The flames of the Seven-Star Lifespan Lamps were whipped violently by bursts of fierce astral wind, yet they refused to go out. At that moment, Hideo Sanada, who was sitting on the ground, began to slowly rise and hover in midair...
Crack! A flash of white light split the sky, followed by a terrifying thunderbolt that snaked down like a monstrous serpent, striking straight for Hideo Sanada’s head. This was Heaven’s Retribution—divine punishment for mortals who defy fate!
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa’s eyes widened in panic. He knew that if struck by such heavenly thunder, Hideo Sanada would not survive. But strangely, just as the lightning was less than a meter from Sanada’s head, it suddenly veered off, splitting in two and crashing into two array nodes on the ground. The copper pillars there buzzed from the impact.
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa realized Hideo Sanada had narrowly dodged disaster and let out a quiet sigh of relief. But the astral wind still howled, and the seven Lifespan Lamps flickered between light and shadow. The Hour of the Tiger wasn’t over yet, meaning another round of Heaven’s Retribution could strike at any moment.
Seeing this, Yoshiaki Kiyokawa gritted his teeth, widened his eyes, and once again slashed his own arm with the peachwood sword. Blood welled up, streaming down the blade. Kiyokawa gathered his spiritual focus and chanted a spell rapidly. The sword began to glow faintly purple. He pointed the blade skyward, sending a surge of violet energy into the seven oval halos above. Instantly, the halos spun, transforming into a cluster of purple mist that drifted down, splitting into seven balls of light that enveloped the violently flickering Lifespan Lamps.
Covered by the violet energy, the Seven-Star Lifespan Lamps suddenly flared up, transforming into dazzling, multicolored lights—like fire dragons poised to strike. Suspended in the array, Hideo Sanada’s body slowly descended, utterly unaware as his consciousness grew hazy. The seven lamps’ rainbow flames danced joyfully, crackling in the wind.
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa exhaled deeply and calculated with his fingers—just a few minutes left until the Hour of the Tiger ended. If they could survive until then, the Seven-Star Fatebreaker Array would be complete. Even the thunder rolling in the sky seemed to quiet, and the oppressive clouds began to dissipate. The four elders of the Divine Mind Society looked excited; they all knew they were making history with Kiyokawa tonight!
Just then, a shadow dropped straight down from the tall courtyard wall, silent as a giant night owl. Yoshiaki Kiyokawa saw it but was too late to react—the shadow appeared so suddenly that his pupils dilated in shock. He watched helplessly as the figure crashed onto the Lifespan Lamp at the Star of Destruction position.
Crash! The lamp toppled over, its flame flickering a few times before finally going out. The protective violet mist drifted up into the air and vanished without a trace.
"Ugh!" Hideo Sanada suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He opened his eyes and saw the shadow’s true form—it was Simon Abe! Furious, Sanada collapsed backward in shock.
After losing to Shawn Young, Simon Abe had planned to lay low at the Inagawa Syndicate’s Tokyo branch. But he didn’t expect Ray Tang and the Dragon Clear Brotherhood to unleash a terrifying, bloody revenge.
Simon Abe witnessed the brutal clash between both sides. When he realized the Tokyo branch couldn’t withstand the Dragon Clear Brotherhood’s onslaught, he escaped, summoning spirit familiars to fly toward Kanagawa. He wanted to notify Hideo Sanada as soon as possible to help him prepare!
Rushing along with his spirit familiars, Simon Abe wasn’t sure why, but when he reached the villa, he didn’t want to enter through the front gate. As if guided by fate, he chose to drop down from the towering wall instead. His power was greatly diminished, and he misjudged the landing—causing a disaster.
"Simon Abe... you idiot! You’ve ruined everything! Is this proof that fate cannot be defied?!" Yoshiaki Kiyokawa stared at the extinguished Lifespan Lamp, no longer caring about saving face for Abe. He scolded him harshly, then looked skyward and sighed in despair.
Simon Abe still didn’t understand what he’d done wrong. But when he saw Hideo Sanada suddenly spit blood, he rushed to help, anxiously massaging Sanada’s chest and shouting, “President Sanada! Please wake up! I have something urgent to discuss with you!”
Before he could wake Sanada, the sky suddenly changed—the clouds that were about to disperse gathered thickly again, thunder rolling ominously. Everything was shrouded in darkness. Yoshiaki Kiyokawa looked up and shouted, “This is bad! Everyone, evacuate the Seven-Star Fatebreaker Array—quickly! The array is about to backlash!”
He shouted while running for the edge of the array. The four elders of the Divine Mind School stopped chanting and stood up at once. Though they’d never seen an array backlash before, they knew it was a force no human could resist!
Simon Abe still hadn’t reacted, but Yoshiaki Kiyokawa dashed over, grabbed him, and yelled, “If you don’t leave now, you’ll never get out!”
"Oh!" Simon Abe realized something terrible was happening. He quickly picked up Hideo Sanada and dashed for the edge of the array with everyone else.
Just as they reached the edge, a flash of white light shot down from the sky—BOOM!—striking the two array focal points. Then, something bizarre happened: no matter how hard they ran, they couldn’t escape the array. It was as if an invisible barrier blocked their way.
"This is really bad! It’s the Celestial Prison Barrier! We’re trapped in the array!" Yoshiaki Kiyokawa screamed in terror, trying to force his way through the invisible wall, but it was useless. Everyone else was bounced back by a strange repelling force.
"Mr. Kiyokawa, what do we do now?" Simon Abe finally realized he’d caused a huge disaster.
"I don’t know! This is the Seven-Star Fatebreaker Array. Now the array’s backlashing! I have no idea what will happen next, and there’s no way to fight it. Everyone, be careful and hope for the best! The backlash usually doesn’t last more than an hour—if we survive, we’ll be fine." Yoshiaki Kiyokawa said.
BOOM! Another terrifying flash of white light split in midair, forming two pillars of light that struck the array focal points. Then, something even more horrifying happened...
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