I am a god-slayer, not your hero.

How can I teach Grodora to fly?

Not Agito: Chapter Twenty-Two: The Asura King

In the northwestern corner of Tokyo, in Toshima Ward, Sugamo-cho lies quietly.

The history of this region can be traced back to before the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures in the island nation, hence the ancient name of Toshima District in Musashi Province.

When Tokyo underwent administrative expansion, four towns that originally belonged to Kita-Toyoshima District were incorporated into Tokyo.

Hundreds of years ago, this place was home to numerous temples and shrines, where incense burned brightly and bells rang melodiously.

Today, although those ancient buildings no longer exist, the area still retains a strong traditional atmosphere.

Along both sides of the street, small shops stand side by side, offering everything from handicrafts and antiques to everyday necessities.

On such streets, time seems to stand still.

There is a shrine on the hill.

The approach to the temple is only a few meters long, and there are only two stone lanterns.

The main hall, worship hall, purifying basin, ema (votive plaques)... the entire shrine is smaller than a basketball court.

"This is it."

The man in the suit walked with a steady gait, each step seemingly measuring the boundary between two worlds.

Slowly walking past that ancient torii gate, just one step away, one steps from the bustling human world into a mysterious and unpredictable otherworld.

Suddenly, a huge stone pillar stood before them, towering and majestic, reaching straight into the sky, as if it were a bridge connecting heaven and earth, or a scepter left behind by an ancient deity.

The stone pillars are carved with intricate totems, each stroke exuding an ancient and sacred aura.

These totems depict timeless myths.

Two figures stood quietly beneath the stone pillar.

One male and one female.

The man was dressed in a kimono, his upper body was bare, his muscles were bulging, and there was a stone on his neck.

The woman looked like a college student, dressed in modern clothes, with short, neat hair and sharp eyes.

The air around us seemed to freeze, and time seemed to slow down and become heavy.

The sky was no longer the familiar azure blue, nor the tranquil night, but a crimson red, like boiling blood pouring down, staining the whole world with an eerie hue.

A blood moon hung high in the sky, its light cold and eerie, casting dappled shadows.

Strange low murmurs occasionally drifted from all around, as if evil spirits were whispering and spying on the three people present.

“You’ve come, Jiu Jiu,” the woman said first.

The man in the suit nodded slowly and said, "What brings you to us, Shinichiro?"

The woman was none other than Shinatohiko, whom Naruhira had met briefly the previous night, and the man beside her was Oyamatsumi, who had been defeated by Naruhira.

Men in suits and ties, on the other hand, are known for their wisdom and intelligence.

Shina Tohiko crossed his arms over his chest, "Shikaya Nobi hasn't arrived yet."

“She won’t come,” Jiu Jiu Nengzhi said calmly. “She would rather be among us brothers and sisters than with us.”

Oyama Tsumijin let out a dull snort: "She's bewitching others again. As a calamity goddess, she's really dedicated."

Shinatohiko sighed, "Never mind, I'll go find her myself. This matter is also very important."

call!

A gust of wind blew up, and a pair of emerald wings appeared on Shinatohiko's back. He soared into the sky and instantly slammed the shrine of this strange world behind him.

That's lightning speed!

It's not the ability to "get from point A to point B at high speed," but rather the ability to "shorten the travel time from point A to point B."

Therefore, it is possible to move in a way that violates the laws of physics.

For gods and god-slayers, the essence of divine speed is movement that ignores the rules of physics, a way of moving that completely disregards time, space, and inertia.

It feels like lightning or a beam of light.

"Swiftness" is not a speed, but rather a "getting rid of".

Just as the speed at which one escapes the Earth's gravitational pull is the first cosmic velocity, the speed at which one completely escapes the Earth's gravitational pull is the second cosmic velocity, and the minimum initial velocity at which one escapes the Sun's gravitational pull is the third cosmic velocity.

Divine speed is the speed at which one breaks free from the constraints of the laws of the universe.

That being said, it is precisely because it is freed from the constraints of the laws of the universe that motion is also unrelated to those laws. Things like friction generating heat, or the potential energy brought about by speed, are all irrelevant...

It has nothing to do with the super-fast.

In the blink of an eye, Shina Toshihiko arrived at the Metropolitan Police Department, grabbed the little girl who was absorbing the intertwined emotions of criminals and police officers inside, and flew back to the Inari Shrine.

As it landed, a gentle breeze swept over it.

Kanoya Nohime, completely hidden inside her hood, looked at Shina Tohiko with some resentment.

Oyama Tsumi snorted coldly, "It seems that the younger sister is being disrespectful to the elder sister."

Kanoya Nohime exhaled a breath from her hooded lips, and smoke billowed, enveloping the entire shrine. Inhaling the smoke made one feel dizzy and lightheaded. If an ordinary person inhaled this smoke, they would probably immediately succumb and be completely at Kanoya Nohime's mercy.

However, none of the three people present were ordinary people.

They are gods!

To be more precise, they belong to God.

Shina Tohiko waved his hand, blowing away all the smoke: "Stop playing around, we should get down to business."

Jiu Jiu Neng Zhi asked, "Did something go wrong with my sacrifice?"

"Someone is in the way."

"Who is she?" Kujiro Yoshichi laughed. "I heard that Kamo Takekaku was reincarnated in the west, supposedly to protect Japan. Could it be that she came to ruin your plans?"

After a moment of silence, Ōyama Tsumi squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.

"Asura".

"This is impossible!"

Kanoya Nohimi was shocked and quickly denied Oyama Tsumi's statement: "This world has not seen an Ashura born for four hundred years. Not to mention Ashuras who kill gods, there are very few even disobedient gods. Our mother was even blocked by the Myō-no-sūtra's desert, unable to let the underworld flood the earth."

Asuras are beings in Hindu mythology, literally translated as "non-gods," whose karmic retribution resembles that of gods but is not gods.

It is said to be a god, but it does not have the good deeds of a god and has similarities with ghosts and demons.

It is said to be a demon, yet it possesses the power and supernatural abilities of a god.

It is said to be human, possessing human emotions and desires, yet also having the power and malevolence of gods and demons.

Therefore, it is a monster that is neither god, nor ghost, nor human, but exists in the middle of the three realms.

With the spread of Buddhism, the name Asura spread throughout Asia.

Asura is actually a stigmatization of the Persian gods in Indian mythology.

Simply put, the same god is a deity in India but a demon in Persia; similarly, a god in Persia is a demon in India.

But it is not absolute.

For example, Vereslana is a war god in Persian mythology and is associated with Indra in Indian mythology.

Similarly, the Persian dragon Jajar is a villain, while in Indian mythology he is Rahu.

In any case, because the hero in this world who specializes in eliminating god-slayers is the Persian god-king Mithra, these Japanese gods call god-slayers "Asura".

Oyama Tsumi coldly said, "That's just how it is. The new Ashura is on this land, and he fought with me last night."

Jiu Jiu Nengzhi clicked his tongue and said, "This is troublesome. Given Ashura's warlike nature, if Mother comes to the earth, she will probably be targeted by Ashura."

"My mother's army of the underworld is blocked by that desert. It's questionable whether my mother can even reach the earth," said Oyama Tsumi, deeply troubled.

Shinatohiko remained calm.

"Let Mother come to the earth and take revenge on her heartless father. If all the Japanese are dead, Mother's resentment will be swept away!"

That's what she advocates.

Oyama Tsumi nodded in agreement.

Jiu Jiu Nengzhi said with deep concern: "These are all minor matters. The real problem is how to make the Yellow Springs overflow. We must offer up death, and it must be a meaningful death. With that Asura in the way, will it really go smoothly?"

Ōyama Tsuki said, "I have prepared a death of great value, and the resentment I feel at the moment of death will be enough to cause ripples in the underworld."

Kanoya Nohime, the sister and wife of Ōyama Tsumi, said, "Even if Mother comes to the earth, how can we defeat that Ashura?"

Shinatohiko said directly, "As a goddess related to water, Mother's combat power is indeed insufficient, but she can exchange for us subordinate gods and summon an allied god. Would she really be afraid of a newly born Asura!?"

The four subordinate gods reached an agreement.

First, let the underworld overflow, so that their mother can descend to earth.

The battle between the disobedient gods and the god-slayers is inevitable.

Not Agito: Chapter Twenty-Three - Forty Million Yen

The next day.

Looking at the scene before them, the teachers and students of Shuchiin fell silent in unison.

This was a scene that was truly indescribable; even describing it as "ravaged by the typhoon" seemed to be an exaggeration of the typhoon's devastation.

This land seemed to have been struck by an extraterrestrial object, leaving behind a huge meteorite crater. The location of the football field was even more peculiar, rising more than a meter high, like a suddenly appearing isolated island standing on the surrounding barren ground.

Everywhere there were scattered stones of varying sizes, like the remains of a mountain that had been blown up, randomly scattered across this ruin.

The sunlight tried to penetrate the thick clouds and shine on this desolate landscape, but it could only reflect endless desolation and ruin.

Even the wind seemed to stand still, not daring to disturb this silent world.

The students looked at each other in bewilderment, while the teachers frowned deeply.

Shirogane Miyuki, who was mixed in with the students, gaped wide-eyed, completely bewildered.