“You bet we are, and now we’re going to crack you, nutcase!” Nishi retorted, her fists clenched tightly.

The room then turned back to normal.

Seeing his psyche magic effect fading, Banshi scoffed. “Huh, so much for a perfect crime, to steal without anyone detecting it. My minions are toys, so when someone spots them moving, they easily get suspicious.”

Shiori couldn’t help but shake her head. “Yeah, guess it sounds like a stupid crime, right?”

Banshi seemed to consider this for a moment before speaking again. “Because of that, I better revert to the old ways.” Shiori raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What old ways?” she asked.

“I better use fresh corpses rather than toys to build my army,” Banshi replied, a sinister glint in his eye. “They will be more inconspicuous that way.”

Shiori recoiled in disgust. “You mean, you want to use a more barbaric method to do your crimes?” she said, her voice laced with contempt. “Desecrating the honor of the departed? Where’s your conscience?”

Banshi laughed bitterly. “I’ve thrown it away since it hindered me to use my true talent for a living. Conscience has pushed me deep into the chasm of poverty, and it almost claimed my life. But hey, this is my chance, my redemption, my true way of life. And I won’t let anyone tell me I’m wrong, even Shin Kamui himself!”

Nishi spoke up then, her tone serious. “On the contrary, that’s where the real problem lies. You might have a certain talent, but you cultivated it the wrong way from the start by using the barbaric ancient soul puppet mastery method. Holy Shin has put great blockades to make you realize your mistake, mend your ways and begin anew. By cultivating your talents with a more decent method and not reverting to crime. But no, you chose the dark path and it led you to this.”

Shiori nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and Holy Shin Kamui has sent us to stop you once and for all, Banshi. Maybe it’s not your real name, but I assume that you’re the heir of the previous toy shop owner, who got greedy and studied the forbidden puppet technique. You’re not thankful and content with your heritage. Because of that, your talent, your heart, and your soul are tainted. So, it’s your greed and your initial decision to walk the dark path that leads to your doom. And you can’t blame Shin Kamui to give you warnings and such. It’s your fault, and the only way to mend and redeem it is by submitting to justice and seeking Shin’s forgiveness.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

For a moment, Banshi fell silent. Then, he spoke up again, his voice shaking with anger. “That’s it! As I said before, no one may criticize me! My way is the best! It’s never a wrong thing to do what we like and we’re good at! Behold the truth!”

Banshi suddenly transformed before their eyes into a grotesque humanoid, like bunches of different human parts being sewn together to create a living puppet. It was about to unleash an ultimate darkness attack to destroy the whole place.

Shiori had never felt so drained in her life. The intense battle with Banshi had left her physically and mentally exhausted. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked at Nishi, who was also panting heavily.

“You have been drowned too deep, no rescuing you now!” Nishi shouted at Banshi.

Banshi just laughed. “Whatever! Now this is my other entity, my guardian spirit. It’s the real Banshi, the Soulfingers! Feel my wrath, now!” she exclaimed, as a thick fog enveloped her.

Shiori tensed up, bracing herself for what was about to come. She could feel the tension in the air, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Suddenly, Banshi unleashed a powerful ultimate darkness attack, Eternal Banishment, causing a blinding explosion that shook the entire area.

Shiori shielded her eyes from the bright light and smoke, but when the dust settled, Banshi was lying on the ground, defeated.

It turned out that the ultimate darkness energy backfired, and the kickback was too much for Banshi’s brittle, stitched body. So, before the ultimate attack destroyed all things in its path, it destroyed Banshi’s body first.

“N-nooo! This is right! I’m on the right track! How come I must perish anyway? I can’t accept this! Noo!” Banshi cried out in agony.

Finally, with a final explosion, Banshi’s body parts scattered and only his torso and head were intact on top of a pool of blood.

Shiori sighed in relief, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders. “That’s the end of the road of darkness… into the chasm of oblivion,” she murmured.

Nishi approached Banshi’s lifeless body. “Let’s hope Banshi’s demise also brings the barbaric puppet mastery method into oblivion and extinction,” she said, looking down at the monstrous undead’s remains with disdain.

Shiori nodded in agreement. “The good news for us is we don’t have to arrest and guard the criminal to the slammer. We can just go home and take a good rest, perhaps grabbing some sushi on the way.”

Nishi shook her head. “It ain’t that easy, sister. We must head back to the office to write a full report on account of our mission. And judging from the tale Banshi told us, plus some more fact-digging, writing it will be like writing a novella or sorts.”

Shiori groaned and facepalmed. “Remind me why I took this job after refusing it in the first place…!” she muttered under her breath.

As they walked away from the scene, Shiori couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness. She had accomplished her mission, but at what cost? The battle had taken a toll on her, and she knew it would take some time to recover.

But for now, she was just glad that it was over. And as they walked into the distance, Shiori couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over her.