Volume 3
Epilogue Part
1
Gold is Gloomy
and Lapis Lazuli Runs Wild with Righteous Indignation at Night 1
Translator : PolterGlast
—The Central Capital Sacred Precinct, Santenryō
(mountaintop ridge).
Whoosh. A gentle
breeze, whispering softly, ruffles the surface of the lake.
A natural breeze that
caresses the cheeks. Takamikura-hime-gimi, seated on the sacred rock, smiled
slightly.
A natural breeze is
something that shouldn't exist in the sacred precincts of Santeneryō.
The fact that the wind
coming from the mortal world conveyed meant that a considerable extent of the
surface of the sacred precinct ruled by the golden girl had been exposed.
—And,
"—The Kugai
Bakufu has descended."
The sky, colored azure
towards the zenith. Takamikura-hime-gimi looked up at the black obsidian canopy
that covered everything in sight.
Divine artifact of the
heavenly canopy that descended for the first time in the mortal world. The
girls of the sanctuary involuntarily let out exclamations of admiration.
"Fufu. The
fulfillment of a thousand-year prophecy. Even if it has existed for a long
time, the moment when it is fulfilled is still very satisfying."
"It has yet to be
settled, though..."
"It's already
decided. Once the divine artifact of the tortoiseshell descends, the outcome
will be unshakable.
No matter how Ravana
may try to manipulate the situation, the end is as good as decided."
"Is that
so?"
Two people are
standing in the sanctuary, excluding Takamikura.
One of them. A girl
who serves beside her, said so to Takamikura.
A white blindfold
covered her eyes, with the yin-yang symbol and a bell family crest dyed in the
center. It was impossible to tell what kind of emotion was floating in the
girl's eyes through the cloth.
Upon hearing Utanomiya
Aya's words, Takamikura's golden eyes, which could discern the truth, shook
with laughter.
Haa. At this sight,
the last woman deliberately let out a sigh.
It was tinged with a
strong sense of sarcasm rather than a sigh.
Her furrowed brow
seemed to foreshadow the future troubles of the commotion that would follow.
"...Regarding
this matter. Even if you are the 'Hime-sama', I would have liked to hear a word
or two."
"Sorry. No matter
how well I devised a plan, the enemy's victory remained unshakable.
—Well, it was worth hiding my youngest daughter's
Kanna-no-Mikura and forcibly giving him the Celestial Throne."
"Is that really
the truth? After all, it is I who must explain to the Four Sovereigns."
The woman's eyes,
colored in black and red, signifying neutrality, were filled with worry.
They are the three
Imperial Families that ruled the Central Capital of Central Province.
Tsukinomiya Amane, the
head of Tsukinomiya, glared at Takamikura.
She didn't want to
criticize the divine pillar she served, but it couldn't be helped. After all,
she had only learned of what Ravana, the divine pillar of Bharatush, was aiming
for a few hours ago.
Although she could
understand that it couldn't be helped, the fact that she was being left out of
the picture as the head of Tsukinomiya was not something that she felt good
about.
Moreover, the oracle
was given a thousand years ago.
The golden girl,
however, pouted in response to the natural resentment directed at her by Amane.
"It couldn't be
helped. No matter how hard I searched for the oracle, my victory was not
certain.
The scales of victory
began to waver only after I chose to stop giving the oracles to the Tsukinomiya
and Fujinomorimiya."
"The ability to
disguise oneself and sneak into the human world. —The Nine Dharma Treasures
Canon, you say? There aren't many divine artifacts as powerful as that."
If it infiltrated the
social foundation within the Central Capital, it would be difficult to deal
with, even for Tsukinomiya.
The governance of the
Three Imperial Palaces and Four Sovereigns is undoubtedly strong, but the fact
remains that it is maintained by humans.
Whether it was the
Tsukimiya or the Fujimori-miya, as soon as either of them learned of the
oracle, their movements would have been revealed to Ravana.
Through this incident,
she was made to realize that although Ravana's direct power was not great, her
authority was immense.
"......She
dedicated herself to a solitary struggle. It's only natural, isn't it?"
The feats of the
divine pillars are generally arduous, but Ravana's is on a completely different
level.
She cut off nine of
her own necks and burned her divinity. This ascetic practice, which was
equivalent to suicide, also brought with it a powerful ability.
"We (Tsukunomiya)
understand, but please apologize to Fujinomorimiya (Kaori) later.
Because she was left
alone in the situation and still had to run around outside."
"I know
that."
Of the three, the one
who suffered the most from this incident was undoubtedly Fujinomorimiya, who
was entrusted with military affairs.
Despite being
responsible for defense, they were caught off guard and allowed the Hyakki
Yagyo to invade the Central Capital.
They couldn't get away
with saying they didn't know. It was obvious that the old families, who had
recently become bolder even within the court, would pursue the issue of
Fujinomorimiya's responsibility.
"Yes. Therefore,
I have given the actual power of the Imperial Guard to the old families and
those who are connected to them.
No matter how eagerly
they try to attack, I have also arranged it so that the final responsibility
will go to the old families."
"......Is that
why you have been slow to respond to the tyranny of the old families in recent
years?
That's good then. It's
about time the old families remembered who rules Central Province."
Aya, standing at the
foot of Takamikura, chuckled.
Amane shook her head
slightly, looking at the young girl who was barely reaching the age of 20.
Regaining her
composure, she turned her gaze back to the north-northeast.
As she watched, the canopy
filled with the black obsidian glow disappeared silently.
—Is things finally settled?
If what
Takamikura-hime-gimi said was true, then this should be the end of the Hyakki
Yagyo that shook Takamagahara, which had descended a thousand years ago.
The blue sky deepened
in color and returned to its original crimson. The mysterious color of twilight
did not last long, and the night sky spread out there, leaving only a slight
trace of regret.
"Kanna-no-Mikura,
huh? And the Celestial Throne at that. Was there really a way to intentionally
create it?"
"It was a
coincidence. ...As far as that's concerned.
I can't use the same
method twice."
"I don't think it
was necessary to go to such lengths though."
It was only a few
decades ago that she learned of the upcoming birth of Kanna-no-Mikura.
It was difficult to
interfere, and the most she could do was manipulate the information submitted
to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
It was understandable
why Takamikura sought Kanna-no-Mikura's help, as the oracle said that her
defeat was all but certain.
Kanna-no-Mikura. A
being who was promised freedom in all things. Even in rewriting a fixed oracle.
But, to go as far as
creating a Celestial Throne is overkill.
Amane expressed her
bitterness about a method that she heard required considerable sacrifice.
But even so, the reply
that came from Takamikura remained unwavering.
"It was
necessary.
—Especially if the God Slayer's power (Rakuyō Zakuro)
were wielded, we would have been deadlocked without anything we could do."
"God Slayer, you
say?"
"That means
severing the concept that the divine pillar bears.
Killing Ravana would
have caused her concepts in this mortal world to be lost."
From the perspective
of Akira and the others, it would probably be seen as nothing more than a
divine artifact that ignores even the divine protection of a divine pillar.
But that is not the
true essence of it.
Because severing the
concept of a divine pillar, that is, the concept that the divine pillar represents,
also means losing that concept.
—Ravana's concept.
"To say, 'Be just
human'. ...There was a possibility that humans would cease to be human."
"There was no
concrete proof, but there was a strong possibility that this would happen.
As an insurance measure
against such a possibility, it would be necessary to perform spirit
birth."
That is the greatest
privilege of the Celestial Throne. The connection between the Age of the Gods
and the present day, the aspect called the pile driver that separates and
connects the divine pillar and humans.
"Bringing down
the Age of the Gods is also dangerous for humans."
"But we can't
hasten the departure of the gods.
That's why I granted
the Pārijāta, the thorn that guides the Ocean Milk, to my daughter."
"...Even though
it was to avoid the worst-case scenario, it left a considerable grudge between
Gioin and Kihouin."
"Even if we try
to intercede, it depends on Akira's will in the first place."
Amane avoided
mentioning it, simply sighing at the decision that could be considered an act
of ignoring.
Because that is the
only thing that can be done when it comes to Kanna-no-Mikura.
The right of freedom
possessed by Kanna-no-Mikura. The divine pillars, as well as ordinary mortals,
will accept whatever decision Akira makes.
In the end, it is up
to Akira to decide and open up the future.
"I understand for
the most part. For now, let's hurry up with the Kannamesai Festival.
—No matter how it goes, there will be trouble
afterwards."
"Hmm. —Ah, a
last-ditch struggle, huh?"
She turned her gaze to
the distant direction dyed in the darkness of night.
Following Amane's
gaze, Takamikura shook her shoulders and laughed amusedly.
The light of the
eternal night is weak but certain,
—But at the moment when the last embers are
extinguished, it will surely regain its final brightness.
♢
He glided down the
slope, leaping high into the air.
He took deep breaths
as he weaved his way through the gaps between the approaching trees.
As he galloped at a
comfortable pace, something deep inside his heart returned a boiling energy.
The never-ending heat
that was being burned was black and sticky, accumulating in his belly.
At the same time, pure
joy mixed with the new energy.
He didn't know where
that emotion came from.
To be honest, he had
simply started running, following the impulse that was driving him forward.
He refined the
spiritual energy circulating through his body and accelerated by the
exhalation.
Transforming into a
gust of wind, he flew across the ground, leaving the trees reflected in his
field of vision behind.
Haa~. He exhaled the
scorched emotion mixed with spiritual light and let it drift away.
Roughly and hastily
urged on by his excessive passion, he reached for his own spirit weapon.
He snipped the
koiguchi. Roughly, even from a familiar gesture.
—A brilliance of spiritual power overflowed from the
slightly exposed blade.
It was more like a
pure desire for revenge.
Without a shred of
doubt, he naively declared it justice.
He had no idea beyond
the end of his own distorted emotions.
If he dared name this
emotion, which he did not even know the name of,
—He would call it righteous indignation.
♢
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