On the map Miko had given Satsuki, the surrounding regions were marked with the names of several well-known yokai.
Even the weakest among them were at least mid-tier yokai. However, one particular name stood out—Ōmukade.
Satsuki had heard Miko mention this yokai during their travels. Strictly speaking, it was nothing more than a lowly creature—a minor yokai. Even though it had once temporarily absorbed the power of the Shikon Jewel, it had never risen beyond the level of a lower-class yokai.
Still, this creature had caused Miko considerable trouble during her journey through the Kanagawa region—not because it was powerful, but because it had a strange connection to the Shikon Jewel. Whenever it came within a certain range of the jewel, it would resurrect. The yokai had the upper body of a human woman and the lower body of a giant centipede, and it attacked Miko relentlessly.
It wasn't until she received help from other mages that the creature was finally slain, dismembered, and sealed away.
Apparently, the memory of that yokai had left such a deep impression on Miko that she'd specifically marked its name and characteristics on the map—along with a note stating that, if it were ever unsealed again, it must be destroyed and its remains thrown into a place called the Well of Devoured Bones.
Aside from Ōmukade, the rest of the yokai listed were mostly mid-tier and high-tier beings, each ruling over their own territory or leading a small yokai domain.
Naturally, Satsuki had no interest in dealing with any low-tier creatures. Instead, she began reviewing the descriptions of the great yokai.
"Shishinki, Ryūkotsusei, Menōmaru, Panther King, Dog General Tōga, Hōsenki, Princess Inukimi, Sesshōmaru..."
"Host, are you seriously planning to go after a great yokai?" the system asked incredulously inside her mind. "This trial is just some random little god's way of making things difficult for you. Why take it so seriously?"
"As long as that deity knows their limits, I don't mind whether it's a challenge or not. On the contrary, I actually find this world's yokai rather interesting."
Satsuki calmly examined the map, memorizing each location and the information about the yokai who inhabited them. "From what I can tell, quite a few of these great yokai seem capable of reason. Their behavior resembles that of human nobles—ruling over their territories rather than mindlessly killing. Intelligent yokai like these at least understand the principle of sustainable dominance. In that sense, they're far easier to negotiate with than those brainless beasts."
"Heh, that's only because you could flip the entire table anytime you wanted," the system muttered, accidentally blurting out the truth.
Satsuki didn't bother to deny it. "Of course. When dealing with foreign species lacking mutual trust, peace must always be established on a foundation of strength. Only balanced power can sustain lasting peace—that's a universal truth, no matter the world."
"So, Host, have you chosen a target yet? Are you going for a lone great yokai, or a whole group of tough ones?"
Satsuki's response was perfectly in character. "A whole group of tough ones will do."
The system was momentarily speechless. Well, it thought, power really does let you do whatever you please.
After a brief silence, it spoke again. "Then, have you decided where to go?"
As if in response, the map Miko had given her floated into the air of its own accord, unfurling before Satsuki. Extending a slender finger, she pointed toward a distant location.
"Here."
"The Western Lands?" The system blinked in surprise. "That's quite far from here. Why choose that place?"
"Two reasons," Satsuki said calmly. "First, it's where the most great yokai reside. If negotiations fail, it'll be easier to move on to the next target."
Even now, before acting, Satsuki's first thought was always the same—if this fails, what's the next move?
"The second reason," Satsuki continued, "is that both the supreme ruler of the Western Lands—Dog General Tōga—and his wife, Princess Inukimi, are clearly highly humanized yokai, judging by their names. They've established a functioning administrative system in the West and even allow humans and yokai to coexist. That alone suggests that these canine yokai have at least some sense of order. Maintaining such balance must be costly—but it also proves that they value contracts and promises. After all, if I chose to negotiate with a deceitful, untrustworthy yokai, the so-called 'communication' would be nothing more than a performance."
The system let out an amused "Oh~". So this was like filtering clients for quality—those with no credibility were instantly disqualified.
"And the third reason," Satsuki added, tapping another spot on the map, "is that after seeing Katori Jingū, I've grown quite curious about the Yasaka Jingū located in the Western Lands."
Her finger rested upon the words: One of the Four Grand Shrines — Yasaka Jingū.
"So, Host, when are we setting off?"
"Tomorrow," Satsuki replied calmly. "Miko's Celestial Coronation ceremony takes place in three months—that's more than enough time."
...
The next day, on the walkway outside the main hall—
"Oh? Miss Satsuki, leaving so soon?" asked Chiyoko, looking surprised when Satsuki informed her of her departure. "Is something wrong with the accommodations here? If there's anything you find uncomfortable, please tell me honestly."
"It's not about that," Satsuki replied with a gentle smile. "The lodging, environment, and atmosphere here are all wonderful—truly relaxing for both body and spirit. However, I've been given a trial by Lady Saigū, so I must leave for a while. I've also promised Miko that I'll attend her Celestial Coronation Ceremony later, so you can rest assured—I'll be back before long."
"I see..." Chiyoko finally relaxed upon hearing that.
"So, this time I'm merely setting out to complete a trial. I just wanted to say farewell beforehand. If Miko or anyone else asks, please tell them the truth."
"Understood. I wish you a safe journey, Miss Satsuki."
"Thank you. And I wish you the same—may your own wishes soon come true."
...
Aside from Chiyoko, Satsuki and Ruri informed no one else of their departure from Katori Jingū. To Satsuki, this journey was hardly a challenge worth announcing.
Once they had passed beyond the shrine's protective barrier and reached a deserted plain, the system finally stopped speaking in Satsuki's mind and instead controlled Ruri's shikigami body directly.
"Host, are you planning to walk all the way again this time?" Ruri asked through the system's voice.
"Last time, we had to travel with Miko and Master En no Ozunu. But since it's just the two of us now, that's unnecessary."
With a faint smile, Satsuki performed a summoning technique. Instantly, her ornate chariot—summoned through spiritual invocation—appeared before them. She rose effortlessly into the air, stepping onto the floating vehicle, while Ruri swiftly climbed aboard as well.
Then, under the guidance of a mysterious power, the chariot lifted high into the sky before soaring swiftly toward the west.
Flying through the sky was far faster than traveling on foot.
Before long, Satsuki's chariot had already passed over Tama Castle, and through her Tenseigan, she even caught sight of the hot spring inn's owner and his wife.
At that very moment, they were busy pasting exorcism talismans along the corners of the hot spring.
"Looks like that fainting incident last time really left quite an impression on them," Satsuki said with a faint smile. With a flick of her sleeve, three strings of coins flew out silently, landing neatly on their counter. Beneath them lay a note that read: Payment for the room and the trouble caused.
Inside the chariot, Ruri curiously peeked out from side to side, her eyes flashing with lines of runes and incantations.
Every so often, she would exclaim in surprise. "Master, look! That mountain—it's actually a yokai! What a massive thing. Its aura is strong, but its intelligence seems low—it only knows how to sleep. I can't imagine how it got that big."
A moment later, she pointed toward a lush green valley and gasped again. "Is that the Wolf Tribe? They all have human forms, but they look so weak... Ah! One just got grabbed by a monstrous bird—tsk, tsk, it's eating it alive. What an appetite!"
Satsuki didn't turn around, but her Tenseigan took in every detail of the surrounding landscape.
Beneath the chariot, within a deep canyon, numerous humanoid wolf yokai were darting along the cliffs in a desperate attempt to flee. They were being hunted from above by a swarm of bird yokai.
These creatures had blue-skinned human torsos about a meter tall, attached to enormous bird-like bodies with wingspans exceeding ten meters. Though their lower halves were feathered, they lacked beaks—instead, their human faces split into enormous, gaping maws. Their hunting style was far more savage than any true bird's—they relied purely on speed and brute strength, diving at the fleeing Wolf Tribe below.
Since they could fly, their attacks were completely one-sided. The Wolf Tribe had no effective way to fight back, lacking any form of ranged attack. All they could do was run.
As Ruri watched, perhaps her excited shouting had drawn attention—because a few of the bird yokai broke away from the group and began flying directly toward Satsuki's chariot.
As they approached, they shrieked loudly in defiance.
—these bird yokai with human torsos screeching unintelligibly.
"Can't even speak properly, worthless beasts..." Satsuki muttered.
Then she cast a sidelong glance at Ruri. "You caused this. You deal with it."
To Satsuki, these creatures—somewhere between minor and lower-class yokai—weren't worth her time. But if they were foolish enough to show hostility, they would pay the price.
"Piece of cake," Ruri replied confidently.
She turned to face them—without even entering her Combat Mode. Still in her childlike form, she raised one hand, and small orbs of deep violet foxfire materialized in the air. They gathered in her palm, forming a pulsing sphere of flame. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she looked out at the incoming flock through the howling wind.
"So they're Paradise Birds, huh? Most of these things can't even talk. Calling them yokai is generous—they just happen to have a tiny trace of demonic energy."
Her eyes narrowed.
Behind the dozens of approaching Paradise Birds, several swirls of yokai energy began to coalesce.
"Only this level of power, and they still dare to provoke the unknown? I wonder how such stupidity survives."
With a sharp motion, Ruri drew her hand across the air. Instantly, streaks of deep violet foxfire extended from her fingertips, forming a blade-like arc that slashed through the sky. A hundred meters away, the attack ripped through the flock of Paradise Birds like a glowing sword.
In an instant, a third of the yokai were consumed by flame—their bodies igniting without warning as they plummeted screaming into the canyon below. The entire flock was engulfed in violet fire.
"Hmph. Not done yet."
Amused, Ruri decided to play a little longer. Channeling a surge of demonic energy, she summoned more foxfire, fusing it into both her palms.
Ruri brought her palms together before her, mimicking the gesture of swatting a fly.
At that moment, two enormous constructs of foxfire materialized on either side of the flock—each forming a colossal hand nearly forty meters wide.
The Paradise Birds instantly sensed something was wrong. They might have been dim-witted, but when their lives were on the line, even they knew fear—and tried to scatter and flee.
Too late.
"Next time you're reborn as yokai," Ruri said dryly, "try reading a few more books—and learn not to provoke the wrong target."
Her palms clapped together.
The giant foxfire hands mirrored her motion, slamming inward with tremendous force. In the blink of an eye, every last Paradise Bird that had been pursuing them was crushed into nothingness, leaving behind only a burning sea of violet flames floating in the air.
"Ah~ that felt good!" Ruri sighed contentedly, collapsing onto the floor of the chariot and rolling over lazily, looking as pleased as if she had just found some rare treasure.
Satsuki glanced back toward the horizon, where the sky still glowed with the afterimage of the foxfire inferno. "You can see the yokai cores now?"
"Heh, that's child's play for this system," Ruri replied smugly.
"Hmm... that's just the prerequisite technique behind this world's so-called Secret Arts derived from yokai energy. Hardly impressive," Satsuki said flatly. "But since you can use yokai energy now, that means you also possess a yokai core yourself. Could you withstand that same kind of attack if it were directed at you?"
"Oh, that's a good question!" Ruri perked up immediately. Without hesitation, she began gathering demonic energy in front of herself, forming a glowing yokai core in midair.
Then, with one hand, she reached out—apparently intending to crush her own core.
But halfway through the motion, her hand froze completely, as though space itself had solidified. No matter how much force she applied, she couldn't move an inch.
There was only one being in all heaven and earth who could do such a thing: the woman beside her—Satsuki.
"You're really going to experiment by trying to destroy your own core?" Satsuki said, her tone full of exasperation. "Can't you design an experiment yourself without relying on whatever's written in the Akashic Records? Just so we're clear—I'm not putting your body back together if you kill yourself. Figure out how to resurrect on your own."
With that, she released her hold on Ruri's arm.
"So cold, Master," Ruri said with a mischievous grin. "But if you truly didn't care, you would've let me crush it just now. You were worried about me, weren't you?"
Satsuki's eyebrow twitched slightly. Without a word, she extended one hand toward Ruri.
"?" Ruri blinked in confusion. "Master, what are you—?"
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!