Aftermath and the Hidden Formula

Late at night in Tokyo, in the desolate outskirts where few souls dared to tread.

On the wilderness that had become a battlefield, vegetation continued to smolder, and the ground was riddled with scorched pits. The thick clouds that had blanketed the heavens had quietly dissipated, and the arcs of electricity darting through them gradually dimmed. The thunder that had once shaken the world fell silent, though distant, muffled rumbles still lingered.

The wide-area electromagnetic interference had vanished, and communications returned to normal. As the aura of divine power weakened, what remained was a scorched abyss carved into the earth. The young figure who had wielded lightning had completely vanished from above that dark pit. On the battlefield, the Inari forces, who had been in the midst of a tactical retreat, stared at the scene in shock, momentarily at a loss for words. When they had seen such a massive bolt of lightning gathering in the sky, everyone had been terrified, fearing the colossal thunder would strike them down. Even if those earlier guided strikes hadn't hit a single target, a bolt of this magnitude would be lethal if it even grazed them. Yet, to their surprise, the giant thunder did not strike them; instead, it had targeted the youth who had been summoning it. This left the Inari soldiers utterly baffled. What was going on? Hadn't that malevolent spirit been the one controlling the lightning? Why was it that he couldn't hit a soul earlier, yet was so decisive and ruthless when it came to destroying himself? Many Inari soldiers wondered in confusion. However, despite their doubts, no one dared to lower their guard. The celestial phenomenon had not yet fully subsided; at the apex of the dark pit, a spiral of clouds still radiated divine power.

Though much smaller in scale, the vortex had not disappeared completely. Having witnessed the terrifying bolt it had unleashed, no Inari soldier dared to relax. Facing the shrinking thundercloud, they remained as alert as if confronting a great enemy. Just then, a strange rumbling emerged from within the clouds. This thunder ebbed and flowed with low volume and a distinct rhythm, almost as if it were speaking.

Listening to this peculiar sound, the Inari soldiers felt a sense of bewilderment. Some soldiers who kept pets at home even felt that the sound resembled a dog’s submissive whimper or a regretful moan.

Was... was the thunder pouting? What kind of joke was that? The Inari soldiers quickly shook their heads, tossing such absurd thoughts from their minds.

On the other side, sitting on a hilltop and munching on potato chips, Miketsu’s brow arched as she heard the thunder. She shook her head with a smile.

"Mmhmm, I see. No one has summoned you in a thousand years, so you just gave your power away without a second thought the moment someone asked. You didn't even check the situation below..."

"Alright, alright, I understand. I believe you. As for your transgression... let's just say I won't hold it against you this time. Now, head back."

Accompanied by Miketsu’s soft words, the spiral thunderclouds in the distant sky trembled slightly before dissipating into the night breeze. As the clouds vanished, the heavy pressure that had weighed on the hearts of the Inari forces finally lifted. The soldiers looked at each other in silence, confusion written on every face.

Regardless of the reasons, the disappearance of the thunderclouds signaled one thing: this battle was over. Soon enough, orders were handed down from above to secure the battlefield and purge the remaining malevolent spirits. After the initial shock wore off, the Inari forces immediately became busy.

"It's over. That remnant soul of past malice has finally returned to nothingness." On the small hill, having watched the entire spectacle, Miketsu finished her chips, brushed the crumbs off her clothes, and stood up. Beside her, Makoto nodded.

"...However, the appearance of that Showa-era evil spirit was no accident. There was clearly another power pushing him from behind. This remains a hidden threat, Lady Uka," Makoto said slowly.

Miketsu smiled. "I know that, but there’s no need to worry about it for now."

Makoto's expression shifted to one of doubt. "Leave it alone? Lady Uka, do you mean we should just let nature take its course?"

"Exactly. You can only know how big of a wave a small shrimp in a pond can make after it starts jumping. As long as we have a grasp of the overall situation, let them stir things up. Perhaps they’ll dig up more hidden dangers that we usually can't see, allowing us to resolve them all at once. Look, just like this time," Miketsu said with a smile, looking toward the distant battlefield where the remaining spirits were being purged. Listening to her words, Makoto felt a sense of clarity.

"I see what you mean, Lady Uka... Like these malevolent spirit legions created during the Great War? And that Ritual of Heavenly Ascent they prepared but never got to use? These were all hidden threats. If they hadn't been triggered early, they might have caused even more damage later. You want to eliminate more hidden dangers while keeping track of their movements," Makoto said with a questioning tone. Miketsu continued to respond with a smile.

"Something like that. Regardless, we’ll just wait. That group of people who think they're so clever will eventually cook up something else. We'll see what happens then." As she spoke, Miketsu stood up and looked toward the distant low hill that had been split open by the lightning.

"Alright, Makoto. It's time for us to head back. I promised Nura Rihyon and Tamamura that I'd have some sake with them tonight." With that, Miketsu pulled up her black hood and turned to leave.

Not far away, in the center of the battlefield, atop the low hill that had served as the ritual's core, an Inari squad arrived via helicopter. They entered the cave where the ritual had been held through the breach created by the lightning. After clearing out many out-of-control malevolent spirits, the Inari troops finally reached the ritual's center. There, a captain—a fox-faced figure in a tactical suit and helmet—found Emperor Reinin lying unconscious amidst the ruins, barely clinging to life. Nearby lay the shattered stone shrine.

'Hmm, not bad. The Emperor is still alive. At least the main shrine can avoid some diplomatic trouble.' After calling for a medical team to carry Reinin away, the fox captain ordered his squad to search the wrecked ritual site. He himself lowered a set of goggles that could display energy traces and began to search the area as instructed by his superiors.

In the world filtered through the fox captain's goggles, the site was filled with the blue traces of spiritual power, occasionally mixed with the ethereal green of demonic energy. Everything seemed relatively normal until the captain inadvertently glanced at a dark corner. There, he discovered a trace of active, red demonic energy. The red smudge was shaped like an eye, growing out of the corner of the wall and blinking, as if observing the movements of the people in the room. Seeing this, the fox captain immediately pulled his goggles halfway up, looking at the corner with his natural vision, but he saw nothing.

'Is this a demonic eye? A demonic eye with invisibility used for surveillance?'

Realizing this, the fox captain didn't make a sound. He slowly lowered his goggles again, intending to move casually into the eye's blind spot and then approach to capture it.

However, the invisible eye's senses were uncommonly sharp. It seemed to have seen the captain's movement of taking off and putting on the goggles, realizing it had likely been spotted. It immediately closed, and its form began to shrink. In the captain's vision, the purple-red smudge of demonic energy began to fade.

'Not good, the blinding spell is about to be deactivated!' Sensing something was wrong, the fox captain no longer hesitated. He raised his firearm and fired. The sound of gunfire erupted as bullets flew out. Just as the demonic eye was about to vanish, a few bullets accurately pierced the center of the eyeball. Subsequently, demonic blood splattered against the dark corner before fading into nothingness. Watching this, the fox captain couldn't help but frown slightly. "...Did it escape?"

On a ridge more than ten kilometers away from the hill, Minamoto Gorozaemon, who had been hiding in the tall grass, let out a sudden howl. The massive crimson eye on his forehead erupted in a burst of bloody light. The pupil shattered, and blood sprayed from the socket. Minamoto Gorozaemon collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in agony. His mouth hung wide as he let out pained wails, his body thrashing about.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Yosuzume asked beside him with a hint of surprise. However, Minamoto Gorozaemon continued to roll in pain. It took a long while before he finally stopped, standing up while panting and holding his bleeding demonic eye.

"I... I didn't expect the Inari... they could see through my blinding spell so easily. It was just a little fox who wasn't even a hundred years old, yet using the power of those devices, he could find me and deal such a heavy blow," Minamoto Gorozaemon said, gasping for breath. His eyes were now filled with resentment. Beside him, Yosuzume watched him and spoke quietly.

"Inari technology is becoming more and more powerful. Even minor yokai or ordinary humans can use these devices to fight against powerful yokai centuries old. I don't know where they get such formidable technology." As it spoke, Yosuzume turned its gaze back to Minamoto Gorozaemon and asked seriously, "So? What was the final result of the investigation? Regarding Kitano Saburo's Heavenly Ascent Formula..."

"Huff... there were no issues with the jutsu-shiki. That Kitano fellow didn't notice my presence. The process of him manifesting and running the formula has been recorded using my secret arts. I had hoped to stay a bit longer to see if I could glean more intelligence from the Inari, but I never expected it would end like this." With bloody tears continuing to flow from his eye socket, Minamoto Gorozaemon spoke in pain. Hearing that he had successfully recorded Kitano's Heavenly Ascent Formula, Yosuzume breathed a sigh of relief.

"As long as the formula is recorded, it's fine. The key to our mission this time was obtaining that formula. Nothing else matters."

The pained Minamoto Gorozaemon continued, "...That Heavenly Ascent Formula, spearheaded by Kitano Saburo, the Onmyo Major General of the human Old Empire, and developed with the concentrated power of the entire Imperial Onmyo Academy... it is indeed a precious and powerful treasure. But with just this, can we really topple the current order of the Onmyo Agency and the Inari and overthrow the existing world order?" Minamoto Gorozaemon asked with a look of doubt. Hearing his words, Yosuzume fell silent. Minamoto Gorozaemon followed up by asking, "Is recording this formula really useful?"

Clearly, after witnessing Kitano’s end and then being shot by the fox captain, he was starting to doubt his own purpose. The current world order, led by the Inari, seemed like a massive mountain before him, one that a few minor characters like them could hardly hope to shake. Hearing Minamoto Gorozaemon's questioning, Yosuzume said nothing. It simply sat there, facing him without moving. Seeing this reaction, Minamoto Gorozaemon shouted angrily.

"Answer my question! Shikigami!" the wounded Minamoto Gorozaemon roared. Just then, beneath him, a blood-colored five-pointed star array lit up out of thin air. Countless spell chains erupted from the array, binding Minamoto Gorozaemon completely. An irresistible pressure from the spell thoroughly restrained him where he stood.

"Spirit... Binding!"

"This... this is..."

Seeing his bound body, Minamoto Gorozaemon spoke in terror. He looked up to find that Yosuzume had somehow appeared before him, hands forming a seal. It gazed at him with a cold, indifferent look. In that moment, five-pointed star patterns floated within Yosuzume's pupils. Looking at the bound Minamoto Gorozaemon, Yosuzume spoke tonelessly.

"You have too many doubts, Minamoto Gorozaemon. As an eye, you don't need to think too much about things."

Hearing that male voice, Minamoto Gorozaemon’s expression turned to pure terror.

"I... I was wrong! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have thought so much. Please forgive me this once!"

Watching the frantically pleading Minamoto Gorozaemon, Yosuzume’s face remained expressionless. The will controlling it spoke slowly through Yosuzume's mouth.

"Give me the Heavenly Ascent Formula! We can talk about everything else later."

"Yes! Lord Seimei!"