The fox's body fell blood trailing
lifeless.
And the ape laughed.
Laughed louder. Wilder
"…HAHA—!"
But
something felt
**wrong**
The sound of his laughter…
echoed
Too long. Too hollow
"…ha…"
It slowed
"…ha…"
Then
stopped
A sharp cough tore through his chest
**—KHH!**
Blood spilled from his mouth
Warm. Real
His eyes widened
"…What…?"
The world in front of him
flickered
Like glass under strain
Then
**shifted**
"…You really do like laughing a lot"
The voice came again
Above? Below?
No
*beside him*
The ape froze
Slowly
stiffly
he turned his head
And his breath caught
The fox stood there
Right next to him
Unharmed. Unpierced
Watching him
"…Care to tell me what's so funny?"
His eyes shook. Wide. Unbelieving. "…H—how…?"
The fox hummed softly, tilting her head
"…Hmm?"
A faint smile
"Oh… that?"
Her turquoise eyes gleamed
"I guess you're talking about how you were trapped in an illusion…"
A small pause
"…again"
Silence
The word sank in
slowly
"…No…"
His voice cracked
The fox's smile widened just slightly
"It's simple, really"
She stepped lightly around him
calm
unhurried
"After you stabbed yourself…"
Her gaze flicked to his shoulder
"…you looked at me again"
A soft shrug
"So I decided to do it"
Another step
"But not immediately"
She stopped just behind him
"Right about the moment you pulled your arm out…"
A faint laugh
"I didn't even think it would work"
The ape's breathing grew uneven
His mind racing
trying
failing
to find the break
"But then…"
Her voice lowered
"You *stared*"
A beat
"I thought maybe you had something that could resist it"
Her eyes narrowed slightly
"So I tested it"
Silence
"…And to my surprise?"
A soft exhale
"It worked"
"Without any resistance"
The ape's fists trembled
"I thought you were supposed to be smart…"
She stepped back into his view
meeting his gaze directly
"But you just decided to look at me…"
Her smile sharpened
"…right after I told you I trapped you in an illusion through eye contact"
A pause
"Did you think I could only do it once?"
Her eyes gleamed colder
"…or were you just carelessly stupid?"
The words hit harder than any blow
The ape's vision shook
and reality
**snapped**
He wasn't standing
He wasn't fighting
He wasn't winning
He was
**kneeling**
Right where he had stabbed his own shoulder
His body heavy
unresponsive
And through his chest
a staff
Dark
Rough
Familiar
The Ghost Banner
It had been driven straight through his heart
His eyes widened
blood spilling down his chin
"…This… isn't…"
This wasn't how it was supposed to go
This wasn't
But the thought
cut off
Because the fox raised her paw
And the banner
**activated**
A low hum spread outward, deep, unnatural
The air darkened around the wound
and something
*inside him*
was pulled
"…No—"
His body convulsed, fingers digging into the ground
His soul strained, dragged toward the staff
The fox watched calmly
No hesitation. No pity
"…Maybe you should've stopped looking at me"
The pull intensified
tearing
ripping
His scream never fully escaped
as the Ghost Banner began to **consume him**
And just like that
the battle
ended
The last of the ape's struggle faded
not with a scream
but with a pull
A final, silent resistance
before it was swallowed whole
The Ghost Banner dimmed
Still.
Satisfied
The fox stood over him
watching the empty body slump forward, lifeless now in a way that went deeper than death
No soul
No presence
Nothing left
"…That was fun"
Her voice was light. Almost casual
She tilted her head slightly, looking down at him
"…Playing with you, I mean"
A faint smile touched her lips
"…But all little games have to end"
A pause
"…Sorry about that"
No real apology in it
Just closure
Her gaze lingered for a moment longer
then shifted
"…As a reward…"
Her tone softened, almost amused again
"…I'll not spare you from being turned into a ghost"
A small mercy. Or perhaps
just convenience
Her paw lifted
Invisible threads of perception spread outward
her **divine sense**
It wrapped around the Ghost Banner
still embedded in the corpse
and with a sharp pull
**it slid free**
A wet sound
The body twitched once
then stilled completely
The banner floated briefly
Without hesitation
it vanished into her storage pouch
Her gaze dropped again
The corpse
What remained of him
Another pull of her will
and the ape's body lifted slightly
dragged
then disappeared into her pouch as well
Clean. Efficient
Silence settled over the battlefield
Broken earth
Scorched air
And no witnesses
The fox exhaled softly
"…Still…"
Her brows knit just slightly
"…I did lose something"
A flicker of annoyance crossed her face
"The talisman…"
Her eyes narrowed faintly
"…the one that could summon a Fourth Layer Foundation Establishment warrior"
A beat
"…I destroyed it"
Her lips pressed together
"…It just kept attacking"
A quiet sigh escaped her
"…What a waste"
For a moment
she just stood there
thinking. Calculating
Then
a small, knowing smile returned
"…Hopefully…"
Her hand rested lightly on her pouch
"…that monkey had another one"
Her eyes gleamed faintly
"…It would be a shame if that was the only"
The wind stirred around her
lightning flickering faintly along her wings once more
As she prepared to move on
Already thinking about what she had gained
…and what she might still recover
The wind shifted softly
carrying away the last traces of the battle
Then
from above
a small shape descended
Silent. Controlled
White wings cut through the air in a smooth glide
shrinking
folding
as the lizard dropped from the sky
The fox didn't look up
She already knew
"…So"
Her voice was calm. Light again
"…Little white"
The lizard landed gently
right between her ears
Balanced. Still
"…How did you like the show?"
A brief pause
Then
"…Waste of time"
Flat. Blunt
The fox huffed softly
not offended
Almost amused
"…That's because you were just watching"
Her eyes shifted slightly
gazing ahead
"…That wasn't for you"
A faint crackle of lightning danced along her wings
subtle
alive
"…That was for me"
The lizard's golden eyes narrowed slightly
observing her
not the battlefield
Her
"…You didn't need it"
The fox smiled faintly
"…No"
A step forward
"…I did"
The ground crunched beneath her paw
quiet in the aftermath
"…I needed to feel it again"
Her voice lowered
just slightly
"…The pressure"
"…The edge"
A pause
"…The risk of actually losing"
The lizard said nothing
Watching
"…And now…"
Her smile returned, sharper this time
"…I feel a lot more *balanced*"
The word lingered
Measured. Intentional
"…Since I met you…"
Her hand rested lightly on her pouch
where the spoils of the fight now lay
"…it seems like receiving gifts has become a habit"
A soft chuckle escaped her
"…And I think…"
Her turquoise eyes gleamed faintly
"…I'm starting to get addicted to it"
Silence followed
The lizard remained perched on her head
unmoving
Then
"…Addiction dulls judgment"
Calm. Matter-of-fact
The fox's smile didn't fade
"…Oh where did that come from but though I agree with that but only if you can't control it"
A slight tilt of her head
just enough to acknowledge him
"…And I don't plan on losing control"
The lizard's tail flicked once
"…Everyone thinks that"
A beat
The wind picked up again
light
restless
The fox stepped forward
wings stretching slightly behind her
lightning flickering faintly once more
"…Then I guess we'll just have to see"
No hesitation. No doubt
Only movement
As the two of them left the shattered battlefield behind
one amused
the other watching
both already thinking about what would come next.