Breaking the Armor

It had to be said that Minamoto no Mitsunaka was the strongest in terms of physical prowess among the Onmyo Taiyu. Although the limitations of human spiritual power meant he could not afford to expend it as recklessly as Miketsu, his simultaneous control of multiple Shikigami and his meticulously refined Tsukumo Demon Armor still caused Miketsu a fair amount of trouble. After all, while her divine body granted her immunity to most negative effects, raw physical force was far more difficult for her to contend with.

After narrowly blocking another charge, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, mounted on his demonic steed, brushed past Miketsu and galloped into the distance behind her. She summoned a demonic whirlwind to blow away the surrounding floating weapons, then transformed her Demonic Fang Blade into frigid ice crystals. With a sweeping flourish, she conjured a localized blizzard.

“Cold Ice Break!”

Instead of directing the technique at a specific target, Miketsu allowed it to radiate outward in a circular wave. The blades that had been scattered and were preparing to regroup for another assault were caught in the freezing wind. Frost rapidly formed over them, thickening until the added weight and reduced speed prevented them from immediately returning to their positions to hem her in.

Seizing this opening, Miketsu fixed her gaze on the high-speed Mitsunaka. She shifted her grip on the Demonic Fang Blade to a reverse hold, pointing the tip behind her. The massive ice blade shifted forms once more. This time, it became a grey blade with a hilt adorned with pitch-black feathers and a blade etched with wing patterns, surrounded by violent currents of air.

This was a form the Demonic Fang Blade had acquired by absorbing the demonic energy of the Karasu-tengu Roku after Miketsu killed him during the Sugo Ungo incident. Compared to the original form, which unleashed the Explosive Current Wave and Wind Scar as raw storms of energy, this form—imbued with Tengu power—offered superb control over natural air currents. At this moment, Miketsu needed it to catch up to the fully accelerated Mitsunaka.

“Wind Feather Burst!”

From the black-feathered blade, a massive surge of air driven by demonic power erupted from the tip pointing behind her. The enormous recoil propelled Miketsu forward like a projectile, shooting her toward Mitsunaka at high speed and closing the distance in an instant.

With the help of this powerful jet-like propulsion, Miketsu closed in on Mitsunaka in a flash. She cut the propulsion, utilizing her sheer momentum to swing the blade at him. It all happened in the blink of an eye; Mitsunaka, unable to react in time, showed intense disbelief through the eye-slits of his faceplate.

“So fast…”

With a sharp, heavy boom, the Demonic Fang Blade slammed into Mitsunaka’s armor. The immense Kishin power struck him from his mount, sending him hurtling toward the ground like a falling star. He crashed into the earth, creating a large crater and kicking up a plume of dust.

Phew… as I thought, basic strikes work much better than spamming skills…

Observing the impact below, Miketsu exhaled a breath and mused to herself. In terms of power tiers, the Kishin power derived directly from Dakini-ten was clearly superior to the yokai-based abilities of the Explosive Current Wave and Wind Scar.

As Miketsu encountered higher-level enemies, the offensive techniques inherent to the Demonic Fang Blade were starting to lose their edge. Cases where the Explosive Current Wave failed to deal significant damage were becoming more frequent. Fortunately, the utility provided by the ice and wind forms, born from the blade's ability to seize demonic energy, remained highly effective as functional support.

Within the dust, Mitsunaka struggled to stand amidst the rubble of the crater. The breastplate of his armor now bore obvious signs of destruction, covered in a network of cracks. Although the Tsukumo Demon Armor had absorbed the brunt of Miketsu’s strike, it had done so at the cost of nearly being destroyed. Had Mitsunaka not reinforced his body with spells, the sheer vibration of that single hit would have been enough to kill an ordinary person.

“That armor is surprisingly sturdy…” Miketsu murmured, spotting the blurred shadow in the dust below. She readjusted her blade, accelerated once more with another burst of air, and charged toward the grounded Mitsunaka. She was before him in an instant. Mitsunaka, his vision still obscured by the dust, was caught off guard. He attempted to counter with his spear, but Miketsu saw through the move. She dodged easily and swung the demonic blade again, this time a horizontal strike that hit him square in the side, sending him flying like a baseball hit by a bat.

Accompanied by a series of loud crashes, the propelled Mitsunaka finally came to a halt after smashing through several large trees. As he stood up, panting and leaning on his spear for support, he looked up in despair to find the dark silhouette of ‘Owl’ already before him again. The massive blade was raised once more, heartlessly striking his armor.

In this manner, Miketsu used the acceleration of the Wind Feather Burst paired with Kishin power to treat Mitsunaka like a ball, hitting him away only to catch up and hit him again. He was sent crashing into mountains, trees, and the earth in a continuous cycle. Countless craters were left in his wake, and his armor was now almost entirely shattered. Yet, just as Miketsu was one blow away from completely destroying the suit, she suddenly stopped.

Hovering in mid-air, Miketsu silently watched the battered and broken Mitsunaka below. She made no further move to attack, instead shifting the Demonic Fang Blade back into its katana form.

“Huff… huff… why… why did you stop?” Mitsunaka asked with difficulty, leaning heavily on his spear. His other hand was at his waist, having pulled a golden-feathered arrow from his armor, gripping it tightly.

“My Hundred Demons have completed their mission. There is no longer any need to continue this fight. You may leave…” Miketsu said, her voice filtered through the low, muffled tone of Owl. She had just received word that Makoto’s team had succeeded; the children had been safely rescued, and the objective of the operation had been achieved.

Miketsu was well aware that although Mitsunaka looked pathetic, he was far from defenseless. As the Onmyo Taiyu of the Onmyoryo, he possessed the White Tiger Seal of the Four Symbols. If she truly pushed him to a dead end and he activated the seal, things would become problematic. It wasn't that Miketsu feared for her own safety, but rather that the Four Symbols Seals were crucial guarantees for Heian-kyo’s defense against major external threats; they could not be wasted lightly. Furthermore, there was still the matter of the ancient warrior who was desperately trying to force the activation of the Four Symbols Seals for some unknown purpose.

While the Minamoto were detestable, she could not drive Mitsunaka to his death yet. This was a decision Miketsu made after considering the grand scheme of things. She knew the severe consequences of activating a Four Symbols Seal, and she knew Mitsunaka would not use it lightly.

“Completed the mission… So you really were just a distraction. Have the Chigo infants been taken? Owl… what is your goal? You would choose to become our enemy for the sake of unrelated infants?” Mitsunaka said solemnly, his grip on the golden arrow beginning to loosen slightly.

“My goal? Wasn't that clear from the beginning?” As she spoke, Miketsu sheathed her katana.

“Yokai Ninkyo. It is my path. I simply stick my nose into matters of injustice whenever I see them.”