Under the moonlight, on a wooden bridge in the suburbs, Enmusubi turned back in shock. She stared at the white-haired girl standing on the bridge railing, smiling down at her. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"You... who the heck are you!? You have the aura of a god on you..."
"Oh... you don't recognize me yet? Didn't you just say you were going to snatch faith from the hands of a junior like me?" Miketsu spoke slowly, her smile gentle as she faced Enmusubi.
"According to the divine genealogy, I should address you as 'Auntie,' shouldn't I? Wakahirume-no-Mikoto..."
"You're... the Inari Okami, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto? Susanoo's daughter!" After Miketsu identified herself, Enmusubi finally realized the girl's identity. She immediately took two steps back, a hint of wariness appearing on her face.
"You... aren't you supposed to be in Heian-kyo? Why did you come all the way here? As I thought... has the rapid expansion of my faith caught your attention? Did you come here specifically to deal with me?"
Enmusubi spoke vigilantly. She knew she was siphoning faith from the Inari Okami's domain, making them clear rivals.
Enmusubi understood that if she kept expanding her faith in the Inari Okami's territory, the other party would eventually come knocking. She wasn't actually afraid of this; in her mind, once her faith reached a certain level, she would be able to establish a shrine and open a divine territory. By relying on her divine territory, she could rapidly recover her divine power, and in a state of full strength, she wouldn't fear the Inari Okami.
The strength of an orthodox god was influenced by their divine office and their status in the divine genealogy. Regarding divine offices, those with roles like God of War, God of Thunder, or God of Wind were stronger. Regarding the divine genealogy, the closer one was to the Mihashira-no-uzunomiko or Amaterasu, the stronger they were. Enmusubi figured that since she was a God of Marriage and Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto was a God of Agriculture, neither were martial gods suited for combat. However, in the divine genealogy, her relationship to Amaterasu was very close, making her naturally a tier higher than Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto. Therefore, theoretically, with full divine power, she would definitely be stronger. Even if Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto had a massive amount of faith in the human realm to compensate for the genealogical gap, it would at least be a fifty-fifty match.
'Hmph, at the very worst, the Inari Okami and I are an even match! I could even solo her!' Enmusubi had always maintained this understanding...
However, that scenario required her to recover her full divine power. The current Enmusubi knew that because of her little excursion to Hell, she was still in a weakened state. If a conflict broke out now, she had no chance of winning.
Looking at the suddenly appearing Miketsu, Enmusubi frantically thought of a countermeasure. Just then, the calm Miketsu spoke.
"I usually stay in Heian-kyo. I came to Ise this time to handle some other issues, and I just happened to run into you collecting faith. Since I felt your method of collecting faith was slightly problematic, I came here to meet you," Miketsu continued indifferently. Hearing this, Enmusubi's brow furrowed, and she immediately became even more guarded.
"Ugh... as I thought, you're here to target me. Do you want to nip a threat to your faith in the bud? These people who truly love each other finally formed a lifelong bond under my guidance and ran bravely toward a happy life—I won't let you tear them apart!" Hearing that Miketsu was indeed there for her, Enmusubi seemed triggered. She suddenly shouted with absolute determination, standing before Miketsu with her hands on her hips and a righteous expression. Her behavior left Miketsu somewhat speechless.
'I haven't even said anything yet... don't get so worked up and start making declarations...'
"Well, what I actually wanted to say was..."
"Bring it on! I will never yield! I will protect my faith to the end! Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto!"
"..."
Seeing that the divine girl before her seemed to have fallen into some kind of internal monologue loop that made communication difficult, Miketsu sighed inwardly. She decided to change her approach.
"Fine... since you insist on seeing me as an enemy who has come to erase your faith, let's go with that for now. Wakahirume-no-Mikoto, if you want to fight me, I shall grant your wish." As Miketsu spoke, a golden glow of divine power surfaced around her, looking as if she were about to attack immediately.
Seeing Miketsu begin to release her power, Enmusubi froze. Her previous fearless momentum instantly deflated. She reached out her hand and spoke in a hurried tone.
"Wait, wait a minute! I only have a fraction of my divine power right now. Fighting you like this is completely unfair! Even if you win, it'll be a hollow victory, and I won't accept it! You... you wait for me to collect faith for a few days. Once I've opened a divine territory and recovered my power, then I'll fight you..."
'A fight is just about winning or losing; why do I have to make you accept it? I've never heard of someone asking their opponent for time to farm before a fight. Is this girl serious?' Miketsu complained inwardly, but at the same time, a new idea formed.
"I don't have extra time to wait for you to collect faith. However, since your divine power is weak, I can give you a handicap. Yorihime..."
"I am here, Lady Uka..."
At Miketsu's soft call, a lavender-haired girl wearing a red and white miko outfit with a long blade at her waist leaped down from the sky. She landed in front of Miketsu and looked at Enmusubi with a sharp gaze.
"Wakahirume-no-Mikoto, you say your divine power is weak and my winning would be a hollow victory. That is indeed a valid point. Therefore, for the sake of fairness, I will not personally step in. You shall fight my Miko. If you can defeat her, it will be the same as defeating me. You will then be free to spread your faith here in any way you wish, and I will no longer interfere. How about it?" With a smile, Miketsu looked at Enmusubi. Upon hearing this, Enmusubi was instantly overjoyed.
"Are you serious? If I beat your Miko, it counts as beating you? And you'll never interfere with my faith-spreading again?" Enmusubi asked in an incredulous tone, to which Miketsu replied with certainty.
"Yes, I always keep my word."
"Ha! In that case, I won't hold back! Show me what you've got, Inari Miko! As a god, I'll show some mercy!" Enmusubi said confidently, her hands on her hips. She thought to herself, 'I might not be able to beat the Inari Okami right now, but I can surely beat her Miko! A mortal is just a mortal; how can they stand equal to a god? Not even a weakened one!'
Hearing Enmusubi's declaration, Miketsu gave a wicked smile and then commanded Yorihime.
"Go, Yorihime. Remember to show some mercy."
"Understood... Lady Uka..."
As she spoke, multiple types of divine power stacked upon Yorihime. She stepped forward and slashed. In an instant, she was right in front of Enmusubi. Enmusubi, still maintaining her hands-on-hips pose, watched the rapidly approaching blade tip and the abnormal fluctuations of divine power upon it. Her expression froze on her face.
She suddenly realized that this so-called Miko before her seemed to be anything but ordinary.
"Wait... wait a second!"
Enmusubi's panicked screams began to echo through the night sky.
Rate on N.U.
