The Neutral Lands. Mythpoint Reach. The Abyss. Garden of the Moon.

The Black Masks headquarters… A place that was relatively unknown to the Alliance and the three superpowers. They knew about the Tree of Darkness, the main heart of the Black Masks and the supposed home of the Allfather. They also knew that the Nine Payircis that were protecting the Tree of Darkness were forts for the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts. However, they were unaware of what really laid within the Nine Payircis.

Accounts differ from each intelligence report that came back. Some said that the Payircis were like medieval castles, with menacing halls of marble and breathtaking armoured knights protecting each chamber. Others claim that it was an infernal land, one with millions of flaming giants roaming through each base. The contrary was also put forth, in which the Payircis held oceans within each floor, all with their own unique ecosystem.

With all the conflicting accounts, it was natural for Raphael to be a little apprehensive with confirming the information. But little did he know… They were all completely accurate.

Each one of the Nine Payircis were designed according to its owner’s traits. Ao, the World Serpent, had created a labyrinth filled with underwater threats. On the other hand, Akai, the Lion Chimaera, created a domain akin to that of a volcanic region. Each one of the Payircis were designed to account for their Noble Beasts attributes, to strengthen them when they were defending the Tree of Darkness and to boost their cultivation throughout.

So naturally, each Payirci was uniquely different… And the same went for the Payirci owned by the one and only… Moon Rabbit.

Pristine rivers flowed down from towering mountain tops while a blanket of stars graced the heavenly skies. Yes, even though it was indoors, Momo’s Payirci was capable of creating an illusion of a breathtaking night. However, there was one distinct difference. The moon that hung overhead… It never changed shape. From the very beginning, Momo loved gazing up at the full moon. It made her aware of her natural self and could completely put her at ease. So, it didn’t make sense to create an eternal night that wouldn’t have the luminous full moon.

The pink-haired girl sat silently in her created garden, lonesome and blue. Her eyes were sparkling with a reminiscent light as if she were reliving some of her best memories silently. Raising her left hand, the young girl tried to ‘grab’ the moon with her tiny fingers, but it was too no avail. No matter how much she loved the full moon, no matter how powerful she was… An illusion was an illusion.

“Hah… I miss them...” A sigh crept out of the Black Masks’ third strongest executive, a rare sight for a being of her calibre. In recent days, the Moon Rabbit had been quite the busy bee, travelling to each corner of the globe. Due to the nature of her powers, Momo was unquestionably the best asset the Allfather had when it came to causing mayhem. In fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration to claim that Momo was the most powerful being under the Saint-realm, given how extraordinary the Moon Rabbit’s traits were.

However, that power came at a staggering price. Because of Momo’s desire to chase immortality, she distanced herself from the family members she’d held most dearly. Ever since they’d left Moon Valley, Kin and Gin hadn’t even taken a second glance at the Moon Rabbit, much to her dismay. All Momo wanted was to live happily with her two elder siblings, but yet… They treated her as a pest.

‘Nenene… Why won’t you talk to me again? I’m lonely...’

The Moon Rabbit was a being that required constant attention and care. That’s why she loved to fawn over her three elder siblings back in the Moon Valley, hiding her true power and relying on their love to survive. So without Kin and Gin’s care, Momo hung out constantly with the Allfather and Shiro, hoping to fill up her affection reserves.

To a certain extent, the Moon Rabbit was able to be satisfied. However, nothing could beat the raw emotion that her real siblings could bring. Momo longed for the days of happiness when she was sheltered by Haiiro, Kin and Gin. But alas… It was not to pass.

‘Nenene… It’s not my fault...’ The Moon Rabbit looked up at the white glowing orb, thinking out her deepest thoughts that she had never shared with anyone else. What if she told Kin and Gin the truth? Would their relationship go back to the way it was? Or would it just serve to sever the ever-thinning string that connected them? Momo didn’t know.

While the pink-haired girl was deep in her meditative state, a foreign voice sounded out from the entrance of her Payirci. “Momo, there’s bad news...”

“Shiro?” Momo turned back and saw the familiar white-haired boy. “What’s wrong?”

The white-haired young boy was hesitant to relay the news, knowing Momo’s relationship with the twins. However, there was no hiding it: “The Allfather had just confirmed… Kin and Gin were captured by the Alliance just three minutes ago.”

“WHAT?!” Jumping to her feet, Momo stared down the white-haired boy. “NENENE!!! SAY THAT AGAIN!!!”

“Three minutes ago… Kin and Gin’s connection to the Allfather had been severed. The moment that happened, the Allfather started to investigate the cause… Apparently, Kin and Gin had fallen into the Alliance’s trap and are now being constrained by four Spirit Saints.”

“FOUR SPIRIT SAINTS?!” The Moon Rabbit continued to shriek, her eyes were shifting from left to right. “Nenene, we have to save them! They will die!!!”

“We know that,” Shiro nodded in agreement. Although he didn’t have any lingering affection towards Kin and Gin, the twin Spirit Beasts were imperative for the Black Masks and their Grand Scheme. They couldn’t lose Kin and Gin this early on, particularly when the Allfather isn’t ready to launch the final battle.

“The Allfather has ordered for you and me to go rescue them. We’re allowed to bring our Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments.”

“Nenene, is that true?!” Momo continued to second-guess the white-haired boy, even though he hadn’t lied to her before. “Can we really save my older siblings?”

“Of course,” Shiro chuckled and waved his hand, cracking the space-time fabric of the Moon Rabbit’s abode. On the other side, there seemed to be a considerable chasm leading to a foreign land.

“Time is of the essence… Summon out your minions and let’s...” Shiro blinked as he reached into a pocket dimension, pulling out a clear, octagon mirror with black oak bordering its sides.

“Let’s go save your siblings.”

❖❖❖

“It’s time for you to talk...” Shin glared at the two captured Spirit Beasts, his face filled with righteous anger.

There were a million questions that Shin could have asked. How would they get to the Black Masks? What were the Allfather’s next plans? What’s the Allfather’s and the rest of the Noble Beasts’ weaknesses? And that was only just the surface… However, Shin asked a question that neither Kin nor Gin could have guessed: “Where are the sentries of the outposts? What have you done to them?”

‘The sentries? Ah, those humans? Why is he asking about them?’ Kin mentally sent a message over to Gin.

‘He’s human, it’s natural that he’d care about other humans...’ Gin scoffed. To them, the humans that they’ve displaced were no more important than that of livestock. However, Shin didn’t see things through their eyes. He saw each and every one of the soldiers to be a brother, a sister, a son, a daughter, a father, a mother… As the Master of Guardian Sword and one of the leading members of the Alliance, Shin needed to confirm if the sentries were still alive and if they weren’t… The least he could do was to retrieve their bodies.

“Where are they?”

“...” Neither the siblings opened their mouths. Although they were immune to the Allfather’s curse while in the cell, there was no need for them to give information that would benefit the enemy, particularly the man who had orchestrated their capture.

“Not talking, huh? No matter...” Shin pivoted his wrists and summoned out hundreds of flying icicles. Without any warning, the ice needles mercilessly pierced through the hide of the Silver Monkey, causing the man to scream out in agony.

“AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!”

“Gin!” The Golden Fox cried out, this time with her own vocal cords.

“AAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Alas, how could the Silver Monkey hear her? All of his prime meridians had been pierced with the Celestial Dragon’s mana, plus Shin’s needles were frightening accurate. Before he’d captured the twins, he’d studied all about the Golden Fox and Silver Monkey. Although the majority of his analysis were inferences drawn by loose records, Shin had managed to pinpoint all of the Silver Monkey’s physical weaknesses even before he’d seen a real-life specimen.

“Are you going to tell us now?” Shin asked once more, his face not changing the slightest bit… All while the Silver Monkey continued to holler.

“ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!”

“ENOUGH!!! I’ll tell you so stop that right now!!!” Tears were flowing out of Kin’s eyes, as she continually shot her brother a worried look.

Lowering his hands, Shin asked once more: “What happened to the soldiers?”

“They’re dead!!!”

Shin had prepared himself to hear the worst, but even then… He couldn’t help but feel a heavy heart. “Hah… The bodies?”

“Does it matter?!”

“...” Angered, Shin turned his wrist once more, sending the icy needles deeper into the Silver Monkey’s flesh.

“ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!”

“ENOUGH!!!” Kin barked with agony. She would much rather see herself in pain than to watch another second of Gin’s screams. “They were sent to the breeding ground!”

“Breeding ground? What’s that?”

“It’s… The place where we rear new Spirit Beasts...”

“Why would they go...” Shin was about to question the Golden Fox, but his mind was just far too quick for that. In but a moment, he could guess what the fate of the poor souls that were spirited away was. “You… Used them as food?”

“How could we waste good meat? Many Spirit Beasts were starving, after all.” Kin spat. There was no remorse in her voice, and neither was there any compassion for the dead humans. To her, the humans were literally... livestock.

“This fucking-...” Saint Thor felt the urge to cave the Golden Fox’s head in with a hammer strike, and many of his compatriots felt the same way.

“You...” Shin had to bite down on his lower lip to prevent the rage from overflowing. Killing the soldiers was one thing, but to disgrace their bravery by letting them be pig feed? That was inexcusable and was a crime punishable by death. However, Shin couldn’t bring himself to kill the twins… Yet.

“Let’s move on...” Before he got angrier, Shin decided to change the subject. However, before he could even breathe his next word, a voice of concern echoed next to his ear.

“Mmmm… My Prince, a word?”

“What is it?”

“Mmm… There’s a problem...” Zishen whispered in the lowest voice possible, not giving the twins any chance of hearing the news he brought. “Numerous presences are rushing towards our cell.”

“The Black Masks reacted that fast?” Shin turned back in shock. They had literally just captured Kin and Gin, how could there be a force dispatched to this remote location that quickly?

“Mmmm… Nonetheless, we have to deal with them now. Else, they’ll take our prized prisoners.”

“... Got it,” Shin muttered under his breath. “Zishen, you take Bingbing and Master out to hold them off. The Spirit Saints have to be present to seal the room from the outside world and prevent the Allfather from activating his curse.”

“Mmmm… Leave it to us,” the Azure Dragon Lord nodded before relaying the news onto the Tier 9 Kamaitachi and Lady Seph.

‘Tsk, looks like we don’t have that much time… I’ll extract as many questions as I can before the Black Masks try anything funny...’