—CRACK!—
The faint barrier of light formed by the oil lamp shuddered violently within the roaring cyclone, like a lone boat caught in a raging tsunami—on the verge of being swallowed whole at any moment.
Under the relentless pressure, the protective shield around the Candlefire Deity groaned and creaked, fractures spreading across its surface as though it might shatter in the next instant.
And yet—
When the storm finally subsided, the barrier—though riddled with cracks—had somehow held.
But the deity herself wasn't so fortunate.
The residual force of the cyclone slammed her straight into the ground.
Before she could even react, several massive fox tails lashed forward, wrapping tightly around her body and lifting her into the air. The grip tightened mercilessly, squeezing harder and harder—
Until a sharp, pained scream tore from her throat.
"This is impossible! Even if your soul is stronger than mine, it shouldn't be to this extent!"
"And in this space, ordinary weapons shouldn't even be able to exert that kind of power!"
The Candlefire Deity was completely stunned.
It was one thing for her opponent to remain conscious within her domain—but to be utterly overpowered like this?
And worse—
In this realm, all of them existed as spiritual bodies. Ordinary weapons were meaningless here.
Her oil lamp was part of her very soul.
So what the hell was that iron fan?
Why was it even more powerful than her own divine artifact?!
"The Second Tail's Iron Fan is my reincarnation-bound weapon—part of my soul as well."
"And if you're curious, I still have four more of the same kind in reserve."
"So tell me… do you still think you can defeat me here?"
"Either release this domain… or die within it."
Hagoromo Kitsune's voice was calm, almost casual—but her intent was unmistakable.
In truth, within this space, she could kill the Candlefire Deity.
But she didn't know what would happen to Jorōgumo and Futakuchi-onna's souls if she did.
And more importantly…
This was still the Candlefire Deity's domain.
If she killed her here, would that truly mean death?
Probably not.
Life—especially that of a god—wasn't so easily extinguished.
But one thing was certain—
If the Candlefire Deity were slain here, her soul would suffer catastrophic damage.
Feeling the crushing force of the tightening tails—and seeing that Hagoromo Kitsune wasn't bluffing—the Candlefire Deity finally caved.
"…Fine."
There was no helping it.
She had never expected to encounter a yokai with such overwhelming soul power.
Under normal circumstances, even mid-tier gods were only on par with her in that regard.
The moment the domain collapsed, the technique "The Path Guided by Candlelight" was undone.
Jorōgumo and Futakuchi-onna's souls snapped back into their bodies, and control returned instantly.
The Candlefire Deity, now back in the real world, immediately cast a wary glance toward Hagoromo Kitsune—fear still lingering in her eyes.
That woman…
With soul power like that, her strongest ability was effectively useless.
But—
Out here, things were different.
Judging from Hagoromo Kitsune's aura, she was "only" an SSS+ calamity-class yokai.
The absolute ceiling of the lower world, yes—but still beneath a Transcendent-class god like herself.
If it came down to raw power instead of soul manipulation…
She still had a solid chance of winning.
Though it had felt like a long battle inside the domain, in reality, only a few breaths had passed.
As soon as Jorōgumo regained her senses and spotted Hagoromo Kitsune nearby, she immediately understood what had happened.
"You're the so-called descended god… your main ability is fire."
"That strange power you used earlier—dragging people into another space—you saw it too, right?"
"Judging by the way she's glaring at you now… it's safe to assume that ability doesn't work on you anymore."
Retreating to Hagoromo Kitsune's side, Jorōgumo quickly relayed everything she knew.
Meanwhile, across from them, the Candlefire Deity's thoughts had already begun to shift.
At first, she had only been hunting an S-rank yokai—Futakuchi-onna. That should have been an effortless victory.
Then, out of nowhere, an SS+-class Jorōgumo showed up.
Then that same Futakuchi-onna suddenly broke through to SS-rank mid-fight.
And just as she was about to dominate both of them—
A freaking SSS+ Nine-Tailed Fox appeared out of nowhere, with soul power so absurd it defied logic!
Was this some kind of scam?!
Back in the divine realm, she had always heard the lower world was in decline.
That even A-rank yokai were now considered "great demons."
That any god descending would be able to slaughter freely.
But now?
In the span of a single encounter, she had gone from chasing an S-rank—
—to facing SS+, SS, and SSS+ monsters back-to-back.
At this rate…
Was a high-tier Transcendent going to pop out next?!
The thought made her skin crawl.
Even if it was unlikely—
She had already lost the will to continue.
These yokai were clearly working together.
And they were… weird.
On top of that, she had already burned through a significant amount of divine power using her ultimate techniques.
Sure, she was still the strongest present—
But she no longer had confidence in finishing them off.
And her followers were safe anyway.
There would be plenty of chances to deal with these yokai later.
Before descending, the senior gods had warned her:
Don't pick unnecessary fights early on. Focus on building strength first.
"…You're lucky today."
The Candlefire Deity lifted her chin, trying to maintain her dignity.
"But next time we meet, I will descend in a far stronger form."
"Prepare yourselves."
Retreating was one thing—
But as a god, leaving behind a few threatening words was absolutely necessary.
However—
Just as the petite, barely 150-centimeter-tall "loli goddess" turned to leave with an imposing air—
A figure appeared silently behind her.
A hand came to rest gently on her shoulder.
"You say they were lucky today…"
"But it seems your luck isn't so great."
The voice was calm.
Cold.
Familiar.
"My companions just received quite the 'hospitality' from you."
"It's only fair I return the favor, don't you think?"
There was a brief pause.
Then, almost politely—
"So… Goddess."
"Have you prepared yourself?"
..
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