Han Zhiqi forced himself to endure the pain coursing through his body. Supported by Nohime, he hurried downhill while calling for everyone nearby to stop searching and immediately move toward the mountainside.
Although no one understood what had happened, Han Zhiqi's terrified expression and anxious tone told them enough. Even when he had faced three demons alone, he had never lost his composure like this. They guessed he had sensed something and immediately stayed alert, gathering around Han Zhiqi and Nohime.
The group hurried down the mountain.
Kimura could not bear to leave Eimi behind alone, but if even Han Zhiqi was afraid, what could he accomplish by staying? He could only flee with the others.
Not long after they left, the center of the lake began to churn. With a splashing sound like a fountain, a humanoid pillar of water slowly rose.
Once the water pillar reached a certain height, the lake water receded back into the lake, leaving only a pitch-black figure standing at its center.
Rustling sounds came from the lake's surface, like a school of fish packed tightly together. The entire lake began to boil.
Black things sprouted beneath the figure's feet, spreading across the entire lake, crawling onto the rocks along the shore. They were strands upon strands of hair.
The scratches Han Zhiqi had found on the rocks had actually been left by hair.
A ripple bulged beneath the strange figure in the middle of the lake, carrying it slowly toward the shore. Jet-black hair hid its face and covered its entire body, gleaming under the moonlight with a nauseating sheen.
The figure slowly followed the direction Han Zhiqi and the others had fled. Wet footprints trailed behind it, while its hair spread from beneath its feet into the surrounding woods like living creatures.