Flapping her blazing wings, Mokou hovered in mid-air, looking quite bewildered as she stared at the Great Yokai of the Kinki region. She had heard of this figure but had never met her, and she couldn't fathom why the other knew her true name—or why she spoke with such unearned familiarity.
"Um... so you're that 'Owl'? You just called me..." Mokou began, intending to press for answers, when her gaze suddenly shifted to Makoto. From the brief memories she had gained since waking, she quickly recalled the earliest moments: when that young Onmyoji had saved her and brought her back to consciousness, this bird-yokai girl had been standing right there.
"You... you're that Asakura Hao's Shikigami, aren't you! Why are you here while Hao is missing... wait! You're with Owl, and Owl knows my name! Could you be—"
Before Mokou could finish her thought, Tsuchigumo swung a massive, chitinous leg toward them. Dodging the blow in a flurry of movement, Mokou snapped back to reality; she was still in the middle of a battlefield.
"This is no time for idle chatter. Do as I say: hold this creature back. I'm going after the mastermind behind all of this." No longer intending to hide anything, Miketsu spoke in her true voice. It was a direct admission of her identity. Mokou froze for a heartbeat, then gave a solemn nod.
"Fine... but you'd better explain everything to me later!"
"Heh, I will," Miketsu said with a light chuckle directed at her Shikigami and Mokou. She tightened her grip on the Demonic Fang Blade and took flight, rapidly peeling away from the battle with Tsuchigumo. Her goal was clear: the massive sinkhole in the distance. Tsuchigumo had burst forth from beneath the earth at that very spot. From within that pit, Miketsu could distinctly feel the sinister power and massive spiritual fluctuations belonging to that ancient warrior.
Without a doubt, the White Tiger Altar lay below, and the warrior was within it!
"Don't think you can enter there!" Seeing Owl’s move, Minamoto no Yorimasa, stationed on a distant hillside, immediately commanded several bird-shaped Shikigami to intercept her. However, Miketsu simply raised her demonic blade and cut them down in a few swift strokes. Without further incident, she dived straight into the depths of the sinkhole.
...
Inside the cavernous space, the Divine Messenger stood upon the White Tiger Altar. He had thrust his demonic sword deep into the bronze disc at its center. The disc was now covered in countless cracks, and from within them, a torrent of spiritual power gushed out, only to be hungrily absorbed by the blade. This process had clearly been ongoing for some time, as a significant portion of the altar's energy had already been plundered.
"Almost... fifty percent..."
With sweat beading on his brow, the Divine Messenger spoke in a low, grim voice. Just then, the sound of whistling wind echoed from above. Miketsu charged into the underground chamber. Upon seeing the Divine Messenger siphoning power from the altar, she wasted no words, immediately unleashing an Explosive Current Wave that surged toward him like a ravenous vortex.
Reacting instantly, the Divine Messenger halted his absorption. He swung the demonic sword, unleashing a purple-red storm of energy to collide with the incoming demonic gale. The underground chamber shook as the two forces neutralized each other in a violent burst of wind.
Miketsu became a blur, darting through the storm to strike. She raised the massive Demonic Fang Blade high and brought it crashing down upon the Divine Messenger. He parried with his sword, but the sheer force of the impact sent him flying backward. He slammed into the rocky wall, coughing up blood before sliding to the ground. Glaring at Miketsu, who now stood upon the altar, he roared with feral intensity.
"Why must you keep meddling in our affairs, Owl!?"
"You've caused such an upheaval that the resulting impact on Heian-kyo and the Kinki region is already catastrophic. This is no longer 'meddling,'" Miketsu replied coldly, flicking the blood from the Demonic Fang Blade.
"Hmph. It puzzles me, Owl... As the Lord of the Hundred Demons of Heian-kyo, why do you repeatedly aid those humans? Are humans and yokai not sworn enemies!?" the Divine Messenger asked, his voice tinged with genuine confusion.
"Do not pigeonhole me into your narrow views of humans and yokai. If you succeed tonight, I doubt the yokai will fare any better. From the beginning, you have served only your master, acting as an enemy to all living things, whether human or yokai." Miketsu’s gaze turned heavy with solemnity as she spoke.
"As for confusion, I have plenty regarding you... As a noble of the human imperial family, revered by the people and sung of by posterity, why have you submitted to such a foul, sinister power?"
The Divine Messenger stiffened, his eyes widening briefly. Then, a strange, knowing smile touched his lips.
"You... have you actually guessed my identity?"
"Heh, you provided quite a few clues yourself. I simply followed the trail and did a bit of verification," Miketsu said, her tone deepening. "You claimed to be of noble birth with great achievements, which means you were once a human who served the court. You possess the red hair at the forehead unique to Minamoto men, and you were able to bypass the bloodline restrictions to seize the White Tiger Seal—proving you share their blood. Yet you appeared at a point in time before the Minamoto Clan even existed, which means you hail from the imperial line that was the source of the Minamoto name..."
Miketsu listed the clues and her analysis one by one. The Divine Messenger stood there, listening with a silent, eerie smile.
"A royal who served the court and earned great merit at least two hundred years ago... that narrowed the scope significantly. But what finally confirmed it for me was your weapon—the sword that serves as the source of your power." Miketsu shifted her gaze to the demonic sword in his hand.
"Legend tells that the son of Emperor Keiko, Ousu no Mikoto, was gifted one of the Three Sacred Treasures—the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi—at the Ise Grand Shrine while on his campaign against the Emishi. He used its power to pacify the tribes, slay demons, and build a legacy of legends... I believe that tale fits you perfectly, doesn't it? The one the world reveres as the Brave of Japan, Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto..."
Miketsu’s eyes flashed with a piercing light.
"Or should I say, a wretched puppet seduced by the remnants of an ancient evil... the messenger of the wicked god, Yamata no Orochi."
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