104 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

The Black Rain's Reversal Realm. Nothing happens in the absence of opposing concepts, but if there is a clear symmetry, a reversal occurs. Both in attack and in personality. Through the densely packed mirrors. The same holds true for mysterious mediums like magic. When divine power is used, it transforms into demonic energy. The proof of this was the enchanted orb. The red orb, specially crafted by Yuhwa, appeared as green on the other side of the mirror. It was a subtle hint for the Nine-Tale Fox. Because she could manipulate opposing properties. If successful, escaping from here would be a simple task. It's certainly worth a try. "Hey, you said you'd go rescue the master, right? Then let's work together." For that, Rin's assistance is indispensable. Opposite the mirror where Rin existed, unlike other mirrors, it seemed to be recognized as a single world. Even Black Rain couldn’t have anticipated the existence of two personalities. However, the Nine-Tale Fox couldn't interfere with the world beyond the mirror, so someone was needed to adjust another force. Rin wasn't thrilled about cooperating with the Nine-Tale Fox but nodded reluctantly. "What are we going to do?" "First, we need to raise the sun." With a flourish! As the Nine-Tale Fox formed the seal, the sun began to rise. "Okay, it's your turn. You can do it, right?" Rin focused seriously, clasping her hands together to form a seal. She began to concentrate. Rin had never created a sun before. She had hidden away around the time she started handling the Sun's Eye. As the Nine-Tale Fox's power grew stronger, Rin began to feel smaller, losing her sense of self to the point where she almost forgot who she was. It felt as if she had become the Nine-Tale Fox, and she nearly lost her personality, blending into one. She only withstood it because of her lingering attachment. Perhaps thanks to that. While inside the Nine-Tale Fox, Rin was in a synchronized state with her, allowing her to learn and observe. The flow of the energy. How to use the eyes. Minute details that could only be known when becoming one. Thus, Rin knew how to handle the power perfectly, even on her first attempt. With a flourish. The brilliant sun rose above Rin's head. The Nine-Tale Fox smiled in satisfaction. "Yes, that's the Nine-Tale Fox." Centered around the two Nine-Tale Foxes, the twin suns rose like a mirror image. "Now, synchronize with me and send it over." Nodding, Rin guided the sun. The suns that had been high in the sky began to descend slowly. Eventually, the two suns touched the mirror. The suns began to be swallowed by the mirror. Kwagagak! The mirror struggled to absorb the suns, each containing a massive amount of power. It trembled as though it would shatter with a mere touch. However, the mirror eventually swallowed the suns completely. Then, it reversed the absorbed suns, sending them to the opposite world. What emerged from the mirror's surface was not the intense heat of a sun, but rather the serene glow of a cool moon. The sun, which had been transforming into a moon, ceased its transformation. The balance was precise at half. Half sun, and half moon, the sphere formed a crescent shape ◐ across the mirror. It was the same for both sides. In Rin's world, the half moon sent by the Nine-Tale Fox appeared. In the Nine-Tale Fox's world, the half moon sent by Rin appeared. And with half portions of the sun created by each. With the sun and moon perfectly overlapping, the thoughts of the two Nine-Tale Foxes were seamlessly aligned. Both the Sun's Eye and the Moon's Eye shimmered in unison. "Eclipse." Snap. The light vanished. An eclipse, where the moon perfectly obscures the sun, plunging the world into darkness. A shadowed realm where neither sunlight nor moonlight could reach. A space where even the sky was hidden, and even a thousand-mile sight was obscured by the Nine-Tale Fox’s supreme domain. The Reversal Realm ceased its function. In this shadowy realm devoid of light, the mirror could only reflect darkness. Even if darkness reversed into light, it amounted to no more than a candle's glow in the face of the infinite darkness. "Let's go. To rescue the master." It was unclear who spoke those words. The two Nine-Tale Foxes merely smiled. Crack. Crack-crack-crack. Countless rupturing sounds echoed in the dark. And then, the moment the infinite echo ceased. Smash! The space shattered and collapsed. The outside world revealed itself. "Wh-?!" Startled as the domain vanished, Black Rain turned his head, his hair fluttering. Deep within the void, he met the gaze of the Nine-Tale Fox, submerged in shadow. The internal domain was a virtual space created from another dimension. It rapidly lost power and disappeared upon colliding with reality. The moon created by the Reversal Realm shared the same fate. However, this opportunity could not be missed. A time as short as 0.000001 seconds, where virtual and reality coexist. A moment so brief, not even the tick of a second hand could touch it. They covered the Reversal Realm with an eclipse. 'Now.' The Nine-Tale Fox expanded her domain. The virtual darkness penetrated and dominated reality. The area of the Soundless Moon was swallowed by shadows. It was a moment without an escape. "Just how...?!" Black Rain, bewildered, surveyed the darkness. Yet, as though he had closed his eyes, nothing was visible. Even Black Rain understood that this was the eclipse deployed by the Nine-Tale Fox. However, with the Moon's Eye power still in his possession, it made no sense to him. "Surprised? Honestly, I am too. We got lucky, I guess." It was fortunate that Rin was there. And that Karami appeared too. If he hadn't, Rin wouldn't have come to her senses and awakened the Nine-Tale Fox. If not, the celestial fox orb would have exhausted its power without being discovered. Although she was reluctant to acknowledge it, the Nine-Tale Fox felt it was worth offering some praise. Leaving Black Rain, who flailed helplessly in the darkness, she sought Karami. As the master of the space, she had no trouble finding him even amid shadows. He was beside Black Rain. But something was wrong with his posture. He lay face down on the ground. Without the slightest movement. "Master...?" Rin, too, sensed something amiss. With tentative, uneasy steps, she made her way to Karami. Inside her twitching ears, the expected sound did not come. As she carefully turned Karami's body over, it limply toppled. Thud. Yet his head, halfway over, hung to the side. In his half-open pupils, a dark cloud loomed. "Master...?" Rin called out anxiously, but there was no response. The only sensation when she touched his face was a chilling coldness. Even the smell was faint. "Master? Master! Master!!" Rin shook Karami vigorously, but he moved without any resistance, as if she were shaking a doll. It was clear to the Nine-Tale Fox as well that something was amiss. "What did you do to him, you fiend?" Black Rain couldn't answer. In complete darkness, a person's senses become obscure. Are they truly present? Or have they become part of the darkness itself? The longer one remains in such darkness, the more likely madness ensues. "Tsk." The Nine-Tale Fox clicked her tongue. A normal conversation wasn’t possible in this state. She had no choice but to grant Black Rain a sliver of light. Since they were within her domain, such mercy was of little consequence. Discovering a single beam of light in the darkness, Black Rain desperately moved toward it, cradling it as if holding an embrace. "Speak quickly. What have you done to him?" Gaining some clarity, Black Rain gazed at Karami with a dazed look. "Him? Ah... you mean the Challenger of Fate." Despite being a fox adept at hiding emotions and intentions, it was not easy to maintain composure in her dazed state. A low, contemptuous chuckle escaped her lips. "Challenger of Fate?" "Did you not know? He is one who defied destiny, remaining unyielding even amid the fox’s tricks, forging his own fate." "He was that significant?" Though she had sensed his extraordinary nature, she never imagined his greatness. "He altered the fates of countless others, and no doubt his future path would do the same. To prevent that, my child intervened." "No way..." "Yes, it's just as you think, dear Nine-Tale Fox. My child reversed his fate. Thus, he has met my destiny." The opposite of life (生) is death (死). Karami was killed, letting his fate flow its course. That is the story. "You...!" Before the Nine-Tale Fox could respond. Rin dashed forward, tackling Black Rain to the ground. Rin's eyes gleamed with a fierce light. "I see. So another personality was hidden within. Not trusting anyone, yet cooperating amongst foxes?" "Spare me your nonsense. Revive the master now!" "I'm sorry, but that's impossible. Life reversed becomes death, but reversing death does not bring life. Life signifies more than mere existence." Billions of lives exist. Each life holds a thread of existence. No matter what paths they walk, what destinies they face, everyone arrives at the destination called death. Though billions of threads branch in unique trajectories, they all ultimately converge into a single point. But if reversed from death, where would the end lead? No one knows. The existence of countless branches makes it impossible to retrace paths. Reincarnation resets all memories and bonds, making death a fair new beginning. Only then can the reversal of life beginning from death be possible. A clear symmetry defined by the world's laws must exist for everyone, without exception. In short, reviving Karami through reversal is impossible. Before his death, the Nine-Tale Fox’s powers could twist things, but after death, nothing can alter fate. No changes come to the fate of the deceased. However, to Rin, such truths seemed like mere wordplay. "I don't care about all that complicated stuff—just revive the master!" "Well, if you insist, I can assist with reincarnation. Shall I do it? Although, he will be entirely different from the man you know." "That... that would be meaningless." Though the Nine-Tale Fox could wait, living an eternity. She didn't want her master to become someone unrecognizable. If Karami didn't recognize her, she wouldn't endure. Crying and glaring fiercely at Black Rain as if her eyes could fell a god itself. Tears dropped down, hitting Black Rain’s face, startling him into wide-eyed shock. 'Crying...?’ A Nine-Tale Fox... crying? Over the mere death of a human? The sight was unbelievable, even as he saw it with his own eyes. "Sigh..." The Nine-Tale Fox watching from afar sighed deeply. "So, you just need that clear point of symmetry, right?" "In theory, yes, but it's nearly impossible. Because for the dead—" "Ah, enough. We've got what we need here." ZGVPdDc2cnQxMFU0bVlrbnZITXlVazVtd0c5cS9VN1pWcWcvUTVtbEJGQ2h1R0pkL21DV0oxMUJYRlRIVkJuQw "What?" Ignoring Black Rain's attempt to question her, the Nine-Tale Fox gently patted Rin's shoulder. Rin turned her red, tear-stained eyes toward the Nine-Tale Fox. "Why...?" "I mean, aren't you going to revive the master?" "Can... can you do it?" "Somehow. Didn't plan for it to turn out this way, though." It wasn’t her intention to persuade Rin like this. Well, a debt incurred should be repaid. "Now, it's time to cough up what you’ve swallowed."