Faced with such provocation, Shrine Maiden Miyabi remained utterly calm. Instead of reacting to the taunt, her movements became as swift as lightning, circling rapidly around the Oni King to search for even the slightest opening.
—The gap between head turns!
—The gap between breaths!
—The gap between blinks!
Even—
—The gap between thoughts!
At the very instant the Oni King of Strength's gaze shifted slightly downward, Miyabi's eyes gleamed.
—Now!
Her form blurred into four afterimages. This time, Miyabi unleashed another secret technique—[Divine Blade Art: Tenjin Kassatsu Style · Chaotic Snow, Moon, and Flower].
Unlike Izayoi Moonlight, which focused purely on destructive force by slicing through the rift between spaces, this art pursued the ultimate limit of speed—an attack launched within the cracks of consciousness itself.
To the onlookers, it seemed as though she hadn't even attacked; she simply passed straight through the Oni King's body.
Yet in that near-imperceptible instant, she had already struck at the Oni King's eyes, ears, underarms, ribs, ankles, and joints—leaving behind layers of compressed sword pressure around her enemy, attempting to confine her within.
As the final strike landed, Miyabi swiftly retreated, a tidal wave of exhaustion crashing over her.
Within the barrier, six dark shrine maidens were chanting incantations at a rapid pace:
"Takama-ga-hara, untouchable realm above—Susanoo-no-Mikoto, radiant in the heavens—blood of the great serpent, spilled upon the earth—light of falling stars descending from the sky—without hesitation, obey the divine command—gather before our eyes…"
As the incantation continued, the six shrine maidens held different sacred tools—some with kagura bells, some with onmyō fans, and the most senior among them wielded the seven-branched sword (its blade bearing three prongs on each side, a unique form).
A tremendous surge of spiritual power burst forth, forming six towering pillars of light at the corners of the hexagonal barrier. Lines of reiryoku spread from beneath their feet, connecting the pillars into a blazing hexagram.
The shrine maidens began channeling their gathered power into their sacred implements.
As the vast energy converged, the atmosphere grew turbulent. The winds howled and clouds roiled, forming a storm that spiraled upward like a vortex. Within the storm, thunder rumbled as dark clouds gathered, swirling into a colossal whirlpool in the sky.
In the heart of the clouds, intricate magical scripts appeared—layered upon one another, endlessly extending upward like a divine mechanism reaching the heavens.
Soon, a radiant divine light began to glow from deep within the clouds.
But—
"Before this King, do you truly believe such stalling will suffice?"
With a roar, sparks crackled across Hoshiguma Dōji's body. Her arms trembled, and the sword pressure surrounding her was shattered instantly.
Yet, waiting for her was a rain of sacred arrows—a dense barrage of exorcising light.
"Pathetic wretches!"
Hoshiguma Dōji slammed both hands into the ground. The earth before her heaved upward, forming a massive wall that blocked every incoming sacred arrow.
Boom~~!
Then, with another explosive motion, she tore through the ground and propelled herself forward like a cannonball.
The air shrieked around her body as she cut through it, the violent currents flaying the very landscape. Though she lacked speed in her nature, her raw power gave her a terrifying momentum.
Almost instantly—before three breaths had passed—she had closed the distance between them.
Miyabi, still reeling from the backlash of her secret art, couldn't move. She could only watch helplessly as the terrifying Oni King charged toward her.
Every Sakura clan member within the barrier felt their hearts leap into their throats.
"I'll start with you, weak one."
Hoshiguma Dōji extended her hand, ready to crush the shrine maiden's skull.
But—
Clang—!
A sound like hammer striking steel reverberated across the battlefield, followed by a blast of shockwaves spreading in all directions.
It was the meeting of two overwhelming forces—an impact that could have shattered the heavens and the earth. Yet, within the Four Divine Guardians' barrier, it only caused faint ripples across its surface before stabilizing once more.
As the smoke cleared, a figure stood before Miyabi.
Ruri's shikigami held the unconscious shrine maiden with one hand, while in the other, she pressed the folding fan once used by Satsuki lightly against Hoshiguma Dōji's wrist.
That single motion—Ruri's shikigami halting the Oni King's charge—froze the battlefield.
It wasn't just the Oni King; even the shrine maidens of the Sakura clan watching the scene were struck speechless.
To so effortlessly stop an Oni King's attack—such a shikigami had never been seen, not even during the warring states.
"Hm~?"
Even Hoshiguma Dōji's eyes widened slightly in surprise. The opponent's strength was enough to withstand her direct assault? Unbelievable— even Shuten Dōji himself couldn't have stopped her single-handedly.
Ruri's shikigami, however, only smirked playfully. "No need to 'hm'~."
With a light exhale, a massive tail formed of condensed demonic energy swept horizontally through the air. Hoshiguma Dōji reacted quickly, crossing her arms to block.
Even so, the impact forced her back several dozen meters, leaving deep gouges in the ground where her feet had dragged.
"Oh? Finally, someone with a bit of backbone," she said, a hint of excitement curling her lips. Clapping her hands together before her chest, her aura flared violently, waves of raw power radiating outward with her battle spirit boiling to the surface.
But Ruri merely pointed upward, her tone light and teasing. "Hey, did you forget something?"
The Oni King blinked—then glanced up.
At that exact moment, the chanting of the six dark shrine maidens within the barrier reached its climax.
From the swirling vortex of clouds in the heavens, a colossal divine sword began to descend. Wreathed in tangible divine wrath and killing intent, its blade sliced through the very air, leaving trails of black rifts in the sky wherever it passed.
As its tip leveled downward, Hoshiguma Dōji suddenly felt the air around her tighten, growing suffocatingly dense.
The next instant, the divine sword plummeted from the heavens with the power to annihilate everything in existence.
"This is—the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi of Susanoo?!"
Though astonished that her foes could summon such a divine weapon, Hoshiguma Dōji showed not a trace of fear.
Even if the real Susanoo-no-Mikoto himself stood before her, she would not cower—so how could she fear a mere imitation of his sword?
Her fists clenched, deep violet yōki surging and coiling around her wrists. The once-binding iron shackles now glowed with intricate curse marks—transformed through her own demonic power.
As the divine sword hurtled down, mere moments from cleaving her in two, she brought her palms together in a thunderous clap—
CLANG—!
With a roar that split the skies, the Oni King of Strength caught the descending divine sword between her bare hands—holding the tip of the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi in place through sheer force alone.
"Impossible…!"
Everyone within the barrier cried out in shock!
Though they had anticipated the Oni King's terrifying power, the sight before them still exceeded anything they could have imagined.
Even as her feet were pushed backward under the descending divine blade, carving two deep furrows into the ground…
Even as the sword's razor-sharp energy clashed against her body, ringing out clang-clang-clang, slicing shallow wounds across her face…
She held.
By sheer, unbelievable physical might, the indomitable Oni King of Strength had actually withstood the heavenly sword.
And on her face spread an expression of pure exhilaration.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! This feeling—how exhilarating!"
With that thunderous laugh, Hoshiguma Dōji slammed her palms together. The Totsuka-no-Tsurugi's projection groaned under the pressure, emitting a mournful metallic wail.
The six dark shrine maidens maintaining the barrier coughed up blood in unison, their bodies trembling under the immense backlash.
Yet even as their life force waned, none faltered—they continued channeling spiritual power to sustain the divine weapon.
Even Sesshōmaru, within the barrier, gazed at Hoshiguma Dōji with uncharacteristic solemnity. The raw fighting spirit radiating from her… even he had never faced such an overwhelming aura.
"She's impressive," Satsuki murmured, her Tenseigan glinting as she studied the Oni King. "Aside from your father's weapons, I doubt you'd have the upper hand against her in close combat."
"Our clan doesn't rely on brute force alone," Sesshōmaru replied curtly.
But his eyes betrayed him—the burning desire to fight could not be hidden. His hand clenched beneath his long white sleeve, veins bulging with restrained impulse.
Satsuki's lips curved faintly. "You want to test yourself against her, don't you?"
"..."
Sesshōmaru remained silent. After a tense pause, his hand slowly relaxed.
"At my current strength," he finally admitted, "I'm no match for her."
"Good," Satsuki said calmly. "You're improving."
Then, turning her gaze toward the battlefield, she added, "This time, Ruri alone will suffice."
...
At the battlefield's center, Hoshiguma Dōji had stabilized her stance. Though the divine Totsuka-no-Tsurugi towered a hundred times her size, she still held it firmly in her grasp.
The shrine maidens' power surged wildly within the barrier, joined by the spiritual energy of nearby monks and exorcists who poured their strength into the ritual. Yet despite their combined might, the tide had shifted—Hoshiguma Dōji was beginning to overpower the divine blade.
But her crimson eyes were not on the shrine maidens—they were fixed on Ruri.
A wicked smile crept across her lips. With a tremendous stomp, she propelled herself skyward, her leap so powerful it sent shockwaves rippling through the earth.
As she ascended, her hands radiated with even greater demonic force. The energy surged violently, shattering the sword's equilibrium.
"Try not to die from a little drizzle, will you?" she taunted, twisting her body midair.
Then, with one mighty heave, she hurled the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi downward.
Under that unimaginable force, the colossal divine blade fell like a comet—its radiance blazing across the heavens as it descended straight toward Ruri.
What did it feel like to be targeted by something faster than a Mach 20 missile?
The crushing wind pressure. The roaring air currents. The piercing tinnitus. The deafening boom—
Everything struck the senses at once. Every instinct screamed, every nerve fired. The heart pounded, adrenaline surged, and even the subconscious mind howled one command—
Run!
Run!
Run!
Even within the Four Divine Guardians' barrier, the faces of the entire subjugation force turned pale with despair. Before such divine wrath—what could possibly survive?
Yet amid the thunderous descent and the sky-rending roar, a calm, almost playful voice drifted through the chaos, absurdly out of place.
"Calling that a drizzle's a bit much, don't you think?"
The speaker—was Ruri.
Though her violet robes whipped furiously in the gale of divine energy, and though she still cradled the unconscious Miyabi in one arm, her expression remained perfectly composed.
In the next moment, an overwhelming surge of violet yōko energy erupted from Ruri's body, piercing the heavens.
The power was so immense that five colossal fox tails unfurled behind her, each vast enough to blot out the sky.
Three of the tails intertwined high above, weaving together into a barrier that collided head-on with the descending divine sword.
At the point of impact, an explosive tremor shook the air, followed by a rift of black void that split open before everyone's eyes.
The Totsuka-no-Tsurugi spun violently, forcing its way downward with unstoppable momentum, yet under the resistance of those three enormous tails, its descent slowed drastically.
Then, from the swirling vortex of demonic energy, the remaining two tails extended—one from the left, one from the right—wrapping tightly around the sword's blade.
Before the disbelieving eyes of the shrine maidens and monks, Ruri's tails hurled the divine sword into the gaping black rift.
"..."
Even Sesshōmaru, along with every witness present, fell into stunned silence. Their gazes followed the five titanic tails as they slowly faded from the sky, before turning—wide-eyed and speechless—toward Ruri, the one who had performed such an earth-shattering feat.
But Ruri herself seemed entirely unfazed.
After all, compared to the world-ending power of Satsuki, her display was far from extraordinary.
Yet to those watching, she had already transcended the limits of comprehension—an existence beyond measure.
Casually, Ruri tossed the unconscious Miyabi toward the barrier.
The shrine maiden's body traced a graceful arc through the air, passing cleanly through the barrier before being caught by one of the monks inside.
With that done, Ruri turned her gaze toward Hoshiguma Dōji, who had just crashed down from the heavens, leaving a massive crater in her wake.
Tapping her folding fan lightly against her palm, Ruri said calmly, "I have a suggestion. Why don't we call this a draw? It'll save us both some effort. I won't go after you, and you don't get in the way of us finding Shuten Dōji. How about it?"
Hoshiguma Dōji's eyes glimmered with amusement as she began stepping toward Ruri. Each footfall made the very mountains of Ōeyama tremble.
"If you want this King to accept such a proposal," she said, her voice rumbling like thunder, "then it's simple enough—"
Her eyes flared with sinister red light, battle lust overflowing.
"—Show me power worthy of this King's satisfaction!"