“I am a member of the Nissho family—the shrine maiden clan that serves Amaterasu Omikami.”
With those words, the atmosphere in the entire area froze.
You felt an immense pressure.
‘No way. My Golden Finger just arrived, and the final boss shows up already?’
‘What is this Nissho Hitomi doing here? Coming to declare war on behalf of Amaterasu’s will? Or did Dad’s plan get exposed early, and Amaterasu sent someone to eliminate me?’
A dozen thoughts raced through his mind, each more terrifying than the last.
‘Calm down, You. Calm down.’
He looked at the shrine maiden across from him again. This Miss Hitomi didn’t seem like she was here to cause trouble. Instead, she had a very amiable expression.
‘Maybe I’m overthinking things.’
‘Either way, I should ask her intentions first.’
He steadied himself.
“Then, Miss Nissho Hitomi, what exactly is your purpose here?”
The three girls beside him also held their breath, waiting for her answer.
The air was still. The wind by the lake had stopped, and even the birds had gone silent.
Hitomi smiled and spoke.
“There’s no need to be tense, Divine Child.”
Her voice was still gentle, but there was an undeniable certainty in her tone.
“I have indeed come here on orders from Amaterasu Omikami. As for the specifics—I don’t know them either. Lady Amaterasu will tell you herself in a moment.”
As she spoke, she formed a strange hand seal with her fingers.
It wasn’t the common prayer gesture seen in shrines. Her ten fingers intertwined, thumbs pressed together, carrying an ancient flavor. She lowered her head slightly and closed her eyes.
Before You could process what was happening, he sensed a change in the aura across from him. It was as if the Hitomi before him had become someone else.
No—perhaps what stood across from him could no longer be called human. It was something larger, more ancient than any person.
The gentle, spring-breeze-like feeling she had radiated vanished completely. In its place was something else—sacred, blazing, lofty—like the sun itself.
Hitomi opened her eyes again.
The black in her irises had been entirely replaced by a dazzling, incandescent gold. Her pupils looked like molten gold flowing within. Just looking at those eyes made it impossible to meet her gaze.
She spoke.
The timbre was still Hitomi’s, but every word carried a sacred, majestic weight, like the tolling of a temple bell resonating through the air. As her lips moved, faint golden light could even be glimpsed between them.
“Yuejianye You, correct?”
Her gaze fell on You.
“This is our first meeting. I am Amaterasu.”
She paused.
“Perhaps you should call me Aunt.”
You jolted.
‘My god. Amaterasu? Direct Divine Descent?’
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to suppress his nerves.
“Lady Amaterasu Omikami… no, Aunt.”
He paused, realizing his voice wasn’t shaking.
“What business do you have with me?”
He silently admired himself. ‘Looks like I’ve trained well. Even though I’m still nervous inside, at least I can save face.’
Upon hearing this, the Amaterasu before him smiled.
That smile, on Hitomi’s gentle face, should have been pleasant to look at. But with those blazing golden eyes, it carried an undeniable air of condescension.
She slowly approached You until she stood at his side.
“You’re quite good.”
Her voice held a hint of praise.
“As expected. Most mortals, upon sensing my presence, are rarely this composed. And it seems you aren’t afraid of my identity, but rather intimidated by my power. Truly, you carry the Bloodline of Tsukuyomi—different from ordinary people. Don’t be nervous—I just came down to see you. After all, you are the only child of my worthless little brother.”
‘What is there to be afraid of?’
You couldn’t help but think sarcastically.
‘So what if she’s a deity? Which isekai veteran hasn’t killed gods and demons in their time? Too bad I don’t have a combat Golden Finger; from what I’ve seen so far, Chihaya and the others’ Curse Arts can’t fight either. Otherwise, I’d love to have a go at her someday.’
With Amaterasu so close at his side, You felt even more nervous.
That gentle yet blazing, immense presence lingered beside him. It wasn’t the temperature rising, but something deeper—as if his soul was approaching the sun. A warmth radiated from deep within his body.
He felt his soul growing stronger. It was an extremely subtle sensation. He had never thought that humans truly possessed souls before, but now he could genuinely sense the spiritual existence inside him.
You was shocked. This was his first close encounter with divine power, and just standing in the residual aura was enough.
‘So this is Amaterasu’s power? All things grow because of the sun? The might of gods is truly terrifying.’
He unconsciously glanced around. Chihaya, Mai, and Futaba had already prostrated themselves at some point. The three knelt in a line, foreheads pressed against the backs of their hands in an incredibly reverent posture.
“Don’t be surprised, my dear nephew.”
Amaterasu’s voice came from above.
“Though they serve different deities, I am the Lord of Takamagahara. Naturally, they must show respect.”
You’s mind began to spiral out of control again.
All kinds of thoughts scrolled through his head like a barrage of comments. Suddenly, one thought streaked across his mind like a meteor. He tried to swallow it back, but his mouth moved faster than his brain.
“Aunt, you said you are the Lord of Takamagahara—”
“Then is the legend recorded in the Kojiki true? The one about you hiding in Ama-no-Iwato because you were afraid of Susanoo-no-Mikoto? I’m really curious.”
The moment those words left his mouth, You wished he could slap himself twice.
‘Damn it. Why can’t I control my mouth when I’m nervous? Now I’ve gone and blurted it out.’
Amaterasu was famously petty. Back then, just because Susanoo-no-Mikoto caused trouble in her shrine, she got so angry she hid in a cave and plunged the world into darkness. Could a god that petty tolerate a mortal exposing her shortcomings to her face?
‘This can’t end well.’
Upon hearing this, the three girls beside him suddenly raised their heads.
Six eyes stared at him in disbelief.
Their gazes conveyed the same message—
‘Is this guy insane?’
In an instant, Amaterasu’s aura around her shifted from gentle to violent.
Her blazing golden eyes narrowed. The air around her began to distort, as if scorched by high heat. You felt his body gripped by an invisible hand, crushing him from every direction. The earlier warmth from the spiritual perception was no longer comfortable but painful.
“You’re quite bold.”
Her voice was calm—so calm it sent chills down his spine.
“No one has ever dared say that to my face.”
She took a step forward.
“Even if you are Tsukuyomi’s son, I will discipline you on his behalf.”
You felt as if his body were being roasted by the scorching aura. His throat went dry, his eyes stung, and even breathing became difficult. There was no change on his skin’s surface, but deep inside his organs began to burn, as if something was ablaze within.
Just when the situation reached a critical point—
Another voice rang out from behind You.
“My dear sister, why take it out on a child?”
The voice was unhurried, carrying a distant, tranquil quality.
As the voice arrived, the burning sensation around You instantly neutralized. It was as if someone had poured a basin of cold water onto a red-hot iron plate. The oppressive heat dissipated completely.
“You’re young. Saying the wrong thing when nervous is only natural.”
You turned his head.
It was his father.
Yuejianye Zhenyue was standing behind him at some point.
He was completely different from the taciturn middle-aged man in the courtyard a week ago who could hold moonlight in his hand. Now, he radiated a power that was dark, distant, yet equally sacred. Like the profound night, it calmed the mind upon approach, yet the more one looked, the more fear it inspired. This was the power of darkness.
His eyes were also coated in a layer of silver light, like two full moons set in his eye sockets.
He stepped forward, shielding You behind him.
“My sister.”
Zhenyue had a smile on his face.
But the words coming out of his mouth were outright provocation.
“Long time no see. Why are you angry? You didn’t say anything wrong, did you?”