The Intrusion

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

Under Reisen’s incitement, the moon rabbits' revolutionary activities spread throughout the entire Lunar Capital. Countless moon rabbits rose in anger to revolt against their former masters. With the assistance of Watatsuki no Toyohime, they successfully seized weapons from the armory and began their march toward the heart of the city.

In an instant, the city of purity was shrouded in the smoke of war. Buildings burned, and thick plumes of soot billowed into the sky. Panicked screams echoed through every street and alley, and bright red blood spilled across the ground, defiling the city’s pristine sanctity.

The central area of the Lunar Capital was the Central Administrative District, where the Council of Sages—the most vital institution of the capital—was located. Within this majestic complex of palaces were the meeting halls and offices of the lunar sages, as well as the estates of high-ranking leaders, including the Great Sage. It was, quite literally, the heart of the Lunar Capital.

At this moment, a massive tide of moon rabbits was surging toward the central district. Armed and resolute, they crushed the weak resistance along their path. Their objective was singular: to occupy the symbol of lunar rule—the Council of Sages. However, it would not be so simple. In the central district, the moon rabbits encountered fierce resistance from the Lunar Defense Force, and a brutal bout of urban warfare erupted.

Because the moon rabbits had been relegated to living on the fringes of the Lunar Secret Realm, they were far removed from the influence of Chang'e's power. Under the influence of Earthly laws, their emotions and fertility rates had significantly increased, eventually surpassing those of the lunarians, who were originally humans from Earth. Consequently, the moon rabbits far outnumbered the lunarians. When they surged forward like a tidal wave, the Lunarian forces appeared far too sparse in comparison.

However, the lunarians had undergone long-term, high-quality training, and many among them were formidable warriors. Whether in martial arts or jutsu-shiki, there were many elites capable of taking on ten or more foes at once. Although the moon rabbits were numerous and their momentum was grand, they were clearly outmatched when facing the elite units of the Lunarian forces head-on.

"Oho! To dare such a bold rebellion! Die, all of you, you filthy rabbits!"

On the street before the Council of Sages, a tall captain of the defense force, clad in heavy armor, rampaged through the moon rabbits' lines with overwhelming strength. He was unstoppable, scattering the moon rabbits' ranks into a disorganized mess. Similar scenes played out in many locations, as the elite guards relied on their superior individual prowess to suppress moon rabbits who outnumbered them several times over. The assault on the Council of Sages was not going well.

"Cap—Captain! The enemy is too strong! Several waves of our comrades have been crushed, and casualties are heavy. Many are fleeing; we can’t break in!"

On a rooftop not far from the Council of Sages, a moon rabbit ran urgently to Reisen, speaking in a panic. Reisen listened with a grim, serious expression before answering firmly.

"Continue to organize our comrades from other parts of the city to come as reinforcements. Don't force a frontal assault; just keep them pinned down. Divert a portion of our forces to attack the Council of Sages from other directions. I refuse to believe they can handle every side at once..."

"U-Understood!" The moon rabbit nodded heavily and hurried away. Reisen watched the rising smoke in the distance with a focused gaze.

Facing the elite defense force, Reisen’s logic was simple: maximize the moon rabbits' numerical advantage by surrounding the Council of Sages and attacking from all sides, overwhelming the sparse defenders.

Sure enough, Reisen’s command bore fruit. Soon, moon rabbits arriving from other parts of the Lunar Capital surrounded the palace complex and attacked simultaneously. The small number of elite guards were forced to act like firefighters, rushing from one point to another to put out literal and figurative fires. Once they were spread too thin, some of the weaker guards were even swarmed and killed. In some areas of the Council of Sages, moon rabbits had already begun to break through.

Facing this situation, the Great Sage, presiding over the center, felt a surge of fury amidst the alarm.

"The filthy rabbits have entered the Council of Sages! This is a profound humiliation for all lunarians! Order all defense forces from every corner of the capital to reinforce us immediately! Exterminate these rioting beasts!"

Upon the Great Sage’s command, elite guards throughout the Lunar Capital received the order. They abandoned the vital areas they were originally defending and rushed toward the Council of Sages. In an instant, the defensive strength of other important regions in the Lunar Capital was severely weakened.

In the sky, countless figures whistled past, flying at extreme speeds toward the Council of Sages. Standing on the rooftop, Reisen watched these figures. While she breathed a sigh of relief, her brow furrowed.

'They have all moved. Your opportunity is now. Please, do not let our sacrifice be in vain! Lady Yorihime!' After speaking silently to herself, Reisen gripped her weapon and leapt from the roof, charging toward the brutal battlefield ahead. At this moment, she had to fight alongside her kin.

...

At the ground base of the Ascent Elevator in the Lunar Capital, Yorihime had been lurking in the distance. When she saw the elite guards stationed there fly away, she immediately moved. Bolstered by a series of buffs, she cut down the remaining sentries in a few strokes and stormed into the base.

Inside the base, Yorihime made her way to the orbital ascent platform with practiced ease. She activated the jutsu-shiki imbued within the elevator and was soon propelled upward by an invisible force. She accelerated rapidly along the track, shooting toward the lunar orbit. Floating above was the Lunar Capital’s Starport!

The Ascent Elevator was the corridor linking the Lunar Capital to the Starport. It was a vital location, usually guarded by extremely powerful warriors. In truth, with Yorihime’s combat prowess, winning against the guards wouldn't be impossible, but she would have been delayed for a long time. During that window, the Ascent Elevator would surely have been shut down, meaning she couldn't go up even if she won. Therefore, Yorihime had to wait until the elite forces were diverted before acting, moving with such speed that she could board the elevator before the Starport administrators could even react.

Under the elevator’s acceleration, Yorihime flew higher and higher, soon reaching lunar orbit. She transitioned from the elevator rails directly into the massive Starport suspended above. When she appeared within the Starport, the staff on duty were momentarily too stunned to react.

"Konohana-sakuya-hime..."

Channeling the power of the goddess, Yorihime incapacitated all the stunned staff members before her. She then floated through the air, flying straight toward the most secret and vital area of the Starport: the automated control center of the Purification Fleet.

"What—ugh..." Seeing the sudden intruder, the people in the control center tried to stand, only to be immediately struck down by Yorihime. Looking at the countless flickering screens before her, Yorihime let out a breath of relief.

Walking to a console, Yorihime pushed aside the slumped operator. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, rectangular, regular crystal. Within this transparent crystal, an unusual red light pulsed.

After searching the console for a moment, Yorihime found an interface that matched the crystal's shape. Without hesitation, she inserted it. Following a few operations, the lights on the console turned red one after another, and the screen in front of her followed suit.

Then, as if it were contagious, the red light began to spread from the screen Yorihime stood before. Every monitor in the control center turned red.

The virus created by the Brain of the Moon, Omoikane-no-Mikoto Yagokoro Eirin, spread through the control center and the entire Starport, rapidly crawling toward the fleet on the front lines.