Facing the surging horde of spirits, the exhausted Mayu stumbles and is dragged into the pitch-black darkness!
'Sister!' Mio screams in terror, turning to save her, but is immediately enveloped by countless attacking ghosts.
After a brutal battle, Mio banishes them, but Mayu has vanished without a trace.
Filled with panic, Mio sprints down the stone steps of Kureha Shrine. Near the base, she spots the phantoms of the Tachibana siblings ('Vanishing: Siblings Heading to Old Tree').
Following them into the Old Tree hollow, Mio aims at the dark tombstone, photographing the solemn mourning trio ('Bound: Siblings Mourning at Tomb').
At the tombstone's base, she picks up 'Red-Threaded Diary 5' and a 'Raw Crystal'.
Heading to the Shade Mound, Mio photographs the central mound ('Bound: Man Investigating Shade Mound'), retrieving 'Folklorist's Note 10' and a 'Celestite'.
Returning to the Old Tree hollow, she captures the folklorist's apprentice ('Bound: Youth Investigating Old Tree') and finds 'Green Diary 4' at his feet.
Ascending the steps to Kureha Shrine once more, Mio captures the memory of the siblings assisting the escape ('Vanishing: Escaping Sae', 'Escaping Yae', 'Itsuki Assisting Escape', 'Escaping Twins & Itsuki').
Entering the main hall, she captures the lonely boy returning to the village ('Bound: Itsuki Returning to Village') and picks up 'Red-Threaded Diary 7'.
Exiting the shrine, a dancing crimson butterfly reappears in the night sky ('Vanishing: Butterfly Guiding to Mayu').
Before venturing into the Kurosawa House to rescue Mayu, Mio resolves to resolve all remaining grudges across the village.
Entering the Kiryu House, she visits the sealed room, capturing the tragedy of the Kiryu family ('Vanishing: Kiryu Family Tragedy') and finding a 'Blue Crystal'.
The vengeful 'Hostile: Twin Doll' lunges forward with deep malice! Armed with the purified Camera Obscura, Mio unleashes sacred spirit flashes, completely obliterating the doll.
The doll drops 'Photo: Minakami Cemetery', and a liberated girl appears ('Vanishing: Grateful Girl').
Crossing the waterwheel walkway behind the Kiryu House into the Fire Hallway area, Mio crouches at the end of the right riverbank, photographing 'Twin Doll 23'.
Slipping through the narrow gap beneath the Fire Hallway into the backyard, Mio captures playing children ('Vanishing: Children Inviting to Play') and 'Bound: Boy Hiding in Backyard'.
Entering the Fire Hallway, she captures 'Twin Doll 24' behind the 1F prep room screen. In the entrance hall, she captures 'Twin Doll 25' and 'Bound: Girl Hiding in Entrance'.
In the solemn Buddhist Hall, she captures 'Bound: Boy Hiding in Hall' and collects 'Child's Note 5' and a 'Garnet' from the altar table.
Behind the hall, Mio uses 'Reveal' to manifest a wooden ladder. Descending into the dark passage, she picks up 'Glowing Yellow Ore' and captures 'Twin Doll 28' at the other end.
Stepping onto the stone bridge outside, a waiting spirit stands in the middle ('Vanishing: Waiting Girl'), triggering [Side Event: Azami Kiryu].
Crossing Misono to the Minakami Cemetery, Mio locates the spot from the cemetery photo. Using 'Reveal', she uncovers a hidden tree hollow containing 'Child's Note 6'.
Girl and playmate phantoms manifest ('Vanishing: Girl Waiting in Cemetery', 'Boy Playing in Cemetery'), followed by three attacking child spirits! Mio purifies them, captures 'Bound: Playing Girl', and picks up 'Child's Note 7' and a 'Light Red Crystal'.
Rushing back to Itsuki's storehouse, she captures the standing youth ('Vanishing: Standing Itsuki').
Inside the storehouse, memories of Ryozo and Itsuki interweave ('Vanishing: Parting Duo'). Near the door, she captures 'Bound: Mutsuki Looking On', picking up a 'Raw Crystal' and 'Raw Black Crystal', triggering [Side Event: Tachibana Family].
On the 2F, she captures 'Bound: Imprisoned Girl' and finds 'Green Diary 5' and 'Red-Threaded Diary 4' on the wooden shelf.
In Misono, she captures Ryozo escaping the village ('Vanishing: Youth Leaving Village'), retrieving 'Green Diary 6' and 'Phosphosiderite' at his feet.
Entering the Tachibana House, she captures warm memories in the Twins' Room ('Vanishing: Tachibana Family Past') and retrieves 'Red-Threaded Diary 8'.
On the Heavenly Bridge, she captures the three siblings together ('Vanishing: Three on Heavenly Bridge') and finds a 'Raw Crystal'.
With all lingering grudges cleared, Mio marches resolutely toward the Kurosawa House.
The moon above has transformed into a terrifying scarlet blood-moon.
Ahead in the ritual procession, Mayu in a white kimono walks forward mechanically.
Mayu's hollow voice echoes under the crimson sky:
'The two chosen maidens... will ascend to the sky and become butterflies... to save the village. This is... how it must be...'
Mayu attending the ritual
Heartbroken, Mio shouts: 'Sister...!'
Picking up 'Butterfly Diary 4' at the bridge end, Mio pushes open the Kurosawa doors, capturing Mayu entering ('Vanishing: Mayu Entering Kurosawa House').
Inside, Mio heads to the storehouse cell, capturing the folklorist ('Vanishing: Man Imprisoned in Cell') and picking up 'Folklorist's Note 20' from the table.
Heading upstairs to the Doll Room, she captures the sisters' past escape conspiracy ('Vanishing: Whispering Sisters').
In the Altar Room, she captures Mayu heading deeper ('Vanishing: Mayu Heading to Connecting Corridor') and collects 'Butterfly Diary 11' from the altar.
Downstairs on the connecting walkway, she captures solemn priests ('Vanishing: Priest Welcoming Maiden'), picks up 'Malachite Ore', and captures Mayu moving forward ('Vanishing: Mayu Walking on Walkway').
At the end of the walkway, memories of twin maidens heading to the altar manifest ('Vanishing: Twin Maidens Performing Ritual'). Stepping on a floor switch opens a door, revealing a white silhouette ('Vanishing: Maiden in White Kimono').
Entering the grand, dark Rope Altar Hall, Mio gasps in horror—priests worship fanatically around the altar, above which the folklorist Seijiro Makabe hangs bound in heavy ropes, covered in vicious slashes!
Chanting chilling prayers, the lifeless Seijiro is cast into the bottomless 'Hellish Abyss' as a human sacrifice...
The head priest senses Mio's presence! Ryokan Kurosawa whips around, leading four masked priest spirits in a ferocious assault!
This is the most grueling battle of the journey. The masked priests continuously resurrect, while the ghost of Ryokan Kurosawa sneaks through pillars and shadows to ambush!
In the heat of battle, Ryokan Kurosawa roars with mad desperation:
'...Yae... give up... for the sake of the village... we must live on as the Remaining...!'
Backed into a corner, Mio dodges their blades and curses, timing her shots perfectly to unleash waves of sacred purification light on Ryokan Kurosawa!
As the final spiritual blast pierces Ryokan's body, the old master laments:
'Even if only Sae remains, the ritual must proceed... Yae... why did you run away...!'
With the battle over, Mio aims up at the beam, capturing Seijiro's tragic spirit ('Bound: Seijiro Makabe').
Mio rushes through the secret door into the cold, damp underground passage. The woven, bitter whispers of Mayu and Sae echo continuously—urging Mio to turn back, demanding Yae complete the twin ritual.
Crossing flooded shallows, she captures 'Twin Doll 27', photographs 'Bound: One Who Failed to Become Kusabi', and captures 'Twin Doll 26' behind a red pillar.
Exiting the tunnel into the massive cavern—the 'Sacrificial Dais'—she captures twins stepping onto the altar ('Vanishing: Twins before Ritual').
Mio steps through the towering Torii gate. A massive psychic shock reveals the tragedy of Sae's solo ritual—
With Yae gone, the priests strangle Sae alone and throw her into the Hellish Abyss.
The unfulfilled twin sacrifice triggered the ultimate catastrophe—The Repentance. Pitch-black miasma erupted from the void, and Sae and the Kusabi crawled forth, slaughtering the entire village and sealing it in eternal night...
The vision fades, and the Kusabi roars forth from the abyss in a storm of destruction!
On the precipice of the void, the final battle erupts! Armed with the Camera Obscura, Mio channels her love and courage into blinding flashes of spiritual power, delivering fatal frames that completely destroy and purify the Kusabi!
After the battle, a crimson butterfly rests on the ground ('Vanishing: Butterfly Guiding to Abyss'). Where it rested, Mio finds 'Left Behind Letter'.
Mio approaches the edge of the bottomless pit, where the figure she has searched for stands waiting ('Vanishing: Mayu Standing before Abyss').
To calm the raging Hellish Abyss and halt the Repentance, Mayu smiles gently and guides Mio's hands to her throat. Guided by cruel destiny, the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual reaches its inevitable, tragic culmination.
Amidst agonizing sorrow, Mayu transforms into a crimson butterfly and descends into the abyss, sealing the darkness forever. At dawn, Mio flees the forest alone, bearing a butterfly-shaped bruise upon her neck, gazing into the morning light with endless longing...