The Proposition of Prosperity

In the yokai Secret Realm under the setting sun, Encho stood amidst the ruins of the building, watching the young girl's actions with a look of utter bewilderment. His lips twitched, seemingly on the verge of a sardonic laugh.

"Cola? Sacrificing Cola to a deity? And to a great god like Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami at that? There has to be a limit to your jokes!"

Thinking this, Encho looked at Miketsu holding the can and couldn't help but laugh. "Haha... little girl, whether you simply wish to humiliate this humble one or are just being eccentric, please do not do it in this manner. To offer trash crudely mass-produced on a modern factory assembly line to an ancient, mysterious, and powerful heavenly deity... even if this is not the goddess herself, it is an act of extreme stupidity. It might even provoke divine wrath!"

Encho shouted his warning clearly. His meaning was simple: an industrially produced drink like Cola had no soul. It was not exquisite, not noble, carried no power, and possessed no spiritual essence. It was, quite simply, garbage. To offer such a thing to a great deity like Uka-no-Kami was an act of desecration that would surely invite divine punishment!

Listening to Encho's words, Miketsu, still holding the can, shrugged her shoulders. She continued speaking in a rather relaxed tone.

"Is that what you think? Well, I don't see it that way. Even this small can of Cola possesses a special meaning," Miketsu said slowly. Hearing this, Encho burst into mocking laughter.

"Meaning? What meaning could there be in garbage into which no heart or emotion has been poured?!" Encho's words were laced with obvious derision. This yokai, born in the Edo period, seemed to possess very traditional views. In response to his scorn, Miketsu merely smiled.

"Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami is the Chief God of Inari. She is the deity who symbolizes prosperity, bringing bountiful harvests to agriculture and flourishing success to industry and commerce. The offerings she loves must surely be related to her authorities and her wishes. And what kind of thing can best manifest that? Naturally, it is this Cola, produced on an industrial assembly line."

"Do not look down on this little can of Cola. Its meaning lies not just in itself, but in the fact that there are millions and millions of identical products mass-produced alongside it. This represents the immense energy required to produce it; it is the epitome of modern industrial power. It was invented by one nation yet is a global bestseller; this represents the product network that flows through the world, a witness to the global market. The prosperity of agriculture, industry, and commerce, and the flourishing of human society—this is the greatest wish of Lady Uka! The name of Inari is synonymous with prosperity!"

"Compared to petty trifles meticulously carved in a workshop, compared to various 'soulful' works, Lady Uka undoubtedly prefers mass-produced industrial products from large-scale manufacturing. Because they are the foundation that guarantees the stability of this era!"

Her voice gradually rose in pitch as Miketsu made her declaration. Hearing this, Encho was momentarily stunned, then sneered as he spoke again.

"Hmph, a pile of excuses. How could a heavenly deity from the Age of Gods ever care about—"

Just as Encho was about to say more, the golden radiance in the sky, which had already been emitting a soft glow, suddenly became even more brilliant. Feeling the change in light, Encho looked up blankly. Then, he saw that the "Uka-no-Kami" within the celestial radiance was no longer in her previous state of lethargy. She was now sitting regally atop the divine fox, gazing down at the girl. Her eyes seemed focused entirely on the half-empty can of Cola in the girl's hand.

"Wh-what... she actually responded?"

Seeing this, Encho's expression instantly turned to pure shock. He never imagined that the Cola, rather than provoking the goddess's wrath, had successfully caught her attention—achieving something his entire pile of sacrificial offerings had failed to do.

What he had considered soulless modern garbage actually seemed to have gained Uka-no-Kami's approval.

Accompanied by the light sound of a feminine voice, the "Uka-no-Kami" in the sky lightly waved her arm. Under the pull of an invisible force, the half-finished Cola in Miketsu's hand floated directly into the sky and into the hands of the goddess.

Then, "Uka-no-Kami" downed the remaining Cola in one go. Seeing this, Miketsu licked her lips, while Encho's legs gave out, and he knelt on the ground in near-despair.

"Then, O beautiful, great, gentle, and kind Uka-no-Kami... bestow your divine power and strike down this scoundrel who has disrupted the millennium-old Secret Lore game for his own selfish gain."

Miketsu prayed softly. In the sky, after tossing aside the empty can, "Uka-no-Kami" pulled back her divine bow. An arrow of light, radiating golden brilliance, condensed on the bowstring. Then, the goddess released the string, and the golden arrow of light shot straight down from the heavens.

Kneeling on the ground, facing the approaching golden radiance, Encho did not choose to dodge. On his face, illuminated by the gold, a trace of realization finally surfaced at the last moment.

'Does a small can of Cola witness the industry and commerce that support modern human society? It perfectly matches Lady Uka's pursuit of prosperity... So that's how it is. I suppose I've learned something new in my final moments... It's just a pity...'

Amidst his silent murmurs, Encho was swallowed by the endless golden radiance. After the light faded, his figure had vanished, leaving behind only a bottomless pit in the ground where he had been standing.

"He was actually quite an interesting one. I couldn't tell that such a yokai was a product of a split... He was such an unsightly monster before the split," Miketsu said slowly, looking at the deep pit.

"Wipe out all the members of the Hyakumonogatari Group here."

Miketsu finished her words, and the "Uka-no-Kami" in the sky continued to carry out her instructions. She shot an arrow of light into the heavens, which then split into countless tiny raindrops of light. These drops of light fell to the ground, destroying this entire yokai Secret Realm and the monsters within it.

'My previous choices seem to have had some effect. Those guys are starting to make more small moves... I wonder what sinister tricks they have left?'

In the gradually collapsing Secret Realm, Miketsu lightly waved her hand, summoning all the Secret Lore cards scattered across the ruins into her grasp. She then let out a soft sigh and thought to herself.

'There are so many... sealing them all again is going to be a hassle. Hmm... I'll let that girl Ao Andon handle this. I'll have the foxes send the cards over. I just don't know where she is now. They say the Hyakumonogatari Hall in Choyo-machi is being run purely by staff now. She went back out to collect secret lore centuries ago...'

'Calculations again... that feels like a hassle too.' Miketsu shook her head while thinking, then placed the stack of Secret Lore cards back into her bag. She began to leave the collapsing Secret Realm. She was fairly satisfied with this encounter with the Hyakumonogatari Group, mainly because she had won a few rounds of the game like a real fight.

"...I feel like I want to battle some more. Hmm, I'll find another shop to play a couple more rounds before going back tonight. This time, I definitely have to win a few games without using my abilities!" Thinking this, Miketsu nodded firmly and walked straight out of the Secret Realm.

The lower levels of the Underworld, deep within Hell.

Beneath a pitch-black sky lay a glowing sea of molten lava. In this vast, searingly bright ocean, dense crowds of skeletal spirits struggled, emitting piercing, sharp screams. Their spiritual bodies were repeatedly scorched by the lava and then quickly restored, each spirit enduring endless, infinite agony throughout their entire being.

In this miserable space filled with endless shouting, a five-pointed magical array glowing with a faint blue light hovered over the sea of lava. The spiritual bodies sitting upon it were safe from the torment of the fire and water below, yet painful screams still echoed from within.

"Aaaah!!! My—my mouth, my hand... my face hurts so much, it hurts, it hurts, aaaaaah!!!"

Upon that five-pointed magical array, a chaotic spiritual body without a concrete form was twisting and struggling like a mass of cotton, emitting screams of pain.

Across from this mass of distorted soul sat a human-shaped spirit. He had black hair and wore a purple kariginu and a high hat. His face was handsome but cold, a standard Onmyoji look, and the purple-black aura radiating from him carried waves of sinister evil. Watching the distorted soul struggle in pain, the sinister Onmyoji spirit pinched a hand seal and chanted silently. Following a wave of spiritual power, the distorted soul's pain lessened and it calmed down, barely condensing into a bloated, blurred spiritual form.

"Phew... thank you, Lord Seimei."

The spirit spoke to the Onmyoji before him. The Onmyoji nodded slowly and then spoke calmly.

"What happened, Yamamoto?"

"I... the yokai formed from my organs were... the hand, the face, and the others... Aah! The Hyakumonogatari Group I finally rebuilt in the mortal world was basically wiped out just now! Aaaaaah!" the spirit howled with unstable emotions. The Onmyoji spoke indifferently.

"Who did it? Nura? The Onmyo Agency? Or Inari?"

"I don't know. Minamoto Gorozaemon, who acted as my eyes, wasn't there, so I didn't see the specific situation," the spirit continued. Hearing his words, the Onmyoji fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"It seems their alertness is unusually high. Just seizing a few cards drew such heavy attention... I was a bit too careless with the previous arrangements."

"Lord Seimei... Encho and the others are gone. Will this have any impact on our plan?" the spirit asked worryingly. The sinister Onmyoji paused for a moment before answering slowly.

"It doesn't matter. They were just a few chess pieces. It won't affect the overall situation. Our plan continues, but we need to be more cautious."

"It seems we need to delay for a while... But in the end, everything that should come will arrive. Along with my return, Inari's order shall collapse."

The sun gradually set, and the waning moon slowly rose.

As night fell over Tokyo, the time for ghosts and monsters quietly arrived. Amidst this night where yokai began to be active, the Grand Commander who governed the entire Tokyo spirit realm was currently deep in thought.

Ukiyoe-cho, the Nura residence.

Rihyon sat in his room, positioned beneath the calligraphy of his clan's "Fear" crest. He sat alone, gazing through the window at the waning moon in the sky. His brow was furrowed, and his expression was grave; he seemed to be thinking about something very important.

In front of Rihyon lay a stack of papers. This mark belonged to the Haguro Group; they were primarily composed of Tengu and were an important subordinate group of the Nura Clan, mainly providing intelligence collection work for them.

So obviously, these papers were intelligence reports the Tengu had gathered for Rihyon.

"It's been almost two months... and no news has come out of Inari. Has the General still not made a move?"

Returning his gaze to the documents before him, Rihyon murmured to himself. As he spoke, his expression grew even more solemn. After thinking for a while, he couldn't help but sigh softly.

'It seems the General still doesn't have the heart to do it... even if it means enduring the separation of life and death again, he must follow the wishes of his beloved. But... how many times must you endure this pain before it ends?'

Lamenting thus, a sense of sorrow added to the furrow of Rihyon's brow. Under the moonlight streaming in from the window, he closed his eyes and sat motionless for a long time. After a great while, he opened them again.

This time, a hint of determination revealed itself in his eyes.

"Fine..."

While speaking, Rihyon picked out one document from the pile before him and held it up. A closer look revealed it was the copy of a student's file. In the photo section of the file was a cute girl with short black hair and a smile. Beneath it, the name read:

"Fushimi Inaba."