Chapter 107

The group returned to the city.

Having completed her task, Hilde was swearing cheerfully as she sang her way back to the palace.

Naturally, she made sure to bring the leash along.

Lin, who had seen from within that Carami had gone for a walk with Hilde, stared at Hilde’s leash like it was a coveted treasure. Fortunately, Carami hadn’t noticed.

The city was in chaos.

The sudden darkness threw the humans into confusion.

Taking advantage of the disorder, they searched high and low for the Celestial Pavilion first.

“Master Chun.”

“Ah, so you’ve come.”

Yu Hwa greet the group with nonchalance.

Though outwardly calm, she was deeply anxious inside.

Setting aside the significant investment she’d made in the two of them—even disregarding Chun’s power—what they had built together wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

She had worried about what to do if something went wrong, but fortunately, it seemed that wouldn’t be the case. Just looking at Lin’s tails, now numbering nine, confirmed this.

Lin had finally ascended to become a Gumiho.

What’s more, the Gumiho before her wasn’t just any old Gumiho; it was Lin.

“It seems the Gumiho has departed.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

For that greedy Gumiho to attain the long-sought-after wish of ascending to the heavens and then to achieve Nirvana? It sounded unbelievable.

What had shifted in her mindset?

Yu Hwa wondered intensely about how Carami had guided such a transformation.

Yu Hwa’s gaze met with Hekbi, who stood a few feet away. Hekbi bowed respectfully in greeting.

“Black Feather Hekbi greets Master Chun.”

“It’s been a while. It’s truly regrettable we cannot enjoy a leisurely conversation in this moment.”

Yu Hwa rested her hand on the window frame and gazed upward.

The city was like a night before a storm.

As if sounding alarms like distressed animals on the eve of a cataclysm, the cries of the humans filled the streets, creating chaos.

The heavy shadow covering the sky was unnatural, not a normal ink-like cloud.

Much like the Gumiho’s eclipse, it was a celestial mask used to hide their heinous actions from the world.

They intended to employ the characteristics of powerful yokai that gained strength in the absence of light.

‘This is truly magnificent.’

Even amidst the seriousness, Carami couldn’t resist expressing her admiration. Watching what she had only seen on a small screen unfold in real life gave her chills.

Unlike others, she didn’t worry too much. With Lin now a Gumiho and having absorbed the strength of Chun and Black Feather, there was no way she could lose.

It was like watching a movie in a theater—she could relax and observe.

‘They’ve all finally arrived.’

Despite the challenges, they had eventually made it here.

The last chapter of Lin’s liberation story.

The title of this saga would be: The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

***

The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (百鬼夜行).

A hundred spirits march through the nocturnal streets.

Under Heaven’s mandate, the yokai, including the Gumiho and those connected to her, will be eradicated.

The ultimate calamity brought by the Gumiho: the worst disaster imaginable.

In the capital city of Vestia, this is a tower defense scenario where the key is to minimize the damage the city takes from the yokai.

The higher the damage, the more the city has failed to overcome misfortune.

To achieve complete liberation, the clear percentage must be 80% defense.

Any damage higher than that results in failure, with no retries.

Keep in mind, there are no clear numbers like in a game. Additionally, even if 80% is defended, 20% will still result in significant damage.

Hence, there is a special request to Lin:

“Lin, please ensure that no harm happens whatsoever. This is both a plea and an order.”

Aim for 100%.

No harm will be tolerated.

This is a show.

A spectacle meant to make Lin a hero.

Even if the calamity was caused by Lin, preventing any damage would inevitably change people’s perceptions.

The plan is to transform the fox associated with misfortune into a bringer of good fortune.

“Can you handle it?”

“If the master believes in Lin, anything is possible.”

“If you succeed, as a reward, I’ll make your consumption of my spirit energy legal.”

“Lin’s coming to break misfortune.”

***

Despite the passage of time, the sun did not rise over Vestia.

An eternal night.

Malevolent energy gathered without end.

It was truly the calm before the storm.

Citizens stayed indoors with their doors locked. Guards were stationed everywhere, ready for whatever might come. However, no mere mortal could halt a calamity of this nature.

A sudden burst of flames erupted in the darkened sky.

Tearing through the flaming veil, the Twelve Demon Spirits appeared.

This marked the beginning.

Ku-gu-gung.

The earth trembled.

The atmosphere quaked.

The sorcerers, having been waiting in the city, began their incantations.

Kurrrrrrr…

From each of the four corners of the grounds rose ghost gates (鬼門), standing at least 10 meters tall.

At the edges of the gates were heads preserved in agony, the heavy, dark red doors covered with various talismans, crossed and locked by enormous chains.

Seemingly marked as forbidden to open.

However, human nature often finds the forbidden irresistible. The sorcerers continued their chants, causing the talismans to fall and the chains to snap with a loud clang.

Tek-tek.

Ku-ung.

The massive chains clattered as they fell to the ground.

With a grating sound like nails on a chalkboard, the massive doors began to slowly open.

A creeping, ghastly mist seeped out.

From within the mist, shadowy figures emerged in a line.

Ku-ung.

Leading them.

A muscular giant body.

As strong and firm as a lump of lead and as dark as charcoal.

It bore two horns on its forehead and carried a deep red mace stained like blood on its shoulders—King Tǔ Yíng Xiān of the ogres.

“Kekekekekeke. Finally, the time has come!”

Tǔ Yíng Xiān let out a hearty laugh as the excitement to face the famous Gumiho coursed through his body.

Clad in iron masks, the giant ogres followed suit behind Tǔ Yíng Xiān.

“Ho, this is the human city. Quite different from the underworld; it’s quite interesting.”

From another gate emerged BaiGakSinSa, accompanied by his centipede demons.

Furthermore, the Four-Faced Yokai and others poured out endlessly from the ghost gates, with flying yokai taking to the skies.

Even a single one of these yokai could annihilate an average city. With so many gathered in one place, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.

All these yokai had come for one purpose—to target the Gumiho. Absorbing her power would transform them into an unbeatable Great Yokai.

It was time for a new Yokai King to be born.

“Alright, children. Time to feast!”

Tǔ Yíng Xiān raised his ogre club to the heavens and roared. Living humans were considered a rare delicacy to the yokai.

The yokai began their grotesque cries as they attempted to invade human homes.

“Kuek?”

Suddenly, as if struck by an old ailment, many of the lesser yokai clutched their chests and collapsed.

“What’s the matter with you all?”

As Tǔ Yíng Xiān hesitated at the sudden collapse of the yokai,

Phu-puuk!

A fiery spear appeared out of nowhere and impaled his chest. The intense heat burned his insides as if they were being set ablaze.

“Keeearrrrrr! Damn it, what kind of flame is this! My body… it keeps getting hotter!”

No amount of brute strength could dislodge the spear. His iron-like body and spirit power were being consumed like a demon blessed by the gods being purified.

Upon turning around, the Twelve Demon Spirits saw the Gumiho floating in the sky.

Lin was watching the world from the spot nearest to the heavens.

The frightened citizens.

The cries of children could be heard from all around.

The soldiers were tense.

To be honest, Lin still didn’t love humans. Only her master, Seira, and Yu Hwa were exceptions.

People still disliked her and pointed fingers at her master for keeping her.

The master had said that if she saved the city, the people would treat her as a hero, but Lin didn’t believe that.

People were cunning.

Even if they welcomed her this time, they would flip their favor like a palm at the next opportunity.

Like the fox-folk of Baeyun Gorge.

Once this moment passed, they would surely hold her accountable.

The only person Lin trusted was Carami—her absolute ally, who remained loyal even in the face of misfortune.

So, Lin realized, this wasn’t for them—it was for Carami.

Lin created a fox bead.

What was once a bead the size of a fist was now larger than her head. The pink spirit-energy-filled sphere now shimmered with a rainbow of colors.

The yokai swarmed over the earth like pests, confidently playing as if it were their home, trusting in the darkness.

So, the solution was simple—erase the darkness.

Lin’s heterochromatic eyes absorbed the light of the sun and the moon.

She brought her palms together.

An eclipse, where the powers of the sun and moon are perfectly equalized. Amplifying the factor of the sun revealed another power.

“Dawn.”

Higher than the heavens.

An artificial sun shone over the city cloaked in darkness. The first light of dawn chased away the darkness, lifting Lin into the sky, foretelling hope.

“Kieeeaaa!”

The yokai, sensitive to sunlight, tried to shield themselves with their arms, but there was no stopping the sun. Even their feeble resistance burned their outstretched hands first.

Even the leader-level yokai could only use their spirit power to mitigate the damage. They couldn’t advance an inch against the sunlight.

“Inoom!”

As the Twelve Demon Spirits advanced, Lin twisted her palms, causing the sun to tilt and the moon to rise.

In the instant where the last light of day meets the first shadow of night,

“Dusk.”

A bizarre world was created where the boundary between day and night collapsed. The purple hue of dusk flooded the world, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and fantasy.

A whimsical sorcery show of the fox.

If you exist under the heavens, there’s no escape. In this ambiguous world, the senses of the living within its bounds dulled as if ensnared by an illusion.

All that remains is the joy of playing with toys on the brink of breaking.

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