Phantom Yokai

On the sea at the edge of Nightless Island, a bird yokai flew above the waves. This was a yokai of secret lore summoned by Ao Andon. On its back, it carried Ao Andon and Shuten-doji. The bird yokai's destination was a deserted island near Nightless Island, to avoid being caught in the battle raging on Nightless Island.

Riding the bird yokai, Shuten-doji looked down at the now turbulent sea, muttering with a solemn expression.

“It’s already begun over there…”

“Yes, clearly, what he’s using now must be the demonic power of the Lord of Arakawa.” Ao Andon, standing beside Shuten-doji, responded. Looking at the churning sea before her, she couldn’t help but smile slightly before continuing.

“Since he already has the demonic power of the Lord of Arakawa, the others must be no exception. Add in ours, and he has gathered the demonic power of six Yokai Lords. In his current state, Owl should be considered the strongest yokai, don’t you think?”

“The strongest yokai? Hmph, for now, I suppose.” Shuten-doji snorted, then slowly shifted his gaze to Nightless Island behind them, but his view was already obscured by the surging waves, completely hiding the island’s presence.

“The strongest yokai… capable of slaying deities?”

…

“Surging Current Wave Break…”

As Miketsu’s wavy blade, wreathed in azure demonic power, moved, the previously calm sea around Nightless Island suddenly churned. Surging tides, following Miketsu’s will, crashed against the beach in successive waves, demolishing the coastal buildings and growing ever stronger.

Finally, after countless tides converged, a colossal wall of water, tens of meters high, surged between sea and sky, rushing towards Nightless Island. In an instant, it swept over the island. The raging currents, like savage beasts, engulfed the entire island, destroying all houses and streets. Most of the ferocious yokai on Nightless Island, controlled by Tokoyo-no-Kami and adjusted to their strongest forms, were swallowed by the seawater. In a flash, Nightless Island was completely submerged beneath the waves, and Tokoyo-no-Kami’s bloated, massive body was also drowned in the water.

“It seems… I’ve also taken advantage of ‘home field advantage,’ haven’t I?” Looking at the scene before her, Miketsu couldn’t help but recall the battle she had with the Lord of Arakawa not long ago. Back then, the Lord of Arakawa used tides to submerge East Island. Now, Miketsu had used the Lord of Arakawa’s demonic power to create even mightier waves, directly submerging the entire main island of Nightless Island.

After reviving the four Yokai Lords, Miketsu persuaded them to lend her their demonic power. Coupled with Shuten-doji and Ao Andon, whom she had already rescued, Miketsu now wielded the demonic power of six Yokai Lords! This caused Owl’s combat strength to leap dramatically. In her current state, Miketsu could unleash deity-like power even without activating her divine form.

After submerging the entire Nightless Island with seawater, Miketsu’s assault did not cease. In the next moment, the demonic blade in her hand transformed into a transparent, cold blade of ice crystals.

“Frost Sky Dragon Break…”

Amidst a lifelike dragon’s roar, a colossal frost dragon plunged from the sky to the earth, crashing into the surging tide. From the point where the ice dragon entered the sea, the turbulent waters rapidly began to freeze. With the swift expansion of the ice, the entire Nightless Island quickly transformed from a watery expanse into an icy plain. All the yokai who had managed to escape by swimming were now frozen solid within the ice. Yet, this… could not trap Tokoyo-no-Kami.

“Clack!”

With a crisp sound, the thick ice surface fractured into countless cracks. Amidst a roar, the colossal worm burst through the ice and climbed back onto the surface. Radiating an angry red glow, it turned its head to look at Miketsu in the sky, then simultaneously spat hundreds of light threads from its mouthparts, attacking Miketsu. At this moment, the flying yokai circling in the sky, not yet frozen, also launched a simultaneous assault on Miketsu.

Hundreds of light threads, like writhing serpents, assailed Miketsu from all directions in the sky, attempting to entangle her. Seeing the sheer number of light threads, Miketsu frowned. With her causality vision, she would normally have enjoyed such a “bullet hell” game. However, due to Tokoyo-no-Kami’s inherent divine status, the causality of these light threads was extremely blurry in Miketsu’s eyes, making it impossible for her to make accurate judgments.

Tokoyo-no-Kami’s light threads were as tough as its own body, and Miketsu’s ordinary area-of-effect attacks were completely unable to destroy them. Therefore, Miketsu could only dodge these light threads, which was extremely difficult with her restricted causality vision. Under these circumstances, being entangled by countless light threads was inevitable.

Understanding her predicament, Miketsu immediately reacted. Amidst the entanglement of yokai and light threads, she seized an opportunity and rapidly descended. During this process, the demonic blade in her hand had already transformed into a wooden blade entwined with roots. The moment she landed on the ice, Miketsu plunged the wooden blade directly into its surface.

“Forest’s Flourishing Break…”

Life-giving demonic power surged into the glacier. Countless vines and roots burst through the ice, and massive trees sprouted skyward from beneath. These trees grew snake-like branches that entwined the flying yokai in the sky. The numerous trees formed a dense forest, their thick, dense trunks obstructing the movement of the light threads. These long light threads, instead of entangling Miketsu, wrapped around many of the trees, making it difficult for them to move. This… was the power of Yamakaze, the Forest King.

Around Tokoyo-no-Kami, countless thick, massive trees burst through the ice, firmly entangling the colossal worm. Facing this, Tokoyo-no-Kami wantonly unleashed its power. Due to the influence of its power of decay, these giant trees immediately withered and died after entangling Tokoyo-no-Kami, eventually turning into pitch-black charcoal. As more and more giant trees wrapped around Tokoyo-no-Kami, the accumulated charcoal on its body grew heavier and heavier, until finally, it was trapped within a colossal sphere of charcoal.

After shaking off the flying yokai and light threads, Miketsu soared back into the sky. Looking at Tokoyo-no-Kami, trapped within the thick charcoal sphere, a faint smile played on her lips.

“Hundred Lore Secret Break…”

The demonic blade transformed once more, shrinking and retracting into Miketsu’s hand, taking on the strange appearance of a duel disk. Miketsu reached out and drew a card from its ethereal deck.

“Legend says, in Kanto, there is a Calamity Fire that appears once every few decades, burning forests for a thousand li and incinerating a hundred yokai. In truth, it is a daughter of the Fujiwara clan, who gained the power of immortality on Mount Fuji. Her life transformed into fire, endless and boundless… Secret Lore Summoning, Fujiwara no Mokou…”

Amidst a flash of azure light, the white-haired girl familiar to Miketsu appeared before her, with fiery wings on her back and crimson eyes.

The Mount Fuji Calamity Fire was a secret lore often manifested by Ao Andon. Miketsu, knowing the truth behind this secret lore, could summon its true form: the immortal fire-wielding maiden, and her friend.

“Go, Mokou, use self-destruct…”

Mikou’s entire body erupted in blazing flames. She transformed into a firebird with outstretched wings, plummeting straight towards the thick, pitch-black charcoal sphere.

The scorching flames, in a violent explosion, engulfed everything. Whether living trees or dead charcoal, all were ignited in this inferno, transforming the entire Nightless Island from a forest into a sea of fire.