They tried to wave away the dense fog drifting before their eyes, but it was so thick that it wouldn’t disperse. The surroundings fell into an uncanny silence. At that moment, Simon Abe, who was holding Hideo Sanada, coughed softly. The sound echoed through the mist, amplifying the eerie quiet until a chill crept into everyone’s heart.
But as a renowned yin-yang master, Yoshiaki Kiyokawa refused to wait for doom. Steeling himself, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a paper talisman cut into the shape of a butterfly—his specialty shikigami, the 'Guiding Butterfly,' which could find a way out of even the most confusing illusions.
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa formed a sword gesture with his right hand, chanting an incantation. Then he pointed at the 'Guiding Butterfly' talisman in his left hand, sending a flash of white light into it.
In an instant, the 'Guiding Butterfly' talisman transformed into a dazzling, multicolored butterfly. It spread its wings and soared, circling in the air before flying off in a certain direction through the fog. Delighted, Yoshiaki Kiyokawa turned to Simon Abe and the four elders of the Divine Mind School, saying, "That way should lead out of the formation. Let’s follow it!" He hurried after the butterfly.
Simon Abe and the four elders of the Divine Mind School were overjoyed, thinking they finally had a chance to escape this terrifying formation. They followed Yoshiaki Kiyokawa, chasing after the 'Guiding Butterfly.'
But unexpectedly, the 'Guiding Butterfly' flew for a while before suddenly going berserk, looping around wildly at erratic speeds. The group struggled to keep up, and then, for reasons unknown, the butterfly suddenly burst into flames with a sharp crack, quickly turning to a wisp of blue smoke in midair.
In the blink of an eye, the Demonic Infant Spirits were right in front of him, reaching out with their hands. Simon Abe was scared out of his wits, scrambling to retreat, but a powerful force held him fast, dragging him toward the spirits. His whole body went limp—he couldn’t summon any shikigami or cast spells. In despair, he screamed.
Suddenly, those two green lights flared up, buzzing in the air before vanishing somewhere unseen. Immediately after, two agonizing cries echoed through the fog. Yoshiaki Kiyokawa’s face changed dramatically and he cried out, trembling, "Ah! It’s a corpse mutation! It’s the Demonic Infant Spirits! Everyone be careful—it’s those two kids from before!"
"What? It's really the Demon Baby Spirit! Oh my god, Mr. Kiyokawa, what do we... what do we do now?" one of the Divine Mind School elders stammered, swallowing hard in terror.
Two sharp metallic snaps rang out, followed by shrill, childlike laughter—grating and piercing, as if nails were scraping glass, hammering straight into everyone's eardrums and putting immense psychological pressure on them. Even the most seasoned yin-yang masters turned pale, for the 'Demonic Infant Spirits' were legendary monsters of terrifying reputation.
Through the swirling fog, they could just make out two small, frail figures slowly moving toward them. They recognized at once that these were the two children Kiyokawa had used as sacrifices.
Now, the children had transformed into Demonic Infant Spirits, their bodies glowing with a faint green light. Kiyokawa's heart raced—he knew if he didn't give it everything he had, he and the others would soon fall to these terrifying creatures. He shouted, "They're coming! Get ready, everyone—summon your strongest shikigami! Maybe we can destroy them!"
These Demonic Infant Spirits were the most terrifying kind of corpse mutation—neither human, ghost, god, nor monster. Their resentment was stronger than any ghost, and their power surpassed even demons. They were formed from the boy and girl who’d died at Kiyokawa’s hands. After the Seven-Star Fatebreaker Array backfired, a powerful heavenly thunder struck, gathering immense, terrifying energy at the array’s core and turning them into these monsters.
The Demonic Infant Spirits sensed the danger and quickly grabbed Hideo Sanada, using his body as a shield.
The two Demonic Infant Spirits appeared before them, faces lifeless under the crimson moonlight, their eyes glowing an eerie green. Strangely, they didn’t walk—they floated above the ground. The group thought they were slow, but in the blink of an eye, the spirits were right in front of them.
The four elders of the Divine Mind School reacted quickly, each pulling out a wooden puppet from their sleeves. They bit their fingers and dripped blood onto the puppets, chanting rapidly before tossing them forward.
Four flashes of white light shot out, and the puppets instantly transformed into four massive Fanghound Familiars—fierce blue-faced, fanged mastiffs that roared and lunged at the Demonic Infant Spirits, jaws gaping wide. Only the most powerful yin-yang masters could control these spirit beasts, showing that the four elders of the Divine Mind School were putting everything on the line.
But the Demonic Infant Spirits easily floated up, dodging the Fanghound Familiars’ fierce attacks. In midair, their glowing green eyes flashed open, and suddenly four beams of intense green light shot out, striking the Fanghounds with deadly precision.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The four ferocious Fanghounds instantly burst into flames, burning fiercely and turning to ash in seconds.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
All four Divine Mind School elders spat blood at once. The Fanghound Familiars were nourished by their own vital energy, sharing life and death with their masters. Now that the shikigami were destroyed, it was as if each elder had been stabbed in the heart—the pain was unimaginable.
But the Demon Baby Spirits ignored them, flying straight toward Simon Abe. Abe was terrified—he had no idea why the spirits were targeting him. Already wounded and carrying the half-dead Hideo Sanada, he stumbled backward, but lost his balance and fell to the ground, still clutching Sanada.
In the blink of an eye, the Demon Baby Spirits were right in front of him, reaching out with their hands. Simon Abe was scared out of his wits, scrambling to retreat, but a powerful force held him fast, dragging him toward the spirits. His whole body went limp—he couldn’t summon any shikigami or cast spells. In despair, he screamed.
Just then, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanking him back with force. Abe’s body jolted, his grip loosened, and Hideo Sanada tumbled to the ground. But Abe felt lighter and rolled away, barely escaping the Demon Baby Spirits’ deadly grasp. Still shaken, he turned and saw that it was Yoshiaki Kiyokawa who had saved him.
The Demon Baby Spirits didn’t chase after him, instead circling around Hideo Sanada, who lay unconscious on the ground, completely unaware. The spirits kept shrieking as they circled, sounding bizarre and terrifying.
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa's eyes widened as a sudden thought struck him. He shouted, "Damn! They're searching for a host! They're going to merge—they're turning into the Red-Eyed Fiend!"
"Red-Eyed Fiend?! Mr. Kiyokawa, w-what is that?" Simon Abe asked nervously.
"There's no time to explain! If they merge into the Red-Eyed Fiend, none of us will make it out alive! Focus all your power on stopping them—now!" Kiyokawa barked, quickly slashing his wrist with a peachwood sword. Blood spurted out, staining the blade.
He raised the peachwood sword and chanted an incantation. The blade flared with purple light. Kiyokawa then bit his tongue hard, spitting blood onto the glowing sword. Instantly, a surge of purple sword energy shot toward the stars—even Simon Abe and the wounded Divine Mind School elders could feel its power, their hearts filling with hope.
Kiyokawa shouted, swinging the sword at the Demonic Infant Spirits circling above Hideo Sanada. A fierce purple beam, crackling with thunder and wind, swept out—unstoppable.
The Demon Baby Spirits sensed the danger and quickly grabbed Hideo Sanada, using his body as a shield.
Boom! Dirt flew everywhere. Kiyokawa, afraid of hurting Hideo Sanada, angled his sword toward the ground, carving a huge pit in the earth.
Suddenly, Hideo Sanada's eyes snapped open, his pupils glowing a terrifying dark red. The Demon Baby Spirits hiding behind him had vanished, and his body began to float and swell rapidly. At that moment, a massive black vortex appeared in the sky, growing larger and larger, filling the air with a foul stench and eerie howls!