Chapter 124: Ryujin Kazama’s Trump Card, The Ancient Blood Moon Lantern!

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Ryujin felt a surge of utter fear completely overwhelm him as he processed Riven’s words. He noticed the people standing behind the young man were no longer cowering or screaming in pain. It was true! Riven had not been lying. The special poison had completely consumed the curse that once bound them, and Ryujin could feel that he no longer held any power over their bodies or wills.

"To think you would trick us like this!"

Hinata roared angrily and placed her hands together. A glowing magic circle opened behind her, revealing powerful runic kanji that aligned in perfect sequence. From the circle she summoned a giant Flood Frog King that released controlled water currents and threatened to drown her foes in an endless surge.

"Then betraying you is all the more justified, you damn son of a bitch!"

Goki roared in agreement. His entire body revealed itself to be transformed into living black metal as he swung his fists with explosive force. Bursts of flame erupted from every impact, throwing the Yokaified Yakuza aside as if they weighed nothing. He combined the blows with a rapid barrage of shuriken and small throwing axes that tore through flesh and bone.

"The venom we believed was only an insurance policy ended up saving our lives. Riven Claymore—no, Master—we deeply apologize for our earlier distrust."

Ren spoke in a calm and calculated tone. He moved from one place to another with fluid grace, dancing around his enemies while shadow threads sliced cleanly through their limbs and heads with practiced ease. Shuriken and kunai flew from his hands in precise arcs, piercing throats and exploding on impact.

They were not merely fully healed. An incredible secondary effect had been unleashed when the curse that once resided in their bodies was completely eaten by the poison. All the leftover energy from that curse now coursed back into their veins.

They grew stronger. Their internal energy reserves expanded. Their movements became sharper and more agile as pure adrenaline flooded their systems.

They became deadlier, stronger, and tougher than before. The transformation was almost insane to witness.

And then there was Kagehisa himself.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

If his retainers were already moving like complete masters of ninjutsu, Kagehisa had become a literal natural disaster on the battlefield.

Everywhere he passed, blood, guts, and shattered pieces of bone flew through the air in every direction.

The young man spun as he advanced, cutting through everything in his path with Masa and Mune.

No matter how tough the Yokaified Yakuza believed themselves to be...

Nobody could compare to his immense and deadly mastery over the assassination arts!

"Kazama...! Ryujin!!! Fight me, you coward!!!"

As he roared the challenge, Kagehisa reached the spectral form of the "boss." Ryujin sneered despite the earlier surprise and fear that still lingered in his eyes. He raised an ancient red lantern high in one hand.

"You think I’ll simply let you advance? This room will become the place where all of you die!"

As he roared the declaration, he lifted the lantern even higher. Dark red portals of demonic and spiritual energy suddenly tore open in the air around them.

"That’s...!" Hinata gasped in recognition. "The Blood Moon Lantern!!! Where did you even obtain such a precious relic?!"

"Eh?!" Label cried out in alarm. "A Summoning Item?!"

Label stared around the vast chamber in disbelief. Until now she had mostly been watching from a safe distance. The ninjas moved so quickly and efficiently that they were cutting down the entire army of Yokaified Yakuza as if it were nothing. Noir remained close to her side at all times, protecting her exactly as Riven had ordered.

"HAHAHAHA! THAT’S RIGHT!"

Kazama Ryujin laughed wildly as the lantern pulsed with deadly demonic energy. A second portal opened, followed quickly by a third.

"He is using the Blood Moon Lantern to summon the three Legendary Spirit Beasts of the Sarutobi Clan!!!" Hinata shouted. "You bastard! How did you even steal my clan’s greatest treasure?! Everyone, watch out!"

The floor trembled beneath their feet as everyone except Riven and Kagehisa took an instinctive step backward. The two young men stood shoulder to shoulder, calmly admiring the massive beasts that began to emerge.

"About time. This will make for some good damn warm-up before we tear the bastard to shreds, right, pal?" Kagehisa said with a fierce smile.

"I couldn’t have said it better," Riven replied. "Plus, I’m getting hungry." His eyes gleamed bright crimson with anticipation.

The portals grew stronger and larger as three gigantic beasts forced their way into the immensely vast hall that resembled an ancient throne room.

From the swirling gateways the three monstrous beings began to crawl outward, absorbing spiritual essence from the Spirit Realm in order to fully materialize their forms.

Ancient Spirits were among the few beings that had originated on Earth itself rather than arriving from another world. These relics had once been thought of as mere magical antiques, long forgotten after they lost their original spiritual powers. Everything changed when the Apocalypse arrived and many of them suddenly awakened once more.

Among those relics, the Blood Moon Lantern was an old and treasured antique of the Sarutobi Clan of Summoning Shinobi. Although true summoning as it was known in the modern age had faded decades earlier, and most practitioners had turned to taming wild animals to keep their bonding talents sharp, the Apocalypse had rewritten the rules.

Now the Blood Moon Lantern had fully awakened its true power. It became a dangerous gateway to the clan’s ancient "guardians" — three legendary beasts that existed in another plane of existence, a place known as "Yomi" within Japanese mythology.

These were ancient and monstrous Yokai who had once devoured countless Spirits and human souls alike, earning the title of "Yokai Kings" over their respective territories in the distant past.

They had been sealed away long ago by the Onmyōji and the Sarutobi Clan Shinobi into the Blood Moon Lantern itself and forced to serve as the clan’s guardians. Now the lunatic known as Ryujin Kazama had unleashed them once more.

"OOOOOHHHHH...!"

The first portal ruptured with a sickening wet crunch as the Gashadokuro, the Starving Skeleton, crawled into the throne room.

It was a towering behemoth composed entirely of the fused, bleached bones of fallen soldiers from countless forgotten wars.

Its massive jaw clattered with a sound like grinding tectonic plates, and its hollow eye sockets burned with an intense, sickly green fire.

As it fully materialized, the crushing weight of its spiritual pressure threatened to crack the very floorboards beneath their feet.

Its enormous skeletal claws slammed into the ground, spreading giant bony spears in every direction!

RUMBLE!

"Avoid!" Hinata cried out. She grabbed Label and escaped onto the ceiling using Ninja Running, one of the unique skills and techniques in their arsenal.

"Uwaahaaa! T-That’s a scary one... but fascinating! May I have a closer look?!" Label insisted even as Noir chased after them.

"NO!" the three ninjas shouted at the same time as the second beast began to make its presence known.

From the second portal a suffocating, vaporous fog rolled outward, carrying the sharp scent of ozone mixed with the rot of ancient mountains.

"AWROOOOOOO!"

An enormous dog-like monstrosity stepped out into the chamber.

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