Even though Sū ěr had long categorized this era as the Age of Myth because of a few familiar names, for the native gods and youkai, there was an era that they themselves considered the "Age of Myth."
That was an age far older than the descent of the Nine-Tails centuries ago. The gods had no restraints or limits. Because her brother Susanoo-no-Mikoto refused to leave Takamagahara and spent his days taking revenge on society—filling irrigation ditches, throwing filth in Amaterasu divine palace, and so on—the good-natured Amaterasu could not bring herself to be firm and expel him. Ultimately, she hid herself in the Ama-no-Iwato out of spite.
The nightmare of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni began then. As the goddess representing the sun and presiding over light, when Amaterasu chose to hide, the world fell into a lightless abyss. Eternal night. Aside from some plants and insects that emitted fluorescence, the entire world held not a sliver of light.
Compared to that long, hopeless night, the brief seven days of darkness at the birth of the Nine-Tails were nothing. Evil spirits gathered, demons surged like waves, and natural disasters followed one another as if everything were ending.
Had the eight million gods not devised a way to trick Amaterasu out of the cave, that endless darkness and suffering would have continued forever. Because of this, for the old youkai who lived through that upheaval, it was the one thing they never wanted to see again.
No one knew how Amaterasu would react to the death of the Nine-Tails, born from her own aspect. To those proud gods, this might be the greatest insult—an insult that even a god as good-tempered as Amaterasu could not bear. Fury, hatred—what would she do?
During those seven days of darkness centuries ago, the ones who panicked most weren't humans, but the gods and youkai who had lived too long.
And today, in this era where the Celestial River was blocked and gods could not descend, the most satisfying and punitive thing Amaterasu could do might be to hide in the rock cave again. And having been tricked out once before, she likely wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
When that happened, Ashihara no Nakatsukuni would be finished.
This was exactly what the youkai hiding at the battlefield's edge, tempted to save the Nine-Tails at her moment of death, were worried about.
Given Yukari current status, Sū ěr didn't believe no youkai had told her of this hidden danger. Yet the blonde youkai showed no worry. Was it because she knew some youkai would intervene if things turned south? Or did she have another plan?
Thinking on this, Sū ěr cast a glance at her, but he could only see Yukari soft smile. Beside them, the thunderous sounds of battle continued. This was perhaps the largest war between gods and youkai since the beginning of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, a title that would last into future generations—though in the eyes of Sū ěr and Think, it still felt a bit small.
It was still too much like a petty brawl. So much power mixed together, and after all this time, they had only dug up a layer of soil and flattened the mountains on either side of the valley. In the previous world, this would have been considered a "safe zone" for a human expedition to pass through the edges.
The jade fox undeniably faced Takeminakata head-on. Her power was unquestionably superior to his; even Takeminakata knew this, which is why he chose to attack with four helpers.
The gods and youkai of this world were startlingly simple. Even if they used methods like drugging or stealing the enemy's weapon, as long as they successfully killed the foe, it was considered a feat of valor worth boasting about... Sū ěr didn't know if this was a limitation of the era or a quirk of the region, but neither side—including the Nine-Tails herself—shouted about "cowardice" or "unfair numbers." It was treated as routine.
Etiquette and honor existed, yet seemed not to exist.
Despite her massive size, she wasn't clumsy at all. Tamamo-no-Mae was agile and cunning to a degree that shocked her enemies. It was like falling into an ocean of glowing jade fur. She was before them, yet seemed not to be. She was ahead, she was behind; fighting five against one, she created an aura of counter-encirclement. It was actually the five gods under Takeminakata who fell into a disadvantage.
When one of those fluffy, soft tails—the ones Think had rolled in—lashed out like a whip, the bunched fur became the sharpest of swords. A mere graze caused injury, and it carried the sun's brilliance and heat. Any spot struck would shimmer with points of light as the skin charred and the flesh split. This char would gradually erode into the body until the owner cut out that piece of flesh.
A sprite of white-hot flame, a miniature sun rolling through the battlefield. Without being pinned down by Takeminakata and his four helpers, Tamamo-no-Mae seemed to be strolling through the carnage, her giant fox-eyes reflecting both friend and foe.
One moment, she appeared beside her subordinates to block a fatal blow; the next, she leaped behind an enemy, her massive tail giving a gentle push—like a mischievous girl playing a prank—sending the foe into the arms of death.
Compared to Tamamo-no-Mae's leisurely gait, Takeminakata massive size became a complete liability. He perfectly matched his image of having rolls of fat that even a large robe couldn't hide—eight feet tall and eight feet wide, like a wild boar charging down a mountain.
Takeminakata was frustrated. If he shrank his divine form, he would become more agile, but he would also lose his threat to Tamamo-no-Mae. As a god born of martial might, his size was the measure of his power.
Even in this chaotic battlefield where both sides were mixed, Takeminakata couldn't even resort to "flipping the table." The ley lines he had severed as a show of force had recovered their flow under nature's power, but if he dared to repeat that attack, he wouldn't even need Tamamo-no-Mae to act—he would be ostracized by every god and youkai in Izumo.
After all, while he would kill many of her subordinates, the turning of the earth would also bury the Izumo army.