The Divided Spirit

Inari's attack helicopter soared through the night sky, submerged within the divine realm so that no mortal eye on the ground could perceive it. Inside the cabin, Miketsu listened to the memories of Keisuke Shindai's spirit, the elder brother of Ai Shindai.

"A... a divided spirit? That terrifying guy just now was only a divided spirit?" Listening to Miketsu's words, Keitaro couldn't help but look on in shock. In terms of pure pressure, that pale youth on the abandoned building was the most powerful being he had ever seen. With a mere wave of his hand, he had summoned a massive swarm of malicious spirits and ghosts. Little Yayoi hadn't been his match at all, and yet, he was merely a divided spirit.

'Then how strong must his true body be...' At the thought, Keitaro felt a slight chill. He thought to himself that this was indeed a god, possessing a qualitative difference from ordinary malicious spirits and ghosts.

"Mm... that guy is strong, but he is indeed just a divided spirit. Gods have their own territorial ranges. Within their territory, they possess immense power; conversely, they are weakened when they are far from it. Therefore, the true body generally won't easily leave for other places. Since only a divided spirit came to Tokyo, then that guy's true body should still be deep in the mountains of Ai's hometown." On the other side, Yayoi spoke with her head lowered in analysis. Clearly, she had previous experience encountering gods.

"So, do you still remember where your hometown is located?" Miketsu turned her head and spoke to Keisuke's spirit. Keisuke was momentarily stunned before responding.

"I remember the approximate location, but since it's been so many years, I'm not entirely sure of the specific path back. If we want to return, we can only conduct a large-scale search within those deep mountains."

As Keisuke spoke plainly, Miketsu's brow furrowed slightly as she replied, "A large-scale search? That's too much trouble. Does that god have any other remnants left here in Tokyo?"

Miketsu spoke bluntly, and Yayoi thought for a moment before saying, "Perhaps he has another divided spirit in Tokyo—right in my room. I captured it during the day, but now it seems that might have been intentional on his part."

Hearing Yayoi's words, Keitaro suddenly shuddered and spoke anxiously, "In your room, Yayoi?! Isn't that in Eiko's house?! That god is so dangerous, Eiko won't be in any trouble, will she?!"

"Don't worry... when I heard through the bug that there was a problem with that god, I already sent a text to Eiko asking her to go out and buy things. Besides, there are over forty powerful malicious spirits I've collected in my room. They should be able to suppress that guy." Yayoi responded calmly to Keitaro's anxious words, and only then did Keitaro breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

"Well then, in that case, let's go to your house first and take a look at that divided spirit..." Miketsu continued. Hearing her, Yayoi felt a hint of surprise. She tilted her head slightly.

"Are you... planning to intervene in this matter just like that? Aren't you a miko of the Inari Shrine? Don't you need to go back and report this, ask the kannushi for instructions, or report to a larger Inari Shrine? Since you can even fly a helicopter, you must be a fairly large and strict organization, right?" Yayoi asked doubtfully. The decision this miko just made didn't seem like something a low-level staff member could do. Deciding directly without reporting to superiors after hearing the situation... no matter how she thought about it, it didn't seem right.

Listening to Yayoi's words, a faint, calm smile curled at the corners of Miketsu's lips. She looked at Yayoi with a light chuckle and spoke in a rather mysterious tone.

"About that... I've already reported it."

"Already reported? When did you..." Yayoi started, then her eyes widened as if she had realized something.

"Me... I've already reported to Lord Inari Okami through prayer. Lord Inari Okami's divine oracle has already been delivered to my mind." Looking at Yayoi, Miketsu smiled while pointing to her own head.

"Lord Inari Okami's... divine oracle..."

Hearing Miketsu's words, the cabin fell silent for a moment. The helicopter, submerged in the divine realm, turned in the sky and flew toward the distance.

...

According to the address provided by Keitaro, Miko landed the helicopter in a stadium not far from the Hozuki residence. They then disembarked and headed for the house. When she saw Miko step out of the cockpit, Yayoi spoke with sudden realization.

"The miko from the tunnel the other day... As I thought, you are also an Inari miko. You must have boarded that bus specifically to exorcise the vengeful spirits in that tunnel."

"Um... ahaha... something like that..." Facing Yayoi's 'I knew it' expression, Miko, dressed in her miko outfit, couldn't help but scratch her head and laugh awkwardly, thinking to herself that she had only actually become an Inari miko that very day.

After leaving the stadium and walking for a short while, the group arrived before a modest two-story house. Once inside, they climbed the stairs and headed straight for Yayoi's room at the end of the second-floor hallway.

"It's here..."

Arriving before an ordinary door, Yayoi reached out her small hand and turned the handle. What appeared before everyone was a dim, cramped space. Seeing the scene inside the room, Yayoi's brow furrowed, while Keitaro was so frightened he took two steps back. Miko was also terrified, covering her mouth with her hand to keep from screaming.

"This is..."

Inside Yayoi's room, the plushies that had been placed everywhere were now all torn to shreds as if twisted by a massive force. Limbs were ripped off, heads were twisted away, and the white cotton stuffing was scattered everywhere, covering every part of the room. Cabinets were knocked over, and items were overturned; in short, it was a scene of complete wreckage.

And the plushie that Yayoi had placed on the desk to imprison the god's divided spirit was now reduced to fragments.

To an ordinary person, this might have looked like a house trashed by a husky, but to someone with spiritual vision, it was a terrifying sight of another kind. Countless hideously shaped malicious spirits were twisted and crowded into the small space. Their limbs were missing, their torsos broken; they were bleeding and dying, constantly wailing and struggling. The mournful, cruel cries of the demons echoed incessantly, like a scroll of hell come to life.

Every plushie in Yayoi's room represented a powerful malicious spirit. The damage suffered by these plushies directly reflected the damage suffered by the corresponding malicious spirits. A severed limb on a plushie meant a severed limb on a spirit; a twisted head meant a twisted head; the cotton meant their internal essence... The scene in Yayoi's room almost made even the battle-hardened Miko scream out loud.

Watching the results of her long and hard work turn into such a tragic, desolate sight, Yayoi didn't show overly intense emotions. Instead, she tightly hugged the only remaining alien-shaped plushie in her arms and spoke slowly.

"He broke the rule of the malicious spirits' numerical advantage... completely crushing over forty powerful malicious spirits with absolute, overwhelming strength... I see... so this is the power of a god?"

Even if it was just a divided spirit, it possessed the power to absolutely crush ordinary malicious spirits... perhaps that was why it could be called a god.

"Heeheehee... Trash is trash after all. I really don't know what the point of gathering so many was. In the end, weren't they all dealt with in an instant? Even a mere fragment like me couldn't be harmed in the slightest..."

Just then, an eerie and childish giggle came from behind everyone. Yayoi, Keitaro, Miko, and the others turned in shock, only to see a pale human face floating in the hallway behind them. On the youth's face, the eye sockets and mouth were filled with darkness.

He was still here...

Seeing this face appear, both Miko and Yayoi felt their hearts tighten. Yayoi gripped her remaining plushie, while Miko directly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the opponent.

"You... you still dare to wait here..." Pointing the gun at the pale god, Miko spoke slowly. Although she appeared as calm and steady as ever on the surface, her heart was still incredibly anxious after seeing the scene in the room earlier.

"Heehee... Ridiculous... why would I run? I didn't expect you to be able to eliminate the divided spirit I left on Ai. Mortal technology is indeed somewhat unexpected, but so what? That was merely my weakest divided spirit. Eliminating it only slightly delayed the fate of the Shindai siblings. In the end, Ai will still fall into my hands." With an eerie smile, the pale god, who manifested only as a face, spoke slowly.

"I won't let a wicked god like you have your way. You're clearly an old guy who knows not how many years old, yet you want to marry a teenage bride. How shameless..." At this moment, Yayoi pointed her small hand at the pale face floating in mid-air.

Hearing Yayoi's words, the pale face paused for a moment, then its mouth split open to a terrifying degree. Immediately, a bone-chilling aura rapidly diffused outward. The light in the room dimmed, and countless items in the house began to float automatically into the air. The floor began to vibrate slightly, and a terrifying aura radiated from the pale face.

Terrifying pressure filled the vibrating, dim space, making the mortals' hearts feel oppressed and panicked. Watching the strange movements around them, Keitaro was so scared he fell onto his backside. Miko, unable to stand steadily, felt her hands holding the gun tremble slightly. She constantly searched the surroundings with her eyes for another red-and-white figure, but she couldn't find her anywhere.

'Lord Inaba... where did you go?!' At this moment, Miko was screaming loudly in her heart beneath her calm expression.

'So strong... much stronger than the previous divided spirit...' Yayoi couldn't help but think to herself as she watched the scene.

"Ha... who do you think you're talking to?! I am a god! A god that you mortals worship! Do you know the consequences of speaking to me like that?! You arrogant little medium?"

The god's words echoed in the room, the reverberations sharp and terrifying. Combined with the fearful atmosphere created by the enclosed, vibrating space, the hearts of the few mortals present were filled with dread. Even a bead of cold sweat trickled down the side of Yayoi's forehead.

"I..."

"Speaking of arrogance... you're not exactly lagging behind yourself."

Just as Yayoi was about to say something more, a soft and peaceful voice rang out. Along with this voice, the floor's vibration stopped instantly. The items floating in mid-air fell one after another, clattering onto the floor. The diffusing terrifying aura was instantly cleared, and the heavy stone pressing on the hearts of Yayoi and the others also vanished in an instant. Everything returned to its original state in a flash.

The group was only surprised by the disappearance of the anomaly for a short while. After catching their breath, they turned their stunned gazes toward the place where the soft voice had come from. There, a young girl with short black hair in a miko outfit was slowly walking up the stairs. In her hand, she was currently holding a cup of steaming coffee.

"Sorry, I saw that the coffee in your house downstairs was quite good, so I couldn't help but brew a cup before coming up. That's okay, right?" Holding the coffee, Miketsu spoke to Yayoi on the other side. Yayoi responded with a sigh of relief.

"It's fine. It's Eiko's anyway."

'Lord Inaba, what time is it... how do you still have the heart to brew coffee?!' On the other side, Miko looked at the appearing Miketsu, her eyes tearing up as she shouted in her heart.

"You... who are you?!" The pale god turned his gaze toward the suddenly appearing Miketsu and shouted loudly. He could feel that the power he had previously diffused into the space had vanished instantly, which was clearly related to this suspicious miko.

Listening to the pale god's words, Miketsu unhurriedly took a sip of her coffee before responding.

"Me? Just an ordinary miko. Just like you, just an ordinary wild god."

"W-Wild god..." Hearing the words from Miketsu's mouth, the pale god's face couldn't help but freeze for a moment, his mouth twisting. Clearly, he hadn't expected to hear such a term.

"Wild god... are there classifications for gods too?" On the other side, Yayoi asked with some curiosity.

"Yes. Roughly speaking, gods are divided into orthodox gods and wild gods. In this era, orthodox gods almost never appear in the mortal world anymore, so what's left are just some wild gods. However, they probably all call themselves gods now. After all, the term 'wild god' doesn't sound good and lacks prestige; it's quite embarrassing and doesn't scare people well. Don't you agree?" Miketsu glanced at the pale god while sipping her coffee. Hearing her words, the pale god's mouth twitched, and his expression twisted even further.

"So, most of the gods in the human world now are wild gods?" At this time, Keitaro also asked. Miketsu continued to answer.

"It's pretty much like that. Moreover, a considerable number of wild gods are Inari gods." Miketsu explained, holding up a finger. Hearing her, Yayoi also tilted her head and asked curiously.

"They're all Inari gods... are there many Inari gods?"

"Mm. Many Inari gods together form a massive system of numerous wild gods spread across the country. They are many deities under the same divine name. Wild gods who are not Inari gods also mostly have official territories now and are registered at the Inari Honsha. In short, wild gods today basically exist under a regulated order." Miketsu explained. Then Yayoi continued to ask.

"So... is the one you two serve one of those Inari gods?"

"Mm-hmm~ The shrine is on Mount Kagami-oboro. You can come and visit if you have time. The Lord Inari gods are all quite nice. Most wild gods nowadays are very well-behaved; the wicked ones are just a very few exceptions outside of jurisdiction. Don't let them give you a bad impression of gods~"

As Miketsu spoke, she glanced sideways at the pale god nearby. Upon hearing this, the pale youth god gritted his teeth and spoke in a disdainful tone.

"Tch... what's so great about those Inari gods? Bound by numerous constraints and prohibitions, and the faith they collect isn't even entirely their own—can such existences even be called gods? Heehee... this is truly laughable! Those who cannot rule over mortals as they please do not deserve to be called gods! Those Inari are essentially just Uka's dogs! What's there to be proud of?"

Listening to the pale youth's words, Miketsu took a sip of hot coffee, pursed her lips, and then spoke calmly to the god before her.

"You... didn't pass the exam, did you?"

As soon as Miketsu finished speaking, that originally eerie and pale face floating in mid-air suddenly froze, then revealed a pained expression as if he had just eaten filth.