Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

"Roar!"

A roar that sounded inhuman came from Yakumo Ran's mouth. The usually kind and gentle Yakumo Ran's eyes flashed with a beastly light at this moment. The claws in her hands grew wildly, and the nine tails on her back also lengthened and thickened, like nine thick and powerful tentacles.

Immediately afterwards, the nine tails condensed into one, and within a short distance, they turned into afterimages and bombarded the light barrier that enveloped her!

It turns out that this was Yakumo Ran fully unleashing her power as a demon beast. At this moment, although Yakumo Ran's physical attributes could not compare with monsters like Kazami Yuuka, she was still among the top great demons. She could easily defeat most beings in Gensokyo, and might even be able to clash head-on with the Oni Kings.

But what happened next completely stunned Yakumo Ran, who had transformed into a demonic beast and seemed to have almost lost her mind. Her all-out attack, formed from the convergence of her nine tails, possessed the power to shatter a street in an instant and cause an earthquake. Yet, this terrifying attack struck the seemingly empty barrier without leaving even the slightest tremor.

There was not a tremor.

That thin barrier seemed to act as a seal, completely isolating Yakumo Ran from the outside world.

Wait... isolation!

Yakumo Ran turned to look at Mo Mo. Although her eyes were filled with a fierce light, the lingering surprise and panic revealed her current mood.

"It seems you guessed it."

Mo Mo smiled and finally took Flandre's hand. Under Flandre's somewhat confused gaze, he led her to Yakumo Ran's side, facing her across the barrier.

"This thing comes from a world called IS. It's a purely scientific product, and its ability is called Absolute Defense. However, although it's based on science, its effects aren't very scientific. It's a kind of black technology."

"Based on the distortion of spatial frequencies inside and outside the barrier, it creates a spatial isolation. Unless a powerful force can shatter space, this barrier is absolutely unbreakable, hence it is called absolute defense."

"Of course, I'm now reversing the process, so absolute defense has become an absolute cage. Isn't that interesting?"

Momo explained to Yakumo Ran with a smile, but Yakumo Ran had no interest in listening to Momo's explanation. Because after understanding everything, Yakumo Ran was even more certain that she had been captivated by Momo.

In the blink of an eye, she became Mo Mo's prisoner!

195 The Failure of the Fearless

Unable to accept this, Yakumo Ran channeled her demonic power, unleashing countless talismans and spells, all bombarding the barrier. She used every method she could think of to break the seal, but to no avail.

This is absolute defense, one of the high-tech creations of Shinonono no Nakamaru. As long as the energy is sufficient and the upper limit is not broken, the term "absolute defense" will remain true. Breaking absolute defense is also simple; even if only one point of power is strong enough to affect space, that's enough.

Unfortunately, this is something that Yakumo Ran cannot do.

Just as science struggles to explain magic, the miracles of magic, when faced with purely scientific principles, must respond to scientific conditions in the most basic and direct way. Otherwise, they will end up like Yakumo Ran, trapped here by Momo.

"Are you tired?" After watching the bombardment continue for a full five minutes, until Yakumo Ran, looking somewhat disheveled and panting heavily, stopped, Mo Mo said, "Perhaps we can talk, Yakumo Ran."

"Let's talk?"

Yakumo Ran stared intently at Mo Mo, as if trying to see through him with her gaze, and perhaps even intending to kill him with her eyes. True to her status as a great youkai, she quickly regained her composure despite realizing she was in dire straits.

Just like Yakumo Ran had thought before, she wasn't even afraid of death for Yakumo Yukari, so why should she be afraid of Mo Mo's schemes?

"What, do you intend to subdue me the way you subdued these little ones? If so, I advise you to give up. I'm not as naive as them. Besides, the bond between me and Lady Zi is something you can't understand, you outsider."

Mo Mo raised the corner of his mouth and said, "What a fine way to call yourselves outsiders! Do you still consider yourselves the masters of this place?"

"What, is there something wrong? No matter how much you envy us, it won't change your status. We are the true masters of Gensokyo."

Momo didn't continue on this topic. In Momo's view, it was precisely Yakumo Yukari and Yakumo Ran's sense of being masters that led them to recklessly sacrifice everything to protect the superficial peace of Gensokyo. Since they were masters, wasn't it only natural for them to decide what should be preserved and what should be sacrificed?

Unfortunately, Yukari Yakumo and the others overlooked one crucial point: Gensokyo did not belong to them, and neither did every living being within it. The only thing they could decide was their own life and death.

No, in front of Momo, they couldn't even decide their own life or death.

Seeing the mocking smile on Mo Mo's lips, Yakumo Ran had no intention of continuing the conversation. From the very beginning, they had no common ground. In Yakumo Ran's view, Mo Mo's purpose in keeping her alive was simply to deal with Yakumo Yukari. And Yakumo Ran, even if she died, would not leave behind any information detrimental to Yakumo Yukari.

"I have no interest in playing games of deception with you, even though that's something I used to excel at. Give up. Even if you capture me, you won't get any useful information out of me. Even if you seem stronger now, the one who wins in the end will definitely be Lord Zi."

“Lady Yukari,” Yakumo Ran said, as if she could see the youkai sage Yakumo Yukari in her eyes, whom she would follow for a lifetime. “You, as an outsider, will never understand the greatness of Lady Yukari. You are just a pest that has invaded Gensokyo, and sooner or later you will die at the hands of us, your masters.”

After saying that, Yakumo Ran reached out and touched the fair skin on her neck. Although the wound left by Izayoi Sakuya had healed, Yakumo Ran's sharp nails had already pierced several more wounds.

“You didn’t expect that, did you?” Yakumo Ran said with a fearless smile that was both resolute and mocking. “Although you have captured me and prevented me from escaping, I can still decide my own life and death. Since this is a powerful barrier, it also means that you cannot interfere with me.”

“You miscalculated, Momo.”

This miscalculation needs to be proven with Yakumo Ran's life.

Seeing this, everyone around Mo Mo tensed up. Even ⑨ covered her mouth in surprise. In her opinion, Yakumo Ran's mentality of going to her death was simply incomprehensible. Death is a very painful thing.

Moreover, this scene seems familiar... Oh right, isn't it exactly the opposite of Mo Mo and Yakumo Ran's situation just now?

Only two people remained calm. One was Flandre, who was looking at Momo with a bewildered expression as Yakumo Ran's charm gradually wore off. The other was, of course, Momo himself. Momo calmly watched Yakumo Ran's nails slowly dig into her own neck, a knowing smile on his face.

"You won't die."

Yakumo Ran was taken aback, then her eyes flashed with cold light as she said, "You...you don't intend to revive me after I die, and then humiliate me? Even so, even so, I will not tell you any information about Lady Yukari!"

“I would never do something so boring and disgusting,” Mo Mo shrugged and said, “I don’t have a penchant for torturing corpses. Even if I could really bring you back to life, your heart is dead, and you’re just a living corpse. I have plenty of cute girls around me, so don’t worry, I’m not interested in you at all.”

Yakumo Ran clearly didn't believe a word Momo said, but thinking of the resurrected girls around Momo, her resolve wavered, replaced by bitterness. What should she do if Momo truly had the ability to resurrect people?

Are you playing this terrifying game of suicide and resurrection with Momo time and time again?

"It's okay if you don't believe me, because you'll understand what I mean in a moment. I said you won't die, and you won't die."

"ridiculous!"

Despite her inner turmoil, Yakumo Ran's composure remained undiminished. A person who isn't even afraid of death theoretically has few things to fear. In her final moments, Yakumo Ran didn't hesitate to curse Momo with the sharpest words, leaving herself with enough dignity in death.

"There is only one person in the world who can command me, and that is Lord Zi. As for you... heh, you won't let me die, but I'll insist on dying. What can you do about it?"

"If you want to stop me, then open this barrier. But you won't, stranger; you're nothing but a coward."

Yakumo Ran concealed the fear in her eyes, turning her gaze into indifference and mockery. However, Mo Mo calmly met her gaze and slowly said, "In the past, perhaps only Yakumo Yukari was there, but in the future, or even in a minute, there will be a second person in this world who can command you."

"That person is me."

"You will become my most loyal slave, following me like a house dog, completely betraying your master, Yakumo Yukari, and telling me all her secrets and weaknesses without missing a single detail."

Upon hearing this, Yakumo Ran looked at Mo Mo as if he were a madman, momentarily forgetting even about suicide. She sneered and said, "So you're a madman after all, a madman with a screw loose. It turns out my suicide was the right thing to do. Dying in front of a mad dog like you is merely a humiliation."

"You won't die."

Momo repeated the same words, and Yakumo Ran raised her noble head and said, "Come on, I want to see how you're going to stop me!"

"I want to stop you, I want to become your master, I want you to betray Yakumo Yukari, I want you to become my slave, it's all so simple."

Mo Mo spread his arms and said, "You are indeed fearless, even unafraid of your own death. Theoretically, nothing can threaten you, and nothing can shake your loyalty to Yakumo Yukari. However... I don't want to shake that about you either. On the contrary, the more loyal you are to Yakumo Yukari, the more confident I am."

A cold smile crept across Mo Mo's lips, a smile so chilling it seemed to pierce through the barrier, crushing Yakumo Ran's defenses and plunging her into an icy abyss. The movement of Mo Mo's lips, and the words he uttered next, were like the terrifying language of the most horrifying demon, causing Yakumo Ran's eyes to lose focus.

"Let's make a deal, Yakumo Ran."

"Be loyal to me, or I will kill Yakumo Yukari, using all my power to bring her to her utter ruin, to make her meaningless. The deal we're making now is to exchange your loyalty for Yakumo Yukari's chance to live."

"How about it, an interesting deal, isn't it?"

Yakumo Ran trembled, her whole body shaking, and the nails digging into her neck silently slipped away. The immense power of the trading authority left her with no room for doubt; Yakumo Yukari, whom she considered powerful and righteous, could actually be utterly destroyed and killed by the man before her.

"This is a threat! A threat! You've violated the principles of trading authority!"

Yakumo Ran roared silently in her heart, but she knew that such a roar was meaningless, because the activation of the trading power had already proven that this transaction had been recognized by the trading power.

"Yes, this isn't really my style, but this time, I've truly lost my patience—my patience for your stupidity. And this deal has indeed teetered on the edge of violating principles. But fortunately, the person I'm threatening is Yakumo Yukari, not you. You're trading your loyalty for my change of heart in wanting to kill Yakumo Yukari. Isn't that a fair trade?"

Mo Mo was laughing, laughing like a demon, at least that's how Yakumo Ran saw it.

"Come on, you have no choice. The trading rights have approved my skirting the rules, so the choice is in your own hands. If you are loyal to me, I will choose not to kill Yakumo Yukari, and depending on the situation, I may even decide to let her go."

"Otherwise... as a Heroic Spirit, I swear to mobilize all my power to destroy this woman who has gone mad. For myself, for Reimu, and even more so for all those who are alive or dead in Gensokyo."

"Tell me, Yakumo Ran, tell me your answer."

Yakumo Ran collapsed to her knees, her resolve crumbling in an instant. She buried her face in her hands, tears of humiliation streaming down her face. The pressure in her heart almost crushed her will. At this moment, Yakumo Ran truly wanted to end it all, because only death could be her best release.

But... she can't.

Ran Yakumo knew that Yukari Yakumo was equally unafraid of death, and that Yukari could sacrifice herself for Gensokyo. However, while Yukari could sacrifice herself, Ran Yakumo, as Yukari's most loyal shikigami, could not.

On the contrary, even if it costs Yakumo Ran everything, she will try to secure a sliver of survival for Yakumo Yukari.

This is Yakumo Ran's loyalty, so Yakumo Ran has no other choice.

After a long while, Yakumo Ran got up, knelt respectfully on the ground, stared blankly at Mo Mo's toes, and uttered two words woodenly.

"Owner."

196 Lolicon, you are not alone!

"Why the long face? Since you promised to be loyal to me, why not put on an expression that makes everyone feel at ease?"

Mo Mo pulled Yakumo Ran up, pinched her chin, and sized up the nine-tailed fox spirit who was absolutely beautiful and charming.

Clearly, the powerful Yakumo Ran restrained her alluring talent after becoming Yakumo Yukari's shikigami. Otherwise, with Yakumo Ran's beauty and alluring talent, it's likely that no male creature, or even any creature, could escape her control.

Yakumo Ran stared blankly at Mo Mo, her eyes devoid of any spirit. Clearly, Yakumo Ran was in a state of collapse. Mo Mo had used Yakumo Ran's loyalty to turn against her, making her betray Yakumo Yukari. This not only rendered Yakumo Ran's loyalty a joke but also nearly destroyed all the principles she held dear, and would likely deal a significant blow to Yakumo Yukari as well.

Yakumo Ran was well aware of all of this, and it was precisely because of her awareness that Yakumo Ran had lost all motivation and direction, with only her loyalty to Momo, which she had acquired through a transaction, remaining.

"Give the order, Master."

Yakumo Ran didn't want to pay any attention to Mo Mo; in fact, if she could, she would rather die right now, body and soul. Unfortunately, her loyalty to Mo Mo prevented her from doing so; everything she did right now required Mo Mo's permission.

"If my master wants me to be obedient and subservient, or to flatter him, give me the order and I will do so clearly."

However, despite her complete loyalty to Momo, it didn't mean that Yakumo Ran wouldn't resist or oppose him. For example, right now, she was well aware that her seemingly submissive attitude was actually a deliberate attempt to provoke Momo and embarrass him.

If Momo really made her behave in all sorts of servile ways, Yakumo Ran, though unable to refuse, could still derive a sense of satisfaction from watching Momo display such disgusting and ugly behavior.

Unfortunately, Mo Mo was destined not to do as Yakumo Ran wished, and Mo Mo was even perfectly aware of what Yakumo Ran was thinking. Mo Mo wouldn't order Yakumo Ran to do anything, nor did he expect Yakumo Ran to do anything for him. Mo Mo had already achieved his goal by having Yakumo Ran betray Yakumo Yukari.

As for whether to consider persuading Yakumo Ran to truly join Momo's side, Momo hadn't considered it. What Momo wanted to do was to have Yakumo Ran by his side, and then let Yakumo Ran witness Momo personally resolve everything, showing Yakumo Ran with facts how foolish her and Yakumo Yukari's persistence was.

"Then I'll give you my first order: follow me. You're not allowed to do anything or say anything without my permission. All you have to do is watch. As for whether you want to think for yourself, that's up to you."

"As for the second command," Momo smiled slightly and said, "A loyal servant should naturally have no secrets from his master. So, Yakumo Ran, tell me all your secrets, including yours, and naturally, Yakumo Yukari's as well."

Upon hearing this, Yakumo Ran's pupils contracted; her worst fear had come true. However, she couldn't refuse, and under Momo's command, she could only use telepathy to tell Momo everything she knew.

However, to Yakumo Ran's surprise, Mo Mo listened quietly the whole time, showing no surprise even when he heard what Yakumo Ran considered her biggest secret. It seemed that these secrets were nothing more than gossip among old men and women on the street.

"that's it?"

Yakumo Ran opened her mouth wide, wanting to say, "This pressure that almost destroyed the entire Gensokyo and drove Yakumo Yukari to the brink of madness, is what you get in return for these three words?"

"You...you have no idea how terrifying they are!"