Environmental Constraints

When she saw the metal sphere being teleported in, Miketsu's expression froze. Through her causality vision, she could directly perceive that this was a bomb of immense power. If it detonated, the entire space station would be lost. Furthermore, the moment of detonation was set for the very next half-second after its arrival; such precise timing left absolutely no room for manual intervention.

Amidst a blinding flash of light, the metal bomb exploded. A powerful shockwave tore through the metal surface, expanding with violent speed. However, just as it was about to ravage the surroundings, it was firmly imprisoned in place. An even more formidable force suppressed the bomb's destructive power with a death grip.

Wind. It was a sphere of highly concentrated gale. What held the explosion in check was a miniature storm generated out of thin air. This was the result of compressing the force of a full-scale tornado into a tiny space. The immense air pressure coming from all directions crushed the violent explosion within a radius of less than five meters, successfully neutralizing it. In this place, only one person could command a storm in such a manner.

"Hah... that was a close one. For such a thing to appear so suddenly—how did it even get in here, Bishamonten?" Kanako spoke, her voice carrying a hint of lingering fear as she waved her hand to dissipate the newly formed storm shield. Possessing the title of a war god, Kanako had incredibly sharp battlefield instincts. While not as precise as Miketsu's direct insight into causality, she had immediately sensed the extreme danger the moment the bomb was teleported.

"The object was sent directly through a rift in space. The guiding jutsu-shiki carried no hostility, allowing it to skillfully bypass the Pagoda's threat assessment..." Bishamonten answered slowly in a deep voice. Upon hearing his words, Miketsu understood. A simple coordinate-marking spell did not register as hostile. With a slight modification, it had circumvented the Pagoda's defensive logic, allowing the bomb to be teleported in only after the spell had entered the interior.

"Hmph... it seems we are facing a truly dangerous enemy. In that case, we cannot afford even a single lapse in concentration..." After stopping the teleported bomb, Kanako spoke solemnly, the light of battle intensifying in her eyes. She unleashed her combat intent, and a wild storm began to howl around them.

"Yasaka Kamikaze!"

Enormous quantities of gas were produced by Kanako's divine power, filling the void of the vacuum. In an instant, the entire space station was completely enveloped, with the air extending far beyond the exterior of the Pagoda.

Truthfully, as a wind goddess whose primary divine office was wind, Kanako found it difficult to exert her full strength in the airless void of space. However, that did not mean she was useless; if there was no air, she would simply create it.

Under the influence of Kanako's divine power, a layer of "atmosphere" wrapped around the space station and the Pagoda. Within it, cyclones began to swirl, blowing aside and destroying physical projectiles like missiles and shells. This storm layer formed a second barrier outside the Pagoda, greatly reducing the pressure on the Pagoda's defenses. Consequently, Tamamo-no-Mae, who had been assisting with the defense, was finally liberated, and Bishamonten found the breathing room to strike back.

Bishamonten pointed his long halberd forward, firing a thick beam of golden light. On the other side, Tamamo-no-Mae condensed countless foxfires and launched them forward, attempting to retaliate against the distant Purification Fleet. However, every shot missed, failing to hit a single vessel.

"They are too far..."

Faced with this situation, Tamamo-no-Mae spoke in a low voice. The current engagement distance was at least seventy thousand kilometers. On a planetary surface, such a distance would be unfathomable. Although Bishamonten and Tamamo-no-Mae could use their superhuman sight to track the flashes of the ships' cannons and launch counterattacks, they lacked fire control radar. In terms of precision, they were far inferior to the mechanical ships. At a scale of seventy thousand kilometers, even the slightest deviation meant missing by a thousand miles.

"In terms of precision, does machinery truly reign supreme?" Miketsu murmured as she watched the scene. She then focused her mind and calmed her breath. A surge of power separated from her body, and the silhouette of Dakiniten manifested behind her.

"Heh... it's finally my turn. My hands have been itching for a while now..." The newly manifested Dakiniten let out a light chuckle before a vajra materialized in her hand.

Suddenly, a patch of dark clouds gathered behind Dakiniten, flickering with golden electrical arcs. Dakiniten pointed her vajra forward, and a bolt of golden lightning struck out from the clouds.

"Heavenly Net Divination Shot... Vajradhatu Dharma Lightning!!"

Borrowing Miketsu's causality vision, Dakiniten used the threads of causality to guide the lightning. The golden dharma lightning struck a distant ship with pinpoint accuracy, but it merely triggered the ship's shields and was blocked. Clearly, the power of this lightning was insufficient.

"Ugh... it didn't even pierce through? This power is way too low!" Dakiniten was quite surprised to see her lightning fall short of expectations. She then turned her head to look at the small patch of dark clouds behind her and realized the problem.

"Dammit, the clouds for summoning lightning are too small... Hey, you, Wind God! Can't you add more water vapor to the air you're creating? These clouds won't grow at all!" Dakiniten shouted in complaint. Kanako responded just as bluntly.

"Just make do with it! I'm a Wind God, not a Cloud God! If you're a lightning god, you should be able to make your own thunderclouds..."

"Tch... lightning isn't even my main thing... it's just a small part of my authority. I can't show my true skill in this godforsaken place..." Dakiniten grumbled. Because they were not within Earth's atmosphere, Dakiniten, who was not a specialized lightning deity, had to create thunderclouds on the spot to discharge lightning. However, the materials she used to create those clouds were the temporary atmosphere Kanako had made, so they naturally wouldn't be very large.

'Outside of Earth, the combat power of the orthodox gods has been weakened significantly...'

Miketsu couldn't help but think as she watched the scene. If they were fighting within Earth's atmosphere, the power of Kanako and Dakiniten would likely be much higher. Unfortunately, against an enemy capable of orbital bombardment, Earth's orbit was a defensive line that absolutely could not be lost. Otherwise, no matter how strong one was on the ground, they would be reduced to a passive target.

'It seems this battle won't be easy at all...'

Miketsu sighed inwardly. She then drew her bowstring, and an arrow of light condensed upon it. The divine power within it grew more intense, and the arrow's radiance became increasingly dazzling.

On the lunar surface, within the Lunar Secret Realm, inside the Lunar Capital.

At the very bottom of the forest of towering buildings, inside a narrow alleyway, the trio of Nura Rihyon, Yorihime, and Toyohime were huddled together, hidden in the shadows.

"I didn't expect the infiltration to go so smoothly. I thought it would take a lot more effort to get in..." Toyohime whispered, carefully observing the surroundings with a look of disbelief.

"Hmph... the defenses here are far too lax. With my abilities and Lady Yorihime's intel, infiltrating a place like this is child's play." Nura Rihyon spoke easily. Under Miketsu's command, he had performed infiltration and sabotage missions more than a few times; his experience in this field was veteran-tier.

"I also didn't expect that after I, the Lunar Defense Official, defected, the Council of Sages wouldn't even bother to change the defensive layout. All the sentries and patrols are still exactly where I arranged them..." Standing to the side, Yorihime couldn't help but criticize. As the person formerly in charge of the Moon's local defense, she knew exactly how to slip into the Lunar Capital. The fact that her old defensive arrangements hadn't been touched made their infiltration effortless.

"Sigh... those fools in the Council of Sages really need to set aside that arrogance of theirs..." Yorihime spoke slowly with a sigh. She understood perfectly well what factors had led to such a result.

"So, where are we heading next?" Nura Rihyon asked. Yorihime answered immediately.

"To the Deep Moon Prison. Our target is being held there. Infiltrating that place will take some work, so let's move quickly."

As soon as Yorihime finished speaking, she prepared to leave, but Toyohime called out to her.

"There's no need to go to the prison."

"What?" Yorihime turned back toward Toyohime, confused. Toyohime smiled and pointed diagonally upward. Yorihime followed Toyohime's hand and saw a massive screen fixed to a building. Information was being displayed on the screen, which looked like a news board.

"The leader of the most heinous rebels, the lowly moon rabbit Reisen, will face judgment. After many years, the Sanction of purity has finally arrived... The trial process will be broadcast to the entire Lunar Capital..."