39: The Trial of the Fox

Even though the four stood united, an eerie tension still floated between the group and the observing crowd. The colossal seven-tailed fox stood tall in the arena, surrounded by a protective veil of violent, spiraling energy. But now, that very veil was beginning to crack—thin lines glowing white as the energy field slowly crumbled under unseen pressure.

Rejected Winter, Thomas, Taejin, and Layla stood ready. Their eyes were locked on the beast, each prepared to give their all. Without a word, all except Thomas activated their Panoply—powerful spiritual armors unique to elite warriors.

Strange incantations in an unknown language glowed along their bodies, symbols across their skin and armor like living light.

And then...

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A roar ripped through the battlefield.

Thomas cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, as if finally waking up. He didn't summon his Panoply. He didn't need it. Instead, he stepped forward and lowered into a loose fighting stance, feet apart, eyes locked on the beast.

Rejected Winter exhaled slowly. Frost began building around him. His aura condensed into a long, jagged spear of pure ice. Layla summoned a heavy greatsword, flame motifs running along the blade's edge. Taejin? He tossed his shirt aside, revealing a lean but battle-scarred torso. Dozens of old cuts crossed his chest. Then, his shoes vanished. Barefoot, he stepped forward and lowered into a precise martial arts stance, fingers pointed downward, center of gravity low.

The beast's red eyes narrowed.

Then—

In the blink of an eye, the colossal fox leapt.

Its massive claws swung in a blur, striking at all four with terrifying speed. Yet, not a single one of them took damage. Their Panoply glowed brilliantly, blocking the attack completely.

The beast snarled.

He had reached the King-level—why couldn't he obliterate these insignificant humans in one blow? That thought only enraged him further.

Before he could charge again, a massive asteroid of ice came crashing down from above.

BOOM!

The fox yelped, backpedaling, but it was too late. The ice smashed into him, bursting into jagged shards. Rejected Winter had summoned it with perfect timing.

Layla took the chance. With a fierce cry, she rushed forward and slashed at the beast with her flaming sword.

The blow connected—but just as she pulled back, the fox retaliated.

From the broken ice, hundreds—no, thousands—of claw-like slashes flew at Layla.

SHING-SHING-SHING!

The air shimmered with motion.

She barely managed to dodge backward, fire bursting from her hand to block the most dangerous blows. But several slashes tore into her clothes. Her skin bled in thick, red streaks. Deep gashes formed across her arms and sides, her once-pristine armor now scorched and torn.

She gritted her teeth. It hurt. Badly. But she didn't falter.

Ashamed that she'd fallen into a trap, she clenched her sword tighter.

Suddenly—

TWO shadows vanished.

Taejin and Rejected Winter disappeared from sight.

Then, the beast let out a guttural snarl, spinning around—just in time to see Rejected Winter standing before him, calm and unreadable.

Slashes came again. Fast. Brutal.

But this time, a barrier of ice erupted from the ground, blocking them.

Then—blurs. Dozens of afterimages of Rejected Winter surrounded the beast.

The fox roared again.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Wind rustled, and shallow cuts began forming on the beast's enormous body.

Suddenly, it shrieked in pain.

Taejin had appeared behind it and grabbed its massive tail with both hands, lifting it with inhuman strength. In a flash, he hurled the fox toward the opposite end of the battlefield—away from the crowd.

BOOOOM!

The beast crashed into a field of spiky ice that had been waiting for it.

Though the impact didn't kill it, several icy spikes pierced its body, and it let out a roar of pain that echoed across the plain.

As it struggled to stand, a black, massive hand slammed down from the sky.

THUD.

The fox was pinned.

Its eyes widened. That hand wasn't normal.

It was Thomas.

Or rather—Thomas had conjured the hand, a manifestation of his darkness element. Slowly, the black hand twisted and morphed... into a fox of the same size, but pitch black—like a silhouette devouring all light.

The crowd watching was stunned.

Moon and Kai, standing with James, Minji, and Ruby, had been watching the battle from afar.

Moon's eyes glittered with anticipation.

"What if..." he murmured, "that fox wins? What if it defeats all four? So many people here would die."

James chuckled. "No worries. There's a temporary teleporter here, synced with Base #12072008. If anything serious happens, they will automatically evacuate everyone."

Moon nodded.

Meanwhile, Thomas remained exactly where he was.

Arms raised, fingers poised like a conductor commanding a violent symphony.

The shadow beast roared into form—a monstrous fox of swirling black energy, eyes gleaming with cruel intelligence, limbs crackling with unstable darkness.

It lunged forward, a blur of fury.

And the real fox met it head-on.

The clash was instant.

Brutal. Unforgiving. Raw.

They collided like two storms —

Claws against claws. Fangs against fangs.

The dark fox snapped, a streak of shadow slicing the air.

The real one twisted mid-air, its seven blazing tails whipping with divine fury, slicing the illusion's chest and kicking off the dirt beneath.

Boom!

A shockwave cracked the ground as their bodies slammed together again, each motion too fast for the eye to follow.

One moved with precision. The other with chaos.

The black fox was crafted, shaped, refined—a weapon.

But the real one?

It was nature unleashed.

It snarled and bit into the shadow's throat, tearing smoke from form, only for the black fox to retaliate, digging claws into its ribs and flipping it across the field like a ragdoll.

Blood hit the ground.

And then shadow.

And then blood again.

For every tail swipe the real fox delivered, the shadow countered with a void slash that dimmed the very air.

And still—neither backed down.

Thomas's eyes narrowed, sweat trickling down his temple. He clenched his fists, channeling more darkness, feeding the shadow fox from his core, commanding it to break, to bite, to win.

But the real one screamed, unleashing a devastating burst of aura that made even the strongest nearby hunters flinch.

It wasn't just a beast.

It was wrath incarnate.

And the battle between manmade darkness and primal divinity had only just begun.

They battled like monsters.

Slashes. Bites. Tail whips. Fangs cracking against shadow.

The black fox was fast, but the real fox was wild.

Then—

CRACK!

With a final, brutal slash, the real fox destroyed the shadow-beast.

Thomas staggered, bleeding from his mouth. The backlash hit him hard.

But—

At that exact moment—

Layla, Rejected Winter, and Taejin launched their next attack.

Layla burned forward, sword glowing.

Rejected Winter manipulated ice from behind, his spear a blur. Cuts formed everywhere on the fox's body.

Taejin went berserk.

Each punch was layered with pure essence energy, blowing chunks of fur and muscle off the fox's frame. He leapt on its back, then slammed both fists into the skull. Repeatedly.

Layla jumped from spike to spike like an acrobat, slashing down at the fox's limbs and leaving scorch marks on every point she touched.

Rejected Winter leapt onto its shoulder and stabbed deep, then summoned a massive cube of ice to smash into the fox's jaw.

Taejin never gave it a moment to regain balance—if it stood up, he kicked its knees. If it leaned right, he hit left. Every time.

They were wild.

Then—

Stillness.

The fox stood frozen.

Its chest heaved.

And then... it spoke.

"Trial time is over."

A deep, rumbling voice.

Human speech.

The four froze in shock.

"It can speak?!" Layla shouted.

In the very next moment—

A rain of slashes exploded outward.

The fox's claws shimmered as it spun, releasing a shockwave of energy that sent all four flying.

BOOOOM!

All around them, the air had changed.

Not just heavy — suffocating.

Like an invisible hand was pressing down on the plaza, squeezing lungs, crushing bones.

Then it hit.

A pulse.

Raw, furious, divine.

The aura of the real fox exploded outward like a shockwave.

And the hunters felt it.

The rookies—barely holding onto consciousness—let out startled, agonized screams.

One by one, they collapsed, eyes rolling back, blood dripping from noses and ears.

Some twitched on the ground. Others lay eerily still.

The Fighter-level hunters fared only slightly better.

Veins bulged on their foreheads, teeth clenched so tight they almost shattered.

Many dropped to a single knee, sweat pouring, eyes wide in disbelief.

This wasn't just a beast.

This was something else.

Something that shouldn't exist at this level.

Moon swayed, knees buckling for a second.

His hand shot to his stomach, jaw clenching tight.

He almost threw up.

But he didn't.

He forced it down. His eyes burned green.

Kai's expression changed.

From curiosity… to cold calculation.

He understood the situation instantly.

And he didn't hesitate.

He lifted his right hand — calm, sharp, decisive —

and summoned water.

In seconds, a protective dome of water wrapped around the group.

Cool. Fluid. Alive.

Minji, breathing hard, stepped forward without a word.

She raised her hand and pressed it to the dome.

A second layer formed — glowing faintly, shimmering like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

It pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, stabilizing the water, holding the structure firm.

Inside the dome, the pressure dropped.

The screaming dulled.

Breathing became possible again.

Ruby looked shaken but didn't falter.

She grabbed James, who had fallen to the ground, and helped him to his feet.

Her arms held him steady, her gaze fixed outward — fire quietly building in her veins.

Moon inhaled.

Once.

Twice.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded at Kai.

No words were needed.

Outside the dome?

It was a storm of chaos.

Hunters panicking.

Some fleeing, others frozen.

The ground cracked. The skies trembled.

The teleporters activated.

Rookie hunters rushed toward them, vanishing in flashes of blue light.

"Quick, go!" someone shouted. "Everyone below Fighter level—GO!"

One by one, dozens disappeared.

Meanwhile, the beast stood alone.

And then—

His body glowed.

A radiant burst of energy pulsed from within.

The remaining professionals formed up, taking stances again.

But the fox...

He began to change.

Bones snapped. Fur receded.

Limbs straightened. His face shifted.

Within seconds, standing where the colossal fox once was—

Was a humanoid figure.

Tall. Muscular. With deep red eyes and red hair and faint fox-like ear.

Everyone left standing stared, speechless.

To be continued