Prelude

In the dark sky, the riddled and tattered ghost ship sailed precariously. Around it, the massive demonic energy had already dissipated, and the gap eyes that had opened in the sky slowly closed, leaving behind only the nearly-wrecked ghost ship and a crowd of wounded, wailing yokai upon it.

Standing at the bow, Otakemaru thrust his greatsword—composed of what seemed like countless magatama—into the deck. He felt the departure of the enemy who had never shown their face from beginning to end. Beside him, Kujira also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Have they gone, Young Lord?"

"Hmph, it seems so. That fellow likely saw that I wouldn't be so easily dealt with and left of their own accord," Otakemaru said, a sliver of a smile cracking at the corner of his mouth.

"Just who was that? Why would they suddenly attack us? Their abilities were bizarre, and why retreat so abruptly?" Kujira asked, his brow furrowed.

"Who knows... but since I encountered this attack on the way back, perhaps someone is specifically targeting those eliminated from the duel assembly. Heh... if that's the case, I should probably be glad I didn't fight to the death with Shuten-doji earlier. Otherwise, there's no telling what state we'd be in now..." Otakemaru mused, reflecting on the previous battle. Hearing this, Kujira couldn't help but be taken aback.

"What... if that's true, then this assembly might have been a conspiracy from the start. Young Lord, should we head back now to warn the other participants?"

"There's no need, Kujira. Isn't this internecine slaughter among the land yokai exactly what we want? The more they waste their strength in meaningless attrition, the better it is for our future grand plans..." Otakemaru said, his smile deepening.

"The Young Lord is wise..."

"Alright, find a way to repair the ship immediately. We're going back."

...

Beneath the center of Nightless Island, in the Main Sacrificial Altar where the Black Tortoise demonic power was stored.

The Yokai Lords eliminated in the first round were currently suspended beside the orb of Black Tortoise demonic power. Compared to a moment ago, another figure had joined them—it was the Lord of Hyakumonogatari, Ao Andon.

"Only one captured this time... what about Otakemaru?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked Yakumo Yukari beside him, his tone tinged with slight confusion as he looked up at the scene.

"Well... some unexpected circumstances arose on Otakemaru's end. Not only did that fellow retain the vast majority of his demonic power, but he also held a powerful trump card. It would have been difficult to handle without going all out... Sigh~ to preserve my demonic power for the two in the finals, I had no choice but to let him go for now. Truly a pity," Yakumo Yukari said to Tamamo-no-Mae with a helpless shrug.

"A powerful trump card... Heh, it's said that the treasures of the Sea Nation hide items of immense power. It seems those weren't empty rumors. If even you couldn't handle him easily, then Otakemaru does possess some level of strength..." Tamamo-no-Mae said after a moment of thought.

"Indeed... but fortunately, Otakemaru has no intention of returning to tell the others about his encounter. My plan isn't exposed yet. The Sea Nation resides in the outer seas and usually doesn't interfere with land affairs, so even without him among my puppets, it won't have much of an impact..." Yakumo Yukari spoke while opening her folding fan to cover her lips.

"The key now is Owl and Shuten-doji. As long as those two can eventually be brought under control, then everything will be perfect."

"To be able to win their way to the very end, those two are likely even harder to deal with than Otakemaru. Are you certain?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked, his tone carrying a hint of doubt.

"That's why they need to wear each other down first. Having fought all the way here, they won't be without a reason to slaughter one another..." Yakumo Yukari was saying when several eyeballs floated to Tamamo-no-Mae's side, showing him an image. Upon seeing it, Tamamo-no-Mae turned to Yakumo Yukari.

"Owl and Shuten-doji have stepped onto the final stage. They are about to begin."

"It's finally coming... this most critical battle. To be safe, I must personally oversee their duel to prevent any accidents." As she spoke, Yakumo Yukari pulled open a gap in front of her.

...

On the surface of Nightless Island, the yokai night market was still filled with music and dancing. In the very center of this prosperity, amidst the ruins of Shengui Tower—which had been destroyed by the arrival of the various Yokai Lords—a figure stood.

It was Sanmen-oni. He was currently standing amidst the ruins of his life's work, Shengui Tower, but his face no longer showed any of the previous grief or loss. Instead, it was as calm as usual.

Sanmen-oni stood silently in place, looking as though he were waiting for something. Finally, sensing a trace of unusual aura, Sanmen-oni turned around to look into the shadows on one side of the ruins.

There, at some unknown point, a tall and beautiful woman had appeared. She wore an intricate and magnificent furisode kimono, with skin like snow and hair like ink. Her lower abdomen showed a slight bulge.

"Hehe... you've finally come, Hagoromo Gitsune, Kuzunoha..." Sanmen-oni said with a chuckle, looking at the suddenly appearing yokai woman.

"Cut the nonsense. What is the situation now?" The yokai woman known as Hagoromo Gitsune looked at the weak yokai before her with a look of disdain and spoke directly.

"Everything is proceeding smoothly. Tamamo-no-Mae and Yakumo Yukari are continuing to execute their plan, capturing those defeated Yokai Lords while they are weak. The final match of the Yokai Lord duel is about to take place, and their plan has reached its final moment." Sanmen-oni recounted the intelligence he knew. After hearing this, Hagoromo Gitsune thought for a moment and then continued to ask.

"And how are the preparations on your side?"

"Everything is ready; we only await the moment to strike. But the problem now is that even if Yakumo Yukari leaves to deal with Shuten-doji and Owl, the barrier she laid down still exists at the Main Sacrificial Altar. It's extremely difficult to break in from the outside. Even if we could get in, Tamamo-no-Mae is still guarding it. If he acts to stop us, the plan cannot succeed." Sanmen-oni spoke in a low, serious voice, explaining the current problems to Hagoromo Gitsune.

"You can rest assured about that. I will find a way to deal with Tamamo-no-Mae and the barrier. You only need to act when you hear my signal." Hagoromo Gitsune responded. Hearing this, Sanmen-oni's face lit up with joy.

"That is wonderful. In that case, the hope for the Lord Deity's revival is close at hand... We have you to thank for all of this..."

As Sanmen-oni finished speaking, another voice immediately replied to him. This voice was sharp and high-pitched, like that of an infant. Such a baby's voice speaking normally gave one a bizarre sense of unease.

"That your god can revive is not us you should thank... but... our god."