The newly appointed War God of Izumo fell on an unremarkable mountain path under the watchful eyes of his entire army. There was not a trace of resistance or struggle; in a single breath, he collapsed into a corpse. Many gods and youkai initially thought he was playing some sort of prank.
No one believed this powerful god would die so utterly without a fight.
It took several seconds after the mysterious man disappeared into thin air for someone to realize the gravity of the situation. The two arcs of light had dissipated into the air after passing through Takeminakata without causing any collateral damage. Even the cross-section of the wounds had been cauterized by the instantaneous heat; there was no smell of blood, only a faint scent of char and roasted meat, making the scene feel all the more theatrical.
Finally, a god close to Takeminakata called out tentatively. Receiving no answer, he let out a scream of terror. They finally realized what had happened. The army fell into total chaos, but that was of no concern to the already departed Sū ěr.
"To grant them a punishment like a natural disaster, watching them flee in terror or exert their utmost efforts in a hideous display just to survive... did you, Excellency... find pleasure in the process?"
Upon his return, Sū ěr found a certain youkai kneeling on the bamboo porch, asking in her most respectful tone. Though he knew she probably didn't mean it that way, Sū ěr felt Yukari words were dripping with sarcasm.
"...I just felt that letting a guy like that live would make my future memories unpleasant. There's no need to elevate it to that level, is there?" Sū ěr bypassed Yukari and walked to the door. The Zashiki-warashi, happy to see him, pulled the door open and hopped onto his shoulder. "Come in first."
"I shall follow your lead," Yukari said, following him inside without hesitation.
"So? What's this about? Ah, thanks." Loath to probe in shadows, Sū ěr asked directly about Yukari sudden change in attitude while thanking the Zashiki-warashi for the tea.
"I have simply developed a certain yearning for the world through your eyes."
"Speak human."
"I wish to know what your ultimate goal truly is."
Choosing to stop circling, Yukari spoke plainly.
"Goal?" Sū ěr repeated, puzzled. "I don't have a goal. Everything I do is just to keep myself content."
"Ah~ contentment. That is the one answer I fear most," Yukari sighed, having already suspected as much. "Surely you have some awareness of the power you possess?"
"It's strong. At least, I haven't found a particularly troublesome enemy yet," Sū ěr replied with zero modesty.
"Indeed. Even those ancient youkai I find difficult to deal with likely couldn't even manage to flee from you. Your strength is beyond doubt." Yukari sighed even harder. "And because of that, every move you make must be scrutinized by a minor youkai like me. No youkai wants to die for no reason just because a more powerful being rolled over in their sleep... can you understand that?"
"She's looking down on your intelligence," Think joked, manifesting from Sū ěr body and stroking her chin.
"Then she's finished," Sū ěr pronounced a playful judgment on the blonde youkai. He understood what Yukari was trying to say.
This ambitious youkai simply wanted to figure out where he and Think stood to prevent herself from accidentally crossing a line and dying. A being of Sū ěr absolute strength was someone she had to account for or recruit... and if recruitment was impossible, she had to ensure their goals didn't clash.
So, what was his stance? What did he actually want to do?
Sū ěr fell into a sudden silence.
He had never seriously considered the question, to the point that he couldn't provide an immediate answer.
He no longer had to shoulder the fate of tens of thousands in a colony. He no longer had to struggle for survival or live cautiously at the feet of others, fearing the crushing heel of a giant. While Think didn't mind this life, Sū ěr knew he was like a kite with a severed string. He had lost the cord that bound him.
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he felt no sense of loss, nor did he feel he needed a grand purpose just to keep living.
This world felt more like a vacation spot for him and Think after an exhausting, soul-draining battle. It was like opening a travelogue he hadn't read yet; every new thing they saw was interesting.
Well, maybe not that interesting. For Sū ěr, the things he'd experienced so far were mostly nauseating and uncomfortable. This primitive era was a wilderness of moral vacuum. He had been trying to restrain himself from becoming too invested, whether in this demon-infested world or... the humans.
Humans he couldn't even identify as his own kind, at least in terms of will.
He couldn't convince himself to struggle for these animals that were more like monkeys than men. He felt no empathy. He was intensely pragmatic; much like his dealings with Riku in the past, if there wasn't a sufficient return, even Riku couldn't persuade him to act.
He was indeed looking forward to something, but it was this world tens of thousands of years in the future.
Myth. Sū ěr suddenly thought of this. From the moment he learned of Amaterasu, he knew this was an age of legend.
If so, could he try to leave his footprint in such an era?
From now to the future, from ancient times to the modern day—and then, in some afternoon ages from now, opening a child's textbook to see how it describes the era he currently occupies... or the history he had a hand in.
Once the thought appeared, it could not be extinguished. Sū ěr even broke into a smile of excitement. After all, isn't shaping history the specialty of humans?
Gods can do it, youkai can do it—so I can too.