Flesh and Blood

In the dense forest west of Heian-kyo, the massive form of Tsuchigumo crashed to the ground amidst the echoes of Mokou's self-destruction. Throughout the woods, both humans and yokai breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Onmyoji began to dismantle their grand array, and the once-colossal curtains of light and formation seals vanished into nothingness.

"Phew... It's finally over. I didn't expect your array to be quite this impressive—to actually suppress a monster of that size," Nura Rihyon remarked, standing atop a tree branch as he watched the charred, stench-ridden corpse of Tsuchigumo collapse.

Beneath the tree where Nura Rihyon stood, Seimei ceased his maintenance of the array and replied with a thin smile.

"When Onmyoji are numerous and fully prepared, they can exert unexpected power. Moreover, the Onmyo Clans have dealt with Tsuchigumo before; they knew exactly which arrays to employ. Besides, Tsuchigumo had only just been released from its seal and was still in a weakened state. While that unclean power granted it immense regenerative and berserk capabilities, it also robbed the creature of its reason. Unable to use its sorcery and incapable of making clear, proactive tactical judgments, it merely attacked aimlessly like a wild beast. These factors significantly lowered the difficulty of the encounter."

As he spoke, Seimei looked up at the sky, where the silhouettes of several young women still hovered.

"Furthermore, the greatest credit for our ability to completely eradicate Tsuchigumo this time belongs to them."

Above the remains of Tsuchigumo, scattered sparks of fire converged once more, slowly coalescing into a human shape. Within the flames, Mokou’s figure gradually manifested. As the light faded, she unfurled her wings of fire and remained suspended in the air.

"Whew... Good thing I've learned how to fly now. If I had been reborn in mid-air and fallen straight down like last time, it would have been mortifying—especially in front of so many people," Mokou grumbled to herself, looking at her hands before turning her gaze toward Tsuchigumo's massive corpse.

"It's finally dead for good. That guy... fortunately, that strange yokai with the sword cut off its mouth at the end; otherwise, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Hey! Mask yokai! Was that one with the sword one of your companions too?" Mokou turned her head to ask Menreiki, who was floating nearby.

At that moment, Mokou realized that Menreiki was hovering in place with a heavy expression, staring solemnly into the distance. Beside her, Makoto shared a similar look.

"Hey... what's wrong with you two? We just defeated the enemy—aren't you going to celebrate?" Mokou asked, her tone filled with confusion.

"Lady Owl... went to stop that warrior, and yet she still hasn't returned..." Makoto spoke softly, answering Mokou's question.

"Owl? Oh, right, she did say she was going to handle a more significant threat. If even someone of her strength hasn't resolved the issue yet..."

Just as Mokou was speaking, an indescribable, sharp shriek suddenly rang out through the air. Like a lamentation of the earth itself, it vibrated through the hearts of every human and yokai present, causing every living thing to freeze in their tracks. Though the sound was heard by their ears, it felt as though it originated from the depths of their souls, instilling a bone-deep dread that sent shivers down their spines.

"Wh-what was that just now...?"

Her expression stiff and her face pale, Mokou spoke again. Menreiki and Makoto, wearing nearly identical expressions, said nothing more. They exchanged a single glance and immediately flew toward the direction of the shriek.

...

In the underground space beneath the White Tiger Altar, the Great Snake Bone—nearly two hundred meters long and wider than the main avenues of Heian-kyo—was thrashing its body in a wild frenzy. It slammed into the cavern walls and the ground, creating massive cracks and sending debris flying. The skull, body, and tail of the snake bone had transformed into giant whips and hammers, relentlessly lashing out at Miketsu.

Flying through the subterranean void, Miketsu found herself trapped within a vortex of bone spikes generated by the massive skeleton. She dodged threats from all directions, constantly at risk of being swallowed whole.

Due to the high status of the Great Snake's bone, Miketsu's causality vision was significantly weakened. This made evading the bone's attacks exceptionally difficult; sharp bone spikes frequently grazed her sides, tearing large rents in her black robe and bandages.

"Tsk... Still so hard..."

Miketsu swung her blade with all her might once more, striking the snake bone. The bone bent under the force but suffered no actual damage. It continued its counterattack with even greater ferocity. Miketsu realized that, for the moment, she seemed unable to inflict any substantial harm upon this Great Snake Bone.

In the midst of her struggle with the skeleton, Miketsu could do nothing to the bone, but the bone could not immediately finish her either. The situation fell into a delicate stalemate. However, this deadlock would not last long, for the next phase of the Great Snake Bone's transformation had arrived.

"Blood Sacrifice..."

Accompanied by an ancient, distant chant, a purple-red glow ignited within the dark eye sockets of the snake's skull. Immediately following this, a sinister aura of unprecedented intensity erupted from its body. This dark, purplish-red energy shot straight up through the ceiling of the sinkhole, becoming visible to everyone outside.

On the streets of Heian-kyo and within the dense forest, the corpses of the yokai who had been killed by the Onmyoryo and Owl's Hundred Demons—those infected by the sinister power—suddenly resonated with the erupting energy. The flesh of these yokai corpses began to disintegrate, turning into clouds of blood mist that flew through the air, converging toward the sinkhole. Only hollow skeletons were left scattered on the ground, a sight that drew cries of alarm from the Onmyoji and yokai alike.

"This... this power is the same one those Leopard Cats used! How could it suddenly appear again!?" Standing in the forest, Yura looked up in horror at the clouds of blood mist constantly flying overhead. During the battle at Ogura Pond, the blood sacrifice power used by the Leopard Cat Clan had been identical to this.

Among the yokai being disintegrated into blood mist, Tsuchigumo was the largest source. Its remaining corpse rapidly transformed, bursting out of its useless shell. The massive cloud of blood mist defied gravity, soaring into the sky to merge with the mist from other yokai. Together, they condensed into a vast, hovering river of blood that rolled forward. At least sixty percent of the blood in this river was provided by Tsuchigumo.

The river of blood flowed over the sinkhole and then plummeted like a crimson waterfall, drenching the Great Snake Bone. This sinister blood did not splash away; instead, it flowed along the bones, reaching every part of the skeleton. It transformed into viscera, muscles, and organs—becoming blood and flesh that gradually covered the entire frame.

Devouring and absorbing this massive amount of flesh and blood, the "Great Snake Bone" was now transforming into the "Great Orochi."