The ghost's hollow eyes burned brighter as the swirling Yin mist thickened around its form.
It stared down at the fox with cold contempt.
"Your body…"
Its voice echoed like wind through a graveyard.
"…will do."
The dark mist shifted closer, stretching toward her.
"You are only a fox with a **common bloodline**," the ghost stated matter-of-factly.
"But…" Its gaze sharpened.
"You have reached the **fifth layer of Foundation Establishment**."
The Yin energy around it pulsed slowly.
"That will suffice… for now."
Its voice turned colder.
"Until I find a more suitable vessel."
The fox didn't move. She simply stared at it.
The ghost continued.
"You should not struggle."
The mist thickened, drifting closer.
"It will be useless."
Its hollow eyes glowed brighter.
"To become my vessel…"
A faint, distorted laugh escaped its voice.
"…is a great honor."
The fox's ears twitched. Then—
A **wide smile** slowly spread across her muzzle.
Her turquoise eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Oh?" she said, tilting her head.
"That's interesting."
Her tail flicked once.
"Because…"
Her voice turned light, teasing.
"I was just about to ask **you** the same thing."
The ghost paused.
"…What?"
The fox's smile widened further.
"So don't struggle, alright?"
Her voice carried playful confidence.
"It will be useless anyway."
Suddenly, the ghost felt something shift. Spiritual energy flared.
The fox had already moved.
From the pouch around her neck, a long, dark banner appeared in her paw.
Its fabric was black as midnight, etched with faint silver runes pulsing with eerie spiritual power.
The **Ghost Banner**.
The moment it appeared—
The ghost's mist-like body **shuddered violently**.
Its hollow eyes widened.
"You—!"
The fox flicked her paw.
The banner snapped open in the night wind.
A powerful **suction force** erupted from the runes.
The Yin mist surrounding the ghost began to warp and twist.
The fox grinned.
"You talk a lot for something that was just sitting in a box."
The banner's runes blazed brighter.
The suction intensified.
"Now, be a good little ghost…"
Her turquoise eyes gleamed.
"…and get inside."
The **Ghost Banner** flared in the wind, its runes igniting with pale silver light.
The swirling Yin energy of the ghost's body twisted violently as the banner's pull attempted to drag it inward.
Its hollow eyes flared.
It **growled**, the sound vibrating through the freezing air.
"You think—"
Its voice roared in fury as it resisted the pull, mist spreading outward to anchor itself.
"—that such a crude tool can trap me?!"
Dark energy surged outward in waves, pushing against the banner.
"I am not some wandering weak spirit—"
"Shut up."
The fox cut it off flatly, eyes narrowing.
"And get in already."
The ghost's form trembled in rage.
"You insolent beast—!"
The mist compressed suddenly, then **lunged forward**.
A jagged spear of condensed Yin energy shot toward the fox's head.
But she was already gone.
Her body blurred sideways with practiced agility.
The attack tore through her previous position and slammed into the ground.
**BOOM.**
Grass and dirt exploded upward, frost spreading instantly across the impact crater.
The fox landed lightly several steps away, still gripping the banner.
Her tail swayed calmly.
"That was slow."
The banner flared again.
The pulling force intensified.
The ghost's misty body twisted violently, part of it beginning to drag toward the banner's mouth.
The spirit snarled in fury.
"You think I will allow—"
The fox interrupted again.
"Yes." Her grin widened.
"I do."
The banner's runes brightened further.
The ghost suddenly **expanded**, spreading its Yin mist across the clearing to resist the pull.
Its hollow eyes burned with hatred.
"Then I will simply **kill you first**."
The mist surged like a dark tidal wave.
At that exact moment—
A faint **crackle of lightning** echoed behind the fox.
The ghost froze. It had felt another presence.
Stronger. Much stronger than the fox.
Behind her—
The lizard's golden eyes glowed brightly in the darkness.
The fox dug her claws into the earth, the **Ghost Banner** snapping loudly as its runes blazed brighter.
The suction intensified.
The spirit continued resisting, its body spreading like a storm of black mist across the clearing.
The fox clicked her tongue.
"Tch. You know…" Her turquoise eyes flicked sideways.
"…sometimes a problem just needs a **good kick** to get it where it belongs."
Her tail flicked.
"And lucky for me…"
She raised her voice.
"…there's someone here who can do that **perfectly**."
"White!"
Behind her—
The lizard's golden eyes burned brighter.
His voice calm.
"Don't tell me what to do."
The fox's ears twitched in irritation.
"Little White." Her voice sharpened.
"This is **really not the time** for that."
The ghost's burning eyes shifted toward the lizard.
For the first time, it truly **looked** at him.
The creature standing there was not large, but its aura was strange.
Storm energy flickered along its scales.
Black horns curved slightly from its head.
And those golden eyes…
They weren't normal.
The ghost narrowed its hollow gaze.
"…What are you?"
The lizard didn't answer. He simply stared back.
Then—
A **faint ripple** moved through the air. Invisible. Silent.
Before the ghost could react—
**BOOM.**
The **soul attack** struck.
The ghost shrieked, its mist-like body convulsing violently. Parts tore apart, Yin energy scattering like smoke.
"GRAAAHH—!"
Soul attacks—one of the few things that could harm spectral entities—had done their work.
The fox's eyes lit up instantly.
"Bingo."
She yanked the Ghost Banner downward with all her strength.
The formation flared brilliantly.
The suction multiplied.
The ghost's damaged form collapsed inward.
"NO—!"
The spirit struggled to reform. But the disruption was enough.
Large portions of its misty body were **dragged toward the banner's mouth**.
The fox grinned fiercely.
"That's it!"
"Get in there!"