Rage, Indignation, and Fury

Though it was a strange sight to behold, hundreds of millions of people were able to see Karyou's brow twitching when the giant bunny girl, Usalia, called her a fire chicken. She already had enough problems with people hating her due to the circumstances of her birth; she didn't need some stray rabbit coming up with a convenient insult for people to use against her.

"You dare insult the Great Sage who Leaves Heaven in Disarray!? My flames will burn you to ash...!"

In an attempt to do just that, a runic pattern spread across Karyou's wings as she reared back in the prelude to a sweeping motion. Her flames could reach temperatures comparable to the Sun's core, just under 15 million degrees Celsius. With their added corrosiveness, even Gods and Pure-Blooded Dragons could be reduced to ash in her fury.

Unfortunately for Karyou, Usalia had never been the type to sit around and wait for her opponent to finish their attack. The moment Karyou shouted her threat, she charged forward with a terrifying momentum that altered the very rotation of the planet.

"Usagi Punch...!"

With the pupils of her eyes contracting to points, Karyou attempted to close her wings in a manner that resembled an embrace. The temperature in the surroundings soared to the point that the land for several kilometers was instantaneously liquidated in a fiery explosion, but, thanks to her natural resilience, Usalia was able to push through the intense heat to give Karyou an uppercut.

Though Usalia was quickly becoming famous for her feral and untamed beauty, those that knew her well would attest that her two most prominent features were her durability and appetite. During her time in the Netherworld, she had tanked blows comparable to the forces present at the creation of a Universe. Though the power of the Sun was a direct counter to most demonic entities, especially those affiliated with the Moon, Karyou's tainted flames lacked the purification properties that would have given her an advantage. As a result, the only notable 'injury' Usalia suffered from the exchange were slightly singed pantyhose and a few black stains on her previously, pure white leotard.

With space being off-limits until the release of a Model Omega, Karyou found herself skidding along the invisible membrane surrounding her planet. By the time she came to a stop, she had circled the globe a total of thirteen times. This earned her a tremendous amount of laughter and ridicule from the spectators, and, though she couldn't hear them, Karyou could sense their disdain washing over her like frigid, unforgiving water.

"That's it! I'm done playing around! Every single one of you can go to hell...!"

Fearing that people would notice the tears building in the corners of her eyes, Karyou tucked her body and furled her wings in a manner that made her resemble a cacoon. The same runic pattern from before began to spread across her wings. This time, however, the runes shifted from a brilliant golden hue to pitch black as her entire body, previously golden, became shadowy and illusory.

"End of Nirvana...!"

Having lost interest in participating in the Gift Game, Karyou unleashed her most powerful attack without consideration for herself or the planet beneath her. An eerie black pulse was released from her chest, but, instead of simply spreading outward and destroying her surroundings, it vaporized her body before continuing outward at a slow yet unstoppable pace. From the outside, it was like watching the expansion of a star. Instead of bright, bluish-white, yellow, or red light, however, the entire thing was a mixture of abyssal black and suppressed golden flames.

What Karyou never could have anticipated was that the planets used in Vahn's Gift Game were quite a bit different from those that appeared in other games. Her penultimate attack was impressive but it was nowhere near the level of an Executioner's Judgment. If the planets were fragile enough that an invader could simply throw caution to the wind to destroy the entire thing, there would be very little preventing people from doing exactly that. Thus, while the eerie black pulse spread across the entirety of the planet's surface, it only managed to peel away a few hundred meters of the crust.

To Karyou's credit, glassing and stripping away the surface was a lot more than most people would have been able to pull off. Unfortunately, while it was able to eliminate some of the weaker and more opportunistic invaders, it was far from enough to deal with the trio that had invaded from the Sage Dragon's Hearth. If anything, her attack helped them out, as, due to the nature of the flames, a large portion of Usalia's already scandalous bunny outfit had been destroyed. This garnered her a tremendous amount of attention as the sight of a three-hundred-meter-tall bunny girl vexatiously concealing her body using fluffy paws wasn't exactly commonplace...

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Observing the scene from the comfort of his throne room, a frown marred Vahn's face as he sensed the tremendous volume of negative energy flowing towards Karyou. Her attack may have destroyed her body, but, due to her heritage as the descendant of a Phoenix, her body had promptly reformed at the center of a 3,000km wide crater. This prompted him to cast a reality-altering illusion over the area, not just because Karyou had appeared completely naked but because she started crying the moment she realized her failure...

("Poor girl...")

(*Just don't go blaming some 'Loli Curse' or Innate if you decide to help her...*)

Chuckling dryly in response to Sis's words, Vahn briefly observed Karyou's figure as he prepared a change of clothes for her. The last time he saw the hybrid between a Garuda and a Divine Phoenix was when Loi-chan had assumed her form. At that time, she had dolled herself up using an almost ludicrous amount of makeup. She had also worn extremely gaudy clothing, and, as a tertiary layer of protection, relied upon multiple illusions just to make herself appear more mature.

Now that she had undergone a process similar to a Phoenix's Rebirth, Karyou had none of her usual protections. As a result, she looked even younger than Sarina when Vahn first encounter her at the entrance to the Little Garden. She was barely 140cm tall, and, despite possessing fairly large breasts in her illusory form, she was even smaller than Wu in her present condition.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Vahn startled Karyou by using telepathy to inform her that the cameras and spectators couldn't see her. At the same time, he manifested a small, pagoda-style cottage around her before leaving a pile of neatly folded clothes on the ground. He could have just as easily placed them on her body, but, understanding there was a very strong possibility he would upset her even further, Vahn decided it was safer to allow Karyou to dress herself.

Instead of immediately grabbing the clothing, Karyou leaned forward to conceal her body, the temperature of her which caused the tears on her face to evaporate as she attempted to cast an illusion on her chest. This caused the smile on Vahn's face to turn wry, as, even at her lowest point, Karyou was more concerned with the perceived size of her breasts than the fact she was naked...

Resisting the urge to ask if she would like him to increase the size of her bust, Vahn remained silent until Karyou, having completed a physical illusion around her chest, sat up straight and asked, "Who are you? Why are you helping me...?"

Ignoring the two shapely mounds that now dangled from Karyou's chest, Vahn focused his intent on the petite woman's vermillion eyes as he answered, "This is the voice of Vahn, the Sage Dragon Emperor. I'm not sure if Wu informed you, but she and I have become very close since my stay at the Jade Palace. As her friend, I will not allow you to be shamed in front of the public."

Though he imagined Karyou would be more than a little angry once she learned that Usalia was a member of his Community, there wasn't much Vahn could do about that. They were fated to fight from the moment Karyou unleashed a wave of flames towards her, Fenrir, and Mikoto. If anything, she was lucky that Usalia was the one that took up the challenge. If Mikoto had her clothes burned away in the middle of a battle, she would have short-circuited before transforming into her Pikachu form and unleashing a thunderous and indignant fury upon her fiery golden opponent...

As Wu had actually bragged quite a bit about finally finding a man worthy of her affections, Karyou exhaled a sigh of relief when she heard Vahn's words. Immediately thereafter, however, a gleam of hostility reflected across her luminous vermillion pupils as she stated, "I'm not going to thank you. If it weren't for you and that damned monkey, I wouldn't be in this mess. I expect compensation once you've ascended to a 4-Digit Community..."

Though he smiled wryly in response to Karyou's words, Vahn didn't hesitate to answer, "Very well. If you come by the Sage Dragon's Hearth, you will have access to all the services we provide without needing to pay. I believe that should suffice as compensation...?"

Nodding her head in approval, Karyou generated an obscuring hemisphere of flames around her body before picking up the clothes Vahn had prepared for her. She was a little surprised to find that he had even prepared high-quality accessories to replace the ones she lost, but, after declaring that she wasn't going to thank him, the only thing she said after dissipating the veil of flames was, "I will visit once things have settled down." before immediately transforming into a fiery golden bird and bursting through the pagoda he had prepared...

("There she goes...")

(*Indeed...*)

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After mowing down a veritable army of carnivorous plants and creatures, Caulifla and Kale finally came face to face with one of the better-known members of Onigashima, Sōjōbō, the Daitengu of Mt. Kurama.

Tengu, as a species, were a form of Buddhist Spirit, that, as a result of their faith, made it impossible for them to go to Hell. At the same time, however, their excessive pride, vanity, or other flaws made it impossible for them to ascend to Heaven. As a result, they were trapped in the mortal plane until they either reached enlightenment or reneged on their beliefs and became yokai.

Generally speaking, Tengu were separated into one of two categories. Those who were wise and benevolent during their lives would become Daitengu, retaining the vast majority of their features prior to death. Inversely, those who lived ignorant or despotic lives would become Kotengu, many even losing their identities as they gradually metamorphosed into beings that resembled humanoid ravens.

Like all humanoid Tengu, Sōjōbō possessed an inordinately long nose, long-lobed ears, and a perpetually stern, almost angry-looking face. As one of the oldest and wisest Tengu, however, his complexion resembled that of a human instead of the traditional red and ashen-grey associated with those on the path towards becoming a Kotengu. The thing that stood out the most were his eyes, as, rather than white sclera and a natural eye color, he possessed black sclera and yellowish, perennially wrathful eyes.

"Ignorant and shameless wenches. You dare assail the great and mighty Onigashima Community in such licentious garb and in so few a number...!?"

Though Kale was wearing relatively modest clothing that consisted of a halter top, spat-like shorts, and a skirt, Caulifla was wearing her usual tube top and baggy pants combination. The majority of people wouldn't find this overtly scanty, but, due to her propensity to go commando and the low-lying nature of Caulifla's trousers, it wasn't exactly 'proper' either.

Angering the Daitengu even further, Caulifla unhesitantly used her middle finger to draw down the fold of her left eye as she stuck out her tongue, intoning a taunting, "Nyeeeeeh~!" before adopting a fighting stance and saying, "I didn't come here to listen to a lecture. If you're not going to attack, don't blame me for taking the-"

Moving even faster than instant transmission, Sōjōbō appeared right behind Caulifla without even a hint that he was about to move. An ethereal purple flame spread within his palm, but, the moment he tried to thrust forward to strike her back, Caulifla's tail promptly grabbed his wrist as she twisted her body to kick him directly in the temple...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The legendary Usagi Punch...!','Another Tsundere appears...','Will Sōjōbō be able to put up a fight? Find out on the next, exciting episode of dra...wait, haven't I done this joke before?')

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