The Great God Hime; Hidden Secrets

Sugawara no Michizane scoffed, "Those people are utter scum of the royal family. They were helped by a deity to hide in the Spirit Realm, attempting to evade responsibility."

"When Spear God and I received the news, we were heartbroken—it shouldn't be like this! How could such a scoundrel appear in such a brave and heroic royal family? In order to prevent them from tarnishing the royal family's good reputation, I persuaded Spear God that we had to help clean house."

"The Spear God readily agreed with my advice; he couldn't bear the stain of a traitor on the royal family. So we pursued them into the Spirit Realm, killing the gods who helped them escape, and slaughtering many other scoundrels. Unfortunately, in the end, a few still managed to escape into the Ise Grand Shrine Divine Domain..."

The Heavenly God took a sip of wine with a heavy heart.

Shuya also said indignantly, "Yes! Those scoundrels are truly disgusting. I really wish I could help clean house, expose and kill those scoundrels one by one, and restore the royal family's innocence!"

"Heh, Inoue- kun really hates evil like poison!"

"Not at all, not at all! Heavenly God- like figure truly embodies loyalty to the country!"

Sugawara no Michizane shook his head and sighed, "I dare not claim loyalty; how can I compare to the imperial family members whose entire clan was wiped out? They are the true martyrs... Come, let's all drink to them!"

"Okay, that's what I should do!"

Shuya raised his cup in deep sorrow, gesturing for everyone in the hall, gods and demons alike, to come together.

The great Monster and their companions all raised their cups with strange expressions and drank them down in one gulp.

After Shuya finished his drink, Sugawara no Michizane sighed, "With someone like Inoue- kun toasting them, they must have died a worthy death."

Shuya smiled gently and comforted him, "You flatter me, Heavenly God- like one. Don't be too sad. I think they are very grateful to Heavenly God- like one for giving them this opportunity to contribute."

Sugawara no Michizane smiled and exchanged a glance with Shuya.

"Hahaha! Inoue- kun is such a good person!"

"Hahaha! The Heavenly God- like figure is indeed kind!"

The god and the man laughed heartily, filling the temple with a joyful atmosphere.

Chapter 294 Chapter 278 The Great God of Competition

After some conversation, they roughly figured out what kind of person the other was.

Shuya thought the old man was a real scoundrel, and Sugawara no Michizane no Michizane felt the same way.

He recalled the accusations the other party had leveled against him when he first entered the Divine Domain, realizing that Shuya was indeed a complete scoundrel.

But when facing a deity like Amaterasu, if you're not cunning enough, you'll quickly be outmaneuvered and killed.

After some thought, Shuya realized that Sugawara no Michizane's methods for dealing with Amaterasu and the Imperial Family were actually nothing special.

The most important factor was leveraging the momentum of Great Hua.

He was able to leverage this power because Amaterasu offended Ikeda Ichinosuke and Li Shuhong's comrades.

Ultimately, the downfall of the imperial family was caused by Amaterasu herself.

Sugawara no Michizane fought against the imperial family for so many years without being able to shake their rule, which shows how stable the rule of the Japan imperial family is.

The power of the Japan imperial family in the secular world has actually been declining, and the shogunate has also existed in world history.

Even if the imperial family's control over the secular world weakens, as long as Amaterasu remains in power, she will always be supreme.

That's why the Emperor was never overthrown.

Unfortunately, they offended the wrong person and provoked Great Hua.

Amaterasu, accustomed to arrogance, disregarded Li Shuhong, while Sugawara no Sugawara no Michizane awaited an opportunity. Finally, she seized upon a weakness and used it to eliminate the imperial family.

According to Him, the initial decoy operation was a large-scale purge targeting Amaterasu's influence in the secular world.

It was because of this move that the Earth Federation was able to so easily and directly abolish their royal status after the war, excluding them from the game.

Shuya stopped thinking about it once he reached this point.

It has nothing to do with him.

He then said, "Now we know Takemikazuchi is dead, but is my teacher just going to give up like this?"

Shuya suddenly thought of something.

Li Shuhong once said that he fled to Japan because he had offended demons and monsters.

Is this true?

He couldn't help but think.

What he said back then... could it just have been an excuse?

In reality, he came to Japan seeking an opportunity to completely eliminate Amaterasu and avenge his comrades and Ikeda Ichinosuke.

Was he so willing to teach him back then because he wanted to take advantage of him?

Shuya has been scheming a lot lately, so it's no wonder he's thinking things through.

He felt that Li Shuhong would teach him not only because he was suitable to inherit Ikeda Ichinosuke, but also because he wanted to use his Natural Martial Bone talent to lure out Amaterasu, who was secretly purging the threat.

Shuya considered these things, so he didn't feel any ill will towards Li Shuhong.

Shuya, and he has always played the role of a reliable mentor.

Li Shuhong and he were not related, so Li Shuhong had no obligation to teach him. Even if Ikeda Ichinosuke's teachings and Shuya were suitable, the decision was in Li Shuhong's hands. It was understandable that he didn't want to give it to him.

Thinking about it carefully, how old was Shuya back then? Li Shuhong certainly couldn't have imagined that a few years later he would become the Alliance Leader the Monster alliance and even attack the gods, creating an environment for his revenge.

Even if Li Shuhong had bold ideas, they only emerged gradually as things progressed.

Shuya believes that Shuya's initial motivation for teaching him was genuine.

The only lie he told was that his purpose in coming to Japan wasn't to seek refuge, but rather to look for an opportunity, right? Probably.

A powerful figure like Li Shuhong would cause a great commotion if he moved around without a suitable reason, and he would definitely be closely watched by all sides. That's why he took advantage of the Vampire.

So, could it be that his dissolute behavior was also a facade?

However, Shuya recalled Li Shuhong's clothes covered in lipstick marks, his cheeks, and his strange smile, and suddenly became uncertain again.

What an enigmatic man!

Besides, saying "being used" sounds unpleasant, but it can be phrased in a different way.

Now he is sharing the burden of being a teacher.

That's acceptable.

Sugawara no Michizane had no idea that he had thought of so much in such a short time.

He said, "I don't think the Spear God will stop here. Now that he's made his move, he won't stop so easily. I didn't find anything wrong with the other scrolls just now, so I guess I can't find any new information."

"But in any case, with the Spear God secretly helping us, any subsequent operations will be much easier."

Shuya agreed, "That's true, Amaterasu probably wouldn't dare to go out casually either."

Sugawara no Michizane said, "Don't be too careless. Inoue- kun, what you're doing is about completely bringing Him down to earth. Who knows how crazy He might become?"

"Indeed, it is as the Heavenly God say, but I cannot do nothing out of concern for them."

Shuya asked, "Anyway, does the Heavenly God have any suggestions for our next move?"

Sugawara no Michizane said, "I actually agree with you listing Usa Shrine as your next target, but I don't agree with you directly attacking Usa Shrine's Divine Domain."

"Where did Heavenly God?"

Shuya thought for a moment and said, "Could it be a comparison with the Ōkami (mascot) of Munakata Grand Shrine?"

"That's right."

Sugawara no Michizane nodded.

"Munakata Grand Shrine...?"

Shuya recalled the information about the Princess Deity.

The term "Himekami" refers to a goddess, or the wife or daughter of the chief deity. Many Shrine have a Himekami.

The most famous of all is the shrine to Hishime at Usa Shrine.

However, the Princess Deity at Usa Shrine, remains a mystery.

To put it simply, it is common knowledge that the chief deity of Usa Shrine is Hachiman.

When Shrine enshrines multiple deities, the highest-ranking deity is positioned in the center.

Therefore, it can be inferred that Hachiman should be enshrined in the center of the Main Hall.

However, that is not the case.

In Usa Shrine, Princess Deity is the central deity, followed by Hachiman, and then Empress Jingu.

This is a huge mystery.

Even though Usa Shrine explained that Princess Deity is Three Munakata Goddesses, many people still do not accept this claim.

They have put forward many theories, one of which is quite interesting: that Usa Shrine is actually the tomb of Himiko, and that Himiko is the Princess Deity.

The reason is that the worship method of Usa Shrine is different from others, consisting of two bows, four claps, and one bow, which is consistent with Izumo Grand Shrine.

According to the "Biography of the Japanese People in the Records of the Wei Dynasty" which records the origin of the clapping greeting, the Japanese people of the Yamatai Kingdom "when they see an important person, they clap their hands instead of kneeling."

This is the same as that of Izumo Grand Shrine, which has a high rank.

People then thought of the Queen of Yamatai, because she was worthy of the honor.

As for Himiko, her true identity is unknown; one theory is that she is an incarnation of Amaterasu Omikami.

But if she is an incarnation of Amaterasu, why does Usa Shrine say that Princess Deity is Three Munakata Goddesses?

Ultimately, why is the Princess Deity above the Hachiman, and why is the rank of the Usa Shrine so high? It's all a mystery.

Shuya felt that this might involve a power struggle within the royal family.

In short, it's incredibly complicated.

But Usa Shrine is ranked only below Ise Grand Shrine, so it's enough for him to know that.

Anyway, the Princess Deity was Three Munakata Goddesses is common knowledge. Regardless of the process, this is the result of the struggle.

... Perhaps they are still in the midst of a struggle; that's also possible.

Section 295, Chapter 279: Secrets

The Heavenly God said, "The main reason we need to take down Munakata Grand Shrine first is that this Divine Domain is guarding the entrance to Kyushu. If we don't control it first, our retreat will be cut off."

"I see."

Shuya nodded.

He knew this too, and had hesitated before deciding whether to attack there first, but now, after hearing Sugawara no Michizane's suggestion, he decided to follow it.

After learning how Sugawara no Michizane tricked Amaterasu, he now trusted Him completely.

This hatred is unsolvable.

The Heavenly God recounted those past events for this very reason.

Otherwise, how idle would he have to be to reveal his dark history?

They all had a purpose.

In order to gain trust, He demonstrated reasons sufficient to become a companion.

There is indeed no possibility of reconciliation Amaterasu and the Heavenly God.

With Shuya leading a powerful force in the fight, and Li Shuhong secretly intervening, this could be considered the best opportunity for the Heavenly God to attack.

After learning about Usa Shrine, Shuya decided to make Munakata Grand Shrine his next target.

But he didn't say it immediately. Instead, he asked Sugawara no Michizane, "Putting aside the matter of Usa Shrine for now, I have another question: what exactly is the stance of Izumo Grand Shrine?"

Izumo Grand Shrine?

Without hesitation, Sugawara no Michizane replied, "They are also enemies. Okuninushi -Ōkami was already a deity associated with Amaterasu, and like Hachiman, she was merged with a member of the imperial family."

Shuya said, "Then I understand."

The enemy was indeed more numerous than expected.