The Mission

In an ancient era, impossible to pinpoint, in a region corresponding roughly to today's Kanto area, the Earthquake Catfish was then merely a small, unsentient catfish yokai, living in rivers and preying on other aquatic creatures. Until one day, its surroundings underwent a drastic change.

The earth began to tremble, and the rivers swelled. Pulled by an unseen, immense energy, the Earthquake Catfish's environment was turned upside down. The river water became turbid, and massive waves tossed it about at will. The Earthquake Catfish was caught between countless rushing currents, drifting everywhere, crashing against the riverbed and banks.

Amidst this world-shattering upheaval, the Earthquake Catfish felt utterly terrified. This wasn't just due to the extreme environment around it, but also because it could sense two immensely powerful, ancient, and terrifying auras clashing and intertwining in the distant reaches. It seemed that the conflict between these two auras was what caused the drastic changes in its surroundings. However, because the Earthquake Catfish was submerged and relentlessly battered by the waves, it couldn't see the specific situation outside.

Finally, the terrifying clashing auras gradually faded, and the drastically altered environment slowly calmed. With unbelievable luck, the Earthquake Catfish survived that calamity. Just as the Earthquake Catfish felt an instinctive relief, the river it inhabited changed once more.

Blood, an enormous amount of fresh blood, surged down from the upper reaches of the river, staining the entire river crimson. This blood contained a mysterious yet potent power. Countless aquatic creatures, like the Earthquake Catfish, who had miraculously survived the previous changes, died one after another. The Earthquake Catfish itself became extremely uncomfortable after inhaling this blood, diluted countless times by the river water. Its whole body throbbed, and its blood circulated rapidly as if it would burst out of its body. In an agonizing struggle, the Earthquake Catfish nearly lost consciousness. When it finally regained its senses, the blood that had stained the river had faded considerably, and there were no other living beings left in the river besides itself.

With a sense of bewilderment, the Earthquake Catfish swam to the surface, poking its head out of the water. Then it saw a sight it would never forget… Beneath a gloomy sky, the proudly majestic mountains were jagged and shattered, the entire land a complete mess. In the distance, on the horizon, a colossal figure, several times taller than the mountains, lay sprawled there, its back covered in rocks and forests, motionless, as if it had been long dead…

After hearing the Earthquake Catfish's description, Miketsu suppressed her emotions and continued to question it.

“So… you swam over and ate a part of that corpse’s flesh?”

“I, how could I dare… Just its presence there filled me with utter dread. I didn’t dare approach it at all. What I ate was shredded meat washed down by the river. That corpse seemed to have suffered severe injuries before it died… And if not for all the creatures in the river dying and being swept away, I would never have eaten such a thing…”

The Earthquake Catfish continued, describing how it gained strange powers by inhaling the giant creature’s blood and eating some of its shredded flesh. This power caused a great transformation in its body. It could now sense the earth and draw upon its power. Its lifespan broke through the limits of ordinary catfish yokai, allowing it to live from ancient times until now without needing cultivation. Its body also gradually grew so massive that ordinary rivers could no longer contain it. Eventually, it chose the vast Lake Biwa as its dwelling place.

The creature’s blood and flesh, while granting the Earthquake Catfish almost eternal life and immense power, also made its mental state extremely unstable. This was the reason for its extreme irritability. If not for the appeasement of Inari Okami and the offerings of the Hinanawi clan, it would have long ago been driven mad by its own power.

Listening to the Earthquake Catfish, Miketsu let out a long sigh. She now roughly understood whose flesh and blood the Earthquake Catfish had devoured. It was likely an Ancient God, an Ancient God who had been defeated in a battle during ancient times… And judging by the Earthquake Catfish’s description of the Ancient God’s appearance, that Ancient God was very likely Suwako…

“It seems I’ll have to contact that frog child when I get back,” Miketsu said slowly, crossing her arms after exhaling. Then she looked back at the Earthquake Catfish, who was still staring at her in terror, and spoke.

“One last question: you’ve been very restless lately. Is it because of a lack of appeasement and offerings… due to the influence of the power within you?”

“Mostly that… but there are some other reasons…”

“Other reasons? What are they?”

“The ley lines… the ley lines are showing abnormal signs. I can feel it… Recently, the flow of the ley lines from the east has become very chaotic, and their power has weakened. This abnormality in the ley lines makes me very uncomfortable… so I get angry more easily…” The Earthquake Catfish continued without hiding anything, and Miketsu frowned slightly upon hearing this.

“The eastern ley lines…”

Miketsu mused as if she had thought of something, but she couldn’t be sure. After a moment, she temporarily gave up thinking and turned to the Earthquake Catfish.

“Alright… considering your attitude just now was acceptable, I’ll let you off for now. But remember, if you dare cause any trouble again, the outcome might not be so good…” Miketsu said to the Earthquake Catfish in a dangerous tone, and the creature nodded frantically in fear.

“Yes! Yes! I will heed the teachings of Inari Okami! I won’t cause any more trouble!”

“Good, now you… go back!” Miketsu said, walking over to the Earthquake Catfish’s side, then kicked its body. The Earthquake Catfish howled as it was sent flying into the air by Miketsu, then fell into Lake Biwa with a massive splash.

“With the Ancient God’s divine power’s influence weakened, that fellow’s mental state should be much more stable.”

Miketsu said, looking at the stone in her hand. It had peeled off the Earthquake Catfish and was imbued with the Ancient God’s power. This was a crystallization of the Ancient God’s power within the Earthquake Catfish, and it also possessed the ability to draw upon the power of the earth. It had to be properly handled.

This power, based on the Ancient God, was extremely chaotic and needed to be stabilized. The method Miketsu thought of was to use the power of faith… and it had to be faith specifically praying for the prevention of earthquakes.

Thinking this, Miketsu turned and looked at Jizi, who had been sitting on the ground with her mouth agape from the beginning, her expression now numb.

Slowly walking in front of Jizi, Miketsu placed the divine stone before her and said.

“So, the history of the Hinanawi clan’s offerings to the Earthquake Catfish has ended. From today onwards, you shall directly offer to the power of the earth itself, so that this land may always remain peaceful.” Miketsu said, smiling at the dazed Jizi.

“In the name of Inari Okami, this is your new mission, priest clan of the earth…”