Evernight Return

On the wasteland of Eastern Siberia, the pitch-black canopy continued to shroud the earth. Even the combined efforts of several Chief Gods' avatars could not shake it.

Within the canopy, the battle between the Moon Feather Princess and Miketsu raged on. Although the assistance of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo-no-Mae, allowed Miketsu to contend with the Moon Feather Princess—whose energy was largely restricted—and even gain the upper hand, neither Miketsu nor Tamamo-no-Mae had a way to truly kill her. As the source of the indestructible power of the People of Hourai, she possessed a regenerative ability far beyond theirs. Even if she were reduced to ash, she would fully regenerate in an instant. This meant that no matter how much of an advantage Miketsu and the others held, it was ultimately futile.

Furthermore, as the Moon Feather Princess continued to radiate Chang'e Power, the surrounding environment was steadily transforming into an alien realm. The laws of Earth were failing one after another; Onmyojutsu, Yokai arts, Divine arts, and various other techniques were becoming unusable. Even the external release of energy was prohibited, leaving physical destruction as the only viable method of attack.

With techniques rendered useless, it was impossible to use bindings or seals. Since the enemy could regenerate at high speeds regardless of how much physical damage was inflicted, Miketsu was essentially facing an opponent with a 'silence' aura and infinite health. Her only option was to stall, but she couldn't do so indefinitely.

Due to a momentary lapse in positioning, Tamamo-no-Mae, who had manifested his true form, was caught by the front paw by the Moon Feather Princess. Just as his paw was about to be snapped by her immense strength, Miketsu swung her blade and severed the Moon Feather Princess's claw. Tamamo-no-Mae broke free, but he had been wounded in the process.

"Are you alright?" Miketsu asked in a low voice. A high-level entity like Tamamo-no-Mae should not have made such a basic mistake in positioning.

"My head... it's so heavy... I feel like... my consciousness is being stretched... I can't think..." Tamamo-no-Mae spoke incoherently. Miketsu immediately understood the problem.

The alien transformation of the surroundings had reached a critical level. The Chang'e Power had begun to severely affect the mental processes of living beings. Even a god-tier Yokai like Tamamo-no-Mae was reaching his limit. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before his mind shut down completely.

It wasn't just Tamamo-no-Mae; Miketsu's own godhead was shaking more violently under the influence of the Chang'e Power. If they continued to tangle with the Moon Feather Princess like this, they would soon suffer the same fate as Kou and Eirin.

'It seems we can't hold on much longer. Eirin, is everything ready on your end?'

In a brief lull in the fighting, Miketsu glanced back toward the distant location of Eirin and the others. There, she saw two faint glimmers of light slowly rising.

...

On a hillside far from the battlefield, Eirin looked with a solemn expression at the distant struggle and the nearby forest, which had already been eroded into white crystalline structures. She then turned her gaze to the sky directly above, where two Moon Princesses were slowly ascending, shrouded in a faint glow.

"Will they succeed?" Suwako, covered in blood and grime, asked as she stood beside Eirin. Eirin responded calmly.

"I don't know... but we can only trust them now. Whether the Priestesses of Chang'e can manipulate Chang'e's techniques depends on this moment." Within Eirin's sight, the two Moon Princesses had flown to the vault of heaven. Standing a short distance apart, they gazed together at the Blood Moon hanging in the sky.

"Sister Kaguya... we can do this, right?" Princess Kaguya asked softly, her voice tinged with unease.

"It will be fine, Kaguya. Trust the technique Eirin taught us. Right now, only we can save everyone!" Kaguya spoke comfortingly. Hearing this, Princess Kaguya steadied her heart. She took a deep breath as she looked at the figures fighting amidst the white mist in the distance.

'Please hold on just a little longer, Mother!'

With that, the two Moon Princesses gazed at the massive Blood Moon simultaneously. Releasing their spirit and power, they began to pray, their voices rising in unison.

"Evernight Return... Hour of the Rat!"

In that instant, the consciousness of the Moon Princesses extended into the canopy. Possessing the same nature as Chang'e, they began to influence the form of the technique she had constructed.

Together, they began to push the progression of the spell.

"Hour of the Ox!"

Suddenly, the pitch-black canopy shifted. The crimson Blood Moon, which had been hanging high in the center of the sky, began to drift from its original position, moving a significant distance toward the western horizon.

Abruptly, the Moon Feather Princess noticed the anomaly in the canopy. She turned her gaze toward the horizon and saw the Moon Princesses floating in the sky. She immediately took flight, preparing to charge straight at them, but this movement left her wide open.

"Don't even think about running!" Miketsu, riding atop Tamamo-no-Mae, lunged at the Moon Feather Princess's back. She drove her demonic blade completely through the enemy's torso while Tamamo-no-Mae seized her with his sharp claws. Together, they dragged the Moon Feather Princess, who had just left the ground, back down to the earth.

"Hour of the Tiger!"

The Moon Princesses continued their casting. The Blood Moon in the sky moved further west, gradually sliding toward the edge of the world.

Pressed to the ground, the Moon Feather Princess attempted to reconnect with the autonomous functions of the canopy's spell. At that moment, the avatars of the Chief Gods outside also sensed the disturbance.

"Everyone, someone is interfering with the operation of this technique from the inside! The canopy is unstable. We must seize this chance to increase our output and lend them our strength!" Outside the canopy, the voice of the white-robed Daoist echoed in all directions. The phantom avatars of the various Chief Gods immediately intensified their suppression of the canopy.

Cracks began to spiderweb across the surface of the barrier. The Moon Feather Princess, who had intended to expel the interference from Kaguya and the others, was forced to divert more of her focus and power to resist the increased pressure from the Chief Gods.

It was then that the interference of the Moon Princesses reached a new stage.

"Morning Mist!"

The Blood Moon in the sky finally sank to the western horizon. A layer of mist began to permeate the air; the moment for the eternal night to end had arrived.

The Moon Feather Princess, pinned down by Miketsu and Tamamo-no-Mae, struggled with all her might. With a surge of immense strength, she tore away the parts of her body that were being held. Seeing this, Miketsu immediately bisected the Moon Feather Princess at the waist and threw her arms around the upper half to keep her restrained, while Tamamo-no-Mae pinned down the lower half.

"Dawn!"

A burst of light rose from the eastern horizon, tinting the clouds with hues of red and gold.

The Moon Feather Princess, still held by Miketsu, extended her clawed hand toward the Kaguyas in the sky. A glimmer of silver light began to converge at her fingertips; she intended to snipe them from a distance, and Miketsu no longer had a free hand to stop her.

"World-Shining Morning Star!"

In the sky, the morning star twinkled as the radiance of dawn began to spill over the eastern horizon. Simultaneously, the silver light from the Moon Feather Princess's hand shot toward Kaguya and her counterpart.

"Phoenix Wings Soaring!!"

A flaming bird shrieked as it dove from the sky, slamming directly into the Moon Feather Princess's extended arm. The violent explosion knocked her aim askew. Thus, with another self-detonating strike from the newly regenerated Mokou, the silver beam veered off course, grazing past Kaguya's side.

At that moment, the Moon Princesses' interference finally reached its ultimate phase.

"Evernight Return..."

"World of Light!"

The morning light erupting from the horizon illuminated the white crystalline earth. In that instant, the False Canopy collapsed with a thunderous roar.