Ancient people once expressed deep emotion about the place where the Holy Spirit resides—a wonderful fairyland on earth.
Sailing into the cave is a special pleasure, with dim lights and dreamlike shadows dancing along the way. The vicissitudes of life are wonderfully written in the stone, and the dark river finally sees the light of day.
The most amazing features are the Tianchi Lake and the sound of the Dragon Gate Falls crashing straight down.
There are also ancient books that describe the scales and claws of the Holy Spirit:
The Erya records: "Horns like a deer, head like a camel, eyes like a rabbit, neck like a snake, belly like a clam, scales like a fish, claws like an eagle, paws like a tiger, ears like a cow."
The Lunheng records: "The common people draw dragons with a horse's head and a snake's body."
The Guangya states: "There are four types of dragons: Jiaolong, Yinglong, Qiulong, and Chilong."
The Holy Spirit is beyond human understanding. No matter what religion it belongs to, there will be different records of different appearances—but the destination is the same.
The place where it lives is called the "Dragon Palace" (Ryugu-jo).
It is also called the Water Palace, Dragon Court, Dragon Pond, and…
The Crystal Palace.
Itsukushima Shrine
"God… God...…"
Yoshitomi Kamo was dumbfounded.
Yes. He was indeed a devout believer. But he was only a "modern" devout believer. Even though he held the position of Chief Priest, he would still teach the pilgrims: "Don't be blindly superstitious. Believe in science."
But now?
The expression of the old man who had worked hard for the shrine for decades was distorted with excitement.
He trembled and slowly bowed down, tears streaming from his eyes.
That was a Dragon!
It was one of the four gods worshipped at Itsukushima Shrine! Or rather, one of the two Dragon Gods (Kura-okami)!
Because the other three gods were the Three Goddesses of the Sea (Munakata Taisha).
The old man's kneeling directly crushed the worldview he had built up over the years.
Now he really wanted to say to his former self:
Go to hell with science!!
Go to hell with rationality!!
The surging waves were not ordinary. Facing Him, Yoshitomi felt like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.
Human will, in front of the great power that covered the sky and the sun, seemed so insignificant. Human survival instincts and the instinct of awe when facing the abode of the Holy Spirit intertwined.
Any gorgeous decoration paled and became tasteless under such a vast scene. If you don't face the water, you don't know how vast the sea is. If you don't see the mountains, you don't know the height of the peaks.
Argentina. Kamo Estate.
Overseas, the woman who had started the online war was stunned.
Her mind seemed to be completely blank.
No matter what kind of remarks she had prepared, they seemed unspeakable at this moment. To speak would be disrespectful.
She originally thought it was an illusion—a visual fantasy projected by hackers.
But the fishy smell of the sea breeze and the strong wind raised by the huge waves made her hair messy, dancing wildly in the gale. And the surging, fierce momentum pressed directly into her heart.
It made everyone tremble with fear. It made their chests feel tight.
The woman woke up completely.
Maybe…
This world is different from what we thought.
As the vision gradually became clear, she was horrified to see a "funny" scene of a child complaining to her parent.
Perhaps this scene, filled with human emotion, should not appear here. It should not appear in the sacred place where the Holy Spirit resides.
But a delicate little doll (Tsurara) broke the conventional rules. The doll had obvious anger on its face as she pointed at the Kamo Estate.
But what made the woman's heart—which was beating like a war drum—slow down temporarily was the reaction of the Old Man in Ancient Costume.
His face could not be seen clearly, but he shook his head with a gentle smile and gently rubbed the doll's head.
He said:
"I am young and lacking in virtue. I have made you laugh…"
Who?
Who is this person talking to!?
Those who knew the situation were thinking fast.
Sobu High School
The scene that covered the sky changed again.
Shinichi Kudo seemed to be going crazy. He stood up in shock under the weird eyes of his classmates, staring past the shy and awkward Saika Totsuka in front of him.
The World was divided into Three Parts!
There was the Dragon Palace, stirring up huge waves—the residence of the Holy Spirit that had stood for eons.
There was an Old Woman (Mitsue) holding a banner and bell, raising a spectral shrine. Faintly, hundreds of ghosts obeyed her orders.
There was a Young Man (Seiran), hanging a copper pestle in the air. A bright moon hung in his sky, and a flock of crows formed a torrent that swept across the world.
The three figures seemed to be in charge of their own territories, confronting each other and not giving an inch.
With a flushed face, clutching his chest, Shinichi couldn't help but blurt out:
"Unique…"
The three figures truly looked like the Gods imagined by mortals, ruling the world with their own Divine Domains.
But they were not Gods.
The Extraordinary People who showed such power were not "True Gods."
According to Grandma Mitsue, they were like a grain of sand in the ocean compared to the True Gods.
At first, those who heard Mitsue's words could not understand. They could only roughly grasp that "Gods are stronger than Extraordinary People."
But now, they understood to some extent.
The "Gods" in the eyes of mortals are merely the Extraordinary People.
Then the "Gods" in the mouths of the Extraordinary People…
No!
I can't think about it anymore!
At this moment, the word "God" became a taboo for Shinichi. He thought of the Omnipotent God of Western faith… and almost groaned in pain.
Itsukushima Shrine
Yoshitomi Kamo felt like a knife was cutting his heart.
He kept bowing his head, tears streaming down his face. But for a moment, he didn't know who to praise.
Although Yoshitomi was old, his heart was not weak. How many years had he, a devout believer, cried and begged in front of the statues?
He didn't know. He only knew that most of his life was invested in the enthusiasm called "Faith."
Now.
God has come.
How could he hold back the surging emotions in his heart?
Moreover, his old eyes worked very well. He saw it clearly.
The Crystal Palace was very similar to what was recorded in the exclusive ancient books of Itsukushima Shrine.
And through the crack of the door that looked like the Gate of Takama-ga-hara, he saw Four Statues standing tall.
The layout of the altar was identical to the layout of the Main Hall of Itsukushima Shrine.
This "groundless guess" made the devout believer feel as if he had been struck by lightning.
He almost lay on the ground and cried loudly.
"The Ancestors of the Main Family!"
"The Ancestors have returned…"
However, the three parties that seemed to be the realm of gods were not moved by the will of mortals.
The Old Woman (Mitsue) holding up the shrine nodded as if she didn't care much. It was considered a respectful greeting.
"Without cultivating virtue, one cannot see the True God. I have no intention of participating. Please help me solve my doubts."
The Young Man (Seiran) with the bright moon also smiled without saying a word, holding up his wine glass. The crows in his sky converged, turning the bright moon into a black sun.
The Old Man (Hanakaiin Ancestor) paused for a moment and looked at the Young Man.
"As you can see, I, Hanakaiin, am not yet fully born into this world."
"But I have two little girls who cannot stand the hardship of the mortal realm. So, please take care of them."
"When they fully arrive, the Hanakaiin Clan will thank you generously."
The Old Man waited.
When the Young Man seemed to think about it and nodded slowly, the two "Little Girls" (Yohime and Tsurara) who had stood up at some point bowed to thank him.
Then the Old Man looked sideways at the Old Woman.
In people's field of vision, even if they couldn't see the Old Man's face clearly, they could still be vaguely infected by the overflowing emotions.
It was an inexplicable look… a smile that contained both wisdom and a challenge.
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