Despite being next to 'the enemy', the gods couldn't help but keep their gaze focused on the Divine Mirrors. They didn't pay any attention to how Izanami poured herself a nice hot tea, as if she was relaxing at a park. They didn't see her amused smirk as she looked upon the same sights they did, her eyes glowing from behind her hair.
The most one sided fight was naturally where the Asura reigned supreme. Despite her reputation as a Berserker, of a mindless monster of rage, in that moment, beautiful was the only word to describe her as she turned her assailants into red mist. Her eyes were tinted with scarlet rage, yet she was laughing in a boisterous manner as she danced across the battlefield. This was not to discredit her attackers. They were in perfect sync with each other, as if their minds were connected. There was no opening in their formations, as they struck with their blades, as they cast their magic instantaneously somehow. It was just…that the level seven was too strong, despite the minor wounds they inflicted on her.
Other fronts had more difficulties. Oryou focused more on protecting Ryoma, taking hits she didn't have to take. She grimaced as the tip of a blade stabbed into her back before she kicked the head off with a roundhouse. She waved her husband off before her head snapped to the side, hit by a fireball. Her reaction was merely to spit to the side before leaning forward with a growl and creating a wide gash across one's chest with her claws. The Gentle Fist on the other hand showed off his mastery of the Wind Kata, his arms like soft streams in the air, as he made the enemies hit each other as much as he could, make his body go limb at powerful attacks.
The Royal Gale dashed across the battlefield like a blur, her wooden sword always finding a target as she chanted her magic. Shiki was slower than her, but utilized similar hit and run tactics as her short sword parried as much as they could, buying herself time for the Orarian to do her job.
The Pallum of the group seemed to have a personal grudge against the Gojouno, as she smirked maliciously by using a flash bomb of all things. Many were blinded, yet the still rushed them, their aim of swords and magic still remaining true somehow. But it was nothing compared to the aim of the Starfall, his arm not even visible to most as he kept drawing his bow before unleashing a powerful shot that pierced through several individuals sometimes.
At the same time, Alise and Kushinada were like the eye of an inferno storm, back to back as they kept their position in the middle of the room. Knuckle dusters smashed into the ribs and faces of her opponents, while Alise's rapier burned through.
On first glance, the "invaders" were dominating this fight. Yet the gods could tell. The exhaustion to the mind creeping up on their children. Not only that, the enemy, the Gojouno clan, were relentless. No matter how many were cut down of them, they simply didn't care. They kept swinging their swords, they kept casting magic. Not only that…it was like their movements improved with each death of theirs.
Penthesilea snarled as the back of her knee was hit, forcing her to stumble forward, only for her to narrowly dodge a dagger stabbing at her eye. Ryuu almost lost her footing as her heel was hit by a loose ice shard being shot at her. She paid that injury back with her large scale magic, even blowing a hole through the walls. She and Shiki didn't miss a beat, running through the new pathway, trying to reconnect with the others, even while magical projectiles and storms were fired at them in return, the surviving Gojouno running after them. At the same time, Lyra was starting to run out of tricks from her bag, literally. It were minor occurrences like this, but they were starting to pile up.
Indeed. All the gods focused their sights entirely on their children, fighting for their lives…
With the exception of Hachiman himself. For he focused his narrowed eyes on the goddess responsible for the Gojouno clan. Not that he didn't pay any attention to the fighting, but a more important question burned in his mind, a question he finally decided to voice out, after witnessing the Gojouno clan in action himself.
"What did you do to them?"
His deep, rumbling voice, snapped everyone out of their spectator's daze. Izanami stopped her tea cup right in front of her lips, lowering it, before she tilted her head like a curious animal.
"Hmm?"
"Do not play the fool." He crossed his arms before motioning with his head at the image of synchronized cackling that the Gojouno performed. "What did you do to them?"
It was a question that burned in the minds of Astraea and her colleagues too. This went beyond regular 'insanity'. Kaguya's clan was too much in sync for that. It was as if there was only…one individual in control. Which was insane, for the clan numbered in the hundreds, easily. And yet…Izanami smiled. Not mockingly. But in gratitude, that someone finally asked the right question. She adjusted herself in her pillows, twirling her hand at herself, shining with pride despite her sloppy appearance.
"From another perspective, you could ask what did I do 'for' them." She hummed, tilting her head a few times as she pressed her lips together. "Hm. I was never asked this before. I am a little put out right now:"
"Stop playing around and just tell us!" Amaterasu shouted, holding Ohma protectively to her chest. The baby whimpered at the tension in the air, but the goddess was unable to hold back her anger at the mastermind behind this. "Is this like the Geass?!"
Izanami had the audacity to scoff, eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms.
"Something so crude would never match up to the art I created." She closed her eyes with a deep breath. "Anyway, you are correct. Understanding the lore behind this will make this…much more entertaining."
She opened them again, a nostalgic smile crossing her face as she softly gazed at the Gojouno Clan trying their best to kill, to destroy and murder the opponents.
"I did pass down that technique when everyone else sent down their gifts. Like those spirits, the Geass and what not." She shrugged casually. "And the Gojouno were average. Unremarkable. So why not them? It doubled as an experiment too."
Gifts. The offers from Heaven before the Age of the Gods. Before the gods descended themselves. All the deities frowned at the memory. Izanami made it sound so easy, but things were less white than she painted it so. In actuality, some of them would even go so far that there were less than 'good' intentions behind certain gifts.
The chains that bound the minotaur, requiring a regular sacrifice to be maintained. The geass that would push the knights on until their dying breath. Then there were some spirits, blessings given in good faith. On the other hand there were relics too dangerous to be wielded and had to be taken away as fast as possible. And witnessing the Divine Mirrors, witnessing whatever the Gojouno Clan possessed…they all could agree in fell into the category of "evil".
"Technique? What technique?" Tsukuyomi asked, fanning herself to remain her cool. Yet at Izanami's wide smile, she felt a shudder down her spine. The ancient goddess leaned forward, putting a finger against her chin as she giggled playfully.
"Zashiki-warashi."
"You what?!" Susanoo snarled, leaning forward as his hood almost fluttered from his head. Hachiman's eyes widened in shock. Same as his colleagues of the Far East. Astraea blinked on the other hand, uncomprehending of what she heard before narrowing her eyes. A technique known by the Far East 'sphere' of heaven?
"You really live up to the title of Evil God," Amaterasu growled under her breath. It caused Izanami to roll her eyes in exasperation.
"Oh come now, unlike the chains or what happened to those Fianna Knights, my technique is much more neutral than that." She raised her hands, in mocking self defense. "It's not my fault it's been turned into this."
"You know exactly that mortals aren't meant for this technique! It's too much for them!" Tsukuyomi shouted in outrage. Izanami clapped her hands together in response, pressing the tips of her fingers against her chin.
"Well, so I was told, but like they say…" She pointed her hands at the Divine Mirrors with a smirk. "Seeing is believing."
"Hachiman, what is Zashiki-warashi?" Astraea asked with worry creeping up her heart. The martial god harrumphed and motioned with his head at the enemy goddess before diverting his attention at the Divine Mirrors.
"I'll let this harlot explain."
"Hmph. Very well. Let me tell you a little legend…"
/
Kaguya knew not much time has passed as she walked down the pathway in front of her. Yet each step felt like an hour. Here she was, alone. Not afraid of the dark. But afraid of what awaited her. Afraid of confronting it alone. Yet as always, she pushed her fears down her heart. She concealed her feelings from herself. She forced herself not to feel. She tightened her grip on her blades, her prosthetic groaning under the pressure.
Until, at last, she arrived. The hallway gave way to a large dome. An arena even, similar to a Doyou, the dueling spot for sumo fighters. A tradition that was said to represent wrestling with the divine, with the spirits around them. It was an art that died out at this point, rarely performed. After all, sumo was impractical compared to all other martial arts, especially with Lord Hachiman descending. Yet she didn't care for the hard ground covered with dirt and sand, with dried blood, broken teeth and shards of bone. She didn't care for the marvelous markings in the pillars, the lack of seats.
She focused on the shrine. Or rather, the individual kneeling before it. She had her back turned on Kaguya, her back straight and her head held high.
"Hello, Kaguya-nee. It's…been a while," the voice whispered out. Devoid of any echoes or distortions. It was wavering. Nervous. Yet it sounded sane. But Kaguya didn't want to give herself false hopes as she stepped closer, until standing still in the middle of the arena.
"Who am I talking to? My sister, or whatever is possessing her?"
"It's me. They…are out there, at the moment." Nana let out a dark chuckle as Kaguya grit her teeth. So the others were being attacked, while she had to walk this entire time. Great. Yet before she could comment on that, Nana rose to her feet and turned to face her. Kaguya recoiled at the bags under her sister's eyes. Her hair was more disheveled as ever, as if she didn't get to sleep at all. Nana smiled wryly at Kaguya's reaction before stepping closer herself. She stopped herself just outside the arena, the ring serving as an invisible barrier as she ran her hand through her hair with a tired sigh.
"You really came." She shook her head slowly. "I don't know if I should be glad or shout at you for being so foolish."
A question they both shared in their minds, no doubt. Kaguya sheathed her blades, an action that caused Nana to blink.
"Let me help you. Please. We can figure a way out of this. I…I know I was…am a terrible sister. I should've been here. I should've believed in you. So…let me make this right. Let me help you."
Nana bit her lip in response, averting her sister's gaze, looking away from the extended hand. It ached, Kaguya's heart, to see Nana…not just accept her apology. Her regret.
"Wow. This…this really hurts more than I expected," Nana muttered under her breath, piercing Kaguya's soul with it. "Do you know how much I yearned to hear those words? To hear…my dreams come true?" She chuckled in a low tone. "You always were the samurai of us all. Someone who wanted to uphold a code of honor. Of justice. So bright, compared to us useless spectres…"
That wasn't true, Kaguya wanted to yell. She was no light to anyone, she wanted to scream. She was just a simple murderer. Yet she pushed those emotions and thoughts down, as much as she could, no matter how much Nana's 'confession' hurt. But her little sister wasn't done yet. With a deep breath, she straighted up her back, her eyes burning with will and determination that was unlike the nervous wreck she met in Orario.
"But we have to grow up now." She slowly shook her head. "You aren't a savior. Or at least…you can't save me from this."
Kaguya cut the air with her prosthetic, snarling in rage at the…resignation in Nana's voice.
"And who decided that?! That weird spirit?! We can find a way to get rid of it! I don't know how long it has been haunting our clan, but surely with all the experts in Orario, we can find a way to exorcise it!"
Nana was silent for a moment. Just looking at Kaguya in…disbelief.
"Is that what you think is happening?" She laughed lightly, contrary to the pained expression she showed. Jealousy. Anger. Hate. At herself or at Kaguya, the latter didn't know. "You really know nothing. Then again, you fled at a young age. You were always busy performing your duties outside."
"What are you…?"
"Tell me, what did they call themselves?"
Kaguya narrowed her eyes, unable to understand where she was going with this.
"Gojouno, so?"
"And that is exactly what they are."
"What the hell does that mean?!" Kaguya snarled, as Nana looked at the shrine. The little sister stared at the representation of divine worship with utter disgust.
"It means our ancestors never truly passed on."
"...huh?"
/
Izanami pointed at the ground, sighing wistfully.
"See, back in the old days, mortals just…died so fast. So numerous. It was quite the pain to deal with all the chaff. The amount of work, to process all those souls." She pointed at herself, smiling brightly. "So one day, I thought to myself…why not create a sort of…storage on the mortal realm? Why not make it so those mortals can stick around? And, well, I know my rituals."
"You stuff them all into one person?!" Amaterasu shouted as Astraea covered her mouth in horror. The implications, of the souls not passing on to heaven, but instead being forced to remain in the mortal plane. No, as if that weren't bad enough, the deceased were bound to one human body.
Mortal souls weren't meant to linger. Mortal flesh was not meant to host more than one soul. Not in the long term anyway. Degradation was one of the things one had to worry about. Izanami paid no attention to the horror she inflicted on the Gojouno clan, instead shaking her head dismissively.
"Again, I didn't do anything. I just taught them the ritual. They decided to use it over and over again." Izanami paused before crossing her arms in thought. "Well, that was what I intended, so I suppose if you stretch it, I did do that." She rolled her shoulders as Hachiman raised his hand. He shook, vibrated with anger, but wished for everyone to listen before throwing any more interjections.
"As I said before, it was quite the neutral technique. All they did was whisper advice, comfort and the like to their current host. Basically shoulder angels. Sure, the voices grew and grew over time, as they passed on even their techniques…but really, it was nothing so grand. Almost disappointing, really." Izanami leaned back, staring at the skies. "So at some point, I stopped paying attention. The Gojouno hosts didn't seem to explode from any sort of strain and they seemed quite sane at the time. In summary, I created a pocket kingdom for individual where they would get excellent teachings in combat, social and other scenarios. But that was it."
"Uhuh. A little experiment to see what would happen if you shove a bunch of people inside one person." Susanoo pointed at the Divine Mirrors with a snarl. "But it didn't end at 'that was it', did it? I mean, look at this shit!"
At this point, the Far East captains would be struggling if not for the help of their Orarian counterparts. Shiki almost felt her neck crack from the force of the hilt attack. Ryuu barely managed to save the back of her neck being sliced open by another vicious attack, the force alone causing the elf to grit her teeth in pain. Penthesilea escalated more and more in speed and power, yet the imagery of the fight remained the same. Which meant the Gojouno were actually keeping with the escalation. Oryou had to spread her arms open, dragons scales forming on her skin at this point, to protect the men with her from a particular blinding lightning strike, powerful enough to destroy a building in its entirety. She growled as she twitched from the strike, watching at the Gojouno stepping over the corpses of their brethren. Alise bandaged her arm with a makeshift cloth while Kushinada popped her shoulder back in. The two rolled forward when the Gojouno found them and pulverized the ground they were sitting on for a short breather.
Over and over, they saw their children starting to be pushed back ever so slightly. The numbers thinned from the Gojouno, but the less there were…it was as if they gained power with each killed body. No, not just power.
Precision. That was the word that fit. Like a puppetmaster losing its tools, but because of that, they could focus on the movements of the few they had left.
"Breathtaking, isn't it? One looks away from a flower for a moment, and then returns to see a mighty tree."
Izanami's breathless amazement shook them out of their watch. They snapped their head at the goddess, who had her hands pressed against her reddened cheeks, as she smiled giddily at the sight.
"Breathtaking?! This is-"
"A miracle," Izanami interrupted Amaterasu without a care in the world, her eyes not leaving her masterpiece she was looking upon. "I told you. My experiment was disappointingly impotent. Compared to the Chains that bound the Minotaur or the Geass that drove the Knights, there was nothing to offer that simple oral traditions couldn't do."
She saw one Gojouno actually exchanging a few proper blows with Arash in close combat. After six moves, the head was crushed by the bow, naturally, but the fact that the body lasted this long, with Arash hissing at the cut across his face, the blood leaking down into his eye, spoke volumes. Izanami's eyelids fluttered, as if she was in ecstasy, drowning in her beautiful memories.
"And then…I descended. That day when everyone else left Heaven. Naturally, I went ot the Far East, as I remembered my gift. A simple curiosity. I didn't think I would even find them. Clans are born and die swiftly in the mortal plane after all. It was mere coincidence, that I would find my gift again. And imagine my surprise…when that clan ascended beyond my imagination."
She opened her eyes, raising a finger into the air.
"Thanks to one. Singular. Soul. Unbelievable, isn't it? Then again, I suppose I was ignorant. After all, the actions of the individual always surpasses the actions of the collective. Isn't that what a hero is?"
Even Astraea felt the boiling rage in her chest as she heard those words.
"You dare?" She asked in a quiet tone. Yet her words only caused an girlish laugh to come out of Izanami.
"Such a narrow viewpoint. You think the word 'hero' is so easily defined as something silly as 'good'? One's hero can be another's villain. And that was what was needed to make this experiment truly bloom."
She formed a fist with her hand after reaching out for the Divine Mirror, for the malicious grin on the Gojouno' faces.
"Not wishy washy well wishing for the family. No lukewarm emotions of protection or love. What I forgot to focus on, the fortune that came across that clan and the miracle I got to witness…all of it required true drive that warps everything around them!"
She rose to her feet, almost dazed with euphoria. She put her hands on her chest, as if embracing a small gift.
"If that were enough…I would've been happy. But no. We gods could give them even more gifts! And you know what?!" She spread her arms wide open as she began to dance on the boat, leaving her pillow room behind. "Giving one a Falna…gave all of them a Falna…haha…! Hahahahaha!"
A manic grin was on her face as she twirled, moved her arms like a music conductor, her deranged, twitching eyes staring straight at the other gods as she pushed her hair away from her face.
"Can you imagine it?! Thousand of years of history?! Of potentials, capable of growing?! The moment I gave them my blessings, a metamorphosis occurred!" She raised her arms in the arm, finishing her dance with one final spin on her feet. "I, with my own hands, created an abominable monster! And nothing could have made me weep more with happiness than witnessing that birth!"
Meanwhile, Kaguya almost dropped down on the ground. Her eyes wide, filled with horror. Staring at the tears stained face of her sister. No, this had to be a lie. There…there was no way their clan was this low.
There had to be something redeemable about their bloodline! Yet Nana gave no such way out. Instead, Nana began to claw at her own face, her expression twisting into ugly rage as she drew blood.
"Do you know what it feels like? The lingering, torturous sentiments of thousands of voices in your head? While they are led by a single voice, they all scream. They all scratch at the inside of my skull." She rammed her finger against the side of her skull, as if she tried to pierce it. " And they just. Won't. Shut. Up!"
Her voice became a hoarse scream as she stomped on the ground, cutting the air with her arm with barred teeth.
"All that power, but you are just a puppet! Do you realize what it is like, to be just another spectator in your own body?!" She extended her arm forward, showing how much it shook, it shivered. As if Nana was going through withdrawal symptoms. "To know that one day, you will come to like it?! Yearn for it, to be part of a greater whole than yourself?! Thirsting for the power, no matter what, no matter how much the living break, decay and crumble underneath the weight of so many?! To wish to grow in power even in death eternal?!"
Kaguya could only weakly shake her head. No, she didn't know. And ignorance was not bliss in this moment. Tears flowed down her own eyes. As she realized to what tortuous existence she left everyone else behind, just for her own selfish desire to live.
Astraea witnessed the sorrow of her child. She clenched her teeth shut, before she would say something unwise. Meanwhile, Tsukuyomi stepped forward as Izanami tried to calm her rapid breath, relax her beating heart, to no avail as her face remained flush with redness.
"Why? Why grant them a Falna? They despise us gods. They despise the whole world. If what you say is true, many of them suffer from a fate worse than death, becoming nothing more than living curses!"
"Are you this arrogant, to believe your actions will have no consequences?" Hachiman added to his colleagues words, his fingers twitching a little bit, flexing to relax. However, Izanami chuckled, shaking her head.
"I learned what happened to Eris. I am not ignorant of the threat they and their associates represent. The Night Queen specifically…ohohoho, you have no idea what that thing is. But I do. I know. No, not know."
Izanami looked up at the sky, a shivering breath escaping her.
"I have full faith they can bring down the heavens. And you know what? I am completely fine, perishing from this world, if it means they succeed."
"Why in the world would you be fine with that?!" Amaterasu asked in disbelief. Astraea felt a pit in her stomach. Again, the Night Queen. Many thought she was a goddess of Evilus. Some others thought she was a particularly skilled mortal.
But first Ishtar. Then Eris. Now Izanami.
What…thing, could influence them in such ways? Unaware of all this, Iazanami focused her eyes on one of the Gojouno bodies' expression.
They smiled wide, almost splitting their face. But it was not joy. Not battle lust. If one looked at the ringed eyes, one would know.
"To imagine the potential…where it all could lead under the tyranny of that one. To overcome the apex that is us divine. To destroy our perfection, to lay waste to the world as we know it."
Not even Penthesilea considered them jokes at this point. For the Gojouno still had to feel pain. Each death had to affect them. There was no way it didn't. And yet, they threw themselves at their opponents, no matter what.
"I want to see…how far this can go…The potential of humans truly united..."
Just to get one more hit in.
"The weight of thousands of years of history."
Just to push their enemies one step closer to death.
"The falna of that clan's lineage."
They kept moving forward, until their enemies, all of them, were destroyed.
"The depths of that one's Ego."
For they were urged on with an unyielding rage and hatred for the world. Their face was split wide open with a grin, because there was nothing more laughable than existence itself. For if they didn't force themselves…they would scream unending at the heavens.
"You ask why I am willing to support my own doom? Haha…" Izanami blushed deeply as she hugged herself, as if trying to contain the heat within her, and failing miserably at it.
"Because it makes my heart flutter~!"
She looked at the screen of Kaguya. Of Nana. Of the latter stepping over the line of the arena, her hand reaching for her hilt. Clapping her hands, Izanami spread her arms wide open in anticipation.
"Now let us witness it! The greatest fight between blood surpassing all past battles!"