Outside in the corridor, there was nothing left but ruins—piles of corpses stacked upon one another, and long streaks of blood stretching from one end to the other, starkly visible against the pristine white of the laboratory.
Outside a room labeled in Japanese: Senior Director's Office.
No one even knew whether that director was dead yet or not. From inside the room came strange clattering noises. Inside, the director's corpse lay in a rather bizarre state. His body was shriveled dry, barely clothed, discarded carelessly in a corner of the room.
Aside from that, there was only the sound of soft, cheerful humming in front of a mirror.
"Who would've thought? You could find things like this in a laboratory."
Shana spoke in a delighted tone as she applied lipstick. She was wearing a short dress that barely reached her hips, a pair of branded heels, and glamorous makeup—looking more beautiful and intoxicating than the most expensive narcotic.
Shana adjusted her hair, then fixed her chest slightly. The outfit was a bit tight on her, but she didn't seem to mind.
The real question was—why were there brand-new women's clothes in the director's office?
Then again, the room itself had a strange design, concealing a bedroom inside.
At first, Shana found it a little odd. But she quickly stopped being surprised.
This director could only be described as extremely perverted.
That explained why the air in this room felt so heavy. Still, worrying about that now was pointless. She felt pleased, simply because she had found an outfit she liked.
"Let's see…"
Shana tapped her finger lightly against her chin as if considering something. Then she smiled. She stepped out, humming pleasantly, skipping past the bodies of the guards.
"I wonder how Duyen will react when she sees me dressed like this."
In just a few short hours, nearly all the soldiers and scientists had been wiped out.
Silently.
Later, people would wonder how something like that could even happen. Wasn't it completely illogical? Cameras, communication devices—nothing had transmitted properly.
It was a horrifying night.
Silent to the point of being chilling.
Far away from there, while the Kamakiri family estate remained completely unaware of what had just happened—
A group of girls dressed in shrine maiden attire stood lined up, along with various ceremonial garments, in front of a massive hall the size of a grand ballroom.
The door was intricately designed, adorned with a radiant red Sun motif.
But what exactly were they doing here?
Mina had personally been dressed by Nyoko and Tomi in a strange outfit—a pure white stylized kimono. It looked exactly like the one her mother had worn more than ten years ago. So it wasn't hard for her to recognize it immediately.
This… was a wedding outfit.
Mina felt a flicker of shock, wondering why she was dressed like this. But Nyoko and Tomi looked extremely excited, as if they had no intention of revealing the full truth to her.
The Sun Goddess…The ring ceremony…The inheritance ritual…
And that man who called himself her ancestor…
Could it be that all of this…?
Mina suddenly realized a terrifying truth. The thing her mother had always tried to warn her about—staying away from the position of heir.
Was this what she meant?
Even so, Mina did not show a single emotion on her face. She asked no questions. She simply sat there obediently, letting them take her wherever they wished.
The Kamakiri command ring on her finger trembled slightly. As if it, too, was trying to restrain something. Ready to burst at any moment—A reflection of Mina's own inner state.
But the truth was, whether her mother had told her sooner or not…
This feeling—
Was no different from four years ago. It was just happening all over again.
When the Sun door opened—Just as she expected—Kamakiri Ousa was already waiting inside, dressed in a jet-black kimono—the attire of a groom.
The entire room was designed in an extremely bizarre way, dominated by red tones and completely enclosed.
At the center stood a massive golden Sun symbol, with a symbolic object placed beneath it—something resembling a bronze mirror.
But with a single glance, Mina knew it was fake.
So her suspicion had been correct.
Yet her emotions had grown so cold that there was no space left even for disgust. Ousa's sharp eyes, glowing with an eerie red hue, swept over Mina.
Immediately, she concealed her own cold gaze. In its place—A polite, artificial smile.
That alone was enough to leave Ousa momentarily stunned. Then he smiled wickedly and whispered,
"I hope this time, the Sun Goddess will forgive me…"
Maidens appeared from nowhere, flooding into the room. They began dancing strange, almost deranged rituals. Their faces stretched into unnaturally wide smiles as they sang and danced, while Mina sat beside Ousa. A grotesque wedding ceremony was unfolding.
Mina subtly scanned the room. It was heavily guarded. The space was dim, draped in red curtains everywhere, making it nearly impossible to even tell where the exits were.
The miko circled around them, laughing wildly. Nyoko and Tomi laughed as well. Hitoshi stood lurking behind a curtain, looking as cowardly as ever.
Haruna was dead…
All of this…
Everything she had fought for…
Was it all for this?
Mina slowly closed her eyes. She recalled everything she had gone through to reach this point. Every mistake she had made. And then—
Duyen's image appeared, like a warm anchor for her heart.
Duyen… I'm truly sorry… I understand now…
I was wrong…
But Mina knew—No matter what happened, Duyen would never change.
That image of her would always remain—smiling, forgiving.
And that… was enough.
Mina's frozen heart had finally learned what it meant to love with madness, with intensity. And Duyen had taught her warmth. And now—To answer that—
Mina had to end, once and for all, the final chains of her life. The thing that had followed her name her entire life.
A maide placed three wooden cups in front of Mina, arranged from small to large. With her sharp observation, Mina knew—
It wasn't just alcohol.
Valko had done this before. And her family had never known. They never knew she had almost lost her life because of it.
Why did Mina suddenly remember that? None of it mattered anymore. Her family… was never truly a family.
Everything…
Was nothing but lies.
Mina slowly lifted the cup toward her lips. Ousa watched her with anticipation—and triumph.
The ring on Mina's finger began to glow faintly. As if it was trying to say something.
Bang!
Mina's eyes snapped open, and she instinctively dropped the cup in her hand.
Meanwhile, Ousa held a bullet between two fingers—still faintly smoking with a soft sizzling sound. His face trembled with rage as he roared,
"Who!? Who dares ruin my fun!?"
Mina was stunned upon hearing that.
Her eyes lit up with anticipation.
Could it be Duyen?
Even though Mina had told Duyen not to appear yet and to let her handle everything herself, her heart still pounded rapidly—both nervous and excited—at the thought that it might be her.
She quickly turned around—But the person standing there was not Duyen.
The one holding the handgun was an incredibly beautiful woman dressed in a purple kimono.
It was Mina's mother—Kamakiri Miko.
Mina's eyes widened in disbelief. Her lips trembled slightly.
"M… Mom…?"
Nyoko and Tomi, upon seeing this, immediately stood up from their seats in fury.
"Kamakiri Miko!? What the hell do you think you're doing!? Do you even realize who you just pointed a gun at!?"
But Miko paid them no attention. She wasn't even surprised that Ousa had managed to stop the bullet. She raised her gun and began firing wildly toward the altar and the surrounding electrical fixtures, throwing the entire assembly into chaos and noise.
"Oh my god!" Nyoko roared. Her eyes turned blood-red, even revealing faint wrinkles across her face.
"You wretched Miko!? You unfilial child! What are you doing!? Stop this right now!"
But Miko simply turned her gun toward her.
Nyoko froze instantly. Miko spoke softly,
"Mother, both you and I… we were never good mothers. But at least this is the last thing I can still do."
"What!?" Nyoko screamed. "You're pointing a gun at me, you ungrateful brat!?"
Miko said nothing more. Her beautiful eyes shifted slightly toward Mina. Mina was still overwhelmed, unable to believe what she was seeing. She only faintly saw her mother's lips move silently.
[Run, Mina.]
"Mom…"
But in the next instant—Faster than the eye could follow—Ousa moved.
In a flash, he appeared right in front of Miko. One hand violently knocked the gun away. The other grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing.
"MOM!"
Mina cried out in horror, jumping to her feet. Miko struggled in pain, choking under his crushing grip. Yet the faint resistance in her movements showed she had no intention of submitting. She forced herself to look down at him, whispering through a strained voice,
"You… bastard…"
Ousa seemed amused. A faint smirk appeared as he spoke in a deep, terrifying voice,
"Ah… now I remember who you are… Miko. Those eyes of yours haven't changed since you were young. Still trying to oppose me, are you?"
Miko coughed, a streak of blood running down from the corner of her lips as she struggled to speak,
"You… bastard… I… won't let you… touch… Mina…"
At those words, his smile faded, replaced by a dark, malevolent aura.
"…Mina isn't going anywhere. She will stay here. And the ritual will proceed."
Hearing that, Miko thrashed violently in fury. But Ousa tightened his grip even further, pushing her to the brink of death.
"Mom!" Mina shouted, about to rush forward—
But instantly, a group of maidens surrounded her.
Their appearance was horrifying, as if they were possessed—no longer themselves. They prevented Mina from approaching Miko… or escaping.
This…
Seeing that, tears slipped from the corner of Miko's eyes in helplessness. It seemed she had realized she could no longer change this cruel fate. Even so, she whispered her final words,
"…you will not succeed… The Goddess… will never… forgive us…"
At those words, Ousa should have been angered. But instead, he spoke calmly,
"I never cared whether the Goddess would forgive the Kamakiri or not. What matters to me… is what comes next. The destined child… just as the prophecy foretold. And I, Kamakiri Ousa, will exist for eternity. I already let you live until today—that alone was mercy. Now… I will absorb you as well."
As he finished speaking, he opened his mouth. Something bizarre began to happen. A mass of pitch-black smoke seeped out from within, making Mina freeze in shock.
It wrapped itself around Miko's entire body.
Her body convulsed violently.
"Ugh… ah… ngh…"
Even her face began to change—aging rapidly, as if five… ten years had passed in seconds, her expression twisting in unbearable pain.
"Mom!?" Mina screamed.
She shoved the maidens aside and ran forward—But Nyoko instantly teleported in front of her, blocking her path.
Meanwhile, Hiroshi, hiding behind the curtain, watched everything unfold—and wet himself in terror.
Then—Something completely unexpected happened.
The sound of high heels echoed as someone confidently stepped into the room. It wasn't loud—Yet each step carried an overwhelming, radiant pressure. So powerful that Ousa suddenly felt a chill and dropped Miko onto the ground.
The poor woman collapsed, curling up on the floor. At the same time, Ousa clutched his chest in pain.
A strange pain. A sickness of the mind surged through him—something he could not comprehend.
The footsteps stopped. Her silhouette appeared confidently within the hall.
The maidens lunged at her with spears. But were instantly blasted away, slammed violently into the walls.
She remained standing there, unmoving.
One hand resting on her hip. She wore a short, revealing outfit adorned with fur—provocative, almost dangerously so.
Her red-orange hair flowed beautifully, and a seductive fragrance spread throughout the room, impossible to ignore.
Especially for Ousa. His entire body trembled. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Impossible… impossible… How could this be…"
His pupils shook as he stared at the breathtakingly beautiful woman standing before him—Her smile confident. Mischievous.
"Long time no see… my ex-husband."