Chapter 510

"What did you say, Ushiwakamaru! How could you do this!"

Tiamat approached Ushiwakamaru directly, startling her so much that she blinked.

"Is this not allowed...? Oh... Don't look at Niu Ruo like that, like you're looking at an unfilial son..."

"Of course not! How come all you good kids do such cool things so naturally! Everyone's so smart, yet you act like complete idiots—"

"Wait, wait, Mother Tiamat, that's not a good way to say it..."

While comforting the dejected Ushiwakamaru, Rushana also corrected Tiamat. After a while, Ushiwakamaru waved his cooking tongs and took his leave.

The three people seemed to be in high spirits, except for Erice felt like she was out of place again.

The dim world seen from Kanda Shrine always evoked a strange Nostalgia in Erice's heart. At only fourteen years old, she felt a deep sense of 'Nostalgia'. She even felt that she might have become Chitose second-generation Chitose, a homesick girl exuding a strong aura of a living Ren... If she changed her clothes to Black Sailor Uniform from Shinjuku, she would look even more like one.

The endless, damp, black ruins stretched between the dark blue sky and the earth, extending indefinitely. Small, withered leaves fluttered past the winding black stains. This scene always made Utsumi Erice somewhat melancholy and dazed.

She noticed the Shimenawa (sacred ropes) adorning the eaves and torii gates of the Shrine. Compared to the Gohei) hanging above, the Shimenawa looked newer, inevitably making one wonder if some accident had occurred in the past... Speaking of which, it's quite incredible that Shrine could be rebuilt in the Underworld Tokyo.

Would you like some tea?

The chief Chief Priest of Kanda Shrine peeked out from an inner room.

Before Erice could answer, she brought out a complete tea set, which was obviously very valuable. The black background with gold thread and various bright flowers was probably a China -style design. The silver plate contained cookies, Chocolate, and small scones.

Chief Priest poured Black Tea into his and Erice's cups. As one steaming cup after another was added, Erice felt as if some kind of Ritual was being performed, and couldn't help but feel a little nervous, falling silent again.

These tea sets seem strangely familiar...

Erice's entire focus was on the China -style tea set.

The antique tea set, engraved with patterns, made the young girl desperately try to recall where she had seen it before.

But why is that? Why do I feel like I've seen this before?

"Hey! Relax!"

The Chief Priest chuckled, "It makes it sound like I'm about to interrogate you."

"... That's not what I thought."

In fact, that's exactly what Erice thought. She inexplicably felt a lot of pressure when she was with this little girl, and for some reason, her mother, Nami, had stopped talking like that ever since she came here.

Just as Erice's gaze lingered, she noticed something interesting.

"Is this... gray food?"

Upon hearing her question, the girl dressed as Miko maiden looked up, smiled, and touched her face with her thin hand.

"Oh, you don't know what this is?"

It was a small, rock-like object placed next to the tea set, which one might mistake for a piece of bread.

"This is a symbol of the Chibiki Stone that seals the Yomi Hirasaka, not some bread."

"... Huh?!"

These words seemed to pierce Erice's heart instantly.

In the Kojiki, Izanagi went to the Yomi because he wanted to see his deceased wife, Izanami. However, he accidentally saw Izanami's 'ugly' appearance and immediately ran away. Izanagi, filled with shame and anger, chased after him. In the end, Izanami blocked the Yomi Hirasaka Izanagi the Chibiki Stone, preventing Izanami from coming out, which led to the couple's separation.

However, this wasn't what surprised Erice, because the practice of using symbols to represent mythological things is common in many Shrine and not surprising.

What surprised her was the name of the God of the Underworld, 'Izanami'.

Erice couldn't possibly be unaware of the name, but if the Chief Priest hadn't reminded her of 'Yomi Hirasaka,' she felt she truly wouldn't have remembered it. And Izanami... Nami... it couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? Besides, the God of the Underworld wouldn't be an insect by any standard! Amaterasu would cry! Coincidence, it's definitely a coincidence...

That's what she thought, but Erice analyzed the 'abnormality' in herself, she felt more and more that she was somewhat similar to Yomi Hirasaka.

The Wicked Spirit surrounding you are the resentful souls of the dead, aren't they the same as the dead heading to the Yomi?

The Wicked Spirit have been rejected by the world and can no longer return to this world. Isn't this precisely the function of the Chibiki Stone that seals the Yomi?

Then, they yearn for their own bodies in an attempt to return to the world...

Could it be...?

Erice suddenly began to have some doubts about her human identity as someone who has 'no fathers but no mothers'.

Am I actually a manifestation of the Chigaeshi no Okami?

The Chigaeshi no Okami, Protection the seal between the human world and the Yomi, is the only barrier to prevent the Yomi from corrupting the mortal realm. Simply put, he is the god who created the Chibiki Stone Seal and is responsible for cutting off the path from the Yomi to the human world.

After thinking about it this way, Erice felt that many things could be answered.

Hela, the Norse Death God of death Hel, once said, "Only what is buried can become eternal truth. Day will shatter night—just as men reveal femininity and women reveal masculinity. The Throne of Heroes is already distorted, and the Holy Grail is already filled with Black Mud that deceives all beings. The Sun will soon set in the west, and the time to recreate day has come."

Then the Servant called himself Nzambi said the same thing.

She said that Erice's ability to control 'Wicked Spirit' is of the same nature as her Nzambi power, which is 'death' itself.

With both things combined, Erice felt that the reason these Death God had found her was to break the seal on the 'Chibiki Stone' so that Underworld Yomi could invade the mortal realm... As for why the Chibiki Stone, unique to Japan, would affect other Death God, she thought it was probably due to some accident.

If that were the case, Erice felt a lot of pressure.

Because there is more than one deity in the Underworld, and more than one type of Underworld in mythology, and because there is no mythology in the world that has never discussed death and religion, it can even be said that there are as many types of Underworld as there are mythologies. Therefore, the possible objects are countless.

Satan, the chief of the Fallen Angel who rules Hell; Hel, the Goddess who governs Helheim, the kingdom of the Land of the Dead in Norse mythology Ereshkigal, the queen of the Underworld in Mesopotamia; Hades in Greek Mythology; Tartarus, the Primordial Naraka who devoured the Titans; Naraka, the Gods of India from which the word Naraka originates; and Yama, the king of the underworld who later evolved into Yama, the King of Underworld...

Thinking of Erice Yama reminds me of my two good-for-nothing dogs, a bunch of lazy bums who are practically swindling people under the guise of Death God.

"Speaking of Erice, Eri, your hair is black, have you dyed it?"

Erice raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "That's not true. I've always had black hair; I've never dyed it."

Wow! The black color looks amazing too!

"Um."

"I can't believe it! I wish I could have hair as beautiful as that someday!"

Even though Shrine Priest A Xiu was praising her, Erice couldn't help but feel a little sad. Even though the girl in front of her had grown mentally, her Flesh was still trapped in the past. Erice knew without a doubt that it must be a lingering effect left over from the destruction of Tokyo ten years ago.

What kind of girl would she be if she grew up normally?

Erice ate cookies and drank tea, imagining the girl she was meeting for the first time.

Will she have long hair? Or short hair? Will she be the kind of fair-skinned, slender, delicate girl, like glass? Or will she be passionate, healthy, and happy?

"Oh, by the way, Erice, what's your relationship with that handsome older brother named Novia?"

Chief Priest's slightly teasing voice was tinged with a curiosity that he couldn't hide, like a cat's.

"Puff--"

These words instantly caused Erice and almost spit out her tea.

What nonsense are you spouting? What relationship do you have with him? It's utterly absurd.

Although the little girl's attitude was always unpredictable, for some reason, only at this moment did Erice feel that her words truly came from the heart. If Chief Priest was trying to get close to them or use them to hold the Kanda Festival, Erice was still looking for an opportunity to give her a good beating. But these words were unexpected.

"He and I have absolutely no relationship, and there will never be any relationship."

Erice thought this was an incredibly frank reply, but what she got in return was a "I knew it" look from Chief Priest.

So, you don't deny that the older brother is handsome?

As soon as Chief Priest finished speaking, Erice felt her cheeks getting hotter and hotter. Although Tokyo was submerged by the sea, so the temperature wasn't too hot even though it was May, it felt like the height of summer to her at that moment, and even wearing Akihabara clothes couldn't cool her down.

Why is this happening?

Erice suddenly realized.

She and Novia had only been together for about a month.

Moreover, she was undoubtedly the worst at getting along with others. Nevertheless, she still had the illusion that they had been together for a long time, which seemed utterly absurd even to herself after losing the Demon King.

If there's even the slightest mistake, it might generate an incredible amount of goodwill, right?

Even now, despite constant resistance, this situation remains unchanged.

No, that won't do, absolutely not, absolutely not! Since they're all gone anyway, we can just say it directly!

"I do have someone I like, I'd say maybe, presumably, or unsurprisingly."

"Yes, I know."

The Chief Priest squinted and gently picked up the pastry with his thin fingers.

"That's it--"

It wasn't him.

"... Huh?"

Then came Chief Priest's frank laughter, "Since we've come this far, there's no need to deny it—"

I said, it wasn't him.

Erice leaned forward, speaking earnestly to the girl who, despite it being their first meeting, seemed like someone he had known for a long time. "Although I've never met him directly, I was able to get here thanks to him. He accompanied me all over Shinjuku because of my stubbornness, and we even went to Akihabara together. We won the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, and Chitose recognized us. The school, Alice, the Servant —it's all like that."

Erice's earnest words made Chief Priest blink.

This "he" doesn't seem to refer to Novia, the older brother who was talking to the Lord Masakado inside the house... That's quite surprising.

However, she still answered Erice sincerely, "From what you've said, Erice, you and he seem to have a really good relationship."

He taught me many things... and things I've always cared about.

"Things you care about?"

That's... a secret...

Erice said embarrassedly.

Shrine Priest A Xiu wasn't particularly surprised by her expression.

"Actually, I feel like he always becomes close with all sorts of people very quickly."

The girl's tone might have sounded a bit like she was throwing a tantrum.

The Demon King is very good at making friends, while she is clearly not good at it. Even among the Night Watch, she only has a handful of people with whom she has a certain level of friendship. But as she was fretting about this, the Demon King's smile, which was attached to her, appeared in her mind.

Therefore, Erice thought to herself, since the Demon King laughed, then so be it; that's enough.

Erice also knew how painful loneliness was, and so the Wrath in her chest was also about to ask the Demon King why he had left her all alone again.

Miyaji A-Shu chuckled softly at Eri Se's reaction.

"W-what's wrong?"

"No, I just find it a little funny."

The Chief Priest covered his mouth and said this.

"It seems like Erice, you're always thinking about him, the one you just mentioned."

"... Because he's Demon King who kidnaps children."

Wow! This is awesome!

Chief Priest stared intently at them, scanning Erice up and down as she sat there restless, and smiled gently.

"But Eri, don't try to have your Erice and eat it too, okay? He and Novia, big brother..."

"No, no way! Absolutely not! There can only be one!"

"Yes, I think so too."

Shrine Priest A Xiu nodded.

Then, she said this in a very nostalgic tone.

"After all, you are Utsumi Erice."

Earlier, inside the Shinmei Shrine, Novia looked with interest at Taira no Masakado, who had invited him to speak.

The wind is picking up.

The Shimenawa) and the gohei (Gohei) swayed in the wind, and the Shinboku Tree fence rustled.

"My Master, in fact, she should have died in the destruction of Tokyo ten years ago, but..."

Taira no Masakado let out a low, hoarse cough and calmly continued.

"She couldn't complete the journey to the Yomi Hirasaka, which led her to become a Living Dead lost in the mortal world. But she was ultimately the last 'person' in Tokyo, so the remaining City AI of Tokyo shut down Tokyo's operations, letting the sea flood Tokyo, so that she could continue to live on."