The Tushan Realm.
Once carved out by Xi as a sanctuary for the Foxians alone.
Yet over these past few centuries, though it still bore the name Tushan, it had long become the Borisin's de facto "capital."
Hidden behind the scenes, the Borisin manipulated every Foxian move, treating them as disposable resources and playthings.
No one knew how many Foxian bones lay buried beneath those lush forests.
Nor could anyone truly fathom the bitterness carried by the Foxian Elder, whose lifespan was nearly at its end.
All the Foxians knew was that, once again, they'd been gathered and driven to the frontlines.
Their families—the elderly, women, and children—were held hostage behind them, tools the Borisin used to maintain control.
"I believe none of you Foxians want anything to happen to your families, so rest assured—we'll protect them very, very well."
Those hateful Borisin faces remained seared into the Foxians' minds.
But for the sake of their families, they could only grip their weapons and stand ready at the battlefield.
Across from them stood the united forces of the Xianzhou and the Vidyadhara.
A vast sea of warriors stretched out, tens of thousands at a glance.
At the very front of the allied forces, unmistakable in presence, stood the Vidyadhara leader and the Sword Champion of Cangcheng, hand resting on his longsword.
Directly across from the Foxians, however, were the Borisin themselves—creatures the Foxians longed to tear apart, to devour raw.
The two sides faced each other at Tushan's border.
"Puppies~, your grandma's here—kneel and beg nicely, and maybe I'll give you a quick death!"
The Vidyadhara had suffered ambushes from these creatures. Some warriors, still not fully healed, insisted on returning to the field.
Facing these foes again, mercy was out of the question.
"Our honored guests have arrived, yet their tongues are still so coarse… what a shame."
Khan Bolue let out a soft chuckle. Not a hint of bloodlust or madness showed on his face.
Yet he was the one who had orchestrated this confrontation.
"You mangy mutt hiding in the shadows, only brave enough to yap through a hologram. How about a wager? Let's see if I don't rip out every last hair on your body!"
It was fury at first sight. Jin Xing couldn't hold back the moment she saw Bolue.
If not for Sora, all her people would have died that day.
This time, she would make this bastard taste the same despair—
She would tear out every last hair from his hide.
"Such a brute," Bolue murmured, shifting his gaze away from Jin Xing to someone behind her.
A figure sat there with eyes closed, as if dozing.
Who else but Sora?
"So this is the new Khan supported by the Vidyadhara and Xianzhou—oh, excuse me. In your terms, perhaps it's General? Or King?"
Bolue studied Sora closely.
His build was solid, but there was no sign of having walked any Path.
Even now, he sat with eyes closed, looking rather tired.
The only thing of note was the rectangular device at his waist, three circular objects on it glowing faint green.
Beyond that, nothing stood out.
"For someone so ordinary, you all treat him with remarkable reverence. How unfortunate…"
Bolue felt almost sorry for the Vidyadhara and Xianzhou—races that had once stood against him as equals.
His words finally prompted Sora, who had remained silent, to open his eyes.
"From what you're saying, I'm not worthy?"
"You're just a short-lived mortal brought here by Xi, leader of the Heliobi. Do you truly think yourself worthy?"
Bolue was certain this ordinary man was an outsider dragged in by Xi.
In the Cangyan Realm, nearly all were long-lived.
Short-lived mortals only appeared if Xi had captured them.
"The gulf between the short-lived and the long-lived is vast. The knowledge I possess would take you three lifetimes to reach."
"You lack learning, and your physique barely matches my own people's. As for power…"
Bolue paused before finishing, "You haven't even set foot on a Path. What power could you possibly speak of?"
And he wasn't wrong.
"You're right," Sora said evenly, switching out two Core Medals in his Driver. "I haven't stepped onto any Path."
"Even so, I still have enough power to protect those dear to me—perhaps even to fulfill certain wishes."
"[HENSHIN]!"
'[TAKA!] [TORA!] [BATTA!]'
'[TATOBA, TA-TO-BA!]'
A disk of tri-colored light formed, projecting across Sora's chest.
When the radiance faded, a figure stood revealed—hawk-like head, a tiger's fierce torso, legs marked with insectoid patterns—
KAMEN RIDER OOO—TATOBA COMBO!
"As for whether I'm worthy… why don't you try me?"
Sora's words stilled the battlefield.
Everyone seemed stunned.
"Pfft—"
A derisive snort snapped the silence.
All eyes turned toward a Borisin at the front.
Grinning wide, he flashed pale, razor-sharp teeth.
"Hahaha—'big mop'? 'Big mop'? What, you trying to kill me with laughter?"
His mockery set the rest of the Borisin roaring.
Did they really think this so-called "big mop" could beat them?
"Stop joking! I'll even let you swing two mops!"
The Borisin howled, not noticing Sora's gaze fixed sharply on him.
Mongrel, you've got my attention now.
"That Borisin's done for," Yu Qi muttered sympathetically, catching Sora's subtle movements.
The last time Sora acted like this was during his duel with Yu Qi's master.
And now he wore that same intensity—did this Borisin have even a fraction of that master's strength?
If not, the outcome was already sealed.
"Heh. Seems I won't need to worry about this anymore," Bolue laughed, cutting off the hologram.
He had been cautious of Sora at first; after all, he'd impressed Jin Xing and the Sword Champion.
He had assumed Sora possessed some hidden trump card.
But after hearing such ridiculous bravado, any remaining concern vanished.
"Looks like they just brought him along to lighten the mood."
He had prepared carefully, aiming to stall the frontline as long as possible.
But now, it seemed neither faction was taking the fight seriously.
If they were, would they really bring such a clown?
"Big mop," Bolue scoffed. Could that mop even clear the snow off Mount Buzhou?
In his tent, Bolue drummed his fingers on the table, reevaluating.
If the enemy was bluffing, he could proceed with the next fusion experiment.
He hadn't thought there'd be time for a second round.
But now…
Beep beep beep beep—beep beep beep!
Just as he reached that conclusion, his communicator erupted in urgent alarms!
His brows knit tightly as he accepted the call.
"What is it?! Can't you see I'm busy with something important here?!"
Bolue's tone was impatient—but before he could continue, loud noise burst from the communicator.
Leaning closer, he realized it was the frontline channel from just moments ago.
The voice on the other end, hearing the connection go through, shouted in a panic, "Khan Bolue! Khan Bolue! We've been tricked—we've fallen into a trap!"
"Tricked? What do you mean, tricked?!" Bolue was baffled.
Hadn't the enemy been bluffing? How could they have been tricked?
"It's—it's that 'big mop' guy, he—he's—"
Before the terrified Borisin could finish, three crisp scanning sounds echoed from the transmission.
Bolue watched, stunned, as three concentric rings of energy blossomed into the sky.
What… what the hell is that?!
'[SCANNING CHARGE!]'
Bolue leaned in, desperate to see more.
But suddenly, massive stones appeared out of nowhere, completely blocking the rings and obscuring the image.
"What the hell?!"
He was certain he'd seen it clearly—there had definitely been no stones of that size on the battlefield just moments before.
So where had these rocks come from?
As he stared in confusion, a roar came from above.
Those obscuring stones were kicked to pieces one after another, and when the final rock shattered, Bolue finally saw the figure clearly:
A silhouette dropping from the sky, crimson wings spread wide.
Three rings of red, yellow, and green energy wrapped around his feet as he dove in fury.
And with that furious descent came a shout:
"You're the one who was laughing just now, right?!"
Faced with the rapidly approaching figure, the Borisin holding the communicator bolted in terror, flailing wildly.
But no matter how it fled, the distance didn't widen in the slightest.
It had never imagined that just mocking the enemy once would bring such relentless pursuit!
"KHAN BOLUE, SAVE—"
It screamed into the communicator as it ran.
Yet before it could finish, Bolue watched those winged feet drive straight into the Borisin's back.
With a single violent kick, the creature's body was sent flying—
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion in the distance clearly announced that Borisin's final fate.
"This is…"
The communicator dropped to the ground, and Bolue finally got a clear look at the attacker.
Three colors traced a simple yet striking pattern across his body. Wasn't this exactly the mortal he'd mocked earlier—Hoshigaki Sora?
This short-lived mortal possessed such terrifying power—Bolue had never expected it.
It hadn't even been ten minutes since their previous call had ended, and Sora had already hunted down and killed the Borisin who'd mocked him.
What a petty bastard.
He'd thought the Vidyadhara and Xianzhou weren't serious about this war, bringing this man along just as a joke.
But clearly, their intentions were now very real.
As Bolue brooded, Sora picked up the communicator.
"You're Bolue, right? Don't let me see you at Mount Buzhou—if I do, I'll rip those glasses off your face and pluck out every last hair you've got."
Without waiting for a reply, Sora stomped the communicator into scrap.
Bolue had just opened his mouth to respond when the image cut to static.
His anger caught in his throat, leaving him unable to vent it.
"That damned short-lived pest! Just wait until you reach Mount Buzhou—I'll make sure you suffer!"
In the end, all he could do was grind his teeth in rage.
What he hadn't expected was how fast the frontline collapsed—far beyond his expectations.
"Khan Bolue, the Xianzhou–Vidyadhara allied forces have broken through our lines and are advancing into the Tushan Realm!"
The frontline had held tens of thousands of Foxians—yet they had fallen in less than two hours.
Bolue simply couldn't accept it. "Impossible! How could tens of thousands of Foxians be wiped out so quickly?"
"Khan Bolue… the Foxians weren't wiped out…"
The reporting Borisin glanced upward nervously before deciding to tell the truth. "They surrendered."
"Surrendered?! How could they surrender when we hold their families?"
Bolue couldn't fathom it. Their families were still hostages.
If they surrendered, their families should have been slaughtered immediately.
"But it's true—they've all laid down their weapons and joined the allied forces."
"How could this be…" Bolue had never imagined the Foxians would actually choose to surrender.
"In that case, their families are useless. Kill them all."
"Understood!"
With orders received, the Borisin hastily withdrew.
Bolue lay back inside his tent, silently watching the drifting snow outside.
What the hell is going on? How did everything suddenly become so unfamiliar?
To his surprise, the Borisin sent to execute the hostages rushed back almost at once.
"Finished already? That was fast," Bolue said, finally allowing himself to relax a little.
"N-No… Khan Bolue, I tried contacting our men guarding the Foxian settlements, but none of them responded."
Bolue shot upright.
"Impossible!"
"It's true—they only left some recordings behind."
Once he received the footage, Bolue immediately started playback.
The instant the image appeared, a figure with distinct green markings drew his eye.
Those patterns are just like that guy from earlier… Wait, what's that in his hand?
'[LION!]'
'[TORA!]'
'[CHEETAH!]'
Moments later, bursts of golden light filled the screen.
Every Borisin guarding the Foxian families was instantly riddled with wounds.
Seizing the moment, the Foxian hostages rose up with the now gold-patterned figure, overpowering the Borisin guards and escaping.
And it wasn't just one settlement—every Foxian village experienced the exact same scene at the same time.
Yet in each place, the green-patterned figure used entirely different powers.
In one location, his body shone silver as he manipulated gravity, a single blow crushing the guards into flattened meat.
In another, he wielded flowing water—unseen currents quietly took the Borisin's lives, and Bolue only noticed the water threads when they caught the light.
Elsewhere, he held a flute, commanding a giant serpent. After a long, fruitless struggle, he turned the serpent into a sword and swung madly. Before long, the entire town was in ruins, Borisin guards buried beneath the serpent's rampage.
At the end, the attacker even remarked, "This form still works better."
Bolue recognized that voice immediately.
Isn't that the same man from earlier?!
That short-lived mortal was clearly at the frontline—so how could his voice be heard here?
A recording?
Unlikely. They'd rescued the hostages in secret; there was no need to mislead him with pre-recorded lines.
Someone with a similar voice?
Impossible. Borisin hearing was far too keen—slight changes in tone were obvious, let alone an entire sentence.
So Bolue could only accept one conclusion: the voice really belonged to that mortal.
And if he was appearing in multiple places at once, there was only one explanation—
"Clones…"
Bolue arrived at the sole answer.
That mortal actually had the ability to create clones. It was truly astonishing.
He knew some in the Intelligentsia Guild possessed similar techniques, using extremely partitioned consciousness to control multiple puppets.
Clearly, this man worked by the same principle.
Yet such a method came with tremendous mental strain.
"If you're under that kind of pressure, there have to be things you overlook," Bolue chuckled quietly.
Despite losing his hostages, he felt neither panic nor worry. In fact, he was somewhat relieved.
He had secretly ruled over the Foxians for hundreds of years and had long prepared for a situation like this.
He'd already embedded many agents among the Foxians.
"You may have rescued them, but you've also taken in a pile of ticking bombs."
Relaxed, Bolue ordered his subordinates to keep a close eye on the Xianzhou–Vidyadhara allied forces, watching for any sign of internal unrest.
Once infighting broke out, that would be his chance to strike.
"In war, only the one who stands at the end is truly victorious."
All advantages and disadvantages were meaningless until the final moment.
You've seized an early lead? So what?
Finding the ones I've planted among the Foxians won't be easy.
Hearts are fickle—how could you possibly see through what's truly inside?
Let's wait and see what kind of blaze your internal strife will spark…
Bolue waited eagerly for what was to come.
...
"You! Don't move!" a flame shouted, halting a Foxian in his tracks.
It shot into his body and churned violently. "Your emotions are tense and excited, craving praise and reward… Without a doubt, you're a traitor!"
The Foxian wore a completely bewildered expression. "Wh-what do you mean? Are you saying I was bought off by those Borisin?!"
"Ridiculous. Your innermost desires told me everything—you're after the new house and ten years of tax exemption the Borisin promised you!"
The flame circled him, loudly announcing every thought hidden in his heart.
"You hid yourself well. Fortunately, nothing escapes this lord's nose!"
He tried to protest, but a squad had already rushed over and pinned him down.
"You idiots! How can you trust these so-called Upper Gods? They—"
His voice faded as he was dragged away.
Scenes like this unfolded again and again throughout the city where the allied army rested.
...
Meanwhile, Yu Qi was wrapping a wound on his arm.
The reason for this chaos was simple—someone had deliberately put him in harm's way.
Thus, after Sora's negotiation with Xi, the Heliobi—who had been temporarily suppressed—now assumed the special roles of strategists and traitor-hunters.
As for why Sora didn't heal Yu Qi himself…
It was because he was currently slumped in place, completely spent.
He had maintained multiple clones throughout the entire day, leaving him utterly drained.
At the moment, he could barely lift a finger.
So traitor-hunting had to be handled by other means.
"Still, I never expected these Heliobi would actually listen to you," said the Sword Champion of Cangcheng, stepping to Sora's side and watching the ongoing commotion in amazement.
The Heliobi were notorious for their arrogance and disregard for others.
Yet these proud beings were willingly cooperating with Sora.
That alone was enough to puzzle him for months.
"They're not listening to me," Sora corrected, glancing at Feng Liqi, who was whispering softly to the Xi-Sphere. "They're listening to someone else entirely."
The Heliobi obeyed Xi—more precisely, because Xi had come to Sora directly.
When Sora dismissed his clones and collapsed in exhaustion, Xi approached him.
"Let's make a deal, human."
Xi herself had sought him out and proposed a deal.
As for its contents…
"What?!" Feng Liqi cried in genuine shock after hearing what Xi wanted.
"You're saying that after Sora leads us out of here, you want him to take the entire Heliobi race away from this place?!"
"Correct."
The Xi-Sphere spoke calmly. "The Vidyadhara and Xianzhou have joined forces again. With the Foxians also returning to their side, the three main Xianzhou races have reunited."
If it had simply been a matter of races cooperating, Xi would not have worried—she still held the Heavenly Lord, after all, placing her in a position few could threaten.
But with the Sword Champion of Cangcheng and the Vidyadhara leader allied, she had cause for concern.
Before this, each major race had been fractured by survival.
Now Sora had appeared, becoming the key that reconnected them.
With the Foxians reclaimed, Xi had no retreat left.
Three united races—plus Sora, someone she could not defeat at all.
Victory was nearly impossible, and she refused to let her people suffer oppression again.
Thus, she gambled.
She would wager everything she had witnessed, and bet on Sora himself.
During this short-lived cooperation, she would help him root out the traitors.
After everything was resolved, Sora would cut open Rahu's belly and allow her to lead all Heliobi away from the Xianzhou.
Then Cangyan could live normally, and her people would never again face oppression.
"But… will it work?" Feng Liqi faltered.
"It can," Xi told her, "but only if you join us."
At that, Feng Liqi's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
"M-me-me-me?"
"I know you're timid by nature—fear and panic embody your emotions as a Heliobus—but now is not the time to fear," the Xi-Sphere pulsed, addressing her directly. "We are both true children of the Sui Emperor. Together, we can wield at least one-third of the Sui Emperor's power."
"Our combined power, together with Sora, the Heavenly Lord, and Mount Buzhou, would be enough to tear open Rahu's belly."
Rahu was a colossal beast capable of becoming an Emanator of Voracity and Abundance. A creature with the potential for two Paths required countless Abundance blessings to sustain it. Thus Rahu stood at the crossroads of Abundance and Voracity.
Though it had not fully reached either Path's apex, that did not make it weak.
If anything—it was terrifying.
Abundance and Voracity were both extraordinarily powerful Paths; their coexistence within Rahu surpassed simple addition.
"For our people… don't run anymore, Nüwa."
"M-m-m-me, I'll… think about it."
Lowering her head, Feng Liqi fled to a quiet corner.
Xi watched her go without pressing her further.
With the Heliobi's help, all traitors among the Foxians were finally identified. The Heliobi could delve deep into desire, leaving no room for oversight.
Moreover, Xi had ordered absolute accuracy—mistakes were not tolerated.
Even so, the final number shocked everyone:
Around ten percent…
It was staggering. Ten percent of the entire Foxian population meant hundreds—thousands—of traitors. No one had imagined the number could be so high.
"In extraordinary times, we take extraordinary measures. Imprison them all and don't feed them," declared the Foxian Elder, stepping forward as debate grew heated. "After the war ends, General, you may decide their fate. Handling it now would only waste our strength."
As the Elder approached, Sora tried to stand but had no strength left.
"No need. Let this old man sit beside you."
He sat next to Sora, adjusting himself so the spreading branches on his body wouldn't prick him.
"After centuries of emptiness, my lifelong wish is finally fulfilled."
Centuries were easy to say, but Foxians lived at most three hundred years. His survival until now had taken everything he had. Now that the Foxians were finally freed from the Borisin, his lifelong hope had been realized.
"Thank you for your maps," Sora said. "Without them, we couldn't have acted so smoothly."
"Nonsense, nonsense. Maps were just temporary tools. It was your strength that made everything possible."
As he spoke, Abundance branches sprouted densely across his body.
Yu Qi found the sight disturbingly familiar.
Isn't this exactly how Xianzhou humans looked before Mara consumed them?
This old man didn't have much time left.
"As the end comes, I won't say much more. I only want to warn you all about Bolue," the Elder's voice weakened with each word. "For nearly a century, he's been preparing something he calls 'Path Reversion.'"
"I don't know what it means, but it can't be anything good."
"As for choosing the next Foxian leader—that, young man, I leave to you. I… who survived these long, miserable years… am unworthy."
For centuries, he had watched helplessly as the Borisin tormented his people. Surviving on the blood and lives of his own kind, he had no right to choose a successor.
"Qingyue has lingered too long in this world. It's time to go…"
Sora stopped those who moved forward—what sat before him was now only a silhouette woven from countless intertwined branches.
Normally, he should have transformed into an Abomination.
Yet no hostility radiated from him.
Instead, Sora felt a burning heat in his palm—heat that clearly came from the Elder.
"This is… desire?!"
Just a moment's touch was enough for Sora to understand its origin.
It was the Elder's immense desire, suppressing Mara's destructive urge and keeping him seated peacefully.
So, what Sora needed to do now was—
He reached into the Elder's form, grasped something intangible, and pulled.
Clatter!
Under everyone's stunned gaze, the branches crumbled into countless medals, scattering across the ground.
What remained was an elderly Foxian with white hair, appearing as though peacefully asleep.
And in Sora's palm rested a faintly golden Core Medal.
Having overcome Mara through pure desire, the Elder's will had crystallized into this Core Medal—
Its name: Desire Core Medal of Abundance.
---
T/N: WHATTT!!!!