The Medium

High above Heian-kyo, in low Earth orbit, the Lunar Capital's space-based weapon, the Star-Punishment Heavenly Fire Bow, fell into a sudden silence after its initial discharge. The intense heat on the light arrow rails was gradually cooling, and the massive mechanical hum was slowly subsiding.

Inside the Monitoring Pavilion at the heart of the giant bow, a heavy silence reigned. overseer Asamasa and all the moon rabbit soldiers stood frozen in place, staring at the holographic projection in the center of the control hall. An immensely swollen sphere of light had dispersed the thick clouds high in the atmosphere, appearing like another sun in the night sky. After expanding to its limit, it had rapidly shrunk and finally vanished into the darkness.

In another corner of the holographic display, the partition showing the ground conditions revealed that the human city remained perfectly intact, without a single scratch.

Seeing this, the control hall remained deathly quiet. All the moon rabbits waited in silence until Asamasa finally broke it by slamming a heavy fist onto the table.

"How can this be! How could those primitive, impure gods of the surface predict, intercept, and neutralize a Purifying Heavenly Fire Arrow!" Asamasa’s face flushed between shades of blue and purple, his lips trembling. One look at his expression was enough to tell he was fuming with rage. He could not comprehend how the Lunar Capital's cutting-edge weapon had been intercepted so easily.

The lunarians held no respect for the heavenly gods of the surface. The reason was simple: they had personally exiled Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, one of the Mihashira-no-uzunomiko; they had thoroughly researched the godhead of Omoikane-no-Mikoto; and they had even stolen spiritual power from the entire pantheon without limit.

Therefore, even though Asamasa knew he was facing the Inari Okami of the surface, he felt no fear. He firmly believed that the gods of the ground could not withstand the purifying fire. However, reality had veered in a direction completely contrary to his expectations.

"Hmph... It's impossible. There must be a problem. How did that god on the ground know the Heavenly Fire was coming? Where did she get such power to stop it..." Amidst his indignant confusion, Asamasa glanced at Toyohime, who was slowly waking from her unconscious state nearby. He seemed to find his answer.

'Hmph, it must be those sisters. They must have betrayed the Lunar Capital in secret because of their bond as master and disciple. They must have leaked the information to the surface god, letting her know the aiming coordinates and the signs of the strike so she could gather her strength in advance!'

"Hmph, it seems the list of charges against you in the Tribunal will be growing significantly... Lady Toyohime..." Asamasa spoke with blatant mockery, looking at Toyohime as she regulated her breathing upon waking. Having just learned the situation from a moon rabbit soldier, Toyohime's face darkened. Intelligent as she was, she had already guessed Asamasa's line of thought.

Activating the Star-Punishment Heavenly Fire Bow was a unique authority held by Asamasa as the overseer. If the recovery mission failed even after its use, Asamasa would ultimately have to bear some responsibility. What Asamasa was doing now was shifting all the blame for the failure onto her!

Understanding this, Toyohime said nothing. She continued to focus on regulating her breathing, accelerating the recovery of her strength while observing Asamasa's movements.

"What are you all standing around for! Hurry and prepare for the next shot! The reserve energy brought from the Lunar Capital should be enough for one more blast! Remember to adjust the attack coordinates. I refuse to believe that surface god can block it again!" Asamasa shouted at the surrounding moon rabbit soldiers. Upon hearing this, the moon rabbits immediately scurried back to their posts, replenishing energy, calibrating coordinates, and preparing for the next bombardment according to his orders.

Watching the control hall become busy again, Asamasa let out a long sigh of relief. Just as he was sternly watching the holographic image, a timid voice spoke up beside him.

"U-Um, Lord overseer."

Asamasa whipped his head around at the sound. He saw a moon rabbit girl standing there, holding a set of Japanese-style work clothes. The uniform was identical to the ones worn by all the moon rabbits on site—simple and plain, yet seemingly very durable.

"T-The maintenance moon rabbits below just sent word. The Monitoring Pavilion experienced a minor mechanical issue during the last firing. Although the probability is extremely low, it could still cause a small accident during the next launch. To be safe, please put on this safety suit... Wah!" Before the moon rabbit could finish, Asamasa struck her with a blast of energy, sending her flying. The plain, slightly stained work clothes fell to the side.

"Do you expect a noble Lunarian to wear the same clothes as you slaves?!" Asamasa barked, looking at the moon rabbit as she struggled to crawl back up. The moon rabbit quickly apologized after getting to her feet.

"M-My apologies, Lord overseer!!"

Gathering the work clothes, the moon rabbit hurried away. Asamasa patted his luxurious robes and returned his gaze to the azure planet.

Amidst the flurry of activity, the second arrow of Heavenly Fire was being prepared.

Above the Inari Secret Realm, Miketsu watched the sphere of light vanish in the distant sky. She remained silent for a long moment before pulling an object from her sleeve. It was the scrap of cloth she had cut from Toyohime’s garment earlier.

Maintaining her causality vision, Miketsu reached out and plucked a red thread of causality from the cloth. With a tug, the red thread manifested and extended rapidly, stretching straight up into the pitch-black, infinite night sky.

Using the hand holding the red thread of causality, Miketsu drew her bowstring once more, pointing it toward the night sky. A golden arrow of light quickly condensed on the string. As she poured more divine power into it, the arrow's radiance grew more intense.

Suddenly, a fair hand gripped Miketsu’s wrist. Miketsu turned and saw a solemn-faced Eirin.

"I know you are angry, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto. But I still want to tell you—Toyohime is not a child who would do such a thing. She would never turn a blind eye to hundreds of thousands of lives. She must have encountered an irresistible force from the Lunar Capital up there, which led to what just happened..."

Hearing Eirin’s words, Miketsu smiled faintly and spoke slowly.

"Are you pleading for her? Omoikane-no-Mikoto..."

"Yes. Regardless of everything, she is my student. I do not wish for her to lose her life because of this. And... she truly is not a cold-hearted person," Eirin continued. Looking into Eirin’s determined eyes, Miketsu paused for a moment before speaking.

"Very well... I do not know if she is as you say, but for the sake of our alliance, I will grant them a slim chance of survival. Whether they can grasp it or not, I cannot say."

As she spoke, the divine power in the light arrow on Miketsu’s string rapidly diminished, its brilliant light dimming significantly. Seeing the concession, Eirin said nothing more and released Miketsu’s wrist.

Miketsu pulled the bowstring again. The red thread of causality she held automatically wound itself around the light arrow, leading straight into the depths of the night sky.

"Heavenly Net Divination Shot... Medium..."

Releasing the string, the light arrow shot toward the heavens, guided by the red thread.