Ultraman cubs begin to wreak havoc.

The fox demon seemed to hesitate, unsure whether to say the next sentence.

Jing Tianjinglong remained silent, awaiting the fox demon's reply. The wind filtering through the cracks caused the flame of the lamp to flicker erratically.

"I'm starting to think that life is pretty good."

The flickering lamplight illuminated the figure of a woman, who should have been a fox spirit. But at this moment, the figure in the lamplight was unmistakably a woman, gazing forlornly at the lamp.

Human life...

Jing Tianjinglong pondered these words repeatedly in his heart. After his coming-of-age ceremony, he spent every day slaying demons. Wandering the world, killing evil spirits, living under the open sky, he also experienced emotions he had never felt before during his time living with the fox spirit.

"I'm sorry. What I said was ridiculous."

"It doesn't matter."

After gazing at Jing Tian and Jing Long for a moment, the woman blew out the lamp. Both the woman and Jing Tian and Jing Long knew perfectly well that their peaceful days were numbered.

A few days later, a breeze blew into the forest, and a few leaves danced in the air. Jing Tianjinglong took a stance, his sword already drawn. He swung his sword extremely fast, drawing a perfect curve. Eleven leaves left the branches, and twenty-two fell to the ground.

"All right."

Jingtian Jinglong found his rhythm. The wound on his chest had completely healed, his internal organs were no longer abnormal, and the feeling of holding the sword was no different from usual. It seemed that he could set off early in the morning.

As Iida Ryu thought this, he slowly walked along the path leading to the hut. Initially, he had an evil impression of this forest, but at some point, his feelings for the forest had changed.

The White Fox Forest, as people call it, is a legend passed down by word of mouth. When you trace its origins, you can usually find some basis in it. The reason this forest is called this is because its original owner was a white fox spirit.

However, at some point, the forest's master was murdered by an evil sorcerer, paving the way for demons to enter the forest. After Ida Iryu slays the demons, the forest once again becomes the forest of the white fox.

But now, Jingtian Jinglong has no choice but to kill the white fox. The white fox that saved his life is the one he has to kill. The thatched hut appears in Jingtian Jinglong's field of vision.

The white fox, carrying a basket filled with wild vegetables, came out to greet him and asked Jing Tianjinglong with a smile:

How are you feeling?

Jingtian Jinglong stared intently at the white fox. The white fox sensed something amiss in his gaze, and the smile on its face vanished. Jingtian Jinglong gazed deeply at the white fox, as if he wanted to imprint her in his heart. Then he spoke.

I will leave first thing tomorrow morning.

The white fox simply replied with a soft sound:

"it is good."

She almost dropped the basket of wild vegetables in her hand, but the white fox quickly realized what was happening, her slender eyes becoming even more elongated, and her expression becoming very serious.

"Then you will keep our promise, right?"

Ida Ryu nodded slowly.

"tonight."

The white fox nodded after listening, and neither Jing Tianjinglong nor the white fox said another word until night fell.

Meanwhile, as the two protagonists' moods changed, the surrounding trees and tender grass seemed to undergo a strange mutation. They turned yellow instantly, as if they had been squeezed dry in the blink of an eye. Moreover, the water they lost did not evaporate into thin air, but gathered together and turned into a viscous substance that smelled damp and resembled an octopus.

This bizarre creation was constantly growing stronger, as if it wanted to devour the entire forest. Just then, Subaru reappeared, silently transforming into Nexus and preparing to unleash his Meta Domain to fight it.

However, this twisted entity was unexpectedly fragile. It was a monster that I sensed was somewhat powerful, and it was completely destroyed by the light emitted by Subaru's transformation.

Am I too strong?

No, it's the monster's own problem. It... is like a projection, even more fragile than a normal projection.

However, it cannot be denied that the ancient god's aura from the previous time bubble has indeed appeared here, and I still have no clue about it.

This is what it feels like to be caught in a mystery, which is really unpleasant. However, the person behind the scenes, can you stay hidden forever?

Gen Subaru pursed his lips and disappeared again, vanishing into who knows where. It's likely that even if Zero and Belial came here, they wouldn't realize that Gen Subaru was hiding there.

And so, as time passed and night fell, the candlelight in the room cast a dim glow, illuminating Jing Tianjinglong and the fox who had transformed into a woman.

"warrior."

The woman broke the silence first.

"The time has come, please begin."

The woman placed her hands on the ground and bowed her head deeply.

"Ah."

Iida Ryu stood up. His hand reached for the hilt of his sword. The woman's head remained lowered; she waited quietly for that moment to arrive, her narrow shoulders trembling slightly.

The wind parted the cracks in the thatched hut, and the candlelight flickered. Ida Iryu swiftly drew his sword...

Swing your sword!

A slight noise came from the room.

Iida Iryu sheathed his sword, but the woman who had been waiting felt no pain after hearing the sound. Somewhat bewildered, she looked up at Iida Iryu before her. Then, realizing something, she abruptly turned her head to look—

In the corner of the thatched hut, there was the body of a girl, a pitiful child who had nowhere to go after death and could only appear slowly in the darkness. It was the sword that Ida Iryu swung down at her. At this moment, the girl's body was gradually enveloped in light.

"Samurai, why is this?"

The woman's voice trembled slightly.

"I have helped your daughter attain Buddhahood."

"Ida Iryu said calmly, while the girl, bathed in light, faced her mother and gave a slightly shy smile."

"She smiled...!?"

The woman stared blankly at her daughter. She instinctively wanted to rush over and hug her daughter, who was smiling again, but before she could, the girl disappeared along with the light.

She will never appear again.

Ida Iryu stared at the spot where the girl disappeared and said:

“Your daughter will become the soil of this forest, the water here; she has been freed from the evil spell.”

The woman didn't speak, but silently shed tears. Jing Tianjinglong didn't speak either, but quietly watched the woman. The woman's initial silent tears gradually turned into a full-blown wail.

After the woman calmed down, Jing Tianjinglong took an item from his chest and handed it to her. The woman took it. It was a hairpin with a white fox carved on it.

"This hairpin has its own special features."

“What’s special about it…”

"The hairpin was made by me through the concentration of my energy. It has the same magical power as my demon sword. Once you use it, you can end your own life."

The woman opened her tear-filled eyes and looked at Jing Tianjinglong.

"I have another favor to ask of you."

Ida Iryu looked away and continued speaking.

"Whether you choose to end your own life is your prerogative, but please make your decision after I leave this place."

The woman stared intently at Ida Iryu, trying to discern his inner thoughts, but Ida Iryu consistently avoided her gaze. After a brief silence, Ida Iryu, who had been being stared at, helplessly began to explain:

"I do not wish to see your beautiful skin stained with bright red."

Hearing this, the woman swallowed her words, and a long silence enveloped the two of them. The lamplight flickered silently, as if mirroring their state of mind.

"Tomorrow morning..."

Finally, the woman managed to squeeze out a sentence, breaking the silence of the night:

"You will be leaving this place tomorrow morning... Is that true?"

This poignant question received a nod of approval from Ida Iryu.

"I have received an assassination mission that I cannot refuse."

After a moment of silence, Jing Tianjinglong spoke up to explain to the woman:

"I'm afraid this task can only be solved by me."

Yes, he's a samurai, a powerful samurai... how could he not have a mission? And why would he stay in one place for so long? It's not just this forest that needs him.

Realizing this, the woman asked in a somewhat bitter tone:

"May I ask where that monster comes from?"

However, to the woman's surprise, Ida Iryu shook his head when faced with her question.

"No. This time, we are going to kill people."

"people....."

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. She had never imagined that this samurai would actually point a blade at his own kin. Iida Iryu, however, remained calm and continued to explain:

“A long time ago, military commanders from various regions requested that I kill that man. He is a sorcerer, and although not killing is my consistent principle, but... now it seems that this man is truly unforgivable, and I should go and kill him!”

At this point, the woman seemed to understand something. She looked up at Jing Tianjinglong and said in a slightly trembling voice:

"Could it be that this person is...!?"

Ida Iryu nodded.

"It is said that he was a sorcerer with an eye in the palm of his hand."

Upon hearing this, the woman felt as if she had been struck by lightning; her whole body trembled uncontrollably. It took her a while to recover before she looked at Jing Tianjinglong and asked:

Do you know his name?

"Demon Shiro Genshu is your mortal enemy."