The Four-Tiger Sword.
Legend says it was a sword originally forged in ancient times through rituals performed precisely during the Year, Month, Day, and Hour of the Tiger, to dispel evil spirits.
Specifically, the sword now grasped by the team leader of Disaster Management Bureau’s Black-Tortoise Team 3 wasn’t even sharpened. It was crafted solely for ceremonial purposes.
But precisely for this reason, it exerted incredible power in cases of supernatural disaster.
“Haa.”
Of course, it wasn’t usable in every supernatural incident.
Nor could just anyone wield it.
Only under specific circumstances.
– When an evil entity, clearly defined as calamity or demonic, directly invades one’s space.
The closer it matched this condition, the stronger its effect.In most supernatural incidents, people usually enter or are drawn into a creature’s territory.
On the contrary, cases where an entity ‘invaded’ directly were rare, and situations perfectly classifiable as purely evil were even rarer.
But this time…
‘It’s perfect.’
The team leader’s hand trembled with excitement.
Because the entity had invaded the zone where she herself was employed.
Moreover, because it had discarded even the facade of a theme park’s friendly mascot!
Every condition aligned perfectly, thrillingly, like puzzle pieces falling into place.
“Ha!”
Thus, the pure yang energy from the sword surged forth along its half-drawn path, transforming into lightning that struck the evil and unholy being.
Utterly powerful.
Absolutely complete!
AAAAAHHHH!
“Aghh!!”
Thunder and tremors, powerful enough to shake even the distant shelter, rumbled through the ground and radiated outward.
Dust and debris momentarily clouded vision, then cleared…
“…!!”
Within the collapsing, flaming ruins of the resort building.
The grotesquely crushed corpse of the massive Magic Bunny parade cast its shadow amid the flickering flames.
And in the next instant—
Boom, boom, BOOOOM!!!
The remaining debris of the resort collapsed, burying everything inside the red mascots deep underground with the structure itself.
Completely.
“……”
“……”
“Is… Is it over?”
The team leader of Black-Tortoise Team 3 opened the shelter door and lightly stepped back inside.
“Ah! Team Leader!”
“Hush.”
She sighed, brushed off her clothes, briefly examined the sword intently, and nodded.
“…There’s nothing evil left here now.”
“Huu!”
The agent sat down with relief.
The resort employees, who had already guessed the identities of the Disaster Management agents from their appearance and speech but had hesitated to confront them given the situation, also visibly relaxed.
“Was this what Mr. Mascot asked for?”
The team leader nodded lightly.
The employees murmured softly in admiration. Mr. Mascot had planned it all along!
Right. So while he used the resort building itself as a trap to contain the insane Magic Bunny, he had arranged for a suitable employee to deliver a decisive blow…
……
…Wait a minute.
“T-Then what about Mr. Mascot…?”
He was buried within the building when the lightning struck.
Silence.
All eyes turned to the team leader, but she slightly shook her head.
“I didn’t hear anything beyond that.”
“……!!”
Wait.
“I-If even one yellow mascot remains, can’t we still communicate? It seemed like he switched bodies…”
“They all stayed at the resort!”
Moreover, everyone had seen from the shelter that the mad Magic Bunny had chased down every last yellow mascot to rip them apart!
“Then… the Yellow Mascot is dead too?”
“…!”
Some employees panicked at the agent’s speculation.
Harvest Mouse grabbed the collar of the employee who had once been Ladybug.
“Y-You, don’t you know something? Anything?!”
“Communication with Mr. Mascot is currently cut off! Let’s just wait together until the theme park opens again!”
“Aghh!”
“W-Wait! If Mr. Mascot’s not here… who’s going to stamp our cards? We need proof of using this shelter! Who’ll confirm we used this place?!”
“Calm down! Tomorrow morning we can just go to the Blue Zone and get stamped there!”
“You can! I have a yellow token—I have to drag even Mr. Mascot’s corpse with me! Otherwise, we’re stuck here!”
As the mascot grew stronger, they could freely move around within the zone, but rules were still rules.
If they wanted to clear the board game without getting hanged, they absolutely had to move together!
…Dragging a dead mascot along?
The face of the sole surviving member of the yellow team, Harvest Mouse, holding a yellow token turned pale.
Tap-tap.
“……?”
A polite knock echoed.
Turning their heads, they saw Section Chief Lizard tapping gently on the floor.
“Come out now.”
In that instant—
Crack.
With an odd sound, the floor suddenly burst open, and someone sprang out from within!
“Aaaagh!”
“Ahh!”
It was… it was…
“T-The Security Team!”
A figure wearing a strange mask, black smoke pouring from its entire body. Numerous bizarre horns, yellow lantern-like eyes, and a glowing light at its waist. It looked like a supernatural being forcibly restrained into human form by a belt.
This was the true body that had been inside the yellow mascot suit.
“…!!”
Having only faced it as a cute mascot, the employees of Daydream Inc. momentarily felt chills run down their spines as they saw its raw, clearly monstrous form.
But at the same time, they realized the reality.
He’s alive!
“Aha! You must have thought Magic Bunny wouldn’t find you easily without your mascot form!”
“Ah…!”
Indeed, after business hours ended, the yellow mascot had shed its mascot costume, just as Magic Bunny had done. While the yellow mascots lured Magic Bunny into the resort, the real body had quietly hidden beneath the shelter, safely alive. In other words…
He’s completely fine!
“Th-then… is the Yellow Zone safe now? Eek!”
The true body of the yellow mascot quietly turned toward the weasel-masked employee and nodded.
“Ahh…!”
At that moment, the shelter filled with relief.
They survived!
They had safely survived Magic Bunny’s attack!
“Ahhh!”