"So beautiful!"
"So, this is the sight Watatsumi Island only sees once every few hundred years? No wonder the festival is held at midnight!"
Taking advantage of her ability to fly, Paimon soared high into the air to enjoy the full view before landing and exclaiming with heartfelt admiration, "Of course, the scenery's stunning—but the people are even more stunning!!"
Having finished the ritual, Sangonomiya Kokomi smiled softly and shifted the topic slightly. "With everything glowing like this, I imagine Watatsumi Island won't sleep tonight."
"But you don't seem quite yourself. Are you low on 'energy'? How about we read 'The Thirty-Six Stratagems' to you again?"
"Ahem…" Kokomi glanced at Lumine, who had read the book to her, then at Victor Wang, who had written notes for her, and sighed helplessly. "Even Paimon can tell, huh? It's not about 'energy' exactly—it's just… something hard to talk about."
"We've all had times like that," she continued softly. "You face something inevitable, see how those before you handled it, and you can't help but think, 'If it were me, I'd do better.'
"I thought that too. But in the end, I only watched as the Sacred Soil was washed away, leaving my duty to another 'Divine Priestess in human form' centuries later.
"Only you two and I know this—the Bloodbranch Coral isn't the Jade Coral Branch, nor is it something that suppresses the Deep Sea Vishaps. It's something taken from them…
But whether it's Bloodbranch Coral or Jade Coral Branch, both will gradually dwindle. Watatsumi Island, too, will one day come to an end—though that day is still very, very far away."
"Uuuh…" Paimon tilted her head. "That's kind of a heavy topic…"
"Sorry," Kokomi said with a gentle laugh. "In my position, I can't help thinking about such things. But it's over now. I'm just a little… unwilling to let go, I suppose. I don't need to waste any more energy on it."
It's not over yet, Victor Wang thought to himself. Just wait till Enjou shows his hand.
Considering Kokomi's earlier "beauty trap" strategy, he couldn't help but think of several countermeasures—three tiers of plans, in fact.
The best plan: find someone capable of replacing the Sangacorallia's function of controlling Light Realm energy, eliminating the need to extract Bloodbranch Corals from the Vishaps or forcibly awaken the Sangacorallia to break down Light Realm energy.
The middle plan: somehow keep the Sangacorallia from falling asleep—make it work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. That way, there'd be no need to awaken it each time.
The last resort: allow Enjou's Towers of the Void to stand in Enkanomiya, poisoning both the Vishap and the Sangacorallia, but maintaining the elemental balance to prevent further Holy Soilification.
Yet even Orobashi hadn't managed the first two. That left only the last option…
But an idea that couldn't be carried out was as good as no idea at all, so Victor Wang said nothing.
As for trying to "live peacefully" with the Vishaps—well, that would only make harvesting the coral easier, not solve the problem of the Bloodbranch Corals eventually running out.
What followed was a night of non-stop celebration across Watatsumi Island.
By noon the next day, while the festivities were still winding down, Sangonomiya Kokomi urgently summoned Victor Wang and Lumine to the Sangonomiya Shrine.
"There's trouble," she said gravely. "The Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri was successful—but there's still no sign of the holy soilification being reversed."
Lumine frowned, and Paimon gasped. "How can that be? Doesn't that mean Watatsumi Island's in danger again?"
"Yes," Kokomi replied. "Which is why we have to go investigate. You encountered the Abyss Order in Enkanomiya before, didn't you? I suspect they're behind this."
"That wretched Enjou!" Paimon shouted angrily. "If we meet him again, he won't get another chance to cause trouble!"
"Then let's not waste time," Lumine said. "We should head down there right away."
Paimon was already flitting toward the exit, but Lumine paused, realizing something. "Wait, Kokomi—you're coming with us?"
"Of course. I have no pressing duties at the moment. Handing everything to you two again would be terribly irresponsible of me."
"You're the 'Divine Priestess in human form' who governs all of Watatsumi Island. If something happens to you—"
"With you two here, I believe nothing will. And while I'm not the best fighter, my Bake-Kurage can heal everyone. I promise I won't be a burden."
Victor Wang added, "The very reason they're called 'unexpected events' is because we can't predict them. We'll handle whatever's down there—you don't need to—"
But Kokomi didn't argue. She simply gazed at Lumine and Victor Wang with those bright, pleading eyes, silently expressing what she truly wanted: I really want to see Enkanomiya for myself.
When neither of them spoke, she pressed her advantage. "Normally, the shrine maidens would never allow me to go. But with you two here, it's different! Besides… Byakuyakoku has a triangular worship tradition, doesn't it? The three of us together would be just perfect…"
"Eh?" Paimon pointed at herself. "Then what about me?"
"Paimon and Lumine count as one person."
"…." Paimon spread her tiny hands helplessly.
Well, Enkanomiya shouldn't hold any surprises for me, Victor Wang thought, exhaling quietly. "Fine. Let's bring her along."
Lumine gave him a sideways glance. "I don't mind."
"Then let's go! Right now!"
And so, the party of three—plus one Paimon—set out together.
The moment they descended into Enkanomiya, something was visibly wrong. The area was shrouded in thick, black-violet mist.
Each of them reacted differently: Paimon seemed unaffected, Lumine and Kokomi looked slightly uncomfortable, while Victor Wang felt… too good. The mist seemed to wrap around him, trying to merge into his body and become his strength. He didn't dare say it aloud.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, they hurried through the Serpent's Bowels as fast as possible. But when they reached the gates of Byakuyakoku proper, the abnormality intensified.
Dense black fog—comparable to that of Wuwang Hill—blanketed everything. Even the radiant Dainichi Mikoshi, bright as a miniature sun, couldn't pierce through it. It was like a "darkness that could not be dispelled."
"Wow! Are those Hilichurls even Hilichurls anymore?"
"Whoa! Even Ruin machines have mutated?!"
"Ahhh! What are these clanking, moving suits of armor supposed to be?!"
Paimon's cries came one after another as they advanced.
Kokomi calmly analyzed, "This black mist enhances the Hilichurls' combat strength. It must be some kind of Abyssal energy. So, the Abyss Order really is behind this."
"I get that," Paimon said, "but how do you explain these creepy empty armors? We've searched almost every corner of Enkanomiya before and never saw those!"
"I don't understand the logic," Kokomi admitted, "but blaming the Abyss Order works just fine."
As non-combatants, Kokomi and Paimon stayed behind Lumine and Victor Wang, chatting back and forth as the two fought ahead.
"This isn't working," Lumine said between swings. "We can't keep fighting like this forever—we need a way to fix it at the source!"
"Agreed," Kokomi nodded. "Let's head for the Dainichi Mikoshi. It should be less dark there, and its barrier will give us a chance to rest."
"You actually know the Dainichi Mikoshi?" Paimon blinked.
"Of course I do," Kokomi replied. "I've just never seen it with my own eyes."
"Ohhh, you heard that, Lumine and Victor! Stop fighting and head straight for the Dainichi Mikoshi!"
"Fly there?" Kokomi blinked. "But… I can't fly…" she whispered.
At that moment, Victor Wang blasted apart a darkened armor shell with an overload burst of Electro and Pyro energy. Against these metal-clad enemies, Anemo or Geo didn't work well—Electro and Pyro overload reaction was perfect. His body thrummed with energy—too much energy.
Lumine cut down a nearby Mitachurl and glanced over. "Kokomi, choose—me or Victor."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Who's taking you flying."
Kokomi glanced at Lumine's open arms, then at Victor Wang, hesitated for two seconds, and finally chose Lumine.
"Heh, wise choice! Let's take off!"
Cradled princess-style in Lumine's arms, Kokomi looked sideways—and realized Victor Wang was flying beside them, standing on his sword.
Lumine tightened her hold on Kokomi slightly. "Victor uses sword flight. Didn't I mention that?"
"..."