Stella had slain a one-tailed Fox Demon - creatures no larger than a small fox and practically defenseless. The real threats were the three-tailed and two-tailed variants.
"Boss, what should we do? This Celestial Master seems merciless!" The remaining two one-tails cowered, begging their three-tailed leader to retreat.
Before Stella, they were mere cannon fodder. She could slaughter them like chickens - though sending the boss in first was out of the question.
"What choice do we have? If we don't kill her, none of us will survive." The three-tailed fox kicked one of the trembling one-tails forward. "Get moving!"
The two foxes stumbled, their bodies stiffening as they puffed their cheeks like their smaller brethren before spewing streams of blue foxfire.
Stella's blade flashed twice, scattering the flames effortlessly. A follow-up kick sent them tumbling away like furry balls.
The timing proved unfortunate - the two-tailed fox had circled behind Stella unnoticed.
Its claws elongated into foot-long blades sharp enough to flay a man to the bone.
With a grotesque chuckle, the demon raked its talons toward Stella's back, cold light slicing through the air.
But one heartbeat before contact, I drew my Copper Coin Sword and struck without hesitation.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. It had stalked Stella, only to find me waiting.
A crimson arc erupted from the demon's back as it shrieked, blood spraying from its maw.
Even collapsed on the ground, its face twisted with spite. Gurgling blood, it inflated its cheeks.
"Huuu—"
A conflagration burst forth - crimson flames tall enough to engulf a man, hot enough to reduce flesh to ash in seconds.
"Taste true foxfire, human! Never underestimate a two-tail!" it roared.
My heart lurched. At this range, such flames would— Stella couldn't possibly—
She reacted to my warning strike, but dodging was impossible. Only confrontation remained.
"Heaven and earth unbound, I summon cosmic might! Let the swastika's power purge this blight!"
Stella's incantation rang out as her teeth pierced a fingertip. Blood traced a glowing swastika in her palm.
Boom…
Stella struck the stream of foxfire with her palm. As the flames rushed toward her, the shimmering swastika's light crushed them back.
Poof!
The foxfire rebounded completely.
"No… no… don't—!" The two-tailed fox seemed to realize what was happening, but with its body slashed open by my strike, it had no way to escape in time. Panic seized it as its own flames devoured it.
A few seconds later, the two-tailed fox was charred black, its fur nearly gone, its body emitting a strangely delectable roasted scent.
Stella's sword flicked once more, piercing straight through the demon's heart—delivering the final blow.
"Ah—!"
The two-tailed fox let out a final, wretched scream before transforming back into an ordinary fox corpse. The ground was now littered with burnt fur and bright red blood.
Another kill—a two-tailed fox, no less.
When Stella turned her head, she found the three-tailed fox had already vanished. Only the two fallen one-tails remained. Even I hadn't noticed—this three-tailed fox was an escape artist, and a professional at selling out its teammates.
Stella didn't give chase immediately. Instead, she swiftly ended the remaining one-tails with a backhanded slash before darting out the door, mahogany sword in hand.
"Careful—there are ghosts outside!" I warned urgently.
Dawn had not yet broken, and the temple's guardian spirits wouldn't have dispersed. The three-tailed fox, being a demon, likely wouldn't concern them—they couldn't interfere with it anyway. But we were human. That made us fair game.
Stella didn't care. She was determined to pursue, no matter what. For Harper's sake, she would kill the three-tailed fox at any cost.
I had no choice but to follow. Stein and the little fox stayed behind—I couldn't afford to watch over them now.
The moment Stella rushed out, I was right behind her. Outside, we could still see the three-tailed fox's retreating figure. But if it gained too much distance, catching up would be nearly impossible.
Stella calculated quickly—then hurled her mahogany sword like a javelin.
The three-tailed fox had no choice but to stop and block, or risk being impaled.
As it spun around, both claws extended—sharp, knife-like nails sprouting, longer and deadlier than the two-tailed fox's. The thickness alone made them resemble slender swords—just grazing them would carve out chunks of flesh.
"You persistent wretch! Still chasing? Then die!" The three-tailed fox snarled, slashing both claws forward.
Bang!
Its strike collided with the flying mahogany sword.
After sending out a shower of sparks, the mahogany sword flew back and Stella caught it mid-tumble.
"Ten Demon Slashes!" The Three-Tailed Fox shouted, swinging both claws. Immediately, ten sword-like gusts of sharp wind swooped toward us.
"Duck!" Stella bellowed as we dove left and right.
A series of thuds sounded as ten new grooves appeared in the ground. Had those strikes hit us, we would have been sliced apart multiple times.
This three-tailed fox might have fled from Stella earlier, but its strength shouldn't be underestimated. Far stronger than those one or two-tailed foxes, its claw attacks could even strike from a distance.
"Tch. Lucky escape," the three-tailed fox snorted coldly.
"Our luck's holding. Yours isn't." No sooner had Stella spoken than she shot out three Demon-Suppressing Talismans - one aimed at the fox's chest, one at its forehead, and one at its tail.
"Dark Phantom Foxfire!" The three-tailed fox puffed its cheeks and spat out blazing flames. Strangely, the fire was pitch black yet scorchingly hot. The massive flames merged with the darkness, creating an utterly terrifying sight.
Black fire - this was my first time seeing it. I never imagined this three-tailed fox possessed such ability.
The black flames completely consumed the Demon-Suppressing Talismans and even set nearby stones ablaze. The small grass and other vegetation weren't spared either, all reduced instantly to ashes.
As the black fire surged toward us, Stella and I wisely avoided direct confrontation, dodging instead.
When the flames subsided, the surrounding area lay scorched black. But the three-tailed fox's assault continued - while we were still recovering, a demonic wind gust announced its sudden appearance above Stella.
The three-tailed fox grinned grimly as its claws whistled downward, aiming to split Stella's skull.
But Stella reacted swiftly, raising her mahogany sword to block. Several metallic clangs rang out as sparks flew.
Fox and human stood locked in combat, neither gaining clear advantage over the other.
See? Stella's strength matches the Fox Demon's. Now you understand why I've been getting beaten so badly?