A woman could be seen running through the woods, her body clearly beyond exhaustion. Running, tears streaming down her cheeks, with nothing—just a small hope for survival.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Ragged gasps tore from her throat as bare feet slammed against the forest floor, each desperate step sending shockwaves of pain up through her trembling legs.

Branches whipped across her face, leaving thin red lines on pale skin, but she couldn't stop—wouldn't stop.

Not with that thing behind her.

Purple eyes wide with manufactured terror darted between the towering trees of the Northern Wastes, searching for any path of escape through the dense woodland that seemed to close in around her like living walls.

'So it was the formation he told me about...' Yu Xiang, not even showing a hint of acting in her truly exhausted body, observed the forest shifts—something she had already been told by Tianlong.

Her black hair, usually kept in elegant perfection, now hung in wild tangles around her shoulders, strands catching on thorns and low branches as she crashed through the underbrush.

Her once-pristine robes—deep violet silk that had cost more than most peasants saw in a lifetime—were now reduced to tattered remnants.

The fabric hung in strips from her trembling frame, exposing glimpses of smooth skin beneath.

One sleeve had been completely torn away, the delicate embroidery that had taken months to complete now nothing but scattered threads clinging to bark and stones in her wake.

The sound that followed her was worse than any nightmare.

"PPRRRRVVVVRRRTTT!"

A guttural growl vibrated through the very air, accompanied by the thunderous crash of something massive tearing through the forest behind her.

Bam!

Trees splintered like twigs.

The ground shook with each impact of whatever pursued her, sending small animals fleeing in terror.

'D-did he just say pervert?' While running, her mouth twitched though she couldn't do anything except realize that even in this serious atmosphere, that man was trying to make a joke.

"Please... someone... anyone..." she gasped between ragged breaths—at least she needed to act real and serious unlike him—her voice cracking with desperation that felt almost too real.

"Save me!"

Her foot caught on a twisted root, sending her tumbling forward with a cry of alarm.

Pain shot through her palms as she hit the forest floor, small stones cutting into her skin.

She rolled, coming up on her knees just as shadow fell over her.

The creature that emerged from the treeline was a nightmare given form.

It had the general shape of a fox, but corrupted—twisted into something that belonged in hell rather than the natural world.

Its fur was matted and dark, streaked with what looked like liquid shadow that seemed to move and writhe of its own accord.

Multiple tails lashed behind it, but they flickered and glitched like a broken illusion, sometimes appearing as nine distinct appendages, other times blending into a writhing mass of darkness.

Its eyes...

Its eyes burned with crimson fire, but there was something wrong with them.

They flickered between red and gold, as if two different consciousnesses were fighting for control.

Corruption leaked from its form like black ichor, dripping onto the forest floor and withering the plants it touched.

The thing's massive frame trembled as it loomed over her prone form, every muscle coiled with predatory tension.

"SSSXXXYYYY!" Saliva dripped from fangs the size of daggers, hissing when it hit the ground.

'....' Yu Xiang felt her mouth go blank, but again...

At least she should fulfill her role unlike this man.

"No... no, please don't..." Tears streamed down her face as she scrambled backward, her hands scraping against rough bark as her spine hit a tree trunk. "Please, I wouldn't have unsealed you from that ruin!"

The corrupted fox's maw opened in what might have been a grin, revealing rows of teeth that seemed to go on forever.

It raised one massive paw, claws extending like black steel, ready to tear through flesh and bone with casual ease.

The attack never landed.

'!?!'

'Here it comes—' Tianlong already sensed the upcoming projectile.

SCCRCHHH

CLANK!

And took it like a pig wanting to get slaughtered.

"ARGGHHH—!"

A spear of pure golden light pierced through the creature's torso with the sound of thunder, sending it flying backward to crash into an ancient oak with bone-jarring force.

The impact shook the entire tree, sending leaves cascading down like emerald rain as the fox's body crumpled at the base.

"For this stab... you better get stabbed all night—" came a muffled curse from the creature's throat as Tianlong felt pain so intense it pierced his great vehicle realm protective Qi layer, determining him to get this interest back soon—though his voice was barely audible and distinctly messy.

Yu Xiang's eyes widened in shock and horror.

'N-no—!' This wasn't part of their plan. This wasn't supposed to happen.

They were just supposed to be acting, creating a believable scene to fool the fox tribe, but that spear—that attack—had been real. Lethally real.

Her gaze snapped upward, finding the source of the golden projectile.

Floating in the air above the clearing was a woman of impossible beauty and presence.

Nine magnificent fox tails spread behind her like a fan of living flame, each one thick and luxurious, radiating power that made the air itself shimmer.

Her skin was pale as moonlight, her features sharp and aristocratic, with golden eyes that held the wisdom of millennia.

Kitsune Akane, matriarch of the Northern Guardian Tribe.

The fox woman's expression was one of cold assessment as she descended gracefully to the forest floor, her feet touching the ground without disturbing so much as a single leaf.

She wore robes of silver and white that seemed to flow like liquid starlight, and power radiated from her form in waves that made Yu Xiang's teeth ache.

Ache because she knew she couldn't do anything except continue her acting.

"CROWN PRINCE!" The word tore from Yu Xiang's throat as she looked towards the direction where Tianlong had been hurled like a dog. Her feet raced before she could stop them, panic overriding all her carefully laid plans as she saw the corrupted fox—saw him—lying motionless against the tree trunk.

'I knew this plan would not work!' Her eyes instantly became teary. Though they already were, this time it seemed to come more from her heart than her mind.

She knew there was some loophole, something he was hiding from her, but she never expected that what he was hiding was the fact he could really get attacked in reality.

What if he was actually hurt? What if that spear had done real damage? The thought hit her like a strange ache in her mind, and she found herself scrambling to her feet, ignoring the pain in her scraped palms as she rushed toward the fallen form.

But her feet had barely carried her three steps when the forest around them came alive.

"—GROOWWLLL—"

"—GRHHHH—"

Dozens of fox spirits materialized from between the trees—some in human form with distinctive ears and tails, others as massive foxes with eyes like burning coals.

They moved with caution, forming a perfect circle around the clearing, cutting off any hope of escape.

Yu Xiang's heart hammered against her ribs as she realized how thoroughly they were trapped.

'Haah... you can't be serious...' Her purple eyes darted between the assembled fox spirits, each one radiating enough power to level mountains.

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