664,

With Onigashima’s help, Feng'er had grown very quiet as a monster.

In this state, he could be held in someone’s arms.

Holding a monster in your arms was probably something only a madman would do.

But Cyclone wasn’t a madman. He was a father.

For his son, Cyclone would do anything.

Feng'er quietly crawled toward him. Cyclone dropped to one knee and held out his arms.

“Come on. Come to Daddy.”

The little monster, made of flesh and blood, tried to reach out with his tiny hands in front of Cyclone.

Purple skin, red veins. His little hands reached for Cyclone like the hands of a demon.

“Come on.”

Rather than wait, Cyclone chose to move first.

He pulled Feng'er into his arms. Just then, Feng'er slowly opened his little mouth, baring two sharp fangs.

Run away?

No. Cyclone wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t.

“Don’t worry. I’ll calm him down.”

Onigashima brought the rune on his palm close to Feng'er. Feng'er's attempt to bite Cyclone stopped at once, and he began to look ready to fall asleep.

It was peaceful. Cyclone gently rocked Feng'er in his arms, helping him sleep more comfortably.

“Listen. My power can’t keep him calm forever. If he wakes up and bites you again, tell me.”

Cyclone nodded.

“Whatever you do, don’t drop him on the ground.”

Onigashima’s words left Cyclone at a loss for how to respond.

Drop his own son on the ground?

Cyclone swore that would never happen.

“W-why is Feng'er's body…”

Elyse, who had been watching from the side the whole time, noticed something strange.

Feng'er's body was turning transparent. It wasn’t obvious, but it was happening.

At that moment, a figure drifted past in the distance.

Right behind Onigashima, the figure emerged from a wall again, then vanished in front of another.

The white figure stood out, yet looked deeply eerie.

“Well! It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“What is that?”

Yuna descended from the sky and drew her scythe.

“Those are Night Wraiths.”

No one answered Onigashima. They were all looking behind him.

One, two, three—their numbers kept growing.

And this time, the strange creatures didn’t hide or dart around. They drifted straight toward Onigashima.

As they drew closer, their white robes proved not only flowing, but badly tattered.

Looking more closely, the monsters in white turned out to be dead skeletons. Their white skirts looked more like wedding dresses.

Meanwhile, Onigashima didn’t even turn around. He silently placed a hand on the greatsword behind him.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Onigashima waited until the monsters drifted within striking range, then swung his greatsword without a word.

The strike looked impressive, but hit nothing.

The instant the greatsword came down, all three monsters vanished.

“Everyone, stay alert! The Night Wraiths’ greatest ability is teleportation. They’re here for Feng'er.”

He was only halfway through speaking when a Night Wraith appeared behind Cyclone.

Yuna pressed Cyclone down with one hand, then spun around and moved behind him.

But after that leap, the Night Wraith disappeared again.

“Feng'er is currently half monster and half ghost. To these women, a baby’s ghost is the most delicious food…”

“Women?!”

Eileen’s voice rang out, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Terrified by the horrifying ghosts, Eileen had already hidden behind Little Dragon.

“Monsters who die on their wedding day usually appear for their babies and the men they encountered.”

As soon as he finished speaking, several more Night Wraiths appeared in the distance.

“I-It looks like there are more and more of them…”

Looking at the roughly ten Night Wraiths before them, Onigashima actually broke into a cold sweat.

“T-There usually aren’t this many… It seems your son…”

Before he could finish, a Night Wraith suddenly appeared right in front of Cyclone and lunged at him.