Inside the shrine of the Land of Demons.
In the dim ghostly flames, four paper effigies slowly emerged.
Yao Bikuni lowered the Soul-Summoning Sword in her hand, her Onmyōji Divine Eyes gazing upon the four figures. The world in her vision swirled into a kaleidoscopic pattern once more.
In an instant, the entire scene of her four shikigami's assault on Shirakumaru—and their subsequent annihilation—replayed vividly before her eyes.
Especially when she witnessed that godlike Susanoo that descended upon the battlefield, she could feel firsthand the overwhelming despair her shikigami had faced before its divine power.
Realizing what she saw, Bikuni's expression darkened sharply.
"How is this possible?! A mere mortal capable of wielding divine power directly—it's just like that one..."
As her voice trembled with disbelief, the four shikigami before her began to draw upon the spiritual energy and faith gathered around the shrine, reconstructing their physical forms.
As four beams of light descended, the shikigami slain by Shirakumaru reappeared before her once again.
This was not their first death, and they quickly understood that they had been revived once more by their master.
This undying property was one of the fundamental traits of Shintō-based power: as long as the original deity being enshrined—or subjugated—remained intact, an Onmyōji could expend energy to summon the shikigami again.
However, that did not mean they were without fault.
"Lady Bikuni, we deeply apologize for our failure. Please deliver your punishment."
There was no point in making excuses at such a time. Accepting responsibility with humility was far better.
As expected, among the four shikigami, the leader—Ōtengu—was quite experienced at admitting fault.
"Stand down. This failure was not your fault."
"But—"
"Enough. Withdraw for now and recover your spiritual power."
Bikuni was not unreasonable. The opponent's strength had far surpassed the level her four shikigami could contend with.
"Yes, ma'am." ×4
The four shikigami dared not speak further. One by one, they turned back into ghostly flames and disappeared from the side hall.
Left alone, Bikuni slowly rose and began pacing thoughtfully within the dim hall.
"If that is truly the vessel Lord Orochi seeks, then with my current body and power, capturing him would exact an unbearable price."
"How unfortunate... my true body still requires time to break free of its seal, yet this mortal vessel is nearing its limit."
With that thought, Bikuni drew a mirror from her long sleeve. The reflection it cast back was not her current beautiful visage—but the image of something long decayed beyond recognition.
No—rather than a human, it was more akin to a corpse-like, withered monster that stubbornly refused to die.
Seeing that loathsome reflection, a chilling light flashed within Bikuni's eyes.
"It seems... I'll have to make use of that man first."
Rising from her seat, she changed once more into ceremonial miko garments for prayer.
Then, she slowly walked toward the shrine's main hall.
"Great Orochi, your devoted servant humbly beseeches your descent and guidance."
Following the same procedure and chants as before, Bikuni once again summoned the evil god.
Hissss~
The same vile wind and miasma burst forth from behind the sealed stone gate. Purple energy coalesced into the form of an enormous serpent—eight heads and eight tails writhed within the barrier.
This time, however, the god was far less patient.
"Bikuni—where is the offering?"
"They are all here, Lord Orochi. Please accept them."
With that, she clapped her hands sharply. A thunderous rumble~ echoed outside the shrine.
Moments later, a massive puppet construct lumbered in, hauling dozens of enormous sacks. Each sack contained what the serpent had referred to as 'offerings.'
It was obvious what fate awaited those inside.
"Mmm~"
Seeing the feast laid before it, the evil god flicked its phantom tongue in delight. The eight heads opened wide, forming gaping maws that resembled black holes.
Clearly starved for too long, the god didn't even bother to open the bags. It simply devoured everything whole.
After consuming the offerings, the evil god let out a satisfied rumble, sensing its strength beginning to return. Then, its eight eyes turned toward Bikuni.
"And the vessel you promised me—where is it?"
"My apologies, my lord..." Yao Bikuni bowed deeply, her tone reverent. "Although I have already located a suspected target, my subordinates alone are no match for him."
As she spoke, Bikuni used a spell to replay the scene of Shirakumaru's battle against her four shikigami, allowing the evil god to witness it for himself.
When Orochi saw the Susanoo that Shirakumaru had manifested, he froze for a moment. But when his eyes fell upon the colossal sword wielded by that avatar, his emotion instantly erupted into fury.
A dreadful pressure swept through the entire Land of Demons, and the very sky twisted into a massive vortex under the weight of his unleashed demonic power.
"Damn that Susanoo! Damn that cursed serpent Masaka! How can their traces exist even in this world?!"
Bikuni raised her head and asked, "My lord, if our opponent is a divine child of that one, then with my current strength, I cannot contend against someone who wields a divine weapon. Your descent into this world may not be possible."
"So?" Orochi's eyes narrowed, his eight heads looming ominously over her. "You didn't sacrifice all those offerings just to tell me that, did you?"
"Since you once said that a soul from Yomotsu Hirasaka could serve as your vessel, then surely this body of mine will also suffice for your descent."
As she spoke, Yao Bikuni slowly rose to her feet. Her expression turned fervent as she spread her arms toward the evil god. "I am an Onmyōji who has mastered the Taizan Fukun Ritual. My soul has returned from Yomi itself. If you devour my soul, my lord, you will be able to descend fully into this realm!"
"Hm?"
At those words, Orochi's serpentine faces did not reveal the excitement or greed one might expect. Instead, his voice rumbled low with an unsettling calm. "Bikuni... your soul indeed meets the criteria for my descent. But as a Grand Onmyōji, your existence holds far greater value as you are. To consume your soul would be a waste of your potential."
"..."
Bikuni froze for a moment, then slowly lowered her head.
"I see... what a pity then..."
Her voice was quiet, almost mournful. Orochi leaned closer, trying to discern her words.
But before he could react—he felt something was wrong.
"What... what is this? My body... it won't move?!"
From his eight serpent eyes, a flicker of unease began to surface.
Suddenly, countless glowing symbols ignited across his colossal body. The runes linked together, forming intricate patterns of divine script.
—It was the Forbidden Sealing Spell! When had she managed to plant so many seals upon him?!
Before the god could even think, Bikuni's hands flashed through a series of seals, chanting rapidly under her breath.
Orochi's monstrous form convulsed violently. His power, once beyond mortal measure, was now being drained uncontrollably—drawn into Bikuni's outstretched hands.
Unable to resist, the great serpent's eight heads howled in rage, but his words were swallowed by the torrent of energy. His vast form disintegrated, dissolving into a colossal surge of violet light that streamed directly into the waiting miko.
For nearly half an hour, the violent exchange of power continued, until the last of the energy had been absorbed.
When the light finally faded, only a shattered stone gate remained—before which stood a solitary shrine maiden.
"Now then..." she murmured coldly, her voice tinged with anticipation. "Let's see whether this level of power is enough... to stand against you."
"Again, that same power?"
Within the Lunar Capital, Satsuki's clone sat lazily upon her throne, her eyes closed, body reclining to one side. Having been bound here for so long, her demeanor had grown increasingly... serene—almost detached.
Her only amusement was peering through the Giant Tenseigan to observe the shinobi world below.
Thus, even across vast distances, such a distinct surge of energy could not escape her sight.
"So that shrine maiden has finally made her move? But if she thinks she can lay hands on my subordinates with such power alone... that's a bit too optimistic."
Still, now that she possessed this strength... would she choose cooperation—or opposition?
Satsuki's clone pondered idly for a moment, then chuckled softly. "Well... in the end, it hardly matters."
...
Meanwhile, outside the Lunar Capital—
Ranzuki, who was commanding the Hamura Statue in battle against the puppet legions, suddenly sensed a shift in her enemies' behavior.
Over the past few days, she had studied their attack patterns and discovered that these mechanical armies, despite their frightening numbers and relentless nature, possessed numerous flaws.
Their overwhelming pressure came solely from their sheer quantity and suicidal tenacity.
Once she obtained the Hamura Statue—whose normal attacks alone could devastate entire ranks—the battle had become more akin to harvesting crops.
The results spoke for themselves: together with Suzuki Kaguya, they had pushed their defensive perimeter far outward, no longer confined behind barriers as they had been days ago.
But just now, when Ranzuki attempted to use the Hamura Statue to annihilate a massive puppet formation ahead—the seemingly mindless puppet army suddenly changed.
A surge of dark violet chakra erupted around them, forming a massive curtain of energy that completely deflected the Hamura Statue's 'mouth blast.'
"Hm?"
The change caught Ranzuki by surprise. But she immediately entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode, her right hand grasping into the air.
Six Truth-Seeking Orbs gathered into her palm, merging into a colossal golden sword.
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."
As she uttered the name of the technique, the radiant blade cleaved through the air toward the massive energy curtain.
The Truth-Seeking Orbs represented the highest pinnacle of the chakra system—normally an unstoppable force against any form of worldly power.
However, what happened next was far beyond her expectations.
From within the violet curtain emerged a colossal demon god, rivaling the Hamura Statue in size. Twin horns jutted from its head, and the sky above churned with violent purple lightning as a vortex of demonic energy spiraled around it.
It raised both massive hands and caught the golden blade.
"It stopped my Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion?!"
Ranzuki was genuinely surprised. Since she first traversed the shinobi world, no one but Satsuki herself had ever been able to withstand that attack head-on.
The demon god's face twisted into a grotesque grin. Its chaotic eyes swiveled unnaturally before focusing on a distant point.
"ROOOOAAAAR—!"
With a deafening roar, the demon flung the golden sword aside. Its massive jaws opened, rows of jagged fangs flashing as an immense energy began to gather.
But its aim was not at Ranzuki—it was at the Lunar Capital itself.
"Not a chance!"
For the first time, Ranzuki held nothing back. Behind her, three more Truth-Seeking Orbs materialized, merging with the six that had just dispersed.
She brought her hands together in a seal.
The nine orbs fused into one, expanding outward to form an enormous black shield in midair.
At that exact moment, the demon god's energy cannon erupted forth, slamming into the Truth-Seeking Orb barrier.
BOOOOOOM—!!
The violent impact blasted away every puppet in the vicinity. The sheer wind pressure alone forced the giant Hamura Statue several steps backward.
The demonic beam resembled the Hamura Statue's own destructive mouth cannon, yet as the two forces collided, thin cracks began to creep across the surface of the Truth-Seeking Orb shield.
"How... how is this possible?!"
This time, Ranzuki was truly shocked—could it be that even the Truth-Seeking Orbs couldn't withstand that attack?
Just then, Suzuki Kaguya's voice rang out from the side.
"Dance of the Hundred Flowers of Death!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless black, razor-sharp bone spikes erupted from the ground, rapidly growing outward. These bones formed an additional layer of defense before the Truth-Seeking Orb shield, and thanks to their near-lethal nature akin to the All-Killing Ash Bones, even energy from another world could not shake them.
And this move wasn't purely defensive.
Following the trajectory of the demon god's cannon blast, the bone spikes continued to grow and surge forward. In the blink of an eye, the massive demon god was impaled from every angle.
Moments later, its enormous body began to collapse from within, breaking apart into its most basic energy particles and dissipating into the air.
An enemy that even Ranzuki's Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion could not destroy had been slain in one strike by those black bones—proof of just how terrifying that ability truly was.
Of course, it was inherited from the All-Killing Ash Bones, a technique of absolute death. Such destructive power was to be expected.
"Lady Ranzuki, are you alright?"
Having unleashed her technique, Suzuki Kaguya rushed to Ranzuki's side.
"I'm fine... but what was that thing just now? It actually managed to block the Truth-Seeking Orbs?"
If the orbs could no longer deal effective damage, the defensive power of the Lunar Capital would be drastically reduced.
Kaguya shook her head. "I don't know. But either way, we should report back to Lady Satsuki. With her insight, she'll surely find the answer."
"Agreed."
...
Within the Lunar Capital—
"To defend against the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion isn't all that complicated."
Upon hearing Ranzuki's report, Satsuki spoke calmly. "The Truth-Seeking Orbs, by themselves, hold supreme authority only within the chakra-based power system. Against powers from other worlds, they're nothing more than an extremely potent form of energy."
"However, if that foreign power contains the essences of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang, it will still be neutralized by the Truth-Seeking Orbs."
She paused, then continued, "And Onmyōji happen to be practitioners whose arts are built precisely upon those elemental foundations. So while the orbs are not invincible, they are a natural counter to Yin-Yang users."
"As for why that massive demon god was able to resist the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion—that's because, in addition to the divine Yin-Yang energy of the Onmyōji, it possessed another immense force within it: yōryoku, or demonic energy."
"Demonic... energy?"
Both Ranzuki and Suzuki Kaguya were momentarily stunned.
"To give you an example—"
Satsuki's clone raised her right hand. A green Truth-Seeking Orb appeared above her palm. In her left hand, a blade formed of Yin-Yang Senjutsu energy shimmered into existence.
With a graceful motion, she brought the Senjutsu blade down upon the orb.
Shing—!
Before their eyes, the Truth-Seeking Orb—normally indestructible—was cleaved cleanly in two as if it were nothing more than an ordinary sphere.
"The orb... was cut?"
Both Ranzuki and Kaguya froze in disbelief.
In this era, the concept of Senjutsu or Sage Mode was still unheard of. Through all their battles, the Truth-Seeking Orbs had always been seen as absolute—untouchable. Only Kaguya's Kekkei Tōta could rival them; everything else disintegrated upon contact.
Dismissing both the orb and the blade, Satsuki's clone explained, "Though the Truth-Seeking Orbs are powerful, they cannot neutralize energy formed from natural energy. And yōryoku is essentially another form of that same natural force. Thus, the orbs lose their supremacy—and can even be suppressed."
Ranzuki's brows furrowed. "Then doesn't that mean... against enemies who can wield Sage power, the Truth-Seeking Orbs are at a disadvantage?"
"Exactly."
Satsuki's clone nodded slightly. "So, to properly counter such foes... Ranzuki, you'll need to resume your training in Sage Mode."