The Inside Story

When Miketsu concluded her battle with Shuten-doji, she sensed a powerful burst of demonic energy to the west, where two exceptionally intense demonic powers were clashing. Miketsu immediately rushed towards the location, reasoning that there shouldn't be any battles between Yokai Lords at this time. The two parties unleashing demonic energy were unknown entities to her, and to preempt any potential schemes orchestrated by Yakumo Yukari, she decided to investigate.

Just as Miketsu was nearing her destination, the duel seemed to have reached its conclusion. One side's more dominant demonic power had overwhelmed the other, but shortly after, the stronger demonic energy inexplicably became severely unstable.

Upon arriving at the shattered West Island, Miketsu's eyes fell upon Tamamo-no-Mae, forcibly restrained by a sneak attack, and Hagoromo Gitsune, who was pinning him down, along with an infant in her abdomen. The aura emanating from the infant was incredibly familiar to Miketsu; it was the power of the Great Snake!

Seeing a being imbued with the Great Snake's power, Miketsu immediately took action without a second thought. She didn't know why a being with the Great Snake's power would appear here and attack Tamamo-no-Mae, but if it was connected to the Great Snake, stopping it was the right course of action.

"Wind Scar!"

Drawing her Demonic Fang Blade, Miketsu unleashed a blade of demonic energy that shot between Tamamo-no-Mae and Hagoromo Gitsune. Caught off guard, Hagoromo Gitsune's arm was directly struck by the demonic energy blade, opening a deep, bone-revealing gash. She cried out in pain and released Tamamo-no-Mae. The infant's arm was severed outright, and it shrieked as it retreated back into Hagoromo Gitsune's abdomen.

"Ahhh! It's Owl! Mother, retreat now!"

Amidst the infant's shrill cries, Hagoromo Gitsune rapidly withdrew. By the time Miketsu landed on West Island, Hagoromo Gitsune's form had already plunged into the sea and vanished. Miketsu silently glanced in the direction the other party disappeared, then shifted her gaze to Tamamo-no-Mae, who could barely stand. In his chest, the severed arm, brimming with sinister power, was still embedded.

"Don't move..."

Miketsu murmured softly, then reached out and grasped the severed arm. After pulling it out and holding it, she subtly activated her Demon-Slaying Power, directly incinerating the arm completely. Thirteen years later, she had a deeper mastery over her divine power and no longer needed to rely solely on skin contact to use it.

Watching the actions of the black-clad Great Yokai before him, Tamamo-no-Mae exhaled slightly, then clutched his chest and shakily regained his footing.

"I owe you one, Owl..."

"You owe every participant you invited, Tamamo-no-Mae. It seems your plan with Yakumo Yukari has gone awry. Can you tell me who just escaped?" Miketsu asked Tamamo-no-Mae calmly. Tamamo-no-Mae paused, then, after a moment of thought, spoke.

"I didn't expect you to detect our plan. Heh... Since you're here, it means Yakumo Yukari must have failed. So be it... At this point, I no longer intend to proceed with the plan anyway..." As he spoke, Tamamo-no-Mae looked in the direction where Hagoromo Gitsune had fallen into the sea and continued, "That was my friend, Hagoromo Gitsune Kuzunoha. I originally thought she, like my former child, had been harmed by Heian-kyo's Onmyoji. So, to exact revenge on Heian-kyo once more, I joined forces with Yakumo Yukari and used the Black Tortoise Seal, which I seized over twenty years ago, to orchestrate all of this. But only now do I realize I was manipulated. Kuzunoha has been controlled by an unknown force, a force attempting to use her to exploit me."

Hagoromo Gitsune Kuzunoha? Tamamo-no-Mae's friend? Hearing that name, Miketsu's brows furrowed. In her many years of working with Abe no Seimei in the Onmyoryo, she had heard that name before. This was Seimei's mother, the source of half his yokai blood!

Upon hearing this, Miketsu was stunned. If the yokai who just escaped was Hagoromo Gitsune, then the infant that burst from her abdomen must have been the severed, Great Snake-corrupted part of Seimei's soul! That part of the soul retained Seimei's memories, then corrupted his mother, Hagoromo Gitsune, and used her to manipulate Tamamo-no-Mae!?

Suddenly, Miketsu felt that the true depths of this series of events were far more profound. If the Great Snake was fundamentally orchestrating this, what was its ultimate goal? To fuel Tamamo-no-Mae's hatred to destroy Heian-kyo? To corrupt Tamamo-no-Mae and even a host of Yokai Lords? Or perhaps...

"Tamamo-no-Mae, where are the Black Tortoise demonic power and the Yokai Lords you captured?" Sensing the gravity of the situation, Miketsu immediately asked Tamamo-no-Mae, who answered without concealment.

"In a cave beneath the center of Nightless Island. It seems to have once been an abandoned sacrificial altar, dedicated to a deity called Tokoyo-no-Kami..."

"Tokoyo-no-Kami..."

As Miketsu repeated Tamamo-no-Mae's words, a massive sound suddenly erupted from the east side of West Island, in the direction of Nightless Island's main island. A terrifyingly powerful energy was bursting forth from there.

That energy was like demonic power, like spiritual power, and even more like divine power; its composition seemed incredibly mixed. Miketsu had felt this kind of power before. Thirteen years ago, the Great Snake that revived from Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto had wielded precisely this kind of power.

...

At the center of Nightless Island, the ruins of the former Shengui Tower violently exploded with a tremendous roar. The explosion scattered the accumulated debris across various parts of Nightless Island, destroying countless buildings.

Startled by the sudden blast, the many yokai on Nightless Island turned their gaze towards the central ruins. They saw several small shadows fly out from within the rubble, and then, an ancient, profound aura emanated from deep within the ruins.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

A dense rustling sound emerged from the ruins, growing increasingly intense. As the yokai felt the ground begin to tremble slightly, all of them sensed that something was rapidly approaching from underground.

Finally, under the collective astonished gazes of Nightless Island's yokai, the head of an enormous body burrowed out of the Shengui Tower ruins. Under the moonlight, vibrant, intricate patterns were etched in rings across its massive, plump, elongated body. Countless short, stubby legs pulled more of its form from the ground.

It was, unmistakably, a monstrously large, alluring insect larva.