Chapter 36: Yeounui's Ambition Revealed, Kayo's True Training Begins

Meanwhile, in the hideout of the Dark Nine-Tails, Kayo stepped through a portal and stumbled inside, still shaken with fear.
Yeounui sat in the main living area, flipping through ancient texts. The interior resembled a cabin-there was a rug in the center, and a fire roared in the fireplace.
Kayo collapsed onto the floor.
Yeounui laughed.
"Kayo, the great royal fox... beaten by a mere human? I thought you went to the demon ogre realm to teach your younger sister a lesson. Instead, you were defeated.
And even after I warned you not to go after her yet... you ignored me."
Yeounui stood, walked over, grabbed Kayo by one of her tails, and tossed her onto the couch.
Kayo coughed, gasping for air.
Yeounui returned to her chair, her nine tails swaying with excitement.
"You lost-and that's disappointing. You're a royal fox, after all. But I won't judge you too harshly. His master once forced me to retreat after injuring me badly.
Still... you confirmed something for me. Something I had only suspected-until your fight with Kuroyasha."
Kayo slowly sat up, noticing her strength returning.
"What is this couch made of? I feel better already..."
Yeounui smirked.
"That's just a normal couch. Your healing has kicked in-though you'll still need time to fully recover.
For now, rest. And this time... listen to me so our plan doesn't fail."
Kayo scoffed, embarrassed-but stayed quiet.
Yeounui leaned forward.
"Tell me, Kayo... what is the ultimate fate of all living beings?"
Kayo thought for a moment.
"Death... right? No living being-aside from gods-is above it. Why ask?"
Yeounui smiled.
"Correct. Death is the price of life. And when we die, our souls are guided to the afterlife... by very specific beings."
Kayo's eyes narrowed.
"...Reapers. Shinigami, as we call them in the fox realm. They can't be seen or heard by mortals, and you only meet one when your life is about to end.
But... why are you-"
She froze.
Then realization hit.
"...You want to enter the Shinigami Realm... don't you? Is that why you've been searching for that blade?"
Yeounui's smile widened-dark and wicked.
"Exactly. I will enter the Shinigami Realm... and take the Primordial Death Blade from its ruler.
With it, I will kill gods with ease.
And the first god I'll strike down... is Inari."
Her voice grew colder.
"Then I'll eliminate every nine-tailed god under her... and build my own empire.
I won't just rule the fox realm-I'll rule all realms."
Kayo frowned.
"That could start an endless war. You really want that kind of chaos?"
Yeounui turned to the fire, watching it burn.
"The weak will be crushed. The strong will serve me. That is the only order that matters."
She glanced back.
"And thanks to your fight, I now know something else-Kuroyasha has a connection to the Shinigami Realm.
A mortal... marked by them. That alone is unnatural. Their magic is forbidden outside their realm. They can't even leave it-except to guide souls.
Yet somehow... he carries their mark."
Her eyes gleamed.
"And that doesn't hinder my plan-it makes it possible.
All I need... is for that seal on him to break."
Kayo's expression darkened.
"I don't care about war... or the realms."
Her voice sharpened.
"I only want one thing."
Yeounui turned to her.
"I want Kuzuno to suffer. Truly suffer... in a way she'll never recover from."
Her power flared violently.
"I WANT HER TO RUE THE DAY SHE WAS BORN!
And I want her precious partner to die at my hands!
I want to burn him alive right in front of her!!!"
She calmed, a twisted smile forming.
"...Can I do that, Auntie?"
Yeounui smiled approvingly.
"When the gate to the Shinigami Realm opens, I'll need to ensure no one follows me.
At that point... you can burn him alive."
She paused.
"However... his fox form is a problem. It gives him too much of an advantage."
Kayo crossed her arms.
"Then we stop him from using it."
Yeounui tilted her head.
"Go on."
Kayo smirked.
"You fought his master, right? Then we attack his base.
He won't be able to defend it and fight us at the same time.
Then we force him not to transform. That leaves him vulnerable-and you can use him to open the path to the Shinigami Realm."
Her grin widened.
"And after that... I take my time killing him... while Kuzuno watches."
Yeounui thought silently:
If we were sisters in another life... you would have been the Dark Nine-Tails.
Your path isn't darkness... it's fire. A fire that consumes everything.
And I want to see it burn.
She stood and opened a portal.
"Come. Your training begins now."
Kayo stood, still sore-but already mostly healed.
"Where are we training?"
Yeounui pointed upward.
"To the heart of that sun."
Kayo frowned.
"You're serious?"
"You'll train alone. With five tails, you've just barely reached the level required to survive there.
Your goal... is to push that star from a main sequence into a red giant."
Kayo's eyes widened.
"You can't leave until you do. You must synchronize your power with the sun itself."
Kayo hesitated-but only for a moment.
Then she stepped forward.
Before entering, she glanced back.
"That place... means something to you, doesn't it?"
For the first time, Yeounui's voice softened.
"...It was a gift. From the only god I ever respected."
She opened the portal fully.
Kayo stepped through-heat beyond imagination crashing against her.
But she didn't falter.
The portal closed.
Back inside, Yeounui sat down slowly.
She removed part of her clothing, revealing a deep red scar stretching across her chest.
Her breathing grew heavy.
Pain surged through her body.
Yet she smiled.
"Beniyasha... you damn human..."
Her voice trembled.
"Even after all these years... this wound still won't heal.
Your cursed crimson magic made sure of that."
Tears fell down her face.
"You knew you couldn't kill me... so you made me suffer forever."
She clenched her chest.
"I killed you in the end... but you still got the last laugh."
Her voice softened.
"You chose your duty... over your life... over me..."
She closed her eyes.
"And I committed the greatest sin a fox can commit..."
Her voice broke.
"I killed my own partner."
Silence filled the room.
"...I thought I hated you."
A tear fell.
"But all I want now..."
Her voice barely held.
"...is to see you again."