"Uh... Mr. Kiyokawa, are you saying... we have to kill two children and use their blood to activate this array?" Hideo Sanada knew the ritual required some 'special conditions,' but he never expected them to be this bizarre and twisted.
"That's right! And you need to act fast—if we miss the appointed time, even I won't be able to save the situation!" Yoshiaki Kiyokawa replied coldly.
"Uh... fine! I'll have someone find two children who meet the conditions right away!" Hideo Sanada hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up his mind—compared to the future of the Inagawa Syndicate, sacrificing two kids wasn't something he couldn't accept. After all, he was no saint.
"I'll set up the ritual here with the four elders. You go make preparations—the sooner, the better!" Yoshiaki Kiyokawa saw Sanada agree and wasted no more words; time was running out.
Hideo Sanada glanced up at the night sky, trying to shake off his guilt. Then, his eyes flashed coldly as he strode out of the villa, barking orders to his bodyguards: within two hours, no matter what it took, they had to bring him one boy and one girl, both born in the Year of the Tiger!
The bodyguards rushed off to carry out his orders, but Sanada still felt uneasy. He told Masahiko Yamamoto to relay the command to all Inagawa Syndicate enforcers stationed nearby.
Soon, every member of the Inagawa Syndicate in Kanagawa sprang into action. Under cover of night, they went door to door, snatching kids from their families. Sanada even called the local police chief, telling him not to 'interfere' with their operation...
Chaos erupted across Kanagawa. With the Syndicate's overwhelming influence, ordinary people were powerless. In less than an hour, their wolf-like enforcers had snatched nearly a hundred children—using threats, bribes, and outright kidnapping. The terrified kids were bundled into cars and rushed to the Syndicate headquarters, leaving behind heartbroken parents wailing in despair.
Seeing the stream of children arriving, Hideo Sanada finally relaxed. He turned and headed back toward the villa.
As he entered the villa's courtyard, he saw a massive Eight Trigrams Array already set up. Around the array, seven oil lamps—each as big as a rice bowl—burned brightly, their positions matching the stars of the Big Dipper above. In the center stood a Ceremonial Altar, covered in paper banners scrawled with strange symbols and an oddly shaped black peachwood sword.
At the heart of the Eight Trigrams Array, two copper pillars stood tall. Masahiko Yamamoto faced the sky, chanting incantations and weaving intricate hand seals. The four elders of the Divine Mind School sat cross-legged at the cardinal points—east, south, west, and north—eyes half-closed, quietly following Yoshiaki Kiyokawa in reciting the ritual spells.
Yoshiaki Kiyokawa had let his hair down, his whole demeanor shifting from scholarly to downright sinister. Standing by the Ceremonial Altar, he picked up the black peachwood sword and began chanting, then pressed his finger against the blade—blood instantly welled up from the cut.
No one had time to wonder how a blunt wooden sword could cut his finger. Suddenly, the sword glowed red, like it had just come out of a forge. Even stranger, as Masahiko Yamamoto channeled his spiritual energy, the blade shimmered with a faint violet aura, wrapping around the black wood in a truly eerie display.
Hideo Sanada was stunned by the spectacle. Just then, Yoshiaki Kiyokawa turned to him, eyes gleaming with strange light, and asked coldly, "Are the children ready?"
"Yes, I was just about to ask you to pick them out yourself, Mr. Kiyokawa," Sanada replied quickly.
Kiyokawa's eyes flashed with excitement. He placed the peachwood sword on the altar, nodded, and said, "Good!"
With that, Hideo Sanada led Masahiko Yamamoto to the villa entrance. Outside, they found a crowd of Inagawa Syndicate enforcers in suits, surrounding a mass of sobbing, terrified children.
The children had their hands and feet bound, lying on the ground wailing in terror. Yoshiaki Kiyokawa nodded in satisfaction, his shadowy eyes sweeping over the group. He quickly pointed to a girl on the right and a boy on the left. "Those two! Bring them to me—the rest can go back!"
Kiyokawa stepped forward, grabbed the boy and girl, tucking them under his arms. He turned to Sanada: "Mr. Sanada, the time is almost here. Follow me and get ready!" With that, he strode back into the villa, while Sanada ordered his men to tighten security, shut the doors, and hurried after him.
Inside the array, Kiyokawa warned Sanada, "Mr. Sanada, our ritual is about to begin. Once it starts, we can't afford any interruptions—otherwise, the array will backfire on everyone here. The consequences would be disastrous!"
Sanada nodded, "Don't worry. I've given strict orders—no one is allowed in here."
"Excellent! Let's begin! Mr. Sanada, take your seat at Merak—the star that governs your fate. Once I place the children, I'll activate the array!" Kiyokawa dragged the two kids to the copper pillars at the heart of the formation, while Sanada sat at the Merak position as instructed.
Kiyokawa swiftly tied the children to the copper pillars. The little girl, Sakura, blinked her big eyes and sobbed, "Uncle, can you let me go home? Sakura misses her mom... I want to go home, please..."
Kiyokawa picked up the violet-glowing peachwood sword from the altar, smiled gently, and stroked Sakura's head. "Don't worry, sweetie. Uncle will send you straight to heaven!"
With that, he pressed his left hand against Sakura's neck and lifted her chin. Her eyes rolled back, and she passed out instantly. Kiyokawa stabbed the sword into her delicate throat—blood spurted out, and the poor girl didn't even get to scream before she died.
Holding her by the neck like a chick, Kiyokawa let her blood drip steadily onto the ground beneath the copper pillar, where a fist-sized hole awaited. The blood flowed into the array's node as the Divine Mind School elders chanted faster, and fierce winds whipped through the sky.
The boy watched in horror and screamed, but Kiyokawa paid him no mind. After draining Sakura's blood, he stood up and walked over to the boy.
The boy wailed, eyes wide with terror as the 'devil' approached, thrashing desperately. But it was useless—Kiyokawa grabbed his neck, squeezed, and the boy fainted.
Kiyokawa stabbed and withdrew the peachwood sword with practiced ease. The boy convulsed, blood spurting out, while Kiyokawa held his throat and let the blood drip into the array's node.
Watching the grisly scene from Merak, even the ruthless Hideo Sanada felt a chill crawl up his spine. He shut his eyes tight, unable to bear it.
The Divine Mind School elders kept chanting, pouring their power into the array. As the boy's blood dripped into the node, the moonlit sky turned wild—howling winds, thick clouds, and distant thunder rolled overhead. The seven Seven-Star Lanterns flared to life, sending pale oval rings soaring into the air.
The seven glowing rings expanded as they rose, then slowly descended, encircling the villa's courtyard in a misty, silvery haze. If anyone were watching from above, they'd see a luminous ring—neither smoke nor fog—glowing magnificently around the estate.
Kiyokawa finally finished draining the boy's blood. Gazing up at the seven rings in the sky, his eyes burned with wild excitement. He knew the Seven-Star Fatebreaker Array was at its most critical stage—just a few final steps, and he'd be the first yin-yang master in history to complete this legendary formation. The thought drove him mad with ambition.
Kiyokawa brandished the peachwood sword, chanting the incantations to activate the array. Thunder roared louder, clouds boiled overhead, and the winds whipped more fiercely than ever...