"An opponent like thee must be destroyed along with its root, else it will rise again. This island’s corruption is proof enough."
With a flick of her hand, the blade-form Kogetsu vanished.
The summoned monsters—or rather, dolls fashioned to mimic monsters—were left for Atsuage to handle. Meanwhile, Inari strode straight toward the shrine’s main hall. Even unarmed, faceless monsters oozed forth to bar her path, but froze in place as though cowed by something unseen. The same happened to the ones battling Atsuage.
"Then let me answer such a foe with a technique befitting it."
What they feared was clear—the aura radiating from Inari as she stood firm. Then, her voice rose like a chant, melodic and resonant.
“Gather, gather ye lost children,
This voice shall guide the way to the living world.
Come, come now, toward the light,
A mother’s love seizes thy hand and draws thee close.”
“Return, return ye beings of the strange,
This sound shall seal the path unto the hidden world.
Come, come now, let darkness vanish,
A father’s love grips thy hand and drives thee away.”
"A… Aaaaaaah…!"
Inari’s song rippled outward as waves of light, turning the false monsters into black dust that faded away.
It was, in principle, magic woven into song—a primal form of sorcery. Power bound to melody. Similar to the bard’s skill, yet fundamentally different: a song radiant, warm, fierce; one that dispelled curses and brought peace.
Cracks spread across the mirror in the shrine, black smoke seeping out as if cleansed. The tatari-gami erupted from the mirror, surging forth to strike Inari down.
"Cease that song! Cease that accursed sound!"
“Curses, begone! Let thy grudges be purified, let holiness fill this land.
Light, be full! Let thy brilliance shine, let what ought to be appear.”
"Begone, Tatari-gami. Bear the retribution of thine own curse."
Clap!
The sharp sound of a sacred hand clap reverberated. The force of it drove the tatari-gami back into the spreading waves of light.
"Ahh… just a little more! Curse you! CURSE YOUUU! A curse upon thee! Aaaaaaahhh!"
"He who curses digs two graves. Those who blight shall themselves be cleansed. ’Tis merely thy turn."
The tatari-gami’s shapeless form unraveled, melted, and dissolved into the expanding brilliance. The wave of light grew and swept across Toshima, obliterating Kisaragi Town, restoring the island to its true form.
When the light faded, what remained was not the cursed town but the very same shore where Inari had first landed. A single helicopter sat abandoned, empty of passengers. Atsuage looked around in surprise at the sudden change of scenery, then leapt joyfully, realizing all had ended.
World’s First Achievement Unlocked! [Achievement: Defeated That Which Would Become a God]
A worthy achievement has been recorded!
A Silver Reward Box has been granted!
Unregistered technique detected!
Integrating into World System
Skill [Song of Purification] generated!
"Heavens above, ever more busywork…"
With a sigh, Inari tossed the silver box wrapped in divine paper into her Divine Concealment. At least the matter was now resolved—with system confirmation, no less. The fact that system messages had appeared here, unlike during the King Colossus incident, meant this calamity had been undesirable even to the World System.
"’That which would become a god.’ Whether good or ill, had it grown further, Toshima might not have been the limit. It could have swallowed Izu Ooshima, perhaps even reached Tokyo. And had that happened, mankind would scarce have endured.”
“Though… one matter troubles me. That tatari-gami—was it born of the monsters of Saitama Dungeon No. 4, or did it arise from some other phenomenon?”
She could not know. But in the end, what mattered was that she had destroyed it.
For now, her task was to report. She tapped her Awakened Phone and called Maruyama. He picked up before the third ring.
"Hello, this is Maruyama. What is it? Did something happen? Don’t tell me—"
"’Tis precisely that. I’ve vanquished the anomaly on Toshima. The recon team’s helicopter remains, but no survivors. Even finding their bodies may prove unlikely."
"I… see. Understood. I’ll dispatch a craft. Location?"
"Straight along the coast from where we parted."
"We’ll be there shortly. Stay put."
The call ended.
Inari exhaled deeply.
That would suffice. The Awakener Association would handle the aftermath—family notifications, compensation, and the like. Not matters she need meddle in.
"Kisaragi Town, was it…"
The entire town had been a conglomeration of monstrosities, of urban legends woven into one. A place where ordinary humans would die instantly, and even a squad of awakener could not survive. Perhaps things would have gone differently outside the otherworld, perhaps not. Yet the fact remained.
"A phantom born of men’s tales slaughtered men. ’Tis karma—inescapable karma."
Had the people of the old world not whispered those tales of urban legend, perhaps Saitama Dungeon No. 4—and these monsters of Toshima—might have taken another form.
That much was unknowable. But in truth, as Inari had said, it could only be called karma.