"Ah! It's over—they've merged, gathering the power of the Three Great Demons! The Gate of the Demon Realm is opening, and President Sanada is about to become the Red-Eyed Fiend!" Yoshiaki Kiyokawa cursed himself for his momentary lapse; if he had struck just now, the problem would have been solved. Now, even he had no idea what kind of monster they'd be facing next...
Because in Japanese history, the Red-Eyed Fiend is one of the most terrifying and powerful demons in legend. Back in the Heian era, this demon appeared and destroyed countless villages and lives. Later, it took the combined power of Lord Seimei and hundreds of yin-yang masters to drive it into the Demon Realm and seal it away. Who would've thought that he'd be the one to unleash this horror tonight? It looked like there was no way out for him—and worse, if the Red-Eyed Fiend escaped the formation and went on a rampage, all of Japan would be plunged into disaster!
Simon Abe and the Four Divine Mind Elders were stunned. Things had gone far beyond their expectations. They looked up at Hideo Sanada, whose body was rapidly swelling in the sky, and for a moment, none of them knew what to do.
The black vortex spun frantically, then with a thunderous boom, unleashed a deafening roar. A haze of demonic energy instantly enveloped Hideo Sanada’s body, transforming into wisps of gray smoke that quickly burrowed into him.
"Awooo!" Hideo Sanada threw his head back and let out a bizarre howl—part tiger, part wolf, utterly terrifying.
"Crack-crack-BOOM!"
Suddenly, the black vortex in the sky shook violently. The clothes on Hideo Sanada, now engulfed by demonic energy, exploded off his body. He grew several times larger—at least three meters tall. A pair of long, black fleshy wings sprouted from his back, and his face twisted rapidly from human to monstrous: black skin, jagged fangs, wild mane flying in the wind. His ears stretched out, a single black horn jutted from his head, and three dark red eyes glowed fiercely.
His hands and feet bulged with veins, and sharp black claws quickly grew from his fingers and toes!
"Kiyokawa-san! Is—is that the Red-Eyed Fiend? What do we do? What should we do?" One of the Divine Mind Elders trembled in fear. He knew this demon's power was far beyond anything he could imagine. All he wanted now was to run—his fighting spirit was completely gone!
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa was terrified as well. He shook his head and muttered, "I—I don't know either. Let me think..."
Simon Abe trembled as he asked Yoshiaki Kiyokawa, "Kiyokawa-san, isn't there any way to stop him? Once the fusion completes, we're done for! Please, think of something—I don't want to die!"
A wild idea flashed through Yoshiaki Kiyokawa’s mind. He knew time was running out, and immediately said, "At this point, unless we can get our hands on the legendary Kusanagi Blade and use demon against demon, there's no way to kill the Red-Eyed Fiend!"
"The Kusanagi Blade!! Isn't that the legendary sword hidden inside the ancient demon Orochi? In this situation, how could we possibly find it!?" Simon Abe cried out in terror.
Orochi is one of the most fearsome monsters in Japanese mythology—a single body with eight heads and eight tails. Its fame is legendary in Japan. Most people think Orochi is just a myth, but only the most powerful yin-yang masters know it was once real.
"Summon it! Only by bringing it forth from the Demon Realm can we use its power against the Red-Eyed Fiend! Otherwise, everyone here—and even those outside the formation—will surely die tonight! Someone must make a sacrifice!" Yoshiaki Kiyokawa said grimly, swinging his Peachwood Ritual Blade. A purple sword light split into four beams, suddenly slashing toward the Four Divine Mind Elders.
"Squish-squish!"
Caught completely off guard, the Four Divine Mind Elders were pierced through the heart by Yoshiaki Kiyokawa’s Peachwood Ritual Blade. They stared at him in disbelief, slowly collapsing—never imagining he would kill them at such a moment.
"Why? Why did you kill us...?" one of the elders asked bitterly, uttering his final words.
"To gather the power needed to summon Orochi! You’re all yin-yang masters, your strength far surpasses ordinary people. That’s why you had to make this sacrifice—I'm sorry..." Yoshiaki Kiyokawa said coldly. He thrust his Peachwood Ritual Blade again, and a purple glow pierced all four elders. Strangely, the blood pouring from their wounds was instantly absorbed into the blade, not a single drop hitting the ground.
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa turned to Simon Abe and said, "These elders are cultivators, so every drop of their blood contains much more spiritual power than ordinary people. I had no choice! On my own, I could never summon Orochi!"
"Ah! Kiyokawa-san, are you... are you going to kill me too?" Simon Abe recoiled in terror.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it already! Try to escape the formation when you get the chance. If you survive tonight, you can live on. After you get out, you must assist the new Inagawa president, Masahiko Yamamoto, with all your strength! There's one more thing: you need to remember—President Sanada is actually Masahiko Yamamoto’s biological father!" Yoshiaki Kiyokawa said coldly.
"Kiyokawa-san, are you saying President Sanada is... Masahiko's real father?!" Simon Abe gasped in disbelief.
"Of course it’s true! Enough—don’t waste my precious time. I have to summon now, so get out of the way." By now, Yoshiaki Kiyokawa had absorbed all the essence blood from the Four Divine Mind Elders into the Peachwood Ritual Blade, which glowed with a fierce purplish-red light.
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa shook the blade. The Four Divine Mind Elders, drained of their essence blood, collapsed like sand, turning into four shriveled corpses!
Holding the Peachwood Ritual Blade, Yoshiaki Kiyokawa suddenly turned to Simon Abe and said, "Abe-kun, I’m heading out first! You... you need to find a way out of this formation."
Simon Abe nodded quickly and asked, "Kiyokawa-san, where are you going?"
Kiyokawa didn’t waste words. His face hardened with resolve, because Hideo Sanada in the sky was about to complete his transformation into the true Red-Eyed Fiend!
Kiyokawa closed his eyes and chanted a spell, gripping the Peachwood Ritual Blade to his chest. His body trembled violently. Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open and hurled the blade into the sky.
"Whoosh!"
The purplish-red Peachwood Ritual Blade soared into the air, spinning in a circle before suddenly flipping and plunging straight down—its tip aimed directly at Kiyokawa’s head! Yet he didn’t dodge, as if he knew this would happen. He kept his hands folded at his chest, chanting nonstop.
"Crunch!"
The Peachwood Ritual Blade stabbed hard into Kiyokawa’s crown, piercing straight through his skull. His body shuddered, but he remained standing, his chanting abruptly cut off. Blood seeped into the blade, and a strange white light was also absorbed into it.
At that moment, the ground began to shake violently. Inside the formation, dark red ghostly light flickered nonstop. Suddenly, a massive crack split open in the earth, and a blinding red glow shot upward. The floor all around collapsed into the fissure. Simon Abe scrambled to the edge in terror, watching as huge tentacles—like sea monsters—rose from the giant crack...
--..