Special

Upon hearing Suwako's words, Miketsu let out a sigh of relief, feeling a little reassured before continuing.

"However, letting that worm continue like this isn't a solution. If we can't thoroughly kill Her, She will make a comeback again and again, endlessly."

"Indeed... that's why we need other, more thorough methods to control Her. The most complete way is to wait for Her to successfully transform into a butterfly and then kill Her, completely ending this cycle of Her reincarnation. That way, we can at least ensure She won't be reborn for the next several hundred thousand years. Or, we could find a way to seal Her in Her larval form, but that's not a long-term solution either; at most, it would only keep Her quiet for a few hundred years," Suwako said, spreading her hands helplessly.

"You said this world no longer has the power to confront a complete Ancient God, so the first method is definitely out. We can only pursue the sealing route, keeping Her quiet for as long as possible," Miketsu continued, realizing that the Tokoyo-no-Kami was truly a troublesome existence.

"Yes, that's what I think too. The next time I discover Her traces, I'll immediately notify you so we can prepare the sealing jutsu-shiki. That creature needs to devour a vast amount of energy if She wants to pupate, so the commotion She makes when attempting to pupate won't be any smaller than this time's ley line consumption. We won't have to worry about not finding Her," Suwako continued, learning from this lesson. The next time She moved against the Tokoyo-no-Kami, She would inform Miketsu in advance.

"Hmm... by the way, from your tone, even if the Tokoyo-no-Kami is destroyed in Her adult form, She won't be completely ended? She'll be reborn after a long period of time?" Miketsu nodded, then asked Suwako with a puzzled tone.

"Exactly. That worm is the God of Reincarnation; in essence, She is an immortal existence. The end of one cycle also marks the beginning of the next. But you don't need to worry too much. If we can truly make Her restart a cycle, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Each of Her cycles has a vastly different personality; in a sense, She can be considered a different entity each time," Suwako said, looking up at the sky as if responding to the past, while a hint of confusion lingered in Miketsu's eyes.

"Not a bad thing?"

"In most of Her cycles, She was a rather gentle Ancient God. Compared to other Ancient Gods, Her attitude towards mortals was quite good; She deeply cherished Her dependents, even more so than I do," Suwako continued, and Miketsu's confusion deepened.

"Then why did Her personality become so malicious in this cycle?"

"I think it's due to several reasons. According to your account, when that worm was still in the egg stage, the human court sent troops to expel and slaughter Her dependents under the pretense of evil sacrificial rites. In Her immense anger, She also lost the care of Her dependents, which caused problems with the egg's development. At that time, She also came into contact with that snake. You know, when it comes to corrupting and influencing others, that snake has always been very adept. Faced with an uncared-for egg, I don't believe that snake wouldn't have tampered with it," Suwako slowly explained. She seemed very knowledgeable about the past dispositions of various Ancient Gods. After hearing Suwako's words, Miketsu was also quite surprised.

So, the Tokoyo-no-Kami's current demeanor isn't its normal state; it was a result of failed early influence and then being led astray by the Great Snake. Its true nature isn't this twisted.

"Then, is there any possibility of restoring the Tokoyo-no-Kami to Her original gentle nature?" Miketsu continued to ask, but Suwako shook her head helplessly.

"No possibility. That creature's personality for each cycle is determined at the moment of birth. There's no other way unless we kill Her and make Her restart a cycle."

'There really is no way, which shows the importance of early influence...' Miketsu couldn't help but inwardly grumble as she listened to Suwako's words.

"Alright, this matter concludes here for now. The next time we deal with that worm, we need to find a way to seal Her. But before She approaches pupation, there probably won't be any major movements. For now, we just need to handle some aftermath matters."

"Aftermath?"

"Yes, the ley lines of the entire Shimosa Province have been completely devoured. It will take decades to recover. During this period, the land here will severely lack vitality, making it difficult to grow plants, including crops. A large-scale famine is inevitable, and that's a big problem," Suwako continued seriously. When Miketsu heard "famine," her eyes lit up.

"Famine? That's not a problem! I'm an expert in that area~"

Miketsu said with great confidence, causing Suwako's mouth to twitch involuntarily.

"I almost forgot, you're also a God of Agriculture..."

'To be able to beat that worm like that, I thought you were a God of War...' Suwako couldn't help but inwardly complain, looking at Miketsu.

"Phew... since you're a God of Agriculture, that makes things easier. You should be able to minimize the impact of that worm devouring the ley lines. But remember to come here at least once a year in the future; the recovery of the ley lines is a very long-term process," Suwako said with a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat reassured.

"No problem. It's just one extra trip a year," Miketsu responded easily, and Suwako continued.

"Alright, in that case, there's nothing to worry about regarding the aftermath. Oh, I heard from Kaki that you had something important to discuss with me?"

"That's right. Recently, some other things have happened on my end, and I've come into contact with another potential Ancient God, so I specifically came to you for confirmation."

"Another potential Ancient God... Has someone else among those beings managed to cling to life?" Hearing Miketsu's words, Suwako seemed slightly surprised for a moment, then she continued to ask with doubt.

"Where is this existence you speak of? What are the specific circumstances?"

"She is on the Moon, currently in a state of slumber or sealed. She has a group of moon rabbit dependents, and these dependents call Her... Chang'e."

Miketsu slowly spoke, looking at Suwako. The more Suwako listened to Miketsu's words, the darker her expression became. When she heard the final name, Suwako froze completely, her face terrifyingly grim.

"Chang...'e..." Suwako said, each word heavy with meaning. Miketsu looked at her unusual reaction, feeling a surge of surprise.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with this Chang'e? Could She not be an Ancient God?"

"No... she is an Ancient God, but a very special one..."

"Special?"

"Yes... indeed. Chang'e... she was the most anomalous among the Ancient Gods. She is different from all of us... she... is not a deity born on this planet, but an alien god from beyond the heavens!"

"She is... an invader!"