Lord Genji stands calm amidst the flurry of his Paper Puppets, his attention fixed on Zimbila, who is silently observing the battle from his Null-Glass zone. The Kitsune continues to dismiss the Orc as a mere distraction.
Kaelen sees the arrogance and uses it. He knows he can't win by finesse, so he commits to noise.
He doesn't just fight the Iron Golem Puppet; he starts destroying the environment with the sheer force of his blows. With every swing of his lead club, he smashes the puppet into the obsidian rock face, creating deafening, metallic screeches and showering the area with magnetic sparks.
He slams the Golem's head into the ground repeatedly, chanting loudly about the weakness of "spiritual constructs" that can't feel pain.
He breaks the Golem's arm and uses the broken piece to scrape a deafening, continuous howl against the remaining magi-train wreckage nearby.
The noise is unbearable—a cacophony of scraping metal, cracking stone, and the Orc's furious battle-cries. This assault is designed to violate the Kitsune's discipline. Spiritual cultivation relies on inner stillness, and Kaelen is making stillness impossible.
"Silence, beast!" Genji finally snaps, his smooth brow furrowing. His Paper Puppets shudder, their Qi momentarily thrown off by the distraction. The Kitsune is losing his focus.
As Genji is forced to look at the battlefield, Tari and Nyra break through the weakened wave of Paper Puppets. They land near Kaelen, their bodies bruised but their eyes locked on the target.
Tari shouts over the din, using the Kitsune's aristocratic pride as his weapon.
"Lord Genji! You claim to represent the Heavenly Palace and the balance of the Shell!" Tari yells, deliberately bowing low to invoke the rules of respect. "If you are truly the superior Cultivator, why do you waste your ultimate power on us scum? That King is recovering, no honour in facing him. You must prove your honor!"
Genji pauses, his pride wounded by the accusation of inefficiency. "Silence, Vanara. My power unlike the King's..."
"Then prove it with a Vow!" Tari cuts, pointing dramatically toward the collapsed entrance of the Labyrinth. "If you are the true guardian of the Shell, swear on your Nine Tails that you will personally enter the Labyrinth, descend to Floor 100, and retrieve the King's Bloomed Chrysalis as a tribute to your Heavenly Emperor!"
Tari's challenge is brilliant:
It is a direct insult to Genji's pride, suggesting he needs a lesser test.
Retrieving the chrysalis is not a martial art challenge; it is an expedition—a dangerous distraction that puts him out of the fight.
The Vow, being made in the presence of the Mushashatala, would be spiritually binding.
Genji's eyes narrow, his nine tails rising sharply. The request is beneath him, but to refuse it would be to admit weakness, something a Kitsune of his rank cannot do.
"Very well," Genji declares, his voice ringing with power, fully accepting the spiritual contract. "I, Lord Genji, swear on my Nine-Tailed Ancestry that I shall descend to Floor 100, and return only with the Mushashatala's emptied vessel. You shall be my witnesses."
Genji slams his Bone Fan onto the ground, finalizing the Vow. A subtle ripple of golden Qi emanates from him, sealing his fate. He dismisses the Iron Golem with a frustrated wave of his hand.
"Demon King," Genji says, pointing to Zimbila. "I have more pressing business with this planet's refuse."
Lord Genji turns and plunges into the Labyrinth entrance, descending rapidly.
Kaelen and Tari collapse onto the ground, exhausted but triumphant.
"It worked," Kaelen gasps, his chest heaving. "He's gone."
Oba Zimbila steps out of his Null-Glass zone. The Prismatic White aura is calm and fully restored. He looks down at the Labyrinth entrance where his most dangerous enemy just voluntarily imprisoned himself.
"He will not die in the Labyrinth immediately," Zimbila resonates, addressing the Unchained. "His Qi is too pure for the Miasma to poison swiftly. He will begin to weaken at the 48th hour of his descent, when he crosses the threshold of the deep-sea caverns. He will then be at the most critical, vulnerable point of the White Fever."
The King has sent his most powerful enemy into a time-delayed trap. He will not intervene directly now. He will wait for Genji to reach the most dangerous, critical point of spiritual exhaustion.
"We cannot leave him," Tari says, shaking his head. "Even if he tried to kill us, the Commandment is to love one's neighbor. We must rescue him before the fever claims him."
Zimbila nods, his massive form filling the sky.
"Correct," the Mushashatala confirms. "He is not to be killed. He is to be shown the difference between the Vow of Pride and the Vow of Love."
The path to the Apex is secure, the Song is sung, and one of the Seven Slayers is captured. The party's next mission is clear: descend the Labyrinth, and save the life of the one who tried to kill the King.