Chapter 110

2. The God of Nation-Bearing

That's right. Back when I was in the Ministry of Divine Affairs, I learned of the existence of the Territorial Divine Offenses. Then, guided by my grandfather, I saw the god of the nation's birth in that underground shelter. I realized that if the nation were taken over by a god, humanity would have no means of resistance.

But what if it were another god? If there was a god who could stand against the god of the nation's birth, then there might still be a way. I continued researching the Territorial Divine Offenses in secret, hidden from my grandfather and the others. That's when I met Akitsu.

She was the one who approached me. Akitsu said I was "very much like him." She must have known my father.

My excessive interest in the gods had reached my grandfather's ears. Before I could be eliminated, Akitsu proposed that I escape by being demoted to the special investigation division. We promised to keep fighting until the day we could reunite, but I had even forgotten that.

"I'm sorry, Akitsu..."

Akitsu smiled faintly at the words that slipped out. Rokuhara, standing by the wall, murmured.

"No wonder I felt the same presence as the Territorial Divine Offense from my hometown."

"I do not seek sacrifices."

Akitsu responded a bit irritably.

The silence in the chapel gradually turned into murmurs. The people from the Ministry of Divine Affairs began to whisper.

"That's the Territorial Divine Offense..."

"We should return and seek guidance from the god of the nation's birth."

"We must destroy it alongside the God Who Is There."

One of the men in black drew a gun from his coat. The rusted barrel wavered between Akitsu and me. Uyuu shouted in anger.

"You bastards really haven't changed at all!"

My grandfather restrained the man holding the gun.

"Stop. Guns don't work on gods."

My grandfather remained calm. Just as I began to feel relief, a chillingly cold voice rang out.

"To kill a god, you must use a god."

The chapel shook. The stained glass shattered, and shards scattered, refracting the moonlight. Dust rained down from the high ceiling, and in an instant, white smoke filled the space.

"Miyaki!"

Katagishi's voice was drowned out by the roar. Though she should have been right in front of us, we couldn't see her. In the smoke, I could only tell that Akitsu was glaring with a fierce expression.

The tremors stopped, and the haze gradually cleared. We clung to the wall, shielding each other.

"What just happened...?"

Katagishi gasped. Something stood in the center of the chapel.

A skeletal figure cloaked in black haze stood atop the shattered stained glass. Blue flames burned in its eye sockets. It reeked of rot and mold.

A mass of miasma, as if made from gathered corpses, stood there.

Facing the abomination, the people of the Ministry of Divine Affairs murmured feverishly, as if in a trance.

"The god of the nation's birth has sent us a messenger..."

All of them gazed up at the skeleton with eyes full of darkness. He had long since lost his sanity.

The skull creaked as it stepped forward. The flames in its eye sockets flared blue.

The men in black who tried to approach the skeleton stopped in their tracks.

"What...?"

Black blood trickled from their noses. Purple blotches appeared on their skin, which began to swell like blisters.

In confusion, they reached toward the skeleton. Their hands swelled like water balloons and burst. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

The first to scream was Umemura.

"Why?! I thought it was gone...!"

"Umemura, get a grip!"

Uyuu shook him by the shoulder. Umemura clung to him with trembling hands.

"I wished for the God Who Is There to erase it... These are the same symptoms that killed my dad..."

"What did you say?"

Akitsu glared bitterly at the skeleton.

"A Territorial Divine Offense that brings disease, injury, and defilement that terrifies people—a cursed god. To even kill their own believers..."

A gust of black wind swept through. The members of the Ministry of Divine Affairs began collapsing one after another. At the center of the calamity, my grandfather wore an ecstatic expression as if witnessing a divine miracle.

Katagishi grabbed my arm.

"Miyaki, we have to run!"

A gunshot rang out, drowning out his voice. A man in black lay on the floor, bloodied, still aiming his gun.

"Damn it, these bastards..."

The trembling barrel pointed at Katagishi. I had to move, but my body wouldn't respond. The man's finger pulled the trigger.

Sparks tore through the black haze. Red scattered through the darkness.

Blood as dark as pitch streamed from Rokuhara's shoulder as he leapt in front of Katagishi.

"Rokuhara, you...!"

Katagishi caught the collapsing Rokuhara.

I stomped on the arm of the man holding the gun. I felt the crunch of bone and flesh crushing simultaneously.

The men in black surrounded us. I grabbed the fallen gun and pointed it at them. My arms trembled under its weight. I had to do something.

"Rei!"

Uyuu's voice rang out. The men in black turned their attention toward him. Esato seized the opportunity to dash forward and lifted one of the benches scattered around. The hurled bench crushed the men in black.

A square door peeked out from the floor beneath the debris.

I shouted.

"There's a hidden room underground, hurry!"

Katagishi ran off carrying Rokuhara.

The cursed god's eyes gleamed once more. Black haze spread along the ground, and sparks flickered within the mist. Gunshots and screams echoed everywhere.

Without looking back, I ran and clung to the hidden door. The rusted door was too heavy to open. Akitsu placed her hand over mine and pulled the handle. A musty smell burst forth as the door opened.

"Thank you."

"This is all I can do."

I urged Katagishi and Esato ahead and guided them to the stairs. Beyond the cursed god's dark haze, I saw Uyuu and Umemura. Should I call out to them?

Uyuu and I locked eyes for a moment before he quickly looked away. Umemura urged him forward with a push. Once I confirmed they were heading for the exit, I shut the hidden door.

A deeper darkness enveloped the area. One misstep on the stairs and we'd fall into a bottomless pit. My shallow breathing made the stagnant air even heavier.

Behind me, as I descended the stairs one step at a time, Akitsu murmured.

"This really is just like twenty years ago..."

My toe touched the floor. I fumbled for the switch and pressed it. With a sound like insect wings, the underground room lit up. Countless maps and photos covered the walls. All were records of the Territorial Divine Offenses. There was no time to be stunned.

Katagishi carefully laid Rokuhara down. His pale face turned even paler, making the red of his blood all the more vivid. The wound was deep.

Katagishi tore his shirt sleeve and stuffed it into the hole in Rokuhara's shoulder, tying it tightly to stop the bleeding.

"We've got to get him to a hospital fast... What the hell were you thinking, Rokuhara?!"

Rokuhara didn't answer and slumped against the wall. Cold sweat ran down his chin like melted wax.

We didn't have time to hide in a place like this, but there was no escape route. I couldn't think of a way to get past the cursed god and my grandfather. Even if we did escape, then what? With the god of the nation's birth targeting us, was there anywhere in this country we could run?

Words I had chewed over countless times returned with substance. Gods are beyond human control.

"That's exactly what Uyuu said..."

Esato collapsed, his shoulders heaving. He was badly wounded too.

"Please don't talk anymore. Your burns..."

He brushed off my warning and looked up at me with exhausted eyes.

"No, I have to say this now. If I die like this, I won't be able to pass it on. Though, I only heard it secondhand too. Akitsu will probably fill in the details..."

Esato exhaled deeply. Blood seeped through his bandages, glowing red like embers. He opened his mouth.

"What the countermeasure headquarters did here twenty years ago. What happened to your father and Uyuu."