Taking Care of It

"Need not."

The Heavenly God and Shuya reached a consensus. Then, He said to the Monster, "By the way, remember to inform the other Monster that when you act, don't scatter too much; try to maintain a certain number."

He sighed softly, "We can't go up to Takamagahara, but they can come down..."

Shuya nodded in agreement; indeed, this needed to be guarded against.

This makes things very complicated; Takamagahara is a really difficult place to deal with.

That's utterly despicable.

Shuya sighed, realizing that real-world enemies are definitely not like game NPCs; they won't foolishly wait for him to come to them at Ise Grand Shrine.

He first sent a god to assassinate him, but now that he sees things are not going well, he has revealed his trump card and is hiding in Takamagahara.

In turning the tide, He also conveniently bound the somewhat disobedient Inari Pantheon back to Takamagahara, so He could continue to harvest the Power of Will.

The strange phenomena created by Amaterasu were clearly a calculated scheme to weaken the fighting power of the Monster and the Heavenly God.

With Takamagahara, a strategic weapon, dominating the skies, Shuya was instantly put at a disadvantage.

Shuya discussing it with the Heavenly God for a while, they each began to try to probe Takamagahara.

Shuya encouraged the Monster to try it out.

As a result, all sorts of chaotic scenes appeared in the Spirit Realm.

Tamamo Ren, Yamatano Aoyama attempts to wield her Demonic Arts.

Shuten Gozaburo threw stones into the air.

Tsuruko and Motoko unleashed sword energy nearby, attempting to strike.

Haruno urged the Little Fox to try flying, while Yukino and snow, trying to blow it up to Takamagahara.

Shizuka Hiratsuka jumped up and down on the spot, then gave up the fastest.

Shuya also tried to fly up there, but no matter how he flew, the distance to Takamagahara never got any closer.

As for the old Monster Nurarihyon, he disappeared long ago; he must have returned to the Monster City to report to the other old Monster.

In the end, Shuya and the Heavenly God failed.

One night passed.

The defeat has been officially announced.

However, they also discovered some of the characteristics of Takamagahara.

"Based on everyone's opinions, it can be basically confirmed that Takamagahara something similar to the Spirit Realm."

The second morning after Takamagahara descended.

Shuya and the main members of both the Heavenly God and the Heavenly God factions were having a meeting in the temple.

Shuya stood in the center of the temple, speaking eloquently to all the humans, gods, and demons surrounding him, who exuded powerful auras.

"The Spirit Realm is something born from the will of the people, and the Divine Domain is a region established upon this. As for Takamagahara, it is something slightly higher in level than the Divine Domain, but lower in level than the Spirit Realm."

Shuya's Haori fluttered as he turned around from time to time.

"Just as entering the Spirit Realm requires guidance from gods, Monster, or anything related to the Power of Will, entering Takamagahara also requires corresponding credentials."

"That proof is either Amaterasu's permission or the identity of the Amatsukami."

The Heavenly God said, "This is clearly beyond our capabilities."

Or rather, they dared not, because that would mean being controlled by Amaterasu.

No one wants to relive Hachiman's experience.

Shuya nodded. "We have to rely on other methods."

The Heavenly God laughed and said, "Anyway, I haven't thought of a way at all. Judging from Inoue- kun's tone, it seems you have a solution?"

"I do have a somewhat immature idea."

Shuya and said, "The results of the probe indicate that Takamagahara is an independent space with its own spatial rules for protection. If we don't break through this defense, we'll never be able to get close to it."

"Then the answer is quite simple, isn't it? Just find a god who is proficient in spatial Strange Arts to take action, and that will solve the problem, right?"

"Too difficult."

The Heavenly God didn't refute it; he simply stated the objective facts.

Japan does not have any gods who possess spatial abilities. (At least the author hasn't found any; if they do, then it's because the Earth Federation doesn't have any.)

Even the first god born in Japan mythology, "Amenominakanushi," did not possess this ability.

You can find them in other areas, though.

Perhaps seeking help from Buddhist temples in Japan might offer a solution.

But seeking help from Buddhism is impossible.

Shuya hasn't visited a Buddhist temple since the start of the war.

Buddhism's scale is incomparable to that of the divine path. If it were given the opportunity to enter the arena, Shuya would not have the confidence to suppress the various Buddhas.

The risk is too great.

Even if Monster listen to him, Heavenly God, Onmyoji, and other extraordinary beings will rebel.

No one wants the current harmonious coexistence of Shinto Buddhism to be disrupted.

Shuya still has some self-awareness.

But he wasn't lying when he said he had a way.

Behind Shuya appeared the phantom images of the Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise, and the Azure Dragon.

The Heavenly God being paused, then pondered, "The Four Spirits of Heaven, the Five Elements... I understand. By gathering the energy of the Five Elements, I should be able to access the power of space, right?"

Seeing that He understood, Shuya said, "That's right. But my cultivation requires a lot of Power of Will, so my next target is the three Shrine that remain on the ground."

"..."

The Heavenly God pondered for a moment, then said, "Then I will do my utmost to assist you. How would you like to arrange things specifically? I'll follow your advice."

"Suwa Okami- sama to the Heavenly God."

"Okay. What about the other two gods?"

"I'll take some Monster to fight Susanoo; let's save Okuninushi for last."

Shuya said, "Heavenly God -sama and I will each send some of our men to surround Izumo Grand Shrine, preventing Okuninushi from having the opportunity to send troops."

"There's really no need to worry about that," the Heavenly God said. "Okuninushi, Suwa Okami, and Susanoo haven't appeared in recent years. I suspect... Amaterasu something to them."

"?"

Shuya frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"Let's be more cautious."

"Alright."

Heavenly God and Shuya decided on their next course of action.

After discussing it for a while, Shuya decided to take only the left side to find Susanoo.

A small number of Monster remained outside Izumo Grand Shrine, while the majority dispersed into the Spirit Realm to slay the strange creatures.

They had no choice but to fall for Amaterasu's trap, otherwise the Earth Federation would come after them.

Therefore Shuya, one is at a disadvantage.

And most importantly...

Time is not infinite.

As mentioned before.

Since the appearance of Takamagahara, the sun in the Japan Spirit Realm has been gradually dimming.

Everyone, including Shuya, both gods and demons, could sense that as the sun dimmed, the rate at which the strange creatures were being born was accelerating.

This leads to a conclusion.

The present-day Takamagahara is not yet fully revealed.

It requires a process of integrating into the Japan Spirit Realm.

Shuya compared the past day's events, and the rate at which the sunlight dimmed... it would take about seven days for the Spirit Realm to become completely dark.

A day has now passed.

When six days have passed, Takamagahara will be fully descended, and if Amaterasu so desires, the Japan Spirit Realm will be plunged into eternal darkness.

In the darkness, demons roam freely.

The bizarre will emerge rapidly and invade the world.

This is Amaterasu's method.

Section 313, page 297: Processing

If Shuya doesn't want to be targeted by the Earth Federation, he has no choice but to send more Monster to deal with those strange occurrences.

Then his side will lack sufficient combat power.

Moreover, Monster have limited stamina, so this can't go on forever.

Of course, things won't actually get to that point.

By then, Shuya will probably be forced to back down by the Earth Federation.

For Amaterasu, victory would be achieved if Shuya stopped.

In Amaterasu's plan, she didn't need to fight Shuya at all.

As long as I hide in Takamagahara, I can avoid Li Shuhong without having to exert any effort. It's simply wonderful.

Unfortunately, Amaterasu overlooked Shuya's Ghost God Body.

... Even if He knew, it wouldn't matter.

Despite following his heart, he still ended up hiding in Takamagahara.

After agreeing on their plan, Shuya parted ways with the Heavenly God, but he didn't immediately go to find Susanoo.

He returned to the Monster City first.

The task involves dealing with the Supernatural Bureau and other extraordinary organizations.

Not long had passed since he imprisoned them in the Monster City.

After conquering the Inari Divine Domain, we rested with the Heavenly God for a day.

The next day, they attacked Munakata Grand Shrine, visited Usa Shrine, Takamagahara appeared. They attempted to ascend to heaven but failed.

This is only the third day.

This is far from Shuya's original plan; as expected, plans can't keep up with changes.

The situation has changed dramatically, and suddenly it has become what it is now.

Shuya quickly returned to the Monster City and met with the Supernatural Bureau and others.

"Inoue Shuya! What on earth is happening outside?!"

You'd better give us an answer.

"You've gone too far!"

Before the Supernatural Bureau and others could speak, the people from other Shrine launched their attack.

Director Abe then said, "Inoue- kun, tell us about the current situation."

"Okay, to put it simply, I destroyed the Inari Shrine, the Heavenly God allied with me, Amaterasu appeared in Takamagahara, and pulled most of the gods into Takamagahara, thus accelerating the birth of strange phenomena in the Spirit Realm."

After Shuya finished speaking, he quickly explained it again.

The Shrine messenger who had just made the outburst immediately fell silent.