A Different Way

Amidst the roaring waves of the sea, on a deserted island to the west of Nightless Island, the nine-tailed fox Tamamo-no-Mae stood still. He gazed at the familiar figure before him and couldn't help but whisper.

"I once believed that fate was specifically conspiring against me. After the Onmyoji of Heian-kyo slaughtered my children, they went on to kill my friend. My fury, which had been dormant for years, was reignited, and I have done so much for the sole purpose of utterly destroying Heian-kyo. But now, you appear before me again. I believe you owe me an explanation... Kuzunoha."

Hagoromo Gitsune stood on the desolate ground, her hand over her chest, looking at Tamamo-no-Mae with innocent eyes.

"There... there are many things that are difficult to speak of. In short, the situation is very complicated... I was indeed hunted by the Onmyoji of Heian-kyo and was forced into hiding. I only recently began to move again. When I heard you were gathering Yokai Lords here, I knew you had begun your campaign against Heian-kyo, so I rushed here immediately..."

Looking at Hagoromo Gitsune's current state, Tamamo-no-Mae remained silent for a long while, as if deep in thought. Finally, he continued slowly.

"No matter what circumstances you encountered, tell me everything clearly now. If the Onmyoji of Heian-kyo are truly targeting you, then I will help you wipe them out."

"Ah... thank you so much..." Hearing Tamamo-no-Mae's words, Hagoromo Gitsune's expression softened with emotion. She began to walk toward him, step by step. As she drew closer, Tamamo-no-Mae remained where he was, silently watching his friend approach.

"I knew you would help me... my friend..."

Halfway there, Hagoromo Gitsune's demonic energy suddenly exploded. Her fingernails grew sharp and jagged, and her body lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed, striking directly at Tamamo-no-Mae.

To the east of Nightless Island, on the East Island within Yakumo Yukari's barrier, the duel between Shuten-doji and Miketsu had been raging for some time. The deserted island was filled with the thunderous roars of demonic energy outbursts. The ground and rocks were blasted apart, and the immense force left countless fissures in the earth. Seawater poured into these cracks; if the battle continued at this intensity, the entire island seemed at risk of falling apart.

Unlike the other opponents Miketsu had faced before, Shuten-doji possessed no special abilities, but his basic attributes were overwhelmingly powerful in every aspect.

His strength could clash head-on with Kishin power and he could quickly break free from the ice that froze him. His speed required Miketsu to concentrate intensely while using causality vision just to keep up. His physical durability allowed him to tank Explosive Current Waves and even direct slashes from Miketsu's blade. The Primal Demonic Orbs he condensed from his external demonic energy could easily level a small hill, and his demonic energy capacity was staggering.

Powerful in every way with no weaknesses—this was the power of the strongest Yokai Lord, Shuten-doji. Facing such an existence, Miketsu realized a quick victory was impossible. If they continued like this, the island serving as their arena would likely be destroyed before the fight concluded.

"Hahaha!! As expected, I can experience the best battles with you, Owl. Come, let's continue! Let me see your limits!!"

During the fight with Miketsu, Shuten-doji's excitement only grew. However, Miketsu had no intention of dragging this out. She knew that the more they exhausted each other, the more it played into Yakumo Yukari's plan. The Great Sage was currently waiting in the sky for her opportunity.

During the clash, Miketsu recalled the information she had received from Ao Andon regarding Shuten-doji, and an idea formed.

"Wait a moment, Shuten-doji..." During a brief lull in the fierce combat, Miketsu suddenly called out. Although he looked disappointed and dissatisfied, Shuten-doji temporarily halted his assault.

"Ha... what do you want now? If it's more talk about not wanting to fight, I'm not listening..."

"No, I didn't say I wouldn't fight you. I just think we can settle this in a more direct way..." Standing her ground, Miketsu looked at Shuten-doji and spoke in a low voice. A look of clear confusion appeared in his eyes.

"A more direct way?"

"Yes..." As Miketsu spoke, she raised the Demonic Fang Blade. Using only a tiny amount of demonic energy, she swung it, carving a large circle into the surrounding ground with a miniature Wind Scar. Because the energy she used was so small, Shuten-doji did not interfere.

"Shuten-doji... what do you consider strength? What kind of battle do you enjoy?" After drawing the circle, Miketsu looked at him again and asked.

"Hmph. The strength I acknowledge is naturally absolute power! Absolute speed! Absolute physique! The battles I pursue are the collisions of powerhouses based on those traits! I have no love for fancy, flowery tricks..." Shuten-doji spoke as if it were common sense. It was obvious he disliked opponents who relied primarily on special abilities.

"Very well. Let us have such a duel then. From this moment on, neither of us will use special abilities or external demonic energy. We will rely entirely on our own physical strength to decide the winner. Within this restricted area, the first one to be knocked down or forced out of this circle loses. What do you say?" Miketsu spoke with solemn gravity. Hearing her proposal, Shuten-doji was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha! You're an interesting one, actually proposing such a duel to this Great Lord. Fine, I accept your proposal!"

Seeing Shuten-doji's laughter, Miketsu breathed a small sigh of relief. By fighting this way, she could avoid exhausting her demonic energy to the greatest extent. Even when a winner was decided, Shuten-doji would retain most of his power. By limiting the area and making a ring-out a loss, the forced rules increased the risk of defeat for both sides but prevented an endless battle. Now, she needed to resolve this dispute with Shuten-doji in a short amount of time!

Underneath Nightless Island, inside the main sacrificial altar.

A shrill, piercing shriek erupted from the paper umbrella in Sanmen-oni's hand. Subsequently, countless vengeful spirits swarmed out from the umbrella. These spirits were all translucent female corpses wearing tattered kimonos.

These spirits were numerous, constantly congregating in the air. Their spiritual bodies merged and grew, eventually swelling to over ten meters in height, seemingly threatening to fill the entire space.

When all the spirits had finished merging, a massive female figure sitting on the ground appeared before Seimei and the others. She had sickly blue skin and long hair that trailed onto the ground. She wore an oversized, pure white kimono that still exposed large patches of skin on her chest and legs. Ribbons were wrapped around her body, held by two giant demonic hands emerging from her back. Her beautiful face was etched with a look of profound sorrow.

"This... this is..."

"It's an aggregate of a massive number of vengeful spirits. It's said that if spirits share a similar grudge, they can merge into a single entity. But I've never seen an aggregate of this many spirits before..."

Witnessing this scene, the two Onmyoji, Abe no Seimei and Kamo Yoshin, were frozen in place. Behind the massive spirit aggregate, Sanmen-oni stood holding his umbrella, a smug, triumphant smile on his face.

"This is the ghost spirit songstress, my masterpiece that I have carefully cultivated for many years. They are the vengeful spirits of yujo and oiran who died with deep resentment on this island—both from the era of humans and the era of yokai. For decades, I have specifically collected their souls, sealing and blending them to finally create this powerful aggregate. On this island, she can exert power nearing that of a Yokai Lord! You shall all die by her hands!"