Chapter 102: Fairy Inukimi—A Possible Successor to Tsukuyomi
Noah examined Fairy Inukimi, who was kneeling before him.
Her long silver-white hair was styled in a hime cut, tied into twin ponytails at the back, with two long strands draping over her chest. A crescent moon sigil adorned her forehead, her amber-gold eyes shone brightly, her pointed ears twitched slightly, and she wore an elaborate twelve-layered kimono. Her blend of yokai and celestial elegance struck a deep chord with him.
Back when he watched Inuyasha, Inukimi had been one of his favorite yokai characters, ranking first without question.
But this world was not the Inuyasha or Nurarihyon no Mago that he once knew. This was not the original timeline.
Inukimi had not yet married Toga. She was still the princess of the canine demon clan.
As for the Meido Stone around her neck, it was not a gift from Toga but had originally been an ordinary pendant. Long after Tsukuyomi's death, a fragment of divine authority had fallen from the moon and merged into her necklace, transforming the simple gemstone into the Meido Stone.
The crescent moon sigil on her forehead was also a result of Tsukuyomi's aura lingering on the authority fragment, granting her a trace of divine power and refining her bloodline.
Fairy Inukimi was overwhelmed with nerves.
Ame-no-Minakanushi-sama had just praised her!
Before she could even process the honor, a hand lifted her chin. The face before her was so breathtakingly divine that it defied description.
She froze.
Noah stroked Fairy Inukimi's face and was unsurprised by her dazed reaction.
As the Creator God, he embodied the pinnacle of beauty, the definition of perfection.
Of course, this perfection was relative to the world itself.
"You are quite suited for the Authority of the Moon. However, you are still too young. You'll need time to grow first."
Noah intended to bestow upon Fairy Inukimi the Authority of Tsukuyomi, one of the Three Noble Children, but without the Authority of Time.
Fairy Inukimi snapped back to reality upon hearing the Creator God's voice.
For a moment, she was stunned, and then euphoria nearly consumed her.
Ame-no-Minakanushi-sama deemed her worthy of the Authority of the Moon. Was this not the divine position of Tsukuyomi, one of the Three Noble Children? A Primary God's seat!
That wasn't even the most important part—Ame-no-Minakanushi-sama wanted to raise her?
Even if Noah didn't read her mind, her emotions radiated clearly through her spiritual energy.
Istaroth, ever the voice of Noah's whims, crossed her arms and declared, "Fairy Inukimi, right? From now on, you are my master's pet. Understood?"
Fairy Inukimi turned to Istaroth in shock.
This was a Supreme God speaking!
Her elation was uncontrollable, and she couldn't suppress the smile spreading across her face.
"Yes, Lady Istaroth! I am Ame-no-Minakanushi-sama's loyal little pet!"
To become the pet of the Creator God—this happiness was beyond imagination.
Noah glanced at Istaroth, wordlessly approving her as his spokesperson.
Istaroth lifted her chin proudly, her expression saying, Of course I did it well.
Noah reached out and patted Fairy Inukimi's head.
She instinctively leaned into the touch, fully submitting like an obedient little pet.
As he stroked her head, he silently retrieved the authority fragment hidden within the Meido Stone.
Tsukuyomi was not only the Moon God and Time God but also the guide of the dead.
For humanity, night symbolized death, granting Tsukuyomi the power to open the gates to the Underworld.
Fairy Inukimi was so blissful she nearly fainted.
Just being near the Creator God and sensing his divine aura made her spiritual power surge at an astonishing rate.
Noah wasn't satisfied with just patting her head—he scratched her chin as well.
Fairy Inukimi's face flushed red, as if her chin was a particularly sensitive spot.
A pet dog. For now, just indulging for a moment was enough.
Without a sound, Noah left the temple.
Fairy Inukimi, still dazed from being touched, snapped back to reality and realized that Ame-no-Minakanushi had already left.
But the ecstasy in her heart did not fade.
She had become the Creator God's pet. Though she was still just an Adeptus, in the future, she would become Tsukuyomi, the Moon God, one of the Three Noble Children.
A Primary God, equal in rank to Rex Lapis.
Yet, as she touched her cheek, she felt a trace of disappointment.
Ame-no-Minakanushi had only petted her head and scratched her chin.
Even though it was just head pats, it had felt unbelievably comfortable—as if even her soul had been elevated.
Meanwhile…
Toga soared through the sky, smirking arrogantly, leading a legion of yokai that he had subjugated along the way.
Tessaiga gleamed in his grasp as he floated in midair, gazing down at Mount Nejireme.
Rumble—!
Above them, ominous demonic clouds thickened, their presence dyeing the entire world purple from the sheer concentration of demonic energy.
The oppressive aura blanketed the land. In this purple-hued world, a pair of enormous, blood-red eyes loomed with suffocating pressure.
As Toga and his legion of yokai arrived, a massive surge of violet demonic energy rose from Mount Nejireme to meet them.
Over ten thousand yokai's auras merged, forming a crushing wave of power.
The black demonic energy seethed, with countless crimson eyes flickering within it.
At the forefront of the darkness, Nurarihyon stood, his body wrapped in the power of the Hyakki Yakō, his blade resting casually on his shoulder.
He gazed at Toga, who hovered in the sky surrounded by his own yokai forces, and smirked.
"Toga… I never thought I'd meet a famous yokai lord like you under these circumstances."
Toga's eyes were filled with unyielding dominance as he glared down at the leader of the Hyakki Yakō, a yokai who had risen to power in just a few short decades.
Raising Tessaiga, he pointed it straight at Nurarihyon.
"Nurarihyon, do you submit, or do I have to beat you into submission?"
Nurarihyon gave a carefree smirk, raising a thumb over his shoulder toward the Hyakki Yakō behind him.
"I heard you became an Immortal, and that your power is beyond comprehension… But I have the strength of over ten thousand yokai concentrated within me—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Toga had already swung his blade down.
"Got it. I'll just beat you into submission!"
The immortal power inside Toga exploded, golden divine light surging and wrapping around Tessaiga.
In an instant, the blade expanded to over a hundred meters, transforming into a colossal cleaver—akin to the Ruyi Jingu Bang itself.
Without another word, he swung it down toward the Hyakki Yakō.
The very instant Nurarihyon faced the colossal blade, he felt the overwhelming force of ten thousand yokai's power crumbling beneath the immortal power.
His body felt like it was being crushed under a mountain, completely unable to move.
A premonition of death instantly appeared over Nurarihyon and every yokai of the Hyakki Yakō.
Pure terror filled their eyes.
Nurarihyon had only wanted to test the strength of Toga—the Immortal who had been conquering daiyōkai effortlessly.
But before they even had the chance to fight, the entire Hyakki Yakō had already collapsed.
In that instant, over ten thousand yokai fell to their knees.
"We surrender—!"
"We submit—!"
"We grovel before you—!"
Buzz—
The moment the yokai of the Hyakki Yakō shouted their surrender, the massive blade halted instantly—stopping just a finger's width from Nurarihyon's head.
Although Toga had not used Wind Scar or any other special technique, his immortal power had stirred the wind into a violent storm. The Hyakki Yakō was instantly swept away, their bodies flung across the ground as they screamed and begged for mercy.
Nurarihyon stood frozen in shock.
His long, unruly hair—covering his oversized head—had been completely shaved clean by the immortal wind.
Gulp—
Nurarihyon swallowed hard. He had truly just brushed against death.
Had his subordinates not surrendered in time, he had no doubt that Toga's single slash would have annihilated the entire Hyakki Yakō.
"I surrender… I surrender…"
Sweat poured down Nurarihyon's face as he stared at Toga, who had calmly withdrawn his blade.
So this is an Immortal?
How can they be so much stronger than daiyōkai?
There's no way to even resist…
Toga returned Tessaiga to its original size, then smirked and gestured toward the other subdued daiyōkai.
"Before they met me, they were just like you—wondering if an Immortal was really that strong."
The red-eyed daiyōkai all stared silently.
We only surrendered because the True God granted him immortal power.
If not for that power, Toga would be no different from us.
Several of them were already plotting—once the True God granted them immortal power, they would join forces to settle the score with Toga.
Nurarihyon signed the contract, and soon after, the entire Hyakki Yakō followed.
With this, only the yokai of Kyoto, Shikoku, and Tōno remained unsubjugated.
Just as Toga led Nurarihyon and his Hyakki Yakō toward Shikoku to subdue Inugamigyōbu Danuki, the sky over Kyoto shifted into a dusk-like hue.
The stench of death spread in all directions, as though announcing the land's demise.
Toga gazed at the twilight-colored sky, his expression filled with disbelief.
"That's—! The aura of Yomi! How is the power of Yomi manifesting in the mortal realm?"
Nurarihyon took a slow drag from his pipe.
"Looks like you haven't heard the news yet."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Two days ago, Yomi's aura began spreading from Kyoto."
"Any human touched by it dies instantly. People have been fleeing Kyoto ever since."
"Right now, the onmyōji clans are busy escorting human refugees to safety."
"As for who's responsible—according to the onmyōji, it's Hagoromo Gitsune and her daiyōkai."
"Apparently, those yokai have been hunting the fleeing humans."
Toga's expression darkened.
"How…? Only a god should be able to do something like this!"
Bringing the power of Yomi into the mortal realm was impossible for underworld yokai. Toga had been to the Underworld himself—he knew this was beyond their capabilities.
Nurarihyon's voice turned grim.
"Rumor has it that Nue has become a god in Yomi. He's trying to return to the mortal realm, so he bestowed his divine power upon Kyoto's yokai."
Toga was stunned.
He immediately checked the Divine Pantheon Blueprint—but there was no trace of Nue's name.
Not under Subordinate Gods, Primary Gods, or even Supreme Gods.
"This doesn't make sense…"
"Regardless of the details, all daiyōkai—return with me to Liyue. We must report this to the gods immediately."
The daiyōkai roared in excitement.
"Yes!"
Their glowing crimson eyes were filled with anticipation.
Finally, they would be able to meet the Supreme Lord and receive immortal power.
Heh, Toga—your time is up.
The daiyōkai were naturally unruly beings. They only submitted to personal power.
To them, Toga had only won because he had been gifted immortal power by the True God of Takamagahara.
Once they received immortal power, Toga would be nothing.
The daiyōkai followed Toga as they made their way toward Himeji City.
With their initial contracts signed, the territories of these yokai officially became part of Liyue.
Himeji City dispatched the Millelith alongside contracted yokai to cleanse their newly acquired lands of evil yokai and vengeful spirits.
A legion of dozens of daiyōkai, their demonic auras blotting out the sky, marched toward Himeji City.
Had this been before, humans would have collapsed in terror, awaiting their fate as yokai prey. But now, they barely reacted.
In Liyue, there were no evil yokai or malevolent spirits.
And even if some still existed, they would not be tolerated in Himeji City.
...
Rex Lapis's Temple
Zhongli bestowed immortal cultivation techniques upon the dozens of kneeling yokai within the temple.
Granting them immortal power, he welcomed them as his retainers.
Though technically his retainers, Zhongli preferred to think of them as students—just as he had during the Archon War, when he granted immortal power to the Adepti.
As the yokai absorbed the immortal power, the Divine Pantheon Blueprint appeared in their minds.
Upon understanding its contents, the yokai were so overwhelmed with happiness that they nearly ascended on the spot.
Now, they understood why Toga's attitude had changed so drastically.
He was working toward godhood.
A future True God.
While the yokai were still lost in ecstatic joy, Toga reported the situation in Kyoto.
Zhongli turned his steady gaze toward Kyoto's direction.
Three days ago, he had already sensed this aura from the world of the dead—the so-called power of Yomi, belonging to the Supreme Throne of the Lord of Yomi.
"I understand now. An usurper seeks to seize the divine seat of Yomi. The divine power flooding the mortal realm has already transformed Kyoto's daiyōkai into divine puppets."
"You cannot oppose them."
"Now, I give you your first divine decree."
"Evacuate all humans from Kyoto to Liyue."
"By the will of the Sovereign!"
The dozens of daiyōkai, led by Toga, were eager to rush into Kyoto to earn merit.
If they saved even a single human, it would count as an achievement.
And if they defeated a Kyoto yokai, their contributions would skyrocket.
But the Sovereign's decree was clear—rescue only, no fighting.
After all, the yokai of Kyoto had already reached divine-level strength.
Zhongli paused in thought.
The Heavenly Principle had not passed judgment on the usurper.
Was this his task?
If so, this would be the perfect opportunity for the six newly ascended gods to demonstrate their divine power in the mortal world.
Meanwhile, Noah arrived at Maple Village, named after the vast maple forests surrounding it.
This was the village once protected by the priestess Midoriko, and later by Kikyo, the strongest spiritual priestess since her time.
However, Kikyo had not yet been born.
Noah approached the Tree of Ages, pressing his hand against its bark.
A soft green divine light emanated from the tree.
"As expected, the Time Authority here differs vastly from Teyvat's. It allows unrestricted travel between past and future, and even altering history without backlash."
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