Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 531 Before the End: The Foxfire Never Sleeps
The most dangerous moment for the victor
He heard his own applause.

God never applauds; God only waits.

—From *The Tower of the End: Fragments - Foxfire Chapter*

The cover of the nuclear silo was half-open, and the metal groaned softly in the wind.

The night was as thick as the sea, filled with the smells of gunpowder, blood, and steam.

The fleet of deep-sea nightmares lay across the sky, their black iron hulls reflecting a faint light, like a pod of whales sleeping in the heavens.

After the gunfire ceased, the noise on the deck returned.

Some people were pouring wine on the mast, while others were patting their comrades on the shoulder, laughing and cursing.

The Red Dragon's bow flag fluttered in the night wind, and the flickering lights reflected the ashes on the faces of the crew.

That was the expression of victory—exhausted, yet relaxed.

We're going to win.

"Want it? We've already won!"

A sailor, his face covered in blood, picked up a wine jug and shouted into the night sky.

"Drink! To the nuclear flame!"

The wine in the pot exploded in the sparks, like a small meteor.

Calvino leaned against the deck railing, his fingers gently tapping out a rhythm on the strings.

Lilia sat next to him, biting into a candy stick, a smile playing on her lips: "The night is beautiful tonight."

“Because all the stars are watching them die.” Calvino’s voice was low, as if he were talking in a dream.

The light of the gunfire finally faded, and the scent of the sea wafted on the wind.

Xu Long stood at the bow of the ship, a musket resting on his shoulder, his gaze fixed on the direction of the nuclear base.

A silver line shone on the distant horizon—the cold light of a missile silo.

He didn't laugh, he just frowned.

“It’s too quiet,” he murmured. “Even the dead should breathe.”

On the ground, the Four Symbols Defense Array surrounding the base is still in operation.

Xiao Lianyin sat on a section of abandoned cannon platform, twirling an unopened bottle of wine in her hand, while the Nine-Tailed Fox Lord lay at her feet.

The wind ruffled her hair, she took a big gulp of wine, and squinted as she looked into the distance.

“It was too easy to win,” she murmured.

Not far away, Lilia was adjusting the barrier of the Upside-Down Sea on the north side. The light shone on her fair face, making it look like a layer of cold lacquer.

"The barrier is intact; there are no disturbances on the eastern front." Her voice came through the communication channel.

"It's like... having no enemies."

Calvino's voice echoed from the east: "It's eerily quiet over there at the Flower Garden."

Si Ming stood outside the missile silo, the electronic light screen above his head flashing continuously.

【00:03:00】—The moment the numbers lit up, the entire battlefield seemed to hold its breath.

The countdown wasn't loud, but everyone could hear its rhythm pounding in their chests.

"The signal is stable."

"Initiate sequence locking."

The sounds of machinery, footsteps, and breathing all blended into a single rhythm—the rhythm of victory.

Si Ming stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the sky.
"The victory came too quickly," he chuckled softly.

Shinobu stood quietly beside him, her sword sheathed, her eyes calm, as if she were guarding or waiting.

A chilly wind blew up from the depths of the missile silo.

That was an overly quiet wind.

There wasn't even a sound of dust in the wind.

A long, drawn-out flute melody drifted from the deck of the Red Dragon—it was a tune some pirates were playing before setting sail.

The melody is short and old, like a wanderer's lament.

The sea breeze carried the musical notes toward the base, where they shattered into faint echoes on the metal walls.

Xiao Jinyan leaned against the edge of Mirror Lake, kicking at the stones with his toes: "Aren't they coming?"

"It seems you're really not coming," Xiao Lianyin replied.

He scratched his head and laughed: "Boring. We prepared so much, but not a single enemy soldier came in."

Si Ming gently tilted his head: "Don't rush, the loser has already lost. We've won."

After he finished speaking, he paused slightly, as if he had realized something.

He looked up at the sky—the night sky—and suddenly it flashed.

It wasn't artillery fire, nor lightning.

Instead, it was a kind of light like an "eye," slightly open and then closed.

He frowned, but didn't say anything.

The wind was even colder near the missile silo.

倒计时在天幕上跳动：【00:02:58】、【00:02:57】……

The entire battlefield was focused on those numbers.

Some people laughed, some people cried.

Some people said nothing, just watched quietly, as if waiting for the ending of a story.

They didn't notice that the starlight in the night sky was trembling.

They didn't hear the faint laughter carried on the wind.

The laughter came from a very distant place.
Through the wind, through the flames of war, through the shadows of every person—

It's as if someone, behind the scenes of fate, gently closed a book.

[Countdown: 00:02:30]

[A three-minute victory—the end is nigh.]

The night sky was burned like churning ink.

After the cannon fire died down, only the waves continued to pound against the ship, making muffled thuds.

The Red Dragon slowly turned its bow, the lighthouse beam sweeping across the billowing dust in the night.

"...Is it over?" the co-helmsman asked in a low voice.

No one answered.

Xu Long slowly drew Chi Xiao, the blood-red light winding into lines on the blade.

He let the sword stop in the wind, and carefully observed the light—

It was a kind of extremely quiet light; too bright, in fact, seemed to be reminding him that he shouldn't relax.

The communications soldier ran up, panting, and reported: "Report! The enemy has been routed, the barrier of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons has completely collapsed, and even the flags of the Flower Garden have been taken down!"

"They've been withdrawn?" Xu Long asked rhetorically.

"Yes, even the Thunder Beast's aura has disappeared."

Xu Long's brow furrowed slightly.

"Fox tumor... Mijin-in... what does that mean?"

Chen Mei was leaning against the railing wiping her knife when she heard those words and chuckled: "Yushinin?"

"Isn't that girl next to Siming the one who calls herself Mishinin Nobuna?"

In that instant, the wind stopped.

The sound of the wine jug hitting the ground on the deck was as clear as a knife blade.

Xu Long's pupils suddenly contracted.

"--not good."

He cursed under his breath and turned around abruptly.

He slung the musket back to his waist and swung his right hand.

"Red Dragon, turn around! Full speed ahead!"

The helmsman stared in disbelief: "Captain, there's still artillery fire from the base!"

"Stop talking nonsense, share!"

boom--

With its propeller engines at full power, the entire Crimson Dragon suddenly veered off course in the night sky.

As the turret rotated, it drew lines of fire that almost grazed the clouds.

The flames and smoke intertwined to form a red flight path.

Xu Long looked up.

Tiny specks of light appeared on the distant sea surface—

It's not a star, it's a foxfire.

Those clusters of fire, reflected on the crests of the waves, looked as if countless fox spirits were swimming underwater.

"Damn it..." he muttered.

Chen Mei turned around and looked back; her expression changed for the first time.

at the same time,

An abandoned base on the outskirts of Tokyo—

Xiao Jinyan sat in front of the Reflection Lake, twirling his mirror crown with his fingertips.

He had already yawned three times.

"Not going for it? That's so boring."

Not far away, Si Ming was adjusting the parameters of the launch silo, a smile playing on his lips.

"Don't rush. The loser has already lost. We've won."

"You won?" Jin Yan raised an eyebrow. "It's eerily peaceful."

Xin Nai stood quietly behind Si Ming, her hands resting on the hilt of the katana, her fingertips trembling slightly.

A breeze passed through her hair, carrying a faint, cool fragrance.

The scent was so faint it was almost swallowed by the night—

But if someone has a keen enough sense of smell, they will realize that it is not fragrance, but the smell of a fire before it is lit.

"The scent of an unlit foxfire is always clean and cold."

The countdown timer is flashing: [00:02:00]

The cover of the missile silo is slowly opening.

The silver bullet gleamed faintly in the wind, like a sacred relic from a temple.

The clanging sound of metal echoed continuously underground.
Each sound seemed to be timing some kind of ritual.

Xiao Lianyin stood by the well, with the Nine-Tailed Fox Lord lying beside her.

She squinted at the set of numbers.

"That was a beautifully played game."

She didn't know that was not the end.

It was the last move at the start of the game.

Inside the base, the wind suddenly stopped.

Nobuna's sword clicked softly in its sheath.

The sound was so soft, like a flower quietly closing.

Si Ming turned to look at her, his smile still lingering.

She was smiling too.

The laughter was so quiet.

[Countdown: 00:01:59]

"Time, from this point on, begins its journey toward 'blooming'."

The night sky hangs low over Tokyo Tower Shrine.

The broken Yin-Yang barrier swayed in the wind, like a layer of glass on the verge of shattering.

Abe no Haruhisa stood quietly before the Vermilion Bird Palace, his gaze passing over the layers of runes and landing on the distant night.

Countdown flashing: [00:01:30]

He lowered his fan, his tone as gentle as if he were comforting a child.

"The Flower Garden lost."

"But Si Ming... you may not win."

Foxfire ignited in his palm, illuminating his golden eyes.

He turned his head and said to Mishinin Yukitaka beside him:

"Start it."

The old man trembled slightly, his hands clasped together, veins bulging.

"...Your Highness, if it were someone else..."

Qingjiu's smile softened, almost tenderly: "In this world, only she can receive this 'gift'."

Yukitaka closed his eyes.

Tears streamed down from the depths of her wrinkles.

"Forgive me, Nai."

—A fox-shaped flame rose from his palm.

The fire burned quietly.

It swirled in the air, leaving a thin trail.

Through the night sky,

Through blood and wind,

Following the call of "bloodline",

It rushes toward its only host.

That wisp of foxfire pierced the night sky.

Following its bloodline, it found its proper body.

nuclear base.

The wind suddenly stopped.

Even the countdown sound seemed to have been taken away.

Si Ming lowered his head to inspect the missile launch controller, and nuclear codes flashed on the screen.

Nobuna stood behind him, half a step away.

Her breathing was shallow, but extremely irregular.

"Xiao Jinyan!" Si Ming called out.

Just as Jin Yan was about to leave, he turned back and smiled, "Mirror Lake is expanded. I'll be back in two minutes! Not even a mosquito can fly in!"

Si Ming nodded: "Go quickly."

The moment Mirror Lake closed, the world, including sound, froze.

Nobuna's fingers tightened on the hilt of the knife.

She looked up, her gaze falling on Siming's back.

"My lord, is it really possible to win this round?"

Si Ming turned around, revealing his usual smile.
With a touch of nonchalant composure, and a hint of gentleness that doesn't belong to the battlefield.

"Once fate is written, no one can change it."

That moment——

Foxfire ignited in her pupils.

First a wisp,
Then the phantom of the Eight-Tails appeared behind her.

A golden-red flame rose from the tips of her hair, burning down her spine to her fingertips.

Her breath turned into a low whimper, like a fox taking its first breath of air in the night forest.

The fox flames burned into her blood vessels, and her pupils turned completely into the gold of demonic fire.

She murmured softly:
"Fate... is written by me."

The Red Dragon's wake cut through the clouds.

Xu Long looked through his binoculars and saw foxfire leaping up above the base.

The ball of fire unfolded in the night sky.

Like a flower—

The heart of a flower is the figure of the God of Fate.

His expression changed drastically.
He grabbed the communicator and roared:
"Shinmei—be careful—Mijinin—Shina—!!"

The wind tore his roar apart, swirling it into the endless night waves.

【00:00:58】

The red light from deep within the launch silo illuminated the outline of the God of Destiny.

Just as he was about to look up, he heard a very soft breathing sound behind him.

"Nobuna?"

He turned his head—

That was a face he had seen countless times.

That face that fought alongside him in countless dungeons.

His eyes were firm, proud, and clear.

But at this moment, her pupils were burning with fire.

The phantom of Tamamo-no-Mae, the Eight-Tailed Fox, unfolded completely behind her.

The tail flames stretched out one by one in the air.

It outlines a burning symbol.

She raised the katana in her hand.

Foxfire flowed from the blade.

That slash,

There was no sound.

Only the shape of the air was torn apart.

Foxfire blooms, like a flower.

Si Ming's body trembled.
Blood spilled from the corner of his lips and slid down his chin.

He looked down and saw the knife piercing through his chest.
Looking up again,
Her eyes—both unfamiliar and sorrowful.

"...Nobuna?"

She did not answer.

The firelight obscured her expression.

His voice became extremely soft.

With disbelief and a touch of pity.

"You...were also written into destiny?"

Foxfire responded to him.

In an instant, the metallic reflection of the missile silo cast the overlapping shadows of the two men.

【00:00:45】

The world was eerily quiet.

Even the wind has forgotten how to blow.

The night wind carried the smell of iron and salt, and embers from the cannon fire fell from the sky.

The pirates raised their jugs and clinked glasses in the firelight of the apocalypse.

That sound was like the tolling of a bell that shattered fate.

—The Voyage to the End, Ninth Night, Fire and Salt

(End of this chapter)