The ink on the pages Niwa Nagahide had closed had not yet dried. The secret plotted within the tenshukaku of Kiyosu Castle naturally could not reach the Imagawa main camp at Okehazama.
But the Oda clan's movements didn't require Shinji to constantly monitor them. What concerned him was another matter entirely. A message from Kaede's Village.
The osore network transmitted a report in the early afternoon. The tanuki's voice was fragmented and urgent, carrying that peculiar tone unique to that little Fourth Transformation yōkai, deferential, respectful, yet utterly unable to suppress its excitement. The Bone-Eater's Well, had stirred.
The ancient well behind the shrine of Kaede's Village, which had lain dormant for who knew how many years, had finally begun to react. Because of the vast quantities of yōkai corpses that had been continuously thrown into it over the past three months.
From the purging of the three Tōno clans during their southern invasion. To the assorted demonic remnants hurled in during the exterminations along the road. To the shipment of charred, ash-like fragments delivered by the Demon Slayer Corps after Kibutsuji Muzan's annihilation and the subsequent cleansing of demons across the land.
At last, there was a response. From within the well, yōkai that had originally been nothing but corpses, had suddenly come "alive." Yet those yōkai, though seeming to spring back to life, would very quickly lose that vitality once again. They merely burst forth to startle those nearby, and then died once more.
"The Bone-Eater's Well was constructed from the wood of the Sacred Tree, the Era Tree. That power… should not be resurrecting yōkai from the dead. Rather, it is reversing their time, returning them to the state they held just before death."
Hearing the report, Kikyō made this judgment. She was seated within the tent. Her longbow rested beside her knee. She held an arrow's fletching between her fingers. Her white uwagi and crimson hakama were crisp and clean beneath the lamplight. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Shinji leaned against a tent pole, his crimson demon eyes half-lidded. The Bone-Eater's Well. In the original Inuyasha, it was the passage linking the Warring States era to the modern age.
But in this world, where multiple worldviews had fused, its function might not align perfectly with the original. In the original story, demons thrown into it merely vanished, presumably cast to the other end of the temporal passage linked to the bottom of the well.
They did not resurrect. There was no possibility of regressing to their pre-death state. Even if that resurrection was false. Even if it was merely a fleeting, momentary resurgence. Yet the core essence would not change.
That well held the power to transcend time and space. And those four words, transcend time and space, contained far, far too many things. Especially now.
Shinji's demon eyes narrowed faintly. He had been waiting for this day. From the very first moment he had discovered that ancient well behind Kaede's Village, blanketed in moss. From the instant the System had detected the Affection of the Sacred Tree, and he had learned from Kikyō that the unremarkable old well behind the shrine was none other than the Bone-Eater's Well.
From that moment, he had been consciously throwing yōkai corpses into the well. The yōki density of each corpse. The intensity of the residual grudges. The intervals between each disposal. Though he didn't know the precise activation conditions, the "judgment" born of a transmigrator's knowledge told him, the Bone-Eater's Well required a massive accumulation of yōki to awaken.
Then he would feed it. Continuously. Steadily. The same principle as cultivating Affection. Quantitative change would eventually trigger a qualitative shift.
Regarding Shinji's focus on the Bone-Eater's Well, Kikyō was, of course, well aware. She pondered deeply.
"According to the shrine's records, in the past, the Bone-Eater's Well did occasionally exhibit similar anomalies. But each time such an anomaly occurred, the miko of the past would cease throwing in the corpses of yōkai. And then the anomalies would stop. Extrapolating from this, we should still be short by just a margin."
Shinji nodded. No rush. The awakening of the Bone-Eater's Well was only a matter of time. What he cared about more, was what he would use it for once it awoke.
Or rather, who he would use it against. Beyond wanting to cultivate the well itself and acquire its time-related abilities, abilities that, regardless of the world, were considered top-tier, Shinji had also harbored a thought: to use it against a certain someone.
He drew something from within his robes. Something he had kept for a very long time. A sheet of paper folded twice. Upon it was drawn the outline of a mountain. The lines were rough, but the features were unmistakable. Conical. Steep. A snow-capped peak. Mount Fuji.
The divine mountain of this land since ancient times. It was said to be the place in the entire mortal realm closest to the heavenly realm. The highest point in the world of men. This paper was the result of an investigation he had ordered the tanuki to arrange through its intelligence network a month ago.
Within Suruga Province. Mount Fuji. The highest peak in the land. Since time immemorial, a sacred mountain jointly venerated by Shintō and Buddhism alike. But within the interior of that mountain, Shinji knew all too well. One had to understand: from the very first day he had transmigrated into this world, his mind had been filled with countless memories of Inuyasha.
So he knew with perfect clarity, the Mount Fuji of this world was not simply an active volcano that could erupt at any time. Nor was it merely a sacred mountain tied to mythology alone.
Within Mount Fuji, was sealed a true Celestial Palace. And the master of that palace was an existence who called herself a Celestial Maiden. Her name was… Kaguya.
She styled herself a celestial maiden. Naturally, she was no true celestial maiden. She was a demon who had devoured the true celestial maiden. It was said that long ago, a celestial maiden had descended from Takamagahara.
As she bathed in the mortal realm, a mortal stole her Celestial Robe. Unable to return to the heavenly realm, she took up residence in the world of men. But the truth was, the celestial maiden had indeed descended. And she had indeed been unable to return. But she had not taken up residence.
She had died. Kaguya had devoured her in her moment of weakness, stealing her appearance, her power, even her very identity. From that point on, she styled herself as the Celestial Maiden.
She possessed two abilities of terrifying, horrifying power. Wide-area temporal stasis. And… the Mirror of Still Water. The former could freeze everything into absolute stillness, with only the caster free to move. The latter, using the divine mirror in her hand, the Mirror of Life, as a medium, could reflect all energy attacks directed at her back upon their source, completely unaltered. Perfect offense and defense in one. Nearly impossible to counter.
In the original story, she would be sealed in turn within the Mirror of Life by the grandfather of Miroku, the hōshi who, through the cursed bloodline bestowed by Naraku, possessed the Wind Tunnel, a void that could devour all things and would ultimately devour even himself.
She would remain sealed until her release fifty years later. But in this timeline, Kumo-Oni had been slain by Shinji before he could ever become Naraku. Miroku's grandfather could not possibly possess the Wind Tunnel. That sealing had certainly never occurred.
Kaguya might still be active in the shadows. Or she might be slumbering somewhere, due to some alteration brought by the merging of worldviews, yet ready to awaken at any moment.
She was an immense threat. After all, Mount Fuji was within Suruga Province. Within his territory. He naturally had to prepare for her existence. The power of the Bone-Eater's Well, which directly traversed time, was one of the few forces capable of countering Kaguya's temporal stasis.
Beyond that, Kaguya also possessed something that intrigued him. That was, the items carried by the true celestial maiden she had devoured.
The Celestial Robe. The Robe of the Fire Rat. And many other treasures scattered across the mortal realm. It was obvious. The missing Robe of the Fire Rat that had belonged to Inuyasha, had, at the very beginning, been brought down from the Celestial Palace by the celestial maiden Kaguya had devoured.
It was only through unknown circumstances that it had fallen into the hands of Tōga, the great daiyōkai of the Western Lands, who had then gifted it to Inuyasha's mother.
And beyond that, there was the Celestial Palace itself, hidden within Mount Fuji. If he could obtain those things, cultivate them, one by one… Shinji couldn't even imagine how overwhelmingly powerful he could become.
He then relayed all of this to Kikyō, who had been watching him from the side, not speaking much, merely waiting in silence.
After listening to Shinji's account, of the demon Kaguya who had devoured the celestial maiden and was sealed within Mount Fuji, and of the Celestial Robe, the Robe of the Fire Rat, the Mirror of Life, and the rest of those secret histories, a brief stillness fell within the tent.
Kikyō did not display much shock. She merely listened quietly. Her dark pupils reflected the profile of Shinji's face. She was so focused that Shinji thought she might be lost in a daze.
"I see," the miko spoke softly after a long moment. She reached out. With a movement that was entirely natural, she brushed a lock of pale hair that had fallen before his chest back behind his ear. Her breath was like an orchid.
"Since Mount Fuji lies within Suruga Province, within your territory, a demon of ancient times who commands wide-area temporal stasis and can reflect all attacks… is indeed a threat that cannot be ignored."
Kikyō's voice was calm. Composed. She did not ask how Shinji knew so much. She trusted him. And she knew he would never hide anything from her. That was enough.
She added, "So, you need the Bone-Eater's Well." A well constructed from the wood of the Sacred Tree, the Era Tree, which possessed the power of time. Theoretically, it could indeed, within a certain range, counter Kaguya.
Shinji picked up the thread and confirmed it. "That's why I've been working so hard to activate that well. You know me. I've never liked being passive. I prefer to strike first. Once that well is unsealed, and once I've gained its 'aid', I'll enter Mount Fuji on my own and deal with Kaguya. And along the way… take those treasures that descended from Takamagahara."
He spoke with such absolute conviction that the cold, detached miko couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. It was a breathtaking sight. Kikyō then leaned forward slightly.
The fabric of her white uwagi and crimson hakama rustled with a faint, delicate sound. "When that time comes…" She drew very close to him. The space between their breaths carried the clean, pleasant scent of morning grass and trees, not perfume, but something pure. "I am still coming with you."
She didn't use a tone of negotiation. "Celestial maiden or daiyōkai, if she can stop time, then I'll shoot her through before time stops. If she can reflect attacks, then I'll seal her reiryoku veins before she can unfurl her mirror."
The confidence of the strongest miko of the Warring States was laid bare in all its brilliance in that moment. She gazed into Shinji's crimson demon eyes. The corner of her lips curved into a smile, exceedingly faint, yet exquisitely tender.
"Whatever you wish to do, I will help you. Even if you want to plunder the treasures of a celestial palace, I will clear the path for you. After all… you've always been a greedy yōkai." She paused. "And you are my beloved."
As she spoke these words, Kikyō's face flushed faintly, yet her voice remained utterly unwavering. There was a trace of playful reproach. But far more than that, was unreserved, absolute devotion.
Shinji listened. He gazed at that breathtakingly beautiful face so close to his own. The Shura Heart within his chest pulsed with a single, immensely powerful beat, though it was, in truth, only a projection.
He didn't speak. He simply lowered his head and kissed her, as naturally as breathing. Kikyō didn't evade. She closed her eyes in yielding surrender. Her lashes trembled faintly. She tilted her head upward ever so slightly. She returned this moment of early-morning tenderness. Lips and tongues intertwined. A deep, exploring exchange.
The atmosphere within the tent, for a long, suspended moment, became profoundly intimate. And profoundly still.
Yet, outside, barely a tent's thickness away, the atmosphere was anything but.
In the great tent not ten paces from Shinji's own, Imagawa Yoshimoto sat with rigid, perfect posture. Her twelve-layered kimono of deep purple and gold thread was arranged immaculately. Her hair ornaments were groomed without a single strand out of place.
But at this moment, the face of the young daimyō who commanded three provinces was as black as the bottom of a cauldron. Click. Click. The folding fan painted with pine and crane in her hands snapped open and shut with an utterly unladylike, brittle rhythm. Too close. The two tents were simply too close.
When Shinji and Kikyō had been discussing serious matters inside, their voices had been kept very low. She couldn't make out the exact words.
But! That atmosphere! Those faint, indistinct murmurs of a man and a woman, utterly unguarded, even if she couldn't hear the content, that very "aura" came surging into Yoshimoto's tent on the morning breeze! And just now, that side had suddenly fallen completely silent! A man and a woman, alone! Early in the morning! What were they doing in that silence?!
Yoshimoto ground her silver teeth. The folding fan slammed onto the low table with a sharp crack. "Shameless…" The young daimyō squeezed the words out from between clenched teeth. Yet the rims of her ears were so red they seemed about to drip blood.
She thought back to yesterday afternoon on the battlefield. Cornered by Shibata Katsuie, pushed to the brink of death, it was that gray silhouette that had descended from the heavens and blocked the killing axe with Banryū.
That sense of security, as vast and immovable as a mountain, she hadn't even finished savoring it! And then that miko called Kikyō appeared, so naturally took Shinji's hand, and with veiled barbs, shot an arrow grazing her cheek, claiming it was to "purify yōki"!
The more Yoshimoto thought about it, the angrier she became. She was the First Archer of the Tōkaidō. She commanded seven thousand main-force soldiers. Tens of thousands of troops. How could she be so utterly suppressed in sheer presence by a wandering miko?
Was that yōkai blind as well?! She had already spoken the words: After the capital is taken, I will make you the god of all under heaven!
And he hadn't been moved in the slightest! He'd just turned around, gone back to his tent, and started canoodling with that miko!
"Detestable miko…" Yoshimoto muttered under her breath. Her chest heaved violently. He was hers first. She was the one who had met him first, the one who had properly courted him…
In the corner of the tent, Matsudaira Motoyasu, who had been tasked with escorting the supply train, had shrunk into a tiny, quail-like ball.
That's what I'm thinking, but I'm not saying a word, she thought silently. The ten-year-old girl wore her plain gray kimono. Behind her round-rimmed crystal spectacles, her eyes were stretched wide.
She stared fixedly at the ledger in her hands, though she couldn't read a single word, she dared not look up at her lord's face. As a hostage, Motoyasu understood the situation with painful clarity.
My lord isn't angry at that yōkai. My lord is clearly jealous. And it's not just ordinary jealousy, it's a whole vat of aged, fermented jealousy! At a moment like this, whoever made a sound would become the target. Motoyasu wished she could shrink into the very cracks of the floorboards.
"Motoyasu!" Yoshimoto suddenly barked.
"Here!" Motoyasu jolted so hard her ledger fell to the ground. She scrambled forward on all fours, her forehead pressed to the earth. "What are my lord's orders!"
Yoshimoto drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the irritation roiling in her heart. It was sheer reason that propped up the dignity of her position.
"The sky is already bright. Relay the order to the entire army, break camp immediately!" Yoshimoto rose to her feet. The hem of her twelve-layered kimono swept a cold, hard arc across the ground.
"Tell the vanguard, no more dawdling! Objective: the Owari main stronghold. Kiyosu Castle! I want to see the Oda banners hacked down from its ramparts before the sun sets today! And tell Saitō Dōsan to crawl back to Mino. He'd better not think he can take advantage. As long as he doesn't provoke me and formally submits as my vassal, Mino is a backwater, barren province. The Imagawa can do without it!"
No matter what, she couldn't stay here any longer. If she had to keep listening to that quiet, intimate stillness from the next tent, she was afraid she might not be able to stop herself from charging over there with a blade.
Since she'd suffered a setback in matters of the heart, she would simply reclaim her field of pride on the battlefield!
"Yes! This subordinate will relay the orders at once!" Motoyasu felt as though she'd been granted a heavenly pardon. She snatched up her ledger and scrambled backward out of the tent, fleeing faster than a rabbit.
Some time later, Shinji suddenly spoke. "Speaking of Mount Fuji, it reminds me of another mountain. One that is also very important." The miko who leaned against her towering demon warrior, who was also her god, lifted her gaze slightly.
A flicker of surprise crossed her features. Shinji continued. "A mountain I saw when I was slaying Kibutsuji Muzan. When my Soul-Chasing perception spread across the entire realm. A mountain."
Yes. At that time, Shinji's perception had followed the soul of Kibutsuji Muzan, which had split itself across the entire land. Together, they had seen the whole realm. And at that moment, he had truly seen a mountain. Different from Mount Fuji, yet somehow even more unique.
A mountain that lay within the Kantō. A mountain that had appeared in the original story. Its name was, Mount Hakurei.