Kushinadahime, or rather, Omoikane, looked at Amaterasu before her.
Her expression became more serious than ever before. Amaterasu was still Amaterasu, the goddess who ruled over all the gods of Takamagahara.
But at this Amaterasu gave Omoikane an unprecedented sense of oppression.
This felt somewhat unfamiliar to Omoikane.
Amaterasu simply stood still, yet the entire forest beneath her feet seemed to glow faintly, as if the land of Takamagahara was channeling Natural Energy into her.
Endless Natural Energy surged into Amaterasu's body, making her appear both sacred and majestic.
"Did you know that Omoikane, the ruler of Takamagahara, was not chosen as such by the gods?"
Only when you truly become the lord of Takamagahara will you understand. This is a powerful force. A force bestowed upon me by Takamagahara.
As long as I am within Takamagahara, the entire Takamagahara will bless me.
Therefore, Omoikane.
You will see my strongest form!
Amaterasu raised her right hand, and black flames surged from her palm, no longer overwhelming as before.
It became extremely thin and dense, like a layer of black silk, clinging to her hand.
The silky fabric spread from her fingers to her wrists, to her arms, to her shoulders, to her chest, and to her entire body. Every inch was flowing, every inch was burning.
Black fire wove a suit of armor onto her body. The armor had no scales, no patterns.
It was just a smooth, constantly flowing layer of black.
Her eyes shone behind her black flame armor, like two embers burning in the night.
The terrifying heat from the burning black flames distorted the surrounding air.
The next moment, Amaterasu moved, her figure as swift as lightning.
Omoikane felt the heat rushing towards her, and her Mangekyō spun wildly.
She saw Amaterasu's movements clearly; Amaterasu was charging at more than twice the speed of before.
This was definitely not the Amaterasu she knew.
In Setsuna Omoikane hurriedly activated Ameta Ame no Mikoto's ability, and she only had time to turn to the side.
Amaterasu's knee brushed past her side, bringing with it a gust of scorching wind.
Kushinadahime stepped back three paces and used silk threads to form a net in front of her.
Amaterasu didn't stop; her fist slammed into the net. The silken net shattered.
Shattered into countless pieces, Kushinadahime was thrown backward by the shockwave, tumbling twice in the air.
She looked down at her hands.
Several burn marks appeared on my fingers.
Amaterasu did not pursue; she stood still, her black flame armor fluttering in the wind.
"Are you being so careless? Or do you think you can look down on me just because you have the abilities of other gods?"
A glimmer of green light flashed across the hand holding the silk scarf, and the wounds that had just been scorched by the black flames quickly healed.
Kushinadahime- hime grinned.
"I'm very sorry to have worried you, Amaterasu. I'm just not very familiar with my abilities yet."
But please rest assured, I will take it seriously from now on.
"I'm determined to have Amenominaka- no-Okami's abilities."
Amaterasu did not respond.
She raised her right hand. Black flames surged from her palm and spread in all directions.
Flames spread through the forest like water. Tree trunks were burning.
The leaves are burning. The ground is burning.
Every inch of land was burning, and black walls of fire Omoikane from three directions.
The temperature was so high that even space itself was distorting.
Omoikane took a step back, and a gray light membrane appeared on her body.
Takeminakata's defenses were met with black flames striking the light membrane. The gray was peeled away layer by layer by the black, only to be regenerated layer by layer.
Omoikane stood in the center of the firewall, the light membrane constantly being repaired.
Amaterasu rushed in like a black lightning bolt.
A massive fist slammed into the light membrane.
Guang Omoikane turned to the side, the force of his punch grazing her shoulder, bringing with it a scorching breeze.
The black flames from the fist crashed into the ground in front of it, blasting out a huge crater a hundred meters long and wide.
Omoikane stepped back three paces, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the huge crater; his pupils contracted slightly.
Such immense physical strength is far beyond what she could achieve even with the physical control of the Ame no Uzume no Mikoto.
It's unclear whether this power belongs to Amaterasu herself or is an enhancement bestowed upon her by the lord of Takamagahara.
She reached her right hand to her waist.
Futsunomitama appeared in her palm.
The lightning-infused longsword unfolded in her hand, its blade crackling with lightning and emitting a sharp, ringing sound.
Amaterasu saw the sword and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.
She reached her left hand to her waist, and a Tomoe the size of a fist appeared in her palm.
The Yasakani no Magatama.
It is entirely emerald green, with a surface that shimmers like flowing water.
She casually gestured with her right hand.
A longsword gleaming with a fiery sheen slowly emerged from the air.
Two special divine artifacts composed of Natural Energy were held in Amaterasu's hands, one on her left and one on her right.
As a deity of Takamagahara, Omoikane had naturally heard the legends of these two divine treasures.
The Yasaka Tomoe is an extremely powerful ranged attack. Gods who wield this divine weapon can unleash Natural Energy similar to the Tomoe.
It deals extremely powerful damage to enemies at a distance.
The other divine weapon is the Totsuka Blade.
Besides possessing extreme sharpness, any enemy attacked by the Totsuka Blade Totsuka Blade will be pulled into an endless illusion and then sealed away.
" Amaterasu, we gods all thought you only possessed the Yasaka Tomoe, but we never imagined that the legendary Totsuka Blade is also in your hands."
"How about we make a deal? I won't use Futsunomitama, and you'll give up using the Totsuka Blade and the Yasaka Tomoe, what do you say?"
Amaterasu squinted, not responding. The Totsuka Blade in his hand grew longer in the wind.
The massive red sword slashed rapidly towards Omoikane.
The crimson patterns in Omoikane's eyes kept spinning, predicting the trajectory of the sword strike in advance.
His body swiftly dodged the area covered by the Totsuka Blade.
A deafening roar erupted.
The sword, which is hundreds of meters long, cleaved the earth into a huge crater.
It has left indelible scars on the earth.
Omoikane retreated to a safe distance, raised his head, and looked at the Totsuka Blade in Amaterasu's hand.
The sword was slowly shrinking back to its original size, and the flame patterns on its blade were still flowing.
Omoikane gripped Futsunomitama tightly, his mind racing as he considered a solution.
She needs to get close, Amaterasu's Totsuka Blade -Yasakani no Magatama is a ranged attack.
If she fights from a distance, she will be suppressed by the two artifacts in turn.
Only by getting close can Amaterasu's long-range advantage be neutralized.
In close combat, she has Physical Body Control.
Although Amaterasu is stronger, she is faster and more flexible, allowing her to strike from impossible angles.
With Omoikane mind, the Ame no Uzume no Mikoto activated her full Physical Body Control.
Her body slid along the ground like a snake, rushing into the wall of black flames.
A gray light membrane appeared on her body, peeling away the black flames attack layer by layer.
With each step she took, the membrane beneath her feet was repaired.
Her speed was so fast that, to Amaterasu, she was almost just a blur.
Without hesitation, Amaterasu unleashed a horizontal slash with her Totsuka Blade.
The hundred-meter-long sword swept across the entire forest, slicing all the trees in its path in two.
Omoikane leaped into the air, his Futsunomitama piercing straight for Amaterasu's throat.
Amaterasu raises her left hand.
The Yasakani no Magatama shone in her palm, and a beam of emerald light shot towards Omoikane.
Omoikane twisted her body in mid-air. The beam of light grazed past her side.
She felt a burning pain, looked down, and saw a charred wound on her ribs.
Omoikane landed, rolled twice, and stood up. She didn't stop; she charged towards Amaterasu again.
Sukuna Hikona no Mikoto's healing power glowed green on the wound.
The tip of Futsunomitama's sword was aimed at Amaterasu's right hand Amaterasu holding the sword.
Amaterasu with the Totsuka Blade, and the two sacred weapons collided.
The lightning from Futsunomitama exploded. The flames of the Totsuka Blade shattered.
The shockwave knocked both of them back.
Omoikane retreated further because her power was inferior to Amaterasu's.
Her thumb and forefinger were split open, and blood was seeping from between her fingers.
Amaterasu, however, stood Fudo in place.
Omoikane stretched her wrists and charged forward again. Instead of confronting Amaterasu head-on, she circled around her.
Silk threads poured from her sleeves, from the ground, from the air, and from the sea of fire.
They wrapped around Amaterasu's ankles, wrists, and shoulders.
Amaterasu uses black flames to burn, but the threads are infinite, and so are her black flames.
The two were exhausted, and their Natural Energy was rapidly depleting.
This energy consumption is beneficial to Amaterasu because the land of Takamagahara replenishes her energy.
Omoikane knew this, and she needed to act quickly.
She stopped using the silk threads to bind Amaterasu and instead gathered all the threads back up, wrapping them around her own Futsunomitama.
The sword was wrapped with silk threads, and lightning danced within them, transforming the entire sword into a long whip of lightning.
Omoikane wielded his Futsunomitama, whipping it out and ensnaring Amaterasu's Amaterasu- Totsuka Blade.
Amaterasu was taken aback. The Totsuka Blade was entangled in lightning and could not be swung.
She twisted her right hand, trying to pull the sword back, but countless threads wrapped around the blade of the Totsuka Blade Sword and hooked it to the earth from all directions.
Amaterasu's act of drawing her sword was to oppose the boundless power of the earth, and naturally it could not succeed.
Lightning bolts traveled along the blade of the Totsuka Blade towards her wrist.
Amaterasu had to use her left hand to pull it, and the beam of light from the Yasakani no Magatama shot out Omoikane her.
Omoikane turned to the side, and the beam of light grazed her shoulder, shining into the forest behind her.
The moment the emerald beam of light hit the ground, it blasted open a giant crater a hundred meters in diameter.
The soil at the bottom of the pit was burned into glass.
The pit walls curled outwards, like a blooming flower.
The surrounding trees were all shattered by the shockwave, and wood chips were scattered hundreds of meters away.
The gray light membrane Omoikane trembled slightly from the aftershocks of the shockwave.
Amaterasu frowned, and the black flames within her body surged violently, instantly burning the threads wrapped around the Totsuka Blade.
The lightning whip shattered, and in a swift motion, he beckoned with his finger.
The remaining threads were quickly pulled back, delivering the Futsunomitama into her hands.
Amaterasu withdrew the Totsuka Blade, Yasakani no Magatama in her left hand lit up once more.
She gave Omoikane no chance to catch her breath.
One after another, beams of emerald green light shot out.
Omoikane sidestepped, rolled, and leaped, the beam of light chasing after her, blasting one giant crater after another behind her.
The ground was blasted to pieces. The forest had been burned to ashes, and even the ashes were being torn up.
Omoikane's gray light film is constantly being repaired.
But her Natural Energy was rapidly declining. She was panting and could feel the energy in her body leaking through her fingers like sand.
The ground beneath Amaterasu's feet was still glowing.
The energy from Takamagahara is still being poured in.
If this continues, the Natural Energy within Omoikane's body will be rapidly depleted.
She took a deep breath and decided to stop hiding.
The beam of light from the Yasakani no Magatama shone down once more.
She didn't turn to the side. She concentrated all the gray light membrane in her right palm and faced the beam of light head-on.
The beam of light collided with the light membrane, and the energy that was about to explode was like gunpowder that had gone flat.
The gray was peeled away layer by layer by the emerald green.
The light-emitting film didn't break; it held up.
Omoikane's hands were trembling. She had only a little bit of Natural Energy left.
She channeled that energy into her legs, unleashing the full power of Ame no Uzume no Mikoto Physical Body Control.
She shot towards Amaterasu like an arrow released from a bow, skimming the ground.
Amaterasu naturally wouldn't dodge; she watched Omoikane charged towards her, a cold smile playing on her lips.
She drew the Totsuka Blade. Flame patterns lit up on the blade.
She held the sword upright in front of her, aiming it at Omoikane's neck.
The enormous Totsuka Blade, carrying a terrifying chill, slashed towards Omoikane's neck.
"It's over! It's a pity that you, who possessed so much divine power, couldn't withstand my test."
The sword's edge sliced through the air, leaving a scorching shockwave.
The blade was only half an inch away from Omoikane's neck. In that instant, a smile appeared on Omoikane's lips.
A transparent red shield suddenly appeared around her neck.
The shield wasn't large, just enough to cover her neck. Its surface was covered in swirling patterns, like ripples on water or like eyes.
Amaterasu's pupils suddenly contracted.
That transparent red shield was so familiar.
Yata Mirror!
The legendary artifact!
He tried to withdraw the Totsuka Blade, but it was too late!
The Totsuka Blade struck the Yata Mirror!
The shield didn't shatter; it just flashed briefly.
Then, in the next moment, the Totsuka Blade's strike was deflected back.
A massive burst of fiery energy deflected off the shield and rolled back down the sword.
Amaterasu's wrist was jolted backward. The Totsuka Blade flew out of her hand, tumbled several times in the air, and stuck into the scorched earth in the distance.
Amaterasu's body was thrown backward by the rebounding shockwave.
Several cracks appeared in her black flame armor. She hadn't even regained her footing yet.
A bolt of lightning flashed from her side. The tip of Futsunomitama's sword was pressed against her neck.
Omoikane stood beside her, covered in blood and panting.
Her right hand gripped the hilt of the sword, the blade pressed against Amaterasu's throat.
Her left hand hung at her side, still trembling slightly.
Her gray aura had completely vanished; her Natural Energy was depleted. Yet her sword remained firmly against Amaterasu's neck.
Amaterasu glanced down at the sword blade, then looked up at Omoikane.
There was no fear on her face, only a calm acceptance of being freed from shackles.
"When did you get the Yata Mirror?"
"When you had Kukurihime use prophecy to track me down, I found clues about the Yata Mirror ) in her prophecy."
She had seen that shield in the river of time. It took me a long time to find it.
I didn't tell anyone after I found it; I'd been waiting for this moment.
Amaterasu remained silent for a moment.
She looked down at her empty right hand.
The Totsuka Blade was stuck in the scorched earth in the distance, the flame patterns on its blade already extinguished.
She looked up at Omoikane.
"You won, in your own way."