The Sai Sword.
It is a sword said to have been crafted in the past, accompanied by rituals, specifically timed to the Pure Yang of the tiger (In)—the Year of the Tiger, the Month of the Tiger, the Day of the Tiger, and the Hour of the Tiger—to repel ghosts.
In particular, the sword currently held in the hand of the Team Leader of Hyunmoo Team 3 from the Disaster Management Bureau was one made entirely for ritual purposes, with an unsharpened blade.
However, for that very reason, it exerts unparalleled power against supernatural disasters.
"Hup."
Naturally, it cannot be used in every supernatural disaster.
Nor can just anyone use it.
—A situation where a wicked and corrupt thing, in the form of a disaster or a ghost, is directly invading.
The sword’s true power only manifests when these conditions are met as closely as possible.
However, in supernatural disasters, one usually enters or gets caught up in an Anomaly's territory.
Conversely, cases where the opponent 'invades' are rare, and there are not many instances where they are judged as completely corrupt.
However.
'It’s perfect.'
The Team Leader's hand trembles with something like a thrill.
Because the target had invaded the area where she herself was working as an employee.
And because it had even shed its mask of a friendly mascot of the theme park!
Every condition clicked together like a puzzle, to the point of feeling euphoria.
"Ha!"
Thus, the Pure Yang energy of the sword, surging through half of the Sword Art, becomes a thunderbolt and strikes the corrupt and wicked thing.
With unparalleled strength.
Completely!
AAAAHHHHHH!
"Ack!!"
A massive thunder and vibration, enough to shake even the distant shelter, rattles the ground, and a shockwave spreads out.
Dust from the soil and debris from the ruined building suddenly seemed to veil the dark vision for a moment...
"...!!"
The remnants of the resort building, collapsing and burning.
Amidst them, the wretchedly crushed corpse of the giant Magic Bunny parade was briefly visible, casting a shadow against the flickering flames.
And in the next moment.
Rumble, crash!!
The remaining ruins of the resort tumbled down, and the things inside the red Mascot were buried deep into the ground along with the building.
Completely.
"……."
"……."
"I-Is it over?"
The Team Leader of Hyunmoo Team 3 opened the shelter door and lightly stepped inside.
"Ack! Team Leader!"
"Quiet."
The Team Leader sighed, brushed off her clothes, stared at the sword as if concentrating for a moment, and then nodded.
"...The corrupt thing is no longer here."
"Phew!"
The agent sat down with a sigh of relief.
The employees, who had already guessed the identity of the Disaster Management Bureau agents by their appearance and manner of speech but hadn't dared to cause a conflict given the situation, also felt a momentary sense of relief.
"Is this what the Mascot asked for?"
The Team Leader nodded slightly.
The employees marveled quietly. The Mascot had a plan all along!
Right. So, while he was using the entire resort building as a trap to catch the crazy Magic Bunny, he made sure a suitable employee would attack...
…….
Wait a minute.
"T-Then, what about the Mascot...?"
He was buried in the building while getting struck by lightning along with it.
Silence.
Everyone's gaze turned to the Team Leader, but she slightly shook her head.
"I haven't heard anything about that."
"……!!"
Hold on.
"C-Can't we talk to him if even one Yellow Mascot remains? It seemed like he was swapping bodies...."
"They were all left in the resort!"
Moreover, they had already seen from the shelter the crazy Magic Bunny leading a parade, pursuing and tearing apart every last Yellow Mascot to death!
"Then... is the Yellow Mascot... dead too?"
"…!"
At the agent's guess, several employees fell into a panic.
Field Mouse grabbed the collar of the employee who had once been a ladybug.
"Y-You, don't you know anything? Well?!"
"I am currently out of contact with the Mascot! Let's wait together until the theme park opens for business!"
"Argh!"
"W-Wait a minute. If the Mascot is gone... who's going to give us our stamps?? We have to get our stamps to leave! Who's going to certify that we used this shelter!"
"Calm down! We can just go to the Blue Zone in the morning and ride something!"
"That's fine for you guys! I have to pull out a yellow horse together and even drag the Mascot's corpse if I have to! I can't leave this zone!"
The stronger the Mascot became, the more freely they could move within the zone, but a restriction was a restriction.
To clear the board game without being hanged, they absolutely had to move together!
...Dragging a dead Mascot?
Just as the face of Field Mouse, the only survivor of the yellow horse team, was turning pale.
Tap, tap.
"……?"
A polite knocking sound was heard.
When they turned their heads, Section Chief Lizard was tapping on the floor.
"Please come out now."
At that moment.
Creeeak.
The floor opened with a strange sound, and a person popped out from within!
"Uwaaaaah!"
"Ack!"
It was, it was…….
"S-Security Team!"
A person wearing a strange mask, with Black Smoke emanating from his entire body.
Numerous strange horns, eyes like yellow lanterns, and a light source at his waist.
A Security Team employee who looked as if strangeness itself were bound in human form by a belt.
The true body that had been inside the Yellow Mascot suit.
"…!!"
Meeting him in the form of a cute mascot had made them forget, but the sight of that blatant Anomaly, which set off warning signals, momentarily sent chills down the spines of the Daydream employees.
But at the same time, they realized the reality.
He's alive!
"Aha! I guess you thought the Magic Bunny wouldn't be able to find you easily if you weren't in the mascot shape!"
"Ah...!"
Right. The Yellow Mascot had cast off the mascot suit after business hours, just like the Magic Bunny.
And while the Yellow Mascots were luring the Magic Bunny at the resort, the true body had been hiding quietly beneath the shelter, perfectly alive. In other words....
He was fine!
"I-Is... the Yellow Zone safe now? Eek!"
The true body of the Yellow Mascot, who had quietly looked back through the weasel mask, nodded.
"Ah...!!"
In that moment, the shelter was filled with relief.
They survived!
They had successfully survived the Magic Bunny's raid!
"Aaaaah!"
And the Team Leader of the Disaster Management Bureau was quietly watching that scene.
'Hmm.'
Her eyes quickly scanned the yellow Anomaly.
At any rate, that must be the true identity that was hidden inside the cute yellow mascot doll suit.
'Has Daydream really learned how to capture and employ supernatural disasters?'
The Disaster Management Bureau seemed obsessed with collaborating with Dokkaebis and finding out how it's done, so perhaps they had developed their own method.
'...That also looks like something that's had a Binding Restriction placed on it.'
It looked formidable, but not everything powerful is evil.
She realized that the being had treated the human employees with a certain degree of goodwill and tried to protect them.
'Hmm. But... did he not consider the repercussions if he failed?'
What would have happened if the Magic Bunny had first noticed that the true body of the Yellow Mascot was hiding in the shelter?
It certainly would have attacked the shelter itself, and the employees would all be dead.
'Well... he might have thought that if it came to that, it would be better for everyone to die cleanly.'
The Team Leader felt a strange sense of dissonance, but she let it go for now.
Anyway, that intimidating supernatural phenomenon seemed to possess a level of goodwill that made it ambiguous to classify as a disaster.
"Oh, then Section Chief Lizard must have heard the situation from the Mascot! That's why you let us know with a knock!"
"No."
"Eh? Then how did you know?"
"I heard a sound."
"Aha."
The atmosphere was quite amicable.
And the Team Leader realized that, separately from how formidable the Mascot's true body appeared, his movements were oddly devoid of strength, and no strange spiritual power made her skin prickle.
When he was the Yellow Mascot, the intimidation was enough to make her shudder.
......It seems he was weakened by a critical attack from the Magic Bunny, and by the destruction of the resort itself, which was the Mascot's source.
'...Has all his strength been drained?'
The Team Leader conveniently misunderstood the costume!
Regardless, in the meantime, the Yellow Mascot did step forward to take action.
"Uh, Mascot...?"
The Security Team special entity stood quietly, held something up, and pressed it near where an ear would be on the mask.
That was....
'A telephone receiver...?'
It was a classic-looking receiver with the cord ripped off.
And he remained still for a while. Only occasionally nodding or shaking his head.
Of course, no sound could be heard from the receiver with the severed cord....
"……."
"……."
What on earth is he listening to?
The employees felt a certain eeriness in the silence, but for now, they continued to ride the hopeful atmosphere.
"T-Then we can just hold out here until morning and then leave! Anyway, we've used the facilities, and since the Mascot is here, we'll be able to get our stamps...!"
"……."
"R-Right...?"
The Mascot stared quietly at Field Mouse for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"…!"
"Are you saying... we can't leave?"
It was then.
The Black Smoke swirling around the Mascot drew patterns in the air.
The dark, haze-like substance took shape in the light of the yellow lantern.
Letters.
> You can leave
"Ah...!"
> But first
> We finish this
"Pardon?"
> Red Zone
> Capture
"…?!"
***
And so, in the middle of the night.
Following the Anomaly that had played the role of the Yellow Mascot, the employees of the Yellow Zone all cautiously emerged from the shelter together.
This was because even the shelter was already flickering in form, perhaps due to the decline of the Yellow Zone.
"Well, since it's come to this, let's go together."
"Team Leader...."
Agent Gomyeong wiped away tears, saying she had been calling for her superior all day long.
A few employees were prepared to throw a fit and refuse to follow, but because someone from their own team had followed, they ended up leaving the shelter with a heavy heart.
Since those who picked the same colored horse would be hanged if they strayed too far apart.
And they also didn't have the confidence to win against Section Chief Lizard or Supervisor Dolphin of the Elite Squad, who were following along, to make them stay.
Moreover, the person with the most initiative among those likely to throw a fit... was already in a state where his identity had been reborn as an 'employee of the Flower Golden Resort.'
"I have been instructed to work in synchronization with the employees' actions!"
Thus, everyone came to move following the Special Division entity in the Security Team uniform.
The first destination was....
The gate, where the lights were already out.
—Are you going to sneak into the Red Zone by crossing the Blue Zone?
In response to that question, just as the one who had been the Yellow Mascot had affirmed.
"Phew."
Carefully controlling their breathing, the employees quickly crossed the gate. And....
They made eye contact with the Blue Mascot.
"…Hup!"
The thing lying haphazardly at the gate was still wearing its mascot suit.
However, there was none of the liveliness of business hours.
The shape of the mascot suit was stiff, clearly showing that someone was inside controlling it.
The strange Anomaly that had been the Yellow Mascot approached it.
And communicated again with smoke.
> To the Red Zone
The one wearing the Blue Mascot suit quietly stood up from its spot.
And began to walk as if to guide them.
"……."
"……."
Had an agreement already been made beforehand?
The employees swallowed hard and quietly followed the two Anomalies.
The Blue Mascot walked across the water park after closing.
Splash.
A wet sound accompanied every step.
Walking along the dark waterside in the middle of the night, relying only on the yellow lantern light coming from the Anomaly's body.
An eeriness flowed that made one forget this place was a theme park.... Tension clouded the spines of several people.
Then.
"Excuse me, Blue Mascot. Isn't it stuffy to keep wearing that mascot suit?"
Gasp!
"You said you can't cross into another zone as a Mascot. If you're going with us, you have to take off the suit, right?"
Several employees and even an agent were terrified by Lee Seonghae's bold remark.
However, the Blue Mascot was silent.
…….
It merely stared blankly at the questioner and continued to walk in silence.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae tilted her head, but soon shrugged and followed those footsteps.
Soon, they stood before a giant wall.
The wall separating Magic Bunny's Fantasyland and Blue Dream Water Park.
As if another reinforcement project had been done in the meantime, the wall was thicker and more ornate.
Lizard asks.
"Shall we break through and enter?"
The one who had been the Yellow Mascot nodded. But he raised a hand.
For a moment.
As if telling them to wait.
And as he gazed at the Blue Mascot, the one wearing that mascot suit walked to the very back.
Thump, thump.
The employees heard the limp footsteps of the mascot suit moving behind them....
And.
> Do not look back
"…!"
The employees staggered.
An intention as deep as the deep sea and as powerful as a tsunami seemed to shake their insides.
They knew instinctively. It was okay only because it was heard from behind their backs. They must not face it. If they face it.
They must not.
"……."
Ziiiiiiip.
Behind their backs, they heard the sound of a rusted zipper being pulled down, and something letting the mascot suit fabric fall to the floor as it stood up.
Splash.
A wet sound.
The Anomaly holding the yellow lantern standing at the very front formed a sentence with smoke.
> From now on
> Absolutely
> Do not look back
"……."
The employees swallowed hard.
In that way, they stepped into the dark Fantasyland of the Magic Bunny.
With something from the deep sea at their backs.
The ending was before their eyes.
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