Inner Destroyer

　The fierce battle between the storm and the divine fire finally subsided.

　The devastated "Sugizawa Village" was now unrecognizable. The already dilapidated streets had even their last veneer ripped away. The cobblestones were broken and crumbling, the ground was charred and cracked, and the shattered walls were covered in burn marks and slash marks, like a torn corpse.

　The afterimages of the evil monsters were still struggling, but they had lost their form - they were the products of fog and desire, now torn apart by wind blades and burned by divine fire, turning into wisps of screaming black smoke, curling and dissipating, and the air was filled with an indescribable sweet smell like burnt candy.

　Kamigorin stood in this messy and charred ruin, feeling a little melancholy.

　"—Because if you think about it carefully, if the myth of Amaterasu and Susanoo is truly a historical reflection of the iron sword defeating the bronze mirror, and the ancients establishing the Yamato court... then the main deity of Shintoism shouldn't be Amaterasu, but Susanoo, right?"

　In the version of the myth that is widely circulated today, the unruly Susanoo was expelled from Takama-ga-hara by the gods because of his unrest and excessive violence, and was demoted to the mortal world, where he became the ancestor of the earth gods.

　However, there is more than just this one way to interpret the myth of Susanoo and Amaterasu.

　If we change our perspective and re-examine it from the perspective of archaeological mythology, we can see a completely different picture:

　The belief in bronze mirrors originated in Kyushu, the southern archipelago of Japan, during the Yayoi period. Due to its proximity to the mainland, Kyushu was the first to come into contact with Central Plains culture and to master the art of forging and casting sacred mirrors. At that time, bronze mirrors were not simply a means of reflection; they served as a medium for conveying divine will.

　On the other hand, the central Kinki region, where Nara and Kyoto are located, enshrines the "sword" that symbolizes force and conquest, and is the core of the ancient iron sword belief.

　Later, as the Yamato regime moved eastward, the center of power shifted from Kyushu to Kinki, and the bronze mirror followed suit. From its original sacred object, it was shaped into a symbol of the sun goddess "Amaterasu", eventually replacing the old god belief that was originally centered on the sword.

　Thus, a new myth was born - the sun goddess was high in the sky, and the sword god was banished to the mortal world.

　If this evolutionary context is the truth of the myth, then Amaterasu, who is revered as the supreme god by Shintoism today, may not be the original main god, but an alien god from the border area - she defeated the original god-king in the central region and seized the supreme throne in the myth.

　In other words, the god who was actually driven off the throne by the foreign sun... was Susanoo.

　So at this moment, it is normal for Shijo Aoi, who plays the role of "Susanoo", to be pressed to the ground and rubbed by Jingorin, who represents the sun and fire, right?

　Collapsing in the scorched earth of the village, Shijo Aoi's long hair was disheveled. The Ame-no-Kurosuke sword slipped from her hand and embedded itself in the ground, its edge trembling slightly, as if still unwilling to give up.

　She lost. But she was still breathing.

　She fell, but remained like a sword still unbroken, silently stuck in the ruins.

　The wind died down, the thunder ceased, and all that remained was the lingering glow of the black flame, which danced before her dizzy eyes.

　Even Kisaragi of "Tsukuyomi" was caught by Rin like a rabbit before she could even lament Aoi's defeat. She huddled aside with a sad face, not daring to move.

　The Sword God of Yamato was defeated by the Sun King from a foreign land and scored twice.

　"I'm not saying, 'If the quality difference is too great, the compatibility is meaningless,'" anyone would say.

　"I just want to tell you that mythological compatibility and the like are actually irrelevant. Because mythology can always be interpreted from a different perspective."

　The witch of Christ's tomb, a character that sounds like wild history, said such words calmly, which is indeed quite convincing.

　"Attribute restraint, depending on the situation, can suddenly reverse."

　Although Shijo Aoi really wanted to complain, unfortunately she really didn't have the energy to do so now.

　Because right above them, here

267

　On the desolate and charred ruins,

　——The layers of thick fog above their heads had been blasted through by the absolute strength of the Shingorin.

　Her raging fire shot up from the ground, burning a huge hole in the sky of the "inner world". It was a perfectly round hole with golden-red burn marks on the edges, as if a god had pierced through the clouds with his fingertips.

　The sunlight penetrates the crack and shines onto this inner world that has been sealed for a long time.

　Dazzling, fiery, and warm.

　Shingorin stood under the sunlight from the sky, surrounded by divine fire, his clothes fluttering, his expression calm.

　"It's a pity that I still can't use my full strength."

　"I haven't even used [Styleless Demon God Bracelet] yet."

　These words were not meant to be self-boasting, but rather sounded like a helpless confession.

　At this moment, Lin felt a sense of regret for not burning completely, a sense of loneliness that comes from being high up in the sky. The only person who could teach her what love is, was indeed...

　"However, being able to fight me to this extent is enough to be remembered."

　She lowered her eyes to look at the girl who collapsed on the ground, and her tone was not like that of a victor looking down on the enemy.

　"In the 'Inner World', you gain divine power through role-playing, narrowing the gap in power between you and me; the flame-reversing Ama-Kume sword, honed skills, excellent combat instincts, on-the-spot reactions, and explosive power."

　"You're worthy of admiration, Shijo Aoi. I won't forget you."

　Ha ha.

　Aoi on the ground rolled her eyes reluctantly and moved her lips, but she finally gave up complaining.

　Lin seemed to hear her inner voice and frowned slightly: "I'm serious."

　"If you can't have it, you have to take it. If you don't like someone, you have to beat them up. If I were as simple as you, my father might like me more."

　"He always said that understanding one's own desires, cutting through the fog of desire, and recognizing one's true wishes are the prerequisites for becoming a strong person. Isn't it wonderful to have a desire as simple and easy to understand as yours?"

　Shijo Aoi closed her eyes and stopped struggling.

　Are you lashing out at me or mocking me?

　"Whether you want to kill me or cut me up, just hurry up."

　She said weakly.

　But Rin just shook his head: "I won't kill you two."

　But at the same time, she had already turned her gaze, looking deeper into the village, to the dark end where the thick fog had not yet dissipated.

　Qi Xing has chased deeper into the "inner world", and the breath of "Amaterasu" has become increasingly vague and uncertain, and more dangerous and unpredictable.

　"As for that side..."

　She said slowly,

　"I'm afraid that's not necessarily the case."

　-

　Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

　But let’s get back to Qi Xing.

　Before the battle between Rin and Aoi was over, Qi Xing had already flown at lightning speed, chasing "Amaterasu" all the way to the edge of the shallow layer of "Inner World".

　Along the way, endless thick fog condensed and turned into evil monsters of desire that tried to rush out to intercept Qi Xing. Qi Xing was finally too lazy to even use his fists, and directly transformed his true energy into thunder swords, which he threw out to smash all the monsters to pieces.

　He even killed the fleeing "Amaterasu" with a thunder sword from a distance!

　However, the next "Amaterasu" immediately appeared from nowhere and continued to escape.

　After killing several "Amaterasu", Qi Xing even discovered that the new "Amaterasu" had jumped out. Although its body remained unchanged, the clothes it wore began to change.

　At first it was a luxurious kimono, but as the killing went on, it turned into something that looked like both a shroud and a Japanese white wedding dress.

　After killing five times, Amaterasu slipped into a rocky cave and disappeared.

　Qi Xing frowned when he saw this: "Is this going to stir up something like Tianhu Rock?"

　As I've said many times before, the depths of the "Inner World" are deeply connected to mythological archetypes drawn from humanity's collective unconscious. When it comes to grottoes and caves associated with Amaterasu, the solar eclipse myth readily comes to mind, where Amaterasu retreats into the Amanohana Caves, causing the world to lose its light.

　In the myth, the dancing goddess performed a naked dance at the cave entrance to lure Amaterasu back out. Did she want Qi Xing to recreate this myth? Not really, right?

　"Be careful."

　Although watching the fun, Sasa still lay on Qi Xing's head to remind him,

　“Re-enacting myths is itself a ritual, a divine event.”

　"To achieve the same result by imitating and recreating the events of the myth."

　"These three are already playing the gods in the 'inner world'. The effect of the reenactment by the gods themselves will be amazing."

　To make things the same through imitation is a metaphysical law built into all magical cultures around the world, and it is powerful precisely because it is primitive.

　"Since it's an imitation, it definitely can't be made up out of thin air, so I can't guess what she's trying to do."

　Qi Xing frowned and said,

　"Anyway, we have no choice but to break in."

　Without further ado, he walked into the cave.

　After passing through the thick fog filled with filth and the dividing line between the shallow and deep layers of the "inner world", the scene in front of them suddenly became clear, which also surprised Qi Xing - even Sasa.

　The scene that appeared before his eyes was not what Qi Xing had guessed before, which was the Tianhu Cave where Amaterasu was hiding.

　But it is a boundless blood-red sea.

　The ocean was silent and eerie, its surface tinged with a thick, dark crimson like congealed blood, and the sound of the tide was muffled and suppressed. It was as if all sounds in the world were being dragged down into the abyss. It wasn't a reflected crimson, but the water itself, like the blood of an ancient god that had been boiled but still lingering.

　Qi Xing's feet were a dark rocky shore, with the tide crashing against them again and again.

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　It came up with a rotten and sweet smell that didn't belong to this world.

　At this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the sky——

　A loud bang!

　An extremely huge spear of unimaginable length fell from the sky, piercing straight down into the sea of ​​blood!

　The moment the spear tip landed on the sea, it stirred up the ocean, stirred up huge red waves, and caused the whole world to vibrate!

　It was not until the waves receded that Qi Xing saw it.

　On the shore, there was a huge creature lying there, quietly emerging from the waves.

　It was a dead water snake, its body winding like a mountain, its scales broken, its flesh and blood rolling, and its body so huge that it could wrap around the mountains.

　Its huge mouth, once big enough to swallow a city, is now half open, its eye sockets are empty, it is dead, but its divinity is still terrifying.

　A sea of ​​blood, a divine spear stirring the sea, and the "corpse of a god" washed ashore.

　"what?"

　In an instant, Sasa was shocked and angry!

　In an instant, Qi Xing also understood.

　"There's actually no reason for us to fight each other, right? - 'Rep Master'?"

　They heard the smiling voice of Amaterasu,

　"The blessed one chosen by the White God, the Peacock King?"

　Today's re-enactment of the myth has begun.

　099: Shirakami’s Miko

　An endless sea of ​​blood.

　A giant spear dropped from the sky, stirring up a sea of ​​blood.

　And, the body of a dead snake god washed up on the shore.

　"There's actually no reason for us to fight each other, right? - 'Rep Master'?"

　The white-haired witch stood next to the huge head of the snake god and spoke with a smile.

　To be honest, Qi Xing didn't understand her logic at all.

　Why is there no reason to fight each other?

　No reason? Are you kidding?

　He couldn't help but frown: "Huh?"

　"Haven't you ever thought about it, 'Rep Master'? We are actually the same."

　The white-haired witch was neither impatient nor anxious. She patiently explained, like a teacher giving a lecture to elementary school students.

　"White God, True Buddha, Peacock King, Samael, Mahadeva...it doesn't matter what you call her."

　"But haven't you also been blessed by the God of Creation?"

　Oh, that's it.