Eriri squirmed until Leone finally set her down.
She darted behind Ubume for cover.
Mine approached, hands on hips, exasperated. "Leone, teasing Eriri again?"
Leone grinned. "How about teasing you instead?"
"No way!" Mine shot back. "Stick with Eriri!"
Their playful banter broke the tension.
Ubume chuckled, her maternal gaze softening at the petite, youthful Eriri and Mine. Her nurturing nature, inherent to her yokai essence, was fully awakened by them.
Leone, ignoring Eriri's bared fangs, turned to Aoandon, rubbing her chin. "So, Aoandon, ready to comply?"
Aoandon sighed calmly. "Many great yokai have been captured. I'm not among the strongest. They fell without resistance, so I'll surrender."
"If only all yokai were like you," Leone said, exasperated. "It'd be so much easier."
She handed Aoandon a kin contract.
Aoandon signed without hesitation, absorbing the transmitted knowledge. "I see," she murmured, shaking her head. "His Majesty's arrival will transform this world."
"Not transform," Mine corrected, wagging a finger. "Control it completely. Let's move—more yokai to catch."
The group pressed on, targeting the remaining great yokai.
Under Alistair's kin, every qualifying great yokai—and many lesser ones—was swiftly captured. Strength was irrelevant; against his forces, resistance was futile.
This world's potential was high, but its yokai were outmatched. The capture took less than a day, wrapping up efficiently.
What followed was beyond the kin's purview.
King against king, general against general.
Now, it was the subordinate gods' turn.
In the Underworld, Yama, arbiter of life and death, never imagined she'd be targeted.
Underworld
"Though called the Underworld here," Alistair mused, "I'd call it Hell."
"A mere name," he shrugged. "It doesn't matter."
The Dark World Tree already housed an Underworld and a Hell. This new one would be consumed, divided between them.
At the Sanzu River, Alistair, Persephone, and Albedo stood.
"Albedo, is it done?" Alistair asked.
She bowed, smiling. "Yes, Your Majesty. Suzuka Gozen has been captured."
A crystal orb in her hand held the sleeping yokai.
Alistair nodded, surveying the river and a nearby field of crimson flowers. "Let's go see."
They approached the field of Higanbana, flowers of death, where a great yokai dwelled.
A tall woman in an ornate kimono, with long black hair, emerged. She bowed elegantly. "I greet the unknown divine lord."
"Higanbana," Alistair said, admiring her beauty. This world's female yokai were stunning—except for Dajia, the inexplicably male Tamamo-no-Mae. A pity, but irrelevant. He'd seek Tamamo-no-Mae elsewhere. The Three-Tailed Fox here, however, was a captivating vixen, perfect for later.
He produced a kin contract. "Higanbana, sign this."
She didn't know its full implications but sensed its weight. Signing meant eternal servitude to this god. Refusal, however, wasn't an option. Her icy beauty softened with a bitter smile—she had no choice.
Taking the contract, she signed, knowing compliance was wiser than defiance. The sleeping Suzuka Gozen in Albedo's orb was proof of the consequences.
With the contract sealed, knowledge flooded her mind. She realized the magnitude of Alistair's existence. A loss? No, this is a gain.
"I greet Your Majesty," Higanbana bowed respectfully.
Alistair waved dismissively. "Enough formalities. Follow me to Yama."
She joined them, and in a flash, they arrived at Yama's Hall, the Underworld's core.
In the hall, a woman sat atop white clouds, dressed in a kimono, her slender legs crossed, white socks paired with clogs. Her black hair was pinned up, ghostly horns adorned her head, and near-white eyes gleamed. Wisps of skull-shaped mist swirled around her.
Yama frowned at the four intruders, sealing the hall with a gesture.
Alistair chuckled. "Clever. Locking the hall keeps outsiders out and us in. Win, and you're safe; lose, and we're trapped. A good plan."
"But," he added, "you misjudged our strength."
Yama, poised and regal, scanned them. She noted Higanbana and Suzuka Gozen but lingered on Alistair and Persephone.
"Unknown god and foreign Underworld ruler," she said softly, sensing Persephone's familiar aura—a fellow Underworld lord, but from another realm.
Persephone smiled. "Call me Persephone."
They exchanged greetings, undeterred by their power disparity.
Alistair lounged on a divine throne, pulling Persephone into his lap. Albedo and Higanbana flanked him.
"I'll be direct," he said. "I control an Underworld and a Hell. Hell needs a ruler. I want you to manage it."
Yama considered. "Takamagahara has fallen, but its gods remain. Can you defeat them?"
"Are they a match for Persephone?" Alistair asked.
Yama glanced at Persephone, feeling her divine aura. "No, they're not."
"Then that's enough," Alistair said. "What's your choice?"
Yama didn't hesitate. "I accept."
Higanbana stared, stunned. Yama, the supreme Underworld ruler, submitted so easily?
Yama noticed her shock but remained calm. "Higanbana, you sense only a fraction. If you saw more, you'd understand my choice."
To a yokai, Persephone was a terror. To Yama, she outclassed even Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo combined. They weren't in her league.
"As a God-King," Alistair said, "Persephone, though below Primordial or Absolute Gods, surpasses this world's limits. Even Izanami is likely only half-step God-King."
Yama murmured, "God-King…" She asked softly, "Lord, what am I?"
"Call me Dust," Persephone interjected gently.
"Dust," Yama echoed, understanding the intimacy of the name and its implications for her future status.
Alistair rubbed his chin. "You're a mid-tier god, but weaker than most. Your control over laws and divine will is lacking. Compared to an eighth-sense Saint, you'd lose."
Yama fell silent, stunned. She couldn't even match a great yokai?
Alistair's analogy held: great yokai were akin to eighth-sense Saints. Yama, despite her title, was outmatched. The gap between worlds was stark.
***
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