The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

“…Is it finally over?”

After picking up and putting down the longbow, which was tightly bound in strips of cloth, countless times, Hou Yi looked up at the spotless blue sky outside and gently exhaled.

Ten suns suddenly appeared in the sky, bringing a severe drought, allowing ferocious beasts to roam freely, and causing widespread suffering among the people.

If it weren't for the ten divine artifacts guarding the land, the losses caused by the final calamity of this great catastrophe would have been immeasurable. Even so, when the ten-day calamity finally passed, more than three years had already gone by.

Over the past three years, he had wanted to use that longbow countless times, but he always refrained in the end. His long period of perseverance finally paid off.

When are you planning to leave?

Standing under the eaves, looking up at the sky, Ibaraki Kasen's tone was slightly elusive and wavering.

Three years, which had not seemed like such a long time before, felt like an unprecedentedly long time to her. In those three years, she did so much: guiding the clans to seek refuge in the overseas immortal mountains, punishing and repelling the ferocious beasts that had become increasingly rampant due to the changes in the world... and so on.

She finally achieved her dream of becoming the legendary "Ibaraki-doji" (a type of folk song), but she wasn't particularly happy. Now that she had finally received a definite result, the joy was accompanied by an unprecedented sense of tension.

Now that the matter in the Heavenly Realm has finally been resolved... then he should be back soon, right?

"No, the Youqiong clan is not leaving."

Looking at the sky that had cleared up again, Hou Yi casually tossed the longbow in his hand toward Ibaraki Hanazon and began to speak with a loud laugh.

"The land of China needs someone to guard it. With everything in need of rebuilding, how can we abandon it and flee our homeland?"

"...You're not planning to leave?"

Upon receiving the longbow, Ibaraki Kasen was visibly taken aback.

"But if this continues in the long run, you will..."

"We cannot abandon our homeland. There are many clans that share the same idea as us. Everyone has their own ambitions, so why force it?"

With a wave of his hand, Hou Yi turned and walked out of the courtyard.

"I still have many things to do, so please give him the longbow. Also, please take good care of Heng'e..."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already drifted away.

"...Heng'e?"

Looking down at the longbow in her hand, Ibaraki Kasen shook her head slightly before putting it into her storage ring.

Three years is enough time for her to think things through and understand some things.

When it comes to matters of the heart, they are often the hardest things to explain.

Even she herself didn't know when it started, but the shadow of someone had quietly appeared in her heart.

...When exactly did I fall into this trap?

Ibaraki Kasen didn't understand, but that didn't stop her from making her own decision.

With Hou Yi finally letting go, Heng'e was finally able to put everything aside and pursue her own happiness. However, the day after Ibaraki Kasen talked to her, she left a strange note and then suddenly disappeared without warning.

No one knew why she disappeared, nor where she went. It wasn't until many, many years later that Ibaraki Kasen finally saw her again and realized what had happened that night.

...But that was a long time in the future.

But... that person never came back.

Summer passed and winter grew cold, spring went and autumn came again. Through many changes of seasons, the man who once said he would return in a few years never came back.

Although Ibaraki Kasen had considered going to the Celestial Realm, the rules there had quietly changed long ago. Those who had completed their cultivation and become immortals could now settle in the Celestial Realm. Although she was called Ibaraki Kasen... she was ultimately not a true immortal.

After that, Ibaraki Kasen traveled to many places and met many people and things. Time never stops for anyone, and everything keeps moving forward.

Only occasionally, on a sunny afternoon, she would sit under the trees and gaze up at the sky in a daze.

So much time has passed, when... will you come back?

P.S.: There will be a bonus chapter later, maybe two?

Chapter Sixteen: Xiaoye's Global Dilemma

skyline.

"So, what do you think of my suggestion?"

On a makeshift arena, a black-haired man with an ancient bronze bell on his head wore a solemn expression.

"Anyone with objections can raise their hand to express them. If there are no objections, then the construction policy for the Celestial Realm will be implemented accordingly from now on. I am a very democratic person."

"Um, I do intend to..."

In the seats below the arena, a boy with half-black and half-white hair had just raised his hand when a steamed bun was accurately thrown into his mouth, choking him so much that he couldn't speak and almost passed out.

"Great, it seems everyone agrees with my suggestion. Let's do it this way from now on."

Looking down, Shi Bai had a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Then I hereby announce that the Sky-Reaching Construction Project will officially commence tomorrow."

"...How about we team up, put him in a sack, drag him to the alley, and beat him up?"

“Count me in!!”

"I can provide hammers and axes for free!!"

"I have an electric record at home..."

Basically, the celestial beings, each with a population of one steamed bun, formed an alliance in the shortest possible time.

"........."

Listening to the hushed discussions around them, the succubus and Shinki, sitting in the middle, wore strange expressions.

Almost half a month has passed since the previous anomaly in the Heavenly Realm, and in that time, a great deal of things have happened in the Heavenly Realm.

However, since most of these things are secrets of the Celestial Realm, they know very little about them. But there is one thing they are certain of... that is, a certain guy seems to be getting more and more annoying.

Looking at her teacher on stage who was completely oblivious to being on the kill list of all the audience members, the succubus nudged Shenqi sitting next to her with her elbow after a moment's thought.

"Shen Qi, don't you think the teacher..."

"These steamed buns are delicious, don't you want some?"

Looking at the half-eaten bun that Shenqi had handed her, the succubus remained silent for a long while before turning her head away expressionlessly.

Choosing to ask the other person a question in this situation would make you an absolute idiot.

........................................................................

There are some things that Shi Bai will not allow.

Although he had to admit that the Eastern God Clan's plan was flawless, he would still beat anyone who dared to touch his wife, even if they were the King of Heaven himself, let alone the Eastern God Clan, which had already been wiped out.

After he came out of that strange world that day, he quickly tied up all the people in the Heavenly Realm who had been saved because Xiaoye had become the Dragon God.

With the support of his [Wind God] talent, in just one day, everyone except Xiao Xi was tied up by him.

Some things may seem difficult to solve on the surface, but they are actually quite easy to solve if you break them down into smaller parts.

We shouldn't just look at things superficially; looking at them from another perspective might lead to a better solution.

He already had experience with this kind of thing when he resolved the conflict between the Oni and Tengu clans.

With him telling them everything truthfully, those who had survived in the Heavenly Realm with Xiaoxi and the others since the last era made their own choices.

In comparison, it seems he was judging others by his own petty standards. After all, at the very beginning, out of the best of luck, he had planned to adopt a non-violent non-cooperation approach…

By gathering the power of all beings in the celestial realm, he forcefully snatched Xiaoye, who had become the Dragon God, back from the world.

In other words, all the side effects that originally had to be borne by Xiaoye alone were now distributed among all beings in the Heavenly Realm so that they could share the burden.

Although the consequence of doing so is that for a long time to come, everyone in the Celestial Realm will be unable to leave the Celestial Realm, and a considerable portion of their power will be extracted... everyone made the same choice.

To be specific, it's something like Sayo is the Dragon God, but the Dragon God isn't Sayo.

By the time Shenqi and the others arrived in the city as agreed, everything had already been completely finished.

"...You're still being too reckless. Did you already have that method in mind from the beginning? Do you know what the consequences would be if it failed?"

When the topic came up, Xiaoye's tone remained anything but friendly.

Although she downplayed the incident afterward, only she, who had experienced it firsthand, knew just how dangerous the situation truly was.

With the die already cast, in order to pull her back from the vortex of the world, someone's spirit was worn down by that immense and unparalleled will hundreds of times... It was a desperate struggle.

If it weren't for his immortality, this person would have died countless times already.

"Ah... well, I'm not going to die anyway, am I?"

Yawning, the person lazily reclined in a chair, basking in the sun, and waved dismissively.

"So in the end, it's still your fault for being so stupid. Why do you always have to shoulder everything by yourself? Isn't it better to be like this?"

Do you even know what I'm worried about?!

Xiaoye immediately bristled because of someone's nonchalant tone.

"Even if you hadn't done that, I would definitely have regained my consciousness at some point in the future. Was it really necessary to risk my life?! Do you know how worried I was about you back then?! I was terrified that you would just..."

"Okay, okay, I'm fine, right?"

Amused, Shi Bai reached out and pinched the other person's cheek before speaking.

"From now on, don't hide anything from me anymore. Just entrust everything to me without hesitation. There's nothing in this world that I can't do."

"But I was really scared to death at the time..."

After a moment of silence, Xiaoye turned her head.

"Promise me you won't do that again. Your problems were already extremely serious, and then you died so many times during that period..."

"Don't worry, I have a huge backer now."

Holding up a finger, someone began to speak in a serious tone.

"After all, my wife is the Dragon Goddess, and the whole world is my backer. What do you think I have to be afraid of now?"

"But if I do that, I won't be able to solve your problem at all."

As if suddenly remembering something, Xiaoye glanced at the ancient bronze bell still perched on the other person's head and lowered her head sadly.

"Actually, the choice we made before was the best. I became the Dragon God, and the Dragon God was me. I could have removed all the restrictions and sins that were on you. But now I am the Dragon God, but the Dragon God is not me. I can't help you at all..."

"Although it's comfortable to be a kept man, I can't live off him forever, can I?"

Shi Bai spread his hands and began to speak with an air of seriousness.

"You must have seen what I've been through, right? You see, none of those things had any impact on me, so you don't need to worry too much at all."

"Hmm... do you mean the thing about dancing in women's clothing, or the thing about working as a male escort in Takamagahara?"

After thinking for a moment, Xiaoye turned her head away.

"...Don't tell me that's all you remember."

Upon hearing Xiaoye's words, Shi Bai's face immediately darkened.

"Didn't you see me fighting Herzog with Uesugi Koge and the others? Didn't you see me chatting and laughing with the Ancient King Gilgamesh? Didn't you see me with Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf... oops, that doesn't count... So what exactly did you see?"

"I saw you lying alone on the beach, letting the seawater engulf you; I saw you transform into a demon from hell, falling into a killing frenzy; I saw your loneliness and desolation when no one was around..."

She reached out and took his hand, and Xiaoye spoke softly.

"That's all I see."

"...Those things are all in the past, aren't they?"

After a moment of silence, Shi Bai suddenly laughed.

"I came back after all. If I had known that you were watching over me the whole time, I probably wouldn't have acted so dejected."

"But that won't work now..."

Xiaoye sighed.

"In the past, in order not to affect you, I took the initiative to completely cut off all contact. So even if I wanted to see you in my dreams all the time, that's no longer possible."

"I'm right here."

Shi Bai raised their intertwined hands and smiled as he spoke.