Verification

Riding Makoto, Miketsu quickly returned to Heian-kyo. After first going to Inari Mountain to greet the foxes and reassure them, she then assumed her 'Owl' persona to soothe the yokai in Choyo-machi.

Two days later, the Tengu returned to Choyo-machi with Nura Rihyon and his group. Miketsu breathed a sigh of relief, her mind slightly at ease.

Afterward, Miketsu specifically chose a highly intelligent fox from among those on Inari Mountain to send as her messenger to Oitsuki's side. This was partly to supervise and guide Oitsuki, ensuring she wouldn't repeat her previous mistakes, and partly to assist her in her work and in gathering faith.

Because of the bloodline contract, all Inari foxes were Miketsu's divine messengers. Divine messengers could perceive a deity's divine virtue, and as Miketsu's messengers, the Inari foxes were very clear on Inari Okami's tenets. Miketsu was therefore quite confident in having them guide Oitsuki.

After completing these recent wrap-up tasks, Miketsu secretly felt a sense of peace, and then had time to ponder other matters... concerning her divine power.

...

During the day on Inari Mountain, upon Kojin-mine, outside the shrine, Miketsu, dressed in ordinary miko attire, stood there, holding the Three Realms Blade in its usual form, her eyes closed, concentrating deeply, fully immersed.

Miketsu's mind was fully attuned to the blade in her hand. She could now perceive the various structures and powers within the sword, as well as the many transformations it held.

“First, the Fangs of the Yokai... the Demonic Fang Blade.” As Miketsu murmured softly, the blade in her hand transformed accordingly. Amidst a burst of brilliant light, the Demonic Fang Great Blade appeared in Miketsu's hand.

“Second, the Flames of the Spirit... the spirit spear.” The enormous blade in Miketsu's hand rapidly shifted, and in an instant, it transformed into a Jumonji Yari with feathered side blades.

At this point, Miketsu's expression grew even more focused. She held her breath, manipulating the power within the sword, preparing for the next transformation.

“Third, the Blood of the God...”

As Miketsu's soft words trailed off, the spirit spear in her hand once again enveloped itself in a brilliant light. The entire weapon began to tremble subtly. An ineffable, invisible pressure emanated from the blade, causing all surrounding creatures to freeze in place, trembling and bowing low, daring not to move.

Miketsu guided the power hidden deepest within the sword, the power transmuted from her own divine blood. Miketsu could feel that power responding to her call, on the verge of manifesting and revealing itself to the world. At this moment, the divine power within her body also resonated with the sword.

However, at that moment, the brilliant light enveloping the spirit spear suddenly shattered and dispersed. The entire spirit spear rapidly shrank, returning to its original tachi form. The power that had been on the verge of being summoned now receded. The emanating pressure vanished instantly, and the trembling resonance ceased.

Silence returned to the surroundings. Miketsu stood there, holding the tachi, as if nothing had happened.

“It failed again...”

Seeing the scene before her, Miketsu couldn't help but let out a long sigh. She opened her closed eyes, a hint of disappointment in her gaze.

After the battle with Roku, Miketsu felt that if she were to contend with the high-tier Yokai Lords of this world, her current power was still insufficient. To defeat Roku, who possessed Tengu-do, she had used more of Dakini-ten's power. However, according to Byakuren's warning, continuous use of Dakini-ten's power would slowly erode her, eventually turning her into Dakini-ten's avatar.

Although Miketsu had used it twice without feeling any obvious abnormality, and Dakini-ten's power felt as natural and easy to wield as her own, Miketsu's vigilance had not diminished. In her view, the lack of abnormal reactions was likely a deliberate ploy by Dakini-ten to make her lower her guard and then launch a full-scale invasion after a deeper syncretism, at which point she might not even have the chance to resist.

All in all, to prevent potential risks, Miketsu felt it was best to use Dakini-ten's power as little as possible in the future. The right path was to find a way to unleash her own Inari divine power.

Despite this resolve, Miketsu was still at a loss as to how to draw forth her own divine power. She even suspected for a time that she hadn't forgotten how to use divine power, but rather that her divine power had been sealed.

Of course, this was just a speculation. Lacking evidence, and because it directly involved her divine self, which she couldn't divine herself, Miketsu hadn't even mentioned it to Tsuruha. However, this hypothesis better explained her current situation.

If this were indeed the case, what she needed might not be a way to use divine power, but a way to break through the seal and draw forth her divine power. Miketsu intended to use the Three Realms Blade in her hand for this method.

Her divine blood was within this blade. If she could activate its divine realm mode, she might be able to draw forth her divine power. Miketsu had conducted experiments based on this. The results showed that her divine power was indeed disturbed by the sword, but just as it was about to be drawn out, it suddenly failed.

Miketsu could clearly sense that the reason for the failure wasn't herself, but the sword. However, she wasn't entirely sure what exactly was wrong with the sword.

Perhaps she would have to visit the Fujiwara clan soon, to specifically inquire about the divine realm mode of this sword.

“Hmph...”

Shaking her head slightly, Miketsu returned the sword to its sheath. She let out a long breath, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Just then, an unexpected voice sounded beside Miketsu.

“You seem troubled right now?”

Hearing the voice, Miketsu's heart leaped. She turned her head, and then, upon Kojin-mine, she saw a familiar figure.

“Matara... Okina?”

Wearing a kariginu adorned with the Big Dipper, a square headscarf, and long golden hair, Miketsu, facing the woman who had suddenly appeared before her, took a moment to recall and then uttered her tongue-twisting name.

Matara Okina, the mysterious deity who had given her the Qin Xin mask and seemingly had a connection to the former Inari Okami, now appeared before her once more.

“You're truly elusive,” Miketsu said, facing the suddenly appearing Okina, not questioning her directly but greeting her casually. “Can you track my movements and appear at will?”

“I am not as remarkable as you suggest,” Okina replied with a faint smile, facing Miketsu's words. “I merely concealed myself on Kojin-mine, outside this Secret Realm, and awaited your arrival.”

A deity's concealment? Listening to Okina's reply, Miketsu pondered for a moment, then, instead of pursuing that line of questioning, she continued with a different topic.

“You asked if I was troubled by something,” Miketsu said. “Can you, perhaps, offer a solution?”

“I wouldn't presume to 'solve' it,” Okina said to Miketsu, her smile unwavering, “but I might be able to offer you some clues.”