Heading to the Lunar Ruins

The Lunar Capital was engulfed in the flames of war. Smoke rose from every corner, and chaos reigned. Under Reisen's call, the Moon Rabbit Revolutionary Army had stormed the Council of Sages, the administrative heart of the Lunar Capital. However, this had drawn a counter-siege from the elite Lunar Defense Force. Unable to withstand the assault, the moon rabbits suffered heavy losses. After Reisen used her illusions to draw the majority of the defense force's attention, most of the besieged moon rabbits managed to retreat from the Central Administrative District, fleeing toward the outskirts of the Lunar Capital.

However, the Lunar Defense Force had no intention of letting them go. They pursued immediately, intent on annihilating as many moon rabbits as possible.

Several elite soldiers flew through the sky, manipulating Jutsu-shiki to ruthlessly bombard the streets below. Faced with the overwhelming threat from above, the moon rabbits could only sprint through the explosions, struggling to retreat beyond the city limits.

"Dammit... at this rate, even getting out is going to be a problem... These guys on the moon are all ridiculously strong. If they were on the surface, every single one of them would be at least a High-rank yokai general..." Nura Rihyon grumbled as he produced numerous clones that blurred the line between reality and illusion. He unleashed countless waves of demonic energy—both real and phantom—at the elite soldiers in the sky, hoping to inflict damage and delay their pursuit.

Unfortunately, having learned from their previous experience with Reisen's large-scale illusions, the soldiers were now equipped with specialized combat helmets. These helmets possessed excellent anti-illusion capabilities, severely diminishing the effectiveness of Nura Rihyon's abilities.

Scanning the ground and filtering out all illusory interference, several soldiers accurately pinpointed Nura Rihyon, who had been causing them constant trouble. Raising their hands, they completed a complex binding Jutsu-shiki in an instant. A magical array suddenly appeared beneath Nura Rihyon's true body. He felt as if a thousand-ton weight had been dropped on him, slamming him directly into the ground, unable to move.

"This is bad..."

Suppressed where he stood, Nura Rihyon watched helplessly as several spirit light bullets flew toward him from the sky. At that moment, a blurring figure flashed in front of him, blocking the light bullets amidst a series of thunderous booms. Nura Rihyon looked closely and saw it was Yorihime, who had just descended from the orbital starport.

"Celestial Lady..."

"My name is Watatsuki no Yorihime, you little surface Yokai brat."

Yorihime spoke to Nura Rihyon without looking back. At the same time, the elite soldiers in the sky had already launched a binding Jutsu-shiki targeted at her. Feeling the pressure on her body increase, Yorihime continued.

"Hurry and take those moon rabbits out of the Lunar Capital. I will handle things here. Hold on just a bit longer; our reinforcements will arrive soon!"

Yorihime finished speaking quietly, and then divine power erupted from her body.

"Tajikarao..."

Under the divine power of the God of Great Strength, Yorihime shattered the binding Jutsu-shiki and soared into the sky. She struck the soldiers above, sending them crashing into the ground. She then glanced back at Nura Rihyon in the sky. Nura Rihyon nodded and retreated. He knew that with his current strength, he was only a hindrance to Yorihime.

'I have to become stronger. At least... at the level of a Yokai Lord...'

Watching Nura Rihyon and the moon rabbits depart, Yorihime breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back to see the elite soldiers she had just downed rising from the rubble, along with reinforcements flying in from the distance.

"This number won't be easy to deal with... Please hurry, Lady Uka, Master..."

"This lunar war cannot be won by us alone..."

...

In the center of the Lunar Capital, within the Central Administrative District.

The attacking moon rabbits had been repelled. To prevent any further surprise attacks, a significant number of soldiers were now stationed around the Council of Sages. Under such defensive strength, the moon rabbits had no hope of capturing it.

Inside the Council of Sages, in a vast, dimly lit hall, a weakened Reisen was being escorted. The moon rabbit girl, covered in wounds, was brought to the center of the hall and forced to her knees by tall guards. In front of her sat an old man behind a desk.

"Leader of the rebels, A-1546... I truly did not expect that the one finally brought before me would be you..." Looking at Reisen, the Great Sage spoke in a low, expressionless voice.

"Heh... Old thief Ao, enjoy putting on your airs as a Sage while you still can. It won't be long before you have no position left to flaunt..." Forced to her knees, Reisen glared at the Great Sage with eyes full of hostility.

A guard nearby was about to strike her for her words, but the Great Sage raised a hand to stop him.

"A-1546... no, perhaps I should call you Reisen. Actually, I do admire you somewhat. To be able to incite two rebellions by yourself is impressive. But unfortunately, a Brute Rabbit is always just a Brute Rabbit. Your rebellions only reach a certain level at best. This degree of resistance will never threaten our rule."

"Is that so? I wouldn't be so sure... This war isn't over yet."

Hearing Reisen's words, the Great Sage waved his hand, and a phantom screen materialized above the hall. It displayed a map of the Lunar Capital, showing the current state of the conflict in real-time. The white icons representing the defense force had already secured all major areas, while the red icons representing the moon rabbits were in full retreat, fleeing toward the city's outskirts.

"We have already brought the situation under control. Even with those sinners, your kin are powerless to turn the tide. Their total annihilation is only a matter of time..." the Great Sage said calmly. Reisen looked at the map and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"So what? From what I know, the fleet you sent to conquer the surface has been utterly defeated. Now, the surface army is marching toward the Lunar Capital. I don't believe that you, having lost your main fleet, have the power to withstand them."

As Reisen finished her mocking remark, the Great Sage froze for a moment. His expression shifted slightly, but he immediately regained his composure.

"It seems the sinner Watatsuki no Yorihime told you quite a lot. It is true that our invasion of the surface met with failure. An army composed of the surface's Impure Gods and sinners is indeed heading toward the Lunar Capital..." As the Great Sage spoke, he stood up and walked slowly toward Reisen.

"You were right about one thing just now: this war is not over. Although the surface army comes with fierce momentum, they are gravely mistaken if they think they can completely defeat us! The City of purity... possesses a trump card they cannot even imagine!"

"A trump card...?" Reisen murmured, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

"Bring her along..."

The Great Sage spoke softly and, ignoring Reisen, walked toward the other end of the hall. The two guards holding Reisen lifted her up and followed immediately.

Arriving at a wall, the Great Sage tapped his foot lightly. The wall opened, revealing a small room behind it.

The Great Sage entered the room with the guards and Reisen. The wall closed, and the entire room dropped downward. Reisen suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness; it was an elevator traveling straight down.

"Where... are you taking me?" Reisen stared at the Great Sage. He answered directly.

"To the hometown of you moon rabbits."

"The hometown of... moon rabbits?"

"Ah... I almost forgot. You are at least a third-generation moon rabbit; it is normal that you wouldn't know. To put it simply, it is the place where you once lived before we arrived on the moon... We generally refer to it as the Lunar Ruins..."