Ancient Tales

On the battlefield of Heian-kyo, the apostles of Orochi had all been cut down. In the final throes of resistance, only the skeletal remains of Orochi itself remained. In its current state, it was no match for Miketsu; its defeat was only a matter of time.

Within the Fox Hunt Realm, an endless rain of light arrows plummeted from the sky, erupting into bursts of radiance upon hitting the ground. Violent roars echoed incessantly as the skeletal Orochi was pinned down by the dense bombardment of light, unable to even lift its heads to mount an effective counterattack.

During this process, Miketsu held her radiant longbow high. A single Explosive Demon-Slaying Arrow was condensing upon the string, emitting a dazzling light. Within it, an immense amount of divine power had been poured, causing a brilliant golden glow to flicker across the firmament of the divine realm. The final arrow Miketsu had prepared for Orochi was complete.

"Explosive Demon-Slaying Arrow!"

Releasing the string, the divine arrow of demon-slaying streaked down from the heavens like a golden comet, trailing a long wake as it plunged into the roaring storm of light, striking the suppressed skeletal Orochi.

Accompanied by an explosion of divine power, the entire Fox Hunt Realm was instantly enveloped in intense light. Amidst the terrifying roar, the entire divine realm space trembled violently. Ultimately, the fundamental structure of the divine realm could no longer sustain the release of such horrific energy and collapsed. The hazy halo covering Heian-kyo was torn apart and scattered; a small amount of residual energy spilled out, directly destroying countless buildings. All of Heian-kyo was swept by the aftershocks, turning into ruins amidst the golden light.

As the light faded and the shockwaves subsided, the skeletal Orochi lay powerless upon the ruins of Heian-kyo. Although no obvious damage appeared on its ancient god's skeletal body, many fine cracks had surfaced. After that round of strikes, its aura had clearly diminished significantly. Now, it seemed a struggle just to lift all eight of its heads at once.

In the sky above, the bow of light in Miketsu's hand was drawn once more. Another Explosive Demon-Slaying Arrow condensed upon the string. Miketsu did not intend to give Orochi any breathing room; she planned to press her advantage and end the battle directly.

The dazzling arrow formed again. Miketsu released the string, and the arrow carrying vast divine power flew toward the skeletal Orochi once more. In its weakened state, the Great Snake was powerless to resist.

However, at that moment, a beam of white light pierced through the dark clouds and descended from the heavens, accurately striking Miketsu's arrow. Miketsu felt the Inari divine power within the arrow being directly nullified. This caused her to frown slightly; she was very familiar with this phenomenon, having felt it before when she visited Takamagahara.

This was divine authority suppression... the effect of the Sun Divine Authority's dominion over the Inari Divine Authority!

"Amaterasu..."

On the other side, the weakened Orochi also froze upon seeing the white light, whispering in a dark, hoarse tone...

"Himiko..."

On a hill far from Heian-kyo, a beautiful woman dressed in simple white robes gazed up at the massive figure of the skeletal giant snake in the distance. A slight smile appeared on her lips. Then, she slowly stepped forward, her mouth beginning to chant in an archaic, foreign tongue.

With her hands waving gently and her toes tapping rhythmically, the woman's figure began to dance gracefully as she moved forward. The movements grew larger and more vigorous, and the speed of her chanting increased.

During the dance, the woman's wide white robes began to change. The white fabric gradually turned into dark purple snakes, embroidered with countless winding and entangling serpentine patterns. The ancient totem of the eight-headed Great Snake manifested within her attire.

"Awaken here... Great Snake God..."

Following the woman's dance, a faint purple light flickered over the previously weakened skeletal Orochi. It raised its eight skeletal heads and let out a roar powered by a strange force.

Seeing the scene before her, Miketsu understood that the resurrection of Orochi had begun...

In the Celestial Realm, Takamagahara.

Above the rolling sea of orange-yellow clouds, a blazing sun formed of divine power shone brightly. Within this sun stood a magnificent floating castle, solemn and majestic, overflowing with radiant light. This Sun City was the heart of Takamagahara.

At the peak of the Sun City, on an open-air platform, a small cradle was placed. Inside lay a tiny infant.

This infant's skin was slightly red, and its body was very small, looking as if it had just been born. The infant was covered with a blanket, its eyes open, neither crying nor fussing. Its expression held none of the feelings a normal infant should have.

Beside the cradle stood a three-legged crow. It stared at the infant in the cradle and spoke with a woman's voice.

"It is time..."

As it spoke, the three-legged crow emitted a soft light. Under the influence of this radiance, the infant in the cradle began to change.

Beneath the glow of the three-legged crow, the infant began to grow rapidly. Its body lengthened, its limbs extended, and purple hair began to sprout from its head. In moments, the newborn infant had grown into a young girl of about eleven or twelve. Her appearance was exactly the same as Hieda no Are.

This was indeed Are, reincarnated from the Underworld.

After her rapid growth was complete, Are picked up the simple clothes prepared nearby and put them on. Then she turned around and bowed deeply to the three-legged crow.

"The resurrection of Orochi is underway. You may also begin..." the three-legged crow said directly. Are nodded respectfully and turned aside, looking toward the edge of the Sun City's rooftop platform.

There stood a simple stone table. Upon the stone table lay a thin, tattered ancient book with no name written on its cover.

Are walked slowly to the stone table and reached out to pick up the tattered ancient book. As she stroked its cover, a look of nostalgia appeared on her face.

"Besides you, no other being can touch it. Amatsumara, who accidentally came into contact with it, is now in the mortal world..." the three-legged crow said slowly. Are sighed with emotion.

"Is that so... After all, this power was meant to be used only once and then sealed away forever..."

"Such great power would be a waste if used only once. There is no need for more words, Are. Now, unfold the Kojiki. We must use this mythic power to tame the beast that is about to revive," the three-legged crow said again. Hearing this, Are let out a soft breath.

Closing her eyes, Are let go of the book. The tattered ancient book floated automatically in the air and began to disassemble itself. Page after page, covered in elegant small script, flew through the air without any wind, hovering around Are. These words had been written by Are herself; this ancient book was her creation. She was the compiler of Yamato Mythology; she was the Prophet.

Likewise, only she could wield the power within it—the power of myth.