Within this space reverberated a power capable of making all beings tremble. High above in the sky sat the supreme Demon Buddha, able to annihilate the world a hundred times over in the blink of an eye.
Not to mention the vast power of nebulae echoing throughout the surrounding space—the power of the Candle Dragon form—merely the undispersed light of Vipralopa brewing behind Satsuki was enough to make the Tree of Ages' spirit feel an unprecedented terror.
It was as though, should she so desire, a single glance, a single thought—would erase its very existence from this world.
The tree spirit knew this was no illusion. One who commanded power of this level over time and space truly could accomplish such an inconceivable feat.
Seated upon the mandala dharma platform, standing beyond the bounds of realms, Satsuki revealed an expression as profound as that of an [Enlightened One].
With a gentle twist of her fingers in a dharma seal, accompanied by the faint fragrance of lotus blossoms, a temporal-spatial medallion appeared in her hand.
"Though Hagorome Gitsune is a reincarnated yōkai, the traces of temporal traversal upon her are far too obvious. I am not ignorant of temporal-spatial power. And through comparison, I have found that this power is identical to the one within you. Discovering the connection between you and her was no difficult task for me."
"..."
The Tree of Ages had nothing to say. The strength displayed by this otherworldly being had already far surpassed the limits of its understanding.
In the end, it simply asked directly, "Then, being from another world, what is your purpose here?"
"There are many purposes. One of them is to obtain a world's origin as the cornerstone to perfect this Buddhakṣetra," Satsuki replied calmly.
"To use the origin of an entire world as the foundation to perfect this space?" The Tree of Ages paused, clearly stunned. After a moment, it continued, "Even those who style themselves as gods could not accomplish such a thing."
"That gods cannot do it does not mean I cannot." Though her tone was unhurried, it carried unassailable confidence. "To me, it is merely a matter of time."
"There is more than one guardian in this world. The planet itself will never allow you to take from it as you please."
The Tree of Ages trembled. Countless motes of light and bubbles began to emanate from its body—one of its few means of self-preservation. By distorting the surrounding space-time, it sought to cast her into a narrow rift of another dimension.
Such power might have been effective against ordinary beings.
Before the Demon Buddha, however, it was child's play.
Satsuki did not even move. The black glass-like light constantly drifting through the air extinguished the Tree of Ages' power entirely.
The tree's own luminescence began to flicker unsteadily.
"In truth, you have long known that this world's future is destined to become a land of Vipralopa. You simply refuse to believe it," the Demon Buddha Satsuki declared from the heavens, exposing the deepest secret within the tree spirit's heart. "And the other end of the Bone-Eater's Well—that is the future you seek to change."
"Impossible! I refuse to believe it! The future should not be like that—absolutely not!"
Its innermost secret laid bare, the Tree of Ages could no longer maintain its usual detachment. Its voice turned restless and fearful.
"Even without me, this world would eventually reach that point. It is destiny and predetermined history. Your persistence and resistance are meaningless. On the contrary, they will only hasten that world's arrival—just as when you summoned Hagorome Gitsune from another timeline. You did not anticipate that while she drove away the 'gods,' she would bring forth 'yōkai' instead…"
"Thus, whether this land is occupied by 'gods' or ruled by 'yōkai,' to the world itself it is nothing more than plunder of natural forces. In essence, there is no difference."
"In the end, the world will no longer be able to endure these existences. It will either choose to await death—or, through mutual destruction, expel every 'anomaly' from its surface…"
Each of Satsuki's words struck directly at the heart of the tree spirit. At last, her gaze descended upon it from above.
—"And you, who call yourself a guardian, are in truth merely one of those many 'anomalies.'"
These words were devastating.
For the first time, blinding light burst forth from the Tree of Ages.
"Impossible!!!! You are lying! You are no different from the others—thieves coveting this world… Who are you, exactly?"
"Many have asked me that."
Satsuki's eyes regarded the Tree of Ages with indifference.
Then, three overlapping voices echoed throughout the space, repeating once more the proclamation she had made before the Demon God Pillar.
As before, when Satsuki solemnly intoned her true name, the space before the Tree of Ages began to collapse. Within its consciousness appeared the same [Apocalyptic Illusion] once witnessed by the Demon God Pillar.
Black clouds and vortices churned across the heavens, while meteors from beyond the firmament rained down upon the earth, smashing craters vast as cities and nations.
Beyond the void, ten figures descended and stood upon the sky, gazing down upon the land like gods.
Under their scrutiny, the oceans and continents covering the planet began to quake. The seas reversed their flow. Towering mountains crumbled. The entire world was overturned beneath that annihilating force.
The Tree of Ages felt as though struck by lightning.
"Why… why is it like this? Was my guardianship meaningless?"
Witnessing such unprecedented calamity—far beyond the scope of its comprehension—the already faltering will of the Tree of Ages collapsed completely into deep self-imposed isolation.
The glow upon its trunk faded away.
Satsuki was not surprised by this outcome.
At her level of existence, even her name itself carried power. Without sufficient strength, one did not even possess the qualification to hear her true name.
Though the Tree of Ages possessed unusual abilities, at its core it was not even comparable to a great yōkai. A being that could not even qualify as cannon fodder had no right to know the name of the Demon Buddha Māra.
However, though the tree spirit's consciousness had retreated into self-sealing, that did not mean its existence lacked value.
Otherwise, Satsuki would not have come in person—nor revealed her [Aspect of the Demon Buddha].
To her, aside from temporal-spatial power, an intelligence born naturally from heaven and earth such as a tree spirit held immense worth.
It was almost equivalent to creating the embryonic form of a soul out of nothing.
For perfecting the [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra], its significance was tremendous.