Authority

"Hiss..."

Nura Rihyon, dizzy, woke from a daze, rubbing his head. He propped himself up with his sword, patting his forehead to clear his mind, then shook his head, trying to recall his memories.

"What happened...? Why did I suddenly pass out...? I think I saw that light rushing towards the monster, and then I knew nothing..." Recalling the past, Nura Rihyon remembered still being on the battlefield against the Great Snake monster. After his side proved utterly incapable of stopping the monster's rampage, and everyone had fallen into despair, a golden light pierced through the darkness and saved them. As they watched the figure, shrouded in golden light and indistinct, charge towards the monster, a dazzling brilliance suddenly illuminated the entire space, causing him to lose consciousness until now.

Standing up, Nura Rihyon surveyed his surroundings. He realized he was now in a dense forest, not the ravaged battlefield from before. All around him, numerous Onmyoji and Yokai lay unconscious. Not far from his feet, a Tanuki lay on its back, snoring loudly with a snot bubble dangling from its nose.

Nura Rihyon turned and looked behind him. Not far away was a vast expanse of dim, hazy, distorted space. This distortion seemed to scramble perceptions of distance and space, appearing infinitely large and yet infinitely small. This space was so difficult to grasp that it couldn't form a concrete concept in his mind; it felt like an illusion, yet everything was undeniably real. Seeing such a phenomenon for the first time, Nura Rihyon couldn't help but gape.

"What is this...?"

"This is a domain we cannot interfere with," a soft female voice reached Nura Rihyon's ears. "It is a distortion created by a deity's authority forcibly rewriting the world." Nura Rihyon turned his head and saw a woman dressed in an unusual Kariginu, with a headscarf and flowing golden hair. She was smiling towards him.

"Authority... rewriting the world?"

Just as Nura Rihyon was about to ask a question after seeing the scene before him, another voice rang out beside him. Nura Rihyon turned to see Abe no Seimei, swaying as he stood up, seemingly having just woken.

"Indeed," the woman said, her gaze calm as she looked at the confused Abe no Seimei. "This is a power exclusive to deities, beyond the reach of mortals. If you don't wish to be lost forever, I advise you not to approach it. The one inside specifically excluded you all to prevent you from being affected."

"So, a deity has truly descended here? Who is She? And who... are you?" Abe no Seimei continued to ask. The woman smiled faintly, looking at the distorted space ahead, and slowly replied.

"Do not be too curious, young son of the fox. When facing an unknown power beyond comprehension, it is best to maintain reverence rather than pry."

Hearing the woman's words, Abe no Seimei frowned slightly, then spoke with an expression of apology and humility.

"I apologize for my rudeness, honored one. I merely wish to understand the situation before us better..."

"Heh heh... you are teachable. To your question, I can only answer one thing: the one currently within is indeed a deity. As for which deity she is... I can only say that unless she reveals herself, you should not risk seeking her out."

After the woman finished speaking, Abe no Seimei asked no further questions and fell into contemplation. As for the woman, she looked back at the hazy expanse. Gazing at the distorted space filled with shimmering light, Matara Okina murmured in a voice only she could hear.

"Congratulations on finally beginning to reclaim your authority. All is proceeding smoothly..."

Azure skies, high clouds, a thousand miles of rice fields.

Within the Fox Hunt Realm, the Great Snake twisted its wild body and lunged directly at Miketsu, who was riding Tsuruha in the sky. Its massive form crushed countless rice stalks and toppled numerous Torii gates. Tsuruha, in the sky, skillfully evaded the Great Snake's attacks, ensuring Miketsu remained unharmed.

Seeing that direct attacks were ineffective, the Great Snake opened its mouth and spat another purplish-red beam of light at Miketsu. Miketsu retaliated with an Arrow of Light.

However, the Arrow of Light embedded in the Great Snake's lower jaw suddenly flared. Miketsu's divine power permeated the Great Snake's body, directly suppressing and dispelling the vast amount of sinister energy within it. This threw the Great Snake's internal energy circulation into chaos, severely disrupting its energy accumulation. The gathered purplish-red energy immediately dispersed, collapsing and exploding within its mouth.

This was the Demon-Slaying Power that Miketsu possessed. Now that she had regained her divine power, Miketsu finally gained a clear understanding of its true nature.

Demon-Slaying Power is a manifestation of a deity's authority.

The Inari Okami's divine role is that of harvest and grains, the deity of rice and agriculture. Logically, the Inari Okami should only wield the power of agriculture, ensuring bountiful harvests, which was what Miketsu originally believed. But upon regaining her divine power, she discovered that the divine role of harvest was merely a superficial aspect of her true authority.

In an agricultural society, grain is everything—the cornerstone of social stability, the foundation of order, and essential for a kingdom's development. Therefore, Miketsu's authority, the true power she wields as a deity, is "prosperity and stability." It is the power to guide things from decay to flourishing, from chaos to stability. The best manifestations of this power are increased grain yields and a stable kingdom.

Miketsu's divine power represents prosperity and stability, and thus naturally rejects all chaos and decline. The Inari Okami was once merely a deity who protected humanity, and in her perception, the Yokai of the demon realm often represented this chaos. Therefore, the Demon-Slaying Power mercilessly burned them.

So, the "demon" in Demon-Slaying Power does not refer solely to Yokai, but to any entity that threatens prosperity and stability. Thus, even though the Great Snake is not a Yokai, it can still be subdued by Miketsu's Demon-Slaying Power, its attacks dispelled, and its sealing abilities interrupted, because its very existence is a threat to all living beings.

"I see," Miketsu said, understanding the essence of Demon-Slaying Power. "So, the 'demon' that Demon-Slaying Power vanquishes refers to this. This also means... according to my understanding, there's a certain degree of customization within it..."

Miketsu spoke with newfound understanding after grasping the essence of Demon-Slaying Power. At that moment, the Great Snake below made a new move.

Seemingly because its mouth was sealed by the Arrow of Light, preventing it from smoothly gathering energy to spit, the Great Snake began to use a new technique.

Its body became enveloped in a thick, purplish-red mist, blurring Miketsu's vision and disrupting the causality of divination. Under the cover of the mist, strange noises continuously emanated from the Great Snake's body. Its overlapping scales peeled back and stood upright, and from the flesh beneath its scales, numerous Yokai of various forms emerged. These were the Yokai from Heian-kyo that had previously been corrupted by sinister power, their flesh and souls devoured by the Great Snake. Now, their souls had become slaves to the Great Snake, regaining flesh with even greater power, to fight for it!

Regardless of their forms in life, all these Yokai were now transformed by the Great Snake's power, growing a pair of massive wings, and flying towards Miketsu and Tsuruha in the sky.