Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 492, The Secret of the Gods

Village Flower Palace? When did you arrive?

Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself, "Professor Zaizen isn't dead yet! And my Azure Crystal is already glowing? And what exactly does Murakawa-dono mean by 'resonance'?"
The last human who resonated with and was consumed by Murakawa-dono dates back to the Edo period, which is also the source of her current appearance. However, Murakawa-dono did not say what the conditions for triggering the resonance were, and Uesugi Muneyuki did not ask either—Murakawa-dono hated being asked questions.

"The combination of extreme love and extreme hate, the rich emotional energy contained within, the intense attachment to life yet an inescapable bond, and the ability to accept death with equanimity—these are the conditions that resonate with me." As if sensing Uesugi Muneyuki's thoughts, or perhaps because she was in a particularly good mood today, Arimura Hana Jun, with a faint joy on her face, answered Uesugi Muneyuki's question: "His soul belongs to me. I will devour his soul and lick his memories!"

"Um, Princess Village Flower, shouldn't we get Professor Zaizen's permission?" Seeing this, Uesugi Muneyuki could only say in a low voice, "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to just eat someone like this?"

"What's wrong with that? It's making use of waste, and not every cockroach is worthy of my eating." Ayamura Hana Jun looked completely unconvinced. On her plain, beautiful, and sorrowful face, a look of confusion appeared in her beautiful, frost-covered eyes. She seemed surprised that Uesugi Muneyuki would ask such a low-IQ question: "I noticed that when you made the Soul Contract, you never asked the Soul's opinion either."

It really is!
Uesugi Muneyuki was speechless.

"Ask whatever you want. I'm in a good mood today. It's so hard to find a soul that I can truly connect with." Arimura Hana winked at Uesugi Muneyuki: "No more waiting, and no more than three times."

Can I ask questions?! And I can ask three questions?
Uesugi Muneyuki thought about it. He had always only had a vague understanding of the underworld, but now he finally had a chance!
"Why did the Old Gods leave this world? What is the essential difference between the New Gods and the Old Gods?" Uesugi Muneyuki led Murakawa-dono to a relatively secluded room inside the hospital and couldn't help but ask, "Mai-senpai told me about the Old Gods and the New Gods before, but I still don't quite understand."

"...This is a very complex issue." Murahana looked at Uesugi Muneyuki: "In short, in terms that humans can understand..."

"The Old Gods are the embodiment of primal, savage, flesh-and-blood, instinctive, and mystical natural forces. They represent the chaotic, dark, and unknown aspects of the world."

"The new gods are gods born from humanity. When a person's thoughts, ideas, or influence become powerful enough to change the world's perception, they may ascend to become a new god."

"You must have learned from that priestess that the old gods have been leaving this world one by one, right?" Murakawa-dono sighed.

“Yes.” Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: “It is said that the Old Gods left one after another between the 4th and 6th centuries AD.”

“Then you should know that in the first year of the Common Era, a momentous event occurred that changed the entire world. The first new god in history was born in this world, and the birth of this new god represented the end of the old era, thus ushering in a new era for the world?” When Arimura Hana Jun mentioned this, she frowned her beautiful eyebrows, clearly showing her dislike for the first “new god”: “He was the last old god and the first new god. His appearance permanently changed the laws of the world.”

"He brought the world the laws of 'order,' 'logic,' and 'reason.' Under this concept, He is an Old God because He symbolizes a part of the laws of the world."

"However, His ascension also brought rationality, order, and predictability to the world. This system of laws negated the chaos, mystery, and superstition represented by the Old Gods. The world began to operate according to a set of fixed, rational rules, and magic and mystical powers declined sharply as a result."

“You can think of the Old Gods as ‘chaos,’ while this new God represents ‘order.’ After He transformed the world, the power of order made the environment unsuitable for the Old Gods to operate, so the Old Gods left the world one after another.”

Upon hearing this explanation, Uesugi Muneyuki was dumbfounded. After thinking for a few seconds, he said, "So, this world is essentially an 'if' scenario where the 'Human Emperor' defeats the 'Four Chaos Gods'?"

“Although I don’t quite understand what the Human Emperor and the Four Chaos Gods are, they are roughly the same thing.” Village Flower Palace nodded: “This one was indeed a human before ascending. He was a perfect ascendant who challenged the Old Gods’ control over the world and ultimately succeeded. He truly represents the concept of ‘humanity’, and he has a particular fondness for the human race.”

Your Majesty, you are so great!
Uesugi Muneyuki finally understood. "Then why are the new gods so weak?" Uesugi Muneyuki then asked his second question.

"Because the power of the Old Gods is a manifestation of 'natural violence.' Their power is primal, direct, and material; they are the source of all supernatural forces. And Uesugi, think about it: as the power of order and reason covers this world, supernatural forces naturally begin to be bound by the laws, and the new gods are precisely the products of those laws." Murakawa-dono rolled her eyes and retorted, "Therefore, the stronger the power of laws and reason, the weaker and rarer the supernatural forces become. And the weaker and rarer the supernatural forces become, the more difficult and scarcer it becomes for new gods to be born and for the energy of the inner world to exist."

"The Old Gods are the source of all supernatural power, while the New Gods are the manifestation of concepts and rules. The former are naturally much more powerful than the latter. Order originates from chaos. The Old Gods have the power to break the shackles and change the laws of the world, while the New Gods only represent a certain concept. As they use their power, they themselves will also merge into the order of the world. Therefore, the power of the New Gods is short-lived and unsustainable, and is worlds apart from that of the Old Gods."

“Every new god ascends by relying on the supernatural power of the old gods, but the birth of each new god deepens the transformation of the world by the power of order and reason. As a result, supernatural power is becoming less and less, and the energy of the inner world is becoming increasingly thin.” Village Flower Palace shook its head: “If this continues, one day, there will be no supernatural power left in this world. This is what the last old god and the first new god hoped for.”

"Ultimately, humanity's fate must be decided by humanity itself?" Uesugi Muneyuki pondered.

"That's roughly the idea," Village Flower Palace said casually. "That's all I can tell you... One last question."

"So, where do you think my path in the underworld should lead in the future?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked the final question: "Should we aim to become new gods, or should we..."

"Are you kidding me, Uesugi?" Murahana-dono stared at Uesugi Muneyuki for a moment, her face showing disdain and confusion: "Your 'we' doesn't include you or me!"

"Huh???" Uesugi Muneyuki didn't understand for a moment.

“Well, there’s no point in talking about this now, but I do see another side of this world in you.” Jun Arimura seemed to have no intention of continuing on this topic. She said with interest, “This world doesn’t seem to be developing according to the wishes of that ‘human emperor.’ For example, he hoped that humanity could unite, understand each other, and be placed under a unified order and rationality, but the fear, conflict, and murder in this world have never stopped.”

"He hopes that humans can understand each other and thrive as a race, but as you like to say, humans can never understand each other. Moreover, humans are the product of the god of love, Serian, and other ancient gods. The preference for sex and violence, the conflict between humanity and animality, emotion and reason, is endless and imprinted on human instincts."

"He failed in this respect; it is the instinct of life, which cannot be controlled by reason and order."

"Uesugi, you may neither become an old god in the traditional sense, nor a new god destined to be bound by rules, briefly complete your mission, use up your power, and return to Takamagahara. You may become a very special existence."

Uesugi Muneyuki keenly sensed that Murakawa-dono hadn't finished speaking: "Wait, what exactly do you mean? And what about that 'we' you mentioned..."

"This is the fourth question. I told you, things don't happen more than three times, right?" Murakawa-dono said calmly. "The three questions have been answered. Now... this human, Professor Zaizen's soul, belongs to me!"

She returned to the ward, waiting for Professor Zaizen's death, leaving only Uesugi Muneyuki standing there, lost in thought.

The old gods have departed, and the new gods are destined to be short-lived and powerless.

Will my future be different from everyone else's?
(End of this chapter)