Deception

During Eirin's godhead surgery, per Miketsu's request, Eirin didn't just add the emotion of fear to Takemikazuchi-no-Kami; she amplified it. This meant the fear Takemikazuchi-no-Kami now felt was far more intense than that of an ordinary person, which explained his previous extreme reaction to Miketsu.

Under the weight of this superhuman terror, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami began to fret over many things. Most importantly, he worried about how he would return to Takamagahara to report his mission.

If he were the normal Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, he would have pursued his goal relentlessly. Having explicitly encountered Miketsu, it would be impossible for him not to bring her back unless he was killed or defeated.

However, now that he possessed fear, the situation was different. After being defeated by Miketsu, he had no desire to challenge her again under any circumstances. Yet, returning with a failed mission would surely arouse the suspicion of Takamagahara. The normal Takemikazuchi-no-Kami did not have 'failure' as an option. Returning like this would imply something was wrong, and he would face questioning from Takamagahara.

And what would that questioning bring? When an absolutely loyal weapon became less than absolute, how would Takamagahara treat him? Under Miketsu's deliberate guidance, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami pondered these questions. A seed of fear toward Takamagahara and Amaterasu sprouted in his heart and was rapidly magnified.

Takemikazuchi-no-Kami couldn't help but feel panicked about what would happen if his abnormality were discovered. Would he be destroyed by divine punishment? Or would he be captured and remodeled back into that fearless Heavenly Punishment Thunder God? Neither outcome was acceptable to the now-fearful Takemikazuchi-no-Kami.

"Do you wish to return to that state of fearlessness, completing missions at any cost? In that form, you are merely Amaterasu's weapon, and you wouldn't even know when you've been worn out. Granted, as the strongest God of War, you can complete almost any task, but what happens when you encounter an anomaly? For instance, me. My strength exceeded Takamagahara's estimations. As someone who knows no retreat, you would likely have died in a battle you could not win..."

"Think about it, Lord Thunder God. Are you willing to be discarded one day like a broken weapon? Are you willing to leap into the abyss without hesitation, even knowing it means certain death?"

"Many in this world loathe fear, believing it to be the root of cowardice. But they do not realize that it is precisely fear that allows countless beings to avoid fatal crises. It is fear that prevents them from dying for nothing, and fear that allows life to endure longer. Senseless courage is to be admired, but those who are never afraid are destined for destruction!"

"Fear is an incomparable treasure possessed by millions of living beings, yet you, the noble Thunder God, lacked it. Now... I grant this treasure to you. Please cherish it..."

Those were the words Miketsu had spoken to Takemikazuchi-no-Kami. He had been stunned for a long time after hearing them. Under the influence of his inner terror, his priority had shifted from the mission to self-preservation. Thus, in the end, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami fully accepted Miketsu's philosophy.

Yes... fear is an emotion every living being possesses; fear allows life to continue more safely! There is no shame in being afraid! The me of the past, who knew no fear, was the one who was abnormal!

Fear is a treasure! Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto has given this treasure to me!

Once he reached this realization, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami's psychological burden vanished, and he began to give in to his inner cowardice.

On one hand, he didn't dare trouble Miketsu; on the other, he was afraid Amaterasu would see through him. Consequently, when reporting his mission, he fabricated a reason that explained why he had returned alone without Uka-no-Mikoto.

As long as Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto remained hidden, he simply couldn't find her. Since he supposedly hadn't fought her, there was no issue of defeat, making his return perfectly reasonable.

"Since you have destroyed Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto's Secret Realm and brought heavenly punishment upon her kin, she cannot remain idle. After some time, return to the mortal realm and search for her. If she still does not appear, you are permitted to expand the scope of the heavenly punishment. You may destroy all of her wild god shrines as well."

Atop the mountain peak amidst rolling yellow clouds, a mature female voice echoed. Kneeling before the torii, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words.

"As you command..."

After a brief response, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami left the torii and flew down the mountain. He felt incredibly lucky to have bluffed his way through, considering he had just lied to his Chief God.

For now, Amaterasu believed his words, allowing him to manage for a while. However, he would eventually be forced to go back down and look for Miketsu. He was ten thousand times unwilling to cross blades with her again.

'It seems when the time comes, I'll have to discuss things with Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto... see how we can fool Amaterasu together again...' Takemikazuchi-no-Kami thought as he flew.

He felt as though he was slowly stepping onto a path of no return, one that ultimately led to Miketsu's scheme.

...

Mount Inari, Inari Shrine.

In the small building behind the Inari Secret Realm, Miketsu had just returned the annotated booklets to Qin Xin and Menreiki. She then began to organize the intelligence on Takamagahara she had obtained from Takemikazuchi-no-Kami. To be honest... the amount of information gained was pitifully small.

All Miketsu knew now was that the order to detain her in the heavens came from Amaterasu, just as the order for the previous Inari Okami to ascend a century ago had been hers. As for why Amaterasu was forcing Miketsu to return, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami didn't have the slightest clue. He was merely a soldier executing orders, following Amaterasu's commands unconditionally without asking a single question.

Miketsu was deeply puzzled. What exactly was Amaterasu thinking? What was the reason for targeting her so specifically? She had a few guesses.

First, Amaterasu knew about her ancient god true form. As a Chief God, she surely knew about the ancient gods. Therefore, summoning her to the heavens was to impose a seal and force her back into slumber, as suppressing ancient gods was the duty of a Chief God.

Second, Amaterasu didn't know about her ancient god true form. She simply sensed that Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami's divine virtue was being suppressed or damaged and wanted to bring her up to repair her divine virtue.

Both theories were plausible, yet both had flaws. Regarding the first, if Amaterasu knew she was an ancient god, wouldn't sending only Takemikazuchi-no-Kami be a bit too overconfident? Regarding the second, if the goal was to repair divine virtue, then what was the deal with the previous Inari Okami being placed under a divine power seal that eventually led to her slumber?

Furthermore... besides constantly targeting her, Amaterasu's complete indifference toward the massive movements made by the Great Snake was even more absurd. Didn't the Chief God have the responsibility to suppress ancient gods?

So... what was Amaterasu's true objective?

Thinking of this, Miketsu felt that Amaterasu might be carrying out some sort of plan—a plan whose impact was linked to both herself and the Great Snake. The final consequences of this plan might be no less significant than the revival of the ancient gods themselves...