The Desperate Landing

High above central Japan.

Oxygen was thin and panic surged as the survivors awaited the end. On the other side, Kagura was desperately manipulating the air currents to keep the aircraft stable. However, this prevented her from focusing entirely on the fireball the Onmora-gaki had launched. That final demonic projectile, which Kagura failed to intercept, struck the airliner’s nose.

The explosion targeted the lower section of the fuselage where the nose gear was housed. The wheels and the hydraulic struts were shattered, leaving the mechanism completely non-functional for landing. Kagura immediately spoke into the radio, which was still connected to the cockpit.

"Didn't you say you'd help me record my last words? I'm listening! Hurry up!"

"Wait, wait! I suddenly feel like now isn't the time for that!" Rin’s voice crackled back, trembling with fear. Inside the cockpit, Miketsu—sitting on the floor—observed the two pilot seats with a frown.

"The captain's seat or the co-pilot's seat?" Rin asked, her voice hovering on the edge of a breakdown. "Inaba, which one should I take?"

"Choose whichever one you like," Miketsu replied quickly.

"I... I don't know! They both look the same!"

"Then just pick the one on the left. It’s a desperate gamble anyway. You have to believe in your own choice."

"How am I supposed to believe in a choice like this?!" Rin cried out into the phone, her eyes fixed on the array of complex instruments.

Inaba’s voice remained nonchalantly calm. "In times like this, do your best and leave the rest to fate."

Outside the aircraft, the Onmora-gaki saw its chance to escape. While Kagura was preoccupied with the plane's stability, it roared with laughter. "Aha! I'm leaving! Goodbye, Inari lapdog!"

It beat its massive wings, preparing to dive away and vanish into the clouds.

"Damn it! You're not getting away!"

Kagura wanted to give chase, but she couldn't leave the airliner to plummet. Just as she was about to let the monster go, a familiar voice echoed in her earpiece.

"Go after it. You don't need to worry about the plane."

"What? You're—" Kagura’s expression shifted. The voice was calm and carried an undeniable authority. "Understood! I obey the divine decree!"

With her heart at ease, Kagura lept from the wing of her jet, her body a blur as she dove through the thick cloud layer like a falcon.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

She raised her folding fan, gathering a massive amount of spiritual power. The Onmora-gaki, sensing the threat, tried to retaliate. It spat out demonic flames to disrupt the wind blades Kagura sent its way, but it was losing ground. Every time it tried to engage, it found itself outmatched by Kagura's speed and precision. Finally, the Onmora-gaki realized it couldn't win this fight and turned to flee toward the ground.

Meanwhile, the airliner was still descending steadily. Inside, the passengers were paralyzed with terror. No flight attendants were making announcements, and no captain was speaking over the intercom. There were only the sounds of the wind howling and the constant blaring of alarms.

"Yes, that’s it. Now, move the stick... to the left... then straight..." Rin followed Inaba's instructions with robotic precision, her hands white-knuckled on the controls. Beside her, unseen, Miketsu was sensing the causality of the entire flight, weaving threads of light to ensure the steel beast stayed on course.

"Hey, Inaba... am I... am I really the one flying this thing?" Rin asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. But more accurately, we're just steering it toward its destination. Look, we’re almost over Kyoto."

"Wait, no landing gear? We... we can't land without the wheels!"

"I told you already, everything is prepared. The designated spot is right ahead. Now, begin the final descent."

As the plane dipped into the clouds, the Onmora-gaki was still frantically trying to lose Kagura. It looked back, sensing a massive presence behind it. "Die, you persistent—"

It didn't finish. The massive nose of the airliner burst through the clouds directly above the yokai. Before the monster could even react, the heavy fuselage slammed into it. The jagged, broken remains of the nose gear struts acted like a spear, piercing straight through the Onmora-gaki’s back and pinning it to the underside of the plane.

Cruelly trapped by the momentum and the weight of the massive vessel, the Onmora-gaki let out a blood-curdling shriek. "Aaah! Let me go!"

But there was no escape. The plane's descent was relentless.

"It’s some kind of bird, I think. Don't worry about it," Miketsu told Rin as the runway came into view. "Get ready for touchdown. When we hit, use the reverse thrust. Just follow your instinct."

"Understood... I'll just trust my gut!"

Rin stared at the nearing tarmac and the landing lights in the distance. Below the plane, the Onmora-gaki looked at the rapidly approaching runway with wide, terrified eyes.

"Let me go! Let me go now!"

"Stop! Noooo!"

The plane touched down. Instead of rubber tires hitting the pavement, it was the Onmora-gaki's body that met the concrete first. The yokai acted as a biological cushion, its flesh and bone absorbing the initial impact between the runway and the nose of the airliner.

As the plane roared down the runway, the monster was ground into the asphalt, its shrieks drowned out by the thunderous sound of the engines and the screeching of metal. It left a long, dark crimson trail of blood behind the plane as it finally slowed to a halt.