The ceiling collapsed from the powerful reaction of Jin's shield, sending him, the piggy bank, and everything else in Akito-san's attic flying across the room. As he hit the floor with a thud, his mouth fell open, and his fingers trembled as he pointed at the woman crawling on the wall—her long, jet-black hair cascading down like a horror movie nightmare.
"Fxck! What the hell?!" Jin shouted, his voice shaking. Still sitting, he frantically scrambled backward toward the door—only to freeze when his butt hit something solid and strangely... pink.
The piggy bank.
"Who the hell are you?! And what are you doing in my house?!" The yokai woman demanded, her eerie form slithering closer, inch by inch.
"I-I was just here to get something! That's all!" Jin stammered, feeling like an idiot for even attempting to talk to a ghost—one that could very well steal his soul at any second.
"And who told you that you could take anything from my house?" the yokai hissed. Without warning, she scuttled backward with unnatural speed.
Panic surged through Jin. He grabbed the piggy bank in one swift motion and bolted down the hallway like his life depended on it—because, at this point, it probably did. His feet stumbled over themselves, but he clutched the piggy bank like it was his only lifeline.
Behind him, the yokai gave chase, crawling along the walls with her hair flowing wildly. Each strand looked razor-sharp, slicing through anything it touched like a blade.
And Jin? Jin was running like hell.
Chaos erupted as furniture shattered, objects went flying in every direction, and the entire house looked like a full-blown typhoon had hit it.
Jin didn't dare slow down. He lunged for the door, yanked it open, and bolted outside—only to see Ryo and Ayame staring at him in pure shock. Their jaws practically hit the ground as the furious yokai burst out of the house right on his heels.
She wasn't stopping not even when they reached the yard, not even when they passed the gate.
"RUN!" Jin screamed, sprinting past Ryo and Ayame like his life depended on it—because, once again, it did.
The two exchanged looks, their brains taking a full second to process what was happening—before realizing that Jin had just left them behind.
"AH!" Ryo shrieked in terror while Ayame let out a high-pitched yelp as the yokai, now absolutely livid, set her sights on them.
"YOU AGAIN?! YOU'RE DEAD! YOU BURNED MY HAIR!" the yokai screeched, her fury reaching a whole new level the moment she recognized Ryo.
Ryo's survival instincts kicked in instantly. He ran faster—way faster than he ever thought possible.
Ryo wasn't exactly athletic. He hated running. He got winded just walking up the stairs. But at this moment? He was ready to break records, win gold medals, and outrun every champion in history—because his life depended on his legs, and by god, they were going to work.
SWOOSH!
Like a gust of wind, the three of them tore through Akito-san's neighborhood, their screams echoing down the street. People turned their heads, staring in confusion at the trio sprinting at full speed—because, as far as they could see, no one was chasing them.
Well... no one visible. Except to Mitsuki, who stood frozen as the three lunatics zoomed past.
"Wait... was that Emo Boy and the school prince?" one of Mitsuki's friends asked, laughing at the way the two were shrieking while bolting down the road.
"Mitsuki? You good?" another friend asked, noticing how pale he looked.
Beads of sweat formed on Mitsuki's forehead as he shakily pointed at something his friends couldn't see. "You seriously don't see that thing chasing them?!" he whispered in horror.
His friends exchanged glances, now looking at him like he was the crazy one.
Meanwhile, Ryo and the others had no time to worry about appearances. They never planned on getting chased by a murderous yokai today!
"I thought ghosts couldn't get near Jin! WHY IS IT STILL CHASING US?!" Ayame shrieked floating beside them, pure terror on her face.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHY IS IT AFTER US?!" Ryo wheezed, gripping the strap of his bag. His lungs felt like they were about to explode—he was not built for this much cardio!
"I dunno! Maybe she didn't like my rap?" Jin replied.
Ryo let out a frustrated scream. That was not the answer he wanted to hear right now!
As they ran, Ryo's eyes darted ahead—until he spotted the riverbank in the distance.
Water. Running water!
If he could just lure the ghost there, its power might weaken—giving them a fighting chance to escape!
"To the riverbank! We need to get to the riverbank!" Ryo shouted, and without hesitation, they all swerved in that direction. Their feet barely touched the ground as they skidded through the grass, scrambling toward the water's edge.
"You fools can't escape me! Wahaha!" The yokai's deafening laughter rang out, rattling through their skulls like nails on a chalkboard. Ryo and Jin instinctively clutched their ears, half-expecting them to start bleeding.
"Hurry! Get in the water!" Ryo urged. He knew that running water wouldn't completely neutralize a yokai as powerful as this one—but at this point, he was willing to bet on even the slimmest chance of survival.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a yellow talisman and slapped it onto his chest. Jin and Ayame dove inside the protective barrier with him.
"That won't work on me anymore, boy! Hahahaha!" the yokai shrieked, her long, whip-like hair lashing against Ryo's shield over and over.
"Sh*t! I didn't bring all my talismans—they're in my tent!" Ryo cursed. He hadn't expected this level of mess today.
"That damn monk said ghosts wouldn't come near if there was positive energy!" he grumbled in frustration.
"Ah! The barrier's starting to break!" Ayame cried out. She wanted to rush back to the tent to grab more supplies, but thick strands of the yokai's hair were already coiling around them, squeezing the shield tighter and tighter.
"Get ready," Ryo ordered, gripping a red talisman. "I'm gonna use the fire talisman again. Once there's an opening, we all make a break for the tent."
Ayame nodded. Jin swallowed hard.
Ryo braced himself, counting down in his head, feeling the shield weakening by the second. His grip on the talisman tightened.
CRACK!
The moment the shield shattered into shimmering fragments, Ryo activated the red talisman.
A blazing red flame erupted from his palm. In one swift motion, he pointed his fingers like a gun, took aim—
—and fired straight at the yokai.
"Whoa, you can manipulate fire?!" Ayame exclaimed, watching as Ryo fired off flaming bullets at their enemy.
"Of course! Who do you think I am? I've mastered this talisman," Ryo bragged—though in reality, this was the first time he'd ever tried it. The bald monk had once told him he could control the flames with his imagination... so he figured, why not?
"Yeah, well... your aim sucks," Ayame pointed out as the yokai effortlessly dodged every shot.
"Sheet of paper! I'm running out already! I need more talismans!" Ryo cursed. He was using them up way too fast, and their energy burned out just as quickly.
"Asakusa-san! Help us out! Grab the red talisman box from the tent!" he yelled.
Silence.
"Jin-kun?" Ayame called out.
Jin didn't respond. He was hunched over, gripping his head.
"Jin-kun?" Ayame tried again, stepping toward him—but before she could even touch him, an invisible force flung her across the grass.
"What the hell is happening—" Ryo started, but his words caught in his throat when he turned to look at Jin.
Slowly, Jin straightened—his posture slouched as if something unbearably heavy was weighing him down.
And that's when Ryo saw it.
Another yokai.
It had the wrinkled face of an old man but the body of an infant. Its enormous, bald head leaned against Jin's back while its tiny, shriveled limbs clung tightly to him, its flesh merging into his skin like melted wax. Thick eyebrows and an impossibly long mustache draped over its closed eyes. It was completely naked, curled up like a grotesque fetus.
"Who hurt my brother?" the yokai asked, its voice a disturbing mix of an elderly man and a child.
"Who. Hurt. My. Brother!?" it growled, its words vibrating through the air like an earthquake.
A powerful gust of wind erupted from its mouth, sending leaves and debris flying, rustling the nearby trees. Up on the riverbank, passersby shivered as the wind hit them, unaware of the storm brewing just below. Dark clouds thickened overhead, swirling ominously.
Then, the yokai turned its attention to the female spirit that had been chasing them earlier.
"Was it you, you ugly hag?" it asked, tilting its oversized head.
"Ugly old hag!" it taunted again, voice shrill with childlike cruelty.
The female yokai's face twisted in rage.
"What did you just call me, you big-headed freak?!" she screeched.
And just like that, the real fight was about to begin.