Centuries ago, Ninigi—before he had fallen into a monster's shape—had led the gods down to Ashihara no Nakatsukuni carrying the Yasakani no Magatama, the Yata no Kagami, and the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi as symbols of his right to rule.
The Magatama represented loyalty, the Mirror represented holiness, and the Sword represented prosperity.
For the gods and youkai of Izumo, this sword held an even more extraordinary meaning, for it was the weapon presented to Amaterasu-Omikami by the grandfather of the Izumo lineage, Susanoo-no-Mikoto.
After Sū ěr had directly upended the secrets and physical land of Yamato, he naturally had no intention of collecting such toys. But the other gods and youkai—including the Oni—had gone mad searching for the Mirror and the Sword, aside from the Jade stolen by the Nine-Tails. Yet no matter how much effort they expended, they could find neither.
The Mirror and the Sword seemed to have hidden themselves as if they possessed their own consciousness. This implied their master still existed, a meaning that chilled the hearts of the gods and youkai who sought them, yet ultimately could not extinguish the flames of desire in their hearts.
Everyone thought these two treasures would remain missing forever, like treasures buried in history, never to be seen again. Yet in this war, one of the treasures everyone had given up hope of finding suddenly appeared. Anyone could imagine what this meant. They couldn't help but look up at the sun in the sky, yet they could see no change in it.
Ignoring the various reactions of the gods and youkai, Tamamo-no-Mae's eyes held only the white light before her—the sharp sword that could reignite her fighting spirit. Her giant eyes reflected only it. Drool mixed with golden blood and saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth. She approached it, sniffing, wanting to lick it yet fearing it.
Tamamo-no-Mae felt a surge of joy—whether it was the joy of being recognized or a warming of her heart, she didn't know.
Her delicate, non-fragile teeth approached the hilt of the Kusanagi. The sword gave a soft hum, vibrating slightly as if anticipating the future. In her hazy eyes, Tamamo-no-Mae seemed to see a beautiful finale like falling cherry blossoms—holding the sword in her mouth, her body straight, performing a pure fox-dance like falling rain until the last spark of light within her vanished.
Not only her, but Takeminakata also fell into despair again because of her actions. He couldn't imagine what kind of death he would face when this fox gripped the Kusanagi in her teeth. His face was twisted to the extreme. Takeminakata extended his right arm as far as he could to try and block her, not even noticing that the human in his right hand had fallen to the ground.
The fox gave a snicker—her final, cunning smile. Her teeth touched the hilt of the Kusanagi. In the next instant, a blinding light flashed past—everyone, whether Takeminakata, Hoderi, or any god or youkai watching, was stunned.
Tamamo-no-Mae's teeth finally closed, but she was confused. Why did she feel no sensation of biting anything between her teeth? Why was the only thing her tongue could feel the roof of her mouth? It tasted of blood.
She finally realized where the sword was now.
The fox of light was trembling. She slowly lowered her head. Even the light began to dim, rising like a sea of fireflies startled at night and drifting outward. At the edge of her now-transparent body, Tamamo-no-Mae saw the sword.
It had entered diagonally upward through a gap in her ribs, piercing her lungs and her heart. Her heart—the pain was so great she couldn't even breathe, her mouth half-open, producing only unformed, rasping sounds.
Incredible, incomprehensible. Tamamo-no-Mae widened her fox-eyes. A sea of complex emotions nearly drowned the battlefield. She had foreseen her death, but why would she show such an expression at this moment?
It was doubt, hatred, regret, release, sorrow, joy, fulfillment, despair... why did she show such an expression? What did she see in her eyes? In this final moment of life, what was it she wanted to see?
Transmutation.
A sea of light flowing out like a waterfall. Tamamo-no-Mae looked up blankly, gazing around as if searching for something... there was nothing.
Transmutation.
"Wh... what is that?" These trembling words were spoken by a youkai nearest to the center of the battlefield. He had sensed the most minute change, yet no one could answer his question.
Mist was rising—black mist. Rising from the depths of the earth, from a fathomless abyss, it was as black as ink. It brought only a slight chill as it passed through the body. This black mist gathered, spinning like a vortex, condensing, taking physical form.
Amidst Tamamo-no-Mae's shrill wails, the black mist seeped into her body, dyeing every strand of her fur. Under the shade of this black "tree" that blotted out the sky, what stood there was a black fox—yet also a grey fox, like the dregs left after being wrung dry.
A half-crouched front paw gracefully brushed over the wound on her belly. The black fur healed instantly, as if a package were being sewn shut. Not a trace of abnormality remained.
It was a fox, yet not a fox. Standing there was clearly a massive beast, yet her shadow was in the shape of a human. It even stood straight up from the ground. The pitch-black shadow made it impossible to see its features or its clothes, but it was undeniably human. A woman.
That shadow, which should have been in the shape of a giant fox, stood there. Slender arms brushed past its ears, tucking what might have been hair behind them. It spoke, its voice soft and melodious.
"I..."
The voice was deliberately drawn out, as if singing—more enchanting than the most beautiful birdsong. As the words were spoken, every god and youkai nearest to it couldn't help but tear open their collars and expose their chests. Their expressions were fanatical; their parted lips seemed ready to cheer, yet they dared not interrupt.
"Tamamo... no... Mae..."
With the cuteness of a young girl taking a small hop, the pitch-black shadow touched its index finger to its lips and even playfully tilted its head. Yet as the words fell, every god and youkai enchanted by it used their own claws to strike at themselves—tearing open their own chests, and offering up their steaming internal organs with both hands!
Blood erupted like a waterfall!!