The Key to the War

On Earth, at the northernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago, lay Ezochi.

Ezochi was the large island at the northernmost point of the archipelago. Although it was extremely close to Honshu, environmental factors had prevented the Yamato Court's authority from extending this far. Before it was renamed Hokkaido, this land belonged to the indigenous Ainu people. Whether it was deities, yokai, or humans, everything here was vastly different from the rest of the Japanese islands.

Ezochi was immensely desolate, open, and sparsely populated. Even the number of indigenous yokai and humans was incredibly small. The harsh environment and the extreme difficulty of cultivating the land made the Yamato Court reluctant to set foot here.

"Achoo!!"

In the middle of the freezing wasteland, inside a makeshift stone hut, Mokou let out a massive sneeze. Wiping her nose with a handkerchief, she looked out at the icy night and falling snow with a look of utter annoyance.

"Hiss... just how long are we going to stay in this godforsaken place? It's freezing, there's nothing here, it's miserable," Mokou complained. Kaguya, standing nearby, was the one to respond.

"Naturally, we wait until Eirin and the Inari Okami return. Hey, aren't you supposed to be the guard we hired? Can you stop complaining so much? I'm tired of hearing it."

"Tch... Hao didn't explain a thing and just told me to protect you. How can I not complain? I was dragged here to be a guard without even knowing what kind of danger you're actually in," Mokou retorted bluntly. The two of them immediately fell into their usual bickering, squabbling incessantly.

Because the two Kaguyas were the primary targets of the Lunar Capital, Miketsu had transferred them both out of Heian-kyo before the war began, sending them to the vast wilderness of Ezochi.

Should the orbital defense line fall and combat move back to Earth, the Lunar fleet—targeting the Moon Princesses—would be forced to attack the largely uninhabited Ezochi, minimizing the potential for innocent casualties.

While Mokou and Kaguya were bickering, Princess Kaguya was gazing at the bright moon in the sky with a worried expression. Her anxiety was written clearly across her brow until a skewer of grilled fish was held out before her eyes.

"Here, eat something. Adjust your mindset and stop worrying so much. It would be better if you were more like those two," Suwako said, crouching by the fire. She handed a skewer of grilled fish specifically to Princess Kaguya. Princess Kaguya blinked in surprise before taking it.

"Thank you, Lady Suwako... But aren't you worried? You have someone important up there too, don't you?"

"Hmm... I do. But I believe those guys can pull off a victory," Suwako said while munching on her fish. Princess Kaguya paused for a moment.

"Lady Suwako, you're so optimistic... It's not that I don't trust Mother and the others, it's just that the enemy we face this time is so powerful... I'm still worried..."

"No matter how powerful an enemy is, they have a fatal Achilles' heel. According to their plan, the head-to-head frontal battlefield isn't the key to this war. The point that will determine victory or defeat... is behind the enemy. And their rear might be much softer than we anticipated," Suwako said with a smile. Hearing her words, Princess Kaguya murmured to herself.

"The rear... huh?"

In the Lunar Capital, the Second Moon Rabbit Revolution had broken out, ignited by Reisen's moon-wide broadcast. In countless factories and moon rabbit residential districts, vast numbers of moon rabbits began to revolt against the managers who oppressed them. The overseers who usually exploited the moon rabbits' labor cruelly met their ends under various tools. The tide of rebellion swept through the entire Lunar Capital.

"My brothers and sisters! Go and seize the nearest armories! Take the weapons and arm yourselves! Let us gather once more and finish the work we started thirteen years ago!"

On every giant screen, Reisen’s passionate speech continued. After she finished, the screen shifted to display a highly detailed map of the Lunar Capital, accurately marking the locations of all armories. The moon rabbits, who had just killed the overseers around them and were unsure of their next move, suddenly had a new objective.

With burning passion, masses of moon rabbits from the factories and residential zones rushed toward the nearest armories. At this moment, the main forces of the Lunar Capital were all away at war, making it difficult to suppress such a large-scale uprising. The lunarians guarding the armories could only grit their teeth and attempt to resist the tidal wave of moon rabbits.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

As if specifically timed to support the moon rabbits' advance, several armories suffered violent explosions. Gates and walls were blasted open, and the guards were killed or wounded. The swarming moon rabbits easily seized the facilities, looted the weapons, and threw themselves into new battles.

"Hehe, looks like the effect is quite good~"

Atop a spire, Watatsuki no Toyohime chuckled as she watched the fires of war ignite across the Lunar Capital. As a former high-ranking intelligence official of the city, she had easily placed Spirit-Gathering Exploding Talismans—obtained from Miketsu—at various major armories beforehand. She detonated them immediately after the uprising began to help the moon rabbits secure weapons as quickly as possible.

Yorihime went to rescue Reisen, Nura Rihyon went to control the broadcast, and Toyohime went to blow up the armories. The three of them had a very clear division of labor for this revolution. Now, the revolutionary tide of the moon rabbits had completely engulfed the city.

Bang!

With a heavy thud, the door to the broadcast control room was blown open. Several fully armed members of the Lunar Defense rushed in, weapons drawn as they searched for the enemy. However, they found the room empty, save for several operators still lying unconscious on the floor.

"Dammit! Where did they go!" the leader shouted in rage. Outside the control room, on a beam in the corridor, Nura Rihyon silently watched the scene below.

In the long corridor outside the Tribunal, Reisen and Yorihime were running together. Seeing the map on the screens disappear, Reisen spoke.

"It looks like they've retaken the broadcast control. Is your companion alright?"

"Don't worry, he's an expert from the surface; he'll be fine. More importantly, we must get out of here quickly, or it will be troublesome if the Lunar Defense surrounds us," Yorihime replied.

"Heh, it seems you really have planned everything thoroughly. Tell me, what do you need me to do next?" Reisen asked with a smile, looking at Yorihime.

"You need to gather and lead your compatriots as much as possible. Even with weapons, they will be crushed by the Lunar Defense in no time if they remain leaderless. Once you've organized a sufficient number of people, you need to attack the Council of Sages..."

"Attack the Council of Sages... Heh, it sounds like we're the bait to draw their attention. Tell me, what is your real target? I need to judge if it's worth the risk of being bait," Reisen asked directly, having caught Yorihime's intention. Yorihime answered immediately.

"Our target is... the Ascent Elevator leading to the starport. At the starport, there is the unmanned control center for the Purification Fleet!"