The Sea Nation's March

In the deep sea far beyond the continental shelf, south of the Japanese Archipelago.

On the pitch-black seabed, there was only desolation and silence. Under the crushing water pressure, few creatures could survive; rugged terrain and steep ridges were the primary sights in this boundless gloom.

A massive fissure split the ocean floor, stretching endlessly toward both horizons. The darkness within the rift seemed even deeper than the gloom shrouding the seabed. A wordless terror spread from it, causing the few deep-sea creatures present to avoid the area at all costs.

At the edge of the rift stood a young yokai with black hair and long horns. He was clad in military attire and carried multiple blades. He was Otakemaru, the Yokai Lord who ruled the Sea Nation, and he was staring into the lightless void of the fissure.

"Another tremor. These vibrations from the abyss are becoming more frequent. Ever since that strange sensation a short while ago, the frequency has increased significantly," Otakemaru spoke slowly. Although as the Lord of the Sea Nation he possessed eyes that could see across vast distances in the deep sea, he still could not pierce the overflowing darkness within the rift.

"Indeed... as the tremors accelerate, the time left for us grows short, Young Lord... The Sea Nation has truly reached a moment of life and death. Our actions must be hastened..." The speaker was an elderly sea yokai standing beside Otakemaru. He wore long robes, his frame pale and withered, with two bony tails protruding from beneath his garment.

"I know... The entire Sea Nation has already rallied to my call. All warriors are assembled. They only await my command to march to the battlefield." Otakemaru looked toward the north as he spoke.

"Do not underestimate the enemy, Young Lord. Based on the reports from the vanguard, the Yokai Lords of the land are not so easily dealt with. Furthermore, they have human Onmyoji alongside them..." the elderly sea yokai, Uminari, cautioned. Otakemaru merely gave a dismissive smirk.

"You need not worry so much for me, Uminari. Our Sea Nation is wealthy and vast. Our sea folk far surpass those island yokai in both number and quality. Our vanguard already beat the yokai of Arakawa to a pulp; if the Lord of Arakawa hadn't intervened personally, they would have invaded Arakawa by now. When our main army presses forward, the masses of Arakawa will have no room for resistance!"

"The masses of Arakawa are indeed nothing to fear, but we must be wary of the human Onmyoji uniting with the other land-based Yokai Lords..." Uminari continued. "The land-based Yokai Lords? Hmph. It’ll be a miracle if those fellows don't start fighting among themselves. Uniting won't be that easy for them. As for the Onmyoji... Heian-kyo is far inland. They won't bother with us until we've made a major move. By the time they think to intervene... it will be too late."

Hearing Otakemaru's words, Uminari let out a long breath. He then looked around, his gaze focusing on a giant figure standing over ten meters tall.

"In any case, the arrow has left the bow; there is no turning back. I hope the fate of the Sea Nation remains as eternal and steadfast as these sea rock martial statues..." Uminari whispered slowly. The giant figure he saw was actually a massive, humanoid rock formation. A small portion was buried beneath the seabed, but the exposed body resembled a majestic warrior holding a long sword, poised to strike. Its posture was lifelike, though its surface was covered in heavy marine growth.

"Heh... I don't think comparing the Sea Nation's fate to these lifeless objects of unknown origin is a good choice. Though they have been here since before the Sea Nation existed and look grand and ancient, they are ultimately just immovable rocks. The destiny of the Sea Nation is vibrant and ever-flowing," Otakemaru said with another laugh, seemingly dissatisfied with Uminari's metaphor. Uminari bowed in response.

"The Young Lord is correct..."

"Alright... that's enough small talk. It's time for the departure ceremony. Everyone is waiting for me..." As Otakemaru spoke, he rose from the ground and swam toward the distance. Mid-flight, he suddenly stopped and spoke slowly with his back to Uminari.

"By the way... Uminari, before we go, I want to ask you one more time. Is everything we are doing truly for the future of the Sea Nation?"

Hearing Otakemaru's question, Uminari fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low, heavy voice.

"Of course. There is no need for hesitation, Young Lord. Everything we do is right. For the future of the Sea Nation, we must conquer the land..."

"I see..."

Hearing Uminari's answer, Otakemaru's expression hardened, and he immediately began swimming upward at high speed.

As his depth decreased rapidly, the surrounding darkness began to dissipate. In Otakemaru's eyes, countless dense "schools of fish" appeared in the ocean above him, stretching as far as the eye could see. Upon closer inspection, these were actually all manner of sea yokai. Surrounded by these sea yokai were numerous massive ghost ships.

The army of the Sea Nation was now fully prepared, waiting only for their Young Lord's command to march north!

...

Heian-kyo, Mount Inari, Inari Shrine.

Inside the Inari Secret Realm, within the Inari Control Center, Miketsu stood amidst a vast array of instruments, watching the moon rabbits skillfully perform various operations.

After the Lunar War ended, although most of the moon rabbits originally at the Inari Shrine had returned to the moon to help rebuild the Lunar Capital, a group had stayed behind at the Monitoring Pavilion and the Inari Shrine under Yorihime's orders. They provided technical support to Miketsu so that the space station's operations wouldn't grind to a halt.

In a corner of the control center, a group of carefully selected clever foxes were being taught by a moon rabbit instructor on how to operate the complex machinery. However, even the smartest foxes of Mount Inari began to have their eyes spin in circles after less than a minute of listening, looking completely lost. The moon rabbit instructor couldn't help but palm her forehead, wondering if she should start from even more basic knowledge. Watching from the side, Miketsu could only sigh.

To avoid over-burdening the moon rabbits, Miketsu had asked them to teach her foxes how to operate and maintain the space station. The goal was for the foxes to eventually take over the moon rabbits' work so the rabbits wouldn't have to stay away from home for too long. However, this plan was proving extremely difficult; she had severely underestimated the level of knowledge and technology required to run the station.

The rabbits under Toyohime and Yorihime were elite specimens, possessing high technical ability alongside excellent tactical skills. While the foxes of Mount Inari were spirit foxes, the gap in their knowledge compared to the moon rabbits was simply too vast—it was essentially the difference between a master's degree holder and someone who was illiterate. To teach them, they almost had to start from scratch, beginning with the most fundamental basics.

"Show some spirit... you guys... don't just act cute all day..." Miketsu said with a long sigh, looking at the foxes who were dazed by the complex curriculum. Just then, a voice came from behind her.

"Lady Uka! The demonic energy detection for the waters south of Honshu has been completed. The detection map has been sent over. Please take a look."