Chapter 95: Mirror Flower Water Moon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: Mirror Flower Water Moon
“Wow, this is amazing. Do kids these days eat like this every day?”
“This is a simple breakfast. Dinner is much more extravagant.”
“Ooh…”
Watching the two of them chat amicably, Seira could only blink blankly, just as she did every other day.
It was a familiar scene.
She was sure it had been just like this every time Rin grew another tail.
But this time, the number of tails was the same. What had changed was Rin herself. She wasn't clinging to Karami, and her aura was far more mature. And she spoke like someone from a few centuries ago.
“What is this all about?” she finally asked, unable to hold it in any longer.
“She’s the Gumiho.”
“Rin was already a gumiho.”
“Not that kind of gumiho. I mean the Gumiho from the legends. The one who was sealed away after defying the heavens.”
“…?”
Seeing that Seira didn't understand, Karami had to elaborate.
He explained everything, from how the Gumiho’s spirit had entered Rin in White Cloud Valley to how Rin had secretly been siphoning its essence before running away, which in turn awakened the Gumiho’s personality.
Seira had experienced one astonishing thing after another since joining Karami. She’d thought she was finally getting used to it, but there was no way she couldn't be shocked by this.
“The Gumiho…?”
“Hello~ You’re Seira, right? I look forward to getting along with you.”
“Th-Then what about Miss Rin?”
“She cried herself to sleep inside me. I don’t know if she’ll wake up or not. Well, not that I’d give her body back even if she asked. Taking back a gift is against the rules, isn’t it?”
Seira roughly understood what the Gumiho meant. As long as the Gumiho was present, Rin might never appear again.
Having grown quite fond of Rin during their time together, Seira couldn't help but be taken aback.
She shot Karami a look, but he just shrugged with a nonchalant expression, as if he couldn't care less.
What on earth is he planning this time? Not knowing, a frustrated Seira could only let out a helpless sigh.
“Ah, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
“Do whatever you want. It’s not like you consult me about anything anyway. You just do as you please.”
Live or die, get your body stolen by a gumiho, I don’t care! Do whatever you want!
Seira gulped down a glass of cold water.
“Well, I was just going to mention that I’ve arranged a duel with Princess Hilde.”
“Pfft!”
Seira sprayed a mouthful of water. The Gumiho deftly dodged it, but Karami, sitting opposite her, took the full blast.
If it had been one of his slaves, he would have licked it up, thinking, ‘What a precious waste…!’ but this was Seira’s. While she wasn't unattractive by any means, Karami’s standards had become far too high.
Clatter!
Seira shot up from her chair, not even thinking of apologizing as she demanded an explanation.
“A-A duel with Her Highness the Princess? What kind of bullshit is that?!”
Karami calmly wiped his face with a handkerchief.
“She was threatening to kill Rin, so I accepted. If I hadn't, the army would have stormed in by now and this house would be a complete wreck.”
“Hmm…”
Well, this is probably better than having the army break down our door…
Just as Seira was thinking this, she felt a pair of sharp glares. The Gumiho and Karami were staring at her with ice-cold eyes.
“Wow, you act like you’re worried about the whole world, but the moment you hear your own house is safe, you’re relieved? That’s a little messed up, don’t you think?”
“That’s just how people are. Their own interests come first. And here I am, leading countless slaves to the path of liberation… Tsk, tsk.”
As the two of them carried on their merry banter, Seira could no longer hold back and burst out.
“I don’t need to hear that from a gumiho and a slave trader!”
*
Rin becoming the Gumiho didn't change Karami’s plans. The day of the duel with Hilde, which he had announced with Yuhwa, was approaching.
Yuhwa was waiting in the sky above the Celestial Pavilion. Seeing that Hilde was absent, it seemed she hadn't arrived yet.
As Yuhwa spotted the Gumiho, her aura grew heavy.
“You…”
“Calling your own disciple ‘you’? You should call me Rin, sweetly.”
“Nonsense. Did you steal her body?”
“She said she didn’t want to be here anymore and handed the spot over to me. In fact, she would have gone berserk if I’d left her alone, all thanks to her master treating her so coldly.”
At that, Yuhwa shot a sharp glare at Karami. She had thought he would be able to coax and soothe Rin to resolve the situation.
That was why she had trusted him with this, but Rin must have been hurt so badly that she was now curled up deep inside, showing no signs of wanting to come out.
If the Gumiho occupied the body for too long and built up its power, Rin wouldn't be able to awaken even if she wanted to.
Whether he knew this or not, Karami wore a perfectly carefree expression.
Yuhwa considered forcibly dragging the Gumiho out now, while it couldn't draw out its full power, but it would be meaningless. She herself was so weakened that she couldn't guarantee victory even if they fought.
All she could do was vaguely trust that Karami had some kind of plan.
Woong. Woong.
Just then, Yuhwa’s fox orb began to glow.
It seemed Hilde had arrived.
*
The moon shone upon the lake.
The ground was soft underfoot, and the scents of the forest and earth tickled the nostrils. A cool breeze rustled the branches, causing leaves to fall.
A leaf landed on the lake, creating a gentle ripple.
Hilde, who had been walking through the area, came to a sudden stop.
Standing stock-still in the forest, she faced the group watching her. As her eyes met Yuhwa’s, Karami’s, and finally the Gumiho’s, her lips curled into a savage grin.
“Well… look at this bitch. She really does have seven tails.”
Since it was Rin’s body, the Gumiho naturally had seven tails. But for her, having many tails—or pink tails—was no cause for shame.
She had proudly displayed them all the way to the Celestial Pavilion, so everyone in the neighborhood now knew that a seven-tailed fox had appeared.
Karami hadn't bothered to stop her. Rin’s story was nearing its end anyway, and he was confident he could win even if they were attacked.
But from Hilde’s perspective, it looked like nothing more than mockery.
“You were hiding your tails this whole time? Well, I’ll be. I’ve never seen such a deceitful fucking bitch.”
“…Fucking bitch?”
“What, does hearing a curse tickle the ears of the great Gumiho? Want me to say it again?”
“Ha.”
The Gumiho let out a short, dismissive laugh and swept her bangs back with one hand. For a moment, a light gleamed in her mismatched eyes.
“The moment those beasts who couldn't tell right from wrong learned to speak, all sorts of pathetic runts started picking fights.”
The old days really were better.
Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to restore the world to how it once was once she regained her power.
The Gumiho flicked her wrist.
A fox orb popped into the air.
The two had already communicated through their auras without needing words. Hilde, on the verge of battle, also began to crack her knuckles and stretch.
As she awaited the moment of combat, Hilde’s body grew hot. Tension and excitement coiled around her like a double helix.
Her emotions were dominated by the anticipation of facing a strong opponent, the pleasure of battle, and the ecstasy of overcoming her foe.
This was her chance to slay the demon, peel off its hide, and hang it in the square to be revered as the strongest hero in Vestia’s history.
A smile spread across Hilde’s lips. The corners of her mouth trembled uncontrollably. Her muscles twitched, her blood yearned for battle.
The moment the cool forest wind brushed past them.
“Hup!”
KWWAAAAANG!
The eyes of a battle-crazed maniac flashed, awakening her violent instincts.
Her opponent might have seven tails, but it was still the Gumiho. She wasn't foolish enough to hold back against such a foe.
She went all out from the very beginning.
With a single sharp cry, Hilde’s dark mana erupted explosively. Leaves scattered like dust. She placed a hand on the ground, assuming the posture of a predator.
The Gumiho let out a hum, a graceful smile on her face.
“Hmph, your spirit is impressive, I’ll give you that.”
“Kkhh, let’s see how long you can keep up that composure..”
Hilde’s explosive mana suddenly took the form of a giant lion. From within its black mane, the lion’s golden eyes flashed.
KRAAAAAWWWRRR!
A lion’s roar, like a war horn from the battlefield itself, shook the lake. The moonlight on the water’s surface rippled as if it would shatter, but it held.
BOOM!
Hilde launched herself forward like a cannonball, leaving a faint afterimage. The ground was torn away by her ferocious charge as if a landslide had occurred.
“What are you doing? Your movements are so sluggish! Are you frozen in fear?!”
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Hilde appeared right in front of the Gumiho.
Crrrack. She clenched her fist, her lips twisting into a vicious grin. Pouring half her mana into a single punch, she intended to end it in one blow. The killing strike shot toward the Gumiho’s face like a flash of light.
WHOOSH!
KWWAAAAANG!
A violent gale raged. Beyond her outstretched fist, a vast black blast erupted. The flash of light carved a straight line to the horizon, splitting the forest in two.
It was the lion’s strike, an attack that would erase all matter within its range. Where the light faded, nothing remained. There was only the forest, utterly devastated by the force of her punch.
The Gumiho, too, was gone.
Hilde’s eyes widened.
The Gumiho had vanished without a trace.
Did she really turn to dust?
Could the Gumiho die so easily?
Absolutely not.
“Where are you aiming? You look like you’d eat anything you find on the ground. Did you eat your own eyes, too?”
As if on cue, the Gumiho’s characteristically infuriating taunts echoed around her. Without even looking, Hilde immediately threw a punch in the direction of the sound.
KWWAAAAANG!
Once again, a black flash tore through the air. Though its output was lower than before, it was still a powerful blow capable of easily piercing a mountain.
“I’m asking where you’re aiming~ Are you even going to be able to touch a single hair on my head like that?”
But the Gumiho’s voice continued to ring out. Hilde scanned her surroundings, but the Gumiho was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but Karami and Yuhwa were gone as well.
Even the ones who should have been there were nowhere in sight.
“Ha! So much for your arrogance. Are you resorting to cheap tricks? The great Gumiho is nothing special after all, is she?”
“Your provocations are meaningless. This fight was over a long time ago.”
“What, scared? Trying to run away now?”
“Shhh. Don’t raise your voice so much. It makes you look weak, you know?”
The Gumiho’s frivolous laughter echoed from the empty air. As if showing mercy to the ignorant, she began to explain kindly.
“I may have lost most of the Lunar Eye’s power, but it’s not all gone. As long as the eyes are with me, I can still use their essential abilities.”
“What?”
“If the Solar Eye is the sun that reveals the truth of all things, then the Lunar Eye holds the mystery of the moon, which can bewitch anything.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?! Stop hiding and show yourself!”
The Gumiho continued speaking calmly, ignoring Hilde’s shouts.
Leaves fluttered.
Ripples spread across the lake’s surface.
The reflection of the moon shimmered on the water.
It was a world where the senses were blurred, as if in a dream or a vision. Amidst it all, only the Gumiho’s voice echoed clearly in her mind.
After cackling for a long while, watching Hilde like a clown, the Gumiho murmured with a smile.
“You… when do you think this duel actually began?”
At that moment.
Snap!
A crisp snap of the fingers echoed, silencing all sound. The fluttering leaves froze in mid-air, and the ripples stopped, holding their circular shape.
It was a world where the sense of time and space had vanished. The only thing that had changed was that the moon reflected on the lake was gone.
“Shatter, Mirror Flower Water Moon.”
As if in response to her voice, the space itself began to crack. C-c-crack. The night sky shattered like glass, falling to the ground. The heavens themselves were pouring down.
When the entire space collapsed, what appeared was not the forest, but the sky above the Celestial Pavilion.
And…
“All that impressive spirit, and nothing to show for it~”
There was Hilde, collapsed on the ground, with the Gumiho’s foot pressing down on her head.