Departure

Hearing Miketsu’s words making excuses for Tamamo-no-Mae, the Yokai Lords couldn't help but be momentarily stunned. Ao Andon, who knew the truth of the matter, did not utter a single word to contradict Miketsu; she merely stood there, watching her in silence with a faint smile.

Finally, after Miketsu finished her explanation, the Yokai Lords before her exchanged glances. The Lord of Arakawa, fluttering his fan, was the first to speak.

"Tamamo-no-Mae... was not the mastermind? Hah... Whether he was the mastermind or not, I do not know. But since you say so, Owl, then so be it."

"In any case, we were only able to escape because of you, Owl. We all owe you a favor. Since you say this was not Tamamo-no-Mae's responsibility, I shall believe it as well..." The one speaking was Yamakaze, standing to the side. On the other side, the Great Tengu followed suit.

"Since this is your wish, Lord Owl, I have no reason to object..."

Listening to the words of the various Yokai Lords, Miketsu was slightly taken aback. She truly hadn't expected them to believe her so easily. However, it wasn't necessarily that her words were highly credible; it seemed they were simply giving her face because she had resolved the crisis of the Tokoyo-no-Kami and saved their lives.

After expressing that they would no longer seek trouble with Tamamo-no-Mae, the Yokai Lords had no further reason to remain. They began to depart one after another.

"Until we meet again, yokai general of Heian-kyo. I owe you a favor. If you ever have need of anything in the future, you can find me at Arakawa." After the Lord of Arakawa finished speaking, he commanded the water and flew into the sea alongside Kingyohime. Yamakaze also leaped toward the edge of Nightless Island to depart.

"We shall meet again, Owl. If you ever encounter an enemy too difficult to handle, come to Mount Nanakaku." As Yamakaze dove into the sea to swim across, the Great Tengu spread his wings and took flight.

"I shall take my leave now, Lord Owl. Please remember, Sugo Unten stands ready at all times to repay your kindness." With that, the Great Tengu vanished into the clouds on the horizon. Toga then smiled and cupped his hands toward Miketsu.

"Then we should be going as well. Once Harima has stabilized, remember to come visit. This brother of yours will surely host you well. If you need anything in the future, just say the word; I will give my all to help." As Toga and his group left, Shuten-doji spoke quite bluntly as well.

"Hmph. Let us have another match when the opportunity arises..." Shuten-doji leaped into the sky. In an instant, only Ao Andon remained. She finally smiled at Miketsu and spoke.

"Though I am loath to part, it is time to say goodbye."

"Thank you for your help. Things would have been much more troublesome this time without you." Looking at the woman in green before her, Miketsu offered her sincere thanks. This seemed to catch Ao Andon by surprise for a moment.

"Oh my, Lord Owl is actually taking the initiative to thank me? I am truly flattered. If you are also loath to part with me, Lord Owl, then rest assured—we shall meet again very soon." With a mysterious smile, Ao Andon gradually faded away, leaving a somewhat puzzled Miketsu behind.

"Meet again soon...?"

Finally, after all the Yokai Lords had departed, Miketsu remained standing on the desolate Nightless Island. She did not leave until she sensed a specific demonic energy, at which point she slowly turned around. Appearing before Miketsu now was Tamamo-no-Mae, his chest still stained with a patch of blood. Seeing him, Miketsu asked directly.

"How is your injury?"

"The invading malevolent force has been mostly suppressed, but it will take some time to purge it completely. My strength will be diminished for a while. If anyone comes to settle scores during this time, it would indeed be difficult to handle... However, what I did not expect was that you would actually go out of your way to smooth things over with those fellows for me?" Tamamo-no-Mae spoke to Miketsu with a hint of confusion in his tone. Previously, because of Dark Seimei's sneak attack, a portion of Orochi's power had invaded his body, throwing his demonic energy into chaos and making it difficult to exert his full strength. Thus, he had not stepped forward to deal with the Tokoyo-no-Kami.

"In this conspiracy, you were also a victim. Furthermore, we now share a common enemy. It was no big deal," Miketsu responded calmly. After a brief pause, the other party spoke slowly.

"It seems that this time, like them, I owe you a favor. Hah... I accept your kindness, Owl. Likewise, I shall repay this debt..." As he spoke, Tamamo-no-Mae turned around and began to walk away.

"Once my strength has recovered, I will find a way to track down Kuzunoha. I will not easily forgive those who dared to control her and use me."

Tamamo-no-Mae summoned the Oboroguruma, boarded it, and vanished into the sky. Watching the receding demonic fire in the heavens, Miketsu nodded slightly.

It seems... this trip has yielded quite a lot of favors... or rather, yokai debts. I hope they all prove useful in the future.

Miketsu did not doubt for a second that she could now convene another Yokai Lord Assembly, and she wouldn't even need to use anything as bait.

Miketsu now realized that, aside from Otakemaru of the Sea Nation, she had more or less established ties with all the other Yokai Lords. So, what exactly happened to that one from the Sea Nation? Why was he not among the captured Yokai Lords? Did he escape Yakumo Yukari's ambush? But if that were the case, why didn't he return to warn the others? Could it be that he wished to see the land-dwelling yokai slaughter one another?

Amidst these thoughts, a familiar voice echoed in Miketsu's mind. It was the prayer of Matara Okina.

'Lady Uka...'

'Ah, are things alright on your end? What about Yakumo Yukari?'

'I have just escaped from the gap in space. Once Yakumo Yukari saw that her plan had met with a major upheaval, she stopped entangling with me and fled immediately...' Okina answered Miketsu through prayer. Hearing that Yakumo Yukari had managed to slip away in the end, Miketsu felt a slight twinge of disappointment.

From Tamamo-no-Mae, Miketsu had already learned of Yakumo Yukari's original plan. Compared to Tamamo-no-Mae, who was manipulated and seeking revenge, Yakumo Yukari felt like she was purely in it to cause chaos. She bore an undeniable responsibility for how large this incident had grown. Miketsu felt it was a bit of a pity that she hadn't paid any price this time.

"I hope I don't run into that kind of character again in the future..."

...

Kanto, inside a cave deep underground.

Within the pitch-black cavern, countless tiny, soft, flesh-like lumps crawled and wriggled on the ground like insects, constantly gathering and merging together. What they formed was a large worm—it was the Tokoyo-no-Kami, though its size had shrunk to barely a tenth of its former self. At this moment, it was continuously absorbing the flesh fragments that gathered automatically, slowly growing larger as it reconstructed its body.

"How pathetic. The grand feast of yokai prepared specifically for you wasn't eaten; instead, you were beaten into this state... Tsk, tsk..."

Within the space of this cave, a charming yet mocking male voice began to echo. The source of the voice was a snake with purple-red eyes, staring directly at the Tokoyo-no-Kami before it.

"You are in no position to talk about me like that," the Tokoyo-no-Kami responded to the snake in a child-like voice.

"Heh, I helped you awaken ahead of schedule. Is this your attitude toward your benefactor?"

"Benefactor? Don't make me laugh. Didn't you ultimately help me awaken early for your own sake? Your actions in Heian-kyo met with setback after setback, so you pinned your hopes on the outside... If everything had gone smoothly for you, would you have even thought of me?"