I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 40 Divine grace is as vast as the sea, divine might as deep as a prison

"Please follow me, everyone,"

Led by Tenjo-me-ei, the group arrived at the shrine's main hall.

This place typically houses the sacred objects of the gods, offerings, and coins; it is the dwelling place of the gods. The main hall is the most sacred part of the shrine, and humans are forbidden from entering.

However, since it is the will of the gods, such restrictions naturally no longer exist: after all, the entire shrine is the territory of that 'Inari God', so there are naturally no taboos.

creak

The wooden door, which had been closed for years, was pushed open.

The setting sun shines into the hall, painting it with a golden hue.

In the main hall of this small shrine, only a fox mask is enshrined.

Even this largest 'main hall' felt incredibly crowded when the group entered, led by the goddess Megumi.

Next second,
The fox mask suddenly came to life.

brush,

The surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The afterglow of the setting sun turned into the blazing midday sun, and the cramped main hall was transformed into an endless expanse of golden rice fields!

"This is."

"This is not a shrine!"

"Could it be that we have stepped into 'Takamagahara'?"

Just as everyone was feeling bewildered, a series of clear bell sounds came from in front of the rice paddy.

Looking up, a dark blue-green beast slowly approached: its ears were upturned, its eyes were slits, its cheeks were outlined with gold, its four hooves were decorated with cloud patterns, and a huge bell was on its neck, which was the source of the bell that everyone had heard.

A young girl sat sideways on the back of the strange beast.

The girl was dressed in white with red hakama, dressed as a shrine maiden. However, her white clothes were decorated with faint crane and pine patterns, and her head was adorned with gold ornaments and ears of wheat hanging down on both sides. Combined with her face, which was a mixture of gentleness, joy and happiness, anyone who saw her would feel refreshed and invigorated.

"He was riding a donkey?"

The American female advisor, Lieutenant Colonel Tina, subconsciously uttered these words in a low voice, only to be quietly reminded by Nagisa Ichiyo beside her.

"It's a fox."

There are donkeys in America, and the wild donkey population is abundant.

The strange beast riding on the throne of this 'deity' does indeed resemble a slender donkey in some ways.

"Welcome to my divine kingdom, human."

A girl riding a donkey—no, a fox—came slowly by, and wherever she passed, golden waves of wheat swayed in layers, as if welcoming their creator.

"I'm sure you all have many questions, but before that, I have something for you to witness first—"

The girl's words had a strange accent, but they were clear and distinct to everyone. The voice echoed directly in their minds, and even the two American advisors who should not have understood could clearly grasp its meaning.

Before anyone could ask a question, the scene suddenly changed:
"Roar~~~~!!!"

Amidst the earth-shattering roar, visible shockwaves spread out like a whirlwind.

The shockwave uprooted the trees on the ground, turning them into weeds that flew everywhere!

And what caused all of this was:

Boom! !
A huge claw landed on the ground, causing the earth to tremble.

As the claws lifted, amidst the scattering of countless stones and earth, a deep crater the size of a basketball court came into view.

???

Everyone looked up,

A colossal beast, as large as a mountain range, filled their field of vision.

This behemoth was so terrifying in size that towering trees, several meters tall, were nothing more than weeds beneath its feet, and the mere movement of its body caused mountains to crumble and the earth to split. Its nine tails danced wildly in the sky, like a calamity destined to destroy the world.

It's not just a suggestion; He is the calamity that will destroy the world!
In front of the colossal beast, whose mere movement created rings of white energy, countless 'human figures' rushed forward.

There were warriors clad in heavy armor, their faces veiled by demonic masks, galloping like horses; there were powerful monks wearing straw hats and wielding staffs; and there were Onmyoji riding on various 'monsters,' dressed in wide robes and tall hats.
These 'people' all moved at an astonishing speed.

They ran on two legs at a speed that even modern armored vehicles could only dream of.

Despite the trees being propelled by the blast wave, the team maintained their speed, slashing through the air and cutting the obstacles to pieces halfway through!

They were all extraordinary individuals!
As the two sides rapidly approached each other, these superhumans either chanted incantations or formed hand seals: spitting out rolling fireballs the size of cars, summoning ferocious water dragons, or their bodies suddenly swelled up into armored giants tens of meters tall.

In close combat, a great battle immediately broke out!

The enormous fireball roared past, and wherever it went, even the ground that it didn't directly contact was torn into a bright and dazzling river of lava.

The water dragon, with its claws outstretched, smashed into hills, causing them to crumble and mudslide down like waterfalls.

The giant armored warrior's longsword swept across, snapping the forest in half like weeds.
It can be said that the intensity was no less than that of modern artillery bombardment!

However, these extraordinary beings still appeared so weak and powerless in front of the nine-tailed behemoth: its tails, as large as mountains, swept across, and flames, water, and warriors could not withstand it, turning into fragments and debris scattered all over the sky.

The ferocious beast fought against countless extraordinary beings single-handedly and did not fall behind.

During the fierce battle, the nine-tailed beast seemed to grow impatient and suddenly opened its massive mouth full of sharp teeth.

A ball of pitch-black light coalesced, filled with ominous signs of destruction; even the superhumans locked in fierce combat paled and scattered in panic, but it was too late:

The jet-black sphere was spat out by the giant beast and flew into the center of the scattering 'crowd', followed immediately by:

Light,

Endless light is born from darkness!
The whole world seemed to light up, and the black sphere instantly expanded into a sun with a diameter of over two kilometers, enveloping the entire battlefield.

blazing fire

Incredibly dazzling light

Endless high temperature and heat, just like the real sun!

The earth melted instantly under the 'sun,' turning into a giant crater; shockwaves surged one after another, like billions of ferocious beasts rushing out, crushing forests, rivers, and mountains! Everything that stood in its way was reduced to ashes.

The dark clouds that had been raging over the battlefield disappeared completely under the sun's rays; the entire sky was now just a blinding white expanse, the intense light reflecting off the clouds and the high temperature causing them to evaporate again.

The shockwave continued, and the cold air had not yet formed a reverse flow, but the vortex in the clouds above had already formed, turning into the shape of a super-giant tornado.

A single strike could bring about a cataclysmic disaster!

"A nuclear explosion?!"

"No, this power."

The light from the explosion illuminated the shocked faces of the crowd.

This scene is even more terrifying than the 'little boy' and 'fat man' scenes from back then!
They are absolutely qualified to say this. As the sole 'user' and 'user', the island nation and America are intimately familiar with the power of nuclear weapons.

"Kyuubi," "Tamamo-mae"

Although many novels and anime exaggerate Tamamo-no-Mae's beauty while ignoring her strength.

But after witnessing everything before them, no one from the island nation would harbor any illusions about this golden-haired behemoth.

Apart from the legendary 'white-faced, golden-haired, nine-tailed fox,' no other being could look like this.

brush,

The surrounding scenery changes again.

The despairing battlefield vanished, and everyone found themselves once again amidst golden waves of wheat.

"You should have already guessed the identity of that demon king."

The girl riding on the fox's back soothed the hearts of the terrified crowd with her gentle voice.

"And I, you should also know."

"Yes, Lady Miketsu."

Bowing deeply, Zhu Yachun and the others were now absolutely certain of the girl's identity.

"Excuse me, what was that just now?"

"A war that took place more than a thousand years ago,"

"I know the doubts in your hearts: because of that... zzzzzz..."

In an instant, it felt as if a red-hot steel rod had been inserted into and stirred in everyone's minds, and they all clutched their heads in pain.

"Ah, the human soul is too fragile; it almost collapses just from hearing that person's name."

The girl riding on the fox raised her hand and grabbed a sheaf of wheat.

She then swung the wheat she held, and the scattered light fell on everyone, instantly dispelling the excruciating pain that felt like it would tear them to pieces in the next second.

"It seems I can only put it simply,"

"Hundreds of years ago, the human world gradually became no longer 'suitable' for living, and beings like myself chose to leave."

"However, just as the tides rise and fall, and the phases of the moon change, recently, this world, or as you would say, this planet, has once again experienced a spiritual tide."

As everyone listened intently, the girl pointed downwards.

"The spiritual tide will once again sweep across the world, centered on this place."

"The first to awaken were those demons who had left behind a 'resurrection trick'."

Tamamonomae!
Recalling the explosion of the 'Killing Stone' a year ago, the faces of the island nation's officials were contorted in shock.

Damn it, why start with an island nation, with Tokyo?
"Do not worry, I will protect you, just as I have for thousands of years."

"and many more,"

Just at this time,
The American male consultant stepped forward.

"These are all just your side of the story, why should we believe them?!"

He could no longer utter a sound after speaking halfway through his sentence.

It was as if his tongue was being choked by an invisible force.

"Humanity,"

Are you questioning me?

The girl riding on the fox sighed and lowered her eyes.

"Always so arrogant and conceited. Perhaps I am too kind, which has given you the illusion that you can be my equals?"

finished,

The girl waved the wheat she held in her hand again.

This time, it's not treatment.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

The American male consultant suddenly discovered that his mouth and tongue could move again.

However, he was left with only one sound: a scream!
The body beneath the clothes, the exposed hands and face, all suddenly began to writhe, as if countless rats were scurrying about below, or as if roots were spreading—

Pfft

With a soft thud, two tendrils pierced his eyeballs and grew wildly!

Immediately afterwards, a thicker vine emerged from his mouth, silencing his scream.

Then came his hands, his chest. In the blink of an eye, the 'tree' that had grown from his body replaced the American male advisor.

brush,

As the trees continue to grow and spread, tender buds sprout and flowers bloom on the branches.

What a vibrant and lively sight!

If it weren't for that tattered American military uniform.

? ? ? ?
"Insolent humans,"

The girl sitting on the fox seemed to have grown tired of it and waved her hand.

"Perhaps I should heed 'their' advice and wait until half of humanity has died before projecting my power onto this world?"

brush,

Next second,
The scene blurred before everyone's eyes once again.

"here it is"

"The main hall of the shrine,"

"Ah~~~ Lieutenant Colonel Milor?!"

The screams beside them brought the others back to their senses, and what they saw was a cherry blossom tree in full bloom!
However, the trunk of this tree was still 'wrapped' in a blond, blue-eyed corpse.
"He still has a pulse,"

Director Takeya spoke first, placing her fingers on the wrist of 'Lieutenant Colonel Milor,' which had become one with the tree.

"Lieutenant Colonel Tina, I will personally report to the Prime Minister's Office and lodge a protest regarding the disrespectful behavior of your personnel towards our country's deities later."

After saying that, the head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department pointed outwards with a gloomy expression.

"Now, please leave!"

Damn American beast,
He's used to being arrogant and domineering, how dare he be so presumptuous in front of the gods?
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Deities are a bit difficult to write about, so please bear with it. (Feeling guilty)

(End of this chapter)