Tu Shan Honghong glanced back, a smile playing across her lips, her expression just a little smug.
How could such a simple problem trouble her?
"But sister," Tu Shan Yaya piped up, tilting her head with an innocent look, "how do you know the souls of yōkai are flawed?"
She had inherited the fine tradition of asking when she didn't understand. Cute, curious, even if it made her seem naïve.
Truthfully, she often wanted to smack her sister. But she couldn't deny it—Honghong was more knowledgeable, more perceptive than her.
Honghong did not answer with words. Instead, she let her demon power flow, shaping it into a sphere that hovered in the air. Yet the sphere was incomplete—its surface marred, broken.
"Look at this ball," she said softly. "Suppose it represents a soul. When it is incomplete, it cannot reincarnate.
There are four souls and six spirits.
But in their world, it seems there are only four souls and two spirits. That is the gap."
Her eyes glimmered with certainty.
"In our world, there are three souls and six spirits. In theirs, something is missing. Of course," she added carefully, "this is only my hypothesis.
Suppose that world has no sixfold cycle of reincarnation—only an ordinary underworld. Even if the will within it is weak, it would still strive to preserve the order of rebirth. But when souls are incomplete, something must fill the void.
And so…"
Tu Shan Yaya's face lit with understanding. "The miasma is born! That's it! I wondered why their world is so full of monsters and evil spirits. It's because the underworld is broken."
"Exactly." Honghong's smile widened. "Fortunately, the priestess Kikyo has someone clever at her side, someone who could grasp my meaning. Otherwise, they would have no choice but to wait for the gods to intervene directly."
She lifted her eyes to the bright sky, her smile radiant and dazzling. Even Yaya, mischievous and playful as she was, found herself captivated.
My sister is so beautiful when she laughs.
"It seems," Honghong mused, "that this Kikyo—this shrine maiden—truly is much like me. An existence born to bear weight."
Yaya wagged her tails, eager. "Then I'll reach out to that priest, Xiao Feng. I think he'll want to talk with you."
"Mm."
Aolai Kingdom
Since humans had been brought into their land, life for the spirits of Aolai had not improved.
In fact, it had worsened.
The monsters that had once been sealed within the ancient circles had escaped, and now, coupled with the sudden influx of troublemaking humans, the entire kingdom stood on the brink of collapse.
If not for the fairies and immortals above, lending their aid from time to time, Aolai would not have survived the last three months.
But each day was harder than the last.
A furious Hydra rampaged, its roars shaking mountains, its heads lashing in blind anger. The common folk could only scream in terror, knowing it was beyond them.
The Dao League had few top-level fighters left. Their cultivators were scattered, their strength diminished. Even so, the Hydra was not their only concern.
Across the sea, the three Tu Shan sisters watched like hawks. If Aolai committed too many forces, the fox demons would strike without mercy.
"What do we do? None of the immortals have awakened!"
A girl stood atop a mountain peak, her body wreathed in silvery fur, her bearing regal despite her youth. Though she was a woman, she carried the calm authority of a ruler.
She was Aolai's current decision-maker.
Behind her, an elderly woman knelt, her voice full of sorrow. "I'm sorry, my lady. Still no response. The Age of Doom has drained much of the aura… the immortals slumber on."
Immortals could sleep. But mortals could not. That was the tragedy.
The girl's gaze hardened. "Then forget it. Protect the humans first. We'll drive the creatures of the circle back as best we can. Prepare to shrink the frontlines."
The elder hesitated. "But my lady… is it truly worth it? Those humans are nothing but weeds."
"This is an order," the girl said sharply. "And do not forget the words of our ancestors. One day, humans will be the protagonists of the world."
Her tone softened. She did not wish to shame her own kind. But she could not waver. For the future, sacrifices had to be made.
But what she did not know was that the humans she fought to protect were not grateful.
Day by day, they watched how their neighbors in the lands of the Eternal Faith lived.
Peacefully. Comfortably.
And doubts began to creep into their hearts.
"Are the Dao League truly good for us?"
"They always say the Eternal Church is evil… yet over there, life is calm. Food every day. Sunshine without fear."
"Something feels wrong. The prince promised us a dynasty here, but he's never present. Always parading about. Meanwhile, storms and monsters plague us constantly."
"Tell me then—who are the real evildoers?"
Silence followed. But the words dug deep.
Here, humans lived like prisoners in hell. There, under the fox demons' care, life resembled paradise.
Which would they choose?
That night, dozens of desperate souls slipped away, braving the freezing sea.
The water was cruel, biting their flesh like knives. Many clutched driftwood, floating, praying.
If only we can reach the shore… then peace will be ours.
Hours passed. Some sank, their strength spent. But others… survived.
When at last they staggered onto the coast, they laughed through their tears. They had escaped death. A new life awaited.
"Come quickly, warm yourselves before you freeze."
The voice was rough, guttural. A man blinked up in gratitude—then froze when he saw who spoke.
A fish demon, scales gleaming, gills fluttering.
Shock overcame him. He fainted dead away.
The others recoiled. Monsters. Of course. At the fish demon's feet were humans. Were they captives? Food?
The tension was suffocating until the black-scaled fish demon sighed. "Don't panic. They collapsed from exhaustion. I found them at sea and brought them here."
Understanding dawned slowly.
"You… you won't eat us?"
"The monsters of the Eternal Church do not eat humans. Do you not know?"
He turned, revealing the sacred mark carved upon his back. The characters for eternity burned bright.
Any monster who bore this sigil could not eat humans, could not sin. The gods themselves enforced it. Any who dared forge the mark falsely would be hunted without end.
When the truth sank in, the refugees wept with joy.
They had escaped their torment. They had found salvation.
At dawn, the gates of Huoyun City swung wide. The new arrivals were taken in, given food, shelter, and work.
When Tu Shan Honghong heard the report, she smiled. "The tide has turned. Spread these stories far and wide. Let the spies carry them back. The truth will do our work for us."
She had waited months for this moment. Finally, cracks appeared in Aolai's walls.
In Aolai's outskirts, rumors spread like wildfire.
"Those who fled reached Huoyun City alive!"
"They were given homes and jobs!"
"But… how can we cross the sea? We'll drown!"
Voices clamored, hope warring with fear.
Then came the sound of drums.
Boom. Boom.
A golden carriage rolled through the streets. Upon it stood the prince, cloaked in grandeur.
"Do not be afraid!" he cried. "The lord of Aolai has promised—once we repel the monsters, we will build a human kingdom in Beicheng District!"
Fireworks burst overhead, illuminating his proud face.
But the people only stared with cold, weary eyes.
They did not want kingdoms. They wanted peace.
A ruler deaf to his people's hearts was no ruler at all.
When the carriage passed, an old man whispered, "We elders can die here. But the young must flee. Huoyun City is their hope. Go. Survive. Even if we must be sacrifices, let them live."
Tears welled in his eyes. "May the gods forgive our mistakes, and let our children walk the right path."
The younger generation bowed deeply.
"Yes, Patriarch."
That night, hundreds fled Aolai.
When the Dao League discovered the exodus, their faces turned pale.
They dared not pursue by sea. The waters belonged to the Eternal Faith.
"Damn it! Why are these people so foolish?!"
"Find out who spreads these lies!"
"Yes, my lord!"
But oppression only bred more resistance. They could not see it, but their grip was already slipping.
Inuyasha's World
"Sister, elder sister!" Xiaofeng came running breathlessly. "News from Tu Shan Honghong!"
Kikyo turned. "Oh? What does she say?"
"She asks—since the cause has been discovered, why not begin the sacrifice? Let the gods judge directly?"
Kikyo's breath caught.
Yes. Why not?
If the underworld's flaw could be resolved… it would be a merit beyond measure.
But doubt gnawed at her. Is it time?
She thought long. At last, she closed her eyes and decided.
If delay meant more creatures born twisted by miasma, then waiting was cruelty.
She would act.
"Xiaofeng, pass the order. The ceremony begins in three days. Perhaps… this will be the last time I walk this world. From then on, everything is yours."
Xiaofeng froze. "Sister… you mean to sacrifice yourself?"
He had not expected their separation to come so soon.
But Kikyo's resolve was set.
For the sake of the world, for the sake of souls… she was ready.