my orders..."

The black figure twisted and writhed, and from its body, a monster split off, holding a blood-stained cleaver, with a huge metal triangle for a head and a bare upper body.

"Go, give Shoko Makinohara what she truly desires."

The Pyramid Head spirit didn't reply, only dragged the blood-stained cleaver, scraping it across the ground, making a chilling, ear-piercing sound, and walked out step by step.

"Shoko Makinohara... must die..."

Although the situation was out of control, the black figure's determination to kill Shoko Makinohara had not wavered; on the contrary, it had become even more firm, even to the point of being a twisted obsession.

It couldn't understand why a human who had always sought death, hoping to use this method to find release, would suddenly abandon the idea of death and instead firmly want to live. But it absolutely couldn't allow such a thing.

To deny the meaning of death... is to deny its own existence.

"Hmm?"

Just then, the God of Death suddenly felt a faint spiritual energy fluctuation coming from the bottom of this hospital building.

This spiritual energy fluctuation was fleeting, even making it difficult for it to tell whether it was its own illusion or if something was really happening.

To confirm the situation, the God of Death once again split off a portion of its power, transforming it into two nurse spirits holding syringes, and dispatched them to go downstairs. Meanwhile, the newly created Pyramid Head, and the original two nurse spirits, followed its instructions and headed towards the floor where Shoko Makinohara and the others were.

...

At the same time, in the lobby on the first floor of the hospital building.

"Eh... eh..."

Looking at the blood-stained, dirty walls in front of her, the flickering, swaying dim light overhead, and hearing the strange creaking sounds coming from who-knows-where, as if rusty door hinges were being constantly pushed and pulled, Yui Yuigahama's little face was filled with fear, and she had already hidden her petite body behind Yoru, her voice trembling slightly.

"T-This... is... there... there might be... ghosts here, right?"

Hearing Yui's words, Mai Sakurajima couldn't help but retort.

"Please, you're a god, how can you be afraid of ghosts?"

"Of course I'm afraid."

Yui argued with conviction, raising her cute face and asking.

"If you knew you had come to a mental hospital full of lunatics who would pull out a knife and start hacking at the slightest disagreement, even if you could instantly kill them, wouldn't you still be nervous before you saw them? Besides, the environment here... is too gloomy..."

"That's true."

Mai Sakurajima pursed her lips. Listening to the faint sound of wind around her, the creaking of the door hinges, and the indistinct sounds that seemed like footsteps if you listened carefully, but also felt like an illusion, she was clearly also a little nervous, feeling a strange psychological pressure.

"This place... is indeed quite terrifying. I wonder if Yukinoshita-san... can still hold on..."

Mai Sakurajima's worries were not without reason.

Yukinoshita Yukino's greatest weaknesses as an exorcist are two.

First, her physical strength is too poor.

This can probably be solved later through milk training and targeted exercises.

But the second...

Yukinoshita Yukino is very timid in the face of supernatural phenomena.

Of course, she is not afraid of fighting evil spirits. After all, having awakened the ability to materialize her soul, she has no problem dealing with ordinary evil spirits.

It's just...

What Yukinoshita Yukino is truly afraid of is this unknown, gloomy environment, as if some terrifying being will jump out from some corner she can't see in the next second.

"It's okay, I already know where the four of them are."

Yui observed Yoru's wrist. After entering this area, she found that, apart from the red thread of fate between him and Mai Sakurajima, he only had four red threads left on his body, and they were all leading in the same direction.

This made Yui breathe a sigh of relief.

Since all four red threads are still there, it means that at least Yukinoshita Yukino, Makinohara Shoko, Yuigahama Yui, and Futaba Rio are all still alive.

Perhaps even the God of Death didn't expect that its seemingly flawless plan to pull the four of them into its own created independent area, attempting to defeat them one by one, would be directly exposed because of Yui's ability.

In other words...

Fortunately, Yoru is a harem protagonist, otherwise, without the red threads, how could he find the location of Futaba Rio and the others?

The God of Death is ultimately not as good as the God of Harem.

Just then, the sound of a syringe scraping against the wall came from the stairwell.

The leading nurse spirit let out an unintelligible murmur in her throat and directly pushed open the door in front of her.

In the next second, a human male face with a smile suddenly came into her view.

"Surprise?"

Before the nurse spirit could react, Yoru had already reached out and grabbed her neck, throwing her body backward.

"Catch."

"Okay!"

The Carnage Oni, who had been silent, showed a fanatical look of excitement in his dark green eyes the moment he saw the nurse spirit appear. Like a beast, he soared into the air, opened his mouth, and directly tore at the nurse spirit's neck.

The nurse spirit let out a shrill scream, but the Carnage Oni is the "Grim Reaper of Yokai," so how could he be soft-hearted?

As the saying goes, the more painful the screams, the more excited it becomes.

Even Mai Sakurajima, who had experienced countless battles, felt a little uncomfortable seeing the Carnage Oni forcibly biting off the nurse spirit's throat, tearing off her limbs one by one, and then devouring them in large bites.

The Carnage Oni's attitude towards evil spirits is entirely out of instinctive hatred.

It doesn't just want to kill evil spirits; the point is... it wants to torture them, letting the evil spirits die in the most extreme pain. As for the taste of the evil spirit itself... for it, it's not as important as the mental pleasure it gets from it.

At this moment, the other nurse spirit also arrived at the entrance of the stairwell.