The Cursed Building is an abandoned structure that has been put on hold. Every time a construction crew attempts to demolish it, various accidents occur, causing the abandoned building to remain perpetually stalled.
This abandoned building is somewhat infamous in the vicinity, with persistent rumors circulating that ghosts reside inside.
"So, the rumors about ghosts living inside the Cursed Building aren't just rumors, Mr. Xia?"
Outside the Cursed Building, Yotsuya Miko fearfully gazed at the ruins by the entrance and the gloom that lay within.
"Of course not. Otherwise, why would I bring you here?"
While answering, Xia Yu simultaneously sensed the yin energy permeating the building. He wondered how many people had died here to gather so many malevolent spirits.
He was in for a feast today. He just hoped the malevolent spirits didn't taste too bad.
Miko, standing nearby, felt like crying upon hearing Xia Yu confirm her fears. Why did her first battle have to be in such a terrifying place?
"C-can I start practicing exorcism on the Little Old Men first?" Miko asked tremulously.
In response, Xia Yu curled his lips into a playful smile.
Yotsuya Miko: (\u03c9)
"Let's go. Today is your first battle. Do you still remember what I taught you last night?"
"Yes, I remember!" Miko nodded seriously, forming a Sword Finger gesture with her right hand. A faint yin energy, like black mist, flowed around her fingertips.
After the last tentacle was activated, Xia Yu pulled out another tentacle and transformed it into a mark imprinted on Miko's right hand.
Of course, neither the mark nor the yin energy was visible to ordinary people.
The mark helps Miko communicate with yin energy and unleash attacks that can harm spiritual entities. As for why it's not Spiritual Energy, they would need to find a Spiritual Core first.
After all, ordinary spiritual entities are composed of yin energy, and only the Spiritual Core is made of Spiritual Energy. Alternatively, they could directly seek out places where Spiritual Energy gathers and accumulate power there.
However, such places are usually very rare. A spring abundant in Spiritual Energy did appear in the manga, but it was located on the back mountain of the God Mother's ancestral home, and Xia Yu didn't know how to get there, so he had to give up... "Let's go then."
Seeing that she was ready, Xia Yu took the lead and stepped into the Cursed Building. Miko followed closely behind him, cautiously entering as well.
A crooked piece of tattered cloth hung at the entrance of the Cursed Building, surrounded by scattered fragments of brick. Not a single blade of grass grew on the surrounding ground, making it appear extremely desolate.
The moment she stepped into the entrance, the temperature around them seemed to drop slightly. Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but shiver, regretting that she had worn shorts today; she should have worn long pants.
The moment they fully entered the building, small malevolent spirits resembling old men suddenly crawled out of the dark corners. They were only the size of a finger, muttering blankly, "So high," "Really high," and "Someone's here..." Seeing the appearance of the Little Old Men, Miko couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. These were manageable; she could handle them.
But the next moment, in the pitch-black corridor, a humanoid shadow suddenly appeared on the wall where the plaster had long peeled off.
The figure seemed to be a woman, but her bloodshot eyes and twisted head clearly revealed her identity: she was a malevolent spirit.
"Hmm?"
The malevolent spirit twisted its head and looked toward Yotsuya Miko, making a grinding sound with its mouth from which filthy liquid dripped.
So terrifying!
Yotsuya Miko's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but glance at Xia Yu beside her, but with just that single look, she shuddered all over, because Xia Yu was gone.
Mr. Xia is gone! How could he disappear?!
Yotsuya Miko wailed internally. Without a familiar person beside her, she felt as if she had reverted to the state of facing ghosts all by herself.
The female malevolent spirit seemed to notice her distress, letting out a questioning "hmm" sound, then dragging its distorted body, inching closer.
A cold, biting Yin wind suddenly swept up, catching Yotsuya Miko's black long hair. Another malevolent spirit poked its head out from the ceiling, its face livid and resembling someone who had suffocated to death looked down.
Its filthy, gravity-defying hair hung down, swaying gently, the long tips almost brushing Miko's face.
No, this is really too much!
At this moment, Yotsuya Miko almost wanted to turn and run away immediately. Tears welled up in her eyes; she was about to break.
But thinking about why she came here, her trembling legs suddenly felt rooted to the spot.
No, I can't let Mr. Xia down. I can do it! I must be able to do it!
Yotsuya Miko cheered herself on internally. The scattered light spots filtering in from the window were the only source of illumination, but this meager light couldn't brighten the room at all. Under the dim light, the emerging malevolent spirits looked even more terrifying. They had all noticed the only living person here.
"Hmm? Can you see? Can you see?"
Yotsuya Miko took a step back so she could see the malevolent spirit emerging from the ceiling above her. Then she formed the Sword Finger, silently reciting Xia Yu's instructions from last night.
"Gather the energy at your fingertips, and then forcefully push the energy out!"
Following the instructions from last night, a wave of coldness suddenly climbed from the back of her hand to her fingertips. Miko shivered, as this was yin energy, which was different from Spiritual Energy.
Feeling the energy at her fingertips, Miko confirmed the location of the surrounding malevolent spirits, immediately aimed at the one above her head, and forcefully pushed the energy out.
As a cold, dark mist condensed, a small energy sphere composed of yin energy was abruptly shot from her fingertips. The energy sphere left a long black streak before exploding on the malevolent spirit.
"Hiss...!"
The attacked malevolent spirit let out a painful shriek, a large hole radiating black mist having been torn open on its body. The shriek made Miko skip a beat, but soon, joy filled her heart!
She could do it! She really could fight those monsters!
This shriek seemed to light the fuse for the other malevolent spirits. In an instant, piercing shrieks sounded one after another, as dozens of malevolent spirits poked their heads out from various corners.
Yotsuya Miko continuously adjusted her breathing, suppressing the terror in her heart. She quickly pulled out her phone, opened the music interface, and hit the play button.
The next moment, piercing, frantic heavy metal music blared out. The malevolent spirits seemed to have heard something utterly disgusting, as they didn't rush forward immediately.
It worked!
Seeing this, Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but smile with delight. According to the knowledge Xia Yu had taught her, malevolent spirits seemed to intensely dislike heavy metal music. Some weaker spiritual entities might even have their forms shattered when faced with heavy metal music.
Taking advantage of the fact that the malevolent spirits hadn't attacked yet, she condensed energy again and launched an attack towards the closest spirit.
The surroundings were silent and empty, with only the continuous shrieks of the malevolent spirits ringing out. Yotsuya Miko didn't know if Xia Yu would appear to help her, so she had to be cautious.
Inside the dim, abandoned floor, the incessant shrieking stimulated her nerves, but the surging adrenaline allowed her to ignore the sounds. The tension of the battle, like a bowstring drawn taut, prevented her from having any distracting thoughts.
Just... just hold on a little longer! I can do it!
Unbeknownst to her, Yotsuya Miko felt her right arm starting to ache, yet the malevolent spirits seemed endless, still shrieking as they rushed toward her.
Miko's method of fighting spirits is based on ghostwire: tokyo. Since I'm using the ghostwire: tokyo setting, I have to include some elements from it.