So far, the Ghost of Sorrows has overcome various hardships.
Sometimes they have been demons, sometimes phantoms, sometimes humans, and sometimes the "situation" itself.

A violent tremor hit the hall. When the dust cleared and the situation was confirmed, Sitri quickly stood up and raised his voice.



'The [Thousand Transformations] are holding back the destruction! Please help me, we'll be in big trouble if we don't do something! Oh my god! It's going to happen!



Oh, no! Hey, stop it! Don't let Krai do this all the time!

Brother! d*mn it!

My sister, Lise, immediately followed suit. The mages of the Footprints of the Beginning began to use their arts as if their voices had brought them back to their senses.

The arena, which was supposed to be sturdy, made a creaking sound. The waves of destruction felt in the center of the arena pulsed like a heartbeat, as if the monster was waiting for the time to wake up.


'Mr. Cry! The fox! He's holding it back!''


She looked down at the hall with her peach-colored eyes. There was the leader with a fox mask holding a sword stuck in the ground.

The man with the fox mask was the one holding the sword just before a thick cloud of dust rose. So, at first glance, it looks like the fox mask is the one who activated the treasure.


But it wasn't. Citri could tell. It's too risky to activate a treasure tool of this power in public. There is no reason for the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox to activate this treasure in this situation.


In the first place, although it is difficult to tell because of the distance, Krei Andrich's hand holding the sword is lower.


Citry took out all the magic recovery potions he could from his bag and placed them on the chair.

Lucia's hair lifted slightly from the powerful magic. A huge amount of power was released into the ground from her palms, resisting the rush of destruction.

The situation is time-sensitive. Few, friend or foe, have an accurate grasp of the situation yet.




Whoever wins, then, will be the one who starts the flow.




Citri felt a strong, thrilling elation fill his body.




We can't just let the fox do whatever it wants!





'I'm going to notify everyone!

'Oh, you're so excited...'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm coming with you!

'Okay, okay, Luke, you stay here and stop that destruction.

Luke roars, but his sister quickly stops him. This is a division of labor. Luke Sykor has an extraordinary ability to break through, but he has no aptitude in this kind of field (well, I don't think he can stop this energy with a sword in the first place).

Lucia and Ansem are using their power to limit the destruction on the ground.
The mages of the Footprints of the Beginning are offsetting the power emitted from the center, their faces turning pale.

I'm sure my sister would have given every one of them a potion to restore their magic power.



Citry accurately turned herself around in the midst of the violent shaking, and ran along the audience seats.







'Everyone, there's a problem! The fox! The fox! Please help me! If we don't do something, we'll be in trouble!









We're in trouble.






We're in trouble. That's all I knew.

The key to the earth shone brightly in my hand. It felt more powerful than any weapon or treasure I'd ever tried to use for fun.

Even I, with my dull senses, could feel it, and I'm sure every person in the arena felt the same thing.

This is a ...... dead end?
I have made many mistakes in the past, but basically my power is a small fish. I've never activated a weapon of destruction of this magnitude.

In front of me, a person wearing a fox mask reached out and grasped the hilt of a sword.

I couldn't see his eyes because of the mask, but I could see that he was clenching his teeth tightly. He seemed to be angry.

I immediately took a deep breath.


'Hey, calm down. In times like this, you need to calm down.

'............'


I looked up and saw that the arena itself was shaking violently. I didn't feel a tremor, but it wasn't just anything. In addition, the force from the key showed no signs of letting up.


What should I do? What should I do? If I don't do something, my cleats are going to be in trouble.

That's why I told you not to let me have the key. .......


'............ I can't wait for this key to be fried.'

'Aghh..................noooo......... ...'

'Hey? This is a serious question, but ...... how did you get that treasure to fry in oil?'

'ugh ...... guh ...... is ............ ah... ...ah ah ah ah ......'


The fox face echoes from the depths of hell as he asks with a ray of hope.

I'm not sure, but apparently he doesn't have time to say anything.

Hmmm, ...... if it's the same treasure, this key should be fried if you do something to it.

I wanted to take my hand away and try something, but my hand was stuck to the key and wouldn't let go. I can't even stand up when I'm being held down by the foxface from above. The whole situation is working against me.

I've always had bad luck. I suppressed the urge to cry and fearfully made a suggestion.


'I'm really sorry, but would you mind stepping aside for a moment? I'd like to try something. ......'

'? What the--?


I have no idea why the fox face is in so much pain while I'm fine. And apparently he won't move out of the way.


But I'm still a level 8, and I can't do nothing in this emergency.


I've handled many treasures in my life. Among them, there is naturally a sword-shaped treasure. You can't beat other childhood friends when it comes to the time they spend handling treasure.


Then you should be able to control the sword of the earth just fine.


You must believe in yourself. My time with the weapon will not betray me.


I closed my eyes and focused my mind. I shifted my attention to the sword and suppressed its activation based on my experience and knowledge.






--And then, I felt something warm on my face.




'?

I open my eyes. The fox mask was coughing up blood.
A fishy smell similar to rust spreads throughout the room. Even I'm used to smelling blood, but...

I was stunned, and the fox mask spat out more blood. My hand is stuck on the sword, and I can't even avoid it.

'!

'Ah ...... is gu......'

''Eh?''

The fox mask slowly moves its left arm, which was not holding the sword, and holds the key of the earth over its head. That's when I noticed it.



The key of the earth was shining brightly. The light was reddish. The force flowing into the ground is greater than before.



Huh? Huh? No, no, I thought I stopped it--



I try to control it further. The keys of the earth turn red, as if heated, and the shaking of the arena becomes even more violent.
People fly, screams and roars shake the world.


What? What if--I can't control it?




You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of these in the marketplace. .................. I see. ...... This treasure trove, well, it's not like any other treasure trove I've ever seen. I'm not sure.






Do you really want the key to the earth that badly--wait? Could it be that the reason you can't control it is because of the fox mask in front of you?


This man had just tried to use the key of the earth.
It turned into fried tofu (I really don't know what that means), but I wouldn't be surprised if that feeling is still there.



Fortunately, the fox face does not seem to have any time to spare. The fox face wants to activate the sword, and I want to stop it from activating. Apparently, no help is forthcoming. I made up my mind.




'Then it's a contest of strength. I'll give it my all.

'!

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!



He put all his strength into the sword and tried to control it. The sword shone like the sun, the shaking of the arena increased, the ground cracked, and the fox mask coughed up blood.


It was truly a picture of hell. I close my eyes tightly against the glare of the light.


All I could think of was that I couldn't lose.


There were no more warding fingers. There's nothing to protect me. There's no point in running. Then I must push forward.

There are many members of the Footprints of the Beginning in the arena. If I lose in the control of the treasure, I won't be able to apologize to Mr. Marches who has taught me so much about the treasure and to Tino who has accompanied me in the purchase of the treasure.


I'm not going to do it.

'Gosh, ......, what power.'


The power flowing from the sword showed no sign of diminishing in the slightest. On the contrary, even though I thought it was at its limit, it's increasing even more. It's a terrifying power that I can't believe is coming from a tiny sword.

A power to control treasure that surpasses my control, the Fox Mask Society-- a terrifying group.
I thought I was second to none in the time I spent playing with treasure, but the world is a big place. There is a higher power.


The foxface is coughing up blood again. I think you should give up soon and get medical attention. That amount of blood loss would've killed me long ago.



You still want to use your treasure? ! What the hell are you!








Just then, I heard a sound.




'?


I open my eyes. The sound disappears for a moment.



And then, right in front of me, the Key of the Earth that I was holding so tightly shattered into pieces.