103 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed
Two possibilities usually come to mind when considering a "Fate-Defier." One is someone who resists an unreasonable destiny, embarking on a perilous journey. The other is someone who can't accept their destiny but is too afraid of resistance, so they choose the easier path. In the case of the former, you'll find a hero immortalized in history books, while the latter is likely to be remembered as a cowardly figure, like a disgraced monk. A hero is not just someone standing valiantly on the battlefield. To a girl living in a remote village, the mischievous boy next door could very well be a hero. Heroism need not be something grand. So, which category does Karami fit into? At the very least, he doesn't seem to be the latter, so through elimination, he's closer to the former. This wasn't particularly surprising. Even the Black Mist wasn't an ordinary fox and, through the ages, had witnessed many who were hailed as heroes. Still, she couldn't help but be surprised. It wasn't the fact that Karami was walking the path of fate-defiance that shocked her. “Was it you, the one who awakened the Nine-tale fox?” “Should I say awakened? She came to me first when I arrived." Saying it as if it were nothing to hide, Karami gave a sly smile and affirmed it. He was the one who had awakened the Nine-tale fox and raised the Eight-tailed fox. That was what surprised the Black Mist. “It seems you didn't come seeking fortune-telling from the young lady.” “It wasn’t the main intent, though I suppose it was an auxiliary reason. I took care of business while enjoying a hobby.” The old-fashioned speech of the Black Mist, referring to herself as 'the young lady,' was rarely found on modern Earth. To describe Karami's state while conversing with her, it was like speaking with a voice actor deeply immersed in their character, with cosplay as a bonus. From the moment he encountered the Black Mist, Karami felt his heart race. Though it was not the same for the Black Mist. To her, he had transformed from an insignificant man to someone on par with, or even more dangerous than, the Nine-tale fox. If there had been a device to measure danger, it would have exploded. “Destiny isn’t something you can change on a whim. Fortune-telling is no different.” Karami’s fortune wasn’t solely his own. It included all those connected to him. Naturally, the Nine-tale fox was among them. “But didn’t I change the fortune?” “That’s just stubbornness.” “Then a catastrophe should have happened, or the wind should’ve torn it apart before I changed it. Why make me excited and then say it’s impossible?” “That kind of nonsense….” “Anyway, I’m going to proceed with it as I planned, just so you know.” What sort of unreasonable human is this? Is it because he drew the Ox card, portraying the stubbornness of a three-year-old? Someone demanding to reverse their fate while angry would have been preferable. At least then, she could have chased him off with force. Since he’s trying to change his fate with his own hands, the Black Mist has no retort. Being with him is mentally exhausting. She must send him away quickly. “It seems you’re after the Nine-tale fox, but unfortunately, she’s not here.” “Is that so?” “Yes.” Speaking with a monotonous tone and unwavering eyes, the Black Mist conveys her message. Despite Karami’s attentive gaze, she remains as unshaken as one standing righteous in truth. “Is that so? There’s no helping it then.” Karami rises obediently from his seat. He gathers the three fortunes he had drawn and shows them to the Black Mist. “May I take these as souvenirs?” “Do as you wish. In fact, why not take them all?” “Ah, can I really? Yahoo~” Karami didn’t hold back. Humming, he collected all twelve fortunes. “Well, then, I’ll be on my way.” “Yes, please do go quickly.” The Black Mist watches Karami depart, her demeanor akin to chasing out an unwelcome animal. Once outside the Moon Shade House, Karami looks around. His gestures seem to suggest he’s searching for something. “Is it around here?” Just as he was about to toss a red bead from his celestial pouch— Whap! The Black Mist, who had been following with cautious steps, suddenly accelerates and firmly grasps Karami’s wrist. The bead tumbles to the ground. Squeeze. “Ugh.” He winces under her firm grip, stronger than that of an ordinary woman, yet maintains a forced smile as if to feign calmness. “What is it? Have you grown fond of me already? Feeling lonely with my departure? Want me to stay with you?” “Nonsense. What were you about to do?” “I was retrieving my slave.” “Slave…?” “Didn’t you know? The Nine-tale fox is my slave.” Frowning with incomprehension, the Black Mist glares at him. Unfazed, Karami intently stares at a particular spot—empty space. “So you said the Nine-tale fox isn’t here, huh. Well, you’re not exactly lying, but she’s nearby.” “…How did you sense it?” “When she’s this close, even if in another space, it’s discernible.” Pop! The bead strikes the ground, releasing a burst of red smoke. There was no time for the Black Mist to analyze what it was. Yet another fox’s mystical bead. Its abilities were unknown. The Black Mist reverses the bead's existence. The bead, mingling with smoke, vanishes with a small flash. It happens in an instant. “Wow~ Your response is remarkably quick.” “I’ve seen it once, so it won’t work a second time.” “That was a reversal, right? Using the power of your silver eyes.” “Did the Thousand Tails mention that much…?” “Oh, not at all. I knew about it from the start.” “A lie that glaring is better left unsaid.” “It’s true…” The Thousand Tails would feel wronged hearing this. She truly hadn’t revealed anything. Before she could, Karami already knew everything. Understandably, the Black Mist had no way of knowing this, and wouldn’t believe it even if told. “Even if you claim to know the young lady's abilities, it changes nothing.” “Hm, is that so? It’s a skill full of apparent weaknesses.” "A weakness... you say?" Karami continued, his voice light and mocking. "The power of the silver eyes reverses what exists in reality. It doesn’t destroy. So, where do reversed objects disappear to?" "That..." "Hmm, maybe a mirror world?" At that moment, the Black Mist's usually droopy eyes widened in surprise. Her reaction was satisfying. It was quite entertaining to startle someone so dignified, like a well-bred lady. Karami couldn’t help but let out a chuckle filled with a base thrill. "The weakness of such an alternate space is that it can't withstand impacts from both inside and outside. Like this." Whoosh! Something whizzed past, narrowly missing the Black Mist. Her black hair whipped wildly in the gust. It was a blue bead. 'From where?!' She quickly turned her head, pinpointing the direction the bead had come from. It was a considerable distance away from the Moon Shade House. Only a keen focus detected a faint presence. "Damn it! Why do I have to do this stupid task?!" In the distance was Hilde, who had been waiting in place to carry out Karami's orders. She threw the bead that Yuhwa had given them when Karami's signal went off. At the location of the barrier, the blue bead exploded with a loud 'boom.' The bead contained the power of Yuhwa, forcing fate back to its intended course. To the Nine-tale fox and Black Mist, it was a formidable foe. Crack. With a creaking sound, cracks spread through the air as if the space itself was breaking. Despite appearing to collapse, the space simply cracked, not fully breaking—likely due to Yuhwa’s weakened power. Black Mist sighed softly in relief, then narrowed her eyes sharply at Karami. "I underestimated you. If I let you go, you might cause great harm to the world." "Weren’t you urging me to leave just a moment ago? Changing your words now, are we?" "It's fine. That's the nature of a Nine-tale fox. A fox who reverses fate can certainly change a word or two." "You put on airs and then resort to... ugh." Her grip on Karami's wrist tightened, making him bend under the pressure and sink to his knees. Looking down, Black Mist saw him kneeling helplessly—an extraordinary man challenging fate, yet utterly powerless now. She needed to nip this dangerous potential in the bud. The surest way to stop him. Silver eyes locked on Karami's form. What she intended to reverse was the life he clung to. "Perish." A single, succinct word. *** "...Wake up!" "Hmm..." "Get up already!" The sharp trumpet blaring in her ears forced the Nine-tale fox back to consciousness. She held her throbbing head as she rose. She was still in the reverse world filled with mirrors. The Black Mist was nowhere to be seen, having possibly left her behind. Left alone in the space, a different voice reached her ears. When she looked down, the mirror beneath her also gazed back, though its subtle differences in movement suggested something else. As if reflecting another person. The posture was different, and so was the atmosphere. "You...?" "How many times did I call your name, Rin? Why are you up only now?" The reflection was Rin. Another persona embodied within her, now appearing from the other side of the mirror. "No way, weren’t you crying yourself to sleep?" Rin had been caught trying to siphon her master Karami's energy, then fled, wounded by harsh words. Yet here, she seemed perfectly fine. "What's this nonsense? You woke Rin up forcefully." "What?" The Nine-tale fox rechecked her own state. Was she still in control of her body? Had Rin woken while she was reversed, with her persona sinking inside? That didn’t seem right; she felt the sensations vividly. It was as if they both coexisted on different sides of the mirror. While she pondered in confusion, Rin's irritation bubbled over into her voice. "This isn’t the time to be dawdling. The master is outside!" "That guy?" The fox lifted her head, gazing at the void. Indeed... The shackles tied to his soul reacted just outside the barrier. Despite her warnings to stay away, he'd come. Why had he come? Having no strength of his own... No matter how hard she thought, the fox couldn't uncover a reason. "We need to get out of here! If not, the master is in danger!" It was true. The Nine-tale fox wouldn’t let Karami be. Even disregarding that, she had no intention of staying in this place indefinitely. "I'm not staying here because I want to. I can't get out, so I have no choice but to be here." The problem was that she still had no means of leaving. The reverse boundary was crafted by the Black Mist's power, making it hard to break through or unleash her full strength. Even if she escaped, the Black Mist could instantly re-establish her domain. "Didn’t you claim to be incredible? The great Nine-tale fox! Yet here you are, stuck and helpless." "If it were you, you'd be dead already! At least I managed this much." "So many words for someone who lost!" "..." The fox fell silent, unable to rebut. Dialogue only resulted in more loss for her. Instead, she needed to find a way to escape here... 'If only I had my powers.' With the reverse eye’s opposite, the moon-eye's power, this space could be shattered like taking candy from a baby. While frustration chewed at her lips— Thud. Suddenly, a bead fell from the air and rolled across the floor. Hiss... The bead emitted red smoke, though its vigor was waning. Yet the Nine-tale fox could sense the weak energy within the smoke. This was a bead from the Thousand Tails. Why did it suddenly appear? Was Karami doing something outside? She had no idea what was happening. “What’s this green bead?” Seems Rin also had a bead appear on her side. How could she be so irritating with every word? She was the perfect Nine-tale fox. “What are you on about? How is this green? It’s clearly red, anyone can see.” "Did something happen to your eyes after losing? It's definitely green. Could you not treat Rin’s body recklessly? That belongs to the master." “Why would this be yours…?” The Nine-tale fox was about to lash out at Rin, but what she saw below was unmistakably a red bead. And on the opposite side of the mirror... Smoke spread from an identical bead in the same position, but its color was green. The bead itself was green as well. They were undoubtedly the same bead, yet the colors were completely opposite. “Reversal…” The Nine-tale fox unconsciously repeated the word. A reversed world. An area where even personalities appear reversed, controlled by the Black Mist. A light bulb flickered in the Nine-tale fox's mind.