The Confrontation at Takamagahara

Rewinding time slightly, back to the moment the Great Snake defeated Amaterasu and occupied Takamagahara, just as the Tokoyo Butterfly was liberated.

Above the ruins of Heian-kyo, Miketsu hovered in mid-air. Her gaze was grave as she stared at the firmament above, where a grand and cataclysmic transformation was taking place.

Over the ruins, the entire sky began to shimmer with strange, hazy colors, like a world-spanning aurora. Within this radiance, one could faintly discern bizarre sights resembling mirages: floating islands, ever-shifting seas of clouds, mountain streams and flowing water, pavilions and towers.

Various landscapes, unfolding like a painted scroll, spread across the horizon. They transitioned from ethereal and misty to gradually clear, as if separated from reality by only a thin layer of frosted glass that could be shattered with a single push, turning illusion into reality.

Such mirage-like scenes were not limited to the skies above Heian-kyo. Similar anomalies appeared all over the world. In the skies of Northern Europe, a towering giant tree appeared with a majestic fortress atop it; above Greece, a radiant holy mountain manifested. These countless visions plunged people everywhere into panic and terror.

Miketsu knew what these visions were. They were the celestial realms corresponding to various parts of the world. The boundary wall between the celestial and mortal realms was being eroded, gradually thinning. The culprit behind all this was the Great Snake currently atop Takamagahara. He was using his power to destroy the division between the Three Realms!

If this continued, the celestial realm and the mortal world would merge into one. An eternal Age of Gods would become reality—and it would be an eternal Age of Gods ruled by the Great Snake. All the modern gods he had corrupted into puppets would serve him as the lord of the world in the capacity of subordinate deities.

"It seems... I can't wait any longer..."

Observing all this, Miketsu realized it was no longer the time to sit idly by. No matter what, someone had to stop the Great Snake before he completely eroded the boundaries. As of now, no one besides herself was capable of doing so.

Though the disparity in strength was vast, she had to face him.

Thinking this, Miketsu reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small mechanical communicator. It was linked to the monitoring pavilion space station in orbit.

"Hello, Eirin. It looks like we can't wait anymore. I'm going to start on my end."

"Understood. Progress at the Lunar Capital is going smoothly. There shouldn't be a problem with the timing. Go with a peaceful mind," Eirin's voice came through the communicator. Hearing this response, Miketsu breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Then... I'll leave it to you..."

After speaking, Miketsu tucked the communicator away. After fumbling in her sleeve for a moment, she pulled out another item: a can of cola.

Sanae had bought this from a vending machine before coming to this era. Before she could drink it, she had been transported here under the fate woven by Miketsu. At that time, when Miketsu saw the girl who had traveled from the deep pit below, her gaze had been instantly drawn to the can in her hand.

Consequently, under the focused gaze of the Inari Okami, the girl from the Heisei era had no choice but to obediently offer up her 'happy water.'

Miketsu held the cola and pulled the tab. With the familiar hiss of carbonation, she opened the can. Not a single bubble overflowed. Although Miketsu had carried it through a series of battles, involving rapid ascents, descents, and sharp turns, the liquid inside remained perfectly steady thanks to a sliver of sea god authority she had previously seized from an ancient god of the sea.

Gulp, gulp, gulp. In a few large swallows, Miketsu drained the cola. Her expression during the process was one of profound emotion.

"Ha... I haven't tasted this in over a decade..." Miketsu wiped her mouth as she spoke. She tossed the empty aluminum can toward the ground and turned her gaze back to the firmament.

"Well then... for a beautiful future where I can keep drinking happy water, it's time to go."

Speaking half-jokingly, Miketsu began to actively open the passage to the celestial realm. Because the boundary wall had become so thin, she managed to cross the threshold and reach the celestial realm once more, even despite the interference of Amaterasu's divine power.

Ascending rapidly through the Sea of Celestial Breath, when Miketsu laid eyes on Takamagahara again, it was no longer the fairyland of her memories.

The bright sun disk that once hung in the sky was gone, and the golden clouds had turned a dull, gloomy gray. The lush land had lost its original vegetation and buildings; most of its surface had turned into writhing masses of dark purple flesh. The flowing streams had become rivers of blood. The entire land seemed to be transforming into a colossal, disgusting monster.

Upon the land of flesh, the ancient snake god with eight heads and eight tails was coiled. His eight massive heads were spread out; two were biting deep into the earth of Takamagahara, corrupting it into flesh, while the other six were snapping at the surrounding space. Sharp fangs pierced into the void, injecting toxins that rapidly eroded the barriers between boundaries.

Sensing Miketsu's arrival, one of the heads biting the earth let go and rose, glaring at her with a dangerous, cold gaze.

"Heh... You actually came, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto. You should be well aware of the chasm in power between us now. Did you come before me to seek death instead of eking out your final days in the lower realm?" the Great Snake said in a cold, mocking voice. Miketsu responded by manifesting a bow of light in her hands, aiming it at the monster.

"I never make choices that lead to certain death. The fact that I am here means... your end has arrived!" As Miketsu spoke, she condensed an arrow of light and fired it at the Great Snake. The arrow struck his body, creating a brilliant explosion of light, but when the radiance faded, the Great Snake remained standing there, unshaken.

"The power of a false god is useless..."

The Great Snake whispered mockingly. Just as Miketsu prepared to condense another arrow, the bow of light in her hand suddenly vanished. Beside the Great Snake, Amaterasu—her eyes glowing with a purple hue—floated silently, suppressing Miketsu's divine authority.

At the same time, the flesh-morphed earth twisted, sprouting countless grotesque arms and tentacles that lunged toward Miketsu in the sky. Unable to read the causality of an ancient god, Miketsu was forced to dodge and weave through the pursuit of the many fleshy limbs, her movements severely restricted. Simultaneously, the Great Snake opened two of his bloody maws toward her. After a brief moment of convergence, two thick beams of purple light erupted, surging toward Miketsu. Her small frame was instantly swallowed by the blinding purple light.

Then, the brilliant purple light of destruction froze. A distant and majestic profound black aura erupted from within it. The entire breath dissolved rapidly like melting ice crystals, as illusory profound black wings began to take shape.

To combat the Great Snake, Miketsu had released her ancient god soul.