She was scared. She was alone. After everything that had happened, she didn't want to come out anymore.
"Everyone… they all died… they all died… they all died… they all died… they all died…"
Those were the only words the tiny girl could say, repeating them over and over again. She was in a prison cell that seemed wide awake, its oppressive aura pressing down on her.
In the middle of the room sat a small, dark-skinned girl. Her outfit was in a terrible state—it looked more like she had wrapped herself in a trash bag than actual clothing. Around her neck, painted in red, was the number 23.
"They were too weak… so they all died!" she cried, her voice breaking with despair, echoing in the empty cell.
Then she heard footsteps echoing through the hallway. Her heart pounded, and she hurriedly got up, bracing herself to face the danger.
The scientist… and his servants… they didn't forget me. They're coming to get me!
Fear and fury intertwined in her chest. She raised a trembling hand in front of her face, and in an instant, her expression contorted. Her skin flushed an unnatural red, and in place of her human features emerged sharp, inhumane canines. Her face transformed into something grotesque, demonic—no longer the face of a frightened child but a creature born of anguish and wrath.
Her tiny hands ignited with fire—dark red flames flickering ominously in both palms. She stood her ground, her fiery gaze locked on the doorway, waiting for the danger to reveal itself.
The footsteps grew louder until, finally, the figure stepped into the room.
She froze, her fiery hands trembling as she took in the sight.
A tiny white fox stood before her, his fur pristine and shimmering faintly in the dim light. He wore a black kimono as an underlayer, with a pink vestment draped elegantly over it. Wooden geta clacked softly on the floor with each step, and in his paw, he held a kiseru, the faint trail of smoke curling lazily around him.
But it wasn't his attire or the pipe that struck her. It was the nine tails swaying gracefully behind him, each one exuding an aura of ancient power.
The fox sighed deeply, his expression softening as he spoke with a gentle smile.
"You're the only one left… I didn't make it in time. Please, forgive me…" His tone was kind, almost mournful, carrying the weight of regret.
But the girl didn't hear his words—fear gripped her too tightly. To her, he was just another strange threat in an endless nightmare.
Terrified, she thrust her hand forward toward his face, her voice cracking as she screamed, "GO AWAY!!"
In an instant, a ferocious inferno erupted from her outstretched hand. The flames roared to life, dark and unrelenting, surging forward and engulfing the fox in a blinding blaze. The fire consumed the room, its heat distorting the air as it enveloped the strange figure whole.
As the fire dissipated, the girl's breath hitched. Through the swirling heat and fading embers, she saw the strange fox standing completely unharmed.
Not a single hair was singed.
The fox exhaled a puff of smoke from his kiseru, his nine tails swaying behind him as he studied her with widened eyes. His voice carried a mixture of shock and calm curiosity.
"Your face… and that fire… Are you an Asura? How are you out of your realm?" He paused, tilting his head as his gaze scanned her trembling form. "No… you're not one. You don't have three faces or multiple arms."
His golden eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned forward, his tone firm but laced with concern. "So… what the hell happened to you?"
The girl tensed, her body crouching into a pose as if ready to flee—but her next move was anything but an escape.
With a burst of impossible speed, she vanished from her spot. For a moment, the room seemed to ripple from her movement, the air itself bending under the sheer force.
She reappeared behind the strange fox in an instant, her malnourished frame defying logic. She couldn't have been older than six, yet her movements were faster than any human should have been capable of. She moved at speeds that shattered the sound barrier a hundredfold, leaving only a faint, distorted echo of her presence behind.
Her leg swung forward with deadly precision, aiming a devastating kick directly at the back of the fox's neck. The strike carried the intent to kill, her instincts honed to ensure no chance for retaliation.
The room trembled under the force of her attack.
As her foot flew toward what should have been the fox's neck, she braced herself for the impact, the crushing force of her kick enough to shatter bones.
But it never landed.
Her strike stopped mere centimeters from its target, as if an invisible barrier had absorbed all its kinetic energy and force. No matter how much power she had poured into the attack, it was as though her strength had been swallowed whole.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. It didn't hit! Why?! she thought, her heart racing.
The fox hadn't moved. He hadn't dodged. He hadn't even raised a paw to block. He simply stood there, unshaken, his calm gaze fixed on the empty space ahead of him.
The fox turned his head slightly, his golden eyes meeting hers. His voice remained calm, unshaken by her failed attack.
"A prodigy, I see... No child in my country is as fast or strong as you at your age." He took another puff of his kiseru, the smoke curling lazily in the air. "But I'm not here to hurt you. It's clear you aren't responsible for what happened here. So, I have a proposition for you…"
Before he could finish, the girl stumbled backward, her instincts screaming at her to put distance between them. She leapt away with astonishing speed, retreating several meters down the hallway in a blur.
From her new position, she glared at him, her mind racing. What is he planning? Her fiery hands reignited as she tried to think of her next move. Despite his calm demeanor, the fox's presence unnerved her, his every word and gesture carrying a weight she couldn't understand.
As the fox turned to face her once more, her instincts flared again, louder than ever. Her body moved on its own, her hands coming together as her fingers interlocked, forming a gesture that resembled deep meditation.
A red aura began to emerge from her, pulsing like an ominous heartbeat. The energy expanded outward in all directions at once, enveloping the hallway in a suffocating wave of raw power. The walls trembled under the force, cracks splintering along the surfaces as if the very structure of the place couldn't bear her presence.
The fox's eyes widened—not in fear, but in unmistakable curiosity. His voice was low, almost reverent.
"The Verdant Expanses?" he murmured, tilting his head as if piecing together a long-forgotten puzzle. Smoke from his kiseru swirled around him, undisturbed by the quaking hallway.
The girl began to breathe in a controlled, deliberate rhythm, her chest rising and falling steadily. Her hands remained clasped together, unwavering in their meditative pose.
The red aura, which had once lashed out wildly in all directions like a violent hurricane, started to draw inward. It moved with purpose, folding closer and closer to her body as if obeying her will.
Soon, the swirling energy no longer filled the hallway but clung tightly to her form, wrapping around her like a second layer of skin. It shimmered faintly, pulsating with a quiet, menacing energy that seemed to both shield and empower her.
The fox observed silently, his golden eyes narrowing as he took another drag from his kiseru. His gaze flickered with intrigue.
The fox's eyes narrowed as he watched the red aura settle around her like a protective barrier.
"So, you can even create an aura barrier?" he mused, his voice calm but laced with quiet admiration. "It's quite flawed, but... you shouldn't have been able to do this at your age."
He took another slow drag from his kiseru, his golden eyes scanning her form, the faintest glimmer of interest in his gaze.
"Interesting…" he said, his tone almost wistful as if he were speaking more to himself than to her.
Her hands erupted in flames once again, the red fire swirling around her fists as she glared at the fox, her face twisted into a grotesque asura-like expression.
"You will leave me alone!" she screamed, her voice a mixture of fear and fury.
With a speed beyond comprehension—faster than even a bullet—she lunged at the fox, her body propelling through the air like a force of nature.
As she closed the distance, her fist aimed directly at his chest, but the fox didn't flinch. With a calm, almost dismissive motion, he extended a single finger, effortlessly blocking the full force of her attack.
The entire hallway trembled under the collision, the walls cracking and splintering as the shockwave reverberated throughout the structure. The force of her punch, though powerful enough to shatter stone, was stopped cold.
The hallway groaned, its foundation threatening to crumble from the sheer power unleashed. Yet, despite the chaos, the fox remained unmoved, his finger still pressed gently against her fist.
For a few moments, they were locked in a stalemate. The girl's fiery punch couldn't break past the fox's single finger. Her body remained suspended in the air, her strike halted, while she floated there in stunned disbelief.
He blocked me... with just a finger?!
The fox took another slow drag from his kiseru, the smoke swirling around him as he regarded the girl with an even deeper curiosity.
"So, you're of the rock affinity?" he asked, his voice calm, yet laced with genuine intrigue. "You surprise me more and more."
She jumped back, her eyes never leaving the fox. For a few seconds, she simply stared at him, her thoughts racing.
The transformation won't last much longer... and he's too powerful for me... I have to run!
In a split second, she made her decision. Without hesitation, she launched herself toward the nearest wall, her feet slamming against it with explosive force.
She ran up the wall with impossible speed, her small frame darting upward as if gravity had no hold on her. Each step was a blur, her body moving faster than the eye could follow, her red aura trailing behind her like a flickering flame.
With a burst of speed, she leapt off the wall, her hand surging with fire once again. In an instant, she was airborne, soaring through the air like a creature of flame.
Above her, the ceiling loomed—thick concrete, at least one hundred centimeters thick.
Without hesitation, she raised one hand above her head, the fire intensifying in her grasp. A blinding surge of heat poured from her hand, and within a split second, the flames melted through the concrete as if it were paper.
The ceiling disintegrated in a flash, the molten stone falling away as she flew upward, cutting through the layers of the building and propelling herself toward the next floor above her.
Twenty seconds... twenty seconds, I won't be able to control the form!" she thought, her heart racing. I can fly, and he cannot... I think... so I should be able to es—
Before she could finish her thought, the fox was already above her, suspended in the air with his nine tails flowing gracefully around him. His calm expression never wavered as he looked down at her, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
"You're fast, but I was faster," he said, his tone light and almost teasing.
A single thought screamed through her mind.
How?!
Without warning, he raised his kiseru and extended his arm, his movements fluid and effortless. With a smirk, the kiseru began to transform, its wooden form stretching and reshaping into a mighty golden ōdachi, the blade gleaming with an otherworldly shine.
He swung the enormous weapon downward, and his voice rang through the air.
"Well, it's my time to attack as well, child. So, I'll be a little rough, but based on how talented you are, you should be able to survive just fine. I'll finish this in one blow!"
She quickly brought her arm up to block, bracing for impact. The ōdachi was mere moments from hitting her.
Fast! Way too fast! she thought, panic surging through her. I won't be able to dodge it! But I have the aura barrier... and my affinity is strong—he has to break through that first before reaching me.
But when the ōdachi struck, she felt an overwhelming force unlike anything she had ever encountered. The moment the weapon made contact, her aura barrier shattered as though it had never existed at all. The force ripped through it effortlessly, crashing into her body with terrifying speed.
Screaming in agony, she thought,
It broke my barrier in an instant!
The sheer power sent her hurtling downward, her body plummeting toward the floor with an unstoppable force. The air rushed past her, her ears ringing with the sound of the wind. She was falling with such speed that the floor below seemed to be rising up to meet her at an alarming rate.
I'm going to die!
She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable impact. She could feel the weight of her impending doom closing in on her. But just before she hit the ground, there was a sudden shift.
The floor never came.
She opened her eyes in confusion.
The white fox was there, his arms around her as he gently cradled her in his hold. His golden eyes met hers with a calm, almost fond gaze.
"You really do have great potential," he said, his voice gentle, almost soothing. "And you look way more cute without that asura mask."
The fox gently set her down, and she collapsed to the ground, sitting in stunned silence. Her voice was barely a whisper as she asked,
"Why?"
He sighed softly, then replied with a calm, almost distant tone,
"It's normal, really. There's no way you could have ever beaten me."
She shook her head, her voice shaking as she responded,
"Not that! Why did you save me?"
He took a slow drag from his kiseru, the smoke curling around him like a veil, and said,
"Well... I'll finish what I was saying before you interrupted me. I want you to come with me to my homeland... Sylvanara. You may have forgotten, but this is your homeland too. I've been searching for you and the others all this time."
He paused for a moment, his golden eyes softening as he added,
"My name is Shirokae... Shirokae Haruka. And you... What's your name?"
The girl's eyes softened, and she looked up at him with a mixture of confusion and recognition. She whispered,
"Ipoh..."
Suddenly, the world around her seemed to blur and shift. She felt herself being pulled away from the moment. In a flash, she was no longer in the hallway with Shirokae. She gasped and opened her eyes—she was in her bed.
A young girl with black and purple hair was sleeping beside her bed, as though keeping watch. Beside her, a golden deer stood, its presence filling the room with a warm, almost soothing energy.
In the corner of the room, Shirokae stood, leaning against the wall, sighing as he looked at her with a gentle smile.
"Finally decided to wake up, Ipoh?" he said in a calm, affectionate tone.
She blinked, still disoriented, but then her gaze fell on Viora, who was sleeping beside her. She reached out and patted Viora's head softly, her expression filled with gratitude.
"Yeah... thanks again, Shirokae," she said, her voice softer now, a sense of warmth beginning to return to her.
chapter fifty-two end