The massive yōki vortex was utterly incapable of stopping the sword pressure as it descended. In an instant, it had already been sliced into fragments by the vast and surging sword force.
In a daze, the wills of Hagorome Gitsune and Abe no Seimei suffered a violent impact. Within their minds, it was as though they were seeing a gigantic starry sky dragon, its head visible but its tail unseen, coiled between heaven and earth.
Around the dragon's body lay a region of chaotic space. Starfields and baleful clouds intertwined in the sky, while the chaotic firmament split open with successive black fissures. Lightning capable of annihilating all things was reduced to mere background scenery, and what descended beneath the heavens was starlight sufficient to freeze everything.
Abe no Seimei and Hagorome Gitsune were not ordinary beings, but among the most powerful great yōkai and great onmyōji in this world.
Yet even they had never witnessed hallucinations of this magnitude. Even back in the year when they battled the Ōeyama Demon King, the opponent's poisonous wine could not achieve anything close to this level.
Within the illusion before them, space was no longer space. It was like violently surging liquid crystal. At different layers, space exhibited different distortions and refractions, causing any medium that relied upon it for transmission to become twisted as well.
Although the space before their eyes seemed to be boiling, heaven and earth overturning, and thunder roaring, not the slightest sound reached their ears.
The blackened space was like a vast curtain covering the entire world, and within it, the starry sky dragon churned and coiled. From its enormous golden dragon eyes burst forth light capable of piercing through all things.
The instant they were swept by this divine radiance, Abe no Seimei and Hagorome Gitsune were instantly engulfed by an unprecedented sense of terror.
Just as they were preparing to meet the attack, they discovered that the enormous starry sky dragon had shifted its gaze toward another direction.
"It… ignored us?"
Only then did Abe no Seimei realize this. Within the eyes of the starry sky dragon before them there was only calmness and cold indifference, without even a trace of so-called contempt, because that would have been far too deliberate.
A great yōkai secretly ruling Kyoto?
The most talented onmyōji in Kyoto's thousand-year history?
Before this colossal starry sky dragon spanning the firmament, they were as insignificant as dust.
The disparity in size, power, and presence between the two sides had already reached a level beyond words. Such an objective gap naturally gave rise to disregard.
Just as humans cannot see bacteria, and a planet's will would not care about a single lifeform, this was not posturing, but simply the reality of the situation.
This dragon had not even emitted a hiss or roar, yet the moment they saw it, Abe no Seimei and Hagorome Gitsune felt as though an earthquake had erupted violently within their hearts.
Although Satsuki's display of power was not completely exhaustive, she had no intention of concealing what she did reveal.
Facing the most gifted onmyōji Kyoto had ever produced, and Hagorome Gitsune, who had once toyed with the Amatsukami and Kunitsukami in the palm of her hand, she displayed a corner of her strength with a naturally condescending, overlooking posture.
Then, in an instant, the illusion vanished without a trace.
The massive starry sky dragon, the distorted land, and the roaring thunder all disappeared completely—as if they had never existed at all.
...
The Onmyōryō fell into complete silence. Then came rustle~rustle~rustle~, the sound of Hagorome Gitsune spreading her eight tails.
Yet she and Abe no Seimei stared blankly in a certain direction, their minds still immersed in the illusion just now. They could even still feel the peerless ferocity of that starry sky dragon, a might that forced all beings to bow their heads and rendered heaven and earth soundless.
Abe no Seimei and Hagorome Gitsune were not weak. On the contrary, one was a half-human, half-yōkai, monstrously gifted onmyōji, while the other was a reincarnated great yōkai who secretly ruled Kyoto.
Their minds were extraordinarily resilient. Even when facing the gods of Takamagahara, they could remain calm and composed. Yet upon confronting Satsuki's power, their spirits were shaken and on the verge of collapse.
"…So this is the power of that shrine maiden Satsuki. Mother, did we do something foolish?"
Abe no Seimei murmured softly.
"Impossible… This power absolutely cannot belong to a human. No… not even the gods could possibly possess such power. She… she…"
After repeating "she" several times, Hagorome Gitsune still failed to say anything coherent. This beautiful yōkai had fallen into an unprecedented state of panic. Her originally fair face had turned completely pale, her eight tails bristling outward, her words sounding as though she were on the verge of madness.
This could not be blamed on her. As a reincarnated yōkai who had lived for an extremely long time, Hagorome Gitsune had witnessed far more of heaven and earth than Abe no Seimei ever had. Yet it was precisely because of this that she understood clearly that the power Satsuki had just displayed was already completely beyond the same level as theirs.
...
"I believe you should be satisfied with this answer."
Satsuki looked in the direction of Kyoto. The reactions of Hagorome Gitsune and Abe no Seimei inside the Onmyōryō could not possibly escape the observation of her Tenseigan. Their loss of composure was fully laid bare before her eyes.
That sword strike earlier, if one was not the locked target, would at most appear externally to be nothing more than the effect produced by a high-ranking yōkai activating an ability.
Only those who were truly struck by that sword pressure, those affected by the divine intent contained within it, could understand what had actually happened.
Although this action might have been somewhat willful, Satsuki was not afraid that the other side would come looking for trouble.
Ever since Shuten Dōji had been taken in as a disciple by the shrine maiden of Ise Grand Shrine, she had already stopped caring whether she concealed her strength or not.
The promulgation of the Decree of Separation Between Gods and Buddhas was only a matter of time. And although the power she had displayed was formidable, there was still no evidence that could directly link her to the Lunar Palace.
After this warning, if the people of the Onmyōryō still wished to continue harassing her, then next time she could simply take action directly.
However, Satsuki did not believe that Abe no Seimei would make such a choice. No matter how foolish he might be, he should understand that her actions just now were not meant to create enemies, but rather a warning.
...
Outside Kyoto.
After issuing her warning, Satsuki dispersed the reincarnation sword in her hand into light, then activated the power of the Tenseigan to draw the shrine maiden Kikyo out from the crater.
Crash~Crash~Crash~
As rubble scattered, Kikyo's figure flew out from the sunken giant pit. However, her eyes were tightly closed, clearly having already lost consciousness.
There was no helping it. If Kikyo were allowed to witness Sesshōmaru slaughtering a group of humans right in front of her, given this shrine maiden's extreme personality, it was hard to say what kind of reaction she might have.
Therefore, when Satsuki had trampled the earth earlier and created that sunken crater, she had taken the opportunity to knock Kikyo unconscious.
And aside from Kikyo falling into a coma, Sesshōmaru, who had served as the combatant, had already transformed into light and departed.
Perhaps because he had sensed the unfathomable strength and methods of the Lunar Palace, this disciple of hers, although his growth in strength was clearly visible, had instead begun to act more and more hastily.
As for Bankotsu's abrupt disappearance, Sesshōmaru clearly had no intention of abandoning this line of investigation.
Satsuki did not particularly care about this. After all, she had already unraveled the power of Perpetuity from Sesshōmaru's body. As for what the other party chose to do afterward, that was entirely their own freedom.
She had no expectation that a yōkai would learn anything like respect for one's master.
When Kikyo regained consciousness, two hours had already passed.
When she woke up, she discovered that she was lying inside a small house in a village, with a simple blanket draped over her body.
Kikyo sat up and checked herself. After confirming that she was not injured, she picked up the bow and arrows placed nearby and walked outside.
The scenery outside was that of a rural village approaching dusk.
The setting sun scattered warm afterglow, spreading gently across the entire stretch of rice paddies and the nearby forested grasslands.
Kikyo followed the road outside the doorway and walked into the village. Very soon, she saw Satsuki, and besides Satsuki, there was another shrine maiden staying with her.
It was a shrine maiden with loose black hair.
She wore a dark purple upper garment paired with light purple hakama-style trousers. Around her neck hung a string of jade-green prayer beads, with a dark red cord knot beneath them—this was the attire of a black shrine maiden.
Kikyo was not unfamiliar with her appearance. She was none other than Shrine Maiden Tsubaki, who had taken part in the virtue examination at Katori Shrine during the same period as Kikyo and had passed successfully.
Kikyo first thanked Satsuki for saving her life earlier, then bowed to Shrine Maiden Tsubaki and said, "I didn't expect to meet again so soon here, Senior Tsubaki."
The black-haired shrine maiden possessed a cold and elegant aura. Among shrine maidens, who were typically known for gentleness and approachability, this was an extremely rare presence.
She looked at Kikyo. As a black shrine maiden, Tsubaki differed from Satsuki in that she had her own lineage and master. Her visit to Katori Shrine had been for further advanced training, so she counted as Kikyo's senior.
Kikyo, by contrast, was more in the stage of laying foundations. However, due to her astonishing talent, she had caught up to Tsubaki in certain subjects, and the two had once eaten meals together in the same dining hall.
Regarding this remarkably talented colleague, Tsubaki turned her head and spoke in a clear tone, "Shrine Maiden Satsuki has already told me about what happened to you. It seems Kyoto has now become a place of trouble as well."
"..."
Kikyo did not know exactly what Satsuki had said. Her stay in Kyoto had been very brief, and aside from some widely known major events, her understanding was actually quite limited.
"Shrine Maiden Tsubaki, that is roughly the situation in Kyoto," Satsuki spoke softly from the side. "If you wish to seek a position in Kyoto, now is the perfect time. If you are willing, I can write you a letter of recommendation to Yasaka Shrine."
Yasaka Shrine?
Hearing this name, Tsubaki's eyes lit up slightly. Clearly, she was aware of this place, known as the foremost among the Four Great Shrines, and she was very eager at the prospect of entering it for cultivation.
However, after a brief moment of consideration, she calmly shook her head. "I already have a teacher, and my path has taken shape. Moreover, the shrine maidens of Yasaka Shrine mainly follow divine and harmony-based systems, which do not suit me."
"Is that so… what a pity."
Hearing this, Kikyo asked, "Then Senior Tsubaki, are you here for some particular reason?"
Tsubaki did not elaborate. She merely tightened her grip on the long halberd held behind her back and said, "For now, I am traveling while searching for ways to grow stronger."
Upon hearing this answer, Kikyo was not particularly surprised.
As early as her past training at Katori Shrine, she had known that Shrine Maiden Tsubaki was an extremely unconventional shrine maiden.
This was evident from her choice of weapon alone. Compared to most demon-slaying shrine maidens like Kikyo, Tsubaki did not choose the conventional bow and arrow, but instead a close-combat halberd. This not only represented her extraordinary talent, but also her great confidence in her own strength.
Although shrine maidens possessed exceptional spiritual power talent, their physical bodies were still at the level of ordinary humans. In combat against yōkai, the slightest mistake could result in severe injury.
Therefore, most shrine maidens used archery as their standard means of attack.
However, since it was only most shrine maidens, there were inevitably a few with special talents who inclined toward close combat.
Even so, such close combat typically involved the use of a naginata or a katana.
For example, Shrine Maiden Yami of Yasaka Shrine specialized in swordsmanship, the Tenshin Kassatsu Ittō-ryū. The miko of Katori Shrine also practiced the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū...
And the weapon chosen by Shrine Maiden Tsubaki was even rarer. Aside from the military, almost no shrine maiden would choose a halberd as her weapon.
Up to now, the only being Satsuki had seen wield a similar weapon was the water deity who had appeared during the purification ritual. That being's divine artifact was also of a similar type.
The difference, however, was that the former was a divine artifact, while Tsubaki's was merely a magical implement. The actual gap in power between the two was immense.
"Still traveling everywhere? The current times are not very peaceful," Satsuki asked.
To Satsuki's question, Tsubaki gave a textbook response. "There has never been a truly peaceful day in this world. For us demon-slaying shrine maidens, traveling is also a part of cultivation. Not just me. Shrine Maiden Kikyo is the same."
Traveling was indeed a standard process for demon-slaying shrine maidens in this world.
It was called traveling, but in essence it meant wandering from place to place. Of course, although it was called a journey, it was absolutely not about beautiful poetry or distant dreams.
On the contrary, it was more like long-term tempering of one's body and will, somewhat similar to the ascetic practices of certain Buddhist sects.
Sleeping rough, eating irregular meals, encountering yōkai or even bandits were all common occurrences.
Through such experiences, shrine maidens would gradually gain a deeper understanding of their duties and the fate they bore.
The length of this stage varied and was not fixed.
During this period, shrine maidens could also choose to settle in a particular village and become the shrine maiden who protected that area.
However, no matter what, a traveling period of more than one year was the minimum standard. Kikyo and Tsubaki had only just left Katori Shrine, and they would still need to spend a very long time traveling.
Suddenly, Tsubaki seemed to recall something and spoke up. "Right. When I was traveling here, I heard a piece of information from a yōkai that had gone mad on the verge of death. I originally intended to pass it back to the shrine, but since I've run into you here, I'll tell you instead."
"What information?"
"It's information related to the Shikon Jewel..." Shrine Maiden Tsubaki suddenly revealed.
"The Shikon Jewel? Isn't it inside Katori Shrine?" Satsuki asked with a look of confusion, deliberately.
"Didn't Kikyo mention it?" Shrine Maiden Tsubaki looked toward Kikyo with puzzlement.
"Did something happen to the Shikon Jewel?" Satsuki also turned to look at Kikyo.
Faced with Satsuki's question, Kikyo had no way to hide it. After all, Satsuki's current status was equivalent to that of a Saigū, and she could not lie.
Thus, Kikyo spoke. "The Saigū originally intended to inform Lady Satsuki during the Celestial Coronation Ceremony. However, since Lady Satsuki has asked now, I will speak plainly. A member of the Lunar Palace stole the Shikon Jewel."
"Stole the Shikon Jewel? What was their objective?"
"No one knows," Shrine Maiden Tsubaki replied. "However, I recently learned something during a demon-slaying mission. In Musashi Province, there seems to be another trace of the Shikon Jewel."