“...” An awkward silence hung over the room. Shin stood there with a hanging jaw, unsure of what to make of the current situation. The same could be said about the four Spirit Saints that failed to deter Shiro from unleashing his powers. Nothing that they did worked and yet, this little pink-haired girl had managed to halt the Mirror Deity from killing their prize?

What was going on? Wasn’t the Black Masks supposed to be a unified bunch?

“Nenene, Shiro? What were you trying to do to Gin?” Momo repeated herself, her voice as icy-cold as Bingbing’s own mana.

“Momo, I...” A bead of sweat dripped down Shiro’s illusory forehead while he stared at the Moon Rabbit. Momo was by far, the strongest Tier 9 Spirit Beast among the Nine Coloured Noble Beast, now that Ao had made his advancement into the Primordial Realm. In an all-out battle, Shiro would unquestionably be the first to succumb, and there was even a chance that he’ll take severe injuries from an incensed Momo. Also, the Allfather and the Black Masks couldn’t afford to lose Momo at this critical juncture, when they were this close to completing their final dream. Therefore, the Mirror Deity had to be careful with his explanation here.

“I was trying to save your siblings, Momo!”

“Nenene, why was Gin screaming in so much pain to your mirror light?” However, Momo wasn’t that easily deceived. Although she didn’t share the unbreakable mental connection that Kin and Gin had, the Moon Rabbit was acutely aware of her sibling’s mental state. Right now, the Silver Monkey’s mind was utterly blurred, with pain being the only feeling that he had.

The Moon Rabbit was innocent, but she wasn’t stupid. It was apparent from the get-go that Shiro was attempting to kill Gin for reasons unknown. When they were first deployed to the region, Shiro had promised her that both Kin and Gin would be returned back to her unharmed. So why was Shiro trying to melt Gin, effectively ending his life and ruining their sibling reunion?

“Momo, you have to trust me! I was trying to-...”

“Nenene… Why is Gin in pain? Why is Kin crying? What did you do to them?” All of Shiro’s words fell on deaf’s ear, as Momo was sadly looking at her poor siblings. “Nenene… Were you trying to kill them?”

“Momo, I...”

“Nenene, you promised that we would save them, right? Why are you trying to kill my only siblings?” The Moon Rabbit continued to ignore the Mirror Deity. Right now, her mind was wholly occupied on saving Kin and Gin, the two entities left from the Moon Valley.

“MOMO!!! Listen to me!” Shiro continued to shout, trying desperately to sway the Moon Rabbit back to his side. “They were being tortured by the Alliance Members! I had to use those methods to deter them! Otherwise, Kin and Gin would have perished under their blades!”

“Nenene… Why is Kin crying?” Alas, the Moon Rabbit was having none of that. She could clearly see that the source of Gin’s pains was the light that Shiro was emitting. If not for her prompt arrival, she would have lost the Silver Monkey to the annals of history and Kin would likely hate her for life. “NENENE!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SIBLINGS?!”

Shiro remained silent as he watched the Moon Rabbit’s spiritual pressure ever so quickly. Against four Spirit Saints, the Mirror Deity had the utmost of confidence. All he needed to do was send a projection, and there was nothing that the top powerhouses of the world could do to him. Momo, on the other hand, was a threat far closer to home. Momo knew how Shiro’s abilities worked and were even capable of locating his main body without any hassle. If Momo wanted to kill Shiro, it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when.

“Momo...” Shiro sighed, knowing that the gig was up. Momo wasn’t going to listen to any of his lies and was ready to bring the fight. Therefore, he chose a different approach. “Momo, we can’t afford to lose any information about the Allfather… Once we reach the Immortal Realm, once we reach Utopia… We can summon back all of your siblings and even… achieve your long wished dream. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement, Momo. This is the right thing to do.”

“...” Shiro didn’t know if his words worked but at the very least… It shut Momo up. The Moon Rabbit, which was ready to take up arms and battle the Mirror Deity to the death, turned oddly quiet. Her face was hidden from view, not allowing anyone to read her emotions. Was she compliant, or was she amid a fiery rage? No one could tell for sure.

And thus, Shiro prompted: “Momo? Are you alright?”

“Nenene… Did you try to kill my siblings for that reason? TO SAVE THE BLACK MASKS?!” Unleashing a fury of black mana, the Moon Rabbit confined the white-haired boy’s image into a cell, not allowing him to break free in the slightest.

“HEY!!! Are you trying to defy the Allfather? Kin sold out information about us! Her knowledge will prove to be harmful towards the Allfather, and yet she did that to save Gin! Do you think that the Allfather would allow her to live after that?!” Shiro tried to protest, but alas… Momo was too far gone. Her wrath towards the white-haired boy was at its apex and like an active volcano… She was about to erupt.

“MY SIBLINGS AREN’T DISPOSABLE!!! THEY ARE MY FLESH AND BLOOD!!!” Momo sent all of her mana into her left hand and raised it up at the ceilings. In no time at all, the reinforced walls started to show signs of cracks from the openings and then…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

The entire prison, said to be capable of defending against a full-fledged attack by the Allfather, caved in from the outside. A Grey Otter, one that measured over fifty-metres in length, fell straight towards the floor, creating a crater upon impact. Seeing the new addition, Kin’s eyes opened up wide, and her face turned completely stiff. There was no way that she would forget that visage. Those familiar whiskers and the eyes that breathed out immense love… It was the one being that she longed to meet once again and the Spirit Beast that started her intense wrath for Momo and her antics. And also, the main reason why Kin was against joining the Black Masks in the first place.

“Bro-brother Haiiro?” Kin gulped.

The Golden Fox tried to call the Grey Otter by name, but he wasn’t responsive in the slightest. In fact, it glanced past Kin as if she were another rock in the bay. To the Grey Otter, there was only one thing that mattered… And that was protecting the master that had given it ‘life.’

“Brother Haiiro? BROTHER HAIIRO?” Kin tried to gain the Grey Otter’s attention, but it was to no avail. Its eyes were glued at the white-haired boy that had caused Momo this much anguish and was ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. However, it was abruptly stopped by a squishy outreached arm.

“Nenene, Kin...” While she was at the peak of her shock, Momo’s soft voice echoed into her consciousness. “I didn’t want to show you this… I really, really wanted to prevent you from knowing the truth...”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“Nenene… Brother Haiiro he… Died long before the Allfather came to Moon Valley...”

“!!!”

“Nenene… Two thousand years ago… A group of Spirit Beasts came into the valley, looking for a good place to cultivate and hide from the humans.” Momo started to explain. “Nenene… Back then, you were too young, so you couldn’t remember it clearly… When they came in, they didn’t have any plans on sharing Moon Valley… They wanted to kill and eat us, to aide in their cultivation.”

“I-I remember that! Brother Haiiro fought them off! He made them promise to never step foot on our land ever again!” Kin instantly shot off the details of her memory.

“Nenene… No, he didn’t...” Momo regretfully shook her head. “Nenene… In that fight… Brother Haiiro died…”

“He what?!”

“Nenene, I was too young, so I didn’t understand the full extent of my powers yet. I didn’t know that… I was the one in control of Moon Valley. However, the moment that brother Haiiro died, my powers started to run rampant, and I began to understand what I truly was...” The Moon Rabbit shook her head. “Nene… I’m sorry… If I were smarter then… Brother Haiiro would still be with us...”

“Y-you! What do you mean?!” Kin was still in a state of shock and fear. She didn’t know what to believe and what to be wary of. For all she knew, Momo was feeding her a convenient lie. But unfortunately, something in the willy Golden Fox could tell… Momo was telling the truth.

“Ne… Don’t worry,” the Moon Rabbit reassured. Raising her mana output, the Grey Otter coiled around her roared out an intense surge of mana, bringing down even more rock from the high walls. “Nenene, just stay still for now… I will save you all and then… we’ll talk.”