Brother Haiiro...? (3)

"You fell for that scheme quite easily… Did the Grey Otter really mean that much to you?" Shin's first words to Kin was a question.

"You…" The Golden Fox growled, unhappy that she'd been forced into such a state just by one faux image of her beloved brother. She was angry at herself for being that hot-headed, livid at Shin's despicable planning and most importantly… Kin was absolutely incensed that Shin had taken the image of the Grey Otter and stomped all over it. The Golden Fox was in glee after finding out that her brother might be free from the grasps of the evil bunny. However, never in her worst dreams could she had anticipated Shin's deceitful plan.

"Don't worry, we won't kill you and also… We won't let you be killed.." Shin gave a gesture, and Saint Atossa flashed the brightest smile her lips could bear. Both Saint Althea and Saint Thor moved instantly, creating a sealed barrier within the locked cell with no doors.

Why were Spirit Saints considered to be on a class on their own? Yes, their cultivation was far above any other of their peers, and they'd accumulated decades, if not centuries of experience. However, the actual reason why Spirit Saints were able to dominate over all mortals, was their innate ability to control space. Once a cultivator had crossed the Rank 90 threshold, they were given the power to lock down space with just their thoughts alone. They didn't need the assistance of the Space-Elements or the Immortals above. They themselves were the law of the land.

So, with three Spirit Saints working together to seal one mere Tier 9 Spirit Beast… It was questionable if the Allfather could even kill Kin through his curse.

'This! They prepared this much!' Kin's foxy eyes were now on the verge of bursting out of their sockets. Shin's preparations were perfect. Once Kin had swapped with the golden idol, Saint Atossa would remove her disguise and seal the Spirit Beast when she was the most vulnerable. While that happens, the other two Spirit Saints would emerge from their hiding spots and seal the chambers with their own powers.

It left Kin without any room to breathe or even resist. Without putting up a fight or a whimper, one of the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts, the top executives of the Black Masks… Was captured just like that. Not a single soul was lost in the fight, mainly because there wasn't a fight. Shin and the Alliance expended nothing, and yet they got the overwhelming victory.

"Congratulations, Shin." A cheery voice sounded out from the back of the man. Kin pivoted her neck around, only to see an array of powerful auras emerging from the same darkness that Shin had done just moments before.

There was a blonde woman who seemed to be a direct descendant of a hallowed angel. By her side, a young white-haired girl who didn't seem older than ten bolted straight to Shin with a face of elation. Finally, to round it all off, a towering well-built man wearing breathy, comfortable clothes, folded his arms and gave his seal of approval by nodding.

"Mmmm… As expected of the Prince. To be able to string together such an elaborate plan with so little details…" Zishen had his chin raised high. Though he was praising Shin, the Primordial Beast was also commending his own decision to follow the young Prince.

"Yip yip yip! So this is the Spirit Beast responsible for Shin's headaches!" Bingbing chirped in joy as she bounced around like a little agitated infant. Shin was busy as of late and hadn't even spared a single second to play with her. Even before, when he was touring around the world attending to the affairs of Guardian Sword, Shin could spare an hour or two to play with the pure white Tier 9 Kamaitachi. However, due to the disappearing outposts, Shin had been stuck in meeting after meeting, brainstorming methods on stopping Kin and Gin's rampage.

"Good that we caught her!" Bingbing was tempted to give the Golden Fox a tight kick, but she held herself back. After all, attacking the captured Spirit Beast while she was in the midst of three Spirit Saints was a suicidal endeavour.

"So… How should we start questioning her?" Just like Lady Seph, Saint Althea was a straightforward woman. She instantly got to the crux of the issue while holding onto the suspended woman.

"No rush… We have time," Shin replied. "First, let's ensure that the walls are firmly secured, and no one can trespass. Capturing a Noble Beast… I would imagine that it would take mere seconds for the Allfather and the Black Masks to find out. In fact, they might be amassing a retaliation force to recapture her as we speak."

"Good idea," Saint Thor agreed as he increased the control of his space. Kin could feel the air thickening as every molecule in her body refused to listen to her. Instead, it was wholly in the control of the three Spirit Saints that were steadily preparing to seal her for eternity.

'I've messed up...' Kin cursed her carelessness inwardly. If she had been a little less hot-headed… Perhaps she would be able to see through such an apparent trap. Alas, her love and yearning for Haiiro, the Grey Otter, was just far too much for her to endure.

'I'm sorry, Gin...' The Golden Fox cried out. And to her utter surprise...

'Then you should listen to me more often!' Gin's jovial voice descended upon her like honey nectar from heaven, lifting up Kin's sour mood.

'Gin!' The Golden Fox shouted back mentally. 'How can you connect with me? This cell should be secured!'

'I'm using the Enchanted Silver Bracelet,' the Silver Monkey replied. 'I see that you're surrounded by three Spirit Saints… To deal with them, I would require the power of this Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament.'

'But that's far too risky!' Kin screamed back. 'It's not just the three Spirit Saints! There is one more Primordial Beast, one Spirit Venerate and one Tier 9 Spirit Beast. Also… Shin Iofiel is here!'

'Shin Iofiel? That bastard?' Gin scoffed. 'No worries, I'm not going to fight any of them anyway. The most important thing is to get you out safe and sound!'

'Are you confident?' Kin's voice echoed out in her brother's mind. Unlike her domineering style, the Golden Fox was far more restrained, like a weak infant that needed the embrace of her mother. 'You won't be harmed, right?'

'You don't have to worry, Kin… Have you forgotten what powers I have?' Gin chuckled. 'Killing three Spirit Saints? I'm far from capable. But stealing you right under their noses… Piece of cake. Just hang tight and endure! I'll be there in ten seconds.'

'Then… I'm counting on you!'

The conversation between Kin and Gin seemed to have lasted for a long time, but in reality, barely a second had passed. Kin was still suspended by the space lockdown while the other Spirit Saints were busy trying to isolate the cell from the outside world. A little too late for that perhaps…

'Ten… Nine… Eight...' Kin counted down the seconds religiously. If Gin said that he was going to save her in ten seconds, it wasn't a metaphor. It was an exact time-frame of when he was going to activate his powers. With the help of his Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament, the Silver Monkey could temporarily surpass his limits and unleash the greatest Time-Element ability that he had.

'Seven… Six… Five...'

"Shin, we've secured the base." Saint Thor dropped both his hands and flashed a little smile. "Now, can we question her?"

"By all means," Shin replied, unaware that Kin's silence was to buy her some time.

'Four… Three...'

"Then, shall we begin?" Saint Thor summoned out his hammer while cracking his knuckles. The Alliance had to dig up information about the Black Masks, and what better way was there than interrogating their top executive?

'Two…' At that point, Kin was unable to hold back her laughter anymore.

"Wait… Something's off!" Shin noticed the smile a little too late. Before he could even summon out his Spirit, a silver light beamed out from the recesses of the Golden Fox's body.

"One… GOODBYE, YOU FILTHY HUMANS!!!" Kin hollered out in pure euphoria as the familiar touch of Gin's monkey hands embraced her shoulders. She was now safe… With Gin around, they were invincible.

Or so she thought…

"Ah, so you finally showed yourself, monkey..." A new presence made herself known in the chambers, stunning the twin Spirit Beasts. The Time-Elements, which should have been in Gin's control, was now flowing off in the other direction. In a panic, the Silver Monkey raised his left wrist, showing off a shining silver bracelet with a gem embedded in the middle. He was trying to regain control of the River of Time, but how could he?

Gin was trying to contest… With the Saint of Time herself.

"Saint Longyu Tian!" Gin let out an exasperated cry. Being a Spirit Beast that was adept with the Time-Element, there was no feasible way that he wouldn't know about Longyu Tian. The sole woman in the modern era to cultivate the Time-Element to the Saint-level, as well as the first cultivator to create an Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament with said element. To a certain extent, Gin even admired the Spirit Saint and had emulated some of her techniques.

Therefore… Saint Longyu Tian was the last person that Gin wanted to face. And yet, there she was, holding onto the Rod of Eternity and staring him down.

Flipping her wrist, the Saint of Time latched the Rod of Eternity's hook onto the Enchanted Silver Bracelet, essentially nullifying its use. Without the Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament, the Silver Monkey was helpless against Longyu Tian, and not to mention… Three Spirit Saints were staring him down as well.

Like her brother, Kin panicked. She tried to take control of the space within her boundaries but was overruled by the more powerful Spirit Saints surrounding her. Gin tried the same. He mustered all the strength that he had to pull back some control over the Time-Elements, but it was to no avail. Saint Longyu Tian was simply the Hegemon of the Time-Element. What could a mere monkey do to her?

"And with this… That's checkmate." Shin's voice echoed in the twin's ears, bringing both their faces to the conniving mastermind. Did Shin deliberately hide Saint Longyu Tian precisely because he knew of Gin's mastery of the Time-Element? How was that possible? There were Brahmins in the Black Masks that didn't know the full extent of their abilities, so how did Shin figure it out?

Alas, no one was interested in their questions. As a matter of fact… It was the opposite.

"Now that we have the two of you in our custody… It's time for you to talk."