The concept of "youkai" was both familiar and distant to the people of Inazuma. Currently, the only active youkai remaining were the tanuki. Most other youkai had perished in battles centuries ago.
Even for Li Mo, the shrine priest, the youkai he encountered most frequently was Yae Miko herself.
However, knowing that the "Hyakki Yagyo" would inevitably occur, it was natural to see such a large gathering of youkai now.
The day after Yae Miko returned to the shrine, the youkai began gathering at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Thanks to Li Mo's prior arrangements, they avoided conflicts with the stationed soldiers.
Yet the first thing these returning youkai did was pay respects to the Raiden Shogun. Arriving in succession, they formed a steady procession bowing before her.
The exchanges were simple:
"We greet the Shogun."
"Rise."
A routine as plain as any other.
Once inside the shrine, Li Mo didn't interfere. Instead, he stood in a corner, quietly observing the youkai.
These youkai were manifestations of memories lingering within the Sacred Sakura - essentially spiritual entities.
Having traveled through multiple worlds and studied their mysteries, Li Mo had fused these arcane principles using the "Pseudo-Cosmic Foundation of Mysteries." To him, these beings could be classified as ghosts.
In certain worlds, ghosts were the lingering remnants of the dead - aggregations of memories, recorded information from the past.
If these youkai were ghosts...
"Little one, what's on your mind?"
"Nothing much. Shouldn't you be over there, Miko?"
"That side is dreadfully dull. Honestly, these youkai - when alive, they were unruly and irreverent toward the Shogun. Yet now in death, they've become so rigidly polite it's almost nauseating."
Li Mo shook his head. "It's not that extreme."
Historical records depicted the youkai as free-spirited, rarely bothering with formalities even before the Shogun - and she never minded. But they were far from the "unruly and irreverent" image Yae Miko described.
One by one, the youkai whose memories had leaked due to attacks on the Sacred Sakura's roots by the Rifthounds arrived at the shrine.
In essence, they were no different from the human spirits Li Mo had encountered while purging the Rifthounds. The only distinction was that the youkai's greater inherent power allowed their memories to persist longer.
But they remained water without a source, trees without roots - relying on accumulated strength to endure slightly longer before inevitably fading.
After addressing matters with the youkai, Raiden Ei prepared for the upcoming "Hyakki Yagyo." The youkai chose to rest and conserve their energy.
"Li Mo, do you have any solutions?"
Li Mo looked between Ei and Yae Miko before replying carefully. "Ei, you're more direct than Miko."
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Yae Miko asked.
"Nothing in particular."
Li Mo could sense both Ei and Miko shared similar feelings. Among Inazuma's current leaders, he alone maintained detachment.
Of course - both Ei and Miko had been friends with these youkai in life. Seeing them now naturally evoked complicated emotions.
But to Li Mo, they were simply spirits.
After a pause, he added, "Reversing death is never simple in any world."
Having traveled through many worlds, he knew each handled life and death differently. Yet without exception, overturning death was profoundly difficult. Even for archons, methods like destroying and recreating the world couldn't perfectly restore what was lost.
"Truly no way?" Ei pressed.
Li Mo fell silent.
Gazing at the Sacred Sakura, he reflected. To date, he'd defied death twice. First with Hanachirusato - looking back, her revival had involved considerable luck.
Hanachirusato was special - not truly the late Lady Saiguu, but a new life born from her remains. What Li Mo had done was essentially transplant a dying being to another world.
The second was Raiden Makoto - and even then, he'd only preserved a sliver of her existence. Her full revival wasn't something he could guarantee.
Without this world's unique Irminsul system, he wouldn't even consider speaking of resurrection, lest they fall into the Ship of Theseus paradox.
As for these youkai...
"Let me be clear - they are completely deceased. What remains are mere memory fragments - fundamentally different from Hanachirusato or Makoto. If we must use metaphors - Hanachirusato is new life born from Lady Saiguu's ashes. Makoto left behind a portion of living remains. These youkai are like cremated bones."
Utterly dead.
"The little one means there might be a way?" Yae Miko asked as Ei's expression darkened.
She understood Li Mo better - if something were truly impossible, he would refuse outright. This hedging suggested potential.
Li Mo said, "I need to research."
Spirits could become shikigami. As shikigami, the youkai might persist. But Li Mo believed he could modify this approach - combining it with the "Hyakki Yagyo" ritual to let them exist as proper "youkai" again.
He wasn't skilled at creating from nothing, but excelled at modifications. And he had resources to experiment - even if mystical conflicts caused explosions, his "Pseudo-Immortality" meant instant recovery.
This research continued until the next day. After completing theoretical frameworks, practical implementation remained.
Thus, the resting youkai were summoned by the Shogun to meet Li Mo individually. Initially reluctant - their pride in life carrying into death - they resisted cooperating with someone they deemed insignificant.
Without needing Ei's intervention, Li Mo subdued them personally. When even their living selves couldn't have challenged him, their spiritual forms stood no chance.
Might made right.
Which explained why Lumine, upon arriving at the shrine, witnessed rows of restrained youkai - the scene of Li Mo's ongoing experiments.