Launch

Heian-kyo by day, Mount Inari, Inari Shrine.

In the vast Secret Realm behind the shrine, the colossal bow-shaped space station still lay there, the clanging and clattering sounds ceaseless. moon rabbits bustled back and forth everywhere, while the foxes, as always, watched the spectacle.

Some time had passed since Miketsu returned from Ise. Upon her return, Ichimokuren, who had accompanied her, immediately joined the efforts to repair the space station. Subsequently, the space station's repair progress bar skyrocketed.

Outside the space station, in the open area used for processing repair materials, Ichimokuren stood. After a flash of brilliant light, an ordinary iron ore in his hand transformed into a perfectly square metal block, emitting a peculiar luster. A nearby moon rabbit took it, then immediately ran to a nearby furnace to begin smelting and prepare for the subsequent forging.

Having completed another material transformation, Ichimokuren let out a sigh of relief. He then looked up at the behemoth before him, a wave of emotion sweeping through him.

“Is this the technological product of the lunarians? Even from a god’s perspective, it’s astonishing… Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto… what kind of city did you create?”

“The achievements of the Lunar Capital are indeed astonishing to both humans and gods, but if they continue to maintain that arrogant and incorrigible pride, they will eventually bring about their own destruction.”

A mature female voice drifted over. Ichimokuren turned around to see Eirin slowly walking towards him.

“Lady Omoikane…” Upon seeing Eirin, Ichimokuren’s expression became somewhat respectful. In the divine genealogy, Omoikane-no-Mikoto holds a considerable status, so Ichimokuren, as a junior god, naturally maintained respectful etiquette towards Eirin.

“Still so polite, Amatsumara. But I can no longer be considered a deity, so there’s no need to be so formal. Just call me Eirin.” Eirin said with a relaxed smile, hands on her hips. Ichimokuren nodded.

“I didn’t expect to encounter so many familiar faces after being away from Takamagahara for so long. It seems this trip was truly worthwhile. Wakahirume would surely be happy to know you’re also in the lower realm.”

“Wakahirume? That girl came down too? Nothing went wrong when she descended, did it?” Eirin asked, her brows slightly furrowed after hearing Ichimokuren’s words. Clearly, she knew Wakahirume’s usual antics, as she was a goofball who could spectacularly botch the simplest tasks.

“Uh… quite a few things went wrong, but thankfully she managed to reach the mortal world smoothly… though she ended up in a very poor state herself…” Ichimokuren said slowly, suppressing a smile. Eirin sighed with relief.

“It’s best that she arrived. I was worried she’d get stuck in the gap between realms and be unable to get out. That would be the most troublesome.”

Eirin finished, then looked up to check the repair progress of the giant space station, speaking with satisfaction.

“It’s being repaired quite well, and quickly. At this rate, it should be completely finished in less than two days.”

Looking at the soon-to-be-completed space station, Ichimokuren suddenly furrowed his brows and asked Eirin with confusion.

“By the way, Lady Eirin, this giant bow, as you said, should be placed in the heavens. Once completed, how will we send it there? This is a massive behemoth… can it fly up on its own?”

“No, it can’t fly up. Although this space station has propulsion devices, they are for changing orbit. I’ve thoroughly inspected its structure; it must have been completed in a Lunar Capital branch, then launched sequentially into lunar orbit for assembly, and then de-orbited to fly here. It doesn’t have the ability to break free from Earth’s gravitational pull.” Eirin murmured, her words making Ichimokuren even more puzzled.

“Then what are your plans…?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I have a way to get this thing up.” At this moment, a soft female voice slowly drifted over. Ichimokuren turned to see Miketsu walking towards them with a smile, holding a scroll of white paper in her hand.

“However, before that, I need your help to reinforce this big guy. The blueprint is here. Of course, these are extra projects, and I’ll give you other compensation afterward.” Miketsu said, tossing the white paper. Ichimokuren caught it and unfolded it, his brows furrowed as he looked at the design.

…

Several days later, with the efforts of the moon rabbits, Eirin, and Ichimokuren, the space station was finally completely repaired. In addition, a series of extra modifications were made to successfully send it into orbit.

Miketsu observed the celestial phenomena, consulted the almanac, and performed a divination to determine the launch day. The appointed time soon arrived.

The sky was clear, the sun bright, and the clouds still with no wind. In such fine weather, countless Inari foxes and all the moon rabbits gathered, sitting on rooftops and treetops, to watch the impending launch in the distance.

“Well, Master… is Lady Uka’s plan really alright?” Standing on a rooftop, Toyohime asked Eirin beside her with a worried expression. She still felt that the upcoming launch plan seemed unreliable no matter how she thought about it.

“Although it’s a bit reckless, it’s certainly a feasible plan. Don’t worry, I’ve already reinforced the space station for this plan, and the calculated results show it’s perfectly viable.” Eirin said with a calm smile, gazing ahead, her expression far more composed.

At this moment, all living beings in the Inari Secret Realm had moved to a very distant location from the space station. Tsuruha and Konkiku quietly waited among the foxes, sipping tea. Ichimokuren stood with his arms crossed, staring into the distance, while Toyohime, supported by several moon rabbits, had also emerged from the infirmary to watch the spectacle.

Inside the “launch site,” the colossal space station lay silently. The mechanical giant bow had retracted and folded its long bow body, and the entire space station had returned to a long conical shape. Its surface was covered with numerous metal frames, used to reinforce its structure; many such reinforcements were also present internally.

“Okay~ everything is ready. Now, let’s begin.”

In front of the space station, Miketsu stood alone. She clapped her hands, then drew her Blade of the Three Realms from its sheath. After a transformation, the broad Demonic Fang Great Blade manifested.

Then, a vast surge of demonic power emanated from it.

“demonic energy lending… Shuten-doji… lost noble power…”

With a thunderous roar, Miketsu’s form began to rapidly enlarge, suddenly growing to seventy or eighty meters amidst a cloud of dust, instantly becoming a majestic giant, causing the onlookers to gasp in awe.

“Gi-Giant transformation…” Toyohime said in astonishment, watching the scene before her, while Eirin beside her also spoke with some surprise.

“She can still use demonic power…”

The demonic power Miketsu was currently using was borrowed from Shuten-doji back on Nightless Island. At that time, to defeat Tokoyo-no-Kami, Miketsu had borrowed demonic power from the other six Yokai Lords. However, by the end of the battle, Tokoyo-no-Kami had been defeated before Shuten-doji’s demonic power was even used, thus it remained stored within Miketsu’s Demonic Blade.

Having completed her giant transformation amidst gasps of amazement, Miketsu looked down at everything, now minuscule before her, and let out a sigh of relief. She then gently placed the giant blade on the ground, stood upright, and faced the space station.

At this moment, Miketsu was a Colossal Deity…

Extending her giant hand, Miketsu grasped the colossal handle that had been installed on the outer structure. She then poured in divine power, activated Kishin power, lifted the tens of thousands of tons of the space station entirely, and then began to spin around on the spot, swinging the entire space station. She spun faster and faster, the strong winds she generated sweeping outwards, bending the treetops. The ground tremors caused the water in the teacups to ripple incessantly. This immense and terrifying sight filled many onlookers with fear, causing them to scatter and seek cover. Ichimokuren’s eyes widened, watching everything before him in disbelief.

“Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto… you wouldn’t really be able to…”

Finally, the spinning ceased. After accumulating a terrifying amount of kinetic energy, Miketsu stomped her foot heavily on the ground, creating massive cracks that radiated from her foot across the entire Heian-kyo.

“Go… UP!!”

Then, Miketsu exerted all her strength, throwing the space station from her hand, launching the massive behemoth into the sky. The colossal space station thus defied Earth’s gravity, soaring straight towards the highest point of the heavens.