Chapter 507
"That's right, generally speaking, the first player is guaranteed to win, and even if they don't win, they can still gain a significant advantage."
As if instructing her on some method, Izanami then casually asked, "Speaking of which, what's that blue-haired brat's name?"
"Rushana is the one in Buddhism, the Dharmakaya of Shakyamuni."
Erice paused. "Speaking of which, I haven't asked you yet, how did you see her suddenly make that sound? Could it be that you stole her Buddhahood and Buddha-Mind?"
"Hahaha, what a joke! How could I possibly steal anything?"
Izanami smiled nervously, "I'm just surprised that you actually have friends, kid."
Erice herself somewhat accepted her statement.
It seems my lie wasn't exposed. Although it's meaningless, it's still a good thing.
But Erice was unaware that Izanami's lie was the result of the immense shock and terror that swept through her chest the moment she saw Rushana's face. Then, after learning from Erice that it was Rushana, she understood that this made sense.
My dear daughter, even though you don't really have a father, if you did have a cheap, adoptive father, this guy would have this face!
At the same time.
"Cough--"
Hearing Izanami say that, Novia couldn't help but cough. Although he didn't mean to, for some reason, ever since Taira no Masakado gave the insect who called himself Izanami to Erice, he could hear their conversations and thoughts.
"What's wrong? Have you been infected with some kind of Bacteria? Should I call Tiamat's mother now?"
As Rushana arrived at the door, she rocked back and forth in her chair, becoming more and more excited as she spoke. The surprised expression on the man's face in the dim light gave her a strange feeling, as well as a great deal of pleasure. She couldn't quite explain why, and she had never felt this way before. It seemed that she only had these thoughts about Novia.
"Rushana, you..."
Upon hearing Novia call her name, the blue-haired girl immediately pricked up her ears like a loyal dog and abruptly raised her head.
However, when Novia heard Izanami speak, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Cheap old man? According to Japan Mythology, wouldn't that be Izanagi? Wait a minute, in the Kami-Buddha Syncretism, Izanagi is a manifestation of Amitabha. Furthermore, in some accounts, Rushana Amitabha. Later, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo are also said to be manifestations of Amitabha...
In the Chronicles of Japan, the Three Noble Children were born to two people, while in the Kojiki, they were created by Izanagi alone.
In other words, the father is Rushana, the mother is Thousand-Armed Kannon, the eldest daughter is Dainichi Nyorai, and the remaining two are Amitabha...
Novia, who was thinking this, suddenly remembered something else.
That is, Izanagi and Izanami are the seventh generation among the Seven Generations of the Age of Gods, and the sixth generation before this couple Omotaru and Kashikone, who appeared with the attribute of 'Perfection', are both manifestations of Mara, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven Papiyas Buddhism, in the Kami-Buddha Syncretism.
... After much back and forth, the blame ultimately fell on Novia herself.
Chapter 522 A man sitting on Vulture Peak, disaster strikes from the heavens.
"Then let me ask you, Nami, who is my father!"
Perhaps having truly accepted the fact that the insect before her was Nami, her mother, Erice continued to press for answers.
This is understandable, since Erice had always considered herself the only Old Humanity, different from the New Humanity. But Taira no Masakado previously claimed that he had no father, only a Servant mother?
How could the bodies of the Old Humanity have been reproduced by a single individual? It can only be that Taira no Masakado made a mistake. Otherwise, how could Chitose be my Grandmother? Would that solitary ruler be so kind as to care for an outsider? That's completely impossible.
However, Izanami's answer completely stunned Erice, who had been deliberately maintaining a cold expression.
"You know, well, the story of Jesus the Savior of the Church, and Fuxi from the Erice?"
"What, what do you mean...?"
Erice knew, of course, that according to the Bible, the Virginity Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem; as for Fuxi, his mother Huaxu, curiously stepped into a giant footprint and became pregnant for twelve years before giving birth to Fuxi, who had a human head and a snake's body...
This is actually quite normal, after all, mythological figures are different from ordinary people.
But I am a real human being!
The Age of Gods is long gone, and how exactly can Servant get pregnant?
"Literally, back when I was fighting the Holy Grail War in Tokyo, I suddenly found out I was pregnant."
But Erice was still somewhat unwilling to give up, or rather, she couldn't believe it, and asked in a low voice:
"But, isn't my surname Utsumi? Shouldn't my father's surname also Utsumi...?"
"Oh dear, that's the Erice I gave you. It's because you're the third generation, after Heaven and Earth comes the Universe—"
Izanami suddenly paused, as if she had said something wrong, "Hahaha, anyway, I'm the one who gave you the name, don't overthink it."
Japan Mythology has two major pantheons: Amatsukami, whose ruling deity is Amaterasu, and Kunitsukami, whose ruling deity is Ōkuninushi.
In fact, Izanami was quite happy about the birth of her adopted daughter, Erice. Although she didn't know who the father was, her daughter was very cute, much cuter than Amaterasu and the others. Moreover, since she was a 'Child of Miracles,' she was the ruler of the third pantheon of gods, Utsu Gods, after the Heavenly Kingdom!
Why Yu?
The reason is simple: Izanami hopes that Erice and the surviving humans can break through the sealed Planet and reach Universe.
However, now that Izanami has lost to Mot, she no longer has such expectations for Erice. After all, if she can't even do it herself, she shouldn't count on Erice.
"... call."
Erice let out a soft, long sigh, carrying a strange emotion, and quietly left.
"So, I'm not the granddaughter of the Chitose..."
Erice's emotions were complicated. She had thought that if Chitose and she weren't biological granddaughters, she would definitely fight against the shackles that bound her in every way, and would do anything to break free from them and retaliate... But when she learned that she had no relation to Chitose and that it was Chitose who took in her four-year-old self, Erice was at a loss for what to do.
"Chitose? Manazuru Chitose? That bastard actually dared to take advantage of me. Back then, I was still—"
"Can you be quiet for a second, Mom?"
Erice's voice was emotionless, as crisp as a bell. Izanami seemed to belatedly remember something, and thus became quiet.
"I need to apologize for what I did in the past..."
Erice muttered to herself as if giving herself a warning. Then she left the room and headed toward Chitose's room. As she turned the corner, she happened to see Manazuru Chitose chatting and laughing with Tiamat.
"... What's wrong, Erice?"
Looking at the silver-haired woman in front of her, who exuded a strong Nostalgia and seemed completely unaffected, holding a soda bottle in one hand and Erice really wanted to cry, even though she couldn't. She used to hate it when people always said things like "Manazuru's granddaughter," but now that she knew she was only adopted by Chitose, she felt she really didn't deserve that title.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest."
Erice bowed her head respectfully. "Also, I'm sorry, Chitose, I was too willful before."
"Willful? No, not at all..."
The Chitose smiled gently.
"You were so good back then. I really mean it."
Why does Erice seem like a completely different person today? I'm not used to it. I still think she looked better with her clenched teeth like before.
Although Erice didn't survive being born in her womb, Chitose raised her for so many years that she felt she was more deserving of the title of Erice's mother, or rather, Grandmother, than Izanami was involved in the accident.
"You're too kind... I'm honored by your approval, Your Chitose."
Erice stumbled along, trying her best to appear unaffected. "Haha, I'm starting to feel a little more confident."
Tiamat looked at the two of them, especially at Erice was now trembling slightly. She thought: Is this the suppressive power of blood? As a mother, I, as an infant, seem unable to achieve this...
"You've changed a lot all of a sudden, Erice."
"I'm just doing my best; I'm not at the age where I'll forget my roots yet."
The moment the words left her mouth, Erice felt a sense of unease. Since she knew she wasn't Chitose's granddaughter, she shouldn't have made sarcastic remarks or spoken so carelessly. She should have been more careful.
"Is that so? Or do I prefer you this way? Even if you're against me, it doesn't matter. No matter what, you belong only to yourself."
Chitose's natural words made Erice's eyes widen. She couldn't believe that Chitose she had always thought of as a tyrant and a lone wolf, could speak so frankly. For some reason, Erice felt a surge of joy.
"Let's go, meet Novia at the entrance, and see if there are any clues about the Vairocana Buddha and the Buddha-Mind."
"... OK."
Erice nodded emphatically.
Naturally, I clenched my fist.
A strange passion welled up in the girl's chest; those words had truly ignited a flame within her.
Just wait, the Holy Grail War, Novia and the Demon King —I will absolutely, positively end them all!
At the same time.
Novia, who was waiting at the door, had just recovered from his surprise at Izanami's comment that "his cheap father would have a face like Rushana," and then heard Erice's determination, which made him feel much more relaxed.
However, perhaps because she heard him Rushana and became a little anxious, before Novia could answer, she grabbed Novia's left hand.
"Are you sure everything's alright?"
"Really, no."
"So that's how it is, I see."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Novia was now completely bewildered.
"Actually, I had a dream last night."
Rushana said to Novia, who seemed to merge into the depths of the sea, "In my dreams, you appeared often at first."
"Really? That must have been a very pleasant dream. What did I do in my dream?"
Novia didn't think much of it; perhaps it was because Rushana remembered that he was Gautama's Teacher. That's fine, too.
"Yes, you were very gentle in my dream..."
The blue-haired girl hesitated for a moment after saying this.
She wasn't lying, and that's what she thought too. It's just that, how should she put it, she didn't quite understand what it meant to say, "Please suffer with me." She couldn't comprehend under what circumstances someone would say something so cruel yet romantic. But she thought it must be because they were lifelong friends and each other's support, so she wanted to suffer, just like you—
"I even think it would be nice if you were my lover."
"Cough--"
This was the second time Novia had coughed, and he even had the illusion that perhaps Gautama had used Rushana to torment him.
"But looking back now, the me in the dream was really a bit off. Actually, I'm not interested in people who are only gentle with things. Although I was happy only with my own words, I always felt something was missing, and it didn't feel real at all. It was like watching someone else's life unfold. In that sense, that guy... who was loved by everyone and made everyone happy, but was the only one who was always unhappy, I found much more interesting."
Looking at Novia's complex expression, Rushana continued.
"What kind of person was Kavia, Gautama's Teacher?"
"Oh? You care about this kind of thing? Didn't you just feel like you didn't feel anything real in Gautama's dream?"
Hearing Novia's question, Rushana tilted his head in surprise.
"Although it doesn't feel real, I have a feeling that guy is a weirdo. I originally thought he was a sentimental person, but I didn't expect him to abandon others so easily and not come back for so many years. Although some people joke that he's just a not-so-powerful Aspected God because he rarely takes action, he has never lost a real battle. Hahaha, thinking about how he pretended to be stupid in front of his three wives is quite interesting."
This tone confirmed to Novia that Rushana was indeed Alchemy from the material of the 'Vairocana Buddha' and was not the real Rushana.
"Speaking of which, were all of these things recorded? What is your generation's opinion of him?"
"Don't you know?"
"I'm not familiar with modern intelligence, and Tokyo has been cut off from the outside world, so I'm too embarrassed to ask John."
"He was completely obscured by the Snow Mountain, out of sight, only a vast expanse of white. But I saw him again. I seemed to see his tall, strong yet slender figure forever emerging from the bowed crowd, his slightly shimmering, slightly moist eyes ceaselessly caressing so many people—this is from the final words of the Records of Kavia's Past, so whoever you ask, if they know anything about it, they will say this."
There is no exaggeration in this statement; it is simply a statement of fact.
Indeed, Kavia, who is renowned in Buddhism and Hinduism, is such a figure. In terms of his influence on Asia, few Deity can rival him. He was revered by the Six Heretical Teachers who opposed the Caste System, as well as by Buddhism, and his influence extended to the symbolic Banner of uprisings.
"... is that so?"
Rushana murmured in a very heavy voice.
"I see, my Teacher..."
Then in the next instant--
A malevolent Od swept across Underworld Tokyo, from the sky, and a black Sun rose without warning.
This is a space devoid of sound.
It was a spacious wooden room, separated on three sides by sacred curtains, with black walls.
It was so dark it seemed to suck people in, making it impossible to see the outside world. Even if you said that this space was floating in another dimension, some people would probably believe it. The banner was painted with black Holy Statue and religious paintings. The image of the Virgin Mary, which should have been placed on the left side of the banner, was replaced with Saint Novia Statue.
Originally, the Christ statue on the right symbolizes the Second Coming of Christ, while the Holy Statue of the Virgin Mary on the left symbolizes the incarnation and incarnation of Christ, representing that all things should happen between the coming and the Second Coming of Christ. However, among the Twelve Apostles and the Holy Trinity at the top, one corner of the Holy Trinity is black.