Tamamo-no-Mae knew this herself, yet her overly kind nature made her unable to simply ignore it.
"And thus, what we do is but righteous vengeance!" Sensing Tamamo-no-Mae's hesitation, Takeminakata eyes lit up, and he shouted loudly, "The Amaterasu lineage, who committed such evil acts, is no longer fit to stand upon this earth! There is no doubt!"
As his words fell, a massive roar of support erupted from the Izumo ranks—curses and cheers of malice. Even the mortals cast aside their cowardice, shaking their fists fanatically at the location of the giant fox.
The youkai serving Tamamo-no-Mae naturally cursed back with equal fervor. The originally solemn battlefield briefly felt like a rowdy marketplace, making Sū ěr find it bizarre yet unexpectedly understandable... after all, this era was so primitive.
Both Tamamo-no-Mae and Takeminakata heard the noise from both sides. Without a prior agreement, they both knew the time had come. Right this second.
"Advance."
"Kill them all!"
Different words, yet the same command. The moment the orders fell, the youkai scrambled to charge. Claws and hooves struck the overturned soil, kicking up little dust. More youkai took to the air, the eerie blue-violet youkai fire scorching red fur, leaving only faint singe marks.
The war had begun.
From underground to the surface, and from the surface to the sky, they fought in a chaotic mass.
"After this war, many youkai will likely be born here, won't they?" Think said suddenly, watching the battlefield where the sounds of slaughter reached the heavens.
"Probably. After all, many youkai will die. When the wind blows later, they'll sprout like grass," Sū ěr remarked with a sigh. "From this perspective, the ecology of this world is quite balanced. Kill at will, die at will, and then life is born again from the corpses... Huh?"
Sū ěr stopped abruptly, staring at the ground below. A blonde figure in a purple dress was standing there, waving at him. It was undeniably Yukari Yakumo, but how did she know they were here?
Sū ěr was confident that he and Think were well-hidden; no other youkai should have been able to find them.
Saving that bit of confusion for later, Sū ěr raised his hand and drew Yukari toward them. The blonde youkai did not resist the sudden force and soon arrived before Sū ěr.
"How did you know we were here?" Sū ěr asked immediately. Yukari gave the answer without hesitation.
"The Zashiki-warashi told me."
Good. Case closed. Sū ěr decided he'd give the little spirit a spanking when he got back.
"Why are you out here? Logically, you should be down there in the thick of it, shouldn't you? I just saw you behind Takeminakata," Sū ěr asked, puzzled.
"Because it is far too dangerous. That Nine-Tails won't show mercy to youkai, and I have a bit of a reputation. It would be troublesome if I were spotted," Yukari answered frankly.
"...You can't become the Overlord of Youkai if you're that afraid for your life," Sū ěr said, somewhat speechless. "Normally, this is the time to lead from the front, win hearts, show off your power, and expand your prestige. Aren't you wasting a golden opportunity by running away?"
"As you said, that is only winning hearts... Youkai are not humans. For youkai, the one who survives until the end is the winner... Besides, aren't I still down there?" Yukari smiled and pointed a finger.
In the direction she pointed, Sū ěr saw a purple silhouette flickering among the claws. He shook his head.
"You know that kind of double won't fool the powerful youkai... never mind, it's none of my business anyway." Sū ěr let out a sigh. "Tamamo-no-Mae is going to die. I suppose you're quite happy?"
This blonde youkai had long viewed the Nine-Tailed Fox as the greatest obstacle to her unification of youkai, and that obstacle was about to vanish.
Sū ěr found it hard to describe his own feelings—neither sadness nor joy, but he felt a fair bit of regret that the fox who had been so kind to him and Think was going to die... especially since this cunning youkai stood to gain the most.
Sū ěr gave Yukari a side-glance.
"If you were expecting to see me conquer the masses with raw dominance, I fear you will be disappointed... I have never been that kind of youkai from the start. My power is merely the level of playing tricks," Yukari said unhurriedly, showing she had a clear understanding of herself.
"Ah, I suppose so," Sū ěr replied flatly. "Then I'll congratulate you on your success in advance."
"I am most grateful."
Though he offered congratulations, Sū ěr inwardly looked down on a youkai who ran from trouble yet still wanted to seize the throne of Overlord. He could only say that Yukari might have a point: in the youkai world, only the survivor is the winner. And those who knew the truth... would probably be buried silently by this smiling creature.
Ages later, only what remained would be the "truth."
"Are you here waiting for the reaction of Takamagahara?" After their previous trip to Yamato, Yukari naturally knew of Sū ěr curiosity about the heavens. But now her words seemed to hold a different meaning.
"What? Are those guys waiting too?" Sū ěr pointed toward several other youkai hiding and observing.
"They're worried about Amaterasu reaction after the Nine-Tails dies, aren't they?" Think interjected, having been entranced by the sight of the giant fox fighting. "After all, that fox was born from Amaterasu aspect, and there are records in the myths of Amaterasu hiding in the Ama-no-Iwato [Heavenly Rock Cave] because she was angry."
"Given that precedent, it's hard to guarantee the one in Takamagahara won't hide away again because of the Nine-Tails' death. If that happens, Ashihara no Nakatsukuni will fall into long-lasting darkness. And this time, there's no guarantee Amaterasu can be tricked out again—she's been fooled once already~" Think said slowly.
"Considering that, I suspect those ancient youkai are currently debating whether to step in and save the fox from the hands of Izumo," Think concluded.
"Indeed. If the earth falls into eternal darkness again... that would be quite a hassle, wouldn't it?" Yukari said, though she didn't look bothered at all; on the contrary, she was smiling.