High above Heian-kyo, in a low Earth orbit tens of thousands of meters up, a bizarrely shaped massive object floated in space. It maintained a relative speed with the Earth's rotation, remaining stationary over the capital.
The object was constructed entirely of white metal, resembling a magnificent building. The structure was conical, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, covered in various mysterious decorative patterns. Two pairs of long, broad wing-like panels extended from its sides.
This was the Monitoring Pavilion, established by the Lunar Capital specifically to monitor the surface world. The messenger of the moon, Lunar Observer, and Lunar Intelligence Officer—Watatsuki no Toyohime—was the administrator here. This was her workplace. From this vantage point in the vacuum of space, she looked down upon the mortal masses with her own eyes, gathering intelligence on the surface world for the Lunar Capital and interfering with the ground according to the instructions of the Council of Sages.
Unlike her sister, who was a defensive military official, Toyohime was a thoroughbred intelligence chief. Consequently, she did not favor direct confrontation when facing enemies.
Standing on the platform of the Monitoring Pavilion, Toyohime gazed down at the azure planet in silence. Beside her, numerous moon rabbits were busy, moving and hammering various items.
"Hmph, it seems you've finished your discussion with that criminal sister of yours? Toyohime..." A raspy male voice came from behind her. Toyohime turned to see a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious robes and a hood, with a neatly trimmed beard. The look in his eyes as he watched Toyohime was one of clear disdain.
"Yorihime is not a criminal. Once this operation succeeds, she can redeem herself and avoid punishment, Lord Asamasa," Toyohime replied slowly, her gaze toward the overseer sent by the Lunar Capital being equally unfriendly.
"That depends on whether you can actually succeed. If you fail again, that guilt will fall on your head as well... Heh, I'm just waiting to clean up after you two sisters... using these precious 'arrows'," the Lunarian named Asamasa said, stomping his foot on the metal floor of the Monitoring Pavilion.
"I don't believe there will be an opportunity to use those. The God-Evading Feather Robe and the Chang'e Poison will be enough for this mission," Toyohime said calmly. Asamasa let out a scornful laugh upon hearing this.
"Save those words for when you return in triumph..." Toyohime paused for a moment before continuing.
"I have one question. This decision by the Lunar Capital directly targets the Inari Okami on the surface. Are the Sages not afraid of total hostility from the entire Yamato pantheon?"
"What if we are? As long as we can recover the Princess and further utilize the power of Chang'e, we can develop many weapons specifically for those gods. What is there to fear? In the Lunar Capital, have the gods not already lost the need for reverence? Even the exalted Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, one of the Mihashira-no-uzunomiko, was exiled by us. What else could we possibly fear?" Asamasa replied slowly. Seeing his response, Toyohime said no more, turning back to gaze at the cosmos.
At that moment, the sun, which had been radiating brilliant light in the distant space, was gradually being blocked by the silhouette of the Earth. The entire Monitoring Pavilion began to be enveloped in the Earth's massive shadow. Toyohime knew that Heian-kyo had now entered the night. Their operation was about to begin.
Walking into the interior of the Monitoring Pavilion, Toyohime approached a table holding two ornate boxes. She opened them. One contained a small crystal tube filled with a silver liquid that flowed like mercury. The other held a shimmering, ethereal silver veil.
Draping the veil over herself and taking the crystal tube, Toyohime sat in a chair and closed her eyes to rest. She was now waiting for the signal from her sister on the surface.
Night. Mount Inari, Inari Shrine.
As the night deepened, the entire Mount Inari fell into silence. The pilgrims had all returned home. The Miko, having finished their cleaning, retired to their quarters to rest. The foxes had returned to their dens one by one. The chirping of insects rose as the night grew still.
Within the dark Inari Secret Realm, inside the simple room where Yorihime was supposedly sleeping, Konkiku sat alone. Under the light of an oil lamp, she watched Yorihime intently.
Suddenly, Konkiku's eyes grew hazy. After a wide yawn, her body began to sway. Finally, she could no longer resist; she slumped to the floor and fell into a deep sleep.
As soon as Konkiku was asleep, Yorihime immediately opened her eyes. She threw back the covers and sat up, a faint spiritual power radiating from her body.
"Konohana-sakuya-hime..."
After checking to ensure Konkiku was truly asleep, Yorihime immediately began her move. She rolled up the bedding and tossed it aside, then began using her spiritual power to draw in the air at the center of the room. Moments later, a complex magical array emitting a pale blue light took shape.
After a flash of brilliance, a figure emerged from the array. It was none other than Watatsuki no Toyohime, draped in the ethereal veil.
"Sister..."
"Shh..."
Just as Yorihime was about to speak, Toyohime raised a finger to her lips to silence her.
"Now is not the time for talk. According to the plan, you stay here on standby. I will go find the Inari God. Once I succeed, I will send a spiritual signal to call you, and we will subdue the others together."
Looking at the serious expression on Toyohime's face, Yorihime nodded. Toyohime then opened the window and leaped out, leaving Yorihime alone in the room.
Yorihime understood that without the God-Evading Feather Robe, she could not move freely within the Inari Secret Realm. She had to stay put and wait silently for the pre-arranged signal.
One minute, two minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes... she didn't know how much time had passed, but just as she was beginning to worry about her sister, a loud noise suddenly erupted outside. Yorihime quickly pulled open the window, and what she saw was a burst of blue light blooming in the sky.
It was the signal! Her sister had succeeded!
Realizing this, Yorihime immediately flew out the window toward the source of the signal. Upon arrival, she found Toyohime on the roof of a small building, having discarded the veil. She was facing off against the Inari God she had fought before. Miketsu was half-kneeling with a look of shock, clutching her shoulder where a crystal tube with a sharp spike was embedded deep into her body.
"Hurry! She can no longer use her divine power!" Toyohime shouted loudly to Yorihime. After a brief pause, Yorihime immediately began to channel her strength.
"Blade of Takemikazuchi!"
In Yorihime's eyes, countless blades erupted from beneath Miketsu. Though they did not pierce her, they bound her in place. Deprived of her divine power, the Inari God could only glare at the sky with resentment. Seeing this, Yorihime breathed a sigh of relief.
Their operation was a success.
After easily dealing with the many foxes that came to the rescue, Yorihime and Toyohime swept away the remaining resistance within the Secret Realm. Yorihime slowly descended, landing beside Toyohime.
"It's done... now all that's left is to find the Princesses and Master. Our plan has finally succeeded in its basic stage," Yorihime said with relief.
"Yes... after plotting for so long in the dream world and using the treasures of the Lunar Capital, how could such a plan fail?" Toyohime smiled, then looked at Yorihime with a playful expression.
"Yorihime, Toyohime... you two sisters truly are my most prized disciples..." Toyohime said slowly with a smile. However, her voice had now transformed into Eirin's.
"What... Master!!"
Hearing Eirin's voice, Yorihime's mouth hung open in shock as she took a defensive stance against her familiar sister.
Just as Yorihime was about to use her power against the person before her, her head suddenly spun. The entire world collapsed in a whirlwind of disorientation. Darkness filled her vision, and the last thing she saw was the meaningful smile on 'Toyohime's' lips.
The darkness shattered, and Yorihime snapped awake. She sat up on her bedding in shock. Before her wide eyes was the familiar, simple room, and several pairs of eyes were staring at her.
"You're finally awake..." Miketsu said slowly with a smile, looking at the stunned Yorihime. Beside Miketsu stood Eirin, holding a small incense burner.
"Did you sleep well, Yorihime? It seems you had quite a nice dream."
From the incense burner, a colorless, odorless, and invisible medicinal fragrance—the butterfly dream fragrance—was drifting through the room.
Rate on N.U.
