The fox's eyes snapped sharp.
Its tails flared wide as it **shouted**, voice cutting through the forest like a blade.
"SEE?"
The spear trembled in the air beside it, qi roaring outward as the earth snake still thrashed behind the cultivator perched in the trees.
"I HAVEN'T EVEN HANDED OVER THE POUCH—" the fox snarled, spinning in place, spear tip sweeping toward the surrounding shadows, "—AND YOU'RE ALREADY ATTACKING!"
Its gaze locked onto the rat-man, burning.
"You want me to *trust* you?" the fox barked. "You can't even control your own people!"
The fox took a step back, deliberately moving closer to the center of the clearing, posture defensive but **loudly righteous**, as if wronged.
"So tell me," it continued, voice rising, dripping with accusation, "if I hand it over right now—"
The spear pointed toward the tree where the cultivator struggled.
"—who's stopping him from striking again?"
Then another direction.
"And him?"
And another.
"You?" the fox snapped at the rat-man. "Or do you expect me to believe they'll all suddenly grow morals?"
The forest stirred.
Several cultivators shifted uncomfortably. One hissed under his breath, "That wasn't me—"
Another snapped back, "Idiot, you moved too early!"
Perfect.
The fox's lips curled into a sharp grin.
"That's what I thought," it said coldly. "You don't want my pouch."
It tapped the spear against the ground once.
"You want **each other dead**—and you just want to be the one who survives to pick it clean."
The rat-man's eyes narrowed. Whiskers twitched violently.
"Careful, fox," he growled. "You're stalling."
The fox laughed—short, sharp, fearless.
"Oh, I'm not stalling," it said. "I'm proving a point."
Behind them, unseen, the lizard inhaled slowly, deeply—drawing in the layered scents of anger, greed, and mistrust now **boiling** through the clearing.
*…The fire has started.*
The cultivators' formation was no longer a ring.
It was a powder keg.
And all it needed now… was another spark.
The fox let out a slow breath.
Then it **laughed**.
Not sharp.
Not mocking.
Almost… relieved.
"…Alright," it said, voice carrying clearly through the clearing. "Seems we're all tired of pretending."
With a casual flick of its paw, qi wrapped around the **storage pouch**.
For a single heartbeat, the fox held it up—letting the moonlight catch the worn leather, the faint spatial distortion rippling around it.
"You all want this," the fox said plainly. "Every single one of you."
Then it **threw it**.
The pouch arced cleanly through the air—
Straight toward the rat-headed man.
The rat's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before instinct took over. His barrier shifted, opening just enough as his hand shot out and **caught** the pouch.
The moment it landed in his grasp—
Everything changed.
The fox spread its hands.
"There," it said calmly. "It's with him now."
Its gaze swept the clearing, meeting every shadow, every masked face.
"So go on," the fox continued. "Meet him."
Silence.
Heavy.
Loaded.
The rat-man froze, whiskers twitching violently as realization slammed into him.
"You—" he snarled, snapping his head toward the fox. "You're trying to—"
Too late.
A cultivator to the left took a half-step forward, eyes locked on the pouch.
Another shifted his stance, qi unconsciously tightening.
Someone whispered, "…It's really with him."
The fox's voice cut in smoothly.
"I'm unarmed now," it said. "No pouch. No leverage. No reason to kill me."
Its tails lowered, posture relaxed—**disarmed**.
"But him?" The fox nodded toward the rat-man. "He has everything."
The rat-man's aura flared violently.
"DON'T LISTEN—" he barked. "Kill the fox first! And—"
A masked cultivator laughed nervously. "Why? The prize is right there."
Another scoffed. "He's Fifth Layer. He can handle himself… right?"
The fox took a deliberate step backward. Then another.
"I'll just be going," it said lightly. "You all clearly have business to settle."
The rat-man spun, teeth bared. "ANYONE WHO MOVES—"
Someone moved.
Not fast. Not coordinated. Just… greedy.
A Third Layer cultivator lunged.
And the forest **exploded**.
Qi clashed as barriers slammed into place. Blades flashed. A talisman detonated midair, scattering light and debris. Someone screamed as blood sprayed across bark.
The rat-man roared, unleashing a shockwave that hurled two cultivators back—but another struck from behind, desperate and reckless.
In the chaos—
The fox vanished into the shadows, silent, tail low, presence shrinking as it slipped away from the center of the storm.
Above the noise, unseen, the lizard moved.
Still invisible.
Still calm.
Its tongue flicked once, tasting the air now thick with blood.
*…They've turned on each other.*
The fire was no longer smoldering.
It was burning.
And now—
The hunt could truly begin.
The ground **shuddered**.
Not once—
But twice.
A deep, grinding *crack* split the earth as **another massive earth snake** burst upward, stone and soil exploding outward in a violent plume. It rose between two cultivators, its body thick as a cart, scales carved from compacted earth, eyes glowing with dull amber light.
The timing was perfect.
The cultivators were already on edge—already half-turned on one another.
This was the push.
The first earth snake lunged again, jaws snapping shut where a Fourth Layer cultivator had stood a breath earlier. He barely leapt away, barrier screaming as stone fangs scraped against it.
"WHAT THE HELL—?!"
"IT'S NOT THE FOX—!"
"WATCH YOUR BACK—!"
Panic rippled outward.
The second earth snake **coiled**, then slammed its tail down, crushing brush and sending shockwaves through the clearing. A masked cultivator lost his footing, stumbling straight into another's blade.
Blood sprayed.
"IDIOT—!"
"You attack me—!"
"DON'T LET THAT RAT TAKE IT!"
That last shout cut through the chaos.
Several cultivators hesitated.
Their gazes snapped—not to the fox, not to the snakes—
But to the **rat-headed man**.
He stood rigid, barrier flaring bright as multiple attacks glanced off it, the storage pouch clenched tight in his clawed hand.
"FOCUS!" he roared. "The snakes are a distraction—KILL THE SUMMONER!"
His eyes scanned the clearing wildly.
He couldn't see it. He couldn't sense it.
That was what terrified him.
Two cultivators moved to his side instinctively—both Fourth Layer—forming a loose protective arc around him. Their auras overlapped, defensive, wary.
One hissed, "We keep him alive—we split the loot later."
Another nodded tightly. "Agreed."
Not everyone agreed.
A Third Layer cultivator, eyes bloodshot with greed, snarled, "Why should *he* decide that?"
He raised his blade—
And the **earth snake struck**.
It erupted beneath him, jaws closing around his torso with a wet *crunch*. His scream cut off instantly as his barrier shattered like glass.
That was the breaking point.
Fear drowned out caution.
Some cultivators turned fully on each other, shouting accusations, striking first just to survive. Others kept their distance, circling the rat-man warily, weighing whether to protect him… or kill him.
The forest became a battlefield.
And through it all—
The lizard moved.
Silent.
Unseen.
It slipped between roots and shadows, controlling the earth snakes with precise, careful effort—never overextending, never revealing its position.