A pale and withered hand burst through the mirror without warning.
Its twisted fingers closed around Airam’s arm before she could move.
Airam cried out and tried to tear herself free.
The hand looked thin enough to break with little effort, yet its grip carried enough strength to crush bone.
The surface of the mirror rippled around its wrist like dark water.
“Let her go!” Dante forced his way through the panicked crowd and pulled a Sterling Silver Cross from his System inventory.
He swung it against the ghostly arm with all his strength.
Sizzle!
Holy light erupted from the silver cross.
Black smoke poured from the creature’s skin as the sacred energy burned into it.
The hand trembled but refused to release Airam.
Instead, its fingers tightened and dragged her deeper into the glass.
Airam’s shoulder disappeared through the mirror.
The entity behind it had focused entirely on her soul.
It could sense that she was not human and believed consuming another mirror-born existence might allow it to escape its prison.
Dante grabbed Airam around the waist and pulled backward.
The Ox Talisman filled his arms with overwhelming strength, but the force inside the mirror continued drawing her away.
More pale hands emerged from the glass.
They wrapped around Airam’s shoulders and legs before reaching for Dante.
Cold fingers closed around his wrists while another caught the back of his jacket.
Telekinetic power exploded from Dante’s body and tore several hands apart.
More immediately replaced them as the entire mirror turned black.
The combined force dragged Dante forward.
The cold glass touched his skin before becoming soft and liquid.
His vision twisted as both he and Airam were pulled through the surface.
They passed through a barrier that felt like freezing water.
A moment later, they struck a hard floor.
Dante rolled once before rising into a crouch.
Airam landed beside him and quickly pushed herself upright.
The sight around them made Dante’s expression turn serious.
They were still inside the Mayflower, but this version of the building had been abandoned for decades.
Mold covered the walls while dark red stains spread across the cracked floor.
The air smelled of rust, stagnant water, and decaying flesh.
The modern lights were gone.
Sickly green flames floated near the ceiling and cast trembling shadows through the ruined halls.
Mirrors still covered the walls.
None of them showed Dante or Airam.
Distorted human faces pressed against the other side of the glass.
Some silently begged for help while others twisted in rage and pain.
A dry voice echoed through the empty department store.
“Welcome to my world.” Dante and Airam looked toward the massive mirror in the center of the hall.
A shadow began gathering across its surface.
The figure had no stable shape.
It shifted between a human outline, a crawling mass, and something with too many limbs.
Pure hatred radiated from it and filled the ruined Mayflower with suffocating pressure.
The surrounding mirrors began to ripple.
Figures crawled from the glass one after another.
Some wore torn hospital gowns that hung from emaciated bodies.
Their arms and legs bent at unnatural angles as they dragged themselves across the floor.
Others were covered in puncture wounds and crude surgical scars.
Black blood ran from their eyes and mouths while their jaws opened in silent screams.
They were the remains of patients who had suffered inside the psychiatric hospital that once occupied this property.
Death had not released them.
The mirror demon had trapped their souls and transformed them into servants.
The dead surrounded Dante and Airam.
Airam’s face grew pale as the pressure increased.
She was also connected to the world behind reflections, but the number of hostile spirits placed her at a severe disadvantage.
Dante stepped in front of her.
“Stay behind me.” Airam looked toward him.
“You have a plan?” A faint smile appeared on Dante’s face.
“Yeah.
Shoot everything that moves.” He turned both wrists.
Ebony and Ivory appeared in his hands.
The black and white pistols gleamed beneath the green flames.
Dante allowed Purification to flow through his arms and enter both weapons.
Silver-white light spread across their barrels.
“It’s been too long since I gave these a proper workout.” The closest spirit opened its rotten mouth and lunged toward Dante’s throat.
Bang!
Dante fired without looking directly at it.
The Purification-empowered bullet struck the center of the spirit’s forehead.
Holy light burst through its skull and spread across its entire body.
The creature screamed as the energy burned away the corruption holding its soul together.
Within seconds, it collapsed into a cloud of black smoke.
The remaining spirits stopped.
Airam stared at the pistols in Dante’s hands.
The sacred power surrounding them was a natural enemy of every corrupted being inside the mirror realm.
Dante glanced over his shoulder and winked.
“Try not to look too impressed.” The silence ended as dozens of spirits rushed forward.
Dante raised both guns.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Ebony and Ivory roared together.
Silver-white bullets crossed the hall and struck three spirits at once.
Each impact released an explosion of Purification that illuminated the darkness.
One creature crawled across the ceiling and dropped toward him.
Dante slid beneath it while firing Ivory upward.
The bullet passed through its mouth and erupted from the back of its head.
Holy fire consumed the creature before it reached the floor.
Two more attacked from opposite sides.
Dante rose into the air with Telekinesis EX and twisted above them.
Ebony fired left while Ivory fired right.
Both spirits vanished in twin bursts of light.
Airam remained near the center of the hall and watched him move through the dead.
His relaxed personality had disappeared beneath perfect focus.
Every shot found its target.
Dante used telekinesis to redirect bullets in midair when spirits attempted to dodge.
He could even curve the rounds around broken pillars and strike creatures hiding behind them.
A group of hospital spirits charged together.
Dante extended both arms and opened fire.
The gunshots formed a steady rhythm through the ruined Mayflower.
Each flash pushed back the darkness and freed another corrupted soul.
A spirit with long surgical tools instead of fingers swept its arm toward him.
Dante bent backward as the blades passed inches above his face.
He kicked off the floor and spun sideways.
Ebony fired during the turn.
The bullet entered the spirit’s chest and released enough sacred power to tear it apart from within.
Another creature tried to approach Airam while Dante was occupied.
She raised one hand and forced the spirit backward through the nearest mirror.
The glass swallowed it for half a second.
Ivory fired over Dante’s shoulder.
The bullet struck the mirror and pierced the creature inside it.
A web of glowing cracks spread across the surface before the trapped spirit dissolved.
Airam looked toward Dante with growing disbelief.
The battle had become a one-sided massacre.
Dante moved through the horde with the confidence of someone performing a routine he had practiced a thousand times.
His guns never needed to reload, and his expression never showed fear.
The mirror spirits slowed as their numbers fell.
Dante gave them no chance to retreat.
He rose several feet above the ground and aimed both pistols downward.
Telekinetic force held him in place while he fired into the remaining crowd.
The entire hall filled with silver-white light.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Purification spread from one spirit to another.
Screams echoed through the mirror realm before fading into silence.
The final creature collapsed near Dante’s feet.
Its twisted body burned away and left only a few sparks of holy light floating above the floor.
Dante landed smoothly.
The ruined Mayflower became deathly quiet.
Nothing remained of the attacking spirits except fading smoke and scattered embers.
He spun Ebony and Ivory around his fingers before returning them to the System inventory.
The movements were so smooth that Airam suspected he had practiced them far more often than he admitted.
Dante turned toward her and grinned.
“Show’s over.
No refunds.” Airam looked across the empty hall.
She had witnessed vengeful spirits destroy people before, but she had never seen anyone eliminate so many with such ease.
Dante’s method was violent and direct.
Yet the sacred energy inside each bullet had also released the trapped souls from the demon’s control.
Her gaze returned to him.
“Who are you?” Dante placed one hand against his chest and adopted an honest expression.
“A passing high school student filled with love and justice.” Airam stared at him.
“That may be the worst lie I’ve ever heard.” “It wasn’t a lie.” “You just slaughtered an army of spirits with two supernatural pistols.” Dante shrugged.
“Extracurricular activities.” Airam clearly did not believe him, but she decided not to press the question.
Dante possessed powers and knowledge that no ordinary student should have.
For now, learning the truth could wait until they escaped.
She looked toward the central mirror.
“Don’t celebrate yet.
Those spirits were only servants.” Dante followed her gaze.
The shadow inside the mirror had vanished during the battle.
The oppressive presence remained deeper within the ruined hospital.
“The real demon is hiding.” “Then we’ll find it.” Dante began walking toward the dark corridor beyond the hall.
Airam moved beside him rather than remaining behind.
They entered the remains of the psychiatric hospital.
The polished department-store floor changed into cracked tile.
Rusted wheelchairs stood near the stained walls while closed patient-room doors lined both sides of the corridor.
Green flames floated above them and produced no warmth.
The smell of old blood and rotting flesh grew stronger with every step.
Dante kept part of his attention on the mirrors embedded in the walls.
Distorted shadows occasionally moved through the glass but disappeared whenever Purification spread from his body.
Airam remained quiet.
Her confidence had returned after watching Dante destroy the spirits.
Still, the mirror demon’s attempt to consume her had left a trace of unease in her eyes.
Dante glanced toward her.
“How is Maria?” Airam’s footsteps slowed.
She turned her head and examined him beneath the shifting green light.
“You seem very concerned about her.” “She’s a good person.” Dante kept his tone casual.
“She’s only afraid because everyone around her spent years teaching her to be afraid.” Airam looked ahead again.
“She is weak.” “She survived more than most people could.” Dante stepped over a broken hospital tray.
“That sounds strong to me.” Airam remained silent for several moments.
The empty corridor carried the sound of their footsteps far ahead of them.
When she finally answered, her voice had lost some of its usual arrogance.
“I am Maria.” Dante looked at her.
“And Maria is me.” Airam slowed near a cracked mirror and studied the dark surface.
“Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we were always supposed to be one person.” [Reader Support Milestones]