Purity

Night, Heian-kyo, Inari Shrine.

Within the Inari Secret Realm, in a wide clearing, Eirin was using spiritual power to trace a complex magical array onto the ground. After finishing one, she followed it by drawing another around it, then continued outward. After layering several tiers in succession, Eirin finally finished the drawing and stepped aside.

"There... it is complete. A link array and three consecutive layers of binding barriers... If that child Toyohime descends now, she will find herself right at the center of the restraint." Eirin spoke slowly as she clapped her hands. Even with a magical array and three layers of barriers, it hadn't taken her long to set everything up.

"Are you certain these arrays can hold her?" Standing beside Eirin, Miketsu scrutinized the arrays before them. Eirin shook her head.

"I am not certain. For the Toyohime of the past, these would be more than enough. But so many years have passed, and I cannot be sure how far that child has progressed. I wanted to make the arrays even stronger, but unfortunately, time did not permit it. If we wait any longer, Toyohime will likely become suspicious."

"If that is the case, then so be it. Activate the array and call her down. Let the sisters have a proper reunion." As Miketsu spoke, she looked toward the other side, where Yorihime was tied to a tree. Her mouth was muffled by a cloth, and her eyes were wide, constantly whimpering.

"Very well, beginning now." Eirin finished speaking and formed a hand seal to catalyze her spiritual power. Subsequently, the small magical array at the very center of the clearing began to glow with a faint light.

Tens of thousands of meters high in the sky, within the Monitoring Pavilion, Toyohime—who had been resting with her eyes closed—suddenly seemed to perceive something. She opened her eyes and activated her ability. Toyohime's body gradually turned ethereal before vanishing from the spot.

In the clearing of the Inari Secret Realm, following a swirling glow of light, Toyohime's veiled figure appeared at the center. The moment she manifested, she opened her mouth to speak, but immediately froze in place, her mouth agape.

In Toyohime's eyes, the smiles of her master and the divine girl were profoundly meaningful, while her sister’s struggles against the tree were filled with panic.

The plan had been exposed; she had been lured into a trap!

Realizing this, Toyohime’s expression hardened. She immediately began using her ability to attempt a teleport back to the Monitoring Pavilion. However, at that same moment, the triple barriers around her lit up simultaneously. A powerful pressure instantly formed around her, making it difficult for her to move and rendering her unable to use her abilities.

Sensing the dire situation, Toyohime used her power to forcibly resist the barriers suppressing her, preparing to break through them and return to the Monitoring Pavilion. For a moment, the triple barriers Eirin had prepared shook violently, showing signs of being breached.

Seeing this, Miketsu’s brow furrowed. Gripping the Blade of the Three Realms, she stepped forward and slashed toward Toyohime. Toyohime hurriedly dodged. Ultimately, after a corner of her clothing was sliced off, she finally broke through Eirin’s restraints and vanished in a flash of light, returning to the Monitoring Pavilion.

Miketsu looked at the empty space before her. After a brief pause, she picked up the fragment of clothing from the ground. Upon closer inspection, she discovered it was a pouch. Reaching inside, Miketsu felt around for a moment before pulling out a small, transparent crystal tube. Inside, a crystalline silver liquid shimmered with a slow, steady glow.

In the void above Heian-kyo, within the Monitoring Pavilion, Toyohime’s figure manifested in a flash of light. The moment her feet touched the metal floor, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees, panting with her hands on the ground. Although she had successfully forced her way through Eirin’s restraints, Toyohime paid the price with severe turbulence in her internal spiritual power.

Seeing Toyohime in this state, the surrounding moon rabbits rushed over in a panic to support her. Just then, an annoyed voice drifted in from a distance.

"Hmph. I thought that even if you failed, it would take some time. I didn't expect you to flee back up here so quickly."

Asamasa, the overseer, approached with heavy steps. Her gaze was filled with disdain as she looked at Toyohime, continuing in a mocking tone.

"It seems the Sages were right to send me. You two sisters are incapable of anything but failure. Did your hearts go soft when facing your former master?"

"Huff... huff... No, I... I fell into their trap..."

"I don't care what the reason was. The fact that you sisters have failed again is indisputable. Wait to face the Tribunal. Now, I shall settle this matter for you and use the final method to recover the Princess..." As Asamasa spoke, she turned to the surrounding moon rabbits and barked an order.

"Deploy the Star-Punishment Heavenly Fire Bow!!"

"Huff... huff... cough... No! You can't use that! The target area is right next to the mortals' Heian-kyo! It will burn the entire city to the ground! And Yorihime is still down there!"

Hearing Asamasa's words, Toyohime struggled to stand and shouted loudly. She was well aware of the power of that third treasure brought from the Lunar Capital.

"That cannot be helped. Since your sister was captured by the enemy, she should have the corresponding resolve. It is the decision of the Council of Sages to use heavenly fire to purify the impure ground after your mission failed. Once all obstructing forces are burned away, only the immortal First Princess and the sinner Eirin will survive. It will be easy to recover them then without any resistance." With her hands behind her back, Asamasa spoke sternly. Toyohime’s face turned pale at these words.

"No... it hasn't come to that yet! Give me one more chance, I will definitely... Ugh!"

As Toyohime spoke with agitation, Asamasa reached out and fired a blast of invisible energy. Toyohime was instantly thrown aside by the impact, slamming into a wall and collapsing unconscious. With her spiritual power still in a state of severe turbulence, she had almost no combat strength left.

Seeing Toyohime attacked, the entire Monitoring Pavilion fell silent. All the moon rabbits froze in place. Seeing this, Asamasa roared in anger.

"What are you looking at! Hurry up and execute the order! Do you want to spend the rest of your lives digging in the Deep Moon Mine? You vermin!"

As soon as Asamasa finished speaking, a flash of terror crossed the eyes of all the moon rabbits. They immediately resumed their work. Under the operation of the moon rabbits, the entire Monitoring Pavilion began to emit a mechanical hum. Amidst the vibrations, the pavilion began to transform.

Through a series of ingenious structural changes, two long, curved metal pillars extended from the sides of the Monitoring Pavilion. These two pillars were symmetrical, resembling the limbs of a giant bow dozens of meters long. Between the limbs of this great bow, a massive amount of power was circulating and converging at high speed. In front of the bow, superimposed circular magical arrays were forming.

Looking at the distant ground pointed to by the giant bow, a smile appeared on Asamasa's face.

"All 'impurity' on the earth shall be purified. Be honored, mortals of Heian-kyo. You shall be the first chosen ones to be bestowed with 'purity'."