Reincarnation

Above the ruins of Heian-kyo, due to the Great Snake's unexpected resistance at the last moment, Miketsu failed to pull him down. Instead, he was taken to the Takamagahara of the Celestial Realm. This aligned perfectly with the plans of the modern gods, giving Miketsu a sudden sense of foreboding.

So... what exactly are you thinking, Yamata no Orochi?

Miketsu thought as she hovered in mid-air. She intended to head to Takamagahara through the passage in the divine territory of Mount Inari, only to find it obstructed by a powerful force.

"Amaterasu... has she sealed the path to Takamagahara?"

Miketsu murmured, her brow furrowing. It seemed Amaterasu, realizing she couldn't deal with Miketsu immediately, chose to shut her out instead... perhaps she was waiting for her Chief God allies.

"It seems... I can only try to break through by force," she sighed. She began attempting to breach Amaterasu's restriction and reopen the passage to the Celestial Realm.

...

Takamagahara, Celestial Realm.

Takamagahara, surrounded by the sea of celestial breath, remained shrouded in a distant and peaceful atmosphere. On a vast open space, the Great Snake, with his eight heads and eight tails and a body five to six hundred meters long, lay there powerlessly. His eight heads stared at a single spot, where a figure he knew all too well stood.

"It has been a long time, Himiko. How does it feel... to be a god?" The Great Snake spoke slowly in a raspy, somber voice, his massive jaws agape. Amaterasu offered a slight bow in response.

"It is indeed a unique sensation. As a Chief God, there are times I feel as though I have become an existence like you. It was once something I dared not even imagine in my dreams..."

"Heh, yes... a position of a false god obtained through betrayal, after all..." the Great Snake sneered, mocking his former priestess. Amaterasu remained unmoved.

"Indeed. In that war, as a priestess, I did indeed betray you, Lord Snake God. But on the other hand, was this betrayal not something you tacitly permitted? Mythological creation is unstoppable; your fall was already foreseeable. Rather than letting our kin be destroyed along with you, it was better for us to end the war as victors. As long as the kin remain, there is a possibility for your future revival. Is that not exactly what I have done today?" Though her words seemed humble, her tone and expression held not a shred of submissiveness.

"Under my prayer dance, you have been reborn in this world once more... However, this time, your power will be used by us to create an eternal Age of Gods."

Despite her outward respect, Amaterasu no longer felt any awe toward her former deity. Hearing her words, the Great Snake let out a bizarre laugh, his entire body trembling with the force of it.

"Hehehe... You wish to use my power to forge your eternal rule? How utterly arrogant... As expected, no matter how much time passes, no matter the era, you humans are equally beyond saving. Do you truly believe you can harness my power?!" The Great Snake spoke coldly, staring intently at the tiny woman before him. An invisible tremor radiated from his massive form.

Facing the Great Snake as he began to show signs of abnormality, Amaterasu remained calm.

"As long as this mythological power remains, you cannot resist us. In time, your power will eventually belong to us. Your ally, that ancient god of worms, is still within its cocoon, isn't it? It lacks the strength to come to your rescue..."

Amaterasu's composure remained unshaken. Hearing this, the Great Snake gave a cold laugh.

"Is that so... Then you truly... do not understand us ancient gods well enough..."

...

Deep within the earth, inside a massive cavern covered in glowing silken threads, a colossal cocoon a hundred meters high filled the space. Within the cocoon, a light pulsed rhythmically, brightening and dimming like a heartbeat. Amidst the hazy shadows cast by this light, a massive figure was faintly visible.

"The time has come... it is time to act..." Before the colossal cocoon, a small purple-scaled snake coiled upon a stalactite suddenly opened its eyes and spoke in a dark voice. Upon hearing this, the light emanating from the cocoon grew even more dazzling, and its pulse quickened. The entire underground space began to echo with the rhythmic sound of a heartbeat.

From the colossal cocoon, a strange power spread out at high speed, piercing through boundaries to reach the deepest corners of this world.

Within the cave, a light, shrill voice began to echo.

"My Lord, Reincarnation..."

...

Takamagahara, Celestial Realm.

Atop the Sun City, Are, who was maintaining the Kojiki, suddenly froze. Her gaze turned vacant as a faint butterfly-shaped mark emerged on her forehead.

"Ugh, I... what is..."

The butterfly mark on her forehead emitted a strange glow. Are suddenly felt a splitting headache. Images flooded her mind—the beautiful, giant butterfly shadow she had seen within the reincarnation!

Hieda no Are had already been influenced by Tokoyo-no-Kami!

As the ancient god of reincarnation, Tokoyo-no-Kami's dominion was not limited to its own cycle. Reincarnation was its domain; it could enter the reincarnation tunnels of the Underworld with its spirit and easily interfere with the rebirth of any soul. It could do this even while in its cocoon.

Are's soul had been marked by Tokoyo-no-Kami the moment it passed through reincarnation.

Are's abnormality caused the Kojiki she was maintaining to become unstable. The power within it rippled outward, causing the entirety of Takamagahara to vibrate.

"This tremor... Are!?" Before the Great Snake, Amaterasu, sensing the anomaly, was struck with alarm. She immediately looked toward the source of the disturbance with a frown—the Sun City in the sky.

Sensing something was wrong, Amaterasu immediately took flight, racing toward the Sun City at high speed. Left behind, the Great Snake let out a chilling laugh.

"Have you finally realized the problem? But it is too late..."

Within the Sun City, Are, under the remote influence of Tokoyo-no-Kami, tremblingly raised her hand holding the brush. She looked at the words she had previously written on the page.

"The Great Snake returns, a crisis for all living things. The gods took pity, and eight cups of sake descended from the heavens to intoxicate the weakened Great Snake."

Under control, Are swept her hand, and this sentence was directly struck out...