The pearl was like death. It had a stench that made one wish to regurgitate their stomachs, but it was an odd stench. Despite that sensation, an unbearably pure aura emitted from it. It could be described as it trying to remove all the toxins from one's existence, establishing that revolting feeling.

While it reached near Akane, whose eyes were wide and filled with disbelief, it flickered with faint traces of that pure light.

Then, in a split second, the ritual had ended.

Akane felt a temporary liberating feeling, as if she was no longer burdened. Her hands were lifted away from the sword, and her eyes flashed with a light. With an instinctive desire for survival of not just her but her entire race, she lunged towards the pearl in an act of self-sacrifice.

She knew that pearl wasn't after her, but the Ancestral Hope.

Then, a voice seemed to echo in her brain. She pulled out a silver compass and threw it at the pearl. She had no idea why she did, but she felt it was right.

"Oh?!" The translucent woman gasped in shock when she saw the compass, and an uncertainty flickered briefly in her eyes.

Surprisingly, the pearl didn't dodge the compass, smashing directly towards. However, it didn't cause any sound of collision, but a soft sound resembling a rock being thrown into a pond.

That plop was resounding.

It caused everyone to unintentionally exclaim as their heartbeat increased unnaturally.

"The Ancestor said to remember the compass, but...what?" Confused, Akane thought. The events were too sudden to think about it too carefully.

The pearl and compass attached to each other. They were like two pieces of sharply contrasted gum.

Zuuum!

A charging sound emanated from the two. A build-up of unknown energy was occurring as the pure, white light and silver sheen of the compass started to glow brighter. It was like two unstable energy sources were competing for dominance.

Akane and Kaiga's expressions changed. Without thinking about it, Akane and Kaiga shot backwards without hesitation. A profound sensation of danger linked to their inner heritage alerted them of a terrifying event that was about to occur.

However, the translucent woman didn't have the same thoughts. She sped towards the sword in the stone, her nearly unseen eyes glowed with a brilliantly bright light of desire and happiness. All she needed to do was come in contact with the stone, and she would have accomplished her mission.

The two objects spun slowly in the air like they were performing a close contact tango of sorts.

As she sped forward, a violet light shot from a distance. This light was like a comet in the horizon arriving. The woman briefly glanced at it, promptly ignored it, and pushed forward.

She was only a few dozen meters away at this point. Her hand was reached as far as possible, and her fingers trembled. An incomparably excellent feeling emerged in her heart, like an explorer finding the most valuable treasure in the world.

Just.

A.

Little.

More.

Her thoughts spiraled.

The violet light appeared beside Akane as if it had eyes at remarkable speeds. A small, dainty figure emerged. It was Tsumi.

"Tsumi!" Akane cried.

When she appeared, despite being shocked by the events and filled with a sense of profound danger, Kaiga fearlessly stopped his retreat and grabbed at Tsumi. He pulled the confused girl into his embrace and turned his back towards the compass and pearl.

A soft exclamation escaped Tsumi's lips, but witnessing Kaiga, the Clan Lord's son, grab her protectively in his embrace, she didn't resist.

Luckily, because…

Zuuum! Zuuum!

The energy was clearly reaching its climax. The compass and pearl's lights surged into the surroundings like a disco ball light in the night sky. The rays were clearly visible and brimming with the abundant energy of incredible origin.

BOOOOM!

A heart-rending explosion took place with the compass and pearl as the epicenter. The world quaked, and the sheer amount of energy sent all things of creation into a spiral of chaos. The energy was hot and pure, as if it was trying to purify time and space itself.

The translucent woman was the closest, but she didn't even react as her vision had become tunneled onto the sword in the stone. The rays shone on her in such close proximity that she turned into a figure of white. Her entirety seemed to have been purified...even her lifeforce.

It was as if all things in this world didn't conform to that energy source. What she used as a weapon was reflected against her, claiming her life in a peaceful and perfect manner - via purification.

Kaiga clenched his teeth as his aura exploded and he gripped Tsumi even further. He roared, "Kitsune's Nine Ancestral Protection!" An invisible barrier was formed by consuming his lifeforce.

The energy impacted this barrier, but a little seeped through and entered his body. It was like a piercing spear, wanting to go through him and into Tsumi. Not only that, Akane's eyes were wide as she realized she couldn't resist the light.

Her strength just wasn't sufficient.

Kaiga saw Akane about to engulfed by light and madness filled his eyes. Memories flowed, albeit one-sided, they still were precious to him. He roared even louder, screaming to the heavens.

"I, protect. I, serve. I, live! Tailed Essence of Creation!!" With his everything, his tails expanded outwards. A total of six formed. They elongated and expanded to become as large as trees. He wrapped himself, Tsumi, and Akane in it. A wad of blood surged many times in his mouth, staining his teeth crimson, but he swallowed it all and clenched his teeth.

The light seemed to burn the tails like holy water meeting demonic existences. It sizzled, but shocking, it held. With it, they had barely survived the calamity.

With the two-layers of protection, they stayed in that position for a while.

It wasn't long before a violet light boomed in the distance in haste. Akio had reached top speed as the bad feeling seemed to reach an all-time high. However, that bad feeling intensified as his eyes widened when the white and silver light sprayed outwards like the rays of the sun.

His eyes trembled as he stopped, raised his palm, and pressed. A barrier formed from the violet light protected him. The barrier sizzled like it was burning, causing his heart to clench.

Hrrrrrccchhh!!

An odd sound echoed.

Akio looked up, and his eyes turned into needlepoints. With a swiftness, he looked down, and the panic in his eyes increased.

"The formations stopped!" As this realization hit, his expression became darker than night.

"Haha! Perfect. Men! Charge!!" A voice tinged in darkness echoed out like a grand king. "Follow our light, for we shall seize the day!" The sea of black was rumbling as they flew across the skies and ready to penetrate into the village.

The pearl was an object that contained the Essence of the Day. With it, they could shut down the formations and enter. Under the orders of Caliburn, the woman was to locate The Grail and then send a piece of it to activate it once more, inducing such effects.

Unfortunately, it didn't collide with The Grail, but the compass. Despite that, it still accomplished its task. Now, there were no more hindrances.

Akio's mind spiraled. It seemed the shadow knights knew of the foreign formations and how to stop it, indicating some familiarity. When this thought emerged, his heart pounded in panic. The light was still being emanated, but not so strongly. It came from the platform!

This meant it would truly lead them to where the Ancestral Hope was. He couldn't help but panic.

He decisively turned. With a swipe, he brandished his arming sword and faced the oncoming sea of black.

"Today, we KILL!" He growled ferociously. If they wanted to pass this point, they'd have to step over his cold corpse.

"Oh?!" A voice, foreign to all, came from the central area of the light. "I finally found it! How lucky."

A figure emerged from the light.