[Dream's Perspective]

  After killing (Kyura), I realized a cold truth: I cannot kill (Shirawasa). Not now. His army of rabbits is endless, and his cunning far exceeds my current strength. Therefore, we—he and I—concluded a silent truce. I gave him one last look; in his red eyes was caution, yes, but not fear. For him, leaving me alive was better than losing half his army trying to kill me. For me, leaving him alive meant I would survive another day.

  I left Kyura’s territory, which has now become part of Shirawasa’s expanding empire. During my trek, I organized the hierarchy of power on this accursed mountain:

  

  
1. 
   
     Zennni Ryujo: The God of the Mountain. Inhabits the peak. His power is absolute and currently impossible to challenge. I would need years, perhaps centuries, to reach his level. Time I do not have.
   
     


  
2. 
   
     Hyukojin (The Fox): I used to think he was equal to Yuki-Guma, but I was wrong. Their fight wasn't a match between equals; Hyukojin was "playing" with the bear because he didn't want to kill him. His true power remains a mystery.
   
     


  
3. 
   
     Kyura (The Wolf): The strongest and most prideful warrior.
   
     


  
4. 
   
     Shirawasa (The Rabbit): The cunning one, relying on numbers and attrition.
   
     


  
5. 
   
     Yuki-Guma (The Bear): The youngest, and the most reckless.
   
     


  

  I decided. My next target is (Yuki-Guma). He had stopped searching for me during the war, thinking I had fled or died. He returned to his territory, safe and complacent. Now... I will go to repay the debt of our first encounter.

  I noticed something strange on my journey. (Hong Min). Since I killed Kyura, I felt him beginning to fade. His voice in my mind has grown faint, appearing less, speaking less. It’s as if he is slowly withdrawing into the shadows, leaving me alone with (404).

  I asked (404) as we approached the Northern Territory: "Do you think we can kill the Samurai if we leave the mountain after killing Yuki-Guma?"

  (404) replied with an immediate analysis: < After killing Kyura, your willpower increased significantly. You have pierced the 'Creation Spectrum' (Phase 5 of the Mastery Realm). However, the Samurai level outside is estimated at 'Mastery Realm - Phase 2' at least. With their numbers and experience, the probability has become moderate. >

  I finally reached the borders of the Northern Territory. The atmosphere changed abruptly. The temperature dropped sharply, and the air became sharp as a knife blade, carrying the scent of shredded pine and ancient ice. I stopped before the sight.

  It was a graveyard. The trees weren't broken by wind or storms, nor were they uprooted. They were cut. Thousands of massive tree trunks, some three meters wide, were sliced horizontally with a single, clean, smooth stroke, as if a giant sword had passed through them without resistance. The cut surfaces were smooth as polished glass, covered in ice like a layer of varnish.

  I walked among these silent trunks, hearing the wind whistle through them as if playing a mournful, terrifying tune. I approached a granite rock the size of a house. I ran my stone hand over it. It was split down the middle. A precise, straight, deep crack that a bear's claws could not make. Sword marks.

  I looked around. Every rock, every cliff face, every tree... bore these scars. Who was training here? These aren't the traces of a frenzied beast. These are the traces of "training." Systematic repetition of a single movement thousands of times.

  I continued walking, the sound of snow crunching beneath my feet. I reached the heart of the region. There, at the foot of a towering cliff covered in blue ice, was the dark void. Yuki-Guma’s Cave. An open wound in the mountain, breathing out the chill of death. Sharp ice stalactites hung from the cave ceiling like the fangs of a giant beast, and the floor before it was covered in pristine white bones, polished and completely clean of any flesh.

  The scent of the bear's breath wafted from within... the smell of raw fish, clotted blood, and wet fur. I stood before the cave and drew Shakujo. I didn't need to shout. The red and purple aura of Shakujo reflected off the blue ice.

  He felt me. From the darkness, a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared, like two lamps at the bottom of an ocean. Then I heard the sound... a heavy exhale that turned the air before him into a cloud of ice crystals.

  The King emerged. (Yuki-Guma). He tumbled out like a living avalanche. When he saw me, he stopped. He sniffed the air. He recognized me. He remembered the insult. He remembered the fall. He opened his mouth full of blue fangs and let out a roar that wasn't a sound, but a shockwave of ice and noise that shook the cut trees around us. I have found you.

  The battle began. Yuki-Guma hadn't changed. He fought with the same barbaric style; ice orbs, claw strikes, and a permanent blizzard around him. He hadn't developed his style at all. As for me... I had changed. I was faster, stronger, and more precise. He was only one phase higher than me, so the battle was close.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  But the old problem remained: The Blizzard. It was around him like a rotating shield of ice and wind. I couldn't get close. Whenever he attacked, I was forced to retreat miles back to avoid instant freezing. Fire Magic? Useless; the blizzard extinguished it before it arrived. Water and Ice Magic? It would become part of his blizzard and increase its power. Wind Magic? No significant effect. Even Earth Magic and my stone bullets—he crushed them with his claws easily, his tough hide deflecting the rest.

  The only solution was to get close. I must cut his skin with Shakujo. My sword had become sharper and more lethal since I started using raw "Echo of Creation" to enhance it instead of Rei.

  The bear fought stupidly. He wasn't tactical like Kyura. He was a fierce beast, a mass of rage and ice. A beast... but wasn't Kyura a beast too? The difference was vast. I decided to try something new. An idea that came to me after observing Hyukojin.

  "Elemental Fusion."

  (404) warned: < Do you wish to proceed? Analysis indicates the pressure on your mind will be immense. If you fail, you will lose consciousness mid-battle. The safest solution is to continue skirmishing with Earth Magic. >

  I didn't answer. I gathered the "Echo of Creation." I deconstructed it mentally. I formed Water. Then I formed Wind. I merged them. I made the water rotate around itself at insane speeds, with the wind compressing and accelerating it until it began to friction and generate a spark.

  It was pure energy, turbulent and bright as the sun. Lightning Magic.

  I launched the attack. A glowing blue-white beam shot out, making a sound like the sky tearing apart, toward the bear. The sharp scent of ozone immediately filled the air. The blizzard tried to disperse it, but the lightning was faster and more piercing. It tore through the storm and struck Yuki-Guma in the chest.

  CRAAAAACK!

  The bear let out a scream of pain unlike any I had ever heard. The blizzard around him evaporated as if it had never been, and the ice turned into thick steam that covered the arena. The smell of burnt meat and charred fur spread.

  As for me... my nose exploded with blood. I felt as if my brain were boiling inside my skull, and my eyes would pop out of their sockets. A sharp ringing filled my ears. The pain was unbearable, as if I had been struck by the same lightning I had unleashed. But pain is the path to power.

  Yuki-Guma staggered, striking the air blindly, stunned and shocked. This was my chance. I ran toward him, leaped, and struck with Shakujo at his waist. His skin was hard as rock, but the raw-energy-enhanced sword sliced through it. The bear screamed and tried to hit me, but he was slow and staggering, his vision blurred with pain.

  I began to cut. Piece by piece. I was dismantling him while he was still alive. After seconds... he began to make a strange sound. Wailing. The wailing of a small, frightened child crying. He fell to the ground, crawling, trying to escape, wailing with a child's voice.

  At that moment, I felt the same strange sensation I felt with Kyura. This is the law of the jungle. One day you are the predator, the next you are the prey. I was the one fleeing; now he is the one fleeing. I am not merciful, and I am not stupid enough to let him live to grow stronger and seek revenge.

  I gripped my sword with both hands. I pumped everything remaining of my energy into it. I flew up and brought it down on him. I decapitated him. Yuki-Guma fell and died. The wailing silenced. Finally. He is dead.

  I remembered my cowardly escape from him in our first meeting. I had changed. I had become stronger. I looked left and right, searching for Hong Min in the corners of my mind. Usually, in moments like these, he appears to comment, mock, or show his sadness. But the place was empty.

  For some reason... I felt that Hong Min would not return this time. I wonder why?

  [Kage's Perspective]

  I woke up. I wasn't in the forest, nor in the cave. I was in a strange wooden room, smelling of sandalwood and wild herbs—a clean, comfortable scent. I was lying on a mat of soft straw. Before me was a small Kina fox, looking at me with wide, curious eyes.

  My instinct moved before my mind. I grabbed my hidden dagger from beneath my robe. The small fox fell back in fear on its rear and began crawling backward, terrified. I heard a voice shouting from outside, a strange word: "Yuta!"

  An adult Kina fox entered the room. He wore light armor and had a sword at his waist. He looked at me, said something I didn't understand, his hand on his sword hilt. The atmosphere grew tense. Then, suddenly, he let go of his sword and slowly raised his hands, palms open. A gesture of peace?

  I lowered my dagger slowly. If I were a prisoner, they wouldn't have left me next to a child. The small fox, Yuta, ran to the larger fox, hugged his leg, and began to cry. The fox patted his head to reassure him, then looked at me with a look of reproach mixed with relief, and sighed. He motioned for me to follow him.

  I stepped out of the room... and was stunned. I was in a village suspended in the sky. Elegant wooden houses built on the branches of giant trees whose peaks couldn't be seen, bridges of rope and wood connecting them, swaying with the wind. The ground was far yet close at the same time, a sea of endless green.

  In the center of the village, on the greenery, was a massive wooden statue. It was a statue of a Kina woman, carved with incredible precision. She had nine wooden tails wrapped around her like a cloak, and her face bore features of ancient wisdom and strength. She looked like a guardian goddess for this village. I am in a Kina village... how did I get here?

  We began walking on the suspension bridges. Kina foxes were looking at me from their balconies, whispering with strange looks—not hostility, but curiosity and fear of the "stranger." We reached a large room decorated with colored skins and fabrics. It seemed to be the leader's place. I entered.

  A Kina vixen sat there; her features suggested she was very old, but her face and body looked young and strong. In her hand was a twisted wooden staff. She looked at me, then smiled a warm smile and extended her hand to greet me. I extended my hand cautiously and shook hers. She placed her other hand over mine, smiled, and said words I didn't understand, but her tone was clear: Joy. She was happy I had woken up.

  After she let go of my hand, she performed a strange movement. She placed her palms together before her chest and bowed slightly. A sign of respect and peace. Then she pointed to the male fox who was beside me. The man seemed angry and began to argue with her sharply in their fast language, but she silenced him with a single stern word and a sharp look.

  The man gave me one last look, sighed in surrender, and motioned for me to follow him again. I left the room, completely lost.

  Where am I? Where is Dream? I remember his last words... he told me "I'm sorry." I cannot escape from here. I am in the middle of the enemy's den. I thought logically: If I analyze the situation... this situation benefits the mission. I have managed to enter the heart of the Kina society—free, not a prisoner, and far from him...