——Of course, this process is not easy either.

Gu Mo felt a soreness and weakness in his muscles, similar to how he felt after running a thousand meters back in school; finishing the run left him feeling like he had no strength left. Moreover, not only was the physical energy consumption huge, but there was also an excessive expenditure of spiritual power.

His head throbbed slightly, exhausted to the point of collapse, feeling as though he could fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes... The guardian spirit was indeed useful, blocking gods and buddhas alike, but it did consume a tremendous amount of energy. Especially when used simultaneously, it could quickly drain him dry.

If he wanted to remain strong, he needed to continue investing in his constitution or spirit to reach a certain level where the combined amount of physical and spiritual power would be sufficiently vast, allowing him to sustain the guardian spirit's power for longer... or perhaps unlock the true "blue bar" as soon as possible?

If there were any spiritual power, magic power, or other unique energies, it would greatly alleviate his stress.

Speaking of this, Gu Mo felt a sense of loss and emptiness after losing the support of the guardian spirit's power. The fatigue of the body and spirit was secondary; the void left behind was truly uncomfortable. After all, the more one experienced such strength, the more glaring the weak and constricted vessel became.

Not to mention how his strength, agility, and constitution had all increased to over 15 points; merely the sensation brought by the abundant demonic power of the Nine-tailed Fox circulating within was completely different.

So indeed, he was still too weak, merely borrowing the might of others—ah no, borrowing the might of the fox... When could he truly stand on his own?

"...As you can see, there is another realm opposite this world, usually like two parallel lines, never intersecting. However, there are always exceptions..."

Over there, Yato was explaining to the solemn-faced Ichijima Hiyori about the events of tonight, including the recent frenzy of demons and the experiences she underwent.

"Earlier, it seemed the Wind Acupoint opened within the city, a gateway to the opposite realm, naturally attracting all souls lingering in the mortal realm. Their arrival also drew all the demons to gather, like a self-served feast, as they smelled the aroma and came..."

As he spoke, Yato glanced at the unknown god sitting atop the rooftop, still suspecting that the Wind Acupoint didn't open naturally but was due to this god's power.

However, he had no proof, and he indeed owed this god a favor just now, making it inappropriate to accuse them. He let it go, pretending the incident was just an anomaly.

"So... so I'm also..." Ichijima Hiyori asked earnestly, her expression serious though her voice was shaky, revealing her inner fear and panic.

"Yes... Any soul is attracted by the aura of the opposite realm, and you too were drawn here. Your physical body is still in the hospital, right now." Yato nodded, confirming her speculation and thoughts.

Her mind went blank, Ichijima Hiyori's expression stiffened, and after several seconds, she barely managed a smile, her face pale: "So-so that's it, I'm already dead..."

She should have realized it; she was in an accident on her way home in the afternoon, waking up in the hospital, muddled until she fainted again. When she regained consciousness, it was during the events just now.

——It was all because she was already dead.

"It's not quite as exaggerated as being dead, anyway look behind you." Yato sighed, pointing behind the girl.

"What—eh!!"

Ichijima Hiyori instinctively turned around, discovering a tail behind her body that had appeared at an unknown time, slightly pink with a semi-transparent outline.

"This is the 'Tether' connecting your body and soul. If it breaks, then you'd be truly dead... But since it's still there, it means you're still alive." Yato said, "Right now, your state is only soul-detached, caught between the two realms..."

"So I'm not dead yet!?" The girl exclaimed, both surprised and delighted.

"Uh, that's the case... though you're not quite a living person anymore. You've turned into a demon." Yato spoke somewhat uncertainly, his eyes becoming very subtle as he looked at her, having never anticipated such an occurrence.

If a divine artifact knew its name, it could be eroded into a demon, something all gods sought to avoid...

But Ichijima Hiyori hadn't died, yet became his divine artifact in soul form, now as a demon, eliminating worries about knowing her true name and falling into demonic corruption...

——It seemed... seemed... an issue troubling many gods was unexpectedly resolved?

"Demon..." Ichijima Hiyori's expression changed slightly again, looking as if facing the end of the world, "Are they like those creatures earlier? I don't want to become something like that, isn't there a way to fix this?!"

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