The Oracle

In the coastal waters of the Kanto region, at a massive bay's estuary, sea yokai from the deep and water yokai from the inland river systems were engaged in a brutal slaughter. The blood of the yokai stained the azure sea, and lifeless corpses floated to the surface, yet the killing in the depths showed no sign of stopping.

Amidst the coral reefs, the water yokai of the Arakawa were isolated and outnumbered. Facing a continuous stream of reinforcements from the deep sea, they could only defend passively, their battle lines teetering on the brink of collapse. Had it not been for the Lord of Arakawa turning the tide, the sea yokai would have long since claimed total victory.

Riding his demonic fish through the enemy ranks, the Lord of Arakawa moved with a blade in hand, leaving clouds of blood in his wake. When facing these sea yokai with their exceptional aquatic prowess, his usually powerful water-controlling demonic power was not particularly effective. Unlike land creatures, these sea yokai could not be drowned even if he summoned massive waves to swallow them; it would only push them back. Therefore, he chose to engage in melee combat to kill the forces of the Sea Nation more directly and effectively.

The Lord of Arakawa sliced a massive shark beast in half. A staggering amount of blood erupted into the water, creating a vast crimson mist that shrouded him. Seizing this opportunity, two sea yokai lunged forward to ambush him.

"Don't even think about it!"

At that moment, the small Kingyohime nearby waved her small fan. A current of water surged forth, striking the incoming attackers and dispersing the blood mist. The Lord of Arakawa spun around and instantly cut down the would-be assassins.

"Didn't I tell you to just stay in the back?" the Lord of Arakawa said, turning his face toward Kingyohime in the distance. She shouted back loudly.

"Who's going to listen to you at a time like this, you big dummy!"

"Hmph... fine..."

Seeing that it was unlikely he could persuade Kingyohime to retreat, the Lord of Arakawa said no more and returned to the fray. Although the Arakawa forces were few, they managed to hold the estuary thanks to his personal prowess. However, the Lord of Arakawa, who understood the Sea Nation well, knew this could not last much longer.

Suddenly, a long, deep blast from a conch horn echoed through the dark depths. The sea yokai locked in combat froze upon hearing the sound, then broke off the engagement and swam back toward the deep sea. Because the Arakawa forces were so few, they did not pursue.

"What happened? Did—did those guys retreat? Big dummy! It looks like we won!" Kingyohime said with a look of joy. The Lord of Arakawa's expression, however, grew even more solemn.

"No... this isn't a retreat. On the contrary... their main force has arrived..." the Lord of Arakawa murmured, staring into the pitch-black depths. As a Yokai Lord, he could clearly sense the sheer volume of demonic energy reactions approaching from the darkness.

"The—the main force?! Then those ones just now..."

"Yeah... they were probably just the vanguard..."

Kingyohime was startled by his words. If those who had nearly crushed the Arakawa forces were merely the vanguard, what would the enemy's main force be like?

Before Kingyohime's stunned eyes, points of light began to flicker in the deep sea ahead. Suddenly, a colossal wave of demonic energy was sensed by the Arakawa yokai, who hadn't even had time to celebrate. Their expressions froze as they stared in shock at the darkness of the sea.

"This—this is..."

From the darkness, tens of thousands of sea yokai swam forward in formation, weapons in hand. From the seabed to the surface, their numbers were so dense they filled the entire field of vision. The overlapping demonic energy they released was so heavy it nearly suffocated the Arakawa yokai.

At this moment, despair filled the hearts of the Arakawa forces. They had thought they had finally repelled the enemy, only to realize it was just the vanguard. Their own strength seemed so tiny and fragile before the enemy's main force.

"Re—report! Ghost ships of the Sea Nation have been spotted on the surface! The enemy commander has arrived!"

A messenger from the Arakawa forces swam down from the surface in a panic, speaking urgently to the Lord of Arakawa. His brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he immediately rode his demonic fish upward, leaping out onto the water's surface a moment later.

The Lord of Arakawa looked toward the southern sea. He saw several rows of large ghost ships, each seventy to eighty meters long, sailing toward them from the horizon. The massive ghost heads at the prows of the ships emitted terrifying gazes.

On the largest ghost ship at the lead, the Lord of Arakawa saw a familiar figure. It was the Young Lord of the Sea Nation, Otakemaru.

The ghost ships on the surface moved in sync with the sea yokai beneath, advancing together like a giant wall stretching from the surface to the seabed, exerting endless pressure on the Arakawa forces.

Standing on the bow of his ghost ship, Otakemaru saw the Lord of Arakawa amidst the blood-stained sea. A faint smile touched his lips. He raised a hand and gestured; his attendant, Kujira, immediately relayed orders to the entire fleet. All the ghost ships slowed down and came to a halt, as did the sea yokai beneath the surface.

"It has been a long time, King of the Arakawa..." Otakemaru said from his ghost ship, looking down at him with a smile.

"Indeed. I did not expect we would meet again like this." The Lord of Arakawa stared at Otakemaru, his eyes filled with anger as he scanned the bloody sea and shouted.

"You... why are you doing this! The Arakawa has never provoked the Sea Nation! Explain your actions, Otakemaru!"

"Explain? I have no need to explain anything to you. Your Arakawa is merely the first pebble on this great path of conquest. Do I need to explain myself when I kick a pebble aside?" Otakemaru said casually, his words dripping with arrogance. The Lord of Arakawa was momentarily stunned.

"The first pebble... with such a massive force, do you intend to invade the land?"

"I don't have time to waste words with you. You have only two choices. Hand over the Arakawa and all the rivers under your jurisdiction, and I may spare your life... Otherwise, you should know the consequences..." Otakemaru continued arrogantly. The Lord of Arakawa answered immediately.

"The Arakawa? Hmph... I have no right to hand the Arakawa over to anyone. If you have the ability, then come and take it!" As he spoke, the Lord of Arakawa tightened his grip on his weapon.

"Heh, you're the same as always. Since negotiations have failed, then now..." Otakemaru began to raise his hand, but just then, a piercing, strange sound rang out from the horizon.

The Lord of Arakawa and Otakemaru both looked toward the sky. They saw an object approaching at extreme speed. Looking closer, it was a white, metallic, alien object.

The white metallic object was spindle-shaped and streamlined, with wings extending from its sides. Fire spat from its tail, and it moved with a loud roar and incredible speed. In moments, it had flown from the horizon to the scene, slowing down and hovering over the sea.

"Is that... a bird made of iron?"

"So fast... and fire comes out of its butt? What kind of yokai is that thing?!"

Seeing the sudden appearance of the white monster, both the Lord of Arakawa and Otakemaru were struck with shock. Facing a strange thing they had never seen before, they both raised their guard, their minds filled with confusion.

'What kind of bird yokai is this? It's made of iron and flies faster than a Tengu. I've never seen such a thing... More importantly, what is it doing here?'

After the strange white bird yokai finished hovering, a small door opened on its side amidst the astonished gazes. A young girl dressed in red and white clothing flew out.

Kikyo slowly floated out from the craft left by Yorihime. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she descended from the sky and landed on the surface of the sea. Standing upon the water, she scanned the surroundings and spoke in a clear, loud voice.

"I am the Miko of the Inari Okami, Lady Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami. I have come... to deliver her oracle to the Lord of Arakawa and the Lord of the Sea Nation."