Rushing Waves

Miketsu soared across the battlefield, striking down the Tokoyo-no-Kami in a moment of crisis and saving Ao Andon. Immediately after, Miketsu swooped down, grabbed Shuten-doji, who was also bound by light threads, and swiftly carried them both away from the battlefield at high speed.

After a short, rapid flight, Miketsu landed at the edge of Nightless Island, placed Shuten-doji and Ao Andon there, and then tore off the light threads wrapped around their bodies.

“You two wait here for a moment. Once you’ve recovered some strength, find a way to leave this island. I’ll handle that bug.” Miketsu said, looking towards the center of Nightless Island, which was ablaze with fire.

“Tch… Be careful yourself. Fighting that guy was utterly powerless, it’s truly stifling.” Shuten-doji grumbled, leaning against a wall, while Ao Andon, with a serious and concerned tone, earnestly advised Miketsu.

“No, you mustn’t. The Tokoyo-no-Kami is a God of Reincarnation who truly controls the process of life and death. No mortal being within the cycle of reincarnation can contend with him, no matter how powerful they are. Even if you go, Owl, you won’t stand a chance.”

Ao Andon’s expression was extremely grave. In her confrontation with the Tokoyo-no-Kami, she had clearly understood his terror; he was not an entity that could be dealt with simply by brute force.

“Rest assured, if I didn’t have a plan, I wouldn’t challenge him.” Miketsu replied calmly to Ao Andon’s words. As Ao Andon showed a hint of surprise, Miketsu continued, addressing both her and Shuten-doji.

“Of course, if you feel unconvinced by that bug, you can also lend a little strength.”

...

On Nightless Island, the Tokoyo-no-Kami was slowly advancing, its bloated body wriggling. It crushed streets in its path and absorbed the yokai gathering along the way. Its target was the direction Miketsu had flown from.

The Tokoyo-no-Kami continued to track its prey. It seemed to know that no matter how powerful its prey, they could not escape the cage it had set in advance. Thus, its movements were unhurried and calm; it had all the time in the world to hunt them down slowly.

As it slowly moved along a street, the Tokoyo-no-Kami spotted a familiar figure rapidly approaching it from the other end of the street. Clad in black and wielding a great blade, it was none other than the one who had rescued its two previous prey. Although its aura was completely contained, making it impossible to gauge its depth, the Tokoyo-no-Kami knew that the few moves it had just witnessed were enough to make this a worthy prey to devour.

Seeing the huge, bloated body at the other end of the street, she quickened her pace, charging towards it. The wind whipped her black robes, and numerous yokai with vacant expressions passed by her. In an instant, the Tokoyo-no-Kami’s body was already close.

Facing the rapidly approaching Miketsu, the Tokoyo-no-Kami made no extra moves. It simply watched as the black blur flashed before its eyes, for it knew that this figure would soon be unable to continue. The endless decay power had already been unleashed the moment the prey appeared, and as the prey drew closer, this power would only grow stronger, eventually weakening them to the point of immobility and near death.

“Boom!”

Leaping in front of the Tokoyo-no-Kami, the great blade in her hand swung down mercilessly. The Tokoyo-no-Kami’s huge, bloated body was struck down directly by Kishin power, flattening a section of street buildings. Its expressionless head tilted slightly upwards, as if displaying some intense emotion.

“Ah, surprised? I suppose so. In your mind, all mortal beings should decay, right?”

Murmuring, Miketsu flew towards the giant, wriggling bug on the ground. She raised her Demonic Fang Blade and slashed it horizontally. With another loud bang, the Tokoyo-no-Kami’s soft body was almost flattened by the immense force. The power transferred beneath it, instantly cracking the ground in several places, but even after such a strike, the Tokoyo-no-Kami’s body showed no wounds.

“Truly tough…”

Saying this, Miketsu flew to the side of the Tokoyo-no-Kami and delivered another fierce slash. This strike sent the Tokoyo-no-Kami sliding across the ground, its bloated, massive body crushing a large number of houses and buildings, plowing a long trail in the earth. The Tokoyo-no-Kami was buried under a pile of accumulating rubble.

The Tokoyo-no-Kami could control the process of life, granting beings decay or rebirth, but all of this came with a prerequisite: that the being could decay, or rather, that the life was constantly cycling within reincarnation, with a fixed beginning and end, meaning a limited lifespan.

However, Miketsu’s essence was that of a Heavenly God, an eternal existence transcending reincarnation. She had no lifespan limitations, no possibility of aging or decay. The Tokoyo-no-Kami’s decay power could not affect Miketsu in any way!

“Rumble!”

With a deafening crash, the piled rubble exploded, and the Tokoyo-no-Kami rose its colossal body. At this moment, the colorful, luminous patterns on its body had almost all turned red, seemingly displaying its inner rage. The Tokoyo-no-Kami now clearly understood that its opponent was no ordinary being, and it began to unleash other powers.

In an instant, the Tokoyo-no-Kami extended its power across the entire Nightless Island. All the yokai hypnotized by the Tokoyo-no-Kami began to transform. They shed their human forms and revealed their true appearances; ferocious demonic beasts and strange spirits filled every corner of Nightless Island.

Yet, this was not all. Among these yokai, the young ones rapidly grew larger, and the old ones swiftly regained their youth. All the yokai were adjusted to the most robust period of their lives. For a time, Nightless Island was almost crammed with various large demonic beasts.

Unlike humans, yokai, even without cultivation, could become very powerful after a certain amount of time. Now, the Tokoyo-no-Kami had, in one breath, adjusted all the yokai it could control to the peak of their life’s journey! These numerous powerful yokai, spread across the entire island, swarmed towards Miketsu under the Tokoyo-no-Kami’s will.

“They don’t seem like ordinary fodder…”

After slaying several approaching demonic beasts, Miketsu frowned slightly. She clearly felt the strength of these yokai; they often couldn’t be dealt with in just one or two strikes. As more and more yokai gathered from across the island, Miketsu realized that the trouble she faced would only grow.

“Explosive Current Wave… Circle Guard…”

Unleashing demonic power, Miketsu used simple techniques to clear the surrounding yokai, then flew straight into the sky. After cutting down a flying bird yokai, Miketsu raised her Demonic Fang Blade, which was now wreathed in azure demonic power.

“In that case, let me show you the surging wave power from Arakawa!”

With a flash of light, Miketsu’s Demonic Fang Blade transformed into a wavy, curved longsword, and at that moment, the sea around Nightless Island erupted with a roar.

“Surging Current… Wave Break!”