One of the Fox's tails glowed white, pristine and pure—
And then, in an instant—
Rays of light pierced through me.
---
They didn't just burn.
They seared into my very existence, threatening to illuminate me out of being.
From every direction, holes bored through my body—massive wounds that oozed pain, my flesh charred and flaking apart.
This wasn't magic.
This wasn't a normal attack.
And worst of all—
My regeneration did nothing against it.
I felt my spirit wane, dwindling before this light of purification.
The sheer agony of searing burns left me with only one certainty—
A slow, excruciating death.
And yet—
Despite all the torments she had inflicted, despite how effortlessly she was unraveling my very being—
She didn't even move.
Much like her Master, she simply punished me from afar.
.....
...
*
"Mama?"
"…No. I'm not your mother."
"…Ma…ma?"
"I said I'm not your mother. I killed your mama just now, you see?"
"…Papa?"
"Oh, Great Lord of Darkness… You won't give up, will you?"
"Papa!"
"…Such hopeless offspring… Fine. Since I had to kill your parent, I'll become your father. All of you. Satisfied now?"
.....
...
*
"It's not over… It's not over yet!!"
My voice thundered through the air.
My wounds weren't healing, but I forced myself up.
I willed my shattered wings to regrow, pouring every ounce of strength into them.
And though the very laws of this battlefield forbade my flight—
I rejected them.
I flapped my wings with such overwhelming force that the very ground split apart, and my body was hurled away like a comet.
In the blink of an eye—
I was 500 meters away.
Away from them who sought my end.
Away from death.
I had escaped.
Even if my body remained eternally wounded, even if my strength had been drained to the last drop—
It didn't matter.
I was alive.
I could still see those foolish children of mine.
I could still serve Lord Sarvest.
Even if all I had left was the scraps of my existence—
"Hahaha, you're really mean, Tamayo!"
Or so I thought.
'H… Huh?'
That voice—
The Supreme Lord's voice?
I didn't understand.
I escaped, didn't I?
Then why—
Why was Chronikus still there, lying on the ground, gasping for breath, on the verge of death?
And why was I… standing before the Supreme Lord at the exact same spot I had fled from?
500 meters erased—
As if I had never moved at all.
Was I being mentally manipulated again?
Was my mind untangling beneath another layer of illusionary torment?
Or—
Did I truly escape—
Only to have the very space I occupied carved out and dragged back to them?
No…
No, no—
This Fox Spirit—
Isn't she too strong?
Isn't she just... A god now?
No, even gods couldn't twist space to this degree, effortlessly.
Even gods couldn't erase distance without consequence.
Even gods couldn't rewrite reality itself without a single incantation.
No.
No, no, no.
What about my speed?
Even if my space had been robbed—
My momentum shouldn't stop.
I should have still been moving.
My speed wouldn't have halted too, correct?
…Someone…
Please.
Tell me I'm right.
I… I…
"…I don't want any more pain." I swallowed my pride, my voice trembling as I dropped to my knees. "Please… I just want to go home. My loved ones… They're waiting for me."
My forehead pressed against the ground, my existence reduced to a desperate plea.
"Mhm. I think I have a good grasp of you guys' fighting abilities now."
I was ignored.
Not a glance. Not a word.
The Supreme Lord and his… wives(?) continued chatting, as if I wasn't even there.
Even as I begged.
Even as I bowed.
I was nothing to them.
What… exactly is my existence in comparison to theirs?
"You see now, my Lord, that I easily surpass those coal-smeared mutts?"
"W-Well… you certainly are stronger than the others, but don't let it get to your head, okay? Levina is still several times more powerful than you, despite everything."
"Wait. Master Raven, what do you mean 'despite everything?'"
Wait… what?!
The white-haired woman—several times stronger than that Fox?!
That wasn't a joke.
The Supreme Lord spoke with absolute certainty.
Then—
Who is the one the white-haired woman calls 'Master'?!
"No, Supreme Lord. I'm certain in a short while I'll leave her in the dust."
"Hehehe. Keep dreaming, you conceited she-fox. I'd battle you anytime! But it might take you a few thousand years before I even take you seriously."
"You fox, your arrogance knows no bounds, does it? Just because of those flashy lightings you displayed, you think you've done something major? And despite it all, Leviathan is immensely powerful. Enough to act as a meat shield for Ruby."
"…Again, what do you mean by 'despite it all'?! I feel like I'm being abused!"
The young human girl wasn't as strong as the white-haired one, appearance-wise.
But… they spoke as if they were equals.
Could she also be more powerful than the Fox?!
She was a wife to the Supreme Lord so…
The more I tried to comprehend it—
The more the Supreme Lord who led them all became something utterly beyond reason.
"No, it is Leviathan who is arrogant—saying it'll take me thousands of years before I equal or surpass her."
"That's Lady Levina to you!"
"I am built differently; you see… I was only reborn yesterday."
Ehhh?!
The fox spirit was reborn yesterday?!
That made no sense!
Even if she was a god, her energy should be at a really low scale after just being reborn!
And… why were they calling the white-haired woman—
Leviathan…?
I stole another glance at the white-haired lady.
Leviathan?
Leviathan...?
Leviathan...?
…Leviathan?!
My bones suddenly trembled uncontrollably.
My teeth clenched and gnashed on their own.
A sudden horror that wasn't there before crashed over me like a tidal wave.
Then I knew… 'I'm not going to make it out alive.'
Who are these people?!
Where did they come from?!
Could it be…?!
Was this man the culprit behind Lord Sarvest's injury?!
The humans' foreign outfits suggested they were from Gihon.
How did they even cross the bridge?
Did they defeat Pluto?!
And after assaulting and wounding my Lord, they went and subdued Leviathan?!
Turning the proud sovereign into their loyal servant?!
What is this Supreme Lord's plan?
An opposing force to the Kingdom of Darkness?
A neutral force between Light and Darkness?
Either way…
With this army of his…
I cannot guarantee my Lord's safety anymore.
I have to report this.
At least…
"All right."
The Supreme Lord's voice cut through the air like a final verdict.
A decision had been made.
"We're done here. And it's a good thing the reptile didn't shrink back after its defeat. It'll be a feast."
He then looked at me.
Not as a warrior.
Not even as an insect.
But like an annoying stain on his furniture.
"Let me get rid of this dried-up weed first."
GASP!
No, no, no, no, no!!
I have to escape!
Somehow!
Anyhow!
What do I do?!
I'm going to die!
The sky vibrated—
Threatening to collapse upon me.
I looked up.
And in that instant—
I understood.
My execution was due.
The clouds had darkened.
Black and red lightning snaked across the sky, crackling ominously.
Then—
From above, peeking through the storm, came a colossal rock.
Its descent was slow yet absolute, a herald of doom.
With its motion, the air trembled.
Roars of insanity.
Heart-wrenching cries from hell.
They echoed in my soul—a divine sermon, preaching the inescapable.
A cold, merciless fear settled in my gut.
I fathomed.
Anyone who saw this massive sphere of crimson and black flames would understand.
This was the fear of God.
I did not want to be hit by that comet.
I could not afford be hit by it.
Not even my revival could save me from absolute annihilation.
I had to run.
I had to try…
I had to—
Move!
But—
Something held me back.
I looked down snappishly.
Black, liquid-like chains coiled around my feet, rooting me to the ground.
Panic surged through me.
My stunned gaze snapped to the Supreme Lord—
Was this his doing?!
But then, behind him…
I saw her.
Leviathan.
Smiling.
No—grinning.
A grotesque, ear-to-ear grin.
Her dark, serpentine eyes rippled, shifting in distorted amusement.
She was telling me something—
I could feel it.
"You're not escaping."
It's over.
It's truly over.
"Haha... Hahaha… Hahahahahahahaha!!!!"
Laughter.
Deranged, broken.
The sheer absurdity of it all ribbed my mind.
But—
As I laughed, tears streamed down my face.
And I reflected:
"Kids… Lord Sarvest… I don't think I'll be returning today… or ever again."
A hundred meters above the earth, the comet's sheer presence devoured life.
The trees.
The plants.
All withered, burned—reduced to cinder.
Everything within a mile radius ignited.
Boiling.
Burning.
Dissolving.
Life was being wrenched away from the land.
And then—
"I don't know whether to find this outcome fortunate… as I'll be experiencing, firsthand, the power of this new arrival... or lament that my eons of experience, age, wisdom, accomplishments, and my future goals will all be abruptly brought to a clo—"
BBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!