Ghost Messengers

During the day, at the foot of Mount Nanakaku, in northern Ise Province.

Within the dense forest, the beautiful insect yokai maiden, Mushi-shi, gracefully roamed, accompanied by birds and dancing with butterflies.

Fluttering her wings, Mushi-shi lightly landed among the dense grass in the forest. She extended her tongue to lick the dew from the green leaves, and a flying butterfly rested on her fingertip.

Suddenly, the insects, butterflies, and birds around Mushi-shi seemed to sense something, abruptly flying away in a panic. Within the dense forest where Mushi-shi stood, a chilling aura spread, the light began to dim, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees out of nowhere.

“The aura of… death…” Mushi-shi murmured, sensing the strange aura spreading through the space. At that moment, a male voice responded to her.

“Your perception is quite good, Miss Insect Yokai.”

Mushi-shi turned her face, looking in the direction of the voice. From a patch of shadow in the forest, two male figures slowly emerged with their steps.

One wore black clothes and a black hat, with short black hair and crimson eyes, holding a massive scythe. The other wore white clothes and a white hat, with long white hair and crimson eyes, holding a long white banner. Facing the two suddenly appearing mysterious men, Mushi-shi spoke.

“Who are you…?”

“We are the Shinigami of the Underworld, Miss Insect Yokai.” Facing Mushi-shi, Ghost Messenger White slowly began to speak. Mushi-shi froze slightly upon hearing this.

“Shinigami of… the Underworld…”

“Indeed, Miss Insect Yokai. We are here on official business. There are those whose lifespans should have ended, but they transformed into yokai, lingering in the human realm. We are here to reap her…” Beside Ghost Messenger White, Ghost Messenger Black spoke. Hearing his words, Mushi-shi’s pupils slightly dilated.

“Reap…”

“Yes. The principles of Yin and Yang, the constant cycle of life and death, cannot be easily defied. Miss Insect Yokai, do you know of any newly transformed yokai?” Ghost Messenger White continued, his eyes narrowing slightly, becoming sharp as he stared directly at Mushi-shi.

Mushi-shi, meeting Ghost Messenger White’s gaze, maintained a calm demeanor. After a moment’s pause, she slowly spoke.

“No…”

“Is that so… Then it seems we’ve looked in the wrong direction. Let’s go… Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Insect Yokai.” Ghost Messenger White said indifferently. Then, he and Ghost Messenger Black turned and walked into the shadows. The chilling aura in the space dissipated, and the dense forest returned to its usual clarity and tranquility.

“Hoo…”

Feeling the departure of the Underworld’s ghost messengers, Mushi-shi immediately let out a long breath. Her legs went weak, and she nearly lost her footing. Although she had feigned composure earlier, she had truly been under immense pressure.

“No… I must immediately inform Lord Ichimokuren and Lord Yamakaze, otherwise Kaoru might very well be…” Mushi-shi steadied herself. After a brief moment of thought, she immediately flew up, heading towards the shrine on Mount Nanakaku.

After Mushi-shi departed, Ghost Messenger Black and Ghost Messenger White reappeared from the shadows. Looking in the direction Mushi-shi had left, Ghost Messenger White said.

“She was indeed hiding something. It seems the target is definitely nearby…”

“Hmm, although that young lady feigned composure quite well, she still couldn’t deceive our eyes… Now that we’ve determined the general location, it will be much easier…” Ghost Messenger Black said slowly, then his eyes emitted faint glimmers of light.

“Found her… Heh, although someone was helping to conceal that fellow, at such close range… traces will always be revealed.” As he spoke, a faint smile appeared on Ghost Messenger Black’s face.

“Alright, it’s time for us to get to work…”

...

On Mount Nanakaku, within Ichimokuren’s shrine.

Having heard Ichimokuren’s words, Miketsu couldn’t help but fall into deep thought. She was extremely curious about what crime Ichimokuren could have committed to have Amaterasu erase his memories, strip him of his godhead, and banish him. In her view, the current Takamagahara had too many incomprehensible aspects.

The former Inari Okami was recalled to Takamagahara, and after an unknown experience, returned to the human realm like a changed person, soon falling into a deep slumber due to the Earthquake Catfish. Yamata no Orochi manipulated vengeful spirits to cause disasters, seducing the imperial family to secretly resume worship of Him in an attempt to revive, yet Amaterasu completely ignored her human descendants during this process. And now, without explanation, she banished her own grandson.

What in the world is that Amaterasu thinking!

“Hey, do you really not remember at all what crime you were banished for?” Miketsu continued to ask, looking at Ichimokuren.

“I don’t know… but when I was banished, I did ask Amaterasu Omikami what crime I had committed to deserve such punishment. She replied that…” Ichimokuren looked directly at Miketsu and slowly continued.

“I touched forbidden things I shouldn’t have touched, and learned forbidden knowledge I shouldn’t have known. To eliminate the repercussions, she had to banish me…”

Forbidden things… forbidden knowledge… Does Amaterasu possess something that is forbidden to other Modern Gods? Hearing Ichimokuren’s words, Miketsu’s brow furrowed even deeper; his words clearly raised more questions.

After this, Miketsu asked Ichimokuren more questions about his banishment, but she didn’t receive any more valuable answers. Finally, Miketsu could only sigh, then began to ask Ichimokuren about the purpose of her visit.

“I have something I need your divine power for, as Amatsumara. May I ask if you, having lost your godhead, can still utilize your Divine Domain as the God of Forging?”

After hearing Miketsu’s words, Ichimokuren paused slightly, then slowly said.

“A godhead is the source of a true god’s divine power, while a Divine Domain is contained within the divine name. Although I have lost my godhead, my divine name remains, so as long as I have enough divine power, I can still perform my Divine Domain. However, having lost my godhead, my only source of divine power is faith.” Ichimokuren said, looking out the window into the distance.

“Unfortunately, my faith has recently begun to wane, with fewer followers, and not much faith power remaining. Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto, you and I are not close relatives. I have no reason to use my limited faith to help you.” Ichimokuren said, looking at Miketsu, a hint of almost imperceptible displeasure in his eyes. To be honest, the decline in his faith was partly due to the Inari Okami before him aggressively expanding her faith, as the Inari faith spreading from Heian-kyo was eroding his fundamental base of believers.

Under Ichimokuren’s gaze, Miketsu suddenly realized the problem. Her own branch shrines had opened in nearby towns; how could he possibly look favorably upon her? Not to mention using his faith to help her, the fact that he hadn’t cursed her out the moment she entered, but instead conversed politely until now, already showed immense restraint.

Just as Miketsu was struggling with how to continue speaking to Ichimokuren, an urgent voice came from outside.

“Lord Ichimokuren, it’s bad! The Underworld… the Shinigami of the Underworld are looking for Kaoru!”

Mushi-shi flew in anxiously through the window, speaking directly to Ichimokuren. Ichimokuren, upon hearing this, frowned.

“The Shinigami of the Underworld… so they finally came. Indeed… my concealment couldn’t hide her from them forever…”

“What should we do, Lord Ichimokuren? If this continues, Kaoru might be taken away by the Shinigami!” Mushi-shi continued urgently, and at this moment, Ichimokuren’s expression also grew very grim.

“Don’t panic, Mushi-shi. We need to find a way to deal with this… It’s best not to have a direct conflict with the Shinigami. They represent the Underworld, after all. We must find a way to protect Kaoru…” Ichimokuren pondered anxiously. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he looked at Miketsu, who was standing beside Enmusubi, both with confusion in their eyes.

“What? Are you being troubled by the Shinigami?”