Oh. That seems unhealthy.

It was a trap just as i predicted

They do say mirrors can trap spirits.

Not sure how to feel about this, where will it lead?

ya called it.. it was a trap

no, not lead, silver 🤪

O.o called it... O.o it was a trap... .3. welp see ya later for now Roko i think were about to switch scenes soon

and there goes the trap, should've moved

He did and Suzocon would have probably planted him there by force. He's a little kitsune in the power of an eight-tail. He's not doing ANYTHING Suzocon-sama doesn't want him to do.

Not to mention, they're in Suzocon's domain, there isn't anywhere he could run to. This is a case of having to submit to the overwhelming force of one's several-tier-higher superior.

The scary thing to me is that Suzocon-sama's got the power of one of the Inari-kami kitsune. They are usually light-aligned guardian spirits, like martial artists, though still tricksters. Suzocon-sama acts much more like a nogitsune - a dark-aligned kitsune. (So does Roko-san, but he's become more and more of an Inari follower as time has gone on). The idea of something with the power of a yao no kitsune - a Fox of Eight Tails - corrupted into a nogitsune? That's just flat-out terrifying. Roko is right: Sometimes fear is the appropriate response.

Brand-san and Saida-hime really have not the first clue how dangerous this creature is, other than the one time he pulled out his uzumaki shotgun and threatened to erase them. But Roko-san knows EXACTLY what they are dealing with, and can't do a damn thing about it.

Portal's usage of that effect is pretty trippy, lol.

I think Roko-san was aware this whole setup was sus. That's why he left the bread crumb.

Now he's Suzocon-sama's latest guinea pig, and in a portal loop trap. Being in the power of a corrupt and evil kami is the last place any minor league kitsune ever wants to be.

Oh, I think I see... It's the "staring into infinity" shtick.

Im guessing it’s actually not a big trap.

The Droste Effect?! Seriously?!

Otherwise known as a portal trap. It'll keep his spirit self busy for a while.

I'd imagine that it's like a holding pattern . The soul is removed from the old vassle and then the new body is put between the mirrors and the soul bounces into the new body.

Now that's an interesting thought. A bit rough of a way to put his spirit back into a body, but it'd work?

The "Droste Effect"? How does that work?

It's an infinite reflective loop. Best illustrated in the game Portal. Or the "Snap" scene from Last Jedi.

Technically it's an infinite recursive picture, sometimes used to demonstrate fractal geometry. A picture within a picture within a picture, ad infinitum. It's often demonstrated by putting two mirrors across from each other and something in the middle. The Portal games took full advantage of it; if you put one portal in the ceiling and one in the floor below it, you'd basically have created a bottomless pit; fall out of one portal, fall into the other, and quickly accelerate to terminal velocity. The game used it in some VERY creative ways. Now Suzocon-sama is using it for his own purposes.

Actually isn’t this more of an “belief” trap than a portal loop? It is said that souls can get trapped in mirrors, and this *is* the first mirror Roko has seen as a ghost (it has to be a proper mirror, not just a reflection in the water.) Of course, mirrors aren’t the only way to trap spirits, it’s said that cameras work too.

Well, the camera thing was an urban legend about Australian aboriginies (it was never true). Crocodile Dundee even lampshades it.

But dealing with an extremely powerful kami like Suzocon-sama? He makes his own rules, quite literally.

Cool! Free balloon.

Free puppet, maybe?

Free ghost! Sweet!

You know, there are times I wish folks were right about Suzocon-sama. The Inari-kitsune are a very honorable lot. It would have been nice for them to find a potential ally on that island. Heaven only knows Vetra-jou needs to be taken down a peg or ten.

But alas, that's not how things work in the Virmirverse.

Again, Suzo is SO much more powerful than they are. A god does NOT make deals with insects. A god crushes them the MOMENT they stop being useful to him. And that moment was the moment they foolishly handed the eye to him.

He's not a god yet. He's a demigod, but not quite to full godhood. That would take the ninth tail - and that, I think, is his real agenda, to use them to get it. After he becomes a full-blooded kyuubi no kitsune, that's the point they are no longer useful, and with that kind of power, he could erase them with a thought.

They were in deep, deep trouble the moment they set foot on his island. From the fish fry and straight into the fire.

Time for a ride!

I'm sure this is fine.

Rude!

ah, crapbaskets

Wheeeeeeeee !!!

OH NO POOR ROKO!!!!
Cat:GOTTA SAVE HIM!

Get recursive'd

Its hard to find people you can trust these days

I mean...he hasn't harmed them directly yet so maybe it's not as bad as it looks?

That's what I called fate with an enteral loop

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Mirror ride!

You let him get behind you. That is always a mistake.

And now, I suspect, Roko will be studied for a very, very, very long time until Suzocon can create an authentic soul.

Time for the rest of the party to save the day against a highly powerful mystic being. Somehow. Good luck!

They're honestly better off without him, to be honest. They'll probably assume Roko got himself caught and terminated, and move on. Brand has no loyalty to him, and Saida will probably realize they need to leave NOW, if Suzu doesn't just eject them now that he needs them no longer.

I think that's a rather pessimistic take. Roko's not perfect, but I don't think the two should go off as a duo.

Plus, Roko worked really hard to save them from the sea witch, as the only one who could bypass the “fatal” security system, and nearly got reaped for it. And before anyone accuse Roko of getting them into that mess, he didn’t steal any offering, it was dropped by the miners, so there isn’t any crime to “punish” Brand or Roko for.

Roko always tries to make up for his mistakes, and seeing how Suzocon got his extra tails, Roko’s plan to “borrow” another tail wasn’t THAT wrong, seeing that it wasn’t being used by any kitsune, living or otherwise.

It wasn’t like there was any kind of safety manual or anyone to tell Roko it was a bad idea (Brand and Saida being too focused at the time to notice what Roko was doing). And seeing Suzocon’s “research”, I can’t help but think some kitsunes (no offence intended to other kitsunes) are that tied down by “common” sense or ethics.

Did you.... read the story at all?? Yes, he stole it, he picked up something that wasn't his and ran off with it, KNOWING it belonged to Vetra. That is the textbook definition of theft. And he did it INTENDING to give it to someone else who it most certainly did NOT belong to.

Why do I get the feeling, if this is a film, this be where the Disney Acid Sequence Musical Number may be?
Although, I wonder if this will lead to Roko having some…Self-Reflection?

Just how big is Suzocon…and would that Ninth Tail make him bigger?

Intriguing Page.
Looking forward to seeing more.

If he gets a ninth tail, he literally becomes nigh omnipotent. So let's hope that;s not gonna happen

Uh oh O_O

(betrayal!)

Not betrayal. You can't betray someone you never had any loyalty to in the first place.

Very very true

And I was going to say that Rocko trusted him, but he never really did; always suspected he was dangerous (well, knew he was dangerous and was suspicious of him because of it), so all he really did was confirm that

Honestly super creative way to go about depicting this!

Trapped in the infinite hall of mirrors

-ghost busters theme song goes off-

It's so hard to get people to test the theme park rides these days. They're all "it's an endless abyss of falling" and "I'm not getting paid enough for this". Honestly.

This happened in xkcd once

I am now somewhat concerned over what theory he is planning on testing with the previously seen extra-large mirrors...

The theory that thieves deserve to be punished. Suzo never ONCE took his eyes and ears off the group. He set the trap the moment he learned that Brand intended to try something stupid. And now, the other two are going to pay momentarily. There's no saving Roko at this point, they really DO need to flee.

This soul-stealing mirror makes me wonder something -- the previous forest guardian acted like he didn't understand his body as well as he should have. Did he once have an encounter with Suzocon, and had his body swapped with somebody else's soul? Assuming this is how this set of mirrors works?

Bro has a weird shaped ghost vacuum cleaner.

I realize something and that Suzocon never address Roko during entire conversation about fake eye as well using only word you and not yours which make concern about Brand being next target after He return to his original body especially since when Suzocon “after that you will be free go” after addressing Saida

Quite late for this but i only just now realized why the sun dragon would submit to Sadias mother so easily. "I could very easily cover the entire sky with clouds forever so your sun will never shine upon the world again."

He should literally just take his ball and go home, then.

Poor Roko got Portal'd

Of all the "rules" for ghosts, I never expected "Bloody Mary" to be the one used here