Chapter 135: Return to the Present World-King of All Arts(Daoist of the Third Month)

"The Reverse Method!" Fang You pulled out the small scrap of paper from his pocket—the very piece of the paper doll they had used during their game in the Tokyo high school classroom.

Sae no Ki Nanase offered one final request: "I hope you can release all the souls trapped in this space. Please, I beg of you!"

With that, her figure gradually faded and vanished.

"Sister!" Worried for his sister, Abe Haruya immediately rushed back upstairs.

On the floor above, Yuriko lay slumped on the ground, staring in terror at the scene before her. "Why did you have to do this, Hanayoko?"

"Yuriko!" Abe Haruya and Fang You arrived in the room together.

Seeing Yuriko in such a distraught state, Abe Haruya walked over, deeply concerned, and embraced her. "Are you alright?"

Fang You looked at Hanayoko, who was hanging in the restroom ahead, and shook his head helplessly. He placed a talisman on her body. "Rite of Deliverance: May you enter the cycle of reincarnation and suffer no more torment or pain."

"Brother!" Yuriko wept as she clung to Abe Haruya.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps announced the arrival of Kuai, Takagi Ken, and Fujita.

"Thank goodness! We heard Yuriko’s voice earlier and hoped you would be here!" Fujita said, sounding relieved.

"Did you find a way to leave this place?" Takagi Ken asked.

"Yuriko!" Kuai hurried to her side, only to be struck with horror upon seeing Hanayoko’s body hanging in the restroom.

"I have found the way," Abe Haruya explained in detail to the group. "We must piece together all the scraps of paper we used for the game, then chant 'Sachiko-san, we beseech thee' three times. That will allow us to break free from this space and return to the real world."

Everyone immediately pulled the paper scraps from their pockets.

"Since we have the method, let’s leave at once!" Fujita urged.

"But what about Chiyo Michi-sensei?" Kuai reminded them.

Only then did the group realize that their teacher, Chiyo Michi, was still missing.

Suddenly, a scream echoed from the floor below: "Ah!"

The group startled. "Chiyo Michi-sensei!"

***

Downstairs in a classroom, Chiyo Michi regained consciousness beneath the teacher’s desk. The agonizing pain of the heavy furniture pinning her body forced a cry from her lips.

"Do you still not intend to leave? I do not collect the souls of adults here!" A red figure appeared before her—Sachiko, the evil spirit of this boundary.

"Sachiko, please, let the other children go. You can keep me instead," Chiyo Michi pleaded. "It is the teachers and the principal you hate. These children are the same age as you. Why must you kill them?"

"I want them to stay here and keep me company," Sachiko replied, staring coldly at Chiyo Michi.

"Set my students free!" Chiyo Michi begged.

At that moment, Abe Haruya, Fang You, and the others burst into the room.

"Chiyo Michi-sensei!" Kuai cried out in concern.

"Detestable adults!" Sachiko hissed, glaring at Abe Haruya and Fang You.

"Expel the ghosts, purge the filth, by imperial decree!" Abe Haruya channeled his energy into a spiritual sword made from his talismans and lunged at Sachiko. Fang You simultaneously drew his peach-wood sword and a coin sword, launching his own attack.

"Vile adults, always trying to hurt me!" Sachiko did not retreat; instead, she attacked them head-on.

The next second, Sachiko’s body was pierced, and she collapsed in agony.

"Sachiko, stop this," Chiyo Michi said, her voice filled with pity. "Let the Yin-Yang masters guide you to peace."

"I hate everything! I hate this world, and I hate you adults!" Sachiko’s eyes burned with malice as her boundless resentment surged. "I will make you all stay here with me forever!"

Suddenly, Sachiko’s form began to swell, and then she exploded into thin air, the force of the blast sending everyone stumbling backward.

The entire space began to tremble violently.

"This is bad! Sachiko is trying to collapse the entire boundary by destroying herself. She wants to bury us in these ruins! If we don’t escape before the boundary collapses, we will never return to the real world!" Abe Haruya shouted, quickly pulling out his paper scrap. "Everyone, bring out your pieces, join them together, and chant 'Sachiko-san, we beseech thee' so we can return to the world of the living!"

The group gathered around Chiyo Michi, clutching their scraps. "Sachiko-san, we beseech thee!"

"Sachiko-san, we beseech thee!"

***

Suddenly, a blinding white light erupted beneath their feet. With a flash, they vanished from Heavenly Host Elementary.

Fresh air rushed into their lungs, and the sound of birds chirping filled the air around them.

When they awoke, they were back in the classroom at the Tokyo high school.

Chiyo Michi was bleeding heavily, having suffered severe injuries after being crushed by the desk in the other world. Kuai, quickly regaining her senses, dialed for emergency services, and the group rushed their teacher to the hospital.

However, after the incident, it seemed as if Hanayoko, who had perished in the boundary of Heavenly Host Elementary, had been forgotten by the world—as if she had never existed at all.

Except for the seven survivors—Abe Haruya, Fang You, Yuriko, and the others—it was as if everyone else’s memories had been wiped clean. It appeared that any soul lost within that boundary was forgotten by the outside world.

Though the seven survivors found it difficult to let go of the memory of Hanayoko, they eventually returned to their normal lives after some time. Abe Haruya’s sister, Yuriko, went on to attend a higher institution of learning.

The incident at Heavenly Host Elementary had come to an end.

***

In a run-down building that housed the Tokyo Yin-Yang Studio, Abe Haruya was offering prayers before a statue.

Fang You sat on a sofa, watching him. "Are you still planning to return to the Eastern Lands to expand your studio?"

"Tokyo has no room for me, and I must earn tuition to support my sister’s education. I have to go back to the Eastern Lands, gather the remaining members of my studio, and continue its development." Abe Haruya placed three incense sticks and turned around. "I will take you to see that old friend you wanted to meet, and then we shall head to the Eastern Lands together."

"You say you cannot stay in Tokyo because other Yin-Yang masters believe you allowed the evil spirit of the Eight-Headed Serpent to escape. I am curious—did you really do it?" Fang You lifted the teacup from the table and took a small sip.

"Whether I did or not no longer matters to me. Since Tokyo cannot accommodate me, I shall go elsewhere. My studio was once at its peak in Tokyo, but now... alas!"

Fang You looked at Abe Haruya’s back, which appeared somewhat desolate.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "We heard that Master Abe Haruya has returned. Might you be able to help us with something?"