The Legend of the Sun Pillar

Chapter 15 - 3rd Season

" If you have knowledge of the future, then stop waiting for it and live in the present. "

Tanjiro's words echoed in her mind as she gazed at the sunset. Seated among the clouds, Amaterasu waited, eyes closed and heart serene, for the moment she herself had prophesied. Inherent to the time spent up there, the goddess only opened her eyes when a second figure materialized, disrupting the calm atmosphere and bringing with it an aura as dense and suffocating as the most terrible storms. Lifting her gaze, she recognized the familiar face before her and immediately stood to confront him.

¬ Ichiro, what do you seek by coming here? - she inquired sternly. Unlike her usual gentle tone, her voice now carried authority, causing the heavens to tremble with each word.

¬ Since long ago, my name ceased to be Ichiro, accursed goddess. My name is Shi now! Refer to me as who I am, not who I once was! - the man vociferated, visibly irritated.

¬ Shi or Ichiro, you are still the firstborn among my children! - Amaterasu maintained her serious expression, crossing her arms over her chest. ¬ How far do you intend to go with this? If you wish, you can still return to me; my hand remains extended to you!

¬ I rejected that same hand in the past, and I will reject it again! I won't ally with you, nor will I accept following the celestial principles you hold in such high regard! - Controlling his irritation, Shi raised his arm sideways, and a double-edged scythe materialized in his hands. ¬ You may have defeated me the first time and sealed my body in the depths of my domains, but I recovered from our battle and assimilated the divine energy I absorbed from each of the gods I defeated. I am powerful, more powerful than ever before.

Hearing his words, Amaterasu lowered her gaze toward her solar plexus and beheld the divine core contained there, surprised by what she witnessed.

¬ So, you've completed the seven black lotuses... - she pondered, raising her gaze again. ¬ Do you realize the price to be paid if you take even a single misstep?

¬ One who treads a fearful path before their obstacles will never reach their destination. In the past, we shared the same goal, yet even with your unimaginable power, you were unable to achieve it, and now... look at yourself. - Shi pointed his scythe at Amaterasu. ¬ Because of all your love for your 'children', your strength wanes more and more, and soon you'll lose your position as a deity. Tell me, now that you no longer possess your divine spark, what will you do when the flames in your core extinguish?

¬ I will continue living each day without regrets. - Her response caused a slight tremor in the surrounding clouds, dispersing them until the sky became completely clear. ¬ But for my fall to occur, you know full well what you must sacrifice.

Silently, Shi twirled his scythe between his hands, gazing at the stars gradually emerging on the twilight horizon.

¬ Yes, I know.

Receiving the confirmation she had been waiting for, Amaterasu summoned before her a majestic golden scroll, with an equally golden brush secured by a red and blue ribbon. Unfastening the ribbon, Amaterasu held the brush and created an illustration of Earth on the scroll, inscribing various runes and symbols around it. Upon completing the drawing, a powerful wave of divine energy emanated from the scroll, summoning all the gods from every corner of the Earth into the world depicted by Amaterasu — and alongside these gods, Tanjiro and the other pillars were summoned to witness what was about to unfold.

Within the scroll, the world drawn by Amaterasu was an exact replica of the true Earth, with all the buildings and natural modifications made by humans and gods throughout history. However, no animals — whether aquatic, terrestrial, or aerial — or humans were transported or recreated in this world.

It was a perfect arena for two deities to battle without destroying the only home they possessed.Upon being summoned there, Tanjiro and the other pillars were astounded by what they witnessed. Around them, hundreds of gods gathered to witness the imminent battle — and thanks to the special characteristics of this artificial world, none of them contained their divine auras; they flowed freely without restriction. Their overwhelming presence prevented the pillars from speaking or even thinking about anything else, leaving them with only one option...

To silently observe the fight.

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Enormous thunder tore through the skies, echoing a sinister omen as the two divine auras collided violently. Everyone watched, astonished, as the sudden shift in weather and atmospheric pressure further rattled the hashiras who stood bewildered before the magnitude of chaos triggered by a mere exchange of glances between those two beings. Then, a thunderous explosion shook the heavens, and a blinding flash engulfed the space. When they could finally open their eyes again, the landscape stretching before them had been utterly devastated. Trees were uprooted, small rivers vanished, and vast plains transformed into deserts.

Amidst the scene of destruction, the two gods remained immobile, staring at each other intensely. Their divine auras caused earthquakes, and the seas churned more and more with each passing moment, as if struck by a mighty storm.

Another thunderbolt rent the skies, striking the ground and triggering an explosion of dust. Amaterasu and Shi then lunged toward each other, breaking the sound barrier countless times in a single instant until their fists collided. The impact generated a shockwave so powerful that all the islands comprising Japan were jolted from their places, followed by a gust of wind that dispersed the raised dust.

And so began a fierce battle, where Amaterasu, clad in seemingly inflexible ceremonial attire, struck Shi with a monstrous speed—her movements nearly imperceptible even to the keen eyes of all the gods observing the confrontation.

It was as if they were witnessing a supreme master who had honed their martial arts to the utmost perfection. Her arms, legs, and even her hips moved with the barest necessary motions, while each strike was executed with astonishing precision and speed, causing her limbs to seemingly vanish with every attack. Shi was no slouch in hand-to-hand combat either, but his techniques aimed to maximize raw power in each blow rather than balance between speed, strength, and control. Occasionally, this forced him into unnecessary movements, resulting in a certain wastefulness and dissipation of his energy. Failing to find an opening, the god of death defended against one of Amaterasu's kicks and leaped away, launching hundreds of energy spears toward her — each formed from the purest infernal miasma.

To evade the deadly spears, Amaterasu allowed herself to slide through the gaps in each attack, akin to a leaf carried by the breeze, flawlessly avoiding every single lance.

Having deftly dodged the spears, Amaterasu leaped into the air and broke the sound barrier once more, disappearing into a cloud of dust raised by her extreme speed. In an instant, she reappeared before Shi, who barely had time to defend himself before being struck in the chest by the goddess, her palms hitting him with immense force. The impact sent Shi hurtling tens of kilometers away in less than two seconds, creating a massive crater around him and a vacuum trail in his wake. As the air rushed back in, it produced a powerful sonic explosion.