A Thousand Years of Distrust

Tamamo no Mae's golden eyes fixed on Kaito as she spoke. "I have reduced nations to ruin, their so-called heroes mere puppets in my hands. Their ambition, their desire, their festering distrust—those were simply the sparks I needed to set the world ablaze."

As her words resonated, Kaito was slammed by a wave of paranoia unlike anything he'd ever felt. His mind clouded, infused with a primal, overwhelming urge to continue what he was doing, though he wasn't sure what that even was. He swung Durandal, his divine blade clashing against something he couldn't quite discern, the sound a desperate scrape against an unseen force.

Durandal's petite form, a voice in his mind, cut through the haze. "Hey! Wake up!"

A jolt of memory, a flicker of awareness, surfaced. Kaito bit down hard on his tongue, the sharp pain a desperate anchor. Blood welled in his mouth, the metallic taste a violent contrast to the insidious whispers. His vision snapped into focus, and he witnessed the horrifying truth of what was really happening. He wasn't clashing against an illusion; he was locked in a brutal struggle against Alpha, her vibrant energy blade grinding against Durandal.

Now aware, Kaito's momentary strength faltered, the illusion's grip loosening, and he was immediately flung back. Alpha, however, didn't hesitate. She pursued him relentlessly, swinging her energy greatsword in a wide, lethal arc. Kaito dodged at the last second, the blade whistling past his ear. "Wait, Alpha!" he called out, confusion lacing his voice.

'Don't bother,' Durandal's voice echoed in his mind, sharp with urgency. 'She's also affected.'

"Isn't she a machine?" Kaito asked aloud.

'It affects all beings on a spiritual level,' Durandal replied, confirming his worst fears.

Just then, a black sphere flew to his side, and Kaito instinctively brought Durandal up to collide with it. The impact sent a jarring shock up his arm before the sphere rapidly returned, smashing into Durandal again. Maria, standing a distance away, her eyes glazed with a chilling malaise, was the source. The sphere rebounded one more time, this time colliding directly against Kaito's ribs, cracking a few with a sickening crunch, even as he dodged Alpha's next attack by rolling underneath her sweeping blade.

Then, a voice cut through his earpiece, clear amidst the chaos. "Kaito, it seems you can hear me now. There is something wrong with Alpha."

"I know!" Kaito grunted, narrowly avoiding another blow. "Can you do something about it?"

"I'm currently fighting against this sudden, overwhelming surge of hatred directed towards you," Dante's voice replied, strained but resolute. "But I've activated the reboot protocol on Alpha. Just try to survive until she refreshes."

A moment later, a drone strike slammed into the ground just beneath Kaito, knocking him violently away. He rebalanced himself mid-air, barely managing to dodge another relentless attack from Alpha. She then split her single energy greatsword into two blades, unleashing a dizzying flurry of strikes that threatened to slice him to pieces. Kaito launched himself into the sky, but multiple black spheres greeted him.

Tamamo no Mae watched the chaotic scene with an amused, golden gaze. "You've freed yourself of my illusion," she purred, her voice carrying across the battlefield. "But your fate remains all the same." She cast more Fox Fire, the blue flames dancing and weaving as they raced towards Kaito.

"Resonance!" Kaito unleashed. He dashed through the air, pushing past the incoming Fox Fire, intending to reach Maria and knock her unconscious, hoping to break the spell. But he was immediately intercepted by Alpha, her two energy blades flashing. Maria also provided additional restraint, pinning him in place. He was trapped.

Just as Alpha raised her blades for a final strike, a Paranormal Department agent suddenly appeared, launching Kaito away with telekinesis, freeing him from the predicament at the last second.

As if on cue, a naval bombardment smashed into Tamamo no Mae's titanic form. This time, however, her golden flame burned brighter, actively absorbing some of the incoming ordnance, lessening the impact. It only slightly damaged her, the golden fur flickering as it instantly regenerated.

More Paranormal agents appeared. They swiftly restrained Maria, their specialized powers subduing her, knocking her unconscious. However, before they could secure her, Alpha, now visibly glitching but regaining control, violently threw them aside. Her systems seemed to regain full control, and she turned, quickly assessing the rapidly evolving situation. Without a word, she gently carried Maria away to safety, disappearing from the immediate battlefield.

Moments later, Alpha returned, her energy blades humming, and plunged back into the fray, her focus now entirely on Tamamo no Mae. Kaito, witnessing the situation momentarily improve, felt a surge of renewed determination. He charged back towards Tamamo no Mae, this time with even greater force behind Durandal, clashing against the ancient Kitsune's massive claws and whipping tails multiple times. Tamamo no Mae lunged, attempting to bite him, but Kaito managed to catch her immense jaw with Durandal, holding it up with sheer strength before twisting and escaping her maw. Alpha joined him, a whirlwind of distraction, unleashing a flurry of strikes that drew Tamamo's attention, allowing Kaito to land multiple, powerful blows. This time, the wounds inflicted by Durandal didn't heal, despite her growing power.

Tamamo no Mae leaped away, the earth shuddering as her colossal form landed. She raised her head towards the newly risen evening moon. Her maw opened wide, and a thunderous roar escaped her lips: "月光砲! (Gekkōhō!)"

As she accumulated power, particles of light gathered, swirling into a luminous, shimmering orb within her mouth. Alpha registering the threat. Her chest split open, revealing her core – a radiant red gem, noticeably larger and far more potent than Epsilon's. It pulsed with escalating power, gathering energy at an alarming rate.

Tamamo no Mae fired, unleashing a blinding, concentrated beam of moonlight. Alpha retaliated instantly, her own core erupting with a crimson, concentrated beam of raw energy.

The two beams clashed mid-air, a searing intersection of light and power that cooked the very air, twisting it with visible distortion. For a tense moment, they were locked in a stalemate, but then, with a guttural whirring sound, Alpha's beam intensified, overpowering Tamamo no Mae's. The moonlight beam faltered, then recoiled, as Alpha's concentrated energy slammed into the great fox's body.

Alpha's chest resealed, and she immediately transformed her energy blades back into the form of a greatsword. With a fluid motion, the blade extended to an immense, impossible distance, its edge humming, ready to cleave downward. Simultaneously, Kaito, already channeling Durandal, ready to unleash his own ultimate attack. A more concentrated distortion of darkness and light flashed around him as his body moved with impossible speed, reaching the wounded and staggered body of Tamamo no Mae.

The mountain-splitting energy blade of Alpha descended with terrifying force. At the exact same instant, Kaito's ultimate attack cut skyward. The two strikes converged, forming a massive, brilliant X-shaped slice across Tamamo no Mae's colossal body.

Tamamo no Mae let out one last, agonizing cry – a sound that was both a roar of defeat and a wail of pain – before her giant nine-tailed fox form crumpled and fell. The ground shook violently as she hit, and a massive cloud of dust erupted around her. In front of Kaito, the colossal fox's form began to disintegrate and an overwhelming wave of miasma exploded outward, obscuring everything even further than before.

When the miasma finally began to thin, Kaito stood amidst the lingering haze, Durandal held ready. Where the immense beast had been, now lay a heavily wounded little girl. She had long black hair, distinct, delicate fox ears and nine golden tails with white tips at the end. It was Tamamo no Mae's defeated form – a childlike figure, now unconscious and vulnerable.

Just as Kaito wondered what to do next, a voice cut through his earpiece – Dante's, clear and direct. "Kaito, bring her back."

Kaito wasn't sure about this course of action, not after everything he'd just faced, the sheer destructive power of the being before him. But he also couldn't bring himself to finish her off either, not in this defenseless state. Nevertheless, trusting in Dante's unknown plan, Kaito gently swooped Tamamo no Mae's unconscious, petite body into his arms and disappeared from the scene, leaving the devastated landscape behind.