Cleaving the Soul

On Mount Hei, Miketsu, riding atop Tsuruha, suspended herself in the air. From her fingertips, she cast a Demon-Purging Light upon Seimei and Hakuzosu below. Both struggled in agony on the ground as massive amounts of purple-red steam billowed from their bodies—the sinister power of Orochi being forced out and purified by Miketsu.

Under the illumination of the Demon-Purging Light, more and more sinister power was forced out of Seimei and Hakuzosu. Soon, the corruption within Hakuzosu was almost entirely expelled. His strength failed him, and he collapsed onto the ground, his form rapidly shrinking back to its original size.

Seeing that Hakuzosu had been purified, Miketsu narrowed the beam of light, concentrating the output onto Seimei. She intensified the power of the light, attempting to drive out Orochi’s influence in one fell swoop. However, something strange happened. Just as the majority of the sinister power was about to be dispersed, the final sliver of corruption proved unexpectedly resilient, causing Miketsu’s purification efficiency to drop significantly.

At that moment, the Azure Dragon Seal on Seimei’s forehead manifested once more. It erupted with a dense, purple-red aura that began to spread across Seimei’s body again. It was clear that Orochi did not want to lose such a crucial Divine Messenger and was intervening by pouring more power into him.

Consequently, the sinister power that had been nearly purged began to flourish once more. For a time, the speed of Miketsu’s purification could not keep up with the growth of the corruption. Facing this situation, Miketsu’s brow furrowed slightly as she increased her output, yet she still could not completely expel the sinister energy from Seimei.

Amidst the struggle between the light and the darkness, Seimei woodenly raised his head to look at Miketsu in the sky. His eyes had turned into reptilian vertical slits, and a bizarre smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His lips moved, and he spoke to Miketsu in a low voice.

"You cannot save him... his soul belongs to me..."

"His soul..."

Seeing this, Miketsu was inwardly startled. She had not expected Orochi’s corruption to have reached such a depth. It was no longer limited to the flesh and mind; even the soul had been infected. This was something that simple purification could not resolve. She finally understood why her light had been unable to finish the job—Orochi’s influence had already burrowed deep into Seimei’s soul.

Moreover, it appeared that Orochi’s consciousness had personally invaded Seimei’s soul. The current situation was beyond what the Demon-Purging Light could handle alone.

Realizing the gravity of the matter, Miketsu gritted her teeth. She then separated a strand of her divine sense and projected it into Seimei’s consciousness along with her light.

She had to face Orochi personally.

...

In a vast, empty space, Seimei’s translucent soul floated. The white-haired hanyo Onmyoji stood with his eyes tightly shut in the void, with a pitch-black abyss yawning below.

A purple-black snake extended from that darkness, coiling around Seimei’s soul. It wound around his legs and up to his waist, and every part touched by the black snake was stained a deep, dark purple, while the upper portion of his soul remained in its original state.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light erupted from the top of this space. Miketsu’s illusory figure appeared from within the light. Her divine sense had arrived in Seimei’s sea of consciousness, and what met her eyes was Seimei’s severely corrupted soul.

"It’s so severe..."

Miketsu murmured softly. With a wave of her sleeve, she directed the Demon-Purging Light straight at Seimei’s soul. The purple-black snake coiling around him hissed in pain but did not let go. Although the corruption on Seimei’s soul stopped spreading, it was not dispersed.

Seeing this, the expression on Miketsu’s face grew even more solemn. From the pitch-black depths of the abyss in Seimei’s consciousness, a sinister, charming laugh rang out.

"Hehe... it is useless. Under my influence, this hanyo has continuously consumed blood sacrifice pills for years. My power has already become a part of his soul. You cannot disperse it..."

Like Miketsu, Orochi’s divine sense was also present in Seimei’s sea of consciousness, situated within the darkness of the abyss. Now, two deities were simultaneously competing for Seimei’s soul.

"If I cannot disperse it... then I shall purify it directly!"

Miketsu replied coldly. She increased her output of divine power, and the light she emitted became scorching. The black snake coiling around Seimei struggled even more violently, but the purple-black aura surging from below quickly stabilized it.

Currently, both deities were pouring more divine power onto Seimei’s soul. As a result, Seimei’s soul wailed in agony, becoming increasingly translucent and unstable.

"This is a futile effort. The nature of part of his soul has already been altered by me. Purifying him is equivalent to destroying him... I advise you to give up early. If his soul continues to endure the clash of our powers, it will soon shatter. I assume you do not wish to see a naturally kind soul vanish into nothingness, merciful Inari Okami..." The voice of Orochi echoing from the abyss carried a hint of mockery. Faced with this, Miketsu’s brow remained tightly locked.

Orochi was right. A portion of Seimei’s soul was in a state of irreversible corruption. Miketsu’s forced purification was indeed destroying the soul itself. Furthermore, this clash of divine power using Seimei’s soul as the battlefield was also causing him harm. At this rate, Seimei would soon be completely obliterated by the power of both her and Orochi. It was a fate more tragic than being sent to the lowest level of hell.

But the problem was that if Miketsu stopped the confrontation, everything would be for naught. She would be forced to kill Seimei, and his soul would ultimately fall entirely into Orochi’s hands. If she didn't stop, his soul would be completely destroyed.

"So, what will you do, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto?"

Orochi mocked her again. He knew very well that according to the divine virtue of the Inari God, she would not commit an act that directly destroyed the soul of a benevolent person. Therefore, He would be the ultimate winner of this contest.

"I will..."

Hearing Orochi’s mocking words, Miketsu took a deep breath. Finally, as if she had made a firm decision, she maintained the Demon-Purging Light while flying directly toward Seimei’s soul below.

At the same time, a tachi composed purely of divine power rapidly condensed in Miketsu’s free hand. Seeing this, Orochi couldn't help but speak out in surprise.

"What are you doing!?"

Without answering, Miketsu flew to the side of Seimei’s soul. She raised the blade of divine power and swung it down, cleaving Seimei’s soul in two and cutting away the portion that was coiled by the black snake and completely eroded by corruption.