“These sons of bitches! Break past them!”

“They’re from Heavenly Stems! I’m sure the executives are somewhere in here!”

“Find the fox beastfolk!”

Chaos ensued inside the Capella Circus Theater as weapons clanged and blood splashed. The members of Heavenly Stems prevented the spec force from advancing.

“Stop them!”

“Where are the executives?!”

Just then, a ball of ice the size of a boulder flew toward the spec force members.

“Watch out!”

The ball of ice exploded as it smashed into the ground, spraying its fragments everywhere and turning every human within its radius into a bloody pulp. Nine people appeared amidst the explosion.

“Yi, Bing, and Ding, block their advances from the vanguard! Wu, Ji, and Geng, take the flanks! Ren and Gui, attack from the rear!”

“It’s the executives!”

“Yeah! Keep pushing!”

The morale of the Heavenly Stems clansmen rose from their appearance, and they charged at the spec force.

“You shall not pass!” shouted Jia, an average-looking Asian man, as he clapped his hands together.

[Activating Unique Skill: Giant Tree Forest.]

Trees began to rise from the ground, turning the circus theater into a thick forest.

“Enough of your trickery!” A woman in a red dress jumped forward from the spec force, holding a silver minigun.

[Activating Unique Skill: Flaming Barrage.]

The minigun spun as it spewed countless flaming bullets, penetrating the trees and burning them. The spec force team leaders also took action to face the Heavenly Stems executives.

“It’s the leader of Extermination Team 2!”

“The leader of Suppression Team 1 is here, too!”

Jessica, the leader of Extermination Team 2, shouted in rage, “These Heavenly Stems bastards don’t matter! Find Earthly Branches! I’ll fucking burn Kim Seo-Gyeong to death myself!”

The spec force team leaders were infuriated beyond belief by the betrayal of Seo-Gyeong, whom they believed was their comrade.

“Kurgh! Damn bitch! Stop them! Reinforcements will be here soon!” Jia shouted as he gritted his teeth, reactivating Giant Tree Forest.

Just then, Ren and Gui, who had been firing ranged skills from the rear, were suddenly beheaded. Blood spewed from the neck stump where their heads were supposed to be.

“Ren! Gui! Dammit, an assassin! There is a poacher somewhere! Stay on your toes!” Jia yelled.

There was nothing more terrifying in a hectic battlefield than an assassin who harvested lives in silence. Just the assassin’s presence greatly restricted the Heavenly Stems clansmen’s movements, but there was no other assassination attempt for the remainder of the battle.

***

Seong-Hwi, hidden via the Shadowless Plum Blossom Branch and the Hermit’s Robe, shook the blood off the Zanaka Karambit. He had killed the two individuals who had been guarding the stairs leading down to the basement.

This place is big, but something’s off, he thought as he ran. They’re acting suspiciously. Why block the entrance instead of running when they know they can’t win this battle?

It could be one of two things. They either believed they could still escape in this situation or had a trump card powerful enough to turn the tables. In that moment, Seong-Hwi realized exactly what they were planning.

“Seo-Yeon can’t be here... can she?”

His expression hardened. The rampage of the awakened Millennium Nine-Tailed Fox could easily turn this dire situation around.

“Dammit!” he shouted.

The situation was far worse than he had expected. He had to find Seo-Yeon as quickly as possible. If she went berserk from an incomplete awakening, not only would countless people die, but her life would also be at risk.

I don’t have anything that belongs to Seo-Yeon, so I can’t use the Night Stalker. In that case, there’s only one other symbol I can use!

A card with a golden sheen flew out of the Tarot Deck of Destiny.

[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]

[Foolish Dog, one of the symbols of No.0 The Fool]

Arf! Arf!

A stupid-looking white dog appeared and cheerfully ran along the hallway.

“Go! If you find me what I want, I’ll make you a birthday cake with bones!”

Arf! Arf!

***

Nine humans, their faces red with rage, aggressively expressed their opinions.

“We have to get out of here! Ox and Sheep are bringing a warp gate user!”

“What the hell are you talking about?! We have to fight! An ambush of this extent must mean a force field has been put up. We won’t be able to warp far.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“A few must stay behind and buy enough time for the rest to escape.”

“And who are those few? Are you gonna stay, Rabbit?!”

“I’d rather die than be bait! You do it, Monkey!”

As their arguments grew louder, Seo-Gyeong remarked, “I will buy that time.”

“What? You, Rat?”

“To be more exact, my beloved little sister will. It won’t be long now.”

Seo-Gyeong looked down at Seo-Yeon, writhing in agony on the ground.

“Urgh... N-no! I... won’t... do it!”

Seo-Yeon, under the effects of Brainwashing Musk, felt the desire to tear apart the fox beastfolk in the cells and devour their livers. Her hands quivered, and saliva poured from her mouth. She licked her lips as she stared at the fox beastfolk in the cages with bloodshot eyes.

Yip! Yip!

Miho was restrained by the black snake, crying sorrowfully as it stared at Seo-Yeon.

“Now that it’s come to this, we’ll kill all the foxes,” Seo-Gyeong said.

They did not have the leeway to warp over nine hundred foxes. If the foxes couldn’t accompany them, they could be stored in Seo-Yeon’s stomach instead.

He continued, “Once Ox and Sheep return with a warp gate user, warp toward South Earth. You won't be able to warp very far anyway.”

“South Earth? We’re not leaving the Capital?”

“Yeah. We’ll hide in plain sight. They’ll never expect we’re still in the Capital.” He pulled a green card from his pocket and continued, “You’re the most agile, Rabbit. Keep this with you.”

“What’s this?”

“A Green Key of the Cecil Hotel.”

“Holy shit! For real?!” Rabbit gasped as he quickly put the card in his pocket.

Tiger nodded as he remarked, “I see. The Union has little influence on South Earth, and the Cecil Hotel is practically a safe zone.”

“Exactly. I’ll draw their attention, so see you all at the Cecil Hotel.”

“Urgh... AAAAAHHH!” Seo-Yeon sprang up and charged at a cage holding fox beastfolk. She slammed the cage bars with her fists as she drooled and shouted, “Open this damn thing! Huff! Huff! Open it now!”

“It’s done. Open the cage,” Seo-Gyeong remarked, certain that the brainwashing was complete.

Monkey, a short Asian man with a white monkey on his shoulder, grabbed the key and approached the cage.

Hiss! Hiss!

“Hm?” Snake heard the warning of her snake D Weapon and shouted, “Watch out! Someone is—”

Monkey’s neck was half-severed before Snake could warn him. Monkey’s eyes widened from the sharp pain.

“Kurgh! Gurgh!” he gurgled as he grabbed his neck and collapsed. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Seo-Gyeong shouted, “An assassin! Put your backs against each other!”

The eight members of Clan Earthly Branches quickly brought their backs against one another and focused on the surroundings.

Seo-Gyeong shouted, “Snake! Where are they?!”

“O-over there!” Snake said as she pointed at where Seo-Yeon was.

Seo-Gyeong’s eyes widened. He did not know who the assassin was, but the plan to awaken the Millennium Nine-Tailed Fox, which he had been preparing for years, would be for naught if Seo-Yeon died.

“NOOO!” he shouted as he rushed to Seo-Yeon.

The moment he was about to reach her, she was pulled away to the rear like a fish caught by a hook.

He growled as he bared his teeth and shouted, “Who’s there?!”

“Urgh... Ahhh! I-I don’t... want to!” the teary-eyed Seo-Yeon struggled midair.

Just then, a golden card appeared out of nowhere. It showed an angel with red wings with their eyes closed. One of their legs was in water, and they transferred water from a cup in their left hand to the one in their right. They had a brooch of a triangle in a square on their chest. The card was No.14 Temperance, symbolizing mental protection, moderation, and harmony.

[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]

[Brooch of Moderation, one of the symbols of No.14 Temperance]

The Brooch of Moderation, one of a triangle inside a square, appeared on Seo-Yeon’s chest. Pink smoke was expelled from her through her nose.

“Urgh... Hurgh! Huff! I... don’t want... to...” she mumbled.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. No one can force you to do anything.”

Seo-Yeon could feel her sense of reason slowly returning, thanks to the soft voice behind her.

“Who... are you?” she asked.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Get some rest. This won’t take long.”

She felt someone gently closing her eyes. Their hand was prickly because it was covered in calluses, but it was the warmest hand she had ever felt. Once her tension disappeared, she lost all strength in her body.

The door of a nearby steel cage instantly corroded and turned to dust. The invisible assassin carried Seo-Yeon to the cage, and their footsteps sounded as they walked out.

“Son of a bitch... Who are you?! What is your relationship to Seo-Yeon?” Seo-Gyeong asked.

A voice sounded midair, “Her big brother from a faraway past, I suppose.”

“Bullshit! I’m her only big brother!” the possessive Seo-Gyeoing shouted.

The enraged voice sounded, “You call yourself her big brother... after reducing your little sister to that state?”

An Asian man with black hair and eyes appeared from midair. His face was crumpled in rage, and his eyes gleamed with thick bloodlust.

[Activating Trait: Thousand-Man Killer.]

[Activating Trait: Scorn for the Weak.]

An overpowering bloodlust filled the space around them. The air felt so sharp that it could split one’s skin, inducing fear from deep within.

“Fucking animals... None of you will leave here alive!” Seong-Hwi roared as he commenced the battle.

***

Three people sprinted down a hallway of Capella Circus Theater.

“We’re almost there!”

“Hurry!”

“Huff! Huff! My Dexterity stat isn’t as high as yours!”

The man and woman at the front were Ox and Sheep of Clan Earthly Branches, and a male warp gate user followed from behind.

“Sheep! Carry him!” Ox shouted.

“What? Why should I? You do it! Carry the load like the cow you are.”

“Dammit, we don’t have time to argue! Fine, then you cover our surroundings!”

“Alright. Besides, this is a secret passage. There’s nothing to be wary about.”

Sheep, a white-haired woman in her twenties, ran forward as she hummed, and Ox, a black-haired man in his thirties, lifted the warp gate user.

“Whoa! Please be gentle!” the man shouted.

“Shut it! This is an urgent matter! We have to warp right away, so be ready!”

The three rushed to the basement where the cages were. Once they turned the final corner, they saw a woman in the hallway.

“Huh? Someone’s there.”

“Who’s that?”

A short-haired, petite Asian woman wearing skinny jeans and a black windbreaker tilted her head and mumbled, “I took his request since he’s my first friend, but... He doesn’t consider me as a subordinate, does he?”

“Who are you?! How did you—”

Ox interjected, “Sheep! Kill her if you have the time to ask questions! We’re running out of time!”

“Okay!” Sheep said as she charged at the woman.

Wool began to grow from her body. After a closer look, they were covered in thorns.

[Activating Unique Skill: Thorny Wool.]

“Kyahaha! Let’s hug! I love women just as much as men!” she shouted.

The Asian woman, Onie Yuki, smirked as she said, “I said I’d do it because I wanted to test out my new mannequin, but... I should play a little harder to get next time.”

She had pleasantly accepted Seong-Hwi’s request, which had come through Black Market. His request was to prevent anyone from escaping Capella Circus Theater.

“Meaning... I can just kill them all, right? Nice and simple,” she said.

[Activating Unique Skill: Mannequin Control.]

[Mannequin - Filipe Kabuka]

Yuki summoned a slouching mannequin with a gold ring on its right hand. It was the mannequin of Filipe Kabuka, whose corpse she had recently obtained. The production was incredibly successful because the mannequin retained Kabuka’s signature skill.

“A mannequin? Could it be? Sheep! Come back!” Ox shouted from behind.

However, Sheep had already raised her fist to punch the mannequin, shouting, “You must be a manipulator! Aren’t you too old to be playing with dolls?!”

The Kabuka mannequin clacked as it raised its right hand. A golden light flashed from its ring, instantly creating a hundred gold spears that sprouted from the ground.

“Kurgh!”

Sheep instantly turned into a beehive with no time to resist, and dangled lifelessly in midair.

“Hmmm. Is this how you use it? I can’t quite picture a clear image... This is pretty hard,” Yuki mumbled as the gold spears disappeared, and Sheep’s corpse splattered on the ground. “Let’s try this now.”

The gold gathered to form a giant pillar. Sharp blades sprouted from its surface, and the pillar spun rapidly.

“Onie... Yuki!” Ox shouted.

“R-really? The Puppeteer? N-no! I don’t want to die! Get us out of here!” the warp gate user on Ox’s back implored Ox to run away.

However, Ox was already certain of his death—if the woman before him was truly the High Ranker Onie Yuki, sixth in the human ranking.

He thought, Running is meaningless. So is attacking... or defending. Not just that, but I’ve heard about that gold-controlling skill somewhere—

Ox’s vision was filled with gold before he could finish his thoughts. The bladed gold pillar rapidly grew larger, filling the entire passage.

This skill infinitely multiplied even a small amount of gold that the user could control for offensive and defensive purposes. The manipulation skill, Almighty Gold, fell behind Remy Martin’s Telekinesis in versatility but was superior in power. Kabuka had died without getting the chance to use it after drinking the Dragonblood Poison.

This must be... my grave, Ox thought.

He gave up on life as he was met with the golden light that grew bigger each second.

The warp gate user behind him screamed, “NOOO!”

The spinning, bladed pillar ground Ox and the warp gate user like pork in a blender. They were reduced to lumps of flesh that splattered all over the passage.

Yuki shook her head as she stared at the meat-splattered passage and said, “Hmmm... I shouldn’t use it like this if I want to collect mannequins. Manipulating a manipulation skill makes it twice as difficult.”

The corpses needed to be intact for her to turn them into mannequins. She needed more time to fine-tune the skill.