Arakawa

Upon learning of the massive movements of the Sea Nation's Yokai Lord, Otakemaru—and that he had even directly clashed with the Lord of Arakawa—Miketsu sensed that the situation was far from simple. Immediately after returning to the shrine, she issued a command through the Inari Satellite Control Center to the Monitoring Pavilion space station, which was still drifting in low-Earth orbit. She ordered a detection scan for demonic energy activity in the West Pacific waters south of the Japanese Archipelago.

The Monitoring Pavilion was the culmination of the Lunar Capital's cutting-edge technology. Not only could it present clear and precise images of the ground, but it could also detect the movements of various forces such as spiritual power and demonic energy, even through obstacles.

Hearing the report from a moon rabbit, Miketsu approached the corresponding screen. It displayed a stretch of blue sea covered in vast patches of deep and light purple. Using a small island in the area as a reference, the extent of the purple coverage was staggering.

"This demonic energy reaction is so widespread... just how many sea yokai are down there?" Miketsu remarked with a hint of surprise as she looked at the image on the screen.

"Based on the current demonic energy activity, we estimate at least sixty to seventy thousand yokai are active beneath these waters. Since the Monitoring Pavilion has a limit to its detection depth in water, there is likely more demonic energy below that threshold. Consequently, the final number of these yokai could reach around one hundred thousand..." the moon rabbit responded efficiently. Miketsu was inwardly shocked by the report.

One hundred thousand sea yokai was a staggering number, comparable to the population of a major human city in this era. Considering that yokai were generally much rarer than humans, one hundred thousand was an absurd figure.

Furthermore, regarding the Yokai Lords of the Japanese Archipelago, Miketsu knew that the yokai under her sworn brother Toga numbered only about three or four thousand, many of whom were non-combatants.

Of course, Harima had few humans and yokai due to prolonged internal wars, but the number of yokai governed by lords in other regions did not fare much better, with twenty thousand being the absolute peak. The number of yokai Miketsu governed as Owl was already considered very high at forty thousand, with Choyo-machi accounting for the majority—and that was merely those under her jurisdiction, not her direct subordinates.

Therefore, for the Sea Nation to possess over one hundred thousand sea yokai was preposterous. Miketsu did not know what could allow the Sea Nation's population to grow to such an extent; yokai did not multiply as easily as humans.

"Bring up the ley line distribution map..." Miketsu continued to command. As a goddess, she was not surprised by the strength of the Sea Nation's yokai, but rather by how such a deep-sea region could nourish such a massive number of them. Was this place some kind of spiritual haven?

She intended to examine the ley lines, as they were a crucial factor in whether a region's life could flourish and multiply.

Following Miketsu's orders, the moon rabbit immediately contacted the space station to pull up the ley line map. Soon, the map for this vast area appeared before Miketsu, and the results were beyond her expectations.

"There are... no major ley lines passing through there..."

Miketsu murmured as she studied the map. Ley lines were distributed in every corner of the world, but they followed certain patterns. In Miketsu's eyes, ley line distribution was mainly concentrated on land and in coastal areas. They were relatively sparse in the deep interiors of continents and the deep sea far from the coast. The Sea Nation's region did not have a single ley line passing through it; it could be described as utterly barren.

Why could such a godforsaken place sustain such a massive horde of sea yokai?

Looking at the ley line map, countless thoughts and conjectures flooded Miketsu's mind. She suddenly had a faint feeling—could this be related to her remains? After all, the previous divination had shown her remains to be in the south, had it not?

'But do my remains have the effect of nourishing all things? As an ancient god, I don't recall having such a power... and what could fossilized remains possibly nourish?'

Miketsu dismissed some of her ideas, but she still felt that she might obtain clues about her remains through the Sea Nation. Moreover, she could not ignore such a large-scale movement from them.

According to previous intelligence, a conflict had broken out between the Sea Nation and Arakawa. Why had the Sea Nation suddenly mobilized such a massive force of sea yokai? What were they planning? To wage war against Arakawa? Arakawa's meager forces were likely hardly enough to get stuck in their teeth. Would the Sea Nation mobilize such a massive military force just to fight Arakawa?

After some thought, Miketsu concluded that the Sea Nation's goal was definitely not limited to Arakawa. Arakawa was merely the first stumbling block in their path.

By utilizing Arakawa and other rivers, the Sea Nation's yokai could potentially infiltrate the inland water systems and invade the land. The Lord of Arakawa was not merely the ruler of a single river...

"It seems... that fellow Otakemaru is truly preparing for a major move... If things go poorly, it will be another bloody disaster..." Miketsu made a decision in her heart as she looked at the map and understood the situation.

Since it was a disaster, she would nip it in the bud and minimize the harm.

"Tsuruha..."

Tsuruha, who had been listening intently and taking notes, heard Miketsu's voice. She immediately tossed her paper and brush to Konkiku, who was on the verge of fainting, telling her to continue the notes. Then, she hurried to Miketsu's side.

"I am here, Lady Uka..."

"Notify Kikyo immediately. Have her head to Arakawa at the fastest speed possible to deliver my divine oracle. Also... we shall prepare to set out as well."

"Understood..."

Miketsu breathed a small sigh of relief as she watched Tsuruha leave. Then, she looked back at the demonic energy detection map. The vast clouds of demonic energy in the sea had begun moving north, drawing closer to the land. Near the bay's coast, a small cluster of demonic energy was entrenched there, standing guard.

"It is time to... break up this fight."

...

In the Kanto region, at the mouth of the great bay that would later be known as Tokyo Bay, countless crows and demon birds circled in the sky. The originally azure seawater was now stained with vast patches of bright red.

The crimson blood tainted the blue of the ocean. Countless corpses of various water yokai continuously floated up from the seabed—kappa, umibozu, shoreline monklets, sea loaches... The scavengers circling in the sky dove down the moment they saw the floating corpses, scrambling for food, only to be frightened away by unnatural movements in the water.

Beneath the surface littered with corpses, a cruel slaughter was underway. A massive number of sea yokai from the deep sea, wielding various weapons, surged out of the darkness to launch a fierce assault on the water yokai defending the area. The water yokai and sea yokai clashed underwater, and clouds of blood bloomed and sprayed in the currents.

The combat power was not equal. The sea yokai were larger in stature and far more numerous than the water yokai, with countless more companions streaming in from the deep sea. In contrast, the weaker water yokai had few reinforcements. The only reason they were able to hold on in this battle was due to a single factor.

Amidst the waves, a giant, armored demon fish swam rapidly through the battlefield. A brawny water yokai man, bare-chested from the waist up, rode the demon fish as he tore through the sea yokai ranks. He held a water-controlling blade, slaying countless sea yokai in an instant. He was the Lord of Arakawa, who had shed his noble court attire to take on the form of a warrior.

"Everyone, please fight with all your might! Once this bay entrance falls, Arakawa is next! Hold the line!" After slaying a massive sea beast, the Lord of Arakawa shouted to his warriors using a special acoustic wave that resonated through the blood-misted water.