81 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

**Chapter 81: The Slaves Who Were Freed Obsess Over Him** The first trap carefully devised by Karami's advice took its toll on Ungwi. For Ungwi's massive body, even standing was arduous. Nevertheless, Rin did not relent in her assault. Raising her index and middle fingers, Rin clapped her hands together. With her gestures, blue foxfire surged into the sky. The foxfire speared through the air, beginning to fall one by one. Fiery, blue spheres rained down like stars streaking toward earth, a bombardment akin to a meteor shower targeting Ungwi. Boom! The flames exploded on all sides like a rising blue tide. As of now, Rin could manage seven foxfire at a time. However, one disappeared and was recreated repeatedly, making the supply practically infinite. The continuous onslaught of foxfire streamed down relentlessly. Caught under this concentrated barrage, dark smoke billowed from Ungwi, obscuring the sky, and the resulting screams were devoured by the thunderous echoes across the valley. Just as she pondered whether the mountains and valleys might be flattened, Rin halted her offensive. Rin fixed a watchful gaze on the explosion smoke. As the smoke gradually cleared, Ungwi lay motionless, collapsed on the ground. Rin did not hastily approach but merely stared intently. Then, a new change occurred within Ungwi. Known as the guardian deity of White Cloud Valley, Ungwi drew blessings from the mountains and the earth. The essence of the land flowed into Ungwi, restoring the singed black fur to its original color, and mending the scorched wounds. This, too, was a battle strategy revealed by Karami. It was the so-called "second phase." In an instant, Ungwi completed its recovery and rose to its massive feet, exhaling steam-like breaths. Ungwi's second phase—berserk mode. Aggression and agility increased significantly, patterns of attack changed. As if ripping something apart, Ungwi swung his fist, tearing up the ground and sending it flying skyward. The spectacle of earth and rock looming in the sky was akin to a roof being created over the world. As though gravitational forces were acting upon her, the ground rushed towards Rin. The rock seal of Ungwi binds four individuals for three turns. The counter-strategy involves positioning Rin in the rear of the 1-4 formation, keeping the front four alive. The rock seal prioritizes the frontline, so by setting up decoys, Rin could break the attack. But now, Rin stood alone. She had to bear the attack by herself. There, Karami and Rin's strategy came into play. Rin performed her magic. Her five tails fluttered. An exact duplicate of Rin appeared. "If there are no scarecrows, just create new ones. There's an old saying about bears being tactless. Can they even distinguish between the original and the copy?" The prediction was right on target. As Rin created four duplicates and pushed them forward, the stones predictably covered the unlucky duplicates. The stones covering the duplicates fell to the ground. This was the pattern Karami had specifically warned about. What remained were minor attacks. From here onwards. "Give it a hell of a beating." *Time for a thorough beating.* Flames ignited. Rin enveloped her fists in fox-shaped flames. The yawning flame fox, anticipating the play to come, shared a playful grin with Rin. It was time to dance. *** What followed was not unusual. Masquerading as a massage, Rin's ruthless beatdown of 64 moves detonated upon Ungwi. Sometimes elderly men soaking in hot springs would let out satisfied sighs; Ungwi did similarly. A steam-infused enchantment must have been soothing. Ungwi let out a "Ggwooaaah!" and rolled over, showing no will to stand. He lay there, defeated. Even as the guardian of the earth, he had no long-term savings of essence, nor could he indefinitely draw essence from the land. Ungwi could not recover like before and was doomed to become nothing more substantial than a speck. "Whoo…" Standing on Ungwi's chest, Rin took a deep breath to stabilize herself. Ungwi had been no easy opponent, but for Rin, who had been consistently training with the celestial fox Yuhwa, it was manageable. The excess power was spiritual energy, and with Karami's perfect strategy, losing was not an option. A regional guardian deity was no match for her. Now was the time to exercise the rights of the victor. In battles with demons, the winner has the right to take everything from the loser. Rin placed her hand on Ungwi's chest and began to absorb his essence. As the guardian deity of White Cloud Valley since ancient times, Ungwi had a unique bond with the earth. The essence within was unlike any she'd absorbed before—both in quality and quantity. 'It's delicious…' Above all, it's delicious. Incredibly delicious. She almost drooled. ‘Should I start hunting demons?’ By seeking out well-known demons, defeating them, and absorbing their essence, she could convert it all into spiritual energy. She could become a nine-tailed fox much more quickly. She planned to talk about this with Karami when she got back. How much time had passed? It took quite a while to absorb all the essence completely. She scraped it clean down to the last trace. The once-mighty Ungwi was reduced to little more than bones and skin. Once Ungwi disappeared, the mist gradually dissipated. Rin licked her lips with satisfaction. 'Soon….' She sensed that the sixth tail, which had shown no signs of appearing, would sprout. Karami would be pleased to hear it. Sniff sniff. Rin habitually caught a whiff of her own scent. The vigorous activity had diminished Karami's scent considerably. She needed to return quickly. With a light yet swift pace, Rin ran back to the fox's burrow. Upon arriving, she found an odd air about the place. As if caught committing a crime, a fox intent on leaving the village with a bundle looked shocked upon spotting Rin. "Oh, you’re back? You're back so soon? Did you really manage to take down Ungwi?" "Where are you going?" "Oh, well, since the mist cleared, I thought maybe I’d leave the village." The kind that was too scared to even go herb collecting unless Rin lured them out, now tried leaving the village on their own accord. Once Ungwi collapsed and the mist cleared, they seized the chance to flee. Cunning as ever—a true mark of the fox. Rin wasn’t particularly concerned about them. It didn’t matter to her where they went. Letting the fleeing fox pass by her, Rin entered the village, looking around. The fox den was desolate. It was as if everyone, like the Hoyo tribe just moments ago, had bolted away. That too wasn't her concern, but the absence of the one who should welcome her was. Playful, childish, sometimes unreliable—but never when it came to matters like these. "......." Rin spun around. "I need to regroup with my party quickly…!" The Hoyo tribe creature, fleeing the fox den, glanced back. Even the slightest delay resulted in everyone leaving without waiting. They should have left before the nine-tail fox returned. This encounter was purely bad luck. She needed to quickly reunite with her group before the nine-tail fox caught on and pursued them…! Whoosh! A fierce wind swept through the valley, sharper than any blade. Noticing something amiss, the Hoyo tribe looked back. Smash! Rin's silhouette struck like lightning. She seized the fox by the neck and mercilessly slammed him to the ground. "Kyaang!" The impact was so intense that the fox's body bounced off the ground. Rin gripped his neck as if she intended to crush it. "Where did you take the owner?" "W-what are you talking about…." Crunch. "Talk straight. Where did you take him?" "The, the elder took him. I don’t know the location. There were no traces left…." It wasn’t a lie. If they had moved as a group, traces would have been left, yet Rin couldn't detect any significant signs. This must be due to magic. "Since I told you, could you let go now?" The fox, attempting to laugh off the situation, lightly tapped Rin's arm. Rin, who was glaring down with icy eyes, tightened her grip, and with a snap, the fox's neck cracked lifelessly. "Gah." Rin broke the fox's neck with ease, not sparing it another glance. She did not absorb its essence. Mixing its essence within her own was repugnant to her. Rin's gaze turned to a place not far from there. While it might be hard for a family to find each other once separated, they shared a closer master-servant bond. No matter how far apart, she could sense it. Rin launched herself in the direction her gaze led her. *** "Hing." Bound at the wrists by plant vines, I trudged through a treacherous mountain trail. The Hoyo tribe guarded me meticulously from all sides. I had been engrossed watching Rin's fight with amusement when the Hoyo tribe suddenly ambushed me. I wondered if these foxes were after my liver, but they dragged me outside the village instead. "Where are you taking me?" "Anywhere. We plan to distance you from the nine-tail fox." "Why? Now that Ungwi is defeated, wouldn't it be better to live free without worrying about the nine-tail fox?" "We don’t know what you plan to do with the nine-tail fox, but whatever it is, it likely won't benefit us. The repercussions would fall onto our Hoyo tribe." In other words, they couldn’t fend off Rin, so they decided to separate me as a precaution. Since I was leading the effort to foster the nine-tail fox, removing me seemed to be their minimal preparation. Perhaps they didn't kill me as a precaution in case Rin pursued them. Meanwhile, they periodically attached talismans with incomprehensible symbols to trees. I couldn’t decipher them, but it seemed these were to hinder tracking. Adding noise and trail-canceling moving barriers, they certainly knew what would happen if Rin caught them. 'They’re damn thorough.' At this rate, even Rin might not be able to find me. So, what happens then? “What? That?” Just as that thought crossed my mind, one of the Hoyo tribe pointed to the sky. Against the clear sky, a pink fox with five tails spread like wings stood silhouetted against the moon. Her gaze down upon us was devoid of emotion. I might not understand everything, but this fact was clear. You’re screwed.