The creature was black, shadow-like, with a pig's head and standing about one and a half meters tall. As Little Fox pinned it down, it kept struggling before attempting to burrow into the ground.
"Quick, help!" I shouted urgently. Fortunately, it was the little fox who had caught it - demons weren't easily startled by such things. If we humans had encountered this creature first, the shock alone might have given it enough time to escape.
Antonio rushed over and joined forces with the little fox to restrain it. "This is strange," Antonio remarked, "Its skin is black and cold. What the hell is this thing?"
I also noticed the creature was completely silent - it hadn't made a single sound during the entire struggle. Normally, if it could vocalize, it would have at least grunted while fighting.
With Antonio's help, they soon had the creature fully restrained, the little fox's tail coiled tightly around its neck to prevent escape.
"What the hell is that thing?" Zabaleta asked, confused. Even after getting a closer look at the subdued creature, he still couldn't identify it.
"Stein, is this an animal's resentful spirit?" I asked.
Stein examined it carefully before responding that it somewhat resembled one, though animal resentment rarely took such humanoid forms. This was likely a powerful ghostly resentment.
"Aigoo, don't scare me like that!" Zabaleta exclaimed fearfully, backing away several steps while keeping his eyes locked on the creature. "Since when do pigs have ghostly resentment? I thought that was only for people."
Pig ghostly resentment? I studied the pig-headed creature thoughtfully. Under what circumstances would a pig develop ghostly resentment? Do pigs normally develop such resentment when slaughtered?
Just then, a sudden, eerie meow grabbed our attention.
Looking up, I saw another shadowy figure with a cat's head clinging to the house wall. Equally black and shadow-like but more slender, this one could make sounds - shrill, ghostly noises. Its red eyes burned with hostility as it glared at us.
"Could that be... a cat's resentful spirit?" I said. "More human-like, and possibly carrying heavier ghostly resentment?"
Stein nodded. "Extremely possible - and much more dangerous than this pig."
Zabaleta gulped audibly, his expression shifting from fear to outright panic, as if ready to flee for his life.
"Calm down," I told him. "With so many of us here, why fear some animal resentful spirits?" Though I had to admit, there seemed to be more of these creatures around - probably many more, each of a different kind.
"Foxie," I called out, "can you catch that cat?"
Because that cat resentful spirit was clinging to the side of the house and could climb freely in mid-air, we humans certainly couldn't catch it - unless a demon like the little fox intervened.
"I'll try!" The little fox released the pig resentful spirit and leaped up, scaling the wall on all fours just like the cat resentful spirit without falling.
"This... this little girl is human... is human?" Zabaleta stared at the little fox in shock. Indeed, no ordinary human could perform such feats, but I didn't dare tell him the truth for fear of frightening him.
"She grew up in an acrobat troupe, so these things come easily to her!" I lied.
"I see! Tell her to be careful - that cat resentful spirit isn't easy to deal with," Zabaleta said.
I frowned. Zabaleta was accepting this rather quickly - how could he keep up with the cat resentful spirit's movements so well?
The little fox reached the wall and immediately pounced. The cat resentful spirit shrieked but didn't flee - instead, it lunged at the little fox.
This was clearly aggressive behavior, completely different from the pig earlier. The pig resentful spirit had only tried to escape, but this cat...
Stein explained that cats naturally hold grudges and are very yin creatures. When they die bearing resentment, it becomes truly terrifying. Some cats even possess bodies after death to seek revenge.
Hearing this made me worried. What if the little fox couldn't defeat it? Moreover, why would such a hostile, aggressive cat resentful spirit merely knock on Zabaleta's door instead of forcing its way inside? What was its purpose?
The cat resentful spirit and little fox clashed immediately. The cat attacked viciously, its claws aiming straight for the little fox's throat - a lethal strike.
Fortunately, the little fox dodged nimbly, then retaliated by spitting a mouthful of foxfire.
The flames licked harmlessly over the cat resentful spirit, which responded by darting at lightning speed to rake its claws across the little fox's body.
I watched in horror as a large patch of the little fox's fur reddened instantly, a deep gash appearing across her chest.
My heart sank. This was bad - this cat resentful spirit wasn't just some simple door-knocking apparition. Its aggression was terrifying.
The little fox screamed as her body began to fall, but she refused to surrender, one hand gripping a pipe to keep herself half-suspended on the wall.
"Don't get yourself killed! Come down if you can't win!" I shouted.
"No! I have to catch it! I'm not some useless loser, hmph!" The little fox defiantly snorted.
This angered me. Was she really throwing a tantrum at a time like this? Since when was her life so unimportant? But if she refused to come down, there was nothing I could do.
In less than thirty seconds, the cat resentful spirit let out another horrifying scream and rushed toward the little fox with lightning speed.
A cat's natural speed is already fast - seven times that of a snake - and after becoming a resentful spirit, it seemed even more terrifying. The little fox stood no chance of reacting in time.
As the cat resentful spirit charged, the little fox hastily pressed her back foot against the wall and swayed her body to dodge. The cat's claws slammed into the wall, sending dust flying and cracking the tiles.
But dodging once wasn't enough. She'd have to match the cat resentful spirit's speed, or she'd only keep taking hits.
The little fox understood this. Her eyes remained fixed on the creature, her focus absolute - yet it made no difference. A fox's reflexes simply couldn't compete.
In the animal kingdom, foxes normally dominate cats in size and strength. But this cat resentful spirit matched the little fox in every aspect except speed, where it far surpassed her.
A scream confirmed my worst fears. Another slash landed, painting the little fox's body crimson with fresh claw marks.
Yet tonight, for some reason, the little fox refused to retreat. She clung stubbornly to the wall upside-down, treating this battle with unprecedented seriousness.
"Little Fox, come down!" Stein urged. "Don't throw your life away. This creature means to kill you."
The little fox wiped blood from her mouth. "No," she insisted. "I will win this time!"
Pressing flat against the wall, she began shifting positions rapidly, making it harder for the cat resentful spirit to land clean hits.
She had another concern - Zabaleta's presence meant she couldn't transform fully. Revealing her true demon form would grant her more power, but at the cost of exposing her nature.
The cat resentful spirit grew more hostile with each passing moment, its killing intent thickening. The little fox stood no chance - she could only defend desperately. Three bursts of foxfire proved useless against the creature's speed, getting crushed before they could take effect.
Several more thuds echoed. The little fox dodged two attacks - evident from fresh claw marks on the wall - but the third found its mark. Blood sprayed, dyeing her fur scarlet. Not a single patch remained unmarred.
Finally reduced to curling her tail around herself for protection, the little fox could only endure the beating without any chance to counterattack.
"No, the little fox is no match! Antonio, leave that pig resentful spirit and help me up!" I pulled out my Copper Coin Sword. If I could jump to that height, I might be able to assist the little fox - though given the cat resentful spirit's speed, landing a hit was questionable. What's gotten into this little fox tonight? She's being uncharacteristically stubborn, determined to win at all costs!
As Antonio released the pig resentful spirit, it immediately plunged headfirst into the ground, vanishing as if evaporated. Where it went, I couldn't say.
Antonio crouched and interlocked his fingers to form a step. With a boost from him, I jumped upward as he shouted and launched me higher.
Thanks to Antonio's strength, I soared upward - though I'd only have seconds before gravity reclaimed me.
When level with the little fox, I swung my sword at the attacking cat resentful spirit.
The creature reacted instantly, twisting midair to evade. As expected, my blade found only air. With no further options as I fell rapidly, I'd at least bought the little fox a few precious seconds.
My intention wasn't for her to keep fighting, but to use this chance to escape.
Yet the little fox - whether misaligned stars or sheer stubbornness - refused to flee. While the cat resentful spirit still spun from dodging, she lunged and wrapped both arms around it, then coiled her tail tightly around them both.
"What are you doing?" I shouted.
Instead of answering, she tightened her grip and forced their heads downward.
This aerial maneuver was new to me... and undoubtedly suicidal.
Before I could intervene, they were already plummeting headfirst. At that acceleration, impact would surely shatter their skulls.
"Meow—!" The cat resentful spirit's wail cut through the air before a thunderous crash split the ground open. By then, I'd landed safely.
Miraculously, both survived - because upon impact, the earth ruptured, revealing a bull-headed humanoid figure emerging, identical to the others except for its bovine features.
Another animal resentful spirit - a cow resentful spirit! While the pig had burrowed down, this one surfaced. What was happening?
Stranger still, the fissure healed instantly, leaving no trace.
"Animal Realm..." Stein's lips trembled slightly before he gasped, "Someone's performed a forbidden ritual to open the Animal Realm of Hell!"