The woman once known as Keitu Bungeru sat in front of a round table surrounded by the four people she considered her true peers. They were in the depths of space, not far from Andrea, and she sat listening to the nervous argument taking place in front of her.

“They might yet come any day, Third. Perhaps the recent silence has just been a way to lure us into a false sense of calm.”

The Fifth shared a look with the Third and they both rolled their eyes. The Fourth had always been too paranoid, and now that paranoia was bordering on fear. It annoyed the rest of them that he had so little faith.

“Every day that passes is another day the warrant the Lasvanians issued remains unused. I am not so arrogant as to think that the Lasvanians do not know where we are. Then why have they not come even after weeks. Surely, they do not need to resort to mental games if they are sending a Lone Power.”

The Fifth uttered silent thanks to the Second for actually using common sense. There was no use in worrying for something when it was clearly just a ruse to get them to panic for no reason.

“Enough with this, Fourth,” the calm voice of the First carried a certain finality with it that the Fifth appreciated, “The invasion of Nine-tailed City has been approved by our partners. Unfortunately, we would have to wait a few weeks for that.”

“Why is that?” the Fifth asked. She was most eager to see the sly fox watch her city burn.

“The Lasvanian children are there. We will let them leave and wait for a few extra weeks before invading.”

“I thought Lasvania was no threat to us,” the Fourth sneered, tone dripping with sarcasm.

The Fifth seriously was questioning the man’s intelligence. So was the First too, it seemed, as the High Cultivator stared at his companion with scorn.

“We do not fear the Lasvanians unnecessarily, but directly attacking a place their brightest stars are in is stupid. You know this, Fourth. We will merely wait for their attention to be off the city.”

“What is our strategy for removing the Fox and her Elders?” the Third asked. “As much as I loathe saying it, a Nine-tailed Fox is not an enemy to be taken lightly. Especially not the matriarch herself.”

“I am aware of the difficulty. The Fifth and I will go take care of the fox. We will act quickly enough that she will not have time to properly resist.”

The Fifth once again was thankful for the fact that the First, at least, had a working head on his shoulders.

“Are you confident in keeping collateral damage to a minimum?”

The Third’s tone was annoying, but she had to admit that it was a reasonable question. Which was why she bothered replying.

“Of course we are. We will keep all destruction confined to the city. The Second will evacuate the civilians to ensure we do not get accused of genocide.”

“Well look who actually decided to think about the well-being of the people. I’m so proud of you, Keitu.”

The voice that spoke was one that had haunted many nightmares of Keitu Bungeru. The woman that was now the Fifth thought that she had gotten over it, yet the fear that now filled her heart spoke otherwise.

“Bold of you to intrude on a private meeting, Joha” The First spoke to the intruder coldly, doing the best job of hiding the panic he surely felt. The fact that none of them had noticed her before she spoke did not bode well for their chances, though it was unsurprising.

“I do not care about you or your companions. I am simply here to fulfil a warrant.” The way the woman stared at the Fifth sent chills up her spine.

“A warrant that was issued weeks ago,” the First pointed out.

“I believe we should always enjoy any task we have to do. Delaying the arrest was fun because it annoyed Liam. That has run its course and arresting the Fifth in the middle of a meeting with her allies is now more interesting.”

“We will stand with our own. You might be a Lone Power, but do not expect us to give up one of our own so easily.”

The Lone Walker laughed at the statement and the Fifth felt her heart sink even further, Joha was clearly not even taking the matter seriously, confident as she was in her abilities.

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“You act like there is choice in the matter. I will take Keitu and she will be tried before court. That will be the end of it.”

“You will also be breaking galactic law., going against a someone who is not a Lone Power.”

The look Joha gave them was one of pity.

“Is that what your Hycon allies told you? With friends like that it's a wonder you still need enemies. Andrea and its surroundings are owned by Lasvania under your galactic law. Whatever we do is our business and no other nation has the right to intervene. Did you really think any power would allow foreigners to dictate what they can do on their home world?”

The Fifth was not sure what to reply to that, and neither were the others, judging by the looks of worry on their faces. She felt anger building up in her, both at the Lasvanians and at the Hycons for feeding them what she now knew was false information. The old fox was right, and she felt like a fool for not thinking about it more deeply.

“Either way, I am tired of talking,” Joha said with finality. “I will be taking Keitu to stand trial and none of you will intervene.”

Though it was spoken as a simple statement, the Fifth felt the word take root and sprout into an edict. She felt the techniques prepared by her companions fail as the world rooted them in place. Against the reality dictated by the will of a Lone Power, they were helpless.

“So, the Union of Five becomes Four,” she heard the Lone Walker say. “Oh. And I would advise you to rethink any plans of war you have. Unless you wish to join Keitu.”

The efforts of the Fifth at resisting were equally futile, and she felt the world seize her and transport her so to what she knew was a cell.

Her new home.

*

Matriarch Nine-tail, progenitor of the nine-tail bloodline and head of the nine-tail sect, was a figure on par with the Dragon Lord and the Wu emperor. Such was her legend that even the lowliest of commoner children on Xenus told stories of her. The bloodline she had left in the wake of her ascension was one that was craved by powerful clans, sects and empires alike.

Her renown did not stop there, of course. From the talks Lee had held with his master and the other legendary figures, even they looked at her with something akin to reverence. She came from a time were wild beasts ruled the land, and she was every bit as responsible for civilising the world as the Huang Di himself.

All of that was just ‘mildly interesting’ to Lisa, given her lukewarm reaction to his tales of the fox’s accolades. He supposed he understood why a hero from Xenus would not particularly excite her, so he did not let it dampen his mood.

A fox came to greet them shortly after they reached the sect, and it was clear from her seven tails that she was pretty high ranking.

They were taken round the sect for a tour, passing various disciples and elders carrying out their business. The average levels were higher what they had seen in the city, and there were even a few Masters walking around.

Thay were not challenged by anyone thankfully, though Lee thought it probably had something to do with the seven tailed Master that led them around. They did get to see a brief training session between two core disciples. They were both Adepts nearly on Lisa’s level and their movements were too fast for him, so he did not really gain anything from it.

They were sent to a beautifully furnished guest house that looked like it was lifted from his home world. He spent the rest of the day trying to comprehend more of the secrets of the Dao of Lightning and create his technique.

The next day came quickly, and with it, their meeting with the Nine-tailed Matriarch herself. He wore one of the clothes he brought from Xenus in preparation for the meeting. It had been modified by the Lasvanians, of course, but the fact that it originated from Xenus was what mattered. He wanted to make his old world a central theme of the meeting and he was sure the fox would appreciate it.

They were taken to a large room on one of the highest buildings on the mountain. Inside the room was a fairly standard throne room, complete with guards and a large throne. Standing beside the chair was a fox with eight tails. From Lee’s limited knowledge, she felt like a High Cultivator.

On the throne itself was a legend whose image he would recognise instantly. After all, he had lost count of how many paintings and statues of her likeness she had seen, and if there was one thing the nine-tailed foxes knew how to do, it was to capture a person’s image perfectly.

“Matriarch Nine-tail,” Lisa greeted. She took the lead for now, though they suspected the fox would want Lee to be an active part of the conversation.

“Lisa Feltham and Ascendant Xiao Lee,” the fox woman smiled. “Welcome to my humble Nine-tailed Sect, emissaries of Lasvania.”

“We thank you for your warm welcome.”

“I aim to please,” she turned her attention to Lee. “It has been ages since I last receive any information from home. Tell me, child, do my children still walk proud among civilisation?”

“The Nine-tailed foxes are one of the most powerful factions on Xenus,” he answered truthfully. “Few dare refuse them and their influence is vast, stretching across continents. Your daughter, An Wei, is easily among of the most powerful cultivators on the planet.”

“Only one of?” the fox asked with raised brows. “Who on Xenus is her match?”

“There is the Wu Emperor, who is supremely powerful. My master, the Dragon Lord is also a match for her. There are perhaps one or two other old monsters.”

“Hmm, the Wu Emperor? Is that Huang Di’s brat?”

“Yes, he was a disciple of the Huang Di.”

“Interesting. I met your master a few times. I am not surprised he is a match for Little Wei. Though he could have achieved so much more if he chose to ascend.”

He was about to reply when a blinding light suddenly appeared in front of him. When it cleared, there was a figure standing in the centre of the room. It was made of light, and he could not properly discern its form. What he knew with absolute certainty though, was that he stood in front of the most powerful being he had ever met.

The Nine-tailed matriarch opened her mouth to say something but was not given the chance. A simple backhand separated her head from her body, much to his horror.

Just as suddenly, a portal opened beside him all of a sudden and dragged in, utterly uncaring of his attempts to resist.