Boom—!
Deafening sonic explosions resounded through the glazed space as an absolute torrent of annihilating particle streams, mixed with particle beams, surged toward the locked-on Sun Wukong.
"Cross the five destinies, set the four righteousnesses, return to the three awakenings—"
Facing the terrifying flood—like a miniature gamma-ray burst—the Great Sage Equal to Heaven unleashed all the divine power within his body. Combined with the immense power of vows surrounding him, it formed a blooming golden sacred lotus.
"The Twelve Evils of Sattva—emptied."
The golden lotus blossomed, spreading a curtain of radiant gold across the entire space. Even the destructive beams unleashed by Fudō Myōō were blocked by this sacred lotus.
"Oh? So it's this technique?"
Fudō Myōō was no stranger to The Twelve Evils of Sattva—Emptied. It was one of Buddhism's supreme divine abilities. Though purely defensive, it targeted all techniques imbued with malice or aggression.
When faced with that layer of golden light, if one could not claim superiority in authority, then no active attack could possibly break through it.
However, blocking the impact did not prevent the eruption of energy.
Like two masses of high-energy matter colliding, the released force transformed into golden particle beams that shot wildly across the entire space. Roaring destruction spread as expanding detonation clouds continuously bloomed throughout the void.
Fortunately, at the edge of the inner projection, Satsuki had set up a Dead Line Boundary as a buffer zone. Otherwise, this region's projection would never have withstood such high-energy explosions until now.
Faced with this indiscriminate and terrifying surge of energy, Erica immediately activated the authority of the Raptor, moving outward at successive ultra-high speeds under the shockwaves. She weaved through the particle beams exploding and radiating in every direction.
The vast majority of energy beams were evaded. The extremely few irregular beams she failed to react to—or could not even perceive—were quietly erased by a force she herself could not detect.
After several breaths, she barely managed to escape that apocalyptic region.
"Luo Hao can actually summon such a powerful and unreasonable being!"
With lingering fear, she looked toward the distant battlefield now tens of kilometers away.
There, Luo Hao still maintained her stance of channeling the Essence of Diamond Power. Yet blood had begun seeping from her mouth and nose. Clearly, summoning an existence like Fudō Myōō was an enormous burden even for her.
Within another space, Satsuki observed even more clearly with her Tenseigan. This Fudō Myōō had in fact been forcibly manifested by the deity behind the formation, using Luo Hao's Diamond divine power as leverage.
With Luo Hao's own ability alone, she could at most manifest two Vajra Arhats. An existence at the level of Fudō Myōō—even merely an incarnation—was far beyond what this Demon Cult Leader could manifest independently.
After blocking the first wave of attack with divine power, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven revealed a Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation comparable to Fudō Myōō. At the same time, he employed the Seventy-Two Transformations, assuming the divine ability of three heads and six arms, and engaged him in direct combat.
At that moment, Satsuki's perception stirred, her gaze drifting lightly toward an open area in the distance.
There, a female figure passed through the barrier of the Western Heaven Palace and arrived in the outside world.
"Oh~ An unexpectedly interesting one has appeared."
...
"You all... why are you with Angela?"
Those guarding outside were suddenly called out to. Guang, who had just awakened, jumped in shock. Yuri and Candle Nine Yin—one stunned, the other curious—examined the newcomer.
At some point, a beautiful woman stood before them.
Her golden hair shimmered brilliantly—a beautiful Caucasian woman.
With a steady tone, elegant attire, and an aura like refined perfume, Yuri stared at her in disbelief.
"...A spirit body? Is this a technique of astral separation?"
Under normal circumstances, she would have offered a graceful smile in praise. But now, she had no choice but to focus her attention on Candle Nine Yin beside her.
Candle Nine Yin, currently in the form of a young girl, sensed the power within the other party. She roughly determined that this existence resembled the product of some sort of clone technique. Its inherent strength was not particularly great—certainly not what one would call a god.
"This old one is not the previous aberrant serpent, but the divine Candle Dragon who now walks the world using its body."
"Candle Dragon?"
The term was unfamiliar to the golden-haired beauty. Still, she could at least tell that the being before her was extremely powerful—and unlike Leviathan, not violent or wicked. Though there were similarities in their humanoid appearances, there were also obvious differences. As for temperament, the contrast was even greater.
"Entering this area with a clone is no feat an ordinary person could achieve. Who are you?"
Candle Nine Yin fixed her gaze on the visitor.
After steadying her nerves slightly, the golden-haired Caucasian woman introduced herself with the elegant bearing of high nobility.
"My name is Alice. Sometimes, others call me Princess."
"So it truly is—Princess Alice!"
"Oh? Is she very famous?"
Candle Nine Yin tilted her head toward Yuri. Having just arrived in this world, her understanding of it was limited.
"She's from the Council of Sages... a very—very important figure!"
An introduction without a surname, coupled with the nickname Princess.
To prevent Candle Nine Yin from committing any impropriety, Yuri settled Guang onto a nearby stone bench, then stepped forward to greet Alice.
"Miss Alice, was it Kaoru who asked you to help us?"
"Originally, I came to prevent the seal of the Stable Keeper from being broken. But it seems I have arrived a step too late."
As Princess Alice flew here, she had already sensed a massive magical backlash in the ley lines connected to this region. Such a phenomenon could only occur if the seal of the Stable Keeper had been shattered.
"Oh, so you came to stop the Stable Keeper's seal from being lifted? Then I'm afraid your trip was in vain," Candle Nine Yin said. "The seal was broken just moments ago. Intense battle is taking place inside."
Princess Alice turned her gaze toward the dim lattice of the shrine.
"In truth, I followed the traces of a certain witch from France all the way to Asia. But it seems the situation here is far better than I anticipated. With a subordinate like you, it appears Erica—the new Campione—possesses considerable strength."
"You misunderstand. This old one serves only Lady Satsuki, not that Erica," Candle Nine Yin shook her head. "If you have no other matters, please depart."
"How rare. A god willing to submit to a human?" Princess Alice regarded her with mild surprise before explaining gracefully, "It is not that I have no business here. Before arriving, I consulted several elders of the History Compilation Committee. I have come to assist them in restoring this seal."
"Ah, those elders?"
Yuri covered her mouth in surprise. Anyone connected to Ena Seishuuin and counted among the elders of the History Compilation Committee could only be those few individuals.
Just as Lady Satsuki predicted, is the seal here truly connected to those elders?
With that thought, she asked, "Judging from Luo Hao and Lady Satsuki's reactions, that god originally belonged to the Chinese domain. Why would the elders seal a deity of Chinese mythology here in Japan?"
"That is quite a dangerous question, shrine maiden." Princess Alice looked at her with an expression that plainly said you are very bold. "Is it truly appropriate for a Hime-Miko such as yourself to voice such doubts?"
"I..."
Only then did Yuri realize just how disrespectful her impulsive question had been.
Candle Nine Yin, however, had lived for who knew how many years. What schemes and conspiracies had she not witnessed?
Moreover, such treatment—being sealed—was hardly rare in her original world. For example, the strongest Tailed Beast created by the Sage of Six Paths, the Nine-Tails, was precisely such an existence. Many feared it as dangerous, yet even more coveted the power it possessed.
From that perspective, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven sealed here likely served a similar role. The breaking of the seal this time had probably angered those people greatly.
"The specifics are confidential matters of the elders. I do not know the full details," Princess Alice said thoughtfully. "But it can roughly be inferred that it relates directly to the god sealed here.
"In Europe, deities bearing the essence of Steel are mostly dragons or serpents. Yet according to what I know, the one sealed here is the incarnation of a monkey.
"Which raises the question—how can a monkey become a god possessing the nature of Steel?"
"Because he can subdue dragons and serpents, the Great Sage became the Monkey God," Yuri replied.
As a Japanese Hime-Miko, she spoke with confidence.
"Since ancient times in China, there has been a legend of monkeys guarding horses. And in antiquity, outstanding steeds were called 'dragon-horses.' Dragons and horses are intimately connected, even interchangeable in certain myths. That may be why this Monkey Deity possesses, to some extent, the power to subdue dragons and serpents."
Having considerable knowledge of the history of the sacred stables at Tōshō-gū, Yuri quickly offered a plausible explanation.
"According to records, he has been released from here more than once to eliminate monsters bearing the attributes of Dragon or Serpent. It is possible that some ancient serpent deities of Japanese myth were slain by him...
"Furthermore, the name of the sealing spell within this shrine that binds Steel is Stable Keeper. To break it, a dragon or serpent godhead must manifest upon the earth. Yet this deity himself exists to subdue dragons and serpents. The two are natural enemies.
"So I would very much like to know, what was your reason for breaking this seal?"
By the time she finished speaking, Princess Alice had already turned toward Candle Nine Yin with a curious expression.
The girl merely replied indifferently, "There is no particular reason. It was simply my lord's command."
...
"—So it really was her doing."
Inside a mountain hut battered by violent wind and rain, within the Netherworld—at the secluded dwelling of the old god Susanoo.
The solemn-faced master of the house sat with one knee raised.
"The Stable Keeper seal has been broken. It seems she intends to further acquire divine authority. But this is far too reckless. That seal cost us tremendous effort to construct."
Behind him sat two familiar figures.
A brown-haired princess sitting upright with dignified composure, and a living Buddha monk seated in the lotus posture, legs crossed in full meditation.
The one voicing dissatisfaction was the monk himself.
Susanoo, one of the elders, responded in a light tone. "She did not bring that sword with her either. As expected, she remains wary of me."
"And the seal itself appears to be wrapped in another layer of barrier. My water basin cannot reveal what lies within."
The princess in her twelve-layered robe extended the water basin in her hands.
At present, it showed nothing but chaos.
"We were the ones who imprisoned the Monkey King within Stable Keeper. If he escapes, he will not let us off easily. I opposed using such an extreme method from the very beginning. It was bound to sow the seeds of future conflict."
"Then what should we do now? Even if we manifested Fudō Myōō through the formation, the power of the seal itself cannot last long. If he breaks free, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Silence."
Seated at the center, Susanoo cut off the argument between his two colleagues with a resounding voice.
"He is not the greatest problem at the moment. The breaking of the Stable Keeper seal means that a dragon-serpent godhead has appeared. That newly emerged Dragon God is the true issue. Do not forget why we summoned him in the first place."
Hearing this, the princess with lapis-colored eyes glanced toward the black-robed monk.
"I opposed this method from the beginning."
The monk, clad in black, his face shriveled and frightening like a mummy without wrappings, opened his toothless mouth.
"There was no other choice. To prevent the strongest god of Steel who flowed in from foreign lands from awakening, we had to summon the Monkey King to slay dragons and eradicate serpents."
The strongest god of Steel...
As that term was spoken, the lapis-eyed princess fell silent as well.
"Then what should be done now?" Susanoo asked.
"To prevent that dangerous 'Divine Child' from being awakened, this Dragon God must not be allowed to remain," the black-robed monk proposed.
At such an extreme suggestion, the princess spoke with rare sharpness.
"I, too, carry a portion of serpent blood. To eliminate the threat of awakening the Divine Child, would the venerable master prefer to destroy me as well?"
The severity of her words left the black-robed monk momentarily embarrassed.
"It was merely a proposal..."
"Since the princess disagrees, then what is your suggestion?" Susanoo asked, turning to the glass-eyed princess.
"If our sole concern is handling the Stable Keeper seal, then we need not be overly anxious. Unlike before, we now have the protection of a Campione. Moreover, that powerful young girl is present as well. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven will not cause excessive disruption.
"As for the dragon..."
The lapis-eyed princess spoke thoughtfully.
"A dragon willing to help break the Stable Keeper seal likely has a close connection with the girl named Satsuki. It is not impossible for us to communicate with it. I believe this matter should be discussed openly with them. If we seek cooperation with sincerity, the situation need not descend into extremes from the outset."
This proposal caused Susanoo to fall into deep contemplation.
...
Several minutes later, the solemn-faced god finally nodded.
"Very well. In that case, I shall entrust this matter to the princess who carries serpent blood. You will go personally."