Chapter 514

“...”

A young man slowly walked forward through a pitch-dark corridor, illuminated solely by the moon in the cloudless night sky. His figure, in a ceremonial kimono embroidered with the family crest, shimmered faintly in the night’s embrace.

Step. Step.

An indescribable current followed in his wake.

Step. Step.

Carrying the weight of it all on his back, the young man—Ren, who had taken off his glasses—stared straight ahead with an expression devoid of all emotion.

Step. Step.

Leaving his family estate behind, Ren followed the path toward the annex.

Step. Step.

Before long, a structure encircled by countless barriers came into view. Ren could not peer in even with the Cursed Eyes granted to him by the Blessing of Foresight.

Arriving before a landscape so alien it looked as though a part of another world had been grafted into his, Ren’s steps stopped—and then his gaze shifted to the static-wreathed presence that awaited him.

“You’re here.”

Leaning against the annex door, Akasha straightened and looked at Ren.

“I’ll strike first, timed with the ritual. I can’t guarantee how much time I can buy; move as quickly as you can.”

That brisk explanation was all. Akasha walked forward without another word, brushing past Ren.

At that moment, however, a whisper from the veil of noise entered Ren’s ears.

“Think about who you really are.”

Fwoosh-

Akasha vanished, his form glitching out into static, leaving no presence as though he’d never been there.

“...”

Ren, unfazed, turned to face the annex door again. And when the faint winter breeze fell still, the door creaked open on its own to reveal what lay beyond.

Squelch-

A bottomless void, its depths darker than darkness, where even moonlight couldn’t reach. Yet a girl, skin so pale it bordered on translucent, shimmered ethereally within. Her snow-white kimono, marked with the family crest, was perfectly complemented by gossamer-like winged robes.

Ren’s eyes flickered faintly. Of all the times he had seen Erika, never had she resembled their deceased mother, Mizuki, so vividly...

No.

Erika was nothing more than an imitation. Reminding himself of that truth, Ren met Erika’s gaze straight on.

“...”

Her violet eyes were devoid not only of emotion, but of will itself—the exact image of a

shikigami

awaiting their master’s command.

Ren closed his eyes for a moment, breaking eye contact, then slowly reopened them as he drew a black scroll from within his sleeve.

Swoosh-

The scroll unraveled in both of Ren’s hands, stretching outward. From within, black ink-like fluid then spilled out and formed a swirl around him.

The enormous ritual circle glowed, absorbing the moonlight, and gave off a silver-bright—

“From this moment onward, the Open Gate ritual begins.”

Rumble-

With the declaration of the beginning, the mountain of the Inoue family had begun its transformation.

The moon in the night sky fell beneath their feet, while the depths of the mountain Ren and Erika stood in surged upward. Now, within the grand barrier, the concepts of “sky” and “earth” were rewritten.

Woong-

Moonlight gathered beneath their feet to form a single path toward the new peak of the mountain, where a new “sky” was formed—the path to ascent. Stepping aside, Ren gave way to Erika for her to begin her climb along the sky-born path.

Ding~

Marked by the bell chime that was seemingly clawing at the ears, the main estate started being torn apart and reshaped entirely. A beat later, countless silhouettes appeared along the moonlit path.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Their identities were clear: the kin of the Inoue siblings and their

shikigami

, patients once lying unconscious, and even the fallen that had become demons. All of them knelt with heads bowed and faces veiled by white cloth.

“...”

The prelude to the Open Gate Ritual was the Rite of Reversal. Respect—all living beings within the barrier were summoned and forced to give those conducting the ritual what they deserved.

Rustle-

Unrecognizable glyphs flowed out from those kneeling and gathered around Erika before being swiftly absorbed into her Bound Celestial Garment. By taking in the “knowledge” of others, Erika and her robe of course grew rapidly stronger.

We haven’t even properly started the ritual... and she’s already like this.

Ren tensed slightly.

The level of power was already far beyond what had been predicted in the initial expectations; knowing all of it was due to the changes made by one man, Ren couldn’t help but clench his fists.

Could such dramatic transformations really, truly come from adjusting only minor components of the ritual without touching its core?

...No, that’s a presumptuous thought.

Ren quickly erased all stray thoughts; his role was simple: serve as one pillar of the ritual and fulfill the family’s ambition. Reminding himself, Ren followed Erika into the old upper levels of the research facility.

Rustle-

The elevator had reassembled itself into a doorway, with the moonlight path extending upward through it and into the corridor. Space itself bent around them, and the entire upper facility unfurled to their sides.

Woong-

The resonance reached a new peak. Bubbles filled with locations on Earth floated throughout the area, gradually saturating it. All Erika did was walk through them all, yet even that alone amplified her entire presence.

WOONG-

Now that all concepts had been reversed by the ritual, the artificial mountain no longer resembled a research lab—it had become the very embodiment of the journey til ascension at the pinnacle.

That makes floor one.

Crack-!

As they passed the level, more glyphs burst from within the floating bubbles that were absorbed once again into the Celestial Bound Garment.

Drip-

However, unlike before, some of the glyphs were too dense to be absorbed fully. Those all oozed like ink, threatening to spill out.

Seeing that, Ren quickly formed a hand seal.

Shhhk-!

The unabsorbed knowledge sank into Ren’s shadow, then reemerged as new

shikigami

behind him.

Squelch- squelch-

Born of pure knowledge, they resembled beings of dark ooze rather than true

shikigami

and looked like they were on the verge of collapse at any moment. Because of that, Ren calmly unfurled the Black Moon Fan and cast a series of pre-prepared spells.

Self-Transfiguration: Lord of a Hundred Demons’ Night Parade

Blue Oni and Red Oni appeared at Ren’s sides, swinging massive banners. Soon after, pressured under the spell’s coercive force, the

shikigami

began taking proper shape.

Crackle-

The limp, melting forms settled into humanoids that formed a long procession behind Ren. Now, as the two siblings continued walking the moonlight path, a ghostly procession of a hundred spirits followed.

Like that, the strange, dreamlike parade naturally ended up going through the middle layer: floor two.

Swish-

From within clouds of five-colored light, wind and rain manifested. Both natural phenomena and elemental magic alike erupted wildly, creating an influx of sensations that would have overstimulated any ordinary person.

Erika walked onward without wavering.

Clink-

Whenever her body wavered, the misalignment would unravel like thread, and her body would proceed to swiftly stitch itself together. That process was second nature to her, a being who had already spent every moment of her life adjusting her own body to remain alive.

Because of that, Erika passed the middle layer with absolute ease.

Crackle-

Glyphs streamed from the clouds, flowing into Erika for a third time. And again, what remained seeped into Ren’s shadow, creating more humanoid

shikigami

that joined the procession.

They continued on, reaching the lower level—where the moonlight path faded for the first time.

Woong-

The enormous projection of a spiral galaxy at the center of the lower layer devoured the moonlight path attempting to cross it.

This is...

An unplanned anomaly. Ren considered halting the ritual—

Swish-

Erika’s Celestial Bound Garment stretched toward the spiral galaxy, sweeping away each miniature star like grains of sand. The darkness blanketing the lower level surged... and then unraveled completely, transforming the galaxy into a radiant bridge of light leading to the core at the peak.

She turned the spell into nothing...

The feat, which the old Erika could never have achieved, was possible thanks to the immense knowledge she’d absorbed from the previous two levels.

Ding-

At the bell tone that was sharper than previously, the procession moved once again as particles of light gathered around Erika to form a winged garment of light that wrapped around her shoulders and arms.

Cloaked in her new power, Erika passed the lower level to reach the core.

Woong-

Pitch-black darkness; everything was swallowed, even the moonlight and starlight path, leaving Ren and Erika standing alone in a void with no end in sight—

“Pshhhhhhhhh”

A whisper. Knowledge neither seen nor understood was forcefully etched into their minds.

“Agh...!”

The ghostly murmurs made him feel as though every part of him was melting, like a sandcastle collapsing before a colossal wave.

This... this is what... it’s like even filtered through Erika...?

Ren was filled with disbelief. If he felt like that from the diluted form... what would happen to one receiving it head-on?

Clenching his teeth, Ren forced himself to look at Erika.

“...”

Her white kimono glowed even in this endless dark. Looking at her back, Ren knew it was Erika... but... but he just couldn’t help seeing their mother’s shadow in her.

Maybe...

Maybe their mother didn’t die that day. Maybe, using the family’s forbidden techniques and the Heaven’s Well, she reconstructed herself into the being now called “Erika.” If that were true, if that could be true, then maybe... all the regret and guilt that had plagued him didn’t matter anymore...

If only I...

If he had the power to complete the ritual like Akasha, if he had the talent to take Erika’s place....

All the regret—no, the guilt that haunted him each night boiled to the surface. The whispers in the dark reached out, tantalizing him with the knowledge to end it all.

Slowly, Ren’s hand rose higher and higher...

Ren’s hand abruptly stopped, just as his fingers neared Erika’s pale throat. Over Erika’s shoulder, a long-forgotten memory flickered: a strange, doll-like infant... and a trembling child with hands outstretched.

“...”

The child, lost in sorrow and rage, had nearly become a monster. No one had stopped him. A line had almost been crossed that day by his younger self—whose hands were reaching for the infant.

“Don’t.”

The word left Ren’s mouth before he even realized it. It was the very thing he had longed for... yet he said no? Why? Even Ren himself didn’t understand.

“Why?”

The child pulled his hands back, turning his head to meet Ren’s gaze with one full of bitter blame.

Why...

Ren had no answer.

Why had he stopped? Because their mother had told him to protect Erika? Because Erika resembled their mother? Once upon a time, he had thought that way.

Now, though, he knew.

“...Because I pitied her.”

Ren’s mouth opened again.

“A life born just to be sacrificed... was too cruel to ignore.”

At least he had a mother. Erika had absolutely nothing, only a role in fulfilling the family’s ambition. That was just... too sad. So he had taken the monster that took his mother as family, as his sister.

Not out of duty, but from a sense of kinship and compassion.

“Hypocrite,” the child spat, his voice sharp.

All Ren could do was smile bitterly. He had no rebuttal.

“You’ll regret it.”

“...No.”

Ren slowly shook his head at the curse-like words and gazed into the dissipating darkness. Once more, he looked his past self in the eye.

“I won’t regret it.”

He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He wasn’t that weak.

“...”

The child stared at him for a long pause... then smiled in a way that resembled someone unpleasantly familiar.

“That’s a good answer.”

“...!”

Just as Ren was about to speak, the surrounding darkness vanished.

Whoosh-!

A massive silver cage at least twenty meters tall filled with shadows replaced his view: the deepest sanctum. Erika stood before the cage, surrounded by seven Phantominds.

Swish-

She stood unmoving as her robe stretched left and right, linking to the Phantominds through the thin cords piercing their solar plexuses.

Gazing at the vast circle around the cage, Ren narrowed his eyes.

RUMBLE-

A deafening roar echoed from afar; a collision with enough power to shake the entire structure had just occurred.

Ren looked down.

It’s begun.

Akasha and Se-Hoon—the monsters who had reached ascension—were fighting with everything they had nearby.

“Ren.”

Just as Ren had been about to sink into thought, Ryuuma had abruptly appeared beside him.

“There isn’t much time. Complete the ritual.”

Hearing the slow and heavy voice, Ren turned to meet Ryuuma’s gaze.

“Sir. I have one question.”

“Save it. This isn’t the time—”

“Father.”

Ren cut him off firmly, locking eyes.

“I have one question I need answered.”

His expression said it all: he wouldn’t proceed without getting it. Because of that, Ryuuma’s presence dropped instantly. Even beyond the paper screen, his piercing icy gaze could be felt.

“Have you forgotten the role you’ve been assigned to?”

“...No. I haven’t.”

Ren shook his head, glancing briefly at Erika standing before the cage. Her eyes were closed, motionless, as though she had become part of the ritual itself.

Looking away, Ren took a deep breath and turned back to Ryuuma.

“I’m just... a brother that’s concerned for his sister’s well-being.”

“...”

Ryuuma met his gaze, falling silent for a long moment.

“

Sigh-

I see... like father, like son.”

Was that man

lamenting

something? For the first time, Ren glimpsed emotion in his father, shaking him to the point that he wavered slightly.

But he quickly steeled himself and gripped the Black Moon Fan.

“...”

“...”

A heavy silence fell between father and son as countless unspoken thoughts were passed between them through the paper bearing a single glyph.

And when the tremors below suddenly ceased—

Crack!

A new ‘sky’ split open, with Ren and Ryuuma hurling themselves at each other.