Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

"Releasing harmless monsters is something many Ultraman have done, right?"

Hinako Fukami perked up and asked with a smile. Her voice regained its light tone, as if she was trying to convince herself.

"You're right. Jack, Ultraman, Cosmos, Eddie... they all have similar stories. With a compassionate heart, they let some harmless monsters go."

Amamiya Rin's words were pointed.

Jack, the original Ultraman, Cosmos, Eddie... they are such Ultra Warriors, but... never mind, there's no need to talk about these things with Hinako now. It doesn't matter if she wants Tokiyuki to become Balaru.

Amamiya Rin silently shut down her innermost thoughts.

"Hinako..."

Urged by her grandfather, the seven-tailed red fox raised her head and met the gaze of Hinako Fukami.

It tried to discern something from those golden eyes, but couldn't glean any emotion from its childhood sweetheart. Those eyes were too bright, as bright as two burning flames, making them impossible to look directly at, let alone see through.

Although it wanted to plead for its grandfather, it knew perfectly well that as a giant of light and an Ultra Warrior, Hinako would not let her grandfather go!

After taking one last look at Hinako Fukami, the Seven-Tailed Red Fox sank into the lake.

The water surface, like a soft film, supported its body, then slowly submerged its limbs, torso, and head. Its form gradually became transparent, like ink diluted with water, disappearing from this world.

"Deepwater Hina! Are you determined to wipe us out?! If I die, the Water Dragon will break free, and the entire Rong Hill will be buried with me! Do you really want to become the eternal sinner of Rong Hill?! For the sake of your so-called justice?"

Turning back, the nine-tailed black fox stared at Hinako Fukamizu and coldly questioned her.

Its remaining tails spread out behind it, every hair standing on end, and demonic power circulated wildly within its body, forming a visible layer of black flames around it.

"A sinner for all time? If I condone your evil deeds, then I will be nailed to the pillar of shame. As for the water dragon of Rong Hill, I have already said that after I destroy you, I will immediately go to Rong Hill."

"Hinako Fukami said calmly, the swirling ice axe hovering beside her, its blade gleaming with a cold silver light, like a hawk poised to pounce on its prey.

"Whether I suppress them with Ultra Telekinesis or consider other methods, I will not allow innocent people to be persecuted in the name of sacrifice, nor will I allow the people of Rong Hill to suffer from the water dragon!"

Before the words were even finished, the ice axe had already moved.

A sonic boom exploded on the lake! In that instant, the entire Holy Land seemed to fall silent, all sounds swallowed up by the explosion.

A visible white shockwave spread outwards from the trajectory of the ice axe, like a straight line drawn on the water's surface. Where the shockwave passed, it tore open a deep, bottomless chasm in the once calm lake surface, causing the water walls on both sides to rise high. The surging waves were instantly crushed into fine mist upon touching the silver light, dissipating into a white vapor in the air.

The nine-tailed black fox neither dodged nor defended, not because it couldn't, but because it was unnecessary.

Its four legs were firmly planted on the water, its head held high, and its blue vertical pupils stared directly at the oncoming silver light.

"Hahahahahaha...!"

Facing the power of death, it laughed wildly, a rough, insane laugh filled with a resolute determination to perish together with its opponent.

"Then let me see how you plan to protect Rong Hill without the suppression of my clan!"

In an instant, the entire sacred space began to tremble violently. Lightning bolts struck down from the sky one after another, each tearing through a patch of darkness to reveal an even deeper void beneath. Gale-force winds poured in from the cracks, emitting a shrill, ghostly wail. It was as if the end of the world had arrived.

"Tianrui! You have no reason to continue existing! Collapse! Water Dragon—! The time for awakening has come!"

A flash of silver light, and the ice axe swept across the fox's neck.

The roar abruptly stopped, neatly cut off in the middle of the throat.

As jet-black fox blood gushed out, the enormous black head, along with half of its neck, was neatly severed and fell to the ground.

Its head bounced twice on the water's surface, rolled a long way, its blue vertical pupils still wide open, and that crazy smile still lingering on its lips.

At the same time, the world changed dramatically!

"boom--!!!"

The Sanctuary is beginning to crumble!

Countless cracks spread outwards from beneath the nine-tailed black fox's corpse, each crack expanding wildly as if a giant hand were tearing at the space itself. The edges of the cracks shimmered with an ominous red light, revealing a bottomless void beneath. Violent currents surged from the cracks, churning the lake water violently; jets of water shot skyward, only to vanish in mid-air, not even managing to return to the lake's surface.

The sky began to collapse.

That boundless darkness crumbled like shattered glass, large chunks of darkness peeling away from the dome to reveal an even deeper void behind. The shattered fragments burned in mid-air, turning into crimson flames that traced brief paths through the air before extinguishing and dissipating, leaving not even ashes behind.

It wasn't just the sacred ground. When the lake shattered completely and the sky peeled away entirely, the shrines, mountains, paths, stone lanterns, and villages of both the inner and outer worlds began to vanish into nothingness at that moment.

Everything was like pencil marks erased by an eraser, disappearing little by little from the edge.

Rinko Nishida and Osamu Iwai in the surface world, Sakiko Igarashi in the inner world, and even Rin Amamiya and Hinako Fukami in the sanctuary, all simultaneously felt a strange sense of falling.

The feeling was like falling from a great height or sinking into deep water. It was as if consciousness was uncontrollably leaving this realm, and all senses became blurred. Light, sound, touch—everything began to distort and deform, as if returning to a world governed by gravity.

After an unknown amount of time, the feeling of falling disappeared, and Hinako felt a heavy, solid weight.

She opened her eyes and stood there blankly, lost in thought.

Everything around was too quiet, a stark contrast to the roar and shattering sounds from just now.

Her vision was somewhat blurry, as if through a thin layer of mist. The surrounding light was dim and warm, and the air was filled with the scent of incense and wood.

No, it wasn't mist. It was the white line hanging down from the brim of Shiromuku's hat, obscuring her vision.

Hinako Fukami lowered her head. She was still wearing her heavy white kimono, and the white cotton hat covered most of her face. The white line hanging from the brim of the hat swayed slightly in the candlelight.

The deep, resonant voice of the priest echoed in my ears, its tone unhurried, carrying the solemnity and rhythm unique to the ceremony. A copper bell swayed gently, its clear, ringing sound reverberating through the quiet prayer hall.

Everything was normal. In the worship hall of Changyi Shrine, during the wedding ceremony, everything seemed the same as before.

But just now...