Just as the five hundred Arhats were about to pull Hayden and his group away, they suddenly heard Takemikazuchi speak.
“I haven’t said you can leave yet.”
These words startled all the Mithra gods and Arhats present. Then, Venerable Myōshō turned around, clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect to Takemikazuchi, and said, "Lord Takemikazuchi, now that things have come to this, let's not create any more trouble, shall we?"
"Aren't you the ones who are causing trouble?"
Takemikazuchi walked over and coldly remarked.
"Now you are two 'heavens,' directly subordinate to the group's board of directors, and a bunch of accusations of traitors being thrown around. How can we know which side is the real deal? So I propose that I detain you all first, and wait for Mithra Bodhisattva to come and take you away. Then we'll know who is real and who is fake!"
391: Under Equilibrium
Fifteen minutes ago.
In a secret, intimate conversation that even the gods couldn't overhear, Hayden whispered to Takemikazuchi:
“I know you dare not directly use Susanoo’s power to fight Mithra, so let’s use Amaterasu’s power.”
These sudden and nonsensical words left Takemikazuchi quite puzzled.
Amaterasu Omikami, the supreme deity of Shintoism in Japan and the goddess of the sun.
If Takemikazuchi could borrow her power, that would be wonderful, absolutely fantastic; he could certainly drive away those mere "Five Hundred Arhats." However, in reality, for a well-known reason, borrowing power from Amaterasu is definitely impossible. Why would Hayden suddenly say something so strange?
Just as Takemikazuchi was thinking this, Hayden quietly added another sentence in his mind: "Think carefully about what I just did, and look at where we are, and who I brought with me. By the way, what I just did, the Valkyrie I brought can also do."
Then Hayden left to keep Dakini and the five hundred Arhats company with their nonsense and stall for time.
Takemikazuchi was taken aback, then carefully considered Hayden's words. He not only realized that the idea could indeed succeed, but also felt a chill run down his spine.
Hayden's imagination, abilities, and ingenious mind, constantly coming up with new tricks, were truly terrifying. What was even more terrifying was that his tricks actually seemed to have a real chance of success.
So, while Haiden was torturing the ears of the [Arhats] and [Heavens], Takemikazuchi began his operation. He secretly conveyed Haiden's idea to Momiji and the others, and also provided some assistance himself.
Ten minutes later, just as Hayden was about to be dragged away by the "Five Hundred Arhats," Takemikazuchi finally intervened, blocking the Arhats' path and saying:
"First of all, you two are just making a racket, and then there's a bunch of people I've never seen before, calling yourselves a new type of direct force under the group's board of directors."
"Then Hayden pulled out a bunch of seemingly plausible evidence, saying that you were the ones plotting to restore the devil. With all this accusation, how are we supposed to know who is the real one? So I propose that I detain you all until Mithra Bodhisattva comes to take you away, then we'll know who is real and who is fake!"
These sudden words stunned the five hundred Arhats, Dhritarashtra, and even Dakini.
After a while, Venerable Myōshō asked, "...So, Takemikazuchi, do you intend to arrest us all by yourself?"
Even enlightened Arhats looked at Takemikazuchi with a strange gaze at this moment. After all, Takemikazuchi simply didn't possess that power. Although he might be the strongest minor god present in terms of individual combat strength, there were two [Heavens] and five hundred Arhats here, and a mere minor god had absolutely no chance of winning.
At the very least, there would need to be a powerful deity, at least as strong as Susanoo, or someone using a great magic of the same level, to possibly defeat the five hundred Arhats who don't have the support of the [Reincarnation] core, right? Even though Takemikazuchi is the second-in-command of Susanoo Corporation and the entire country of Japan, it would still be very difficult for him to do something like this.
"What do you plan to use to capture us? The sword at your waist?"
No wonder Venerable Mingzhao, this enlightened Arhat, couldn't help but ask such a question at this moment.
(Actually, the reason why the Arhats are now so impatient and even foul-mouthed is thanks to Hayden's previous nonsense.)
The divine sword at Takemikazuchi's waist, [Ame no Ouhabara], though a rare treasure forged over a thousand years ago and continuously improved and strengthened with new technologies, still lacks the power to break through the current predicament. This sword is incapable; both the people and the gods here understand this perfectly well.
...But to their surprise, after hearing Myōshō's question, Takemikazuchi narrowed his eyes and said, "It seems that Hayden was right about at least one thing. Whether human or god, once one falls into arrogance, one's vision becomes narrow. Enlightenment is no exception."
"...What?" Venerable Mingzhao was taken aback. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
But Takemikazuchi had already drawn the [Ame no Ouhabara].
In an instant, the Five Hundred Arhats were fully prepared for battle. They didn't take the Yamato gods' boasts seriously at all. Making trouble on your land? So what! If Takemikazuchi dared to attack them, the Five Hundred Arhats would immediately gather their Demon-Subduing Circle and capture him, along with all the sumo wrestlers and ninja soldiers!
Fortunately, Takemikazuchi didn't make a move. He merely sneered. Seeing his reaction, the Five Hundred Arhats became even more certain that these Yamato gods were just putting on a brave front and wouldn't actually dare to attack the Mithra Group.
...Therefore, these Arhats were delayed for too long and their attention was diverted too much.
So they didn't realize that long before Hayden came over and started spouting nonsense, he had already instigated Takemikazuchi to get some things working.
They also failed to notice that the old god fox spirit who had initially followed Hayden, and the strange Valkyrie, seemed to have vanished without a trace.
—Up until now.
“Eight clouds rise and stand tall, emerging from the clear earth above the eightfold walls.”
Suddenly, everyone present heard a wondrous song. The Arhats immediately diverted a third of their attention to it. Dakini, upon hearing the lyrics, felt a pang of anxiety and also looked over immediately.
They saw that the princess of the ancient Japanese gods, Momiji, had changed into a red and white shrine maiden outfit, holding a paper fan, and slowly dancing while softly singing.
"I raise the gohei here with all my heart and respect, and pray to Amaterasu Daihireki with trepidation, begging you to lend me your strength."
She danced slowly, swaying her snow-white fox ears and tail, while chanting incantations, surrounded by wondrous spiritual energy.
This sight greatly puzzled the five hundred Arhats. Venerable Mingzhao simply asked, "Why are you praying for power from a dead god?"
This is why they don't understand, and it's also why Takemikazuchi thought Hayden was talking nonsense—Amaterasu, the highest god of Japanese Shinto and the sun goddess, has long been dead!
She died at the end of the war between the old and new gods four hundred years ago!
Can a dead god still borrow power? The answer is yes, but only a very faint remnant remains, insufficient to defeat the Five Hundred Arhats. After all, once dead, they are dead; their remaining divine power is merely a tiny fragment.
Amaterasu, the highest deity in Japanese Shintoism and the sun goddess, has long since died.
Although she was a special being, she is now a dead person, having returned to the underworld four hundred years ago... That's right, in other words, she has returned to the [Land of the Dead].
...That is, right behind Kureha now, among those stones and shimenawa ropes.
The subordinates of the sun (Mithra) should naturally be defeated by another sun!
That being said, how easy is it to bring back a god who has already died and sunk into the underworld? In ancient Japanese mythology, there is a story about an ancestral god who tried to bring his dead wife back from the underworld, but failed and ended up causing chaos.
However, Hayden offered Takemikazuchi three kinds of help at this time: First, Momiji had once played the role of Amaterasu in the "World's Number One VTuber Tournament," performing a ritualistic song and dance. Summoning a special deceased person requires someone with a close connection to them. And as everyone knows, a shrine maiden who plays a god has a special connection with the god.
Secondly, there's their current location. Behind Momiji is the passage to the [Ashihara Kingdom]. Although Hayden tore this passage apart, the connection it once held remains forever and can never be completely erased.
At that moment, in front of the Arhats and the gods, they saw Hongye dancing lightly as she reached out and grabbed the shimenawa rope on the stone behind her.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Buryubu Yura Yura stop Buryubu. Here is the song of the heavens, spreading its booming rhymes, floating and departing souls knotted, hearing the summons and bestowing favor."
Although the passage had been twisted and broken, everyone still felt a faint force seeping in from the other side of the barrier. This force was extremely thin and weak, probably insufficient for anything.
Until Hayden's giant wolf clone, Fenrir, opened its mouth and exhaled a breath towards Momiji.
He combined the power of the [Yatagarasu] he had just ingested with Angela's life breath and exhaled it all towards Momiji.
"Respectfully requesting the command of Amaterasu Daishin."
And then, just like when a jigsaw puzzle is put together, something incredible happens.
From the dark and sunless "Land of the Dead," a small sun rose and descended upon Red Leaf.
That is,
Hayden's solution to break the deadlock was...
Authentic and genuine
[Spiritual possession].
It is a myth of the sun rising from the dead.
392: The ability to make a complete mess of things
From the dark and sunless Land of the Dead, a tiny sun rose.
The five hundred Arhats stared in astonishment under the sun's radiance.
Although Hayden was only speculating, he did guess one thing correctly—since the Five Hundred Arhats originated from the sun wheel of Mithra Bodhisattva and were brainwashed by Reincarnation, they were naturally more susceptible to the influence of other solar system deities when Mithra's Reincarnation sun core was not present.
Moreover, the "sun god" of the Yamato pantheon is actually somewhat related to the Mithra Group.
Four hundred years ago, at the end of the war between the old and new gods, the Yamato gods suffered heavy losses, even losing their most important goddess, Amaterasu. It was at this time that the Mithra Group proposed that they provide the new gods with their arcane technology, but in exchange for introducing Mithra Group's culture and concepts into Japan.
One of its manifestations is "learning by doing".
The Yamato people not only had to acknowledge the divinity of the Mithra Group, but also had to admit that they were incorporated into the Mithra Group's worldview. Japanese gods were placed within the Mithra Group's category of "Heaven." For example, Susanoo, although he is a major Japanese deity and currently the highest god in Japan, is also a "Heaven" within the Mithra Group's hierarchy, specifically the "Ox-Headed Heavenly King." He (nominally) became one of the Mithra Group's "Guardian Deities."
The Yamato gods, in this process, had to admit that the Mithra group's theories and techniques were indeed more advanced than theirs and worth learning from. Therefore, in this model, the Mithra group theoretically guided the Yamato gods and brought the Japanese gods under their influence. This is what is known as "Ōga" (or "Shōga").
In reality, this structure wasn't entirely bad for either the Mithra Group or the Yamato people. From the Mithra Group's perspective, by placing Japan's traditional pantheon under their system, they could rapidly expand their influence and trade within Japan. From the Yamato people's perspective, by accepting the Mithra Group's protection, they could secure their position and learn more advanced technologies from them. Their interests aligned, at least in this respect, even though their relationship was hierarchical. This structured relationship fostered mutual recognition of each other's existence. Therefore, the Yamato people's faith wasn't completely stripped away or utterly destroyed by the Mithra Group.
Besides Susanoo, Amaterasu, the original supreme deity of the Yamato people, was also incorporated into the Mithra group's worldview and system. Although Amaterasu had died in the war between the old and new gods, the Mithra group declared that Amaterasu was the sun, and Mithra Bodhisattva was also the sun. Although Amaterasu perished, her radiance still lived on in Mithra. The radiance of Mithra Bodhisattva would continue to guide the people of Japan in place of Amaterasu.
It sounds a bit funny, doesn't it? But Mithra probably never expected that four hundred years later, a wizard would think of using the loophole in this analogy to revive Amaterasu's solar radiance and turn it against Mithra's army!
As expected, the Five Hundred Arhats were powerless against Amaterasu's sunlight!
Furthermore, Hayden, upon closer inspection, discovered something quite amusing: the five hundred Arhats were completely defenseless against Mithra's radiance. This was likely a weakness that Mithra himself had designed in advance, probably to prevent the Arhats from rebelling.
"Oh no...oh no!"
At this moment, under the light of Amaterasu, the Arhats finally wavered! Venerable Mingzhao had just claimed that they had abandoned all desires and attained Nirvana, and that no attack could harm them in the slightest—so what now?
Turtles rely on their hard shells for protection, but once an insect crawls into a crack in the shell, the turtle can only let the insect eat its body at will!
"go to hell!"
Hayden unleashed his "Sword of Words," piercing Venerable Mingzhao right through! The Arhat cried out in alarm as Hayden chopped off his head!
The remaining 499 Arhats hurriedly regrouped, but the light of Amaterasu had already disrupted their rhythm.
Meanwhile, Takemikazuchi was not idle either.
He raised the divine sword, [Heavenly Tail Feather], and swung it upwards, slashing at the space above his head. The sword in his hand truly cleaved space, reducing the concept of spatial distance between this place and that place to zero.
"I offer my divine proof to the heavens!"
Then, in response to Takemikazuchi's shout, light fell from the spatial rift, exploding into a tremendous shockwave. Many Arhats who were preparing to attack Takemikazuchi were swept away by the shockwave.
But that shockwave was merely an appetizer. Accompanied by the sun's brilliance and the impact of lightning, something descended from space, from the sky—a golden sword radiating dazzling light!
It's a sword again.
Why use a sword to summon another sword?
Because the Yamato God Clan's strongest divine weapon, the one most closely related to Amaterasu, could be used to annihilate this group of Arhats who fear the sun.
Without Hayden's plan to bring Amaterasu from the Land of the Dead into the body of the priestess Momiji, and to summon her in the place closest to the Land of the Dead, and to make use of the characteristics of the Five Hundred Arhats, it would have been absolutely impossible for Takemikazuchi to use this sword... But now the situation has changed.
"Get back quickly!"
The 499 Arhats instantly made the correct judgment. Their intuition as extraordinary beings and enlightened beings made them realize that confronting the upcoming attack head-on would be tantamount to suicide!
Unfortunately, sometimes, even when you realize what's happening, it's too late to retreat.
"【The Dominator of Heaven and Earth - Murakumo Sword】!"
Takemikazuchi swung his golden sword, unleashing a blinding burst of solar flames. The 499 Arhats, unable to retreat in time, were instantly swept away by the scorching blades of light. The solar flames, reaching a temperature of ten thousand degrees, engulfed most of the Arhats. Wherever the [Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi] swept, nothing remained but the sky and earth ripped open by the heatwave, leaving no trace whatsoever.
This is the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi). It is the foremost of the Three Sacred Treasures of the Yamato people, alongside the Yasakani no Magatama (Eight-Span Jewel) and the Yata no Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror). According to the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), Susanoo, who slew the Yamata no Orochi (Eight-Headed Serpent) and discovered the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, offered it to Amaterasu Omikami (Omikami). This sword is also considered a symbol of the Yamato people's "military power"—and a manifestation of the "military power" of the Japanese national system. Therefore, it is extremely powerful.
To this day, it is both the great magic of the Yamato God Clan and the full-force attack of a god-level war god. Of course, it can defeat the 499 Arhats whose formation has been disrupted!
Neither Dakini nor Dhritarashtra had anticipated such a sudden and drastic change in events. By the time they came to their senses and tried to flee, Hayden had already blocked their path, wielding his "sword of words."
"Don't rush off," Hayden couldn't help but grin. "I still have a lot of questions for you."
Both of them turned pale.
However, something happened next that was slightly unexpected by Hayden.
“If you want to ask them questions, count me in.”
A new figure teleported over the fleeing remnants of the Arhat army from outside the basin. Hayden turned to look, but was taken aback by the man's identity.
Susanoo has finally arrived.
He glanced at the two "Heavens" captured by Hayden, then at Takemikazuchi wielding the "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi," then at the Yatagarasu lying on the ground with half its wing torn off, and then at the red leaves of Amaterasu's descent... Then Susanoo sighed in despair.
Hayden, Hayden, your ability to make a complete mess of things far surpasses that of your mother-in-law, Hela!
393: More valuable
And so, the remnants of the five hundred Arhats' army escaped.
Both Dakini and Dhritarashtra were captured.
Hayden picked up his staff and healed the half of Yatagarasu's torn wing. The utterly disheveled Ame no Boshin transformed back into human form, struggled to his feet, and returned to his father Susanoo's side. Although he was no longer injured, he was covered in dust and grime.
Susanoo opened his arms to welcome his good-for-nothing son back, patting him on the shoulder. At the same time, he was also scrutinizing Hayden across from him with an unfathomable gaze.