A deep and tranquil night.
The faint moonlight hits the thinly laid clouds, radiating a soft silver light onto the earth. At the Moonshadow Temple, perched atop a sheer cliff, a pure white foxfire floats gently.
Hekbi, blindfolded with a black band, walks gracefully around the Fox Temple, hands modestly clasped. The dark fox bead imbued with the cool energy of the moon conveys a message to her.
Cheonho has ultimately turned.
As if that weren’t enough, he has even allied with the Gumiho.
It was a story she had somewhat anticipated, as the twelve Bear Ghosts who returned from Vestia had shared the information. It seems that Cheonho has taken the side of the Gumiho.
What his intentions are, she cannot fathom.
It seems too much of a whim, wondering about others suffering divine retribution, merely out of curiosity.
She has reached a point where she can no longer remain a bystander. It is necessary to take action before the Gumiho brings ruin to the world.
Fortunately, it seems she won’t have to go seeking him out herself.
“Both you and Cheonho are enjoying yourselves in good places while I’m left out?”
An unexpected guest enters the temple without permission.
Eight tails sway chaotically.
The color reflecting under the dim moonlight is pink.
The Gumiho has come to the Moonshadow Temple to resolve her lingering wishes.
Her appearance is unlike Lin’s.
She hasn’t tied her hair back to gain her Master’s affection.
It isn’t a fluttering dress to impress her Master either.
It is an Eastern-style outfit favored by the Hoyo clan.
Her attire seems to emphasize a clear line, asserting that she and the sleeping Gumiho are separate beings.
“You certainly do live in a dreary place. It’s as if no one speaks ill of you.”
The Gumiho, visiting the Moonshadow Temple, is alone.
Carami is not by her side.
She said it would be a distraction if she came.
Carami had agreed, yet there was an unspoken reluctance in the look she had given. It bore the shadow of someone who was hiding something.
‘What strange thoughts is he having again?’
Even the Gumiho cannot grasp the man’s intentions.
But she does not care.
She cannot possibly reach the Moonshadow Temple, where youkai abound, with her pitiful little body. She likely doesn’t even know its location or existence.
She absorbs power from the code and evolves into a complete Gumiho. When she alters her fate and breaks the shackles of her soul, it will be over.
Thus, the priority is to eliminate the traitor.
“Have you been well all this time? Did you enjoy sacrificing me?”
“Is that really the case? The heart of a girl who has lost a friend is not at ease.”
“Really? Then could you return the power you stole from me?”
“I apologize, but that was a grace bestowed by the Heavenly Lord, so it seems difficult.”
The Gumiho silently chuckles at Hekbi’s wordplay.
That smile is so cold that there wouldn’t be anyone who could truly call it a smile.
“To rob someone of their power and call it grace… What a brazen joke. If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to take it back by force.”
The Gumiho manifests the fox bead, which has absorbed Cheonho’s power, merging it with the energy of the sun, creating a manifestation of the clear sky.
Hekbi doesn’t step back either. Her tone remains calm and unfaltering.
“The girl does not mind, but are you alright? After all, you only have eight tails.”
“This is a mere handicap.”
Both youkai summon their foxfire and face each other off.
The battle between youkai, especially those who wield sorcery, is reminiscent of a mage’s confrontation.
Whose magic is superior?
Which side has honed their sorcery more?
Exchanging moves like a card game, they seek to exploit openings without hesitation, causing meaningful damage.
If both are skilled sorcerers, they won’t give openings, and thus one will overpower the other’s magic, removing a card bit by bit and chewing away at the opponent’s defenses.
The Gumiho strikes first.
Fwoosh!
The fundamental foxfire, so essential to youkai. However, when taken to the extreme, even the basics become a fatal blow.
It is a sorcery condensed with the essence of youkai.
Twenty orange-colored foxfires bloom around the Gumiho like flowers. Each one is similar in size to the time when Lin captured the Bear Ghost.
“Falling Fire.”
The foxfire, illuminating the temple that lacks light like it was daytime, descends, burning the silence.
Watching the fireballs raining down toward her, Hekbi reveals a hint of sorrow.
“You’ve weakened significantly. It pains me, girl.”
Just as a barrage was about to explode, a massive black fox leapt out from somewhere, biting into the foxfire.
Caw!
As it bit into the foxfire, sparks scattered.
The black fox, which protected Hekbi from the foxfire, looms in front of her, growling as it recognizes the Gumiho as an enemy.
It is not a living creature but a form of sorcery created by Hekbi using her spirit power.
The black fox charges at the Gumiho. Even if the attack goes to waste, the Gumiho does not falter and continues her sorcery. A sun appears above her head.
A dazzling sun.
Scorching heat.
A sorcery that does not specify a target, incinerating all living and non-living beings within the range of the sun.
It happens in an instant. The temple is consumed by flames, turning to ash simultaneously.
Even the ground warps with a gentle curve. However, where Hekbi’s feet touch, it remains untouched. She stands as she did before. Only the black fox that surrounded her has melted away and shrunk in size.
“You dare to destroy my dwelling? If the Gumiho Lord comes at me in such a manner, I suppose I must respond in kind.”
Hekbi places her hand on the head of the black fox. The form of the fox, which absorbed her spirit power, is instantly restored, returning to its previous unscathed state.
The rejuvenated fox charges at the Gumiho.
“What have you been doing all this time? Raising pets?”
With a mischievous smile, the Gumiho surrounds her hands with flames just as she was about to slam her head down. She senses a presence behind her.
Caw!
In an instant, the black fox bites into the Gumiho’s left arm, while the first fox bites into her right arm. They are identical foxes, as if reflected in a mirror.
The Gumiho grimaces at the sight of the foxes tearing at her arms.
“Hm~ I was wondering what you were planning, but this is it? You’re quite crafty, huh?”
Wham!
The Gumiho throws off the foxes. Crushing the head of the forward fox, she grabs the mouth and jaw of the rear fox, tearing it apart.
She stomps down on the head of the fox that is trying to rise from the ground. As she grinds her foot, the energy that composed the fox disperses.
Flames entwine around the arms of the Gumiho.
As if to signal a conclusion to her probing, the Gumiho enhances her body with spirit power and leaps toward Hekbi at an incomprehensible speed.
With a fist enveloped in crimson flames, the Gumiho swings. Hekbi, cloaked in dark spirit power, spreads her palm and sweeps her arm aside.
The Gumiho continues to kick the ground, relentlessly pursuing her attacks. Hekbi retreats gracefully, showcasing her defensive stance.
Kiiing.
The Gumiho’s keen eyes flicker with light.
The sun illuminates Hekbi’s fate.
Numerous shards of fate emerge within the Gumiho’s sight. The fates of the two youkai are entwined, their numbers are infinite. None of the shards of fate carry a distinct hue.
Yet, they do not lie far beyond reach; they are only about a second into the future.
It denotes the strength to twist fate.
However, within that, the Gumiho captures a faint possibility. She thrusts her gaze into the shards to perceive the fate.
Creeek- The pupils dart around relentlessly.
What the Gumiho seeks is the fate brought about by her imagined self.
The most positive future.
An action that could land a valid hit on her opponent.
She finds that fate.
Boom!
While the Gumiho was exerting her offensive against Hekbi, she suddenly stomps down at an angle. Hekbi quickly pulls her foot back, evading the stomp.
Thud.
“Ugh?”
Hekbi is caught off guard.
The uneven ground, curved from the earlier scorching attack, has her heel snagged on a protruding rock.
It is unfortunate.
It is unfortunate that she has stepped back too far, and happens to have hit a rock there.
It is not strange to complain about it being bad luck from Hekbi’s perspective. But that is the fate the Gumiho twisted, an intended misfortune.
When the Gumiho stomped, she saw the fate of Hekbi snagging on the rock.
A feat that could be likened to a near-vision of the future.
As Hekbi’s balance falters, the Gumiho unleashes a punch.
She lands an uppercut to Hekbi’s abdomen.
Thwack!
Instinctively crossing her arms to block, Hekbi’s body is propelled skyward, failing to absorb the shock completely. The Gumiho jumps to maintain a favorable position.
The wind howls.
Hekbi’s fate is reshaped by the recent attack. New infinite shards of fate emerge.
“Your reaction is sluggish, huh? It seems you’ve forgotten about me, having not seen me for so long?”
“……”
Hekbi looks at the soaring Gumiho and thinks.
‘Without a doubt, this is the Gumiho.’
It is strange.
When she was sealed within Baeyun Gorge, her personality should have been erased too.
Yet the one before her is indeed the Gumiho from Hekbi’s old memories.
With eight tails, she is stronger than anticipated. Even accounting for the absorption of Cheonho’s power, the calculations do not add up.
There is certainly some external factor enhancing her power; yet, Hekbi cannot ascertain the cause, no matter how hard she thinks.
She does not like odd situations. It would be best to subdue the Gumiho before more variables arise.
Rustle rustle.
Hekbi unravels the bandages that had covered her eyes. With the softly drooping corners of her eyes, she gives off a languid impression.
As she opens her eyelids, her mirror-like silver eyes glitter faintly.
Silver eyes.
Eyes that can turn the tides of fate.
The image of the Gumiho is reflected in her silver retinas.
Just as the Gumiho’s attack is about to explode toward Hekbi.
Whoosh!
As if by magic.
The positions of the two switch in an instant.
The offensive and defensive role is inverted in a heartbeat.
Hekbi unleashes a concentrated palm strike imbued with spirit power.
“Guh!”
The Gumiho accepts the attack, her body is crucially rebounded.
The corners of Hekbi’s eyes curve slightly.
“You are responding sluggishly, Gumiho. It seems you’ve forgotten my abilities after such a long time.”
The black fox, Hekbi, is mostly perceived as quiet and shy among her kind.
What must not be forgotten is that she is also the most alluring fox in the world.
