The Butterfly Motif

In the outskirts of Heian-kyo, at the former Hata Clan residence—now the main headquarters of the Owl's Hundred Demons—numerous yokai were gathered within the Grand Hall of the family's council chamber. They were all staring at the uninvited guest standing in the center of the room.

Miketsu, draped in her black robe, sat upon the high seat. She silently looked at the two items in her hands: one was a blood-soaked eyeball, and the other was a jade orb overflowing with demonic power. These had been given to her by the young yokai girl standing in the middle of the hall. Just moments ago, an image of the self-proclaimed Nine-Tailed Demon Fox had manifested within that eyeball to deliver a declaration to her.

Miketsu stared at the eyeball and the Demonic Energy Orb, remaining silent as if lost in deep thought.

"You've seen what you needed to see, and you've verified what you needed to verify. So, Lord General of the Kyoto Yokai, what is your response to Lord Tamamo-no-Mae's invitation?" Dodomeki asked, maintaining a sweet, lingering smile as she watched Miketsu.

Miketsu did not rush to answer. Instead, she glanced at the bloody eyeball again, then shifted her gaze slightly toward Dodomeki and spoke calmly.

"You have eyes on your clothes and your handball too, don't you? Why must you insist on gouging one out of your socket? All this blood is going to stain your clothes..."

Dodomeki was momentarily stunned by Miketsu's remark. She hadn't expected such a response. Pouting her lips, she replied hurriedly, "Hey! I'm a yokai! It's only natural for a yokai to act a bit bloody and horrific on purpose!"

"Heh... Tell Tamamo-no-Mae that I accept his invitation. I will be there when the time comes. However, I must ask: what were the responses of the other Yokai Lords?" After a bit of light teasing, Miketsu didn't pay Dodomeki much more mind and smiled as she shifted the topic.

"Hmm... Before coming to Heian-kyo, I met with almost all the other Yokai Lords. Basically, none of them refused Lord Tamamo-no-Mae's invitation. Heh... For a yokai, how could they refuse a massive power that allows them to glimpse the divine realm?" Dodomeki responded with considerable confidence. She believed that no Yokai Lord could resist the temptation Tamamo-no-Mae had dangled before them.

Compared to humans, yokai were much more subservient to their own desires. This was especially true for Yokai Lords. Furthermore, their own strength made them more or less conceited, which led them to consistently face any potential traps head-on, charging forward without hesitation.

Basically all of them agreed? As expected, do all yokai have a bit of a reckless streak? Are Yokai Lords just the most reckless of them all? I suppose those fellows have had enough raw power to rule for so long...

Miketsu couldn't help but complain inwardly as she listened to Dodomeki. Normally, she would never accept an invitation that so obviously smelled of a trap. A massive crystallization of demonic power wouldn't provide any boost to her strength as a deity. However, the source of this demonic power was the Black Tortoise spiritual power from the Four Symbols Array, and the one organizing this gathering of Yokai Lords was Tamamo-no-Mae, who had shown clear hostility toward Heian-kyo.

While she didn't know what plan Tamamo-no-Mae was plotting by using the demonized Black Tortoise spiritual power as bait to gather the various Yokai Lords, her intuition told her she couldn't let this plan proceed smoothly.

Therefore, Miketsu had to accept the invitation sent to Owl. Her goal was not the demonized Black Tortoise spiritual power, but to prevent Tamamo-no-Mae from causing something catastrophic.

In the Kanto region, far from Heian-kyo, a massive sphere of light emitting a purple glow floated directly above a sacrificial altar within a hidden underground ruin. Directly opposite this surging mass of demonic energy, a translucent monk sat suspended in the air. He was chanting incantations, manipulating the demonic energy to condense inward. At the center of the energy mass, a tiny, irregular crystal was beginning to form.

"Oh my, it seems the condensation is going quite smoothly. At this rate, a month will be enough to condense all this demonic power," Yakumo Yukari said with a smile, holding her paper parasol as she watched the scene.

"It is very smooth. The progress on Dodomeki's side is the same..." Beside Yakumo Yukari, Tamamo-no-Mae added in a low voice.

"Those so-called kings really can't withstand the temptation of power. Basically all of them have accepted my invitation. In one month, they will arrive as scheduled..."

"In one month? I'm truly looking forward to such an unprecedented sight. I've long wanted to gather this group of arrogant, conceited fellows together. Unfortunately, I could never find the right bait. This time, you've provided the perfect opportunity. Hehe, if we can actually use this chance to perform a preliminary integration of the fractured demon realm forces, then you would be the benefactor of all yokai, Lord Nine-Tails..." Yakumo Yukari smiled as she looked at Tamamo-no-Mae beside her.

"I am merely carrying out my own revenge. This time, we simply happen to be able to cooperate. I do not have a grand heart like yours, planning for the sake of the entire demon realm, Great Sage..." Tamamo-no-Mae replied coldly, glancing at Yakumo Yukari.

"Oh, what a pity. You are clearly a peerless Great Yokai with a thousand years of cultivation, someone whose strength can step into the divine realm. Yet, beyond simple revenge, you only think of living in seclusion. This is truly a great loss for all yokai..." Yakumo Yukari spoke with deep regret in her tone. This time, Tamamo-no-Mae ignored her, continuing to watch the sphere of demonic energy floating in mid-air.

Seeing that Tamamo-no-Mae was ignoring her, Yakumo Yukari shrugged and looked around at the surroundings. Observing the broken man-made pillars, she asked curiously, "By the way, how did you find this place? This strange human ruin must be at least several hundred years old. To think such powerful jutsu-shiki still remain within it. Even with these fragmented spells that haven't been used in centuries, you can actually constrain such massive spiritual power without it leaking. What exactly is the origin of this ruin?"

Yakumo Yukari voiced her doubt. It was clear that summoning and constraining such massive spiritual power in a place like this was not something Tamamo-no-Mae and Yakumo Yukari could have accomplished alone.

"This is a ruin discovered by Enmi..." In response to Yakumo Yukari's question, Tamamo-no-Mae looked toward the spirit of his enslaved spirit, Enmi, who was not far away. The latter then responded calmly.

"This is something this humble monk discovered in books back when I was the Black Tortoise Divine General and still had access to the archives of the Onmyoryo. Hundreds of years ago, this was originally a central sacrificial altar. The human inhabitants nearby at the time all worshipped a rather powerful wild god here. However, the Yamato Court eventually sent troops to suppress the faith on the grounds of it being an evil sacrificial rite, and the wild god was slain. This altar was subsequently abandoned and turned into a ruin. I found this place during my travels and discovered that there were still very powerful residual jutsu-shiki within. This time, it happens to be useful for Lord Tamamo-no-Mae to assist in summoning and constraining the Black Tortoise's spiritual power."

"Suppressed by the Yamato Court... a powerful... wild god?" Hearing Enmi's words, Yakumo Yukari's brow furrowed slightly. Her gaze then fell upon the center of the ruins, specifically a giant relief carved into the floor.

It was a giant butterfly with numerous complex and mysterious patterns upon its wings.