On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor - Six Hundred And Thirty-Six / Side Two Hundred And Forty-One – Tamamo-no-Mae

“There. That must be the place.” With my Qi Perception at Rank 3 now, and growing all the time, it wasn’t hard to backtrack along the underground oddity. As I suspected, the flow of water from the Kanro-sensui spring, tapped from the volcanic groundwater that served the island, was piped through and under several properties, and one of them felt like a Territory.

“Yet you seem far from pleased.” Tsukiko noticed, peering at me intently. “Is the battle going poorly? No, in that case you would be worried, panicked… you can talk to me. Indeed, who else can you talk to? Though I do suppose Eri and Rossweisse are always with you.” The usually mature Tsukiko pouted childishly at that, showing her envy. “Though soon I shall catch up and join them. The others too. Your mind will become both battleground and playground, I hope you are ready for that.”

Seeing her amusement and concern, I couldn’t help but kiss her cheek softly. “Of course I am.” I took a look around. Fortunately, the population of Rishiri Island was tiny and mostly concentrated elsewhere, so our little spot of breaking and entering would surely go unseen. “But… you’re right. The battle is fine. Tough, a bit of a slog, but we have the upper hand. How could we not? I’m there, Shaeula, Hyacinth, Mae, even though she’s gone on an errand to confirm something… none of the others are weak, either. The Chosen’s ability is troublesome, but Hyacinth’s a perfect counter so…”

We slid into the modest garden, and I couldn’t help but admire the low, two-story house that was clearly opulent by the standards of Tokyo. Though it makes sense. Land is more readily available here, so even on an ordinary salary, you’d get a larger home… I scanned the area, my keen perception able to pick up the presence of cameras and other security features, clearly out of place on such an island, where Japan’s already low crime rate would be non-existent.

“This guy’s smart, so why the difference in his behaviour there…” I used light element, though my supply was dwindling due to the fierce battle and the Territorial drain, slow but steadily effective, that I was experiencing, to mask our presence as we crept into a blind spot, near one window on the upper floor.

“You are unhappy. Talk to me. Maybe I can help.” Tsukiko insisted quietly, as I used a little careful wind element to slide an intangible blade into the gap between the window and the frame, carefully lifting it. No alarms on the upper windows, an oversight perhaps?

“All right…” I agreed to speak, even as I concentrated. Despite the lack of security on the upper floor, I wasn’t going to be complacent. “It’s just… what I saw was truly terrible. All those tortured Yōkai. But it reminded me… when I first started, and even to an extent now, I’ve done similar. Not torture, of course.” I shook my head vehemently at that. The window slid open, and while it would be a tight squeeze for us, with our stats we’d be able to make it inside. Offering my hands to Tsukiko to give her a boost which she didn’t need, she raised one black eyebrow knowingly, clearly implying something, to which I managed a rather weak smile.

“I won’t peek. Do I need to? I’ve seen what’s underneath, and I only have to ask…” The lightheaded humour fell a little flat, due to my mood, but Tsukiko responded as best she could as she hopped onto my hands, then scrambled up, her ample breasts the sticking point of getting through, as the rest of her was slender, apart from her similarly voluptuous hips.

“Shiro told me that a boon unlooked for is always the most appealing. Now continue…”

“Fine.” I sighed, unburdening myself. “I pushed out the Jorogumo from near my Territory just for expansion’s sake and some Levels and ether. Likewise, many other communities of beasts and Yōkai have perished. Others… well, submit, exile or die isn’t very charitable, or much of a fair choice, is it?”

Tsukiko finally squeezed in, her flailing legs vanishing, and she then reached a hand down to me, which I leapt and took. Ironically enough, despite my muscular frame, I managed far easier than Tsukiko barring her one blocker, as due to my Tsumura Style, I was more flexible, and able to control myself easily. Once inside, I searched around the room. It was unused, and seemingly hadn’t been cleaned for a while, judging by the dust. Not in here then, but…

My Qi Perception spread out, and indeed, there was no presence in the house, but down below I could vaguely sense something, several somethings, blocked by some sort of barrier. A basement perhaps? And a way to access the water supply?

“I also know Yōkai can be cruel. I’ve killed enough of them, and even those I don’t hate, like Nebisuki, Red, Blue… they’ve done no shortage of evil. Even Sekka admitted her fellow Yuki-onna likely seduced and killed some of the Chosen who were on Hokkaido. And it had a purpose too, to provide some sort of unknown power… I’m not condoning it, I absolutely hate it, but… I wondered if the Chosen behind all this thought of everything like a game. Then there’s the suspicious points here in the Material.” Reaching the stairs, we had to be careful, as now the security systems were an issue.

“This is quite like those spy movies I have watched at your home.” Tsukiko muttered, and I was surprised by that. At my scrutiny, she flushed a little. “Everyone wishes me to be entertained, to broaden my horizons. Now, to get through motion sensors, if I recall…”

“No need to overthink it. They pick up on infrared heat, usually. We can mask that so we appear invisible.” I wove the relevant elements, and as we descended the stairs, we couldn’t help but hold our breaths. “It’s this way…” I slowly led Tsukiko to where I’d sensed the vague presence of the unnatural objects. “Anyway, I also suspected there were other motivations. I’m not saying I forgive or condone, indeed, depending on the outcome, this battle surely would have happened anyway, and I’d likely have to bring this Chosen to justice. Justice.” I let out a pained sigh. “But… it feels hypocritical not to talk first. Especially now… after all, the Yōkai did purge the Kamuy, I know that from Mae, and my father’s people did the same to the Ainu, leaving them with almost nothing. His rage and resentment…”

“But does that mean you disdain me?” Tsukiko asked. “I am one who serves the Gods and the Kami, and they were the instigators of the massacre, were they not?” Her pointed question halted me for a second, and I shook my head.

“Of course not. You weren’t even alive then. Some of the Yōkai who were killed might have been, but most weren’t… now I know Adam would say something like ‘better to kill a hundred innocents than let a single guilty villain go free’ but I don’t agree. I think it’s better to end the cycle of hatred, but…”

Inside the room I sought, I moved a rug, to reveal a secure metal trapdoor, inches thick. It was also securely locked and wired to multiple alarms. “This will take a little effort, but I can get in. Damn, he’s less of a fool than I was early on, leaving my Material body at risk every time. Of course, now it’s not an issue.” I decided to cut through the metal with a fine line of concentrated light element, while using wind element to isolate the tremor sensors. As the metal before us began to heat up slightly, Tsukiko assessed my thoughts, making her own judgement.

“In the end, you only have to act on your own conscience. You do not have to be the moral arbiter of this world. Besides, should the sins of the father be visited on the son, the mother upon the daughter, one of a race against all of a race? If you were concerned about Tamamo-no-Mae’s complicity, I could understand, but even then… it was a war between Gods, and we, even powerful beings such as she… are just mere people to them.”

As my beam hissed through, and I made sure to catch falling drops of molten metal and ease them back out, I sighed. “I do have to decide. Because if I’m going to be Astral Emperor, that means I’m the ruler. But… I’m not good with these questions which have no good or easy answers, like with Nie Ling. If it’s just a murderous psychopath like Kondou Kazuo, it’d be easy to dispense justice, but… whether you agree with his grudges or not, there’s at least a reason, and also… the murder of the Yōkai seems purposeful, for power.”

“Would you do such for power?” Tsukiko asked gently, as my beam of light was on the third cut now, though the effort of keeping this up and fighting in the Boundary was fatiguing me.

I shook my head. “You know the answer to that. I’d certainly put a stop to it whatever happens. And now I know more of those damn fragments of Akoman are involved, they’ve got to go no matter what… but I don’t like acting hastily.”

“It would be so easy if he was a woman.” Tsukiko teased me, and that almost made me release my elemental beam, the light sputtering. Seeing my reaction, she patted my head, much as I did for all my women on occasion. “In that case, you would find yourself softening, just as you have with Tamamo-no-Mae, and even Christina Bakker.”

Once more my efforts faltered. “No way, I’m only using her for her abilities, and as a way for her to atone. I’m hardly soft on Christina.”

“Maybe so, but you know she has done what you consider evil. I do not know why you struggle so. You say you must learn, well then, I say you must simply decide. That is both the privilege and the burden of leadership. The will of the Gods is absolute, but absolutely not consistent. Let those who understand the law decide what is lawful. You simply have to decide what you can tolerate.”

“But…” The final cut was made, and with a surge of aether I lifted the sliced chunk of metal away and carefully set it down, so as not to trigger any alarms. “…wouldn’t that make me a tyrant?”

“Are the Gods not tyrannical, as the Kamuy have seen? Perhaps there is more to the story, further context…” I slipped through the tight gap in the floor hatch first, avoiding the ladder and landing below in a tidy, and rather freshly dug, judging by the state of the walls, basement.

“…but even if not, and you do revel in your power, we shall pull you back to safety. So… what will you do?” Tsukiko followed me in, and I did indeed get the delightful view she insinuated earlier, but I then offered my hand like a gentleman to help her down, and when she had brushed herself off and settled her ruffled clothes, we looked around, my Eyes now shining.

“It’s simple. I offered to hear him out. Maybe as the aggressor we’re in the wrong, but then, Sekka’s an ally, even if he didn’t know that. And we always stand up for our allies. Now… I’ll see what he has to say afterwards. Just being willing to talk rather than fight doesn’t mean acceptance or forgiveness. I have great power. I have to use it wisely.” I feel a little better now I’ve decided. It’s… probably not something most people would worry over, but… mom’s education covered a lot of the mistakes Japan and Britain made over the years. It’s leaving me feeling terribly ashamed of my actions here, like I’m a dictator beating a poor unfortunate and laughing about it, but… yeah, I absolutely hate and abhor his method of using torture for strength. And that’s what it is. Because…

“There.” On the table by a large hatch in the wall, behind which, even with the thick metal blocking it, we could hear rushing water, surely the pipe, was a single cylinder, around the size of a large bottle of sake. It was made from black stone, with a faintly crystalline sheen, and my Eyes blurred, the text I could see garbled, before once more I could read the description, and more of how it actually worked. Is that because I’m further away from the Evil Wisdom of Akoman, or does the Material somehow weaken the effect?

Pillar Of Corrupting Minds And Spirits Rank 1 is a Building that draws upon negative emotion, Yin Elemental energies, Adherence containing anguish, despair, resentment, hatred, and other similar flavours, and can use this to amplify such hostile emotions in others. It can empower Curses and many other such negatively-aspected abilities, and also create and impregnate specific types of energies, but in addition, if arranged in certain patterns and Formations, it can act as channels, drawing such great stores of Adherence and similar energies to a designated point.

“That’s… the first time I’ve seen a Building actually in the Material. And why is it so small?” I was confused, and at the truly unpleasant nature of it, I strongly resisted the urge to break it. My Foresight was now hammering at me, and I got the impression disrupting whatever Formation was in play here could backfire if done carelessly.

“Does this Chosen have the same sort of ability as Nie Ling?” Tsukiko asked. “I… feel a very profane weight from this stone block. It is a thing… that surely should not exist!”

“Yeah.” My Eyes burned when I was near it, worse when I looked at it. It was as if the Wisdom Akoman talked of was somehow antithetical to the knowledge I drew on. “The one plus is it does imply I can make my new plan with the Ring Gates work, assuming the logistics can be sorted. And also… that perhaps Ixitt’s factory can perform better than ever we’d dreamed of. But no, I doubt it was the Chosen who brought it here.” Fortunately the hatch towards the water wasn’t alarmed, and so after turning the wheel that was both lock and handle, I discovered that I was correct in my guesses. There was a significant pipe carrying the groundwater towards the inhabited areas of the Island, and a maintenance tunnel, within which was placed another Pillar. And a third…

“This is going to be a pain but…” I could already see someone had damaged the pipe before, the repair work hasty. I quickly cut through the copper, and used water element to prevent a sudden, explosive leak. What I spotted was what I expected. A third Pillar. The three formed a triangle, though again, perhaps I should say almost.

Impossible as that is. Three points in a two dimensional plane like they’ve been arrayed should automatically be a triangle, unless they are on a single dimensional axis…

The third Pillar was motionless despite the flow of water that clearly should have moved it from sheer pressure. Worse, it was somehow leaking, solid, crystalline black stone weeping a liquid into the water supply.

“Sometimes I hate being right.” I muttered. “This would never work in Tokyo or other populated areas, but here, on a small, isolated island, even those who don’t drink tap water wash out bowls and cutlery, take showers… it’s going to hit everyone.”

Akoman’s Evil Wisdom – A trace of the Chaos that embodies Akoman, which defies comprehension, and actively resists being named or understood. It is greatly weakened, being far removed from Akoman itself. In addition to overturning knowledge, Evil Wisdom also makes those touched by it foolish, reckless and more easily driven to acts of folly, self-harm and evil. This Evil Wisdom has been enhanced and tuned by the Pillars Of Corrupting Minds And Spirits to inflame certain hatreds and prejudices, and suppress specific knowledge, by drawing on a great reservoir of existing polluted energies.

Reading the description, similar to last time but with further clarifications, my Eyes bled. Seeing that, Tsukiko dabbed at me gently with her handkerchief, until my Ether Healing kicked in again.

“It is bad then?” she asked, already knowing the answer from my words and expressions. “If so, then take what you feel are the best actions. I will support you, so long as you follow your heart, not what you feel you must do. As your heart is what saved me.”

I nodded slowly, resolving myself. “I will. Anyway, if you look at these three Pillars as a single point, while it’s hard to make an exact comparison, as Mount Rishiri is much larger in the Boundary… we’re a bit under four kilometres away from where I found the other Pillars, and the volcano is that tall…”

“A triangle then.” Tsukiko agreed.

“Yes, and what shape do you get with another point added?”

“A square, or… no.” Tsukiko shot me an exasperated look. “I may not have spent much time at school, but I was extensively educated, even if biased towards the spiritual. A pyramid, or rather a tetrahedron.”

“Exactly. Like a reverse funnel. Perfect to guide something… like a pipeline.” The pyramids in Egypt were square pyramids, but that’s still a connection, and that fragment of Akoman had a triangle on the flail. Coincidence? Anyway, let’s end this…

Turning away, we searched the basement, and soon found a hidden door. Wrenching it open, as it wasn’t alarmed, within was a small, secure space, with a narrow opening to above, just wide enough to allow some airflow. Lying on a futon, was a small, dark-skinned man, the same individual who seemed to be the Chosen of Osiris. Though when my Eyes observed him…

I see. That’s how his ability works then? I thought so, else it would be absurdly overpowered. In any case… now he’s in our hands this is as good as won, though… the Pillar Formation still concerns me greatly…

***

“This is an extremely unpleasant place.” Sekka grumbled. Ice element spread from her in a pink haze, freezing the dust-laden muddy water that sloshed around the floor of the caverns. Stepping daintily upon it, she followed Tamamo-no-Mae, who had called up some floating yellow foxfires, so that their surroundings were illuminated. Bintara, meanwhile, followed in silence, her expression grim.

It is no wonder she is disquieted. Tamamo-no-Mae’s thoughts were troubled, the coincidence of this place being too much to simply sneer at and laugh off. So much blood was shed here, that the spiritual realms of the Astral itself is impregnated with it. Worse, as those who fought were those subservient Kami, we Yōkai, and those so-called Divinities, it has warped into a great power of… perhaps it could even be called a type of worship. Belief, certainly.

“Yes, I do not care for it.” Tamamo-no-Mae agreed. “But we shall not be here long. If I am not mistaken, the source of what we seek lies here. It is a power even Nurarihyon would fear to draw upon, and the Gods… it would poison them, for it is a last prayer that despises their usurpation. As for me…” Tamamo-no-Mae grimaced, her tails drooping, showing her displeasure. “…yes, I can feel it seeking me. Yet… dead spectres from my past shall haunt me no longer.” Her tails stood up, as if to emphasise that. “It was war. For good or for ill. I was amongst the victors. They were the losers. It is simply that, nothing else.”

“So bold.” Bintara spoke up at last, as they trudged through the dark (and now frozen, due to Sekka’s efforts) tunnel. The scent of mud and a metallic, pungent tang that stung their delicate noses, was growing sharper, and the air was thick and heavy, like entering the lower Astral, perhaps even more concentrated. Space itself was warped here, and the whole island would be, as Akio called it, one massive dungeon.

“Would you say the same when you are the one to suffer, prideful fox?”

“You know the answer to that, Bintara, for you have known me long, if not so long as Sekka here.” Tamamo-no-Mae tossed her head disdainfully, ears flickering sourly. “I am not one for consistency, only what benefits or amuses me. It is as the Cultivators used to say, some may steal a horse, while others are hung for merely looking over a hedge. When I stole, or amused myself, it was justified. When others merely annoyed me… oh, but I have a fresh perspective now.” She bared her teeth in what might have passed as a smile. “Let us just say the insolence has been burned from me. I reaped what I had sown. But there is still room for a little hypocrisy in my heart. We all put ourselves as the standard, as the centre. Just as he does.”

Tamamo-no-Mae relied on the feeling of resistance to her to guide them through the ever-shifting passageways, which were becoming wider and taller, seeming almost like caves themselves now. “We are closing in. I can feel it. And that feeling is familiar.” Remains of Kamuy corpses, and even fragments of what were surely Yōkai and Kami, bones, fur, scraps of armour, broken weapons, all littered the frozen mud. “It amuses me to see him struggle, to rationalise. If it was my choice, I would simply annihilate those fools who created this mess and threatened you, Sekka. Not because it is right, but because opposing our wants is wrong. Yet I do find it refreshing how he dithers. I am not one for admiring an over-generous, forgiving fool. In the past I would have mocked it as folly, and taken sure advantage to amuse myself.” She wrapped her tails around herself, reminiscing, as they approached the centre, judging by how all the passageways were beginning to converge and widen.

“What games I could have played. Enriching myself at his expense, or even more joyous, pushing him to see just how far he would go before breaking, falling to depravity…”

“Your tastes always did run rather too… exotic… for me.” Sekka seemed disgusted, but Tamamo-no-Mae paid her no mind.

“I ruined many so-called holy men and pious, charitable women. Perhaps… it was a reflection of the ugliness hiding in my empty heart. I knew I was a prideful, boastful hollow shell, projecting strength to hide how weak I truly was.”

Bintara and Sekka both stared at her in amazement, and Tamamo-no-Mae felt a sting of shame, though it was not unpleasant. “Oh, come now. Surely you understand? If I was not always so bored and unfulfilled, would I have sought excitement and pleasure, the need to stave off boredom, so fervently, so self-destructively? Though there were a few times I was content, brief that they were. Which is why I despised losing what was mine. Power can be a curse. Too often those without it are seen as beneath us, and cannot understand us. It is well I am here. And that stinking red Goddess of Thirst too. We shall understand him.”

“It seems to me you have rather a soft spot for…” Sekka began incredulously, only for Tamamo-no-Mae’s tails and ears to stand on end, her fur spiking.

“We are here. Silence.” Tamamo-no-Mae breathed, holding up one hand, her nails painted green to match her emerald eyes, which shone in the sudden light. The foxfires accompanying them dissipated in a haze of sparks, and what lay before them… was a cavern, yet somehow it was larger than the island they had entered.

“As I expected…” Tamamo-no-Mae whispered, as she inspected the scene. Yes, it reminds me of those days, indeed it does. How… regretful. Some memories, I do not mind losing.

The vast space was a lake of gloopy sludge, a thick slurry of mud and water, though it reeked with the smell of dust and death, a thick, black mist rolling off it and forming a gloomy, thick layer above the surface, like a dark fog. In the skies above… calling it a sky is not entirely misleading. The roof of this dungeon is hundreds of metres above… thick clouds of the dark mist churned, and lightning, a sickly orange shade, burned through the smog, forking down to strike the muddy surface occasionally. Localised bursts of some kind of rain fell, though even looking at it made Tamamo-no-Mae’s fur stand up, giving her goosebumps of disgust and warning.

“It would not do us well to be caught in that squall…” Bintara, with great affinity to water, and also sensitive to poisons and other harmful substances, squinted her dark eyes at the sudden downpour. “…I suspect it would do great harm.”

“Indeed it would.” Tamamo-no-Mae agreed. “It is not natural to this place. It smells the same way those wretched creatures did upon Mount Rishiri. I suspect it is a part of them.” She pointed to a nearby pillar of black stone and crystal jutting from the muck, and then to two more, some half-dozen kilometres away through the murk. “Once more we see the connection. It is as I suspected. Now, I am not one who believed in exerting myself. To me, strength came almost naturally, without effort. Perhaps that is what made me so arrogant, and so petty. But I did listen, sometimes. Let me see…”

Tamamo-no-Mae ignored the curious looks Sekka and Bintara were giving her, and also ignoring the muddy lake nearby as it began to distort, strange, handlike protrusions of mud forming and reaching for her, as if to drag her into the depths. “Enough. I know you still loathe me and all we Yōkai, but… I am trying to concentrate!” Wind element slashed the hands to pieces, and they burst into slimy, dust-stained mud droplets, falling back to be absorbed, more slowly rising from the mire to replace the destroyed hands, tentacles and other grabbing limbs…

“I think it was like this.” Tamamo-no-Mae remembered. “I am no Cultivator, but from what I have seen, power is power, Qi is only the way to simplify these matters for all to use. Let me see… illuminate the flow of Yin, of foul Karma, of grudges, resentments, and the adherence of the deeds of the Gods who came to conquer!”

Tamamo-no-Mae unleashed a massive surge of aether, the effort stinging her fragile body, and her tails drooped. I dearly wish to be pampered, a hot bath and my tails brushed once again, and to have good food, strong alcohol, perhaps some delightful music, and even these new-fangled entertainments, such as ‘films’. I shall extract my price, else I shall have no dignity left… A laugh burst forth from her unbidden at that thought. Alas, before him, before those who saw my wretched state, I already have no dignity… “The Earth below flows, the Heavens above illuminate!”

Feeling a swell of pride at her efforts in performing a Cultivation Technique, or at least an approximation, simply from memory, understanding, and raw brute force, she watched as a momentary burst of silver aether drove back the clouds, before the light dispersed. What was revealed led to gasps from Sekka, and a groan from Bintara, as the tangled web of blue and black streams within the air and the mud became visible, as well as a deep lake of churning energies below.

“It seems to have diminished somewhat.” Tamamo-no-Mae chuckled. “After all, what fell here were not uneducated human peasants, but powerful spiritual beings, perhaps even on a par with the Gods. You see… it is drawing out this rich wellspring, if you crave hatred, vengeance, despair, resentment… this is a treasure trove.” Mae pointed with two hands and a tail to the three pillars, where the flow was directed. Then the energies were passed to the centre of the three points, and sucked away like water down a drain, towards Mount Rishiri, and the wretched creatures there.

“So that is why you retreated.” Sekka asked, and Tamamo-no-Mae gave her a pointed look, frowning.

“Did you think I fled in panic? If so, perhaps you would like to try me… for a friendly spar? No, such power displayed there, the endless horde of animated Kamuy who had perished long ago… it all pointed to this. Though I had not anticipated this method. There are also several significant dangers… still, I shall set aside your implied insult for now…”

“How generous of you…” Sekka whispered, deliberately loud enough for Tamamo-no-Mae to hear, knowing her well.

Ignoring that, Tamamo-no-Mae continued to explain. “…it will be dangerous to disrupt the flow carelessly. If it scatters, we will be swept up in it. I have no wish to be subject to such corruption. Worse, it might shatter this space, and allow the taint to spread to the so-called Boundary. Which I expect would burn like silk under a flame. That is… undesirable. It does not align with our current plans.”

“Our?” Bintara, having recovered from the revulsion of this place, sneered.

Tamamo-no-Mae once more chose to pretend she had not heard. “A third danger is that if not handled well, there might be a release on the receiving end of this conduit. That is equally a troubling thought. So, it seems you will have to work hard, Sekka. We must destroy all of the pillars at the same moment. I believe that will prove the safest way of interrupting the flow without unbalancing it. If I am correct, what is already captured will continue to flow, and then the energies will no longer be drawn there. So I shall leave one of the far pillars to you. Bintara, you can handle the one here, yes?”

“It seems your good fortune has returned.” Bintara did not answer, but then, she did not need to, as one of the greatest of the Hyakki Yagyō, even though her strengths were geared towards healing, she had significant strength.

“Oh, do not extort me for further favours.” Tamamo-no-Mae chuckled. “If I was here alone, I would manage it.” Wind flashed as she sliced apart more grudging hands reaching for them, though for every one heading for Sekka or Bintara, a score or more formed and tried to drag Tamamo-no-Mae down. “But the calculations would be so tedious. I have never been one for numbers. Wealth has always slipped through my fingers as soon as I obtained it. Or perhaps I could use this new method of light element, lasers. Apparently it moves so fast that unless you are shooting for the moon, the difference is negligible no matter where you aim.”

“Fine then.” Sekka shivered. “I loathe this place. I want to leave. How will you get across?”

“Oh, without carrying the two of you, I shall manage. I am one of the Three Most Evil Yōkai, even now. Though perhaps I shall be generous and concede my place back to Ōtakemaru. It might be enjoyable to start afresh.” Her grin was wicked, and Sekka blew out icy breath, just enough to annoy her, frosting her fur a cool white, until Tamamo-no-Mae shook it off.

“I am not heavy. I am elegant and well-proportioned, the most beautiful of all Yuki-onna!” Sekka insisted, before looking out over the oozing ocean of malice with some disquiet. “Avoiding the thunder and the rain is a nuisance, but…” One pale blue-tinged hand lowered and the mud began to freeze in an elongated, bridge-like fashion, while her other hand conjured a massive icy parasol above her head. “…there is no arguing with you. And despite your bold claims, we will demand this as a favour returned.”

“So be it. I shall be generous, and not just me.” Mae wickedly smirked, before leaping into the air. Jade winds swirled, granting her footholds, and while it was far more tiresome than using physical objects, such as Sekka’s ice, for Tamamo-no-Mae, even now, it was still rather trivial. Soon, after soaring over the lake of ooze, high above the malicious hands grasping for her, she landed on the protruding pillar, though she was careful to protect herself with a thick layer of aether and elemental energies, as she had no wish to make contact with such a wretched thing. It took Sekka rather longer to reach her destination, but soon she was before her pillar, and with that, it was time.

As Bintara’s tail lashed out, a whip of razor-sharp orange water element, tinged with violet, slamming into the column of stone and crystal, Tamamo-no-Mae was stamping down, numerous elements released to great destructive effect, and Sekka’s icy spears were drilling through rock effortlessly, then exploding, scattering icy petals of destruction.

Perfect. As all three of the pillars exploded, Tamamo-no-Mae was already propelling herself back towards the entrance to this blighted place. Sekka was retreating, reinforcing her icy bridge which was rapidly being consumed by the dust-tainted muck, and Bintara, having the easiest task, merely stood, watching solemnly. It does not take a Cultivation Technique to feel that the suction has stopped. My eyes and nose are enough,

Indeed, the flow of the clouds above had shifted, and the subtle ripples of the muck and black mist it exuded had changed. Well satisfied, Tamamo-no-Mae imagined the annoyance that wretched creature that masqueraded as a Kamuy would feel shortly as their parasitism of this place was cut off, only to suddenly flare out wind element, throwing her body to the side, just as a shadowy blur shot past her, some of her fur shorn, golden strands falling to the lake below. She heard Sekka cry out, but had no time to dwell on that, as her desperate evasion had thrown her towards some flashing forks of virulent lightning.

Again, Tamamo-no-Mae dodged desperately, and with one surge of wind, she crashed down beside Bintara, winding herself, though she quickly threw herself to her feet, firing off light, darkness, wind, fire, earth, water, lightning and any other attack she could, barraging the sky. Sekka’s bridge shattered, but she wreathed herself in thick frost and sprinted across the remaining expanse of the lake, seeking safety, while Tamamo-no-Mae narrowed her eyes, seeing what had attacked her.

“It… cannot be. You perished.” Tamamo-no-Mae was stunned, seeing the floating form of a wizened old hag-woman, with a curtain of white hair draping her, hiding her face, though her yellow eyes still gleamed through menacingly. A cloak of bear fur adorned her, and with her talon-like hands, she was deflecting the attacks Tamamo-no-Mae had launched.

“Oh, I remember it well.” The hag Kamuy, Kenas-unarpe, agreed, before cackling a savage, hate-filled laugh. “My end indeed did come, at your hands and others. Wretched harlot, showing your ass for those who came from beyond this land. And for what?” Kenas-unarpe spat, sizzling saliva falling to the mire below, which churned and reached up for her, only to be swept away by a surge of wind, as though two massive wings were beating invisibly. “Are you enjoying the fruits of your deeds? Does the water of victory taste pure, sweet and satisfying, like what Petorush Mat brought to the people? Or is it reeking, poisoned, just like this sorry place?”

Before Tamamo-no-Mae could answer, Sekka stumbled ashore, her strength mostly spent, ice flaking from her, and the Kamuy, if that is what she was, continued her invective, voice dripping with malice and resentment.

“Victory? Wag your tails, slut. I may be wicked, but perhaps age and my rebirth has mellowed me. We are one with the land, we forged this land, and we shall only truly die with the land. After all, the ocean and the mud is our womb. The womb of the creator, who sent the wagtail to create something from the soup of mud and water that held nothing, who tried poplar and failed, who then found the elm, the tree which brought fire and life… whereas you…” The contempt was palpable, and Tamamo-no-Mae’s mind was struggling to process this. I do not smell the taint of the ooze or dust upon her. It is as if she lives again, but that is impossible. I know I slew her…

“…are not one with this land, but are simply a crawling maggot, trying to eat your fill of what your betters birthed. My gift to you is… death!”

Her hand was raised, and a massive bear-head, dozens of metres across, formed from the mass of mud, dust and dark mist. Lightning flashed, striking it, blazing in its eyes like false life, and with a roar that shook the cavern, space itself starting to crack, the murk roiling like storm-tossed seas, the head shot forwards.

If the dungeon here shatters, all our efforts will have failed. That does not sit well with me. Oh, now I very much wish I did have Akio’s mysterious Eyes. It cannot be a living Kenas-unarpe, surely not… but whoever, or whatever it is… there is only one answer, as always. Power!

Sekka weakly shot some icy spears towards the oncoming head, while Bintara threw up a watery barrier, infusing it with her healing energies, the water shining like it was illuminated from within. Tamamo-no-Mae knew it was risky, but having fought this opponent in the distant past, she could not afford to be careless. Dying here will achieve naught. If the space breaks, so be it. We will endeavour to fix whatever disaster that causes when it happens.

Her strength rapidly released, her tails growing out, fur shimmering, Tamamo-no-Mae drew upon her strengths. Her weaknesses surely remain the same, unless this is a cruel prank. “Skies, shatter!” A massive surge of aether detonated, fed by spatial element to create a huge downward pressure, the collapsing sky somehow razor sharp.

Strange how I never understood just why that was so before. Those foolish humans, who danced to my whims, let me charm and control them, let me lead them and their kingdoms to ruin just to pass the time… how they have grown.

“Useless!” Kenas-unarpe sneered. “I have seen all your feeble efforts before…”

“The humans now say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but I am a fox, and no longer old.” Tamamo-no-Mae chortled, feeling adrenaline surge, her thirst for battle igniting. I am quite foolish and petty still, it seems, considering I lamented my slaughter of the Kamuy, and here I am, trying to annihilate this bitch in front of me. But then, she did start it, and I have not changed enough to back down from provocation…

“What Shatters, Reforms!” Knowing that the sharp blades were actually two-dimensional fragments of a three-dimensional world, momentarily existing due to a huge spatial pressure, fuelled by excess aether, Tamamo-no-Mae did something Kenas-unarpe could never have anticipated, and used them as projectiles. The bear head exploded, sliced apart and falling back towards them as a tide of filth, but unguided, Bintara was able to repel it with her water wall, aided by Sekka’s feeble efforts, though barely.

Other shards surrounded Kenas-unarpe like a cage, and blood bloomed, her screams ringing out. There was a crunching sound, as the damage to the surrounding space repaired itself, and the expended fragments vanished, to where, Tamamo-no-Mae did not know, and for a moment she thought she had dealt a lethal blow, only for a small horned owl, with white feathers and vicious yellow eyes, to flap away, passing through the cracks in this enclosed space, which had only worsened significantly with Tamamo-no-Mae’s intervention using her own spatial element.

As the owl, Kenas-unarpe’s other form, fled, it uttered some parting words. “I shall see you pay yet, harlot. I shall slice off your tails, and present your bare ass to all the bears who can stomach mating with such a raddled bitch. I shall be watching you. And waiting. To strike.” And with that she was gone.

“That was… unexpected.” Sekka managed to gasp. “Is that the end of the surprises? I do hope so. These past few days have been unpleasant.”

Ignoring her, Tamamo-no-Mae merely sneered at her departed enemy. “You seem far too weak to be yourself, old aunt of the swampy bush. And you… how is it they put it… fled like a villain-of-the-week, achieving nothing and uttering faint threats. Preposterous.”

Though I confess to some relief. This space is already crumbling. Perhaps it can be reinforced, or… I suppose it is not up to me to decide. I have severed the flow to Mount Rishiri. That is what I needed to achieve. “I needed to be shown with a glass ball and a hammer, how that works…” Tamamo-no-Mae mused, exhausted, thinking again to her mighty strike that tore apart space itself and used it as a weapon. “…if I knew that back then, I surely would not have struggled with the hag bitch so…”

“Can we leave?” Bintara asked, and with one last glance at the cracking and crumbling space around them, Tamamo-no-Mae nodded wearily, ears drooping with fatigue.

“Yes. And we may as well return slowly, just in time for their victory…”