"Don't worry, I'm here." Nanashi assured softly.
The monster had fully emerged.
It resembled a newborn calf, freshly freed from its amniotic sac—wet, glistening, and grotesque.
The moment it tried to stand, its twisted, nightmarish claws shot out, embedding into the surrounding walls for support. Its grotesque limbs anchored it in place, stabilizing the physical form created from the writhing black matter.
Unlike a typical spirit or demon that needed to manipulate negative emotions or remain unseen, this creature was different.
It existed in reality.
A true monster.
But as it lifted its grotesque head, Nanashi felt a flicker of shock.
Beneath the layers of writhing, putrid flesh, remnants of a human face were still visible.
His eyes narrowed.
"Tomoya Aki?"
The name left his lips almost instinctively.
"What?"
Sayuri and Eriri's heads snapped up in disbelief.
It was him.
Tomoya Aki.
They could never forget that face.
Sayuri's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. "That bastard—the one who pushed Eriri into the abyss!"
Tears welled up in Eriri's eyes as she broke down completely. "Why?! Why won't you leave me alone even in death? You devil!"
"Hehehe…!"
Tomoya's grotesque new form let out a sickening, rasping laugh. His eyes spun unnaturally, rotating a full 360 degrees as he tested his new body. Then, in a hoarse, guttural voice, he howled:
"Traitor! Bastard! Adulterous couple! I DIED! Hahahaha!"
His expression twisted into one of absolute madness.
"I DIED BECAUSE OF YOU! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!"
Then, as suddenly as his rage had exploded, his demeanor shifted—his tone turning eerily calm, disturbingly composed.
"Hahahaha… But now, I've been reborn. And I have power."
As if to prove his claim, he swung one massive claw.
The refrigerator nearby was obliterated in an instant, sent crashing against the wall with a thunderous bang.
It shattered into pieces.
Sayuri and Eriri flinched, their fear intensifying.
"See?!" Tomoya bellowed, his voice dripping with insanity. "This is the power I brought back from hell! The power to finally take revenge on you two bitches!"
His bloodshot eyes fixated on Nanashi, expecting to see fear, panic—anything.
But there was none.
Instead, Nanashi stood there, calm, indifferent.
And then—he sighed.
The sheer disappointment in that single breath made Tomoya hesitate.
His wild expression faltered, confusion creeping in.
"What…?" He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that? Are you shocked by my power?"
Nanashi let out a low chuckle.
"Power? Ha. You don't even understand what power is."
Tomoya's monstrous form stiffened.
"What?"
"You call this power?" Nanashi sneered. "All you've done is gain brute strength. Watch carefully—this is what an ability looks like."
Snap!
Nanashi snapped his fingers.
Tomoya saw nothing.
At first.
Then—
"What the hell—?!"
Something slithered up from beneath him, wrapping around his grotesque limbs.
A black, viscous substance clung to him, dragging him down, restricting his movements.
He thrashed violently, his claws raking against the floor, his monstrous jaws snapping in desperation.
Nothing worked.
It took mere seconds.
Tomoya was completely immobilized.
Only his head was left free—an intentional decision by Nanashi, just so he could see the sheer panic on Tomoya's twisted face.
"You crawled back from hell, worked so hard to return—only for this to happen."
Nanashi's voice was as cold as ice.
"There's nothing left for you here. Now, go back to where you belong."
The air itself seemed to hum.
Then—
Zzzzt!
A crackling noise erupted through the room.
BOOM!
Black lightning flooded the space, raging like a storm.
But none of it touched Nanashi.
Tomoya, however—
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
His agonized screams pierced the air.
The thunderstorm tore through him mercilessly.
The pain—it was unimaginable. Like invisible blades flaying his flesh, stripping him apart piece by piece.
His cries echoed, raw and primal, like a wounded beast facing inevitable death.
Eriri and Sayuri stood frozen, their minds unable to process what they were witnessing.
Nanashi…
This power…
Could he be—an Onmyoji?
Yet, beneath their overwhelming shock, an unexpected sense of security began to settle in.
With Nanashi here, they were safe.
The black lightning storm lasted less than five seconds.
Then—silence.
Tomoya Aki was gone.
His body had disintegrated, reduced to nothing but energy and ashes, vanishing along with the black substance that had bound him.
Nanashi flicked his hand, dispersing the remaining energy effortlessly.
The battle was over.
"Is it… over?"
Sayuri murmured, her lips trembling.
Eriri's legs finally gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Her body, drained of adrenaline, had lost all strength.
Sayuri, too, allowed herself to relax. The tension in her body faded, and she exhaled shakily.
But she was quick to regain her composure—true to her nature. Even after everything, she remained strong.
Her brows furrowed as she walked toward her husband's body.
Gently, she placed her fingers against his neck, checking for a pulse.
"Mom…?" Eriri whispered cautiously. "Dad… is he…?"
A long silence followed.
Sayuri slowly withdrew her hand and shook her head.
He was dead.
Eriri's eyes widened slightly.
She wasn't sure how to feel.
Her mother might have long stopped caring—but deep down, Eriri had still hoped.
Hoped for something that no longer existed.
Now, that hope was gone.
And she was left… confused.
Sayuri, on the other hand, felt little emotion.
Whatever had once been between them had died long ago.
But death had a strange way of making things feel more significant than they were.
And now, she had another problem.
Her husband, a former Foreign Secretary, had just died under mysterious circumstances.
This wasn't over.
Not yet.
A situation like this—there was only one thing to do.
They had to call the police.