Determination

Above the ocean surrounding Nightless Island, Miketsu was flying rapidly. Her destination was the direction from which a large-scale burst of demonic power had just erupted.

As Miketsu was flying, a voice echoed in her mind. It was the sound of a prayer, specifically directed at her!

"Lady Uka, can you hear me?" Miketsu's expression sharpened upon hearing the prayer. She was very familiar with this voice; it was Matara Okina's.

"Yes, I can hear you. Is something the matter?" Miketsu replied with a hint of confusion, wondering why this usually mysterious deity would suddenly contact her now.

"It's wonderful that my prayer reached you. Please listen carefully. Due to my battle with Yakumo Yukari, I am currently trapped with her in a spatial gap and cannot return for now."

Miketsu paused slightly, realizing then that it was Okina who had prevented Yakumo Yukari from attacking her and Shuten-doji.

"Now, I need to tell you some secrets about this Nightless Island... I presume you already know some of them by now." Okina continued to transmit information to Miketsu through the prayer.

"Yes, I know this island was originally a sacrificial altar for some Tokoyo-no-Kami, which you eventually led troops to destroy. If you could handle it, then that Tokoyo-no-Kami must have just been an ordinary wild god, right?"

"No, that so-called Tokoyo-no-Kami was not a wild god, nor was it an orthodox god in the usual sense. Three hundred years ago, I didn't directly defeat the Tokoyo-no-Kami, because it was already in a state of dormancy then. Its followers have consistently tried to revive it, which is how their religious movement gradually grew." Okina continued gravely, her words secretly startling Miketsu.

"What? It was already dormant three hundred years ago? Then what exactly is this Tokoyo-no-Kami?"

"As for what exactly it is... I don't quite know either. But based on some documents collected when the Tokoyo-no-Kami Priest Clan was annihilated, it might be a powerful creature from a distant, unknown ancient era before the Age of Gods, similar to Yamata no Orochi."

...

A little earlier, within the Main Sacrificial Altar beneath Nightless Island, just as Slippery Nura had successfully defeated Master Enmi and was preparing to deal with Shiranui, the altar floor suddenly cracked and collapsed, revealing a massive pit. Beneath this pit was an even larger underground space, and at its center, a colossal egg was half-buried in the earth. A pulsating vibration, like a heartbeat, continuously emanated from within the egg, as if something was about to hatch.

"W-what is this...?" Standing at the edge of the pit, Slippery Nura muttered in astonishment, gazing at the enormous egg below. Abe no Seimei and Kamo Yoshin, not far away, were equally surprised.

"What kind of... hatchling egg is this? It's so massive..."

"Is this the so-called Tokoyo-no-Kami?"

Abe no Seimei said, his expression grave, as he looked at the egg, which was presumably the Tokoyo-no-Kami. Meanwhile, Sanmen-oni, who had just lost the ghost spirit songstress and was previously filled with panic, burst into delighted laughter upon seeing this scene.

"Hahaha! Lord Deity is about to awaken! None of you can escape, you'll all become sacrifices for Lord Deity!"

Just as Sanmen-oni was cackling wildly, Shiranui, who had been at the center of the altar, did not fall when the altar collapsed. Instead, she remained suspended in mid-air, still dancing in a trance, with streams of Fire Snakes continuing to coil around her.

Accompanied by Shiranui's dance, the colossal egg exposed from underground suddenly sprouted more Glowing Tentacles that rapidly grew and extended upwards. These tentacles swiftly coiled around every person and yokai present, and for a moment, no one escaped.

"Tch, what the hell is this thing...? Take this!" Seeing the tentacles wrapped around him, Slippery Nura instinctively sensed danger. He immediately drew his spare dagger and slashed directly at the nearest tentacle. However, to his surprise, the blade passed right through the tentacle, which remained completely unharmed. These tentacles did not appear to be corporeal.

After coiling around all life in the Main Sacrificial Altar and the Black Tortoise demonic power, these seemingly ethereal tentacles pulled back. Abe no Seimei and his two companions, along with Ao Andon and even Sanmen-oni, were all dragged towards the deep pit.

"What the hell is this thing...? I can't break free..." Ao Andon tried to manifest several Secret Lore abilities, but none could free her from the tentacles wrapped around her. On the other side, Sanmen-oni's earlier delight had vanished completely, replaced by panicked screams.

"No, no! Lord Deity, I am your loyal servant, not a sacrifice!!"

It was through Sanmen-oni's screams that everyone realized the Tokoyo-no-Kami was demanding sacrifices. It seemed to consider all life in the Main Sacrificial Altar as offerings! A chill immediately ran through everyone's hearts. Abe no Seimei shouted directly.

"We have to find a way, or else we'll all probably be devoured by that Tokoyo-no-Kami!"

"Ali's dance is awakening that egg. To stop it, we must first stop Ali and pull out the demonic blade controlling her!" It was Kamo Yoshin who spoke. It was clear to him that under Shiranui's dance, the colossal egg and its extending tentacles were becoming increasingly active.

"Pull out the broken blade?" Ao Andon said, while resisting the increasingly powerful pull from the coiled tentacles. She summoned several Flying Yokai and commanded them to fly directly towards Shiranui. However, the Fire Snakes around Shiranui rapidly converged, densely encircling her and forming a fireball barrier that completely enveloped her. The approaching yokai were swiftly burned to ashes.

"No, we can't get close like this!" Seeing this, Ao Andon frowned. She then drew a Secret Lore card and used it to summon a bow and arrow into her hand. She immediately drew the bowstring and aimed at Shiranui.

"Secret Lore Summoning, Bow of Ota... According to the Secret Lore about Shiranui from fifty years ago, her human self must have died by this very bow and arrow. This bow should be able to kill her! If we can't stop her, this is the only way..." Ao Andon said slowly, her tone grave. She had to end Shiranui before the Tokoyo-no-Kami devoured everything. The moment she manifested the bow, Kamo Yoshin was seized with panic. He frantically shouted at Ao Andon.

"No! You cannot harm Ali!"

"If I don't harm her, what else can we do? Let her continue to awaken the Tokoyo-no-Kami and completely devour us? Onmyoji!?" Ao Andon said, her face stern, looking at Kamo Yoshin. However, even though she had drawn her bow and aimed at Shiranui, who was enveloped in the fireball, she had not yet released the arrow.

Facing the grave Ao Andon, Kamo Yoshin took a deep breath. After composing himself, he looked at Ao Andon, his aged face showing a resolute determination.

"Don't harm Ali... she is very kind, and she absolutely doesn't want any of this to happen. Rest assured, I will try to stop her one last time, and I will save her at all costs. If I fail, then you may act and destroy her..."