The False Canopy

At the midpoint between the Earth and the Moon, a vessel sped through the vacuum of space. This was the ship carrying Miketsu and Eirin. They had originally intended to head for the Lunar Capital, but they had unexpectedly encountered the Moon Feather Princess flying from the Moon.

In the mere instant of engagement, the Moon Feather Princess had nearly annihilated the entire automated fleet. Afterward, she ignored the remnants of the fleet and Miketsu—whose attacks had been neutralized—and continued her direct flight toward Earth. Eirin immediately turned the ship around, pursuing her from behind.

The Moon Feather Princess moved with incredible speed, forcing Eirin to abandon many of the remaining unmanned ships. She overloaded the engines, sacrificing the ship's operational lifespan to chase the Moon Feather Princess. The cost of doing so was high; the ship was likely to stall halfway, leaving them stranded. Yet even so, the distance between them and the Moon Feather Princess continued to widen.

Not far ahead of the ship, Miketsu was also flying forward at high speed using the Wind Feather Burst of her Demonic Fang Blade, attempting to catch up with the Moon Feather Princess. She was currently conversing with Eirin via a communication device. Eirin pointed out the Moon Feather Princess's objective on Earth in a single sentence.

"You mean... her target is Kaguya and the others?" Miketsu murmured, her brow furrowing slightly. She wasn't overly surprised by Eirin's words.

"Yes... by heading for the surface so recklessly, her target can only be the princesses. After all, for the current Chang'e, this vessel is not perfect. It cannot carry or manifest all of her power," Eirin said solemnly from inside the cabin, flipping through the Lunar Capital research data she had saved beforehand.

"According to the Lunar Capital's Sub-Princess Project and the Moon Feather Princess Project, the body Chang'e is currently possessing should just be an ordinary moon rabbit. Using blood samples from the princesses remaining in the Lunar Capital, they modified the moon rabbit's body to grant it some of the princesses' qualities, allowing it to serve as a vessel for Chang'e..."

"But a Sub-Princess is always just a Sub-Princess. If Chang'e wants to truly and fully revive and recover all her power, she must have the body of a true princess?" Miketsu followed Eirin's logic. Eirin nodded steadily in response.

"Correct... Therefore, we must stop the Moon Feather Princess at all costs... If Chang'e recovers her full power, there will be no existence in this world capable of stopping her..."

Miketsu fell silent after hearing Eirin's words. It was clear that the current situation had reached a critical turning point.

"Since the high-ranking lunarians were desperate enough to release Chang'e, what is their situation now?"

"Is there even a need to ask? Chang'e cannot be controlled by their methods. What other end could there be for them besides the entire Lunar Capital being utterly destroyed under Chang'e's wrath? I can no longer hack into any of the Lunar Capital's systems... The Lunar Capital is gone..." Eirin sighed, rubbing her temples. Miketsu was momentarily stunned by the news.

"The Lunar Capital has been destroyed... Then Yorihime and the others..."

"Don't worry about that. Before they set out, I attached life-status monitors to them so I could check their condition at any time. They are all still alive. They must have successfully escaped the Lunar Capital before the disaster occurred," Eirin continued. Miketsu let out a sigh of relief.

"I see... In that case, let's give our all to stop that thing."

"Mhm... I'll notify the Monitoring Pavilion immediately to have them perform an emergency course correction to avoid an encounter with her."

...

In Earth's low orbit, the once-intense battlefield had fallen silent. On the floating space station, Kanako, who had just recovered somewhat, sat directly on the floor and let out a long breath.

"Phew... I've finally caught my breath. Fighting a powerful enemy from the Moon is a rare experience, even for a god," Kanako said slowly, her eyes inadvertently drifting toward Kou nearby.

To be honest, Kanako desperately wanted to understand the origin of the enemy they had just faced. She had long heard that Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto had once taken his followers to the Plain of Night, and this enemy had come from there. So, what exactly had happened in the Plain of Night?

Just as Kanako was about to ask, she noticed that Kou was staring toward the distant reaches of space, in the direction of the Moon, with an extremely solemn expression. The look on his face was highly unnatural. Seeing this, Kanako frowned and prepared to speak.

"Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, over there..."

"It's coming..."

Kou whispered while staring into deep space. Immediately after, the several deities and buddhas present, including Kanako, felt a strong sense of discomfort.

"What... is this..." Clutching her chest, Kanako felt her godhead trembling. She looked toward the deep space in shock and saw a massive figure approaching at high speed. The Moon Feather Princess had already reached Earth's orbit.

Seeing that graceful figure—half-human and half-beast, clad in elegant robes with wings on her back—Kanako and Bishamonten immediately realized she was the source of the extreme discomfort they felt. Just as they were about to gather their strength to attack, Kou stopped them.

"Do not act rashly... If you don't want to lose your godheads, do not attack!"

"Lose our godheads..." Kanako was stunned by Kou's words. After weighing the options, she decided to follow his warning. She dispersed the power in her hands and did not strike at the being that caused her such intense discomfort, though the confusion in her heart only grew.

Just what... is this thing?

The Moon Feather Princess flew past the space station and continued toward Earth. As she drew closer to the planet, her flight speed slowed. Finally, the Moon Feather Princess came to a complete halt in Earth's near orbit.

Looking down at the blue world beneath her, the Moon Feather Princess spread her arms and opened her mouth. An ethereal, melodious tune sang out from her, spreading through space in a peculiar way. It echoed in the minds of the distant gods, leaving them in a state of mental confusion.

"What is she... saying..." Kanako said, gritting her teeth against the headache. She could feel that the monster in the distance was saying something, but she couldn't understand it.

At the same time, the moon rabbits in the space station also heard the Moon Feather Princess's voice. The moment she had approached, they had fallen into a dazed, vacant state. Upon hearing her voice, they subconsciously translated her words in unison.

"Evernight Return..."

The Moon Feather Princess's voice echoed through the cosmos. She hovered in space, stretching her wings and arms, and then... an indescribably vast power was released, enveloping the planet before her.

With the Moon Feather Princess as the center, the blue planet looked as if it were being splashed with ink. Massive patches of pitch-black spread across it, veiling the clouds, the continents, and the oceans. In an instant, the entire Earth was gradually dyed from blue to pure black.

A False Canopy was shrouding the world.