Although the fully armed Kamakiri guards did not use violence against the women of the Mist Village or Duyen's group of friends, their arrogant and rude attitude made it clear that they intended to imprison them rather than invite them as guests.
Yet for some reason, all the women silently and obediently followed their instructions. They were brought into an extremely spacious room filled with amenities. There were sofas, bookshelves, and everything one might expect in a small mansion.
The only difference was that the atmosphere here felt incredibly suffocating.
The climate in Hokkaido might be harsh, but the air quality was good. This room, however, seemed to be located underground, so no matter what, it gave people a strange feeling—like eating a bowl of rice that somehow tasted wrong.
They all looked at one another.
Shana was deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Nayeon was still trying to calm Dao's panic. The poor girl clearly had no idea what the hell was going on.
She knew that Haruna had once been a senior at Yelsulin University and that she was Mina's biological older sister.
From the countless terrible things Haruna had done to her own younger sister, it was impossible to ignore them. Mina disliked her, so Dao did not like her much either. However, Haruna was still Mina's older sister by blood.
Dao knew that no matter how much Mina hated her sister, she still reserved a bit of respect and protection for Haruna under the name of family.
And now she had to witness her own aunt shoot her sister dead while smiling as if nothing had happened.
Dao frowned. Her voice trembled, nearly stuttering, while Nayeon stayed beside her, gently stroking and comforting her.
"So… when will Mina come back?"
Duyen and Yu were still standing near the door, listening for any sounds. The door was locked, and outside there were dozens of guards, along with security traps, alarms, and cameras.
Duyen could easily destroy those systems, but in truth they were waiting for news from Mina. And Duyen could not help worrying about that.
Was Mina okay being alone with those cruel people who called themselves her family?
Duyen knew that Mina was extremely calm—almost cold—and decisive. But she still did not know what choice Mina would make.
This situation could clearly affect Mina's entire life…
Especially her future.
Seeing Duyen's obvious worry, Shana waved her over from where she sat. Duyen walked over with a confused expression.
The mischievous fox girl suddenly pulled her into her arms, making Duyen laugh softly. Then she whispered gently,
"Don't worry, Duyen. Amuro has already gone out to find Mina. Everything will be fine."
"Ah… okay…"
Amuro was someone extremely reliable, and Mina trusted him deeply. Perhaps Duyen really did not need to worry so much. It was just that the habit born from the fears of her childhood still lingered.
In any case, the Duyen of now was very different from the Duyen of the past. She had become calmer and braver.
Suddenly Shana looked at her with a mischievous expression, which made Duyen embarrassed.
And with incredible speed—
Shana's hand slipped straight inside Duyen's shirt, kneading and squeezing while Duyen jolted in shock, her face turning bright red.
"Shana! This isn't the time!"
"Oh come on! No one's watching!"
Yes, we are watching and we are all standing right here.
The other women in the room really wanted to say that.
Even Dao, who had been in the middle of a breakdown, snapped back to reality. She watched Duyen half-laughing, half-grimacing while Shana was groping and stroking inside her bra.
Shana laughed loudly while sniffing at Duyen's neck.
"Well, Mina isn't here right now, so—"
Two streams of black smoke suddenly appeared in the room right behind Shana and Duyen. They materialized into Mina and Amuro, who had just returned.
But the first thing Mina saw was Shana groping the person she loved right in front of her.
In less than the blink of an eye, Mina's arm transformed into a gigantic biological pestle and slammed straight down onto Shana's head.
"Ow!"
Shana cried out in pain from surprise, though in truth she did not actually feel anything. When she turned around, she saw Mina's glowing red-orange eyes and the sinister aura surrounding her. Even Amuro felt a chill and quickly stepped aside.
"You lecherous fox… what exactly were you doing while I was gone?"
Shana smirked and let out an annoyed sigh as she pushed the fleshy hammer aside.
"Yeah, I did it. So what? You want to fight right now? Go ahead. Do you think I'm scared?"
The room felt like it was filled with the smell of gunpowder as the chilling presence of these two notoriously domineering women clashed. But Duyen's energy was like a cool breeze that soothed everything.
"Mina!" Duyen called out happily.
The dark clouds around Mina seemed to disperse. Her gaze softened as she looked at Duyen.
"Duyen… while I was gone, did that shameless woman do anything to you?"
"Huh?"
Shana put her hands on her hips, her face twisting in anger.
"Who are you calling shameless? When it comes to being outrageous, I don't think you're any better than me."
Mina's gaze turned cold toward Shana—sudden as a horror movie.
"…I read in a book that if all your tails are cut off, you'll die for real. Let me test that."
Duyen's face turned pale instantly. She quickly stepped between them and waved her hands.
"No, no, please don't fight! Mina! You're not allowed to cut off Shana's tails… or anyone's tails!"
Mina's expression changed instantly. So fast that people almost wondered if they had imagined it. She smiled brightly.
"Cut her tails? I was just joking, Duyen."
No, she definitely was not joking earlier. Everyone thought that. Everyone except Duyen. She sighed in relief and placed a hand over her chest.
"Oh, so you were just joking."
And she believed it.
At that moment Amuro suddenly cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"My apologies if I interrupt this warm moment. But it is now 6:20 PM. The Kamakiri family will soon make their move to eliminate all of us."
Immediately the expressions of everyone in the room changed. Duyen exclaimed,
"Why!? But we haven't done anything to them!"
Nayeon raised a hand to her chin, thinking.
"It seems they only intend to do something with Mina. The rest of us are useless to whatever plan they have, so they think killing us won't interfere with it. Could this have something to do with the inheritance ceremony your aunt mentioned?"
But Mina shook her head. Her arm was unconsciously hugging Duyen like she was holding a teddy bear.
"No… this is not what I imagined…"
Then her eyes changed, and her voice became serious.
"I need to tell all of you about something I discovered. This could be very dangerous. In fact… we are standing above a massive human experimentation facility."
The information Mina had just revealed shocked everyone. Duyen stared in disbelief.
"Human experimentation? You mean here? They're using people as test subjects? Why would your family—"
Mina looked extremely uncomfortable. She lowered her gaze slightly, avoiding Duyen's eyes. The Kamakiri family already had a terrible reputation, and now this…
But Shana seemed calm. She simply crossed her arms and nodded.
"No wonder. The resentment surrounding your family is so heavy. Even the guardian spirit protecting your clan has become ugly and grotesque from accumulating too much resentment. Can you feel it now?"
Mina nodded.
Shana's gaze shifted toward Haru and Hasuko. All the other fox-masked women shared the same resolve. Haru spoke.
"They have taken all our weapons. But that is not a problem. No matter what they plan to do tonight, we will open a path for you to escape."
"No… wait."
Mina's words surprised everyone. What exactly was she cautious about?
Mina looked around at everyone. Aside from people like Nayeon, Yu, and Dao who were ordinary humans, the others had reached a level where they could not easily be defeated—
Still, Mina seemed to want to say something more.
"Everyone… thank you…"
Mina suddenly saying thank you like that left everyone completely confused. Duyen placed her hand on Mina's shoulder.
"Mina… don't worry. You're not alone. You still have us. Let's solve this together."
Shana laughed.
"I don't think you still need to worry about our safety. That doesn't sound like you at all."
Hearing Shana's teasing tone made Mina frown slightly, but with Duyen beside her she could still feel the warmth of the people around her. Mina sighed and then spoke.
"I know everyone wants to help me. But at the inheritance ceremony tomorrow… I hope you'll let me deal with it myself. This matter was caused by the Kamakiri family, and it should be me who brings it to an end."
Duyen looked at Mina with concern, but Mina's tone was firm, as if she had already decided everything from the very beginning. Instead of opposing her, Duyen smiled in support.
"Alright, Mina. If that's what you want."
It was as if Mina received new strength. Their hands unconsciously intertwined, and their minds seemed to connect as one.
When Shana saw that scene, she could have felt jealous. But she only shook her head and laughed softly.
Meanwhile Hasuko and Haru were burning with excitement.
"So you're saying we're not supposed to interfere with your inheritance ceremony tomorrow, right? Which means the guards and all those big shots outside… we're free to deal with them however we want?"
Haru laughed gently, her beauty calm and graceful.
"Calm down, Hasuko. Don't rush. Everyone will get their share."
Yu nodded when she heard that, she didn't have a knife nearby, but she possessed enough assassination skills to take down a grown man.
As for Nayeon, she stood up and clenched her fists. Her voice was full of spirit despite being the smallest person here.
"Alright! Let's tear this whole place apart!"
Dao was not completely sure, but she used to be a strong and cheerful person. Seeing the women around her standing united awakened that side of her again.
"I guess if it's to help my friends… I'd jump into a sea of fire too! Let's go!"
With that, all the remaining women—and even Amuro—stood up from their seats. All of them were ready to fight. That made Mina freeze for a moment.
This was the first time she had ever felt that so many people were willing to risk their lives for her.
The feeling was strange.
A little embarrassing, yet incredibly warm.
Something Mina thought she had long forgotten after being dragged into the game of power where she always believed she had to fight alone.
Duyen held Mina's hand tightly and did not let go. It was the final affirmation for everything.
---
That night, a few strange things happened in the enormous laboratory of the Kamakiri family deep underground, while everyone else was asleep.
Inside the lab, a massive chemical tank suddenly shattered, as if someone had smashed it. The pale green chemical fluid spilled all over the floor, and no one paid any attention to it.
Only the blaring alarm echoed through the night.
Duyen wandered alone through one of the workrooms where the scientists usually worked, moving through the darkness. Thanks to the supernatural ability that had developed within her, even seeing in complete darkness was no difficulty for her.
However, the restlessness and unease inside her were still very human. Especially when she personally saw the photographs pinned all over the glowing board in the office area—naked evidence of the Kamakiri family's crimes against human beings.
Many of the images were enough to make someone's skin crawl with nausea. Body parts torn apart and stitched together unnaturally. Dissections. Reports on breeding experiments…
It was horrifying.
How long had this been happening? Since when?
What exactly were their true ambitions?
Duyen finally decided to turn away when she could no longer bear to look at the pictures.
Then something caught her attention. On one of the file folders was written a line:
"Divine Connection Project No. 2"
Duyen's eyes widened when she saw Mina's name written there.
There was no way that was a coincidence. She hurriedly opened the file.
"To establish a connection with the goddess Ama and borrow her power, a destined child is required. The child must be the offspring of women blessed by the goddess. The necessary step is to combine—"
Suddenly something sent a chill down Duyen's spine. She quickly looked behind her. She clearly heard something moving—tiny sounds like small things tapping against the floor.
What exactly was that?
And then suddenly loud screams erupted outside, accompanied by the blaring red alarm lights. The scientists began running in panic. They shouted in terror.
"Number 56 has escaped! Security! Where is security!? Help us!"
In front of her unfolded a scene of total chaos, separated from her only by a massive glass wall.
Then she watched in horror as a scientist in a blood-stained white lab coat suddenly slammed himself against the glass. He groaned weakly.
"Help… help us… Why isn't security here… Where did they go… security…"
Duyen panicked and instinctively reached out her hand.
"Wait!"
But the next sight froze her completely.
A woman—
No.
Half of the body was a woman. Her eyes seemed blind, her hair hanging in messy strands. Her face showed unimaginable terror.
Below her body were countless upper torsos of other women fused together, forming something like a gigantic centipede with countless arms acting like legs.
The moment she saw it, Duyen's face turned completely pale.
The woman—or rather the monster—bit violently into the man's neck before he could react, tearing it open. A pillar of blood sprayed straight onto the glass. Then came a horrifying roar.
GRAAAAAAAA
Duyen froze as the creature tilted its head as if listening. Then it stopped right in front of the glass door.
It had discovered her.
She could only sigh.
"Looks like there's no avoiding this…"