The Martial Statue

“To think... such a thing was possible.”

Inside the ship, Miketsu sat alone in the cockpit, murmuring to herself after concluding her conversation with Okina. The intelligence Okina had just provided was of critical importance, providing many answers to her questions regarding the Sea Nation.

Why was there such a prosperous place like the Sea Nation in the depths of the ocean? How could it nourish so many sea yokai? Why did the prosperous Sea Nation suddenly begin to wither? And why did Uminari receive such a revelation? Why did the Sea Nation forces feel compelled to invade the land?

All these questions found their answers after Miketsu exchanged information with Okina and reflected upon it. At this moment, she felt she had grasped the general outline of the situation.

She even had certain conjectures as to why her own remains had appeared in the southern part of Japan.

“However... all of this is still merely speculation. It cannot be fully confirmed yet... I must go to the site and see for myself,” Miketsu said to herself. Then, she began to contact Kikyo.

Because Miketsu had once used her true appearance to play the role of Asakura Hao in Heian-kyo, she tried her best not to interact with mortals in her true form while acting as Inari Okami. She generally operated through a Divine Messenger or a proxy Miko, which was more fitting for a deity’s status.

...

As the sun set and the moon rose, the processing of the Sea Nation forces continued on the beach. More and more heavily wounded Sea Nation members were carried onto the shore to be watched over and cared for by the Arakawa group. Any individuals who appeared to be leaders were placed under strict supervision.

The entire beach was overcrowded with yokai. The once-aggressive Sea Nation forces now looked utterly dejected. They knew very well why they had come to invade the land—it was for the survival of their home. They had to seize the ley line power of the land to bring about the revival of the Sea Nation.

And now, before they had even fought a major battle, before they had entered a single river, and without ever having truly stepped onto the earth, they had been broken against the divine might. Although the deity had ultimately shown mercy and spared most of them, they had fallen into an unsolvable predicament after their advance was thwarted.

The decay of the Sea Nation was ongoing, and they had lost the means to solve the problem. Now, they could only wait for death, slowly watching the complete demise of the entire Sea Nation.

Amidst this atmosphere of despair, the Miko Kikyo moved among the countless wounded, providing treatment to both the Sea Nation and the Arakawa yokai. Facing this Miko who represented a deity, not a single yokai present failed to feel awe and respect.

Suddenly, Kikyo paused slightly. Having received a new divine oracle, she temporarily set aside her tasks and made her way to the area where the Sea Nation leaders were being held. Looking at Uminari, who was currently healing himself, Kikyo spoke.

“Lord Uminari...”

“Lady Divine Messenger... do you have instructions for us?” Uminari stopped his healing and looked at Kikyo with curiosity. Nearby, Otakemaru, Kujira, and the others also turned their curious gazes toward her.

“I have just received a new divine oracle. Lady Inari Okami wishes for me to go to the Sea Nation now to conduct an investigation. Perhaps we can identify the root cause of the Sea Nation's decay,” Kikyo said calmly to Uminari. Upon hearing her words, Uminari was stunned.

“Lady Inari... she wants to...” Uminari spoke with a hint of excitement. He did not dare finish his sentence, for he did not presume to directly speculate on the divine will.

“Yes. Lady Uka may be able to cure the Sea Nation’s illness, but this requires me to go and observe the situation there first. Would you be willing to lead the way?” Kikyo continued. Her words caused many of the Sea Nation leaders to stand up in shock.

“The deity of the land says she wants to save the Sea Nation... what a joke! Didn't you just crush us to protect Arakawa? Why are you acting so merciful now? Whose side are you actually on?” Otakemaru shouted. Clearly, he was still resentful over their effortless defeat.

“Lady Uka is a celestial god; naturally, she does not take sides among mortals. She stopped you to prevent you from causing a even greater disaster. Otherwise, she would not have spared your lives after the divine punishment...” Kikyo replied indifferently. Just as Otakemaru was about to say something more in his agitation, Kujira pressed a hand onto his shoulder.

“Young Lord... since the celestial god is willing to help the Sea Nation, she is our only hope. We have no other path left to take,” Kujira said in a heavy voice. Hearing this, Otakemaru clenched his fist slightly, then slowly relaxed it.

“Very well... if the deity known as Inari can truly save the Sea Nation, then I am willing to lead all the citizens of the Sea Nation to believe in her, build shrines for her, and provide offerings for all eternity,” Otakemaru said slowly, looking at Kikyo. A faint smile appeared on Kikyo’s calm face.

“Then... please lead the way.”

...

Deep in the Western Pacific, within the vast and pitch-black depths of the ocean, a battered ghost ship was submerged, constantly navigating diagonally downward. It dove deeper and deeper through the cold currents, approaching the dark seabed.

This was a ghost ship that had barely survived the previous turbulent currents. Due to luck, it hadn't crashed into anything, though some non-critical parts had been torn away. It had been given emergency repairs and was now being used as the vessel to return to the Sea Nation.

On the ghost ship, Kikyo stood directly on the deck. The rushing water whipped at her clothes and hair. Miketsu used the protection granted by her Sea God authority to allow Kikyo, a human, to face the suffocation, cold, darkness, and high pressure of the deep sea with composure.

“We are about to reach the territory of the Sea Nation, Lady Divine Messenger,” Uminari said, guiding her. Kikyo nodded in response.

'In such a dark and boundless deep sea, only the sea yokai of the Sea Nation could survive...' Kikyo thought to herself as she observed the scene.

As the ghost ship continued to descend, the seabed gradually came into view. What entered Kikyo’s sight were vast stretches of dead coral reefs.

'There really is coral in the deep sea...' Miketsu thought inside the ship as she observed through Kikyo. It seemed what Uminari and the others had said was the truth.

The ghost ship moved forward. Gradually, strange houses constructed from coral and sea rock came into view, but almost all of them were empty. Although there were many structures across the seabed, it was incredibly desolate. One could imagine how prosperous this place once was from the current sight, but now there was only decay.

As the ghost ship progressed, an empty plaza appeared before them. In the center of the plaza was a massive figure.

“Stop,” Kikyo said, raising her hand. Uminari immediately ordered the ghost ship to halt. Thus, the ship slowly came to a stop at the plaza. Kikyo stared at the giant object before her.

It was a massive statue that seemed to be made of sea rock. It was over ten meters tall, holding a spear-like weapon, and kneeling on one knee in the plaza. It was covered in thick encrustations, obscuring any specific details.

“This is...”

“This is a sea rock martial statue. They are wonders of the seabed that have existed since before the Sea Nation was established. There are many of them in this region—warriors in various poses. No one knows who built them or what they were intended for,” Uminari explained in detail to Kikyo.