The Messenger of the Heavens

Deep within the Underworld, above a sea of lava that soaked countless wailing souls and a turbid, sinister five-pointed star array, Yamamoto Gorozaemon—now reduced to a skeleton and half a living brain—stood in stunned silence. Even with his skeletal face, the gaze he fixed upon Dark Seimei was filled with unbelievable shock. The information he had just received was far too preposterous; it completely transcended his previous knowledge and understanding of the world.

"It is... simply too incredible. Does such an omnipresent yet supreme power truly exist in this world?" Yamamoto murmured blankly.

Before him, Dark Seimei snapped his folding fan shut with a sharp crack and spoke slowly.

"Of course. As long as one can violate the Heavenly Dao within the Inari Honsha, the resulting power triggered will be something even Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami herself cannot resist, even if she descends personally. She will only be able to watch as her followers in the mortal world are annihilated. If she insists on protecting them, she will be destroyed along with them. That would be even better..."

As he spoke, a sharp light flickered within Dark Seimei's eyes.

"Once Inari falls, our greatest threat in the mortal world will vanish. After that, we can return through reincarnation without any hesitation. The mortal world... will finally belong to me," Dark Seimei murmured.

After contemplating these words for a while, Yamamoto asked, "Then... how do you intend to violate the Heavenly Dao?"

"It is quite simple. One only needs to perform an act of defying heaven. According to my millennium of research, the Heavenly Dao imposes numerous hidden constraints and prohibitions upon this world. Violating them by force will summon the messengers of the Heavenly Dao. For example..."

Dark Seimei paused and continued, "You may not know this, but the celestial gods once walked freely in the mortal world. Now, they are confined to the Celestial Realm, barely able to manage even a divine descent. This is the result of the Heavenly Dao's operation. The Celestial Realm is, in fact, a cage the Heavenly Dao set for the gods! The celestial gods are prisoners the Heavenly Dao has trapped within that realm! The Heavenly Dao absolutely forbids those gods from interfering with the mortal world at will. Therefore, any attempt to boldly open the gates of heaven and release the gods... will inevitably be viewed as the ultimate offense by the Heavenly Dao."

At this point, a sinister smile played on Dark Seimei's lips. Hearing this, Yamamoto was stunned for a moment before something seemed to occur to him.

"The ultimate offense... Could it be... the reason you needed the Ritual of Heavenly Ascent from Kitano Saburo was..." Yamamoto murmured in shock.

Dark Seimei responded with calm deliberation. "Indeed. Kitano’s Ritual of Heavenly Ascent was a masterpiece of the Onmyodo world during the Empire era. Even for me, it holds high value. I have modified that ritual; it is no longer just a spell to pray for divine power, but a formula that can truly open the gates of heaven and allow the gods to descend, provided there is enough energy. Such a ritual is an absolute violation of the laws of the Heavenly Dao! It is a forbidden and impermissible act. You can imagine the consequences it will bring."

As Dark Seimei continued his deep-voiced explanation, Yamamoto finally grasped the full extent of the plan.

"You... you intend to perform the enhanced Ritual of Heavenly Ascent within the Inari Honsha... to open the gates of heaven. Not to summon the gods, but to violate the Heavenly Dao and bring down a heavenly tribulation to destroy Inari!"

"Correct. Furthermore, everything has already been prepared. Tonight, everything will come to light," Dark Seimei said as he flicked open his paper fan to cover his mouth.

"Witness it well with me, Yamamoto. The descent of the supreme power that reigns above all. Witness the arrival of the moment when the god falls... The messenger of the Heavenly Dao shall descend upon Kyoto tonight."

In many deep mountains of Japan, far removed from human civilization, many secret realms exist. Within these realms dwell numerous hidden masters, yokai clans, and those devoted to secluded cultivation. These secret realms vary in size, age, and history, but among them, one exists as a particularly special place. This secret realm is located deep in the mountains, shielded by a colossal barrier. Unlike many other secret realms, the secluded yokai gathered here are not limited to a single species; many human practitioners and powerful yokai are mixed among them. Furthermore, this realm contains a human society that has detached itself from modern civilization.

Gensokyo—this was the name the inhabitants gave to this secret realm. The human society within Gensokyo was known as the Human Village.

The setting sun cast a golden glow over the land of Gensokyo, staining the forests and mountains in the red hues of dusk. In this boundless wilderness sat a primitive human town. This was the Human Village, a human settlement within the yokai secret realm of Gensokyo—a place of seclusion left behind by the advancing eras.

Within the Human Village was a spacious courtyard. On the sign hanging above the main gate, the word "Terakoya" was printed. Several children dressed in kimono ran out from under the gate, turning back after a few steps to wave and shout excitedly.

"Goodbye, Ms. Keine!"

"Goodbye! Yuko, Daisuke, remember to come on time tomorrow!"

Standing under the gate of the Terakoya was a white-haired woman wearing a blue dress and a lunchbox-shaped hat. She smiled and waved back at the children. Once they were out of sight, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

Kamishirasawa Keine was the founder and teacher of the private Terakoya in the Human Village, providing education to the village's children. She was not a pure human and frequently interacted with the many non-human entities of Gensokyo. Having finished her day's work, Keine tidied up the Terakoya and stepped outside, closing the doors behind her.

Walking along the primitive streets of the Human Village, she saw many people carrying tools stained with mud. As it was dusk, these farmers were returning from their labors in the fields. Keine knew where they were heading: the center of the Human Village.

"Oh, if it isn't Ms. Keine? What’s this? Are you also going to pay your respects to the Dragon God?"

"Yes, Mr. Shiro. I also want to see what the weather will be like tomorrow," Keine answered the farmer with a smile before continuing forward.

After a short while, she reached a broad open space where a large sculpture of a coiled dragon stood. The majestic stone dragon spiraled upward, looking down from above. Countless farmers returning home were gathered around the statue, bowing in worship. Upon finishing their prayers and seeing the dragon's eyes, they could not help but look delighted. Keine approached the dragon statue, gave a devout bow, and looked up at the stone eyes. She saw they were white.

"White... Tomorrow will still be clear..."

After her soft murmur, Keine prepared to leave, but at that moment, a voice sounded behind her.

"So... this is the so-called Dragon God faith? The most worshipped deity in the Human Village... With so many believers, he is a troublesome opponent."

Hearing this voice, Keine was startled. She turned around to see a young woman in a blue and white sleeveless miko outfit. The girl was rubbing her chin, staring solemnly at the stone dragon.

Keine's eyes brightened as she looked at the green-haired girl and spoke.

"Could you be... the miko from the mountain shrine?"

Hearing Keine's words, the green-haired girl, Kochiya Sanae, was taken aback. She looked at Keine, who had taken the initiative to speak to her.

"I am indeed the miko of the Moriya Shrine on the Yokai Mountain. I moved in just a short while ago. My name is Kochiya Sanae. May I ask who you are? And how do you know me?" Sanae asked with a slightly serious expression. She had no recollection of the person before her.

"My name is Kamishirasawa Keine. I am merely a scholar living in the Human Village. The reason I know you, Ms. Sanae, is because I occasionally read the Tengu newspapers' explanations of the recent incidents. They placed quite an emphasis on the shrine on the mountain," Keine said with a smile.

Sanae froze for a moment before scratching her head.

"Ah... is that so? Those Tengu newspapers actually have that much reach? Ah, wait!" Suddenly, Sanae seemed to realize something and hugged her head with her hands. "If you know me, does that mean my photo was in the newspaper too? This is my first time being in a newspaper... No, wait! I never let those Tengu take a proper photo of me. How could they have my picture? Was it a secret shot!?"

Thinking of this serious problem, Sanae looked at Keine with a grave expression and asked earnestly, "Ms. Keine... how did I look in those newspaper photos? Was the angle bad? Did I look ugly? If they took a really ugly secret photo, I’m going to find those Tengu right now!"

"Wait, don't get excited, Ms. Sanae. Your photo was actually quite good. There wasn't any big problem with it..." Keine said immediately, waving her hands.

Hearing this, Sanae breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew... is that so? That's good. I'll go check it out later. If the secret shot was ugly, I'd have settled the score with those guys."

Keine's expression became slightly more focused, and she continued to ask, "Ms. Sanae, you are the miko of the mountain shrine. What brings you down the mountain today? I see... you are interested in the faith of the Dragon God?"

Sanae nodded in response. "Yes, something like that... Since my family runs a shrine, and there are two Lord Deities at home, gods naturally need faith. Although our branch of the Moriya Shrine in Gensokyo was built on the Yokai Mountain, we still need to develop faith within the Human Village. So, I came to investigate the current state of faith here and understand our competition in advance."

"I see. I did read in the newspaper that you moved to Gensokyo because of the lack of faith in the outside world. Do people in the outside world generally no longer believe in gods?" Keine asked thoughtfully.

Sanae waved her hands in denial. "Not exactly. The Moriya Shrine in the outside world actually has quite a flourishing faith. However, that is only for Lady Kanako; Lady Suwako’s faith has always been quite dismal. Recently, it reached a point where it threatened her very existence. We mainly moved here for Lady Suwako's sake," Sanae said with a smile.

Compared to the fame of the Inari Okami, the management of the Moriya names for Kanako and Suwako seemed lacking. People almost always prayed to the name of Takeminakata-no-Kami; very few worshipped under the names of Moriya-no-Kami or Suwa Daimyojin. This resulted in Suwako receiving a pitifully small amount of faith from the outside world in modern times.

This was largely because Suwako, having an ancient god body, had lost her sense of crisis and didn't care about gathering faith at all. For a thousand years, she had spent her time playing around, not being even a tenth as diligent as Kanako in managing her divine name and faith. By now, the name of Suwa Daimyojin had almost been overshadowed by Kanako's divine name. If this continued, Suwako would eventually lose her wild god avatar due to a lack of faith and would only be able to remain as an ancient god, eternally submerged beneath Lake Suwa.

Although the ancient god of the earth submerged under Lake Suwa was Suwako's true body, she absolutely did not want to lose the wild god avatar she had used for thousands of years. In a way, she preferred this wild god body.

"So that's how it is. The Dragon God’s faith? As a scholar, I happen to know a thing or two about it. If you don't mind, I can explain a bit to you, Ms. Sanae," Keine offered.

Sanae’s eyes lit up. "Really? Then thank you very much, Ms. Keine!"

Afterward, Keine and Sanae left the bustling street and sat down in a private booth of a tea house. They ordered two cups of tea and sat facing each other.

"Since we’re here, let’s talk directly about the Dragon... What kind of existence is this so-called Dragon God? Does he have a shrine? Does he have mikos? Why do the humans of Gensokyo have such faith in him? Where did he come from? Is he from mythology, or is he one of the eight million gods?" Sanae asked her series of questions directly.

Keine took a slow sip of her tea before speaking.

"The Dragon God... he has no shrine or miko in Gensokyo. He is not a god from any mythology, nor is he a typical member of the eight million gods."

"Eh? Not a celestial god? Not one of the eight million gods? Then... what is he?" Sanae asked in surprise. Based on what she had learned from Suwako, the gods in this world were either celestial gods from orthodox mythology or wild gods born of faith—also known as the eight million gods. Aside from those two categories were the powerful ancient gods born in the primeval era. If the Dragon God wasn't a celestial god... but according to Lady Suwako, the only ancient god active in this world besides herself was that certain lord...

Facing Sanae’s confusion, Keine calmly replied.

"In my view, the Dragon God is not a god in the usual sense. The Dragon God is the messenger of the heavens!"

"The... the heavens!?" Sanae was stunned, and an unexpected look appeared on her face.

"Yes, the heavens... the high heavens... that is the phrasing I prefer. If you asked the Yokai Sages, they would be more accustomed to calling it the Heavenly Dao."

"The Heavenly Dao..." Sanae murmured in shock, while Keine continued.

"The Heavenly Dao Gods were created by the heavens. They travel freely throughout the Three Realms, loyally executing the will of the heavens and determining the course of this world. Ordinary beings cannot perceive them at all, yet they influence this world every moment. Only when someone dares to commit an act of defying heaven will one of them appear in the form of a heavenly tribulation to destroy the offender."

Keine spoke in a low, somber voice, her hands clutching her teacup. Sanae sat dazed for a long time before shaking her head to regain her senses.

"Wait... you say the Heavenly Dao Gods are normally impossible to perceive... but the Human Village has the Dragon God..."

"That is because a long time ago, the Dragon God once descended upon Gensokyo," Keine continued.

Sanae was stunned, then spoke again. "He once descended upon Gensokyo... You just said that such a god only appears when someone commits an act of defying heaven. That means..."

"Yes. The sages of Gensokyo once attempted to defy heaven. Or rather, the very existence of this Gensokyo is a product of defying heaven."