On a distant hill—
Akihiro Kanou sat slumped on the ground, his eyes wide open in shock, mouth agape and unable to close for a long time. He stared unblinkingly at the now-destroyed district before him, his withered, aged face still frozen in sheer terror.
"T-This… how is this possible?" Akihiro Kanou muttered.
He had never imagined that anyone could possess such immense power, something that seemed straight out of a science fiction movie—unbelievable. If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have believed such an absurd sight.
What kind of joke was this? Someone had wiped out an entire city district in an instant. If they hadn't been observing from a distant mountain, they might have ended up just like the mutant ghouls below—completely annihilated.
"Is this… the power of a god?" Akihiro Kanou's pupils shrank and trembled, his heart overwhelmed by an indescribable shock.
Suddenly, he recalled an old legend—one that spoke of an ancient celestial deity known as the Nine-Tailed Fox, a divine entity worshiped in shrines, said to possess the power to destroy worlds with a mere wave of its hand. When the silver-haired girl in the fox mask had first appeared, some had speculated whether she might be a god who had descended to the mortal world.
At the time, the idea was dismissed, ridiculed by the masses.
But now, believers had grown by the thousands.
Shrines dedicated to her had sprung up like mushrooms after the rain.
Could it really be true?
"Nonsense!" Kichimura Washuu's eyes were bloodshot, his gaze filled with madness as he growled, "That must be fake! This is definitely something created by humans! Do you really think they used bombs to scare us? How laughable! Even their own people died—how could they call this divine power?"
Akihiro Kanou, still dazed, snapped back to reality at those words, his entire body trembling.
What Kichimura Washuu said made sense—if it were truly divine power, why would innocent civilians and human soldiers be destroyed as well? Clearly, this was just a large-scale bombing operation carried out by the humans.
In order to eliminate the mutant ghouls, the most effective method would be the indiscriminate use of high-yield explosives—and they didn't even care about their own casualties. If this were truly divine judgment, it should have been selective, not a senseless massacre.
"They're just trying to intimidate us, using large-scale weapons to wipe out the mutant ghouls. But they are gravely mistaken if they think such crude methods will work." Kichimura Washuu sneered, his voice filled with mockery. He jabbed his finger in Akihiro Kanou's direction. "Isn't that right, Doctor?"
"Y-Yes, of course…" Akihiro Kanou forced a laugh, but at that moment, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of danger emanating from the seemingly elegant young man before him. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
But before he could finish speaking, his eyes involuntarily shifted toward the devastated district in the distance.
And the moment he saw it—
His eyes widened in horror.
Pointing with a trembling finger, he stammered, "T-That… what is that?!"
Kichimura Washuu, annoyed by Akihiro Kanou's sudden outburst, furrowed his brows, initially wanting to scold him. But as he turned his gaze toward the ruins.
His pupils contracted violently.
On the completely destroyed cityscape, something was emerging from the ground.
A massive creature slowly rose from beneath the earth.
Its face was etched with intricate purple markings, and its entire body was draped in a massive robe. A terrifying, otherworldly aura emanated from it, sending chills down their spines.
Suddenly—
The giant's mouth split open from top to bottom, like an unzipping seam.
A gaping maw stretched wide—
And at that moment, countless pale green lights shot out from within.
The dazzling lights spiraled through the air, forming a spectacular, grandiose display. The brilliant emerald glow spread across the sky, dyeing even the once-blue heavens a shade of ethereal green.
Beneath this divine radiance, the world seemed almost surreal—like a scene out of a fairy tale.
Then, suddenly—
The floating green lights paused for a moment before spiraling into a vortex.
Slowly—
They began to descend.
Like a celestial rain of blossoms, the lights cascaded from the heavens, enveloping the ruined district.
Not only did Kichimura Washuu and Akihiro Kanou witness this eerie spectacle.
Even the human forces stationed nearby saw it.
Countless soldiers and investigators stared in stunned silence at the green light showering from above.
The breathtaking beauty of the scene was so overwhelming that—for a brief moment—they even forgot their exhaustion.
"Look! Over there!"
But before they could fully comprehend what was happening—
Something even more shocking occurred.
From the ground of the once-destroyed city—
Countless hands suddenly emerged from the earth.
One after another—figures began clawing their way out of the dust and rubble.
Slowly—they rose.
"Damn it! What are those things crawling out of the ground?!"
"Could they be ghouls?"
"Of course! How could humans possibly survive such a catastrophe? Unless it's the power of a god."
"What should we do?"
"What the hell are these things?"
"That creature didn't look like anything good to begin with. It must be some kind of dark sorcery."
"Does this mean Liuli is our enemy?"
"How is that possible?"
"But if that's not the case, why would she revive so many ghouls?"
Faced with the soldiers' questions and the sight of countless ghouls slowly crawling out from the ground, even Koutarou Amon couldn't help but feel shaken.
Could she really be the enemy?
How could that be possible?
As tensions rose, Koutarou Amon quickly stepped forward from the crowd and shouted in a deep voice, "No one is allowed to make rash judgments until we figure out what's going on! Also, someone notify Commander Marude immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Koutarou Amon turned around, his expression grim and his heart filled with unease. No matter what, he refused to believe that Liuli would do something like this. But the scene before him was simply too—
Wait.
Koutarou Amon suddenly snatched the binoculars from a nearby soldier, raising them to his eyes and focusing on the "ghouls" in the distance. His brows furrowed deeply as he observed carefully, scrutinizing every detail.
And then he finally realized the truth.
Those dense crowds weren't ghouls at all.
They were humans.
The moment this information spread, everyone was stunned.
Disbelief filled their hearts as they turned their gazes toward the distance.
The dead, even those whose bodies had been completely obliterated had returned.
How was this possible?
Such a thing defied all logic.
Were they dreaming?
Yet, the undeniable truth stood before them.
The people who had died had truly come back to life.
The soldier who had previously doubted Kaguya was now completely frozen in place, murmuring in utter disbelief—
"Could this… really be the power of a god?"
Under Kaguya's powerful Outer Path—Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, the humans who had once died began to awaken one by one. Even those who had been obliterated into dust and ashes were reassembled by this immense power. Moreover, even those previously infected by the virus that turned them into mutant ghouls were now completely cured as their bodies returned to normal.
This scene left not only the human soldiers and investigators in shock, but even Kichimura Washuu and Akihiro Kanou, watching from the distant mountain, were utterly dumbfounded. Even Kaguya herself was slightly surprised—she hadn't expected that the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique would also have the ability to remove infections from the resurrected.
Kaguya speculated that the technique's healing principle must involve restoring individuals to their healthiest pre-death state, and since the transformation into a mutant ghoul was a postmortem effect, it was naturally undone.
However, using such a large-scale ninjutsu was not without consequences. The side effects were obvious—it consumed an enormous amount of chakra and mental energy. After all, reviving so many people was no small feat. The casualties in this district alone numbered at least hundreds of thousands—far exceeding the population of Konoha Village in Naruto.
Fortunately, with the support of the Evil Chakra, Kaguya had a constant energy supply, preventing her from collapsing like before in Naruto world when a single use of the technique would leave her drained for days. Still, the fatigue was unavoidable.
But to Kaguya, this was a trivial matter. In her own words, "Just eat a few more bowls of dango, and everything will be fine."
As for whether Kaguya used the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to genuinely save humanity, or simply to save the people who made her favorite dango—that was unknown.
When Koutarou Amon led a group of investigators to assist the revived humans with relocation, he saw Akira Mado standing alone, seemingly holding something in her hands. Her clear eyes gazed into the distance, her expression slightly dazed.
"Where's Liuli? Where did she go?" Koutarou Amon glanced around but found no trace of the familiar silver-haired girl.
Akira Mado did not turn around. Instead, the corners of her lips curved into a barely noticeable smile as she replied, "She's already left."
"Left?" Koutarou Amon was momentarily stunned. "But Commander Marude still needs to—"
Since the person in question was already gone, there was no point in continuing the discussion.
"However, she did leave a message." Akira Mado seemed to recall something, covering her mouth as she chuckled. "If anyone wants to find her, they can… go talk to the pigs at the pig farm."
"Huh?" Koutarou Amon was utterly dumbfounded.
...
Human Command Center Office
"Bastard!"
As expected, when this message was relayed to Itsuki Marude, he flew into a rage. His forehead veins bulged as he slammed the documents in his hand onto the desk with a loud "bang", his voice full of fury.
"That damn woman! Is she comparing me to a pig?! Absolutely unforgivable!"
Seated on the sofa nearby, Kishou Arima remained completely indifferent, fingers tapping away at his laptop keyboard, deeply engrossed in research.
Itsuki Marude took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned around with a snort. "Oi, don't you have anything to say about this?"
"What's there to say?" Kishou Arima finally lifted his head, speaking in a calm, indifferent tone. "As long as we know she's still on the human side, isn't that enough?"
"You're as cold as ever, but that's too optimistic," Itsuki Marude's expression turned serious as he spoke in a heavy tone. "Her power has already grown far beyond what humans can comprehend. If left unchecked, this could become a major disaster. If she ever decides to do something dangerous… there won't be a single person left in this world who can stop her."
"Has she done anything yet?" Kishou Arima glanced at him and asked.
"Not yet, but that doesn't mean she won't in the future!" Itsuki Marude quickly replied.
"Then that settles it." Kishou Arima closed his laptop, stood up, and said, "I'll be away for a while. I'll leave CCG in your hands for now." With that, he walked straight toward the door and left.
"Tch." Itsuki Marude snorted, grumbling in annoyance, "As if you ever managed it in the first place."
At the same time, on a mountain dozens of kilometers away from the human defense line—
"I didn't expect such power. This truly exceeded my expectations. It looks like the plan will have to move ahead sooner than expected."
Kichimura Washuu smirked, his sinister eyes gleaming with a chilling light. Turning around, he spoke with contempt, "How useless. To think you'd be so terrified. Since your will is so weak, you have no value to me anymore. You might as well stay here forever."
As he spoke, he casually removed his bloodstained gloves and tossed them into the grass before walking away.
Right where he had been standing just moments ago, a middle-aged man in a white coat lay in a pool of blood. His wide-open eyes were frozen in terror, his twisted expression still carrying traces of fear.
It was none other than Akihiro Kanou, the very man he had been speaking with earlier.
...
Although CCG Headquarters and the JSDF did everything they could to suppress and classify the incident, declaring everything that happened in the 5th Ward as top secret, there is no such thing as a perfectly sealed truth in the world.
Tens of thousands of people had personally witnessed the bizarre events—there was no way to silence them all.
Within just a few days, rumors of the silver-haired girl wearing a fox mask had spread like wildfire, and the events in the 5th Ward became the subject of heated discussion across the streets and alleys.
During the ghoul invasion, thousands of investigators and soldiers had fallen, and the human defensive line had been overrun by the monstrous tide of ghouls.
At the very moment when the human forces were on the brink of annihilation, when all hope seemed lost—
The silver-haired girl in the fox mask suddenly appeared.
With a mere wave of her hand, she effortlessly annihilated the rampaging Kakuja ghouls.
She turned the tide of battle in an instant, her overwhelming power far beyond human comprehension.
And if that were all she had done, it would have been enough to shake the world.
But what truly shattered people's understanding of reality was—
She brought back to life the hundreds of thousands of people who had died on the battlefield.
This was completely inconceivable.
It far exceeded the limits of human knowledge.
It was a power that only a god should possess.
Perhaps such miracles only existed in myths—yet now, it had happened right before their eyes.
Some even began to say—
The silver-haired girl in the fox mask was none other than an ancient divine fox spirit.
Only she could perform such an unfathomable, utterly impossible feat.
This theory quickly gained widespread acceptance.
What had initially been mere speculation soon spiraled into something more mystical—
And as the rumors spread, people became convinced that the silver-haired girl was indeed the fox goddess who had descended to the mortal world.
Stories emerged, almost indistinguishable from ancient legends.
Tales spoke of a fox goddess who, upon witnessing humanity's suffering, descended from the heavens to save them from disaster.
For a time, the legend of the fox goddess became a frenzy.
Shrines and temples dedicated to the fox goddess sprang up everywhere, growing in number like mushrooms after a rain.
At first, there had only been a few scattered shrines, but now—fox goddess temples could be found in nearly every city.
Many households even began worshiping statues modeled after the silver-haired girl in the fox mask.
Oh, wait—not figurines. Statues.
Upon hearing all this, Kaguya found herself both speechless and relieved.
Thankfully, she wore a fox mask.
If she had worn a Pigsy mask, wouldn't she have become the "Pig Sage" instead?
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