Swimming Fish

The moon had just risen, and the night grew deeper. Upon the gently swaying sea, a small skiff was sailing forward, riding the sea breeze. At the bow of this little boat, Seimei and Slippery Nura stood together, while at the stern, an old fisherman dressed in a straw cloak and a sedge hat was busy tending to the sail.

"Old gentleman, while I am very grateful that you could give us a lift, could you please tell me why you still dare to go out to sea at this hour? Especially to Rito, where yokai are swarming. I assume it wasn't specifically for our sake?" Seimei turned around from the front of the boat and spoke to the old fisherman behind him. He hadn't expected that an old fisherman they encountered randomly on the road would proactively offer to carry them to Rito.

"I head out to sea and approach Rito every ten years at this time. It’s just that this time, I can take you along on the way..." the old fisherman said as he busied himself with his work, never once looking at Seimei.

"Every ten years? That means he goes out to sea whenever the Shiranui appears. And to approach Rito, which is full of yokai... Brother Seimei, you should be careful. This old man might be problematic," Slippery Nura whispered into Seimei's ear. To his surprise, the old fisherman immediately responded loudly.

"The one with the problem is you, yokai. Is this the attitude you show toward someone helping you?"

"What! You can see me!?" Hearing the old fisherman's words, Slippery Nura was visibly taken aback. He remembered that he was currently within the demon realm.

"Nonsense, I'm not blind..." The old fisherman's reply to Slippery Nura's surprise was quite indifferent. Seimei also frowned slightly before speaking.

"Old gentleman, do you perhaps possess spiritual vision? Just who are you?"

"spiritual vision? Possessing such a thing is the most basic requirement. As for me... I am merely a seeker..." The old fisherman continued to adjust the sail while responding to Seimei. In their eyes, his behavior seemed increasingly profound and mysterious.

"A seeker? What are you seeking? The Shiranui?" Slippery Nura looked at the old fisherman with a serious expression, his vigilance toward the person before him deepening.

"I suppose so. After all, the only reason I live here is to catch a glimpse of her when the promised moment arrives. Shiranui is the meaning of my existence, and now, that meaning has been stolen once again..." As he spoke, the old fisherman's tone became deep and solemn, causing Slippery Nura and Seimei to exchange a glance.

"You say the Shiranui has been stolen? By whom? Is she not going to appear on the sea tonight?" With a puzzled expression, Slippery Nura followed up with a series of questions.

"Stolen by whom? Hmph, by those detestable yokai on Rito, of course. And now, I am going to take her back!"

...

In the waters not far from Rito, there were several barren subsidiary islands. Because these islands were surrounded by hidden reefs and turbulent currents, they had never been utilized during either the human or yokai eras of Rito. Rarely did anyone approach these places. Now, however, this location had become the arena for the duels between the Yokai Lords.

Among these barren islands, the two largest were known as the East Island and the West Island. Since this final battle was divided into two brackets occurring simultaneously, both locations would serve as battlegrounds. The first match to take place on the East Island was the confrontation between Owl, the yokai general of Heian-kyo, and the Lord of Arakawa.

"The Lord of Arakawa, a king of the aquatic clans who suppressed the chaos of the Arakawa with tyrannical methods and has ruled for a hundred years. Owl, a mysterious yokai who suddenly rose to power in just over ten years in Heian-kyo—the place least likely for a Yokai Lord to appear—a powerful yokai whom the human court compromised with and bestowed the title of General. Heh... this is truly a duel to look forward to. Regardless of who the winner is, we should be able to gather quite a bit of intelligence from it, don't you agree, Forest King..." Atop a towering reef not far from the East Island, a mysterious cyan-clothed yokai looked toward the distant barren island and spoke with a smile to Yamakaze, who was standing nearby. The two of them were the opponents for the next match on this island.

"It doesn't matter..." Compared to the cyan-clothed yokai, Yamakaze's reply was very brief. Among the Yokai Lords, he could be considered one of the more taciturn ones. Seeing that Yamakaze didn't offer much of a response, the cyan-clothed yokai said nothing more. She turned her gaze back to the distant East Island, where the intense battle had already begun.

The total area of the East Island was quite vast, roughly ten square kilometers. There were no tall trees on the island, only moss and low, wind-resistant shrubs. The terrain was relatively flat, making it a decent place for combat.

At this moment, in the center of the East Island, the Lord of Arakawa stood in place, fanning himself with a folding fan. Around him, streaks of demonic power in the shape of fish formed out of thin air by condensing the moisture in the atmosphere. They swam rapidly through the air, lunging toward the black-robed Miketsu.

With light steps, Miketsu constantly used small-scale movements to narrowly avoid the demonic energy fish swimming toward her. Her demeanor was calm and composed, as if she were strolling through a quiet courtyard.

"Hmph, Owl, the Great yokai general of Heian-kyo. You are likely the one among us who stays closest to humans. What, after spending so much time with those weaklings, have you only learned how to dodge?" The Lord of Arakawa gave a cold snort. Then, with a flick of his fan, the demonic energy fish that had missed and passed Miketsu suddenly turned around and swam back, attacking from her rear. Combined with those still swimming toward her from the front, Miketsu was suddenly caught in a pincer attack.

"Guichuan..."

Faced with this situation, Miketsu did not panic. Instead, she quickened her pace and increased the range of her movements, even leaping into the air. Not a single swimming fish managed to hit her, and not even a drop of water touched her black robe. Seeing this, the Lord of Arakawa's eyes widened slightly.

"Has your brain been ruined from soaking in water for too long? Why is it so difficult for you to land a single hit, Lord of Arakawa?" During a gap in the combat, Miketsu tapped her head with her index finger as she responded to him. Possessing causality vision, she truly feared no projectile-based games.

"Tch... don't get ahead of yourself, you brat!"

Clearly provoked by Miketsu's actions, the Lord of Arakawa's gaze turned furious. He raised the hand holding the fan, and immediately, a brief tremor occurred beneath Miketsu's feet.

Sensing danger, Miketsu instantly moved from the spot. A powerful pillar of water erupted from where she had been standing, soaring straight into the sky.

"Is this... seawater seeping in through the underground fissures of the island?" Miketsu guessed as she watched the scene. The surging seawater had already taken shape under the power of the Lord of Arakawa.

"Vicious Shark..."

The main body of the water pillar condensed into a massive, ferocious giant shark above Miketsu, while the splashing droplets became small, nimble fish. Together with the giant shark, these fish plummeted from the sky toward Miketsu below, their power and density far exceeding what had come before.

"Heh... it seems the Lord of Freshwater Fish is also capable of commanding seafood." Looking at the situation before her, Miketsu gave a faint smile. Then, in a flash of brilliance, she drew her sharp sword. The Demonic Fang Blade, its entire length wreathed in rolling demonic energy, appeared in Miketsu's hand.