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Nikkō Tōshō-gū is a spiritual mausoleum founded in the third year of the Genna era to commemorate the founder of the Edo Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
After his death, Tokugawa Ieyasu's remains were enshrined in the shrine built to serve as his mausoleum. The deity worshipped is, of course, the deified Lord Ieyasu, whose divine name is Tōshō Daigongen. This is his sacred resting place.
The mausoleum is exceptionally famous, forming a complex that, along with Kunōzan Tōshō-gū and Senba Tōshō-gū, is known as one of the "Three Great Tōshō-gū of Japan." For many tourists, it is a popular spot to check in.
However, the moment a certain someone announced he was bringing people here to hunt, this famous attraction was naturally sealed off by the officials of the Far East.
This was the hunting ground of the King who had slain the Bandit God Susanoo. Without permission, no one was allowed to enter.
"This place is much more deserted than the Western Heaven Palace I had imagined."
A calm and heroic voice echoed across the land. The source was a woman who appeared to be in her late teens. Her gray hair, which had grown long due to the activation of her Super Transformation Gene, cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her azure eyes were reminiscent of a clear sky.
The Super Soldier known as Fu Hua stood beside a certain someone, surveying her surroundings.
For the time being, it was just the two of them here.
In the interest of efficiently acquiring the God-Slayer buff, the entire group that had been eating the Rice Herrscher's cooking had split up.
Sirin had gone to Sardinia to slay the recuperating divine king of the Mediterranean—Melqart. In her words: "Taking down a half-crippled god? This mistress can handle that in minutes."
Li Zihan felt she was probably suffering from her old habit—arrogance—and might just eat humble pie again. Thus, he had asked the newly-minted God-Slayer Ana to accompany Sirin, just in case she messed up again.
Miss Mei and Miss Seele, who was not keen on waiting for Athena, remained at their temporary residence. They were waiting for Li Zihan to return and take them to Naples—that city teeming with flamboyant gigolos—to break the divine artifact symbolizing the Queen of Heaven, Hera: the Hera Stone Pillar.
The telluric energy stored within that artifact was already potent enough to form a dragon. Once released, it would naturally attract a God of Steel skilled in slaughtering dragons and serpents, subsequently awakening an earth mother goddess in a chain reaction. With proper preparation, destroying that one artifact could grant two people the God-Slayer buff.
What a pity he hadn't brought more people.
The young man, who hadn't dared to bring all the girls around him for fear of a harem implosion, tossed the obsidian medal in his hand and sighed. Athena, Leviathan, and Rama's three subordinate gods had yet to even appear, and his side was already running out of candidates to receive the God-Slayer constitution.
Will I have to take the girls back after dealing with Rama, then bring another batch here to grind mobs? the young man, who was in a sense an absolutely thorough scumbag, mused.
Then, he answered Fu Hua's question.
"I dispersed them."
"A god who has lost their reason is not a pleasant character to be around. Ordinary people staying here would die."
"The Heretical Sun Wukong," the immortal named Fu Hua murmured, sighing out the name of the god who would become a demon king once consumed by madness. "He is quite a troublesome deity."
This was a fact. The monkey sealed in the Western Heaven Palace was unruly by nature. While his temper was tolerable when not Heretical, the moment he was consumed by madness, he became a veritable demon king. Anyone affected by his Authority would be turned into a monkey or a gorilla, and the transformation was incredibly difficult to reverse.
"Still, I don't think dealing with him will be a difficult task for you," Li Zihan said with a shrug, completely surprised that the High Immortal had managed to beat the Cult Master into a stupor with a single burst of power. "After all, you managed to knock down Cult Master Luo Hao. Taking some time to slaughter the demon king Sun Wukong, who lacks the protection of the Great Covenant, shouldn't be hard."
"I did not hold a decisive advantage in my battle with the Cult Master."
Fu Hua, who had been fighting on even terms with Luo Hao until their final confrontation, corrected the error in his statement.
Luo Hao's loss was actually quite tragic. Luo Hao used magical power, while the High Immortal used Honkai energy. Both were highly versatile energy sources, but their properties were different. Magical power, being essentially mana, was more gradual and stable. Honkai energy was another beast entirely, with an incredibly fast reaction rate and immense explosive power.
In a duel between masters, victory and defeat are decided in an instant. Clearly, in a short-term burst of power, Honkai energy had the advantage.
And so, the Cult Master found herself calling 'GG' before she knew what hit her.
"However, you are right. This time, I will win," Fu Hua said, having learned that the goddess Pandora would heal her newborn children—the God-Slayers. She spoke to the young man who, for some reason, made her want to get closer.
It was a fact. Among the MANTISes, she was second only to Kevin Aotian. When Kevin Aotian released the limiters on Shamash, he could freeze Michael into an ice sculpture. While her own combat power couldn't match Kevin's even if she disregarded her body's limits, it was still above that of a normal Heretical God.
Honestly, Pandora must be questioning her divine existence these past few days, Li Zihan thought. After all, the God-Slayers who had been born recently were all Herrschers, Super Soldiers, demigods… a bunch of monsters who had appeared out of nowhere.
A golden divine sword appeared in the young man's hand at some point, and he pointed its tip at the mausoleum symbolizing Tōshō Daigongen.
The Heretical God, whose true form was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, was bound by the power of Tōshō Daigongen, which was itself converted from the magical power gathered from sacred sites all across the Far East by the most proficient curse of the Tendai school of esoteric monks. Even if he broke out and rampaged, he would eventually return here to be sealed.
According to the normal procedure, releasing the 'Bimawen' curse that sealed Sun Wukong here required three conditions.
First, the manifestation of a 'steel' enemy, the divine dragon or serpent.
Second, a treasured sword enchanted with a 'weakening ritual'.
Third, a Hime-Miko with the ability of exorcism to wield said sword and use her spiritual power.
If he wanted to, Li Zihan could easily gather these conditions and release the Sage Ape King by the book.
But wouldn't it be much less trouble to just eliminate the divine power of Tōshō Daigongen directly?
"By the art of my spirit words, let justice in the world be manifest!"
A golden blade descended from the heavens.
"Well then, I wish you a swift victory."
The young man, knowing that staying would only increase the difficulty for Fu Hua, naturally retreated and departed.
And then—
A strange event occurred.
A mystical owl flew in from the distance.
Then—
A silver-haired girl with eyes the color of night manifested.
"Not staying to watch the battle, master of the sun?"
She said to the young man.