In the abyssal depths—Enkanomiya—this was a momentous day for its people. Their god had returned. With overwhelming force, he had overthrown the rule of the Children of the Sun and meted out the harshest punishment to the brutal tyrants.
Every citizen of Enkanomiya saw the enormous Orobashi. They all prostrated themselves before him.
"Great god, you have not forgotten your people—"
"You have finally returned—"
"Overthrow the Children of the Sun—"
"Slay the Bathysmal Vishaps—"
One voice cried out, then countless others followed.
In Enkanomiya's history, their god had left a thousand years ago. The people had forgotten what their god looked like. But when Orobashi appeared, covered in coral branches, slaying vishaps and overthrowing the Children of the Sun with overwhelming force, giving them hope once more, every citizen believed with all their hearts that Orobashi was their god.
Facing the worship of tens of thousands of people, Orobashi's heart was complicated. He had not wanted to get involved in so many troubles. He had planned to help these people defeat the Vishaps and overthrow the Children of the Sun, then leave and continue his journey to the Dark Sea, a free god wandering the world.
But looking at these people without a god to protect them, seeing the hope in their eyes, his heart ached.
In Orobashi's view, people without a god to protect them were unfortunate. They could not survive in this world for long. If he abandoned them, these people—the entire nation of Byakuyakoku—would slowly disappear.
After a long hesitation, Orobashi made his decision. He would take the place of Enkanomiya's vanished god. He would become the new god of Enkanomiya.
Having made this decision, he declared that he would lead these people to build a powerful nation—one even stronger than Inazuma. Perhaps, one day, even the Raiden sisters would bow to his Byakuyakoku.
At the thought, Orobashi could not help but laugh.
Just then, Higashiyama-Ō arrived with his two shrine maiden masters.
"Shrine Maiden Kumoromo, paying respects to Lord Orobashi—"
"Shrine Maiden Amefuri, paying respects to Lord Orobashi—"
"Thank you, Lord Orobashi, for saving our lives."
Though they were Higashiyama-Ō's masters, they were both still young women.
Orobashi looked at them. They were indeed shrine maidens, just like those in Inazuma.
"No need for formalities. The Children of the Sun have been destroyed. Now, I will rely on you to handle the affairs of Byakuyakoku."
Orobashi was powerful. He could destroy vishaps and tyrants with ease. But he was not skilled in handling human affairs.
Kumoromo and Amefuri gladly accepted. "With Lord Orobashi here, Byakuyakoku will surely enter a golden age. An age belonging to Lord Orobashi."
And so, Byakuyakoku, beneath the abyssal depths, entered a new era. Shrines were rebuilt. The shrine maiden system was restored. A great statue of Orobashi was erected in the shrine.
But though the brutal Children of the Sun had been overthrown, many problems remained. There was little soil beneath the abyss and few places to grow crops. Only small, black potatoes could grow there, and they were tasteless.
Because of the vishap invasions, the fish in the area had nearly vanished, making fishing difficult. Feeding the people was the most serious issue.
Orobashi took the initiative to teach the people what he knew about farming. He even dove into the sea himself to catch fish for them.
But several years passed, and the people's lives not only failed to improve—they grew worse.
The people prostrated themselves before Orobashi again, praying.
"Great god, please save your people. The land here cannot grow crops. Please, Lord God, bring us more land."
Seeing the gaunt, starving people kneeling before him, Orobashi's heart ached—even after all he had experienced in the Archon War.
But how could he give his people enough to eat?
He thought for a long, long time. Perhaps he could bring these people to Yashiori Island, to Inazuma? No. The sisters would surely see them as invaders.
Perhaps he could bring soil from the surface down to the abyss? No. Finding that much soil in the ocean would be difficult enough. Transporting it down here would be impossible.
After much thought, Orobashi called Kumoromo and explained the predicament.
Kumoromo thought for a moment. "Lord Orobashi, I cannot think of a good solution. But there is one place where you might find an answer."
Orobashi asked, "Where?"
Kumoromo said seriously, "Your palace."
Orobashi was confused. "My palace?"
To be precise, it was not Orobashi's palace, but the palace of Enkanomiya's true god. Over the centuries, much of it had sunk into the sea, falling into ruin.
The moment he saw the sanctuary, Orobashi's gaze grew solemn. Though he had never seen Enkanomiya's true god, he could still feel the lingering divine presence in the ruined palace. It had not faded after a thousand years.
The palace was enormous—even larger than Orobashi's own body. He could enter it easily.
The moment he stepped inside, the candles in the ruined palace lit themselves. Not only that, he felt a strange power within.
"Go back. I will look around on my own."
He dismissed Kumoromo and explored the palace alone. Soon, he found many strange objects—all useless junk.
Finally, his gaze fell upon a small book. A human-sized book. Compared to Orobashi's enormous body, it was like a speck of dust.