Annihilation and the Tactical Miko

The endless tunnel stretched forward, thick with overflowing Yin Qi. The cursed bus sped through the darkness, racing toward an unforeseen end.

Within the tunnel of the evil spirit space, inside the bus-turned-ghostly domain, specters bred. Numerous evil spirits manifested within the vehicle, preying on any careless victims who fell into their trap.

Just as the wicked entities were rampaging and the evil spirits grew arrogant, a thunderous gunshot rang out, completely drowning out their wails and roars.

Inside the carriage, Miko, clad in a red and white miko outfit, gripped a specially forged assault rifle. She pulled the trigger, and the muzzle roared to life. Golden flames flickered at the barrel as exorcism bullets were spat out at high speeds.

In a flash, bullets flew. Grotesque and terrifying evil spirits had their heads blown apart and limbs torn asunder, twisting and dissipating with fear in their eyes. Window glass shattered, the bus's skin was pierced, and handrails were shredded. Bullets striking the metal pipes of the bus sent sparks flying. The sacred flames spitting from the muzzle dispersed the chilling aura, causing the surrounding temperature to rise. The wildly growing malevolence was overwhelmed by this god-like, majestic presence.

Through the prediction eyepiece worn on her head, Miko aimed with precision amidst the rapid fire. Thanks to the physical enhancement bestowed by Miketsu, Miko’s petite frame could handle the powerful recoil. With the psychological fortitude she had trained to remain calm in any situation, she fought with absolute composure.

At the back of the carriage, Keitaro and Eiko covered their ears, staring in shock at the scene of flying bullets and dissipating spirits. Their mouths hung open in disbelief. They never imagined that the ordinary high school girl who had boarded the bus earlier would suddenly change into a miko outfit from out of nowhere and start slaughtering everything with a rifle. Even the group of evil spirits that little Yayoi couldn't handle was rapidly collapsing under the gunfire.

'Are... are mikos using guns to exorcise demons these days?! Don't lie to me! My grandma only uses a divine sword!' Keitaro shouted in his heart. Born into a family of shinkan, his grandmother was the kannushi of Tamamiya Shrine. He had been exposed to many supernatural incidents since childhood, and in his memory, his elderly grandmother had always used a divine sword to exorcise demons.

"I see... with the right modifications, the exorcism efficiency of modern weapons far exceeds traditional methods..." Watching the scene, the young medium Yayoi murmured. She was already calculating in her heart how she could get her hands on a few guns.

On the other side, Miko’s barrage continued. Along with the clinking of spent casings scattering across the metal floor of the bus, all the evil spirits in the back half of the carriage were cleared in one breath. At the same time, a magazine was emptied, and the golden sacred flames at the muzzle flickered out. Seeing this, Keitaro and Eiko’s hearts tightened.

Oh no... she's out of ammo!

Seeing the pause in the firing, the remaining evil spirits at the front of the carriage realized this was the best chance for a counterattack. They roared and lunged frantically at Miko. The foremost spirit, its face rotting, had already reached her.

Looking at the enemy's predicted movements displayed in her eyepiece, Miko remained unhurried. She didn't reload immediately. Instead, while stepping back, she reached for her waist. From the special structure of her tactical miko outfit, she drew a handgun and thrust it directly into the mouth of the lunging spirit. As she pulled the trigger, the spirit's entire head exploded into fragments.

Watching the evil spirit dissipate into a twisted mess, a faint, chilling smile appeared on Miko's previously expressionless face.

Witnessing the hideous and terrifying spirits being completely annihilated by her bullets, an indescribable sense of pleasure surged from deep within her. Emotions suppressed for so long were finally vented at this moment. The sense of powerlessness that had once shrouded her entire being vanished instantly.

'Finally... finally... finally, I don't have to endure these disgusting, terrifying things all day long! I don't have to pretend I can't see them every waking moment! Come at me, all of you...'

'This feeling... this feeling... is actually quite good...'

At the back of the carriage, seeing the smile on Miko's face, Keitaro and Eiko couldn't help but shudder. Their hands instinctively gripped each other.

"She... she's smiling?!"

Was slaughtering evil spirits an exciting thing for her?

While Keitaro and Eiko were frozen in shock, Miko used her handgun to deal with the closest approaching spirits. At that moment, little Yayoi stepped forward from behind her, grabbed a bag of salt from her backpack, and threw it. The scattering white crystalline powder slowed the following wave of spirits. Seizing this opportunity, Miko dropped the empty magazine, took a fresh one from her tactical miko outfit, and expertly racked the bolt.

She had practiced this series of movements countless times during Miketsu’s time-stop, which was why she possessed such proficiency.

With a round chambered, the Inari miko aimed at the incoming spirits. Through her prediction eyepiece, she pulled the trigger once more. Golden tongues of fire spat from the muzzle again.

"Die..."

Metal flew, and the attacking spirits were shattered and dissipated by the exorcism bullets. Watching the manifestations of her fear being erased one by one, the smile on Miko's face became increasingly pronounced.

Deep within the divine realm, Miketsu, sitting on a bus seat with her legs crossed, watched Miko’s performance and couldn't help but comment.

"That poor child... she really was suppressed to the point of madness."

It was obvious. As an ordinary person who had awakened high spiritual vision, Miko had to face all sorts of terrifying and disgusting ghosts every day. Living in constant fear had built up immense pressure deep within her. Now that this pressure was being released all at once, it made Miko appear somewhat manic.

"I hope this doesn't have any lasting effect on her psyche..."

Miketsu murmured softly, then returned to her spectator stance.

Inside the cursed bus, the gunshots gradually faded, and the firelight dimmed. After another round of sweeping fire, the evil spirits at the front of the vehicle had been completely wiped out by Miko. At this moment, the interior of the bus was riddled with bullet holes, and not a single shadow of an evil spirit could be seen. Miko calmly reloaded another magazine.

"Is... is it over?" On the back seat, Keitaro uncovered his ears and murmured as he looked at the wreckage in the dark carriage. Little Yayoi, beside him, responded with a serious gaze fixed on the space ahead.

"Not yet..."

"Not yet?! But... weren't all those spirits destroyed by that... miko lady?" Keitaro said with a look of shock. Yayoi continued her slow, serious explanation.

"The manifested spirits are gone, but this evil spirit space hasn't disappeared. We are still trapped inside... that proves it's not over yet..."

Keitaro froze at Yayoi's words, his eyes widening. He looked around and realized the environment indeed hadn't changed. Outside the windows, only the rapidly passing light markers could be seen. The bus was still hurtling through the endless tunnel without any sign of stopping.

"Then, that means..."

"It means we are still in the middle of a supernatural event and haven't escaped... Those things on the bus were just small fry. Besides them, there is another mastermind."

Just as Yayoi finished speaking, a shrill, piercing shriek suddenly erupted from the space ahead. Keitaro and Eiko tensed up instantly, looking toward the source of the scream.

It came from the far end of the darkness, deep within the endless tunnel toward which the bus was heading.

"It's... in front? At the end of the tunnel?" Eiko murmured. She suddenly remembered what Yayoi had said earlier—the spirits' habitat wasn't the bus, but the tunnel itself.

This endless evil spirit space was the tunnel, not the bus!

"Eiko, you mentioned before that according to online rumors, the bus that served as the prototype for the cursed bus had its accident in this tunnel, right?" Yayoi continued. Eiko nodded in shock.

"Yes... that's right... and they say the accident rate in this tunnel used to be incredibly high. There were even unexpected accidents during its excavation... The government once wanted to abandon it, but they gave up on that decision because the accident rate dropped..." Eiko, who was responsible for gathering information, explained. Yayoi nodded after hearing her.

"I see... then things are fairly clear. The evil spirits inhabiting this tunnel have likely been here for a long time; they aren't just the passengers from the bus accident. In fact, it's highly probable... it was the one that caused the bus crash in the tunnel in the first place. It created that bus full of spirits just now. To prevent the tunnel from being abandoned, it stopped causing major accidents and chose a more low-profile way to lure and trap prey..."

As Yayoi finished her deduction, another piercing scream echoed from deep within the tunnel. Everyone looked forward through the bus's front windshield.

At the end of the tunnel, within the pitch-black darkness, a massive, sinister, pale human face emerged. The giant face filled the entire tunnel. Blood flowed like a fountain from its eyes, and its gaping maw was filled with layer upon layer of sharp fangs. It seemed to be waiting there for the entire bus to charge into its mouth.

"It's here! The mastermind, the powerful evil spirit inhabiting this tunnel!"

Pointing her small hand forward, Yayoi shouted. Keitaro and Eiko cried out in alarm; it was their first time seeing such a gargantuan spirit.

"Stop! We're going to crash right into its mouth!"

Keitaro rushed to the front of the bus, trying to stop the vehicle from its headlong charge into the giant spirit's maw. However, once he reached the front, he found the driver lying on the floor, his status unknown. The entire bus had been driving itself. Keitaro tried to slam on the brakes, but they wouldn't budge no matter how hard he pressed.

Dammit, it won't stop! At this rate, we'll drive straight into that thing's mouth!

Keitaro thought in terror. But then, Miko's voice came from behind him.

"Get down..."

Hearing this, Keitaro immediately obeyed. Facing the approaching giant ghost, Miko tightened her grip on her weapon and spoke again.

Exorcism bullets roared out from the sacred flames of the muzzle, shattering the bus's front windshield. A cold wind blew into the vehicle through the broken hole. The bullets flew toward the giant ghost face, striking it and causing it to wail in agony. Blood splattered everywhere, but the face did not dissipate. It kept its mouth wide open, waiting for the bus to arrive.

"It's not working..." Yayoi said solemnly, gripping a metal handrail amidst the violent airflow. Clearly, an assault rifle alone couldn't resolve the enemy in such a short time.

Seeing this, Miko decisively threw the assault rifle aside. She bent down and pulled a long, silver alloy briefcase from under a nearby seat. After undoing the fox-shaped latch, she opened the case, grabbed the object inside, and hoisted it onto her shoulder.

It was a rocket launcher.

With its wood-and-metal construction, radial tail, and spindle-shaped head, it was clearly a replica of a classic series from a certain northern superpower. Densely packed incantations were carved into the tube, and a talisman was stuck onto the rocket's warhead, bearing four powerful kanji characters.

"Evil Spirits Begone!"

Seeing this, Eiko froze in place, stunned. Yayoi immediately slapped her head, pushing her down to the floor.

"Stay down if you don't want your face burned off."

Holding Eiko's head down firmly, Yayoi also lay flat on the floor.

The howling wind whipped Miko's red and white outfit. The Inari miko, carrying the demon-slaying weapon crafted by Inari Military Industry, stood in the bus aisle. Aiming at the giant ghost face filling the tunnel just twenty meters away, Miko pulled the trigger.

Yes! RPG!

The powder chamber ignited, and the spindle-shaped warhead was pushed out of the tube. A high-temperature jet spat from the rear. Once clear of the tube, the rocket motor roared, propelling the rocket forward with its stabilizing fins deployed. A streak of fire shot directly into the mouth of the giant ghost face.

Then, a brilliant golden flame exploded from within the ghost's mouth. The powerful blast tore the pale face into ash. The entire evil spirit space shuddered, and cracks began to tear through it.

Amidst a piercing scream, the powerful spirit that had occupied the tunnel vanished into thin air. The evil spirit space collapsed completely, and the end of the tunnel appeared ahead of the bus.

In the divine realm, seeing this dramatic finale, Miketsu nodded and gave her evaluation.

"Hmm, the power is decent... keep it up..."