A War of Attrition

Within the overlapping divine realms, two distinct and powerful divine forces clashed and entangled, erupting with a terrifying power that ravaged everything in its path.

Upon the parched, cracked earth, countless armored skeletons rose unsteadily, clutching broken weapons as they charged forward in row after row. Meanwhile, within the pure, golden rice fields, numerous lithe soul foxes darted through the stalks, pouncing upon the encroaching undead army. The two forces tore into each other in a brutal melee. Not long after a skeleton fell and shattered, it would reassemble and stand once more; likewise, shortly after a soul fox dissipated, it would manifest elsewhere. It was an endless war of attrition.

By now, the sky within the divine realms was no longer clearly divided. Instead, it was a turbid swirl of conflicting energies. Thick black clouds would gather only to be pierced and scattered by golden light moments later. Raging hurricanes had barely begun to scour the earth before they were quelled by invisible divine power. Massive Onbashira plummeted from the heavens, only to be pulverized by a dense rain of golden arrows. Every corner of the divine realms was filled with various forms of struggle.

The battle between Miketsu and Kanako had already lasted for a considerable time. Both sides were using their respective authorities to engage in a multi-faceted confrontation. As a war god and Wind God, Kanako focused on the offensive, while Miketsu, as an agricultural god, prioritized defense. Although Kanako held the initiative, Miketsu’s defense was impenetrable, and the two were locked in a stalemate.

In truth, Miketsu was at a distinct disadvantage against Kanako. The strongest attribute of Miketsu’s divine power was her Demon-Slaying Power. This was exceptionally effective against beings that could be openly defined as monsters, such as the Great Snake or ordinary yokai. However, an orthodox god like Kanako was entirely unaffected by Demon-Slaying Power. This greatly diminished Miketsu’s offensive capabilities. Yet, for that very reason, Miketsu had abandoned the offensive entirely to focus solely on defense. She poured an endless amount of divine power into maintaining her fortifications. While the duties of an Inari deity were not inherently suited for combat, they were incredibly potent when it came to protection.

To avoid inviting unnecessary trouble, Miketsu refrained from using any power other than her Inari divine power during this divine battle. Even so, she managed to withstand Kanako’s onslaught, fighting until the very end of the duel without falling behind.

As the appointed time arrived, Kanako took the initiative to cease her attack and was the first to dissolve her divine realm. Miketsu followed suit immediately. In an instant, the vast rice fields and the tragic ancient battlefield vanished. The world returned to its original state. Miketsu and Kanako were once again sitting across from each other in the elegant room. The tea in front of them still emitted wisps of steam, as if nothing had ever happened.

“Hahaha, I truly didn’t expect this. To think you could stand against me for so long despite having an unfavorable divine office, and even have strength to spare at the end... Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto, you have greatly exceeded my expectations this time.” As she spoke, Kanako picked up her still-warm tea and drained it in one gulp.

“It was nothing. You weren't giving it your all,” Miketsu replied with a faint smile, taking a sip of her own warm tea.

“No. I originally predicted that you might hold out until the end, but only by exhausting your divine power and being on the verge of total defeat. I did not expect you to stand before me in such good condition. It seems the faith you possess is truly immense—enough to use divine power converted from faith to compensate for the disadvantage of your office.” Kanako spoke slowly as she watched Miketsu. Hearing this, Miketsu was momentarily stunned. She sensed something slightly off in Kanako’s words.

Kanako’s assessment of the battle was correct; Miketsu had indeed poured in massive amounts of divine power to bridge the gap caused by her defensive role. For instance, when dealing with the undead army that manifested from Kanako’s power as a war god, Miketsu had deployed soul foxes formed from her own retainers. However, the number of soul foxes was far inferior to Kanako’s undead host. The reason they could hold the line was that Miketsu had allocated vast amounts of divine power to them, enhancing their combat strength and accelerating their regeneration. The soul foxes were not only powerful but could manifest again in less than a second after being dispersed. In contrast, Kanako had not invested excessive divine power into her army.

There were many instances like the soul foxes during the battle. Overall, Miketsu had indeed expended far more divine power than Kanako. Kanako’s judgment on that point was accurate, but the problem lay in the fact that Kanako believed Miketsu’s divine power came from converted faith!

Miketsu did indeed possess a great deal of faith now, but she hadn't used a single drop of it during this fight. She had been using her own innate divine power the entire time—and even at the end, she felt as though she had hardly consumed any of it.

“You... think I was using faith converted into divine power to fight you?” Miketsu asked tentatively.

“Of course. How else could you have endured such a level of divine power consumption? Even I spent a significant amount of divine power just now, let alone you,” Kanako said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Hearing this, Miketsu couldn't help but complain inwardly.

No... I didn't use faith to convert power at all, and I only used a tiny bit of my own divine power...

At that moment, Miketsu suddenly realized she might have been making a wrong judgment all along—a judgment regarding the source of her own strength.

The foundation of Miketsu’s strength was her unimaginably vast pool of divine power. Whether she took the form of a human or a yokai, her seemingly infinite demonic and spiritual power was simply a conversion of this massive divine power. Miketsu had always assumed that the amount of divine power she possessed was roughly the same as any other orthodox god. However, now that she had finally come into contact with an orthodox god like Kanako, she suddenly realized that things were likely not as she had thought.

Judging by Kanako’s performance, the divine power she possessed seemed to be far, far less than Miketsu’s own.

Miketsu suddenly recalled what Suwako had told her the previous night—that she might be a special existence even among the orthodox gods. This "specialness"... perhaps it didn't just refer to her being unaffected by the logic of "mythology." There were other aspects as well. For instance, this immense divine power she possessed did not seem to be something every orthodox god had.

So... is this uniqueness of mine something brought about by my transmigration, or is it something the original Inari Okami possessed? Or... is there some other source entirely?