Humans and Demons Stand Together, War and Strife; Kaguya: My Power Can Keep You Safe

Deep within Ryūchi Cave was not the terrifying nest one might imagine, filled with jagged rocks and eerie white bones, but a vast, boundless dark space that seemed to form a world of its own.

Beneath their feet lay smooth black stone, mirror-like and reflecting faint phosphorescence, stretching to the limits of sight.

Overhead hung a deep, slowly rotating violet vortex.

Like the pupil of some living creature, it coldly looked down upon the intruders.

The air was saturated with Nature Energy so dense it could barely disperse, yet it was entirely unlike the lively heat of Mount Myōboku or the vibrant vitality of Shikkotsu Forest.

The energy here was cold and viscous, carrying properties that bewitched the heart and eroded the mind. An ordinary shinobi would be assimilated or lose their way within moments.

The three Snake Princesses led the way, their bearing incomparably respectful, barely daring to breathe.

They moved through the dark expanse as enormous snake shadows occasionally swam through the darkness around them, casting cold yet reverent glances their way.

After an unknown length of time, a faint light appeared ahead.

As they approached, the light gradually expanded, eventually revealing a massive throne constructed from some sort of crystalline jade.

Upon that throne coiled an unimaginably enormous white giant snake.

Its body wound like a mountain range. Every white scale radiated an ancient, weathered aura, covered in profound patterns that seemed naturally formed.

Its head hung low, its enormous molten-gold snake eyes half-open. They contained not savagery, but a deep wisdom that had seen the passage of countless ages, along with an almost indifferent calm.

It was the ruler of Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage.

The three Snake Princesses led Chiyo and Kaguya to a point roughly a hundred meters before the throne, then bowed