Contents
Chapter Eight: Welcome to your Nightmare
Overview
Zetian seizes full control of the Nine-Tailed Fox mid-battle, cuts command audio, and prevents another transformation that could kill a girl. She forces a Heroic Form, snipes key Hunduns, and secures the fight. After reverting, Zetian discovers Yang Guang is dead and theatrically exposes his corpse to the cameras, declaring open defiance.
Summary
Disoriented inside the Nine-Tailed Fox, Zetian struggles with the Chrysalis’s overwhelming senses and hostile chatter from command. Hunduns swarm, and the Moon Rabbit and Headless Warrior plead for Colonel Yang to respond. Unable to speak at first, Zetian blasts the command speakers silent and fights to keep the swarm from breaching the cockpit.
When a Duke-class Hundun pressures their line, Zetian refuses to let the Moon Rabbit transform—rejecting more concubine deaths—and resolves to end the fight herself. She stabilizes her control of the Fox’s massive body, wields a tail lance, and realizes Yang Guang’s Earth-aligned form doesn’t suit her Metal qi.
Choosing autonomy, Zetian forces a Heroic Form. The Nine-Tailed Fox reshapes into a more humanoid, armored configuration with tail guns. Using precise Metal qi, she senses Hundun cores and executes pinpoint shots, destroying multiple nobles and rallying allied Chrysalises. As her qi wanes, she risks a final blast to drop the last major threat, then the Fox collapses back to Standard Form and darkness takes her.
Back in the cockpit, Zetian frees herself and finds Yang Guang unresponsive, bleeding from ears and nose—dead. She opens the Fox’s face to the hovering drones, hauls his body out, and, with manic laughter and blazing qi, plants her foot on the corpse, announcing to the cameras, “Welcome to your nightmare,” publicly claiming responsibility and seizing narrative control.
Who Appears
- ZetianSeizes control of the Nine-Tailed Fox, disables command audio, forces Heroic Form, wins the battle, reveals Yang Guang’s death on camera.
- Yang GuangAce pilot linked to Zetian; overpowered in the mind realm and found dead post-battle; his corpse is publicly displayed.
- Moon Rabbit pilotAllied Metal-type Count-class pilot; calls for help, considers transforming until Zetian stops him, fights alongside her.
- Headless Warrior pilotAllied Earth-type pilot wielding an ax; aids against a Duke-class Hundun and checks on Yang Guang.