Chapter 1 The Calm Before the Storm

The chaos of war had barely subsided, and the people struggled to survive.

The smoke from the Warring States period had not yet fully dissipated, and the people of the land had not had time to recuperate before being sent across the sea once more to fight against Korea and the Ming Dynasty.

Endless, without end.

"Those who went across the sea probably won't be coming back."

"Look, the demons are becoming more and more numerous."

In the fields of Izumo, humans were becoming increasingly scarce, and the Izumo Grand Shrine, which was supposed to protect this place in place of the gods, turned a blind eye.

"Can the war end before October this year?"

"In October, all the gods will gather at the Izumo Grand Shrine. Eight million heavenly deities will come here. The world calls this month Kannazuki (the month without gods)."

No one tilled the desolate land. People collapsed by the roadside, emaciated, watching the demons pass by.

The demons surrounded them, and after they breathed their last, they swarmed upon them, some touching their arms, some their heels, some their livers, some their intestines, some half of their skulls....

"After people die, the demons eat their souls, transforming from illusory monsters into real beings."

"This country is completely finished. All the people of the land will become demons. For every person who dies, dozens of demons will be born."

"These demons who have become real will die again, and new demons will be born from their desires, in an endless cycle...."

"They are only respectful to the shrine maidens of the Izumo Grand Shrine."

"You're from the outside too? Brought in by the shrine maidens of the Izumo Grand Shrine.... Ah, then we're all residents here now.... And don't worry, even though Japan is going to be destroyed, this place is a Peach Blossom Spring."

"You'll understand soon enough...."

On the hillsides, along the paths, outside the barren fields, by the dry streams, people wandered everywhere, talking everywhere. Some were dressed a little cleaner, those who had come from the outside. They were told that once they entered here, they became citizens of Izumo, important subjects of the divine kingdom, and could never leave again.

While people were alive, the demons would not attack them, but if they died, the demons would come and divide their souls, allowing them to become truly existent beings.

The same was true of the Japanese soldiers on the front lines. The more they died, the more prosperous and powerful the divine kingdom became. Those who fell into the underworld became slaves driven by the ghosts and gods, while the people of Izumo returned to Izumo, giving birth to more demons.

"The world is the same everywhere you go."

"But here, we don't have to pay taxes, we don't have to work, we just have to live. Those who can't see the good in it, those who want to die, are foolish."

"That's right. Everywhere outside of Izumo is the same. Instead of living in hardship, or dying in hardship, it's better to live well and peacefully here, even if our souls are offered to the ghosts and gods after death. That doesn't matter."

"If I can't even live well while I'm alive, why should I fear what happens after death?"

The people said this, working numbly, but in reality, they didn't need to do much work.

The people of Izumo didn't need to farm or labor. The shrine maidens of the Izumo Grand Shrine would provide them with food. All they had to do was exist in this country, day and night, and go to the shrine regularly to pray. That was their job.

If they wanted to die, they were also welcome.

Accompanied by the sound of bells, on the hillsides, along the paths, outside the barren fields, by the dry streams, those people heard the shrine maidens of the Izumo Grand Shrine ringing golden bells. The sound of these bells crossed mountains and rivers, passed through forests, and crossed fields, its speed faster than wind and rain, faster than thunder.

"Huh? Is this... a grand festival is coming?"

"But it's not October yet."

"What exactly is happening in the country? It must be related to the outside world."

"In any case, it's a good thing.... There's fatty meat and fish, there's fresh vegetables and fruits, there's mouth-watering rice and grain. It's a grand feast to honor the gods...."

Someone voiced a doubtful question, but it was quickly drowned out by the expectations of others, and then there was no sound.

So they knew that it was time to pray again, although, it was a little strange.

They quickly gathered together, forming streams of people, and the streams of people surged into a sea of people, gathering from every corner of the mountains and land.

Everywhere one looked, there were huge red torii gates standing tall. Shrine maidens guided people in front of the torii gates. People entered the torii gates in order, and then a hundred miles became instantly close. Taking another step forward, they had already arrived in the north of Izumo, the vast mountainous area where the Izumo Grand Shrine was located.

There was a city here.

Reeds appeared interwoven among the fields and streams, in large patches.

This land was dedicated to three ancient gods, including Ōkuninushi-no-kami (the great land master), the god who ruled Ashihara no Nakatsukuni (the Central Land of Reed Plains) in the most ancient times, and was called the Three Gods of Development together with Sukunabikona and Ōanamuchi.

Of course, there was also the most important and most powerful god, Amaterasu.

The giant city near the Izumo Grand Shrine was majestic and towering, reaching into the clouds. People crossed the torii gates and came here. Under the guidance of shrine maidens wearing fox masks, they began to go to specific suburbs for sacrifices and prayers. All the people of the world gathered in one place, just like the story that the people passed down by word of mouth.

The eight million gods of the land had gathered here.

The sounds of sacrifice, the sounds of praise, the sounds of prayer, endless desires poured out from everyone who prayed and sacrificed. With their prayers, the three statues of gods in the Izumo Grand Shrine also became more and more bright and solemn. The golden-bodied iron sculptures seemed to come alive, giving life to lifeless things. This was a great power like creation.

At the same time, in that giant city standing on the reed plains, as the people's prayers and desires increased, it also began to emit a blazing light. This light, like flames,洒向 every corner of Izumo, and in the places where the light shone, more demons were born with the prayers.

However, after these demons were born, what followed was the abundance of products and resources. Grain appeared in the barren land and scattered itself in the soil, the dry streams regained their vitality, countless fish swam in them, the decayed hillsides were covered with towering trees, and birds and beasts appeared one after another, entering the torii gates and gathering outside the Izumo Grand Shrine, voluntarily slaughtered by the shrine maidens in full view of the public.

Meat, rice, fish, vegetables... Abundant meals were placed in front of everyone, and the shrine maidens wearing fox masks told the people gathered here in gentle voices:

"These are the foods bestowed upon you by Amaterasu Omikami and Ōkuninushi-no-kami. To thank you for your efforts throughout the year, we are holding this grand festival in advance."

"Please don't be restrained, and eat all of these delicacies."

The shrine maidens' voices were gentle and persuasive, and those who had just arrived here, looking at the rich meals that they could hardly eat in their entire lives, immediately dispelled their previous doubts.

This was truly a divine blessing. Perhaps only the chosen people could cross the barrier of the gods from that world of suffering and enter Izumo, the origin of the gods.

The people were moved to tears, grateful for the grace of the gods. At this time, some people began to praise the names and deeds of the ancient gods of the past. The Three Gods of Development were all gods related to agriculture, and only agriculture could give birth to a large population, so their existence itself symbolized the lifeblood of the country.

A peaceful halo emanated from the distant city of Ashihara, and several wisps of divine smoke rose into the sky. The same was true of the Izumo Grand Shrine. The accumulated desires became more and more numerous, and even began to burn fiercely. This could be said to be the highest grade of incense. Ordinary incense was the fragrance lit by the sacrificers, and a substantial object was needed to communicate with the gods. However, a large amount of desire was constantly and repeatedly gathered, and eventually turned into the highest quality divine incense and divine fire.

The shrine maidens wore masks, so their faces could not be seen, but one could feel the emotion of joy from their bodies.

However, while eating the delicacies, some people glimpsed something unusual.

Mirrors can reflect reality, so when those who came from the outside still had mirrors in their hands, it would attract the attention of the shrine maidens. They went to collect those mirrors. All mirrors were forbidden here. Only the Izumo Grand Shrine was allowed to possess mirrors.

From the mirrors, some people saw that some of the delicacies were rotten and ashen. They rubbed their eyes carefully, but the mirror had been taken away, and the food in front of them was still so delicious. They picked it up and took a bite, and didn't feel anything strange, so they thought they were dizzy from hunger and had mistaken the mirror and the mud. After all, they were in the wilderness.

"This place is really good. If you come here, you'll never have to suffer again."

"Being able to enjoy life while alive, it doesn't matter if our souls are given to the demons after death. As long as those demons don't eat us while we're alive."

The people said words of praise with gratitude, and their faith in the gods became more and more devout. They even believed that they had cultivated great blessings in the past, so in this life, after suffering for half their lives, they could enter the origin of the gods and enjoy life here until they grew old.

This was what the people were thinking.

Suddenly, a red color appeared in the sky.

"Huh? What's that?"

Someone saw the red color appearing in the sky, dyeing the originally azure and clear sky as red as blood. They were curious. The shrine maidens wearing fox masks also looked up at the sky.

A force that made them feel fear appeared at this moment, freezing the blood of these shrine maidens as if they had fallen into hell!

What an ominous presence!

What a dangerous thing!

Under the protection of Amaterasu Omikami, under the divine power of Ōkuninushi-no-kami, under... the influence of the power of that city, this place was a Peach Blossom Spring, a place where the gods enjoyed offerings, a country of humans and demons, and an extremely important place that was not allowed to be entered in the divine kingdom built by Emperor Jinmu.

With towering divine power, and the prestige and national fortune of a country to strengthen it, ordinary monsters could not enter here at all, and neither could gods and cultivators who had betrayed Emperor Jinmu.

In fact, this kind of thing had never happened before. Although there were people who had tried to invade here in the past, they had all failed, without even shaking the barrier of divine power, let alone a situation like the present.

They were going to report to the ruler of that city, but it was too late.

That red color suddenly grew larger!

In three breaths, it covered a patch of sky above the Izumo Grand Shrine. In ten breaths, the sky that had been dyed red had spread to the sky above Ashihara City.

Then, that red color revealed its true form!

"DA!"

A shout that shook the heavens and shattered the earth, descending from the sky to the ground, sounded like a sudden thunder that was terrifying to the people here!

Rumbling as it came!

Falling!

That red color began to press down on the heavens and the earth, transforming into a huge divine banner. The divine banner fell from the sky, rumbling and planted in the mountains and fields of Izumo, not far from the Izumo Grand Shrine. In an instant, red air currents rushed out from the divine banner, sweeping across this land!

The azure sky collapsed, and the sky that had been dyed red was transformed into a dark and gloomy appearance. There was no sun in the sky, and the earth also seemed to have shed its disguise. The mountains and forests became rotten and decayed, the streams became dry and cracked, and the fields became a place where desolation and corpses coexisted!

Then!

This red air current came to the Izumo Grand Shrine. The people closed their eyes in panic and hugged their heads. The shrine maidens tried to resist, but at the moment when the air current struck the first shrine maiden, the fox mask on her face decayed and rotted, and then revealed her true form.

In a shocking howl, the shrine maiden's body and soul collapsed. The body composed of vengeful spirits was shattered. The other shrine maidens tried to escape in panic, but the storm came extremely quickly and covered a vast area!

The fox masks shattered, the vengeful spirits disappeared without a trace, and the people who had been swept by the air current found that they had not died and opened their eyes timidly.

The food in front of them had turned into long-rotted corpses, the delicious vegetables were the corpse hair on the corpses, the fatty meat was the grease congealed from the human corpses, and the fragrant rice was a pile of sand and rotten soil mixed together.

Those who had voluntarily appeared from the mountains and forests and were slaughtered by the shrine maidens were all old human corpses.

In an instant, the faces of these people became extremely terrible, but they looked at each other and found that some who had eaten a lot had grown corpse hair, some had swollen bodies, some had large areas of rot on their bodies, and some were dragging their intestines, no longer looking like humans.

"Ah!"

The demons did not eat humans, so the people here had long forgotten the difference between humans and demons. At this time, eating the rotten corpse meat and corpse grease with relish made them realize that they were really no different from the demons.

Even their appearances were similar.

And those who had just entered here vomited incessantly. Some of the smarter ones realized something.

Looking again at Ashihara City, the sunlight in the city was still blazing, but surrounding the sunlight was no longer auspicious air, but bursts of resentful spirit air, strangely and ominously howling. As the red air currents propped up the sky and the earth, the human world of Izumo fell into great chaos!

And in the city, voices of shock and anger shook the heavens and the earth:

"Who are you? How dare you destroy the Peach Blossom Paradise here! Do you know how great a mistake you have made...."

In the red clouds outside the sky, there was no sound in response.

Only a surge of ancient celestial demon energy transformed into a large hand, and with one palm, it crushed this mountain-like city from top to bottom into powder!