The Descent of Divine Punishment

The bustling streets of Heian-kyo were alive with the spirit of the festival.

Dressed in a white kariginu, Miketsu led Princess Kaguya through the celebratory crowds. Time slipped by unnoticed, and before they knew it, the afternoon was waning.

"Kaguya, are you tired? Let’s take a short rest. There will be a Kagura performance at the shrine tonight," Miketsu said with a smile, gently waving her fan. The young girl nodded obediently.

"Yes, Mother."

Just then, Princess Kaguya’s gaze drifted to the other side of the street. There, she spotted Mokou, dressed in male noble attire, passing by accompanied by servants of the Fujiwara clan.

"It’s Uncle Aka!" Princess Kaguya’s eyes lit up instantly. She turned to Miketsu with a look of hopeful expectation. "Mother, I..."

Seeing the sheer anticipation in the girl's eyes, Miketsu chuckled and shook her head slightly. "Go on, go on. Just remember to be back before nightfall."

"I will!"

Watching Princess Kaguya run happily toward Mokou, Miketsu folded her fan. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly; a daughter raised is like water poured out—eventually, she belongs to another.

At that moment, a voice echoed in Miketsu’s mind. It was Tsuruha, contacting her through their divine messenger contract.

"What is it, Tsuruha?" Miketsu murmured. However, the report Tsuruha delivered caused her brow to furrow slightly.

"What...?"

Miketsu’s eyes widened as she listened to Tsuruha’s words. Once the message ended, she stood frozen in place, lost in thought. She tapped her folded fan against her palm rhythmically, as if weighing her options.

Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, she snapped the fan open with a sharp clack and began to fan herself lightly. A subtle smile played across her lips.

At dusk in Heian-kyo, atop a wooden bridge spanning a quiet stretch of the river, Kanako and Kaki stood together. A shadow of worry hung over both their faces.

"What should we do, Lady Kanako? We haven't found a single clue regarding Lady Suwako. Could she have already..." Kaki’s voice trailed off, thick with anxiety. Kanako remained silent, her arms crossed as she stared at the shimmering river under the twilight sun. Her expression was solemn, her brow knotted in deep contemplation.

Suddenly, Kanako’s expression sharpened. Her gaze locked onto a small flying insect hovering over the water. The insect flew straight toward her, eventually crawling onto the wooden railing in front of her.

Kanako stared at it, momentarily stunned. After a few heartbeats, her tense features relaxed. Having reached a decision, she turned to the girl beside her.

"We cannot waste any more time like this. It is time to take action."

"Then, Lady Kanako, you intend to..." Kaki asked, confused.

"I have made up my mind. Tonight, we go to Mount Inari. I will bring down a heavy divine punishment upon that false god impersonating Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto and the faith she has built. I will make her pay the most painful price for daring to blaspheme against me."

As she spoke, Kanako turned her gaze southward. Through the gaps between the city's buildings, the silhouette of Mount Inari loomed under the fading light of dusk.

Night fell upon Mount Inari, but the mountain was ablaze with light. From the long approach to the shrine halfway up the peak, lanterns illuminated every corner. Even though it was late, crowds of people continued to flow along the paths, and the Inari Shrine remained a hub of noisy prosperity.

At the Kagura performance, countless nobles and commoners from Heian-kyo gathered to enjoy the final hours of the Inari Festival.

During this event—which was effectively a grand banquet—Princess Kaguya, the adopted daughter of the Great Onmyoji Asakura Hao, once again became the center of attention. As the years passed, this mysterious, beautiful, and elegant young lady revealed a charm that became increasingly unforgettable with every public appearance. Rumors of the beauty of the 'reincarnated Princess Kaguya' had been circulating through Heian-kyo for some time.

Though she was still young, she had already become the object of longing for many noble youths in the capital, all of them waiting for the day her beauty would fully bloom.

While Mount Inari was thriving with life, Kaki stood on a smaller neighboring hill, looking anxiously toward the sky. There, Kanako had already changed back into her divine vestments.

"It is time."

With a majestic gaze fixed on the flickering lights of Mount Inari in the distance, Kanako soared higher into the heavens. Suddenly, a powerful gale erupted out of nowhere. The storm coalesced into a massive black tornado that descended from the sky, completely engulfing Mount Inari. The howling of the wind was deafening, carrying with it what sounded like terrifying, shrill screams.

Standing on the summit of the small hill, Kaki watched the divine punishment from afar, her heart trembling. She closed her eyes and began to pray to her deity, begging her to show mercy and not slaughter every living soul on that mountain.

Meanwhile, in the distant wilderness, a man dressed in black looked up at the spectacle. He had white hair, with a single streak of crimson staining the fringe over his forehead.

He was the servant of the Great Snake and the younger brother of the current Minamoto clan head, Minamoto no Yorimitsu—Minamoto no Yorimasa.

"Haha, it has finally begun. The divine punishment of Takeminakata-no-Kami... what a magnificent sight. With this, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto and Takeminakata will be locked in implacable enmity.

"Even if Takeminakata realizes that Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto is a true orthodox god and wishes to stop, the goddess whose followers and kin have been slaughtered will never let him go...

"It seems Heian-kyo is about to witness a God War. And amidst this disaster, Lord Great Snake shall reap even more rewards..."

As he muttered to himself, Yorimasa turned his gaze toward the nearby hill—the one where Kaki was standing.

"As the Medium Miko required for Takeminakata-no-Kami to manifest in this realm, if I corrupt her, Lord Great Snake can use her as a channel to influence the god himself..."

On the hill, the praying Kaki suddenly sensed a disturbance. She immediately ended her prayer and condensed her spiritual power, forming a five-pointed star barrier around herself. The shield deflected a blade that had flown out of the darkness.

"Who’s there!" Kaki shouted, her eyes locking onto the direction the blade had come from. A masked man in black slowly stepped out from the shadows of the trees, his piercing gaze fixed on her.

"The priestess of Takeminakata-no-Kami, Kochiya Kaki... we have been waiting a long time for you to be separated from your god," the man said slowly. As he spoke, several more figures in black emerged from the shadows, surrounding her.

"Waiting for me... to be away from Lady Kanako... who are you people! What do you want!" Terrified, Kaki pulled several talismans from her robes and looked around at the closing circle of men, her entire body on high alert.

"You don't need to know that..." Without another word, the men drew blades wreathed in a sinister aura and lunged at Kaki simultaneously.