Shinji Matou at Your Service

Hearing the unusual tone in Touko's voice, everyone hurriedly asked:

"What happened?"

Touko didn't answer directly but instead cursed angrily.

"That guy, he's stealing my prey!"

There was only one person in the world who Touko would refer to in such a manner: Shinji Matou, an eccentric young man.

"He's back?"

Shiki's eyes lit up. Although Shinji was young, his strength was unfathomable. With his help, their chances of killing the dead apostles would be much higher.

Unlike Shiki's joy, Akiha's attention was caught by the latter part of Touko's statement.

"Stealing prey? Does that mean he's—?"

"He's on the top floor of the temple, battling the phantom."

With one eye closed, Touko leaned back on the sofa and listlessly lit a cigarette.

"Although I knew he was coming back, I didn't expect him to return so quickly and directly find the dead apostle's main body—I've said it before, that's my prey, and I can handle it..."

"Miss Touko, could you project the images captured by the doll? You mentioned that Night of Wallachia is a formidable enemy, and we need to gather as much information as possible. If necessary, we can provide support to your friend."

Sion's suggestion was reasonable and received unanimous approval. After considering for a moment, Touko had Hisui fetch a crystal ball and link the doll's vision to it.

Everyone then saw the tallest building in the city—the Temple Tower.

Since it wasn't yet completed, a third of the rooftop was covered with scaffolding. Black and red steel bars crisscrossed, appearing somewhat eerie and terrifying under the night sky.

However, this eeriness paled in comparison to the thing hovering in the center of the rooftop.

It was a mass of predominantly black mist, difficult to describe in shape, as tendrils of black fog continuously flowed in from all directions, causing the mist to constantly change shape, looking extremely bizarre.

"Is this the true form of Night of Wallachia?"

Reisbyfe asked.

Sion nodded solemnly.

"Yes, to be precise, it's the incomplete true form. The continuously flowing mist is the malignant information spread throughout the city. When the amount of malignant information is sufficient, that mist-like thing will form a black hole-like sphere and begin to wreak havoc. At that point, the entire city will turn into a sea of blood."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions became grave.

"Where's Shinji? Where is he?"

Shiki asked.

"There!"

Somehow, Touko manipulated the doll to zoom in on the image in the crystal ball.

Soon, everyone saw Shinji within the scaffolding, along with the phantom moving rapidly around him like a giant spider.

That was the materialized urban legend killer, a slayer born from Shiki's dark side.

"Didn't Tohno-kun exorcise him?"

Satsuki's voice trembled.

"Exorcising doesn't mean it can't be recreated. If the dead apostle can create one phantom, he can create a second one. Isn't that right, Miss Sion?"

Sion nodded again, confirming Akiha's guess.

"The essence of the phantom is a collection of malignant information. As long as the information persists, the phantom can be recreated."

"Is that person going to be okay? He looks even younger than me."

Kind-hearted Satsuki unconsciously worried about Shinji.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Shiki gently patted her shoulder.

"Shinji is much stronger than I am."

"Satsuki, remember, in the world of mysticism, the more harmless someone looks, the more dangerous they often are."

Touko took the opportunity to lecture her disciple, and just as she finished speaking...

Shinji, surrounded by the three-dimensional maneuvering gear, suddenly stepped in one direction, covering a distance of three rooms in a single step.

When both his feet landed, his left hand was gripping the killer's neck, and his right hand was holding a short knife, which he thrust into the killer's heart.

A second later, Shinji flicked both hands, discarding the fog-formed phantom, and annoyingly said a few words.

"What is he saying?"

"Not worth a fight. It only copied Shiki's form, not his essence. Don't bring out such a low-level phantom if you don't want to embarrass yourself—more or less that's what he said."

Sion translated Shinji's words by reading his lips. The more she translated, the more bitter she felt inside.

Low-level? Embarrassing? Then what did that make her, who was almost killed by the phantom? Trash?

As she was sinking into despondency, a new phantom appeared in the crystal ball.

A slender female figure with enchanting red hair, surrounded by a fiery glow—this was the Red Hair Ghost, materialized from Akiha.

As the Red Ghos' hair fluttered, the air in front of her began to distort, melting even the steel bars in her path. The scaffolding, with its pillars destroyed, collapsed under the strain, emitting a series of ear-piercing screeches of bending metal before toppling in a matter of seconds.

However, none of the spectators were worried about Shinji. Given the speed he had shown earlier, the few seconds of collapse were more than enough for him to escape. Indeed, when the dust from the collapsing scaffolding cleared, the demoness was headless, leaving behind a headless body dissipating into mist and Shinji, casually flicked his knife.

"This time the copy is decent, but a phantom is still a phantom. It can't tap into the original's potential. If Tohno Akiha could fully exert her power, it might make me take her seriously, but as it stands, it's still far off. Are there any others?"

This time, it was Akiha who felt stung. Heat emission was one of her most commonly used attack methods, not her strongest, but seeing it so easily countered and the phantom slain by Shinji still made her feel terrible.

A half-baked amateur, is that all I am? But, fully exerting my power…

As Shinji wished, a third phantom appeared.

Both Akiha and Shiki's faces changed. It was the previous head of their family, Akiha's father, Makihisa Tohno.

Compared to the inexperienced Akiha and Shiki, Makihisa was more seasoned. His moves might not be flashy, but they were highly practical. After a series of more than ten exchanges, not only did he fend off Shinji, who wielded a knife, but he also gradually gained the upper hand.

However, this was only temporary. As Shinji changed tactics, increasing the distance and switching his short knife for a slingshot, Makihisa's phantom met its end. With Divine GunBlade comparable to firearms and rune bullets with various effects, three shots shattered the phantom's head.

Seeing this, Satsuki couldn't help but cover her mouth, feeling nauseous.

Yes, the phantoms eventually disintegrated into spirit particles, but at the moment of destruction, they still splattered blood and brain matter. Such a graphic scene was too much for a schoolgirl to handle.

Can't you use a less violent way to kill?

PS: Shinji was venting his anger to Makihisa.