“Little Kitsune, you should not be so proud.” the monk decred, tone imperious. Immediately, his Qi surged, being almost tangible, f a pair of giant hands several metres across. Daiyu narrowed her eyes, shocked at the dispy but drinking iails, yet she didn’t halt her movement. “Amitabha, teag the sinful the meaning of their karma weighs heavy ohe hands of Qi smmed together, but at the st moment I jerked Nebisuki away by her tails. She squawked indignantly, but quickly realised I had saved her as the impact rang out, strikiheric sparks that brightehe gloom momentarily.

  Daiyu used that moment to unch her attack, Spirit Water bullets leaving her fingers, but the Oni, now a half-deg corpse animated by fiery fmes of toxic rese, gave a mindless roar and swung its fists. The water bullets were blocked, but the Oni howled in pain, fmes sizzling, and for a moment it faltered. My sis didn’t miss the opportunity, and her Golden Sisters charged forwards. The hands of Qi swept out, smming down, but the hands were repelled by Na’s barriers, even as they wavered from the forpact, shards of id clouds of poisonous mist scattered as the statues were thrown backwards.

  Shaeu too reacted, though the Tengu headed for her, supported by the three wraith-like female Yōkai. Seeing that, Shaeu ughed heartily, unintimidated. “This-this again? The dead do not-not make good warriors. They have naught to fight for. Besides…” Water element surged, the e gleam of spirit water riven by shining indigo surrounding her. “Daiyu has-has uncovered their weaknesses.” Water surged into whips and bullets, and the Tengu staggered, fmes dimming. One of the female Yōkai perished too, shrivelling up and turning to ash, but moments ter it reappeared, making Shaeu frown. Her eyes gleamed, and she let out a troubled sigh.

  Meanwhile, the monk was shocked, yet not afraid, merely curious. “Amitabha, how fasating. Such Spirit Water… a treasure indeed. I fear I must squeeze every st drop from you, it is too precious allowing a mere Kamaitachi to carry such. As for you…” He looked out over the golden statues that were suddenly engaged by the two undead swordsmen, the pair of them managing to face all of the golems at once, bdes meeting in a series of vicious gs. “This wise and powerful Saint knows external power when he sees it.” He made a noise of disappoi. “Taking advantage of external power is the way of Cultivation and praiseworthy, but such power must be made your own, not merely used. Power you do not trol will surely trol you.”

  My sis didn’t uand him, cog her head, only to suddenly be beleaguered, as the moured, Qi that he had stored within the ice-covered walls of blue stone bursting to life. “Arbuda Naraka. May your suffering se your heavy karma!” Ice started shaping into grasping, searg hands, reag out for my sis. Daiyu, seeing this, reacted, and she leapt to front the hands.

  “As for you…” the monk decred solemnly. “You are the same. Nirabuda Naraka!” A dozen bdes of glittering ied and sshed at my sis and Daiyu. I reacted, Foehn fming to life, shattering the bdes, but despite that, one mao pierce through, invisible hands guiding it, more holding back the Foehn. Daiyu shoved Aiko out of the way, and blood bloomed, one arm severed off at the elbow. With a groan, Daiyu bit her lips, the stump sh blood for a moment, before it froze, her skin blistering and turning blue.

  “Daiyu! No!” My sis cried out with a pained roar, but Daiyu merely shook her head.

  “Borrowed power. I too thought the same.” Daiyu calmly told the monk. While she distracted him, Nebisuki rushed towards Tamamo-no-Mae, only to be blocked by the three Yōkai. They dashed in, spewing poisonous smog, talons gleaming with id fire, but Nebisuki’s foxfire obliterated them. Moments ter she was through, only to cry out in pain as the three Yōkai were back, cws cutting her flesh and fur, swarming around her, spitting venom.

  “They-they are not three beings, but two-two!” Shaeu called out. “I do not-not uand how it works, but they return when sin.” The Tengu wasn’t so lucky, and now Shaeu was dealing with the Oni, wind den with Spirit Water disiing it cruelly.

  “More barriers…” I ordered Na, who started calling them up on everyone, even as Daiyu calmly bent doicked up her severed arm, it als blue and freezing over. I just need an opening. But it be that simple? My death is supposed to be almost certain here… what I do to ge that?

  “But now I realise, borrowing power is not so bad, as long as the one lending is someone you trust or love. And even if not…” She pushed the stump of her arm against the severed limb. She gritted her teeth, and Spirit Water surged, scattering her blood, before the ice melted and her Divine Favour acted, the flesh knitting together. She groaned, wiggling her fingers weakly. Even with g’e’s rapid healing that has only grown stronger as Daiyu has, that arm won’t be useable any time soon… I focussed my spatial energy as subtly as I could, ready to use Void Motion and behead the so-called Saint of Swallowed Sorrows and finish this.

  “…power I need now is better than power I do not have. A starving man does not turn down a bowl of rice, even if it es with bad iions!” She gestured insultingly, and the face of the monk twitched, his calm fa?ade crag. Now!

  Space shivered, and I moved. I felt a sudden searing pain, cold blistering my body, and as I reappeared, I swung St Moonlight, lightning wreathing the bde, aiming at the monk’s neck. His head had turned, meeting my gaze, a slight smile on his face, as he caught the tip of my sword. Lightning fshed, but he didn’t seem to feel it, instead, looking at me as if I was something pitiful. “Such bad manners. This wise old senior was lecturing a junior in the proper path, and you interrupted. Futile. And now you shall die.” He waved his free hand in a gesture of prayer. “Amitabha, my perception covers all this sealed space, and the space itself is a pce of suffering, ice to se the suffering and bahe fire outside, and the karma that ot be expelled lingers. You will now suffer all the torments a sinner such as Tamamo-no-Mae bears.”

  Indeed, I was covered in a yer of frost, despite my strength my skin was blue and full of chilled blisters. The venomous, burning poison was also tormenting me, but I merely ground my teeth together and forced a smile. “You say that…” I gasped, as blisters burst painfully, spewing silver and red blood. “But you aren’t that quick.” The Monk looked down in realisation at the blood running down his neck, staining his pristine robes of rainbow silk. The cut wasn’t deep, but it proved ohing. I have the edge in speed, perhaps…

  “It proves you are i.” The monk decred, surprised. “But your best ce is gone, and I still have my head.” Giant hands of Qi tried to sm me, but I leapt backwards, wreng my sword free from his grip. Moving was hard, my flesh painfully frozen, but Ether Healing was fighting back. It couldn’t erase the chill yet, but it preve peing much more than skin deep. As for the venom, it still burned, but Ether Healing has acclimatised to it, rendering it rgely harmless. That fused me, though. He’s strong, sure, but… I don’t think he’s uable? So where’s the catch?

  The Golden Sisters were overp the two swordsmen. They were far less skilled, but the bdes of the undead couldn’t pee the barriers around them, so using their bodies to block strikes, they filed and struck, bones shattering. My sis, tears in her eyes, was now fending off the arms of ice rippling from the walls and ceiling with her bow, bzing arrows shattering them, while Daiyu, tinuing to distract the monk, bought time for her arm to recover fully. “This… this is not your power. You lecture me, when you are a parasite, leeg strength off others? If you wish to gain strength from others, there are ways that respect the heart.” Daiyu’s tone was sful, and that seemed to provoke the monk.

  “Junior student, do not mistake this proud monk’s kindness for weakness. I am no soft persimmon, to be ridiculed so by a mere stripling who has not even started her Accumution.” He rubbed at his neck, the wound my bde having caused already closed up. “You speak of Dual Cultivation? A crutch for the weak who ot face their Dao alohis wise monk has no use for the pleasures of the flesh!”

  “Alone we are weak. Together, strong.” Daiyu insisted, shrugging. “I too thought as you did, and disdaihe thought of opening my heart to another. But I was wrong.” As Daiyu spoke, Shaeu was supp Nebisuki in trying to defeat the st of the reanimated dead, the trio. They were stantly killed, yet immediately reappeared, until Shaeu had had enough, pouting in frustration. Raising her hands, she let out a brilliant surge of lightning, and all three were struck. This time only one sprang bato existence the brilliant afterimages died down, and Nebisuki threw herself at it, foxfire fshing, tearing it apart.

  “So long-long as the strike was not-not at the exact same time to kill, the third, false-false one perished aurned.” Shaeu pointed out. “But lightning moves fast-fast indeed.”

  “I share my heart and my Cultivation, and grow strether. You… you steal and pervert. This… whatever this is, is not the work of a Cultivator, but of a demon!” Daiyu finished, and the monk’s expression was no longer calm, but had twisted into one of hatred. I reparing, readying Prominence Dusk, as I felt his Qi surge, as well as his League, the space itself shaking, violet sparks flickering to life around us.

  “A demon? This monk, a demon? You go too far, junior student. This kind monk has been generous, sharing wisdom, even his tutege, but you throw back it in his face.” He growled, before addressing Shaeu. “You are right, these dead things fuelled only by residue of karma ot pare to them when they were alive. Those who sought vengeahose who bore hatred, those who wao fight… many had reason to hunt Tamamo-no-Mae. I gave them purpose, led them… ahem to her. She was strong, magnifit.” He paused then, gring at me. “Another surprise attack? How … i. Amitabha!” His Qi hands turned into a formless mass, spreading out over the frozen inner space, vanishing in a spray of purple. Tamamo-no-Mae shuddered slightly, though made no sound, and suddenly the Prominence Dusk I was building colpsed, the elements rebelling against my grasp, my aether scattering. “Much better.” It wasn’t just me, the Golden Sisters failed, as did Na’s barriers. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but the monk seemed uurbed, calm again, his slight smile gloating.

  “She slew them one by o first she toyed with them, then fought early, then desperately… finally I triggered my Formation. Even now, this Saint would struggle to match her in battle. This pious monk is merely a pursuer of the arts, not a warrior. I abhor violence.” He touched his prayer beads, and seemed to mean it. There was another vivid fsh of purple light, the veins in the rocky walls, barely visible uhe ice, pulsed like a heart, shining brilliantly, and space trembled, as if we were still outside, feeling the trembling of the volos.

  Daiyu spoke up, suddenly pained, her rapid healing having ceased. “This… you sealed the space from the outside.” She stumbled to her knees, coughing up blood, while my sis colpsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

  “I was telling a story, junior. My wisdom, the first and st Saint of this benighted world since Kunlurayed us, should be listeo with open ears and ope.” He scoffed. “I was telling you how I trapped the greatest of foxes. Even then, she nearly overpowered me, but eventually, she weakened. Oh, you likely ot hear me. A shame.”

  I see. He’s been alooo long, he feels the o talk. It’s… All es were indeed isoted from outside, and that worried me. The Silver Cords… if they are cut… Shaeu would survive, as she iritual Being, and Nebisuki didn’t possess one. Na would also live, but Daiyu and my sis would die… This is it… the monk is powerful, sure, but I don’t think we ’t beat him, especially not together. So, what ges between now and after the Quest?

  Outside ierial, I panicked as the e between my other self was cut. No, I could still feel it, but it was disjointed, disorientating. After all, I’m one person, with o of thoughts. It’s like… a massive burst of disorientating static, though. Dedig my Split Thoughts to making sense of everything, my bat power dropped signifitly, but at least I resynced.

  What happened? Eri’s voice rang in my mind. Aiko’s started vulsing, and Daiyu is bleeding badly too. Is everything all right?

  No it’s not! The space has been isoted, their Silver Cords aren’t eg properly. Get Selensha to the Material, call on Nie Ling and make it happen. I want their bodies healed stantly…

  Eri quickly sent ba affirmative, while I dedicated myself to finding a solution. I had the advahat for some reason my e was still funing. It did feel like it was momentarily severed, but no, it just seemed more distant. There’s no way that it be entirely isoted, as despite being two bodies, both are me, and one mis across both. I imagine if it was severed, one body would simply dissipate.

  Ihe Sessho-seki, the situation was bad. Shaeu was suffering some damage from the e to her Material body being lost, though it was minor, a little blood trig from her mouth, nose, ears and eyes. She was more ed about my sis and Daiyu, rushing over to them. That left me struggling to trol my elements aher, though unlike my sis and Daiyu, I wasn’t relying on Divine Favours, so I should have been able to use my Prominence Dusk, yet it was hard to manipute my energies, every time I tried they seemed distorted, fn.

  “Breaking the great ailed Fox, a being feared and envied even in Kunlun… it proved that brains, craft and iy defeat power. A demon, she called me… her eyes could not see Mount Tai, it seems. I am that which swallows the sorrows of demons. And I shall soon swallow the strengths of all your sins, your karma. Enough games… here in this space I created, I am the sole deity!” He waved his hands, and the poison surged, impregnating the ice all over the walls, and now it wasn’t just grasping hands, but screaming faces, the walls, ceiling and even floor sprouting with them. “Atata Naraka!” The temperature was dropping. Fortunately, my Ether Healing was funie the disruption. It seemed like internal elemental essend aether could still be used. As my skin fked off and froze in alternate moments, I ighe pain, rapidly searg for a solution.

  “This is bad-bad, Akio!” Shaeu called. Na, without the prote of her bubbles, was beginning to freeze painfully, and the hands were dragging at her legs, trying to pull her down into their dreadful embraebisuki was torn, wanting to rush at the monk in a rage or to run to Tamamo-no-Mae, but instead she charged over, tails sshing out like knives, severing the icy hands. Poison touched one of her tails, and she screamed, before in an act of supreme sacrifice, shed out, severing the taiail from her body before the poison could spread and kill her. Blood scattered, and she grabbed Na over her shoulder. Shaeu had retrieved my sis and Daiyu likewise, but she was being beleaguered by the attag frozen hands, a face lurg on a sudden long neck of id biting her, poison seeping in. Shaeu screamed, but her Ether Healing was strong, keeping her from instantly dying.

  “My precious tail. I am mutited, a shameful, fallen Kitsune.” Nebisuki sobbed. “But…” Her eyes showed her fierger. “I would give all my tails to see this scum perish.” She growled at the Saint of Swallowed Sorrows, only for him to ugh heartily.

  “How droll. A fox with ails fell into my clutches, what you… a mere four… no, three tailed fox do to me?”

  At his s, I shot ba insult, buyiime to think. It was hard, most of my Split Thoughts used to keep the Silver e synised. I did notice my spatial element was draining from me, perhaps all that reventing the e being fully severed. Despite those pressures, I still had very high stats, so my thoughts were mercurial and quick. I still think I win, but… death is near certain. If this space is sealed… no, I’m also outside… unless… I g Shaeu, who was suffering gravely, her brigandine being cwed to shreds by the grasping icy arms, her legs visible and covered in deep scratches, disc from the dreadful poison. If Shaeu dies… Pledged One… will it kill my Material self too?

  “Amitabha. You should surreo the weight of your sins. Tamamo-no-Mae will st barely a handful more years, it would be good to have an iion of fresh karma.” He csped his hands. “And I be merciful… but who should I deal with first?” His Qi formed the hands again, and a massive bde of ice, some teres long, was wrenched free from the walls. Seeing that, I made ready to strike, but Shaeu shook hear head, amber eyes filled with pain. My Eye glowed, and I could see she all her aether, which was not insignifit, inttheniher Healing, adapting to the poison even as it was killing her. Her Skill Ranked up, even as I watched, and only someone who knew her as well as I could tell she was suddenly relieved of a burden. Throwing Daiyu, who was somehow retaining sciousness, her face twisted with incredible pain, and my unscious sis to Nebisuki who caught them with her tails, she turo face the monk.

  “This is my-my battle. You o e up with the solution, Akio. Else Daiyu and Aiko will perish, and even if we win, that will not-not be a triumph. Though not-not the eher.” She me, and the thought reassured me. There’s always Kioration. Although… The poison was dreadful, made from wicked karma, and I worried it would destroy the spirits of its victims, preventioration. Wait, Kin Bonding… a bond?

  I suddenly had an audacious, terrible idea. As Shaeu let out a cry, the monk swung the great icy bde towards her, powered by his hands of Qi. She spun her pinwheels, the turbulent disruption of our efforts not seeming to hamper the elemental wind and lightning tained within the bluesteel. The wires struck the bde, and ice shattered, wires slig it. The Qi hands struck, sending the pinwheels flying, but lightning discharged, and icy arms and faces exploded into powder in a radius around Shaeu.

  More arms reached for me, but I crushed them with fists a, the poison scattering from me. My Silver e worked, and Daiyu and my sis both shared Kin Bonding with me. That meant… I ect to the Material. So… Rushing to Nebisuki, my eyes widened as another pair of Qi hands appeared, holding spears of ice. The long hrust towards Nebisuki and her cargo, but I blocked them. One shattered, my fists smashing them, while the sed pierced me through spreading the deadly frost to my insides, my blood freezing ruby red and pink. I flexed, and the ice shattered. Fme element fred internally, just a barest whisper to cauterise me, and I coughed, as Nebisuki looked at me, eyes wide.

  “Don’t get the wrong idea… you’re proteg my sis and Daiyu.” I snorted. “Now…” Daiyu was trying to mutter something, f the words out of a desperately unresponsive mouth. Unfortunately I couldn’t uand her, but I had hopes I soon would. If this works, of course. It’s insane…

  My Eye shone, and I reached out. I grabbed something, two somethings, and as Qi hands surged towards me once more, I threw out aether in a faltering surge, smming them aside. The monk was being distracted by Shaeu, who was now stained with blood, a number of icy spikes pierced into her, her skin turning blue, so he was uo give me his full attention. Evading the sed strike of the Qi palms, I was now carrying Nebisuki over my shoulder, who was in turn carrying three women, a ical sight. All of my senses were attuo the Silver Cords of Daiyu and my sis. They hadn’t been severed, I could tell, but the flow of information was blocked, uo exit the space we were in. It was the same as my Silver e, but the two of them had no way to reinforce the unication. That meant I had to give them a way.

  “Whatever you are doing, do-do it quickly!” Shaeu coughed, even her blood now sluggish and starting to freeze, as well as smoking with the venom.

  “It is all useless. Flies struggling within the web of a spider.” The monk said, his tone kind. “To think you face against a Saint in this domain, even for a moment, is praiseworthy indeed. But I grow weary. Hahava Naraka!” The arms that were reag from the icy walls broke down into s and started coiling towards Shaeu like whips, ing from all angles. I threw out fme element, it dispersed, but the torrent I jured sted long enough to shatter some of the s, leaving Shaeu enough space to evade. Then time seemed to slow down for me, as the amount of information that assing through my Silver e vastly increased. My brain started burning, freezing blood leaking out from my ravaged body.

  My sis vulsed, puking out a mixture of blood, vomit and silvery mist over Nebisuki. Daiyu, eyes wide, nodded with deepest respee, suddenly able to move again, though she was in terrible dition.

  It is a Formation. It must be. Spatial-based, to seal of the inside of the Sessho-seki. It does make me wonder… for a Saint, this monk is rather… weak. Even for a practitioner of the Noble Pursuits, he should be able to crush us in a heartbeat. Yet here we stand… If it is a Formation, then… from inside and without…

  Daiyu hopped down, unsteady on her feet. My sis was o open her eyes, ahoughts were wry. Wow bro, I… feel you? Everything about you? And… you feel me, right? I… I ’t get married anymore. You’ve stripped me bare to the very soul, right? Peed every part of me…

  I knuckled her head gently, despite the rampaging pain in my mind. Split Thoughts fortunately Ranked up, alleviating a lot of the agony, as further instances were suddenly avaible to me. Don’t be stupid. Even if it erverted as you made it sound, which it most certainly isn’t, what does that have to do with getting married? This isn’t the past, you know. It’s not like… I tried to stop my thoughts, but it was too te. This wasn’t Telepathy, this was me funing as a transmitter for their Silver Cords, merging them along my Silver e and eg to the Material through my other body, but the side-effect was that the Silver Cord transmitted so much of the spiritual of a person, thoughts, feelings, emotions, senses… it was all a bit bewildering, but it worked.

  So you admit it then! You’ve finally gone and done… ouch! I rapped her head gently, before taking her from Nebisuki aing her down. “Enough. Help Shaeu. Buy me some time…”

  “You got it, bro.” My sis said, suddenly all serious, seeing Shaeu having beeen brutally by the s, one arm she s trying to haul her up into the air. She unslung her bow, pulled an arrow free, and it fmed into life, firming my earlier specution. The burning arrow severed the , and Shaeu rolled to her feet, my sis, despite her own poor dition, injured by the period when her Silver Cord was stricted, holding her body up with sheer determination, reag for another arrow.

  “Now I am curious.” The monk procimed, for a moment his icy attacks flowing to a halt. “You Yōkai, I uand. But humans should be cut off from the mortal realm, ah should quickly follow. Yet somehow you resist. Do enlighten this seeker of truth.”

  A ce. His loneliness and curiosity gives us a respite… “It’s simple. I’m not merely a mortal or a Fae, but both at once. In both realms at once.”

  The monk nodded. “I see. ing Arts… no, if it was a e, they would be separated. Split Body Arts. A wonderful diversion. Annoying, but wonderful. Though that does mean… you have to perish here! The Kitsune and the Kamaitachi will be Cultivation enough. Best to remove ued obstacles…”

  His Qi hands withdrew, suddenly f dozens of small, round orbs of Qi. Utpa Naraka! Bloom!”

  Ba the Material, I realised it was strange. Why have a Sessho-seki here too? Fortunately, I could still manipute my elements without troubles here, so I called oh element, quickly twisting and breaking into the stohe blue crag. It took an immense amount of strength, but fortuhe Bezoar was supplying me. Poisonous fog surged out, and the ground arourembled, unleashing more plumes of sulphur, but wind swirled around me, keeping it at bay, except for what I o fuel the Bezoar. Within, I found the answer, a series of what would look like inclusions of ore to the untrained eye, but they were clearly inscribed with intricate, tiny runes. Daiyu, sharing my senses intimately, able to see and feel what I did, reised a handful of the ruhat o seems to be spatial in nature. I ot prehend it, I am too unlearned, but… destroy it! Earth element in brilliant crimson surged from me, and the pte resisted, but then I unleashed Foehn, and the pte quivered. No, that’s not enough. The Formation Ptes protect themselves. It was ingenious, the Saint could truly be called a genius. If Kunlun had many more like him, then if they returned we would definitely struggle. My Eye shone, and ba the Boundary, my sis threw up again, overwhelmed by the shared information, clutg her head. Daiyu held on, though her nose bled copiously.

  “Spatial element to protect itself from all attacks, huh? Shifting them into the Dungeon? But… I do that too. Void Motion!” Foehn flickered ience, before vanishing, and suddenly the pte cracked, fmes streaming from the gap. It wasn’t enough, but in moments I had found another couple of ptes with matg runes, and with a crag noise, violent purple energies threw me back as the ptes melted.

  Frozen lotus flowers burst into life within the Sessho-seki, and for a sed the monk thought he had won, only for him to look up in surprise, as the ceiling cracked, jagged fragments falling, ruby energies surging, twisting the surrounding space. Shaeu suddenly crashed through, lightning fshing, her pinwheels surging for the monk’s neck, and he jumped back, though not before taking a sed wound there, blood scattering. Daiyu then unleashed her Spirit Water, bullets streaking towards him, while my sis shot arrow after arrow, as well as bolts of light.

  I still ’t call on my Golden Sisters, bro. Do something about it! Daiyu doesn’t look so good…

  “W on it.” I grimaced. “Prominence Dusk!” At the sed time of asking, I was able to call upon the umbral ring of darkness, fringed in radiant light. The nearby lotus flowers were drawn in, shielding Nebisuki and Na, and not just that too, the nearby karmic poison was absorbed. Darkness permeated them, and the bination within was… iing. The effepounded, f a crystal of darkly shimmering trated venom, corroding the space around it.

  “Here, you wahe karma… take it.” I waved a hand, and the k of ice flew out. The monk drew in his Qi hands, but with another fsh of spatial element, I had it bypass his defences. He pulled a Talisman from his robes, and called out “Mirror Refle….” But the crystal of ice, venom and darkness burst apart, and the monk screamed.

  There has to be more to it than this… My thoughts raced. I now uood why one would need earth and wind, and to be in both realms at once. Interfering with the rock took a great deal of earth element, and breaking the Formations from within seemed unlikely. The oints were the Ptes buried in the Sessho-seki ierial. The monk was strong, but even as I dug deeper into the rocks, crag more ptes, feeling relief as Daiyu suddenly accelerated, her e to her Divine Favour restored, her ravaged body healing again, I thought the daoo… manageable… to be in lih Uranai’s prophecy.

  There was a shattering sound, and several of the s holding Tamamo-no-Mae disied, sending her crashing to the ground. As she hit it, Nebisuki rushed over, freed from defending the others. “Grandmother!” she called out, eyes wide, only for the monk’s cold voice to curse and spit out some harsh words, and the space around us quaked. “Padma Naraka!” Blood scattered, and Nebisuki tumbled backwards, one more tail and her left leg severed, id poison rapidly corroding her.

  “Now this monk is truly at the limits of his patience.” His robe was mostly gone, his flesh melting away, yet Qi was radiating from him, keeping the deadly exhation of Prominence Dusk from inflig fatal damage. “If you do not cease damaging my Formation, it is not simply this monk who will regret it. The karma will be heavier than you bear. Your death will be certain and final!”

  At his words, I frowned. Certain, final death? A ce, or a desperate attempt tain the advahere was no way I could stop the assault now, or the murderous monk would finish us off, and Nebisuki needed urgent aid, or she would die in mere seds. Daiyu, thinking hard, suddenly sehought. I had believed I relinquished her Silver Cord, now that the spatial blockage preventing the e from transmitting was destroyed, but our e still lingered. Akio, I think I uand. Such cleverness, such recklessness. It did not make sense, how one could go to Sainthoolden Core, even plundering from such a power as Tamamo-no-Mae. And he seems too weak. Yes, he is a Saint, but…

  But?

  Obviously none sihe days of Kunlun have ever seen one, our Realms ever reach so high, but… the Tribution! The space is built to hide him, and why he will not leave, despite Tamamo-no-Mae likely being useless to him. He fears the Tribution he has unjustly avoided!