Chapter 111

3. The God of Nation-Bearing

Esato pointed to the wall covered in old documents.

"In the past, a large number of Territorial Divine Offenses were held here. It seems the countermeasure headquarters aimed not to document them, but to actively use the gods..."

It felt like a cold blade had been thrust beside my heart.

"Was my father... one of them?"

"No way. That stiff wouldn't have come up with something so clever..."

I felt a moment of relief, but another unease quickly followed. The fate of those who weren't aligned with the regime was easy to imagine.

"There were a few dissenters. One was your father, Kirima. The other was Uyuu, who was forcibly brought into the countermeasure headquarters and partnered with Kirima. Kind of like you and Katagishi."

I glanced sideways at Katagishi. He silently urged me to continue.

"The proponents and opponents clashed here over how to use the gods. It ended in a bloody internal conflict. On top of that, the gods that had been confined went berserk and started slaughtering the investigators indiscriminately. Just like now... Kirima was apparently hit by a stray bullet and gravely wounded."

"Then... my father is already...!"

Esato tried to answer but groaned in pain from his burns. Instead of words, a wheezing breath escaped him.

"No, he's not dead. Uyuu kept him alive."

Akitsu spoke in his place.

"He had the Unseen God erase them—Kirima and the other investigators. That way, their lives wouldn't be taken, and they could go to the god's domain. Kirima told him to do it."

"That's... too cruel..."

"Uyuu was entrusted with you and your mother in Kirima's place. He kept protecting you. Always hoping for the day he could bring Kirima and the others back."

Esato said while clutching his shoulder.

"Kirima and Uyuu are both real idiots, but one thing's for sure—they never once tried to deceive you."

Words clogged in my throat. I hadn't known anything. My father didn't abandon us. Uyuu hadn't tricked me or stolen my father's whereabouts. They both suppressed themselves and kept fighting for others, even if no one acknowledged them. It was less human, more like a guardian god.

Akitsu nodded as if seeing through my thoughts.

"I was born from their wish. I wanted to answer them, since they couldn't rely on any god. I can't do anything, but I had one chance."

"Chance...?"

"The Unseen God. Originally, no one would ever notice that god, so it never attracted faith. But if the special investigation division continued their research, it would become a form of reverence."

Akitsu opened her pale-colored eyes wide.

"I wanted to use the Unseen God to erase the god of the nation's birth."

We were stunned by her words. Katagishi's lips trembled.

"Is that even possible?"

"I don't know. In these twenty years, the Unseen God's power has grown tremendously. But whether it can win against the god of the nation's birth... Before that, we have to deal with the cursed god."

Akitsu lowered her head. She didn't believe everyone could do it. But she knew they had no choice.

Katagishi raised his hand.

"I'll go to the Unseen God and ask it to erase the cursed god. That way, you all can move freely."

I instinctively grabbed his sleeve.

"Please don't. If you go, it might erase you before granting your wish."

"That goes for you too. Someone's gotta go."

Rokuhara weakly shook his head.

"...I'll go. Better a dying man than wasting someone else."

"Don't be stupid. How are you going to climb the mountain with that wound?"

Katagishi bared his teeth in a grin.

"Besides, from what I've heard, the Unseen God probably can't completely erase something. We still remember Misaki, after all."

"But there's no other way..."

"The God Who Is There."

I gasped. The god behind the broken sliding door, scorched in the underground shelter. The Territorial Divine Offense that kept reshaping the world to protect humans.

"It's broken, but it should still work once. Supposedly, it's on humanity's side. Wish for a world without Territorial Divine Offenses. Miyaki, can I count on you?"

"...Are you okay with that, Katagishi? The Unseen God might be the one who erased your wife, Misaki."

"Can't be helped. Gods aren't good or evil. They just act on what's wished. I don't think it erased them out of malice."

Katagishi then gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not some noble guy like your dad. I just remembered something when I came here. I told Misaki 'see you later.'"

"Then you have to go. Otherwise, she'll be mad. If it's a divorce crisis, I won't stop you."

I forced a cheerful smile. I wasn't sure if it worked.

Faint breathing thickened the air in the basement. The wall plastered with countless god records looked old, like cracked skin.

Long ago, I thought the Territorial Divine Offenses were like bugs in a game. The time had come to correct the accumulated mistakes between gods and humans.

Katagishi and I exchanged glances.

"Rokuhara and Esato, stay hidden here. The rest of us will go."

"Understood."

"And Akitsu... or should I say, god Akitsu. Will you come with us?"

Akitsu gave a clumsy nod, lacking any divinity.

"I'm just a trainee, so I'll follow my seniors."

"Turning a god into a subordinate, huh?"

Katagishi shrugged. We all knew the carefree banter was just bravado. It was the only weapon we had.

We had Rokuhara and Esato sit by the wall, then started up the stairs swallowed by darkness.

The moment we pushed open the hidden door, a sharp scent of fresh blood, like severed iron, rushed in.

The chapel was a hellscape. Swollen human remains floated in a foaming sea of blood. A torso missing all limbs, a severed head on a bench, a half-body with arms draped over stained glass—each flashed across my vision. I fought to stay conscious.

At the center of hell, my grandfather sat. His coat hem soaked in blood, he looked up at the ceiling as if receiving divine revelation. A skeleton wrapped in black haze stood solemnly.

Behind me, Katagishi asked in a stifled voice.

"Can we break through?"

"My grandfather and the cursed god are still there. We have to get past them..."

Akitsu, at the rear, spoke sharply.

"I'll go. You two escape when you see an opening."

"But..."

The skull trembled. The afterimage of blue flames trailed like twin tails in the darkness. We'd been noticed.

Just then, something like a gust of wind burst through the door, blocking the cursed god's gaze.

A roar echoed through the chapel.

A massive bull with two horns stood there. Its face looked like that of a wrinkled old man.

The bull stomped its hooves and charged the cursed god. Before its twin sword-like horns could strike down, the skull's eye sockets gleamed. The bull's entire body was engulfed in blue flames. My grandfather wore an expression of joy.

From the shattered door, Uyuu and Umemura appeared.

"The concerned god!"

As if responding to Uyuu, the bull roared again. Called the concerned god, it still tried to face the skeleton despite being engulfed in flame. The blazing blue fire dyed the chapel.

Akitsu pushed my back.

"Now, go."

I steeled myself and dashed into the chapel. I confirmed by the sound of footsteps that Katagishi and Akitsu followed.

The concerned god, its body burning, pushed the cursed god back with its horns, step by step.

We had to escape now. The sound of the cursed god grinding its teeth echoed. Blue flames raced across the ceiling and rained down.

"Rei!"

Uyuu ran toward us from the door. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out his hand. I extended my right hand.

Just before our fingertips touched, a gunshot rang out, shaking my eardrums.