For the ancient youkai hiding in the shadows at the battlefield's edge or those within the Izumo army, time seemed to reset to that day centuries ago. The only difference was that this time, there were no seven days of preceding darkness.
The sun in the sky and the sun on the earth gazed at each other, radiating identical brilliance. The earth dried, the soil cracked, and even the rocks on the peaks had their surfaces scorched to brittle shards. The starlight-like points of light gathered within the Nine-Tails' body, then sprayed outward as they were compressed to the limit—yet they seemed to possess a life of their own, avoiding the youkai behind her and the mortals without power.
"...So her name is Tamamo-no-Mae?" Sū ěr, floating cross-legged on the distant peak with Think, realized belatedly.
From the start, they had defaulted to calling the beautiful fox "Nine-Tails." Because the atmosphere of their previous meeting was so harmonious and the fox had tossed out so many mysteries at once, Sū ěr hadn't realized he didn't know her name until now.
"Feeling regret?" Think, knowing exactly what was on the mind of the man she was linked to, tilted her head and smiled. "But unfortunately, that fox doesn't need your help."
Tamamo-no-Mae undeniably had her own purpose, one she felt no need to explain—like a determined martyr or an ascetic monk. This was an image that, in Sū ěr mind, didn't fit the title of a "Nine-Tailed Fox" at all.
The war between Tamamo-no-Mae and Izumo was undeniably the grandest event in the current Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. It was already a myth in the making, destined to be sung by humans ages later. It also drew the gaze of every god and youkai living in this era.
If Izumo won, it meant Yamato would be thoroughly erased. The rule of Amaterasu-Omikami in Ashihara no Nakatsukuni would end, and the lineage of Susanoo would truly rule, reversing the tragedy of being forced to yield half the land under pressure from Takamagahara before the Celestial River was blocked.
Compared to third parties like Sū ěr and Think, who hid at the edge of the battlefield waiting for a final result, Takeminakata—who had enlarged his body and stood before the Izumo army—couldn't find it in himself to smile. He was facing Tamamo-no-Mae's sun-like expansion head-on.
He couldn't dodge, nor could he lose an ounce of momentum. Takeminakata knew this was the opening gambit between Izumo and the Nine-Tails. He could not afford to fall behind in this testing strike; he had to counter with a force that split the heavens, simply because he represented the face of Izumo the moment he leaped out after she summoned the fire dragon.
Not to mention that hateful fox had mocked his brother...
Takeminakata crouched slightly, his legs wide. His palms plunged into the earth before him. It looked as if he were wrestling with the very ground beneath his feet. The sound that reached the ears of humans and youkai was a dull thud, like the snapping of massive roots.
"Don't... make me laugh!!!" A look of fury covered Takeminakata face, which appeared exceptionally fierce due to his size. He gritted his teeth, every word squeezed from between them.
In the next moment, a heaven-shaking roar erupted from Takeminakata throat. It wasn't just an emotional vent; he stood up violently. As he moved, the earth before him was ripped open. Those snapping sounds were not the roots of trees, but the snapping of the ley lines flowing beneath the soil.
Blotting out the sun, the valley before Takeminakata was stripped of a massive layer, sinking dozens of meters. The uplifted earth, carrying the agony of the severed ley lines, surged toward Tamamo-no-Mae. It was a tide, a tsunami—a pitch-black tsunami of pure soil.
Yet this terrestrial fury dissolved before those seemingly intangible rays of light. The youkai who trusted their master laughed without a hint of tension; many lively ones even made malicious faces to provoke the enemy.
Within the radiance released by Tamamo-no-Mae, the tsunami of soil was eroded to nothing, dissolved into pure energy, and gradually vanished into the world. As the last handful of dirt fell, the brilliant yet non-stinging light finally dimmed. The initial clash appeared to be a draw, leaving behind nothing but deep craters in the landscape.
"...I have never forgotten..." Takeminakata panted, white steam huffing from his nostrils. Even his body temperature had risen a few degrees. His fierce gaze was fixed on Tamamo-no-Mae, who had just uttered the forbidden words.
His blood was surging, and his muscles hummed as if electrified. It was the thrill of the extreme, the warm-up for a great war. Takeminakata broad shoulders and corded muscles tensed.
"...That Takemikazuchi, who came to my father's land following Amaterasu orders, posturing and preening..." His words began to tremble. Takeminakata seemed to be watching the scene before him, but in reality, his eyes had returned to that day he could never forget. "...Who, before my father's eyes, hounded my kind and soft-hearted brother until he had no way out, and finally had to chant his own death-curse..."
"Yet he was still not satisfied, not until he forced my father to agree to cede the land. Had my father not finally agreed to unite with the demons at the cost of his life, perhaps all humanity would have suffered at the hands of Ninigi by now," Takeminakata laughed contemptuously. "Yamato, hah!"
"..."
Silence. Even Tamamo-no-Mae did not know how to argue against the deeds of Amaterasu grandson, even if she knew Takeminakata words were largely self-serving. "Humanity" was merely a pretext, and his intent was far from noble, yet it was an unavoidable point of contention. Thus, she could only remain silent, her fox-tails swaying.
"...My path hath naught to do with Yamato..." finally, Tamamo-no-Mae spoke in a low voice. But it didn't matter. In truth, no matter what she said, it was irrelevant.
For the Izumo faction, which sought to thoroughly erase the traces of Yamato from Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, this Nine-Tailed Fox was an objective to be eliminated regardless of whether she led a horde of youkai here today.
It was only a matter of time.