Beneath the pitch-black canopy of the night sky, a swarm of vengeful miko spirits surged toward Miketsu. Shrieking, they tore through the restraints of the Divine Chants and continued their mournful wailing as they lunged. Witnessing this, Miketsu’s expression hardened.
This was the first time in all her years that the Scripture of Rebirth had failed. Ordinarily, no vengeful spirit or lingering soul could resist the Scripture when she recited it in the name of Dakini-ten. Yet, for some reason, these miko spirits were defying the call of the Other World!
As the spirits continued their assault, Miketsu did not hesitate despite the failed exorcism. She drew her bow and pulled the string taut. An arrow of light, forged from divine power, coalesced and flew forth, splitting in mid-air into countless thin beams that fanned out. Each beam pierced through the incoming spirits. Under the effect of her Demon-Slaying Power, the parts of the spirits struck by the light were utterly erased. Unable to maintain their forms, they dissolved into plumes of the Mist of Death, which flowed back into the Seven-Story Pagoda.
'My Demon-Slaying Power failed to annihilate them in one stroke...' Miketsu thought silently. It was clear that these vengeful spirits shared a profound connection with something inside the tower. Because of this link, they were not entirely destroyed but were instead recalled into the structure.
"It seems... the big one is inside. Tsuruha!"
"Understood, Lady Uka!" Following Miketsu’s command, Tsuruha spat a torrent of fire from her maw. The flames expanded rapidly in the air, engulfing the entire Seven-Story Pagoda in an instant. The altar grounds were transformed into a sea of fire.
The inferno swirled around the tower. The crackling of burning timber mixed with the agonizing howls of the vengeful spirits. Under the intense heat of the foxfire, the pagoda burned fiercely. Its structural supports began to fail, and finally, with a series of thunderous crashes, the Seven-Story Pagoda collapsed into the heart of the flames.
Then, a roar that seemed to echo from the depths of hell erupted from the center of the fire.
The ruins of the collapsed pagoda exploded outward with a deafening bang. The ground of the burning altar caved in, and amidst the tremors, a massive white object burst through the earth. It was a colossal, white serpentine head.
With white scales and crimson patterns, its form was eerie and exotic. Compared to the Orochi clone that had ravaged Heian-kyo thirteen years ago, this white snake was much smaller, and its features were softer, more feminine.
"A... snake?"
Miketsu was momentarily stunned. However, the upheaval beneath the earth did not stop. Amidst further rumbling, one white snake head after another burst through the debris, rearing up to roar at the sky toward Miketsu.
Eight. A total of eight white snake heads had emerged from the ruins. Their lower bodies remained buried underground, while their long, massive necks writhed in the air. The thing hidden beneath the tower was actually an eight-headed white snake! Miketsu stared in astonishment.
'Orochi? No, that’s not right. This is a conglomerate of those miko spirits.' The vengeful souls had begun to fuse with one another, merging from a swarm into a single entity! And the form they took after merging was that of the Great Snake!
In her shock, Miketsu realized why her previous attempt at purification had failed. Though the spirits had appeared separate, they were already functioning as one. Their massive collective volume made purification difficult. Furthermore, since this conglomerate had taken the form of Orochi, his power had undoubtedly intervened. The nature of this Miko Orochi had changed; it was no longer a simple haunting.
As soon as the Miko Orochi appeared, its eight heads lunged at Miketsu with a chorus of hisses. The agile Tsuruha maneuvered through the air with incredible speed, dodging the snapping maws one by one. Enraged that its coordinated strikes were failing, the Miko Orochi let out a collective roar from all eight heads. A powerful shockwave blasted outward from the snake, leveling the surrounding buildings within the Minamoto Forbidden Grounds.
"Break!"
Miketsu shouted, releasing a burst of divine power from her palm to neutralize the incoming shockwave. After a few exchanges, she had gauged the enemy's strength. For her, this Miko Orochi was not an insurmountable foe.
"Sacred Arrow Rain!"
Miketsu drew her bow once more. An arrow of light pierced the heavens and vanished into the clouds before exploding. It transformed into a torrential rain of light that poured down. The massive Miko Orochi had nowhere to hide, and in an instant, its entire body was riddled with small arrows of light.
Under the weight of the Demon-Slaying Power carried by these arrows, the Miko Orochi’s strength was heavily suppressed. Its movements grew sluggish, its roars turned feeble, and it could no longer mount an active attack against Miketsu. Seizing the moment, Miketsu pressed her advantage.
"Purifying Light of the World!"
Golden radiance pierced through the dark clouds, bathing the weakened Miko Orochi. Under the shine of this purifying light, the snake withered rapidly until, with a final mournful cry, it collapsed entirely onto the ground, unable to move. Even a Great Vengeful Spirit formed from the souls of numerous miko could not withstand the might of an orthodox god like Miketsu.
Facing the defenseless Miko Orochi, Miketsu paused. After a moment of hesitation, she drew her bowstring again, condensing an arrow of light and aiming it at the snake below.
Originally, Miketsu had hoped to save these miko through purification. But since her Scripture of Rebirth was ineffective, her only choice now was to destroy them completely.
To have their souls extinguished... though such an end was cruel for these tragic women, it was a necessary conclusion for the greater good.
"I am sorry, Kikyo..."
Whispering softly, the arrow on her bow began to emit a blinding brilliance. Miketsu’s divine power gathered rapidly within it as she prepared a technique intended to wipe out the Miko Orochi in a single blow.
Suddenly, Miketsu stopped gathering her power. Her eyes widened as she stared at the weakened snake, unable to release the string. Her causality vision had detected an extremely bizarre situation.
'What... what is this?'
Within her field of causality vision, she saw that if she released the string and destroyed the Miko Orochi, the resulting 'fruit' would not just be the snake’s demise. Instead, it would trigger a cascade of vast, obscured consequences that she could not fully perceive.
The entire Minamoto Forbidden Grounds, and even the surrounding regions, were shrouded in outcomes that Miketsu could not see through. These consequences were set to trigger the moment she struck the Miko Orochi; they were unavoidable.
In short, if Miketsu destroyed the Miko Orochi now, it would lead to an unpredictable catastrophe. In this world, the only events Miketsu could not predict were those involving Ancient or Modern Gods. And the deity associated with this Miko Orochi was, naturally, Yamata no Orochi...
Killing the Miko Orochi might lead to a large-scale interference in the mortal realm by Yamata no Orochi himself.
"Hehe... Did you notice, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto? I was truly hoping you would fire that arrow..."
A familiar, wicked voice echoed through the air.
Rate on N.U.
