The Invitation from the Nine-Tailed Fox

Atop the peak of Mount Nukazuka, Toga stood upon a cliffside. Having finally secured victory in his years-long struggle against Oyakata, he now faced an unexpected visitor. Before the massive, mummified corpse of Oyakata, Dodomeki—having just descended from the Oboroguruma—was looking at him with a smile.

"You... are not yokai of Harima? From your words, you originally came to find Oyakata?" Toga watched the uninvited guests with a wary gaze. As he spoke, he glanced toward the other side, where Oyakata had already turned into a giant, withered corpse.

"Indeed. We are messengers of the great Tamamo-no-Mae. We came to Harima specifically to deliver a letter from her to Oyakata. I didn't expect to suddenly run into such a grand show. Tsk, tsk. It seems the rumors circulating in the demon realm were true—that Oyakata, the Leopard Cat Lord, was nothing more than an opportunistic upstart," Dodomeki remarked, mocking the mummified Oyakata without mercy.

"Ta—Ta—Tamamo-no-Mae!? That Nine-Tailed Great Yokai!" Hearing Dodomeki's words, Myoga practically jumped off Toga's head, his voice trembling with unmistakable shock.

"Was it not said... that the Nine-Tailed Fox vanished over twenty years ago and no longer appeared in the world? Why would she suddenly write a letter to a fellow like Oyakata now?" Toga asked in a heavy voice. His vigilance intensified the moment he heard they were messengers of Tamamo-no-Mae.

"That is none of your concern. The intentions of Lady Tamamo-no-Mae are not for the likes of you to speculate upon. I am merely here to deliver a letter," Dodomeki replied nonchalantly, her smile never wavering.

"Well, now that Oyakata is dead, you cannot deliver your letter. I suggest you both return," Toga continued. Since their purpose was to find Oyakata, he remained on high alert.

"No, no, no. The person we are meant to deliver the letter to is not a weakling like Oyakata~" Dodomeki's smile widened as her tone turned playful. Her words caused Toga to knit his brows.

"Then you are..."

"Heh. The one Lady Tamamo-no-Mae wishes to send this to is the Lord of the Hundred Demons who rules the Harima demon realm—the strongest of the Harima yokai. Previously, Oyakata held that title, but now... things have changed."

As Dodomeki spoke, she reached toward her right eye. Then, hooking her fingers, she unhesitatingly thrust them into her eye socket. After a brief stir, she gouged out the bloody eyeball.

"Catch..." Dodomeki tossed the gouged eyeball toward Toga. Toga did not touch it directly; instead, he caught it with his demonic power, letting it hover before him. Simultaneously, deep within Dodomeki's empty socket, a new eyeball squeezed forward, taking the place of the one she had just removed.

The eyeball floating in front of Toga seemed to possess a life of its own, turning itself to face him. A purple light shot out from it, and a semi-transparent, illusory figure manifested before Toga.

An androgynous figure with a half-fox mask, layered elegant robes, ink-purple long hair, and light gauze garments—this was Tamamo-no-Mae, the Nine-Tailed Great Yokai.

"Is this... a demonic illusion?" Toga whispered as he looked at the phantom. He recognized it as an image projected by Dodomeki's sorcery.

Dodomeki only smiled and did not respond. The illusory image of Tamamo-no-Mae, projected from the eyeball, began to speak.

"Lords of the Hundred Demons who rule across this land! I, Tamamo-no-Mae of the Nine Tails, hereby make a proclamation to you all!"

Toga was startled. Only now did he realize that the intended recipients of Tamamo-no-Mae's letter were actually the Yokai Lords themselves.

"Surely you are all aware of the spiritual energy anomaly that occurred in Heian-kyo a few days ago. Yes, just as the rumors say, the Black Tortoise Array within the humans' Four Symbols Array was activated. It was triggered under the control of the Black Tortoise Seal, which I seized twenty years ago. I have now claimed nearly all the spiritual power within the Black Tortoise Array. My friends, you should know what this means—it is a volume of spiritual power rivaling that of a god..."

Listening to Tamamo-no-Mae, Toga's frown deepened. Although he had been busy with the war against Oyakata, he was not ignorant of the world's affairs. He had heard the rumors of a massive spiritual energy disturbance in Heian-kyo. The last time such a powerful surge occurred was over ten years ago, when the Azure Dragon Divine General, Kamo no Tadayuki, fought the Yokai Lord of Sugo Ungo—the Great Tengu Kakuhanbo. Thus, there had been rumors that another Divine General had activated the Four Symbols Array.

However, the true result was that a yokai like Tamamo-no-Mae had activated the humans' array!?

"The Black Tortoise spiritual power is now in my hands, and I am currently converting it into demonic energy, condensing and refining it so that it may be absorbed by yokai. Heh... you should understand what it means once the crystallization of such vast demonic power is born. Whichever of you can fully absorb and digest it will gain nearly a thousand years of cultivation out of thin air. Perhaps you might even break through the Great Yokai realm and catch a glimpse of the divine realm..."

A thousand years of cultivation! The divine realm! Hearing this, Toga's heart skipped a beat. Excluding the amplification from his Blade of the Three Realms, his actual cultivation was only a bit over three hundred years. He was still quite far from truly becoming a Great Yokai, let alone reaching the divine realm!

Toga and Oyakata's true cultivations were actually quite similar. Both had achieved the strength of a Great Yokai through shortcuts—one through powerful treasures, the other through evil cultivation.

"Therefore, my fellow Yokai Lords, if you harbor greed for such a heavenly opportunity, then come! Come to me! I invite you! One month from now, on Nightless Island in Shimosa Province of the Kanto region, this Black Tortoise demonic power shall have its master. It shall belong to the strongest yokai!"

As she made her proclamation, Tamamo-no-Mae spread her arms, her eyes flashing with a dazzling light. Then, the light emitting from Dodomeki's eye gradually dimmed, and the image of Tamamo-no-Mae slowly faded until it vanished into nothingness. The scene fell into a momentary, heavy silence. After a long while, Toga finally spoke.

"So... this is an invitation? The Nine-Tailed Fox is using the Black Tortoise demonic power as bait to lure the Yokai Lords from all over to the Kanto islands in a month? What exactly is she planning?"

"That is not for you to worry about. In short, Lady Tamamo-no-Mae's invitation is here. Whether you go or not is your business. However, young Lord of the Dog Clan, do you not wish to take this opportunity to announce your name to the world as the new Yokai Lord of Harima?" Dodomeki said with a lingering smile.

"I cannot be certain of the authenticity of this so-called Black Tortoise demonic power. I must consider whether this is a trap."

"Heh, you are far more cautious than the others. That's not very yokai-like. Here!" Dodomeki reached into her sleeve, pulled something out, and tossed it to Toga. Toga caught it and looked closely; it was a small purple jade bead. Within its translucent body, a vast amount of demonic energy flowed, emitting a strange, otherworldly glow.

"This is..."

"A greeting gift specifically for the Yokai Lord of Harima from Lady Tamamo-no-Mae. Lord of the Dog Clan, this is a pre-condensed sample of the Black Tortoise demonic power. Although it is only a tiny fraction, it should suffice for you to verify its truth."