I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

A cold voice interrupted the ritual, like a gust of cold wind that instantly dispelled the frenzied atmosphere, leaving everyone feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

"..."

Quiet.

Everyone turned to look at the same time.

A tall figure fell from the cherry blossom tree.

He was enormous, nearly two meters tall, like a giant in a village where the average height was about 1.6 meters. He wore a plain garment that concealed his gender, and a bright red Inari Mask on his face.

The moment everyone saw Him, an indescribable sense of dread arose in their hearts.

Those jet-black pupils, like colorless ice suns, pierced their faces like a cold beam of light as they swept across them.

"I no longer need offerings."

His emotionless voice came from behind the mask.

"You... you are..."

Yae Guji stared at Him in disbelief; His very presence exuded an ominous aura.

"Could it be Lord Fox God?"

"Has the Fox God appeared to us?"

"Is He the Fox God?"

Whispers of surprise and excitement rippled through the villagers as they stared in disbelief at the tall figure. His extraordinary appearance seemed to confirm that he was indeed the Fox God that Yae Village had always worshipped.

The Fox God lowered his head and sternly scrutinized Yae Sakura, who was still holding Yae Sakura's hand and making her grip the sword. Yae Guji trembled and released her grip.

Then He glanced at Bella, whose Achilles tendons had been severed, and the coldness in His eyes deepened.

He waited here until the ritual began before reappearing to achieve the best effect, but unexpectedly, Yae no Yae Guji severed Bella's Achilles tendon beforehand.

After staring blankly at the Fox God's eyes, Yae Sakura suddenly perked up and rushed to Bella to help her up.

"Rin! Are you alright...?"

"..."

The Fox God silently gazed at the villagers who believed in divine intervention. He raised his hand and said coldly to them, "I am the god you have always worshipped, but I once fell into a deep sleep after a battle with Evil God, and I have only awakened again today."

"It really is Lord Fox God!"

"No! You..."

At this moment, Yae Guji realized something. He frowned and spoke, but the sharp gaze swept over him again, silencing him.

"I know you question my identity, and I do not wish to see you offer innocent girls to me, so I will show you my power, shower you with sweet dew, and cleanse the drought."

"Tick-tock".

As soon as he finished speaking, a drop of icy cold liquid landed on the face of one of the villagers.

"Huh?"

The villagers looked up blankly.

"Tick-tock... tick-tock... splash..."

The heavy rain came down when no one expected it.

"It's raining! It's raining! The Fox God has bestowed rain! He really is the Fox God!"

"Thank you! Lord Fox God! Rain! It's rain!"

"We love and respect you, Lord Fox God!"

Everyone was drenched by the sudden rain, but they also wore ecstatic smiles as they opened their arms to embrace the cool, long-awaited dew.

Even Bella and Yae Sakura, who was holding her, smiled.

"From this day forward, no sacrifice of any life shall be permitted; otherwise, I will punish you."

The villagers immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the "Fox God" to express their gratitude for his kindness and compassion.

Lin, behind the mask, watched all of this with a blank expression.

How can we persuade superstitious people to give up their unwavering beliefs?

Using their superstitions and rigorous science, they perform a "miracle" on a day when it is expected to rain, which has no real effect whatsoever.

"Take her to get treatment."

Lin Yi looked at his neighbor, La I, and she seemed to sense something as well, looking at Lin Yi. After seeing the black pupils under his face, she suddenly realized and smiled slightly.

"You... are not a god."

However.

The rain has stopped again.

A shadow loomed over Lin's head.

He looked up.

It lowered its head.

A pair of crimson, beastly eyes, filled with ferocity and killing intent, stared at him.

The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Fifty-Seven - The Vanished Girl

"Call..."

The scorching breath slapped against Lin's mask, as if trying to burn him.

If a god were to appear, what would that be like?

... No, it is only when demons come to earth that it becomes so terrifying.

A gigantic fox, its entire body engulfed in Crimson Flames, grinned, revealing two rows of sharp teeth as tall as a person, its ferocious red eyes fixed on the tiny human.

Has the rain stopped?

No.

Its enormous body and the leaping flames evaporated the rainwater.

"You... are not a god."

It repeated the sentence, hot breath spewing from between its teeth, staring fiercely at the motionless Lin.

Just a second ago, Lin clearly saw Yae Guji's body explode from the inside, and then, a huge fox emerged from it.

It... was hidden inside Yae Guji's body?

No... it transformed into Yae Guji from the very beginning?

"What... what is that?!"

"Lord Fox God! There's a demon! Please exorcise it!"

Is this the true form of the Fox God, a talking Honkai Beast? Or is it the creator of this consciousness space?

"How much longer... do we have to wait..."

Here we go again.

Who exactly is calling out?

Lin opened his eyes wide and watched as the crimson Kitsune with nine tails raised its front paws and slapped him down.

"Bang!"

The dust and impacts that kicked up obscured the surrounding area!

"Whoosh!"

Lin emerged from the dust carrying Bella and Sakura. His dark eyes darted around as he quickly found a place to hide. After placing the two on it, he turned to face the Kitsune was charging at him, ignoring the villagers.

"Howl!"

A terrifying roar emanated from its mouth, which was filled with protruding sharp teeth, and flames burning on its fur shot out like meteors, striking the eaves of the houses in Yae Village and gradually spreading even in the heavy rain.

Lin jumped onto the roof and calmly searched for areas on the Kitsune's body that were not covered by flames. Then, as the Kitsune leaped towards him with the force of a strong wind, he also jumped up.

"Bass!"

He shifted his posture, and in mid-air, the Kitsune's claws tore open the cloak covering his body. Lin's calm black eyes reflected the raging flames that were almost within reach. He grabbed the edge of the claws and then used only his hands to throw himself out, landing on the Kitsune's back!

"Roar!"

Feeling Lin on its body, the monster angrily shook its body. Lin gritted his teeth, grabbed its fur to prevent himself from being thrown away or into the flames, and then pulled out a short blade and stabbed it into its body.

"Bang—"

The dull feedback made Lin realize that it was impossible for his blunt knife to harm this fox, which was clearly not a normal creature.

"Boom!"

Lin was caught off guard and was slammed against the wall by the Kitsune. He crashed through the wall and fell into the house. As soon as he landed, he got up and shook his head. Then the fiery red shadow rushed towards him again.

What to do?

He had no weapons. In this consciousness space, he tried to manipulate Honkai Energy, but just like in the outside world, he couldn't control it precisely. His pitiful Honkai Energy could only make his fists and feet slightly lethal. It was wishful thinking to think he could defeat the Kitsune in front of him, which was at least Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

But just as the other party rushed over, Lin noticed something.

He stared blankly at the Kitsune demon's beastly eyes.

Eyes filled with violence and hatred burned fiercely in the flames.

This wasn't the look of a monster; even Bella, another Honkai Beast, hadn't given Lin this feeling.

Humans...

"Who are you?"

Lin murmured softly, then dodged the straight claw strike with a movement so fast it was almost invisible!

He used all four limbs to dash across the ground as if flying close to the ground, bounced off the broken wall next to him, and then punched the monster in the eye!

"Bang!"

It was solid, yet there was no blood splattering at all.

The Kitsune simply closed his eyelids; his full-force attack, hitting his eyelids, was as useless as a feather.

"Boom!"

The Kitsune turned and unleashed a sweeping tail attack, covering all the space where Lin could dodge, leaving him no time to escape. He raised his hands to block in front of him, as if he had been hit by an oncoming truck. His hands cracked as they broke, and then he was sent flying like a bullet, crashing into several buildings.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The man crashed heavily into the rubble.

"Click".

Lin knelt on the ground, breathing heavily. Heavy rain fell on his head, and the mask on his face shattered into pieces that fell to the ground.

Yae Village was transformed into a sea of fire, burning amidst the raging flames of divine punishment.

The villagers' panicked cries echoed in Lin Erming's ears. They didn't know what had happened, why Yae Guji had turned into a monster after the Fox God bestowed his blessing, or why even the Fox God had been so easily defeated by the monster.

Lin raised his head heavily, and then saw a scene that stunned him.

The Kitsune demon cruelly bared its sharp fangs, then raised its claws and slammed them down heavily on Yae Sakura, who was trembling and clutching Bella.

"Smack!"

Blood spread amidst the crimson flames.

"Whoosh!"

Lin suddenly woke up with a start. He opened his eyes, covered his head, and got up from the stream, panting heavily.

What happened?

Lin, soaked to the bone, had his pupils dilated involuntarily, and his breathing was rapid, as if he had just had a nightmare.

He immediately checked his surroundings, but what he saw was a scene he couldn't comprehend.

Streams, forests, cooking smoke.