The Cover

Eirin muttered, her brow furrowing in confusion as she processed Miketsu's words. "The godhead is suppressing itself... I have never heard of a godhead suppressing the deity itself. A godhead is the source of an orthodox god's divine power, second only to faith. It is their most fundamental essence. There is no reason for what you described to happen. Could you have sensed it incorrectly?"

"Well... honestly, I'm not entirely sure. That sensation only occurred for a fleeting moment when the Chang'e Power disturbed me, and then it vanished quickly. It's certainly possible I remembered it wrong," Miketsu answered, rubbing her chin uncertainly. It was indeed possible to misperceive such a transient feeling.

"Hmm... let's hope it was just a mistake. Regardless, you seem fine on the surface, but that doesn't mean there aren't latent dangers. To an orthodox god, Chang'e Power is an irreversible poison. We cannot afford to be careless. If you feel any discomfort later, you must tell me immediately," Eirin continued, her tone shifting to that of a doctor addressing a patient.

"Yes, yes... I'll notify you the moment anything happens," Miketsu said as she finished adjusting her robes. She looked out the window at the vast cosmos and continued, "Now... we should get back to business. This war isn't over yet."

"Indeed... the conflict on the lunar surface continues. Yorihime and the others are still waiting for us. This war won't truly end until the Council of Sages is taken." As Eirin spoke, she moved to the virtual screen to input commands, setting a new course for the automated fleet they had seized control of.

"Now, let us set sail... for the Lunar Capital!"

...

Lunar Capital, Central Administrative District.

Under the summons of Reisen, the leader of the moon rabbit revolution, the Moon Rabbit Revolutionary Army from all corners of the Lunar Capital launched an assault on the massive palace of the Council of Sages. Because the number of moon rabbits was so vast, the elite Lunar Defense Force guarding the Council of Sages was momentarily overwhelmed, leading to the loss of several defensive sectors.

However, the situation changed drastically after the Great Sage mobilized garrison forces from across the entire Lunar Capital. Elite units scattered throughout the city swarmed toward the Council of Sages, launching a fierce pincer attack on the besieging moon rabbits from all directions. Caught between two fires, the revolutionary moon rabbits—unable to match the might of the Lunarian elites—suffered heavy casualties in the brief but brutal clash. They were routed before the might of the elite guards.

Boom!!

At the moon rabbit firing line in front of the Council of Sages, a spiritual energy shell detonated within their position. The powerful shockwave sent countless moon rabbits flying. Within the position, Toyohime deployed a jutsu-shiki to block the brunt of the explosion, saving many lives. However, this drained over half of her spiritual power, forcing her to stoop low and gasp for air.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Rihyon shouted, having just cut down a charging guard. He rushed to check on Toyohime, who was slowly pushing herself back up.

"I... I'm fine... but the reinforcements are gathering. The situation is grim... there are too many troublesome foes among them..." Toyohime said slowly. The current tide of battle was heavily stacked against the moon rabbits.

"Report! Captain! The garrison reinforcements have converged! They are incredibly powerful and are killing everyone in sight! we can't stop them! All lines are collapsing; we can't hold on any longer!" A moon rabbit messenger sprinted over, shouting urgently to Reisen, who was commanding the front.

"Hah... so they've finally all gathered here? Our mission is complete. Notify our comrades on all fronts to retreat immediately! Get out of the Lunar Capital and head for the dense forests in the lunar wilderness!" Reisen ordered instantly. Their role as bait was finished. Now they needed to exit the city to minimize further losses. Given the full mobilization of the Lunar Defense Force, the moon rabbits could never hope to conquer the Council of Sages by force. Staying would only lead to senseless slaughter.

"U-Understood... but the guards are attacking relentlessly. I'm afraid our comrades on other lines won't be able to break away safely..." the messenger said worriedly. Reisen paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Don't worry, I will create an opportunity for everyone to retreat safely. Please spread my orders as quickly as possible and tell our comrades to be ready."

"Yes... Captain Reisen!"

Watching the rabbit depart, Reisen breathed a sigh of relief. She then turned her gaze toward Toyohime and Rihyon nearby.

"Lady Toyohime, and... ally from the surface, please cover my people's retreat. Once Lady Yorihime descends from the starport, please have her take over the protection and leadership of my comrades..."

"I understand. We'll do our best. But what about you?" Rihyon nodded and asked.

"I must draw as many of the guards as possible toward me to create the opening they need... Don't worry, I have a way to escape. Don't worry about me," Reisen said, looking at Rihyon. Rihyon studied her for a moment, then gave a solemn bow.

"Farewell. I hope we meet again."

With that, Rihyon and Toyohime moved to organize the retreat. Reisen walked alone toward the collapsing front line. As she watched the guards charging toward her, a crimson light flared in her eyes.

Concentrating every drop of her spiritual power into her eyes, a brilliant red glow erupted from her pupils. Everywhere her gaze landed, every living being was enveloped by maddening hallucinations.

"Illusionary Vision Tuning..."

...

Inside the Council of Sages, the white-bearded Great Sage sat slumped in his seat, motionless. His face was ashen as he stared fixedly at the screen before him. He had remained in this posture for several minutes.

On the screen was information transmitted from the front lines.

It was a death notice sent by the survivors of the Purification Fleet, announcing their total annihilation.

Raising a trembling hand, the Great Sage stroked the screen. As he did, incoherent murmurs spilled from his lips.

"Lost... lost... lost... lost..."

His muttering grew faster, and his body began to shake violently. Finally, he suddenly clenched his fists and slammed them onto the table.

"No! It's not over yet! The noble and pure purity Faction cannot lose! The sinner Omoikane, the traitor Tsukuyomi, the impure gods... they will all pay the price!"

"Someone! Pass down my orders!"

...

On the ruined battlefield, a battered and bloodied Reisen lay on the ground. Her breathing was ragged and exhausted, and she couldn't move a muscle. Surrounding her were circles upon circles of guards in white uniforms and helmets, their weapons drawn.

"The reports said a massive force of brute rabbits was attacking the Council of Sages from this direction... in the end, was there only this one?" The guards commented in disbelief as they stood over her.

"So all that commotion just now was an illusion? An illusion created by this single brute rabbit? An illusion capable of affecting so many people?"

"Tch... to think so many of us were lured here by a mere hallucination! Because of her, many of the other brute rabbits managed to escape!"

"This one is the leader who incited this rebellion. Don't waste any more time. Execute her immediately, then go hunt down the rest!"

...

As the guards spoke, a sharp blade was leveled before her eyes. At that moment, Reisen silently closed her eyes, meeting death with a strange sense of peace.

This was as far as she could go. Her lifespan was supposed to end today anyway; she had long been prepared. To have been able to do so much more before the end was an unexpected gift that left her deeply satisfied.

Just as the guard's blade began its descent, a voice suddenly rang out, halting the executioner.

"Wait! Stop!"

To the bewilderment of the guards, a Lunarian official dressed in formal robes pushed through from the rear. Looking at the fallen Reisen, he panted heavily.

"Wait, the Great Sage has issued an order. We need to immediately prepare a living... high-talent brute rabbit with strong spiritual power and bring them to him. This concerns the survival of the Lunar Capital. Hurry..."

As he spoke, the official glanced at the collapsed Reisen.

"She'll do. Drag her up and take her to the Council of Sages at once."