The battle at the Scarlet Devil Mansion arrived suddenly, raged fiercely, and ended breathtakingly. Had it not been for Kaguya Houraisan’s forceful rescue, the Mansion might have been wiped from Gensokyo. Remilia and Sakuya both felt the profound relief of surviving disaster, yet they had no time for reflection, for though the fight was won, the conditions of Patchouli and Hong Meiling were dire.

Patchouli, after her asthma was cured, had reached the peak of the Spirit Rank, and Hong Meiling was close to the advanced Spirit Rank. Neither was weak, but those who struck them were full Earth Rank experts, and the attack was a sudden, unprepared assault. It was a stroke of luck they weren't killed on the spot.

“Patchy…” Remilia had recovered from her berserk state, her face pale and visibly weak. She cradled Patchouli’s blood-soaked, unconscious form, guilt and sorrow flickering in her eyes. Truthfully, Patchouli was injured because of her; if she hadn't been shielding Remilia, her absolute defense could have easily deflected an Earth Rank expert’s strike without issue.

Yet, she could do nothing for Patchouli, for she was a vampire; she only knew how to kill, not how to save.

Nearby, Sakuya held Hong Meiling with an equally heavy expression. While on the surface Meiling seemed less wounded, her internal injuries were far more severe than Patchouli’s. That single palm strike had pulverized her viscera and even impacted her very Yokai essence. If not treated quickly, even if she woke, she would be nothing more than an ordinary person… a Yokai without fighting power, effectively crippled.

Sakuya had already placed both Patchouli and Hong Meiling under time-stop, but this only halted the deterioration of their wounds; it could not provide the fundamental healing they required, as their injuries were outside the scope of her temporal manipulation.

“It won’t work,” Eirin stood beside them. Seeing their gazes turn to her, she shook her head. “I am immortal, but I possess no healing magic. Still, there is no need to worry too much. As long as they still breathe, when that person returns, they will surely be cured.”

Hearing this, both instantly knew who “that person” referred to, and the mere thought of that near-resurrection power brought a spark of relief to their eyes.

“What do we do now?” Sakuya asked.

“Let me place them under cryostasis first,” Eirin considered for a moment, then stated gravely. “My ice sealing technique can also prevent their injuries from worsening. Conversely, in your current state, Sakuya, using time manipulation further is inadvisable.”

Sakuya hesitated briefly, then nodded. Indeed, in the recent battle, she had operated far beyond her limits; her energy expenditure was no less than Remilia’s. With the main enemy still at large, the priority was to restore their strength quickly, lest another assault catch them unprepared with disastrous results.

Subsequently, Eirin used her ice sealing technique to preserve the bodies of Patchouli and Hong Meiling. Seeing that no adverse effects manifested, Remilia and Sakuya let out a breath of relief. Just as they were about to rest, Remilia suddenly gasped, “Flandre? Where is Flandre?”

Because their entire focus had been on the two injured parties, it was only now that Remilia realized Flandre Scarlet was no longer in the room.

Outside the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Flandre Scarlet, her body drenched in blood, made her way toward the Sea of Mist. She trod upon the frozen water, ignoring the biting cold, her multicolored wings shimmering brilliantly.

Drip! Drip! Drip…

Crimson blood dripped from her form, staining the Sea of Mist. It was not her blood, but that of her enemies. Upon leaving the Mansion, she had encountered several foes attempting a sneak attack, all of whom she had swiftly executed. Her merciless methods rendered her more terrifying than a demon.

Crossing the Sea of Mist, Flandre stopped. Before her lay smoke and devastation—Youkai Mountain, the Human Village, the Forest of Magic. In every direction visible, she sensed a dense atmosphere of conflict. This energy stimulated her very soul, and a fierce voice roared in her heart: Destroy! Destroy! Use that purest power to obliterate everything!

“Hahahahaha!” Flandre suddenly threw her head back in laughter, her crimson eyes blazing with boundless cruelty as she gazed at her own blood-soaked hands. “I’ll use these hands to break everything!”

“Flandre, why are you laughing so happily?” Just then, a girl’s curious voice called out from behind her.

Flandre turned around. Upon seeing the figure, the bloodthirsty smile in her eyes lessened slightly, but the excitement on her face intensified. “Koishi, want to play together?”

Standing before Flandre was a white-haired girl wearing a hat—Koishi Komeiji.

Koishi Komeiji blinked slightly, then raised a hand, holding a newspaper. She spoke excitedly, “I picked this up by accident. It made me think—the surface world is so lively right now. It would be quite fun to conduct a passionate massacre, plundering and slaughtering those celebrating their festivals.”

“That is precisely what I was about to do.”

“So I came looking for you, Flandre, because playing this kind of game with you is the most fun.”

The two girls exchanged words, their faces beaming with mutual understanding. However, before they could join forces, a girl descended from the sky and landed between them, chuckling, “If you’re organizing a team activity, shouldn’t I be included as well?”

“Ah, it’s you,” Flandre and Koishi exclaimed simultaneously.

“Long time no see, the two of you,” the girl said, casting a wicked smile toward them.

This girl appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen, only slightly taller than Flandre and Koishi. She possessed a delicate appearance, short black hair, and was entirely clad in black—a black top, black skirt, and black knee-high socks.

If that were all, it wouldn't be particularly strange, but the uncanny feature was the three pairs of unusual wings on her back—or perhaps they shouldn't be called wings. The three on the left were hard and sharp, resembling red metal, while the three on the right were blue arrowheads. She held a trident, giving the impression of not a human, but a fully armed, futuristic combatant.

This was only natural, as she was not human at all, but the most incredible, unidentified flying Yokai of the mysterious night sky—Haniyasushin Nyuu.

She possessed the ability to obscure her true appearance from recognition. If she wished, no one could penetrate her true form through this power. When people saw her, different images would arise in their eyes—sometimes a lion, sometimes a tiger, sometimes a butterfly, sometimes anything else… people would project what they could comprehend based on common sense, but all of it was false.

Because of this, she had forged countless legends, in each of which she held a different guise.

Her temperament was as malicious as her ability. She had no defined objective; the only thing she found joy in, and felt compelled to do daily, was to obstruct what others were enthusiastically pursuing, watching from afar as people grew afraid and wove all sorts of legends about her.

Building her happiness upon the suffering of others—in a sense, she was such a vile Yokai. Consequently, she was counted among the Three Great Sadistic Sisters of Gensokyo, alongside Koishi Komeiji and Flandre Scarlet.

Now, these three nightmares had converged. If they truly exerted themselves, very few in Gensokyo could suppress them.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be at Myouren Temple?” Koishi Komeiji asked.

“Because of this,” Haniyasushin Nyuu laughed, also holding a newspaper in her hand. “A Tengu delivered this news slip to the temple. Since Byakuren cannot easily leave, she asked me to help. Although I dislike doing favors for others, disrupting the invaders’ plans should be quite entertaining. You feel the same way, don’t you?”

The Byakuren mentioned by Haniyasushin Nyuu was the great priestess Hijiri Byakuren, who had once been sealed by humans. Because Byakuren had always aided Yokai when she was human, the Yokai she had benefited sought to rescue her. However, this endeavor was sabotaged by Haniyasushin Nyuu’s malicious nature and failed.

Later, when Haniyasushin Nyuu realized Byakuren’s revival would also benefit her, she regretted her actions, and Byakuren forgave her. Since then, Haniyasushin Nyuu had remained loyal to Byakuren. Throughout all of Gensokyo, the only person capable of restraining Haniyasushin Nyuu’s actions and commanding her was Saint Byakuren.

“Then let’s go together… to destroy!” Flandre grinned, the bloodlust in her eyes undeniable. While it might terrify others, for Koishi Komeiji and Haniyasushin Nyuu, this thirst for destruction made their blood boil.

For they were kindred spirits.

The three then soared high into the air. If the enemy’s presence was everywhere, then their destruction would be everywhere too… Three sadistic sisters, three full Earth Rank powers!

Time rewound several minutes. This was Eientei.

The moment the crimson mist covering all of Gensokyo began to rise, Eirin Yagokoro stood in the courtyard and smiled faintly. “Just as I predicted. Since the enemy has launched their full assault, I too must prepare a battlefield suitable for us… Lend Gensokyo a full moon!”

As the words fell, true night descended, and simultaneously, a huge moon hung suspended overhead.

Then, Eirin looked toward the girl beside her. “Reisen, is everything you were asked to do prepared?”

Reisen nodded. “Yes, Master. Yesterday, I informed the majority of the weaker Yokai to remain at Eientei. They are currently lingering in the Bamboo Forest of Lost Names…”

“That is good. Concentrating the aura of weaker Yokai will draw most of the enemies, and with the Yamata no Kagami, we can reduce our own casualties.”

“But…”

“But what?”

“Cirno and those idiot fairies have disappeared somewhere…” Reisen mumbled weakly.

“……” Eirin felt a headache coming on, sighing. “Those fools. Never mind, fairies don’t die easily; let them be.”