The Nine-Tailed Fox Yokai, Lord Beast (1)

After regaining the ‘power of freedom’, Miho could suppress the seduction even in her eight-tailed form, eliminating the need to hide from people’s eyes any longer.

She no longer had to worry about the side effects of eight tails either.

With the Martial Force artists and ritualists having completed their anti-goblin training too, they returned to their original positions.

The human world had finally stabilized.

“…One might think that, but everyone gathered here knows that is not the case.”

Nam-hun Baek, the Minister of the Yokai Extermination Department, scanned the assembly.

This was the second Seoul conference to devise countermeasures.

Yi Haneul, Ho-jun, and Miho did not attend, being preoccupied with training.

Nam-hun Baek continued:

“One week ago, the goblin yaksha revealed itself near the uninhabited island off Yeosu.”

He used a remote to display yaksha’s photo on the screen.

Those who saw it shuddered, stifling gasps of revulsion.

It depicted Miho battling yaksha – taken from quite a distance, yet yaksha’s grotesque appearance defied description.

“…One minute after yaksha’s appearance, evacuation orders were issued provincewide.”

“Five minutes after, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck.”

“Ten minutes after, tsunamis inundated the inland areas, causing damage worth tens of billions.”

“Numerous other natural disasters occurred as well, but I’ll omit them for brevity’s sake.”

Beep.

Ending the screen display, Nam-hun Baek went on:

“For a single entity to inflict natural disaster-level damage like this is historically unprecedented.”

“We must prepare.”

“For the greater calamity to come.”

Then, someone raised their hand and asked:

“…Minister, I have a question.”

“Yes, the Deputy Director of the Sejong Yokai Extermination Office, go ahead.”

The questioner was indeed the Sejong Office’s Deputy Director, who bluntly asked:

“…How does preparing change anything for humans facing natural disasters?”

It was a question sufficient to dampen morale.

However, this was not a mere talk-fest – they had to produce concrete, practical ‘countermeasures’.

His question was valid.

In response, Nam-hun Baek nodded and said:

“…A fair question. As you said, humans cannot oppose natural disasters.”

“…”

Seemingly not expecting even the Minister to affirm the Deputy Director’s point, the assembly’s expressions revealed a sense of helpless despair.

“However.”

In contrast to their dejected looks, Nam-hun Baek was smiling.

“We too possess asymmetric forces on par with natural disasters.”

“You mean Miho, don’t you.”

“Yes.”

The Sejong Deputy Director recalled the ling named ‘Miho’ he had met before.

Having trauma from incarnated yokai, he hated all non-human beings, Miho included.

How could a mere fox protect humans?

However, the Miho he met was a benevolent ling who genuinely wished to protect humanity.

Nam-hun Baek continued:

“And we possess other asymmetric forces besides Miho as well.”

His words greatly disconcerted the assembly, with someone exclaiming:

“Wh, what other lings besides Miho…?”

“Yes. They exist.”

While Nam-hun Baek did not know why Lord of the Mountain concealed his appearance, he proceeded nonetheless.

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After the Yeosu incident, the world grew more turbulent.

Fundamentally selfish creatures, humans generally remain indifferent unless directly harmed themselves – a safety unawareness syndrome, humanity’s greatest weakness.

Of course, this world periodically saw the emergence of vicious yokai, an immensely perilous existence.

Yet with the Yokai Extermination Office, Martial Force artists, and ritualists protecting them, ordinary people could not perceive the true threat yokai posed until now.

After all, yokai-related casualties did not exceed 1,000 annually even last year.

…Over 3,000 people die in car accidents each year alone.

From a human perspective, cars were more fearsome than yokai.

However, the beast of Jangsan massacred hundreds.

The goblin of Namsan killed dozens and ruined hundreds more.

Yaksha in Yeosu triggered natural disasters causing property damage worth tens of trillions and leaving hundreds of thousands displaced.

Humans who had been shielded by the Yokai Extermination Office, Martial Force artists, and ritualists began suffering direct harm.

Their safety unawareness syndrome could no longer persist.

Especially the damage from yaksha’s emergence was of an entirely different magnitude from before.

…Even though I had lured it to the uninhabited island intending to minimize harm.

Curiously, all three entities – the fake goblin, real goblin, and yaksha as the Goblin King’s avatar – had direct or indirect goblin connections.

To prevent social unrest, the government reached its limit in controlling public opinion, officially acknowledging goblins’ existence.

As countermeasures, they specifically announced Yi Haneul, Ho-jun, and Miho.

The reason our names were mentioned was simple – footage from the uninhabited island battle had leaked.

While unsure who recorded it, the Principal speculated the government had deliberately leaked it to somewhat allay public anxiety.

Their response proved effective – while yaksha’s appearance caused social turmoil initially, once the footage aired, faith spread that the ‘Martial Force artists, ritualists, and Miho would somehow resolve it’.

And I started feeling uneasy about this blind public belief in us.

An ominous premonition that this situation too was part of Duergsini’s grand scheme.

It was hard to dismiss as mere conjecture, for we had remained reactive ever since goblins began properly revealing themselves.

Duergsini was the painter.

The world, the canvas.

Goblins, the brushes.

Humans, the ink.

The canvas, brushes, and ink could only be passively manipulated by the painter.

Such was the way of this world.

Unless we uncovered Duergsini’s true nature and whereabouts, this passive situation would persist, ultimately allowing his grand design to reach completion.

However, according to Lord Beast, I – the multi-tailed fox – was an existence freed from the cycle of arising and passing away.

In other words, I too could become an active painter.

It seemed the time was gradually approaching for me to paint my own picture as well.

…No, not quite.

On second thought, my role was not to paint a picture, but to ruin Duergsini’s painting.

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I often wondered how the past existence Lord Beast could contact her future self, me.

Simply due to overwhelming yoki?

No, that couldn’t be it.

If overwhelming yoki alone transcended space-time, the present world would be overrun by ancient immensely powerful yokai.

The only plausible reason Lord Beast could contact me was because, as a multi-tailed fox yokai, she possessed the power of freedom beyond the cycle of arising and passing away.

In other words, as a fellow multi-tailed fox like Lord Beast, I too could transcend space-time.

‘Yoki’ and ‘spirit energy’ alone would never suffice, but the ‘power of freedom’ that transcended the cycle…

Even in eight-tailed form, I should be able to leave space-time and contact Lord Beast, should I not?

…Lord Beast likely utilized this power to reach out to me as well.

There was simply no other way to explain her future contact.

My intention to contact Lord Beast was not just to escape Duergsini’s clutches and ruin his grand design, but primarily to converse with her – learn how she had dealt with goblins in life, and the fate that awaited an ‘evil’ fox yokai who chose that path instead of being a ‘virtuous’ one.

Within my nest in the other world, I concentrated the power of freedom.

For Yi Haneul and Ho-jun, this power served the simple purpose of executing formidable attacks.

But in truth, that was not the true essence of this ‘power of freedom’.

What was freedom?

The state of being able to do ‘anything’ solely by one’s own will, unimpeded by any obstruction or restraint.

Therefore, conversing with the past existence Lord Beast was also my freedom.

…Come to think of it, I might not even need to directly contact her.

Simply witnessing how her life ultimately concluded would suffice.

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Once upon a time, in the distant, distant past, there lived a woman who dominated all in heaven and earth with the heart of independence unmatched – the nine-tailed fox yokai, the kumiho, Lord Beast.

From birth, Lord Beast was imbued with overwhelming yoki far exceeding other yokai.

Thanks to her transcendent intelligence and immense yoki to back it up, Lord Beast soon subjugated the entire continent and…

…Wait.

This story is getting too long-winded.

I’m not interested in Lord Beast’s formative years, just her conclusion.

Let’s skip the unnecessary parts.

It seems I have become the narrator of the nine-tailed fox yokai Lord Beast’s tale.