Chapter 37

I wheeze as my hand finally touches the peak of the newly formed mountain.

My body is splayed out, clinging to the rock and fucking snow desperately.

Luckily, I don't feel the chill, despite the blizzard raging around me.

I open my mouth, gasping desperately for air, but barely anything fills my young.

What little does, is pushed out by my lungs, as my chest and stomach are pressed hard against the mountainside.

Fucker added an artificial atmosphere and increased the gravity.

By the end, I had to use my Touki to give me the strength necessary to finish the trek!

And I'm pretty sure if I couldn't regenerate at all, I'd be dead from crushed everything!

All of my hate!

I barely manage to tilt my head up as a light sipping noise overcomes the bellowing icy winds.

There, dear old grandpa on my mother's side sits, floating right above the peak.

Spear held lazily in one hand, beer in the other.

He clicks his tongue.

"Took you longer than expected, didn't it?" He muses aloud, shaking his mostly empty bottle, "Especially once you start losing your ability to breathe, hmm?"

I would love to respond, but all I manage is a ragged hiss.

"Oh. Right." He taps the end of the spear against my forehead.

Suddenly, the constant suffocating gravity and atmosphere seem to vanish as I float up, level with him.

My mouth devours air in a long, deep, breath, the likes of which even Kirby would be jealous to witness!

"I…Haaahhnn…hate…Hahnnn-! You…!"

I take several, just for really good measure, in between words.

Izanagi merely looks at me, a quaint smirk across his face. "Surely you understand why I put you through that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah…" I huff that sweet sweet air, "my breathing technique gives me pretty much unlimited stamina while I can use it, and on top of that, it improves my healing and physical abilities."

He nods, content with my answer, his beer bottle long gone, as he scratches his beard, "Yes…good. Without it, you aren't nothing per se, but you are most certainly much worse without it.

"While your mastery of the technique to the point of unconsciously using it is certainly impressive, for training purposes, it's…detrimental, in a sense." Izanagi adds.

I quirk my eyebrow at that, "How so?"

He chuckles, "To use modern…lingo, as it were, that technique is like a mask over your 'base form', not an incorporation to it, as I've shown and I'm sure you've nearly experienced…it can be for all intents and purposes, turned off."

I tilt my head to the side, truly thinking about the effects my breathing technique has on my body.

Then facepalm as it finally clicks, and Izanagi's smirk grows smug.

"Breathing techniques enhance my strength constantly. When I train, it's not my base muscles that get affected, it's my enhanced ones." I explained aloud, to which Izanagi nodded, pleased.

To go further in depth as to why that's an issue, it's because of the enhancement itself affecting the efficiency of the training.

The idea is, that as you are weaker, you get a tougher workout, grind harder than you could in a stronger state, and get more gains.

Then the gains applied to your unenhanced base make the transformation, or in my case enhanced state, stronger, than if you trained in said enhanced state.

Luckily for me, I haven't been focusing on my physical strength and body all that much, instead abusing the infinite stamina from breathing to quickly speed through my swordsmanship forms.

It actually would be pretty good endurance training for my body, going through the Sun Breathing forms without using the proper breathing methods, something those from Demon Slayer simply can't do as they are closer to normal humans.

Holding that thought for another time, I look at Izanagi once again, "While that's a nice epiphany, physical training?" I ask, bemused, "I thought you were going to teach me Kami stuff?"

He snorts at that, "For you, it is."

I blink at that.

He sighs, elaborating, "As Arahitogami, you are a Living God. The important word there is living. In a sense, you are your own God, enshrined in your own human body.

"Your Shrine is, for all intents and purposes, your human body. That comes with all the advantages and disadvantages of being human, along with…other benefits we'll talk about later." He waves the topic off.

I frown, "No no, go back. Disadvantages? Like what?"

He sighs, "As a human being, you possess a human mind, a human brain…which means mental magics or powers still affect you. Stuff like that boy, you can figure out the rest for yourself."

Ah. Like the Shinigami's suicide aura, huh?

Yeah, alright. I see what he means.

Though I'm also kind of curious about those 'other benefits' he was talking about.

"Now, before you continue to ask more pesky questions," my eyebrow twitches as he suddenly continues, "you have a mountain to climb down."

I click my tongue and move to turn around, only for Izanagi to chuckle at me.

I turn back, eyebrow raised.

He points his spear up, "I didn't say back, now did I?"

I look up, only to behold a whole other upside-down mountain.

However, it didn't remain upside down for long, as gravity reasserted itself abruptly, causing me to flip over and flop into another snow-capped mountaintop.

Yay.

I pull myself from the snow and glare up at the primordial creator god who seems to be having far too much fun with this.

"Descend the mountain," he commands with a smirk and wave of his spear, "although, be sure not to fall off...or you'll start over, right from the peak."

My glare intensifies, "I hate you."

He snorts, "I care little, boy, you'll be grateful in time, and at present? I haven't had so much fun in a long time."

"Oh really?" I snark, standing up, "Couldn't tell." I huff, before putting a hand to my chest, and actively forcing my breathing rhythm to change.

It feels…very wrong, to be honest.

Having gotten used to breathing to the limits my lungs could take, normal breathing almost makes me feel short of breath.

Almost. I can live with this.

With that out of the way, I start walking forward–

The side of the ice-capped mountain cracks, breaks, and falls off. Dragging me down with it like I was in some sort of Oversimplified video comedy sketch.

"Bhahahaha!"

Even Izanagi's fucking laughter sounds like his!

~ A New Sun ~

That mountain was fucking cursed.

Not literally, mind, but it may as well have been.

Spots where gravity got wack, parkour courses galore, and fucking puzzles.

I actively stopped myself from using Touki, my mark, and any ability enhancers whatsoever this time.

Needless to say, I couldn't do it. There was this one part, where gravity reversed three times, and I couldn't make the long jump across a gorge in the middle.

Gravity was simply too strong.

So I kept throwing myself at it, until Izanagi came down, saw me barely held together, and dragged me out of the mountain.

Apparently, we're giving my body a chance to rest before going back to the mountains.

I'm going to have to climb the first one, but honestly, I'm okay with that.

For now.

My body's loving it, my patience, not so much.

Fucking…puzzles.

What am I living in now, a Bethesda sandbox?

"We are here." Izanagi suddenly started, drawing me from my internal whining musing.

I blink, looking around to see an almost perfect replica of the Shinkai.

Forest and foliage of bright, vivid color, spreads out as far as the eyes can see under a pure glistening white sky.

Izanagi taps the ground, causing mats to appear, he sits in one, and waves for me to sit in the one across from him.

I do so, plopping my tired body down on the comforting cushion.

"When your body has been properly worked, and resting, only then shall we work on one aspect of your spirit." He began, his eyes glowing eerily, "The Divine part."

A pristine, perfect, pure white slowly hums around Izanagi to enunciate his words.

At first, I thought he was drawing upon light powers at first, it was so bloody bright, it took a moment for me to realize what it truly is.

"Life…" I slowly gasped out.

Specifically, his Holy Spirit Power. It's all suffused with life.

The aura clung to his body, flowing around him like water, even moving his hair slightly as he nodded.

"Yes, good…I see you recognize Holy Spirit Power then?" I nod back at him, half dazed still by the sheer purity of life in my eyes and senses, "Tell me what you know of it if anything."

It admittedly takes a moment to focus enough to pull on the memory of what Inari told me back then…

Feels like months since then, but it only has been a single one, give or take a week or two.

Damn.

Do I need a vacation already?

Putting that aside, I recall Inari's explanation about Holy Spirit Power, and to Izanagi's slight shock, Musubi.

Quick refresh I run through; Kami are manifestations of Musubi, the interconnected energy of the universe, which grants us our Holy Spirit Powers, to govern and hold authority over natural laws and phenomena within certain domains.

Izanagi grumbled as I finished, "That's a very good base to start with, Inari told you all that?"

I nod, and he hums with approval, "Then, building off that. Beyond what we specialize in, all Kami or Gods can do a list of basic things with their powers. I will give you a short list of said abilities, ready?"

I nod, "Hit me."

My stare gets blanker, and blanker, as he goes on.

Causality Manipulation. Probability Manipulation.

Dimension Creation.

Power Bestowal, or blessings, technically.

Power Creation. I recall Uzume mentioning this as something my mother was tinkering with.

On the flip side, Power Negation.

Divinity Bestowl, Artifact Creation, Instant Win Pow–

"Wait. Hol' up." I hold up my hand, he raises an eyebrow at my interruption, "Instant Win Power…?" I parrot back, completely taken aback.

He snorts, "Of course. Any God should win instantly against any mortal. If they don't, then they don't deserve the power vested in them by creation."

I had to hold back immediately countering that entire statement with just…

Loki.

I also had to hold back a snicker at that thought in its entirety.

Though now that I got his attention, "Also," I add on, before exclaiming, "basic!?"

Izanagi chuckles, "I may have exaggerated the term there, I suppose. Though granting minor powers or blessings are truly very simple to grant, for even the most fledgling divine."

I sigh at that, "Okay, is there anything divine beings can't do?"

Izanagi's gaze suddenly sharpens, "Plenty, boy…for instance, a fire god can't create or manipulate the seas. We are beings of great power, but we aren't all-powerful.

Of course, Gods can be clever, using their holy powers to cause a knock-on effect to 'manipulate' other domains."

"Like a sea god, manipulating groundwater to create localized earthquakes?" I try to give an example.

"Precisely!" Izanagi affirms, "Some gods possess wider reaching powers, such as magic gods, but not even their reach is all-encompassing."

"So, what about Gods of the Universe then?" I ask with a slight frown.

"Ah, like Ama, or Indra…" he muses whilst scratching his beard, "No, not even they control all. They certainly hold sway over small things, minor acts of creation, as I'm sure you've inherited that much.

"But in our case, Goddess of the Universe does not mean Goddess of Musubi. Her connection is deeper than most, and it shows most prominently within the vastness of Holy Spirit Power she possesses."

He looks at me curiously, "Something I'm curious you didn't also inherit, truth be told."

I shrug off that last statement, and press forward with a new thought, "So… to hold control over everything, you need to be able to manipulate Musubi directly?"

Izanagi nods to that, "In our Pantheon, yes. I do not know what the conditions are in others to achieve a similar feat, although I do know one who has achieved it. I'm sure you know of Him as well, that jealous god." Izanagi states with a spiteful hiss.

Dear old Grandpa really doesn't like the Angel Daddy, huh?

"But enough of this, too much of the more advanced stuff too soon." Izanagi promptly waves it all off, "We start with the basics. Holy Spirit Power Manipulation, into basic blessings. Sounds good?"

I nod, excitedly, "Yeah, let's get to it!"

"Good, so. You may have already noticed, but Holy Spirit Power much prefers a channel, a medium if you will. Unlike the Greeks, throwing around power willy-nilly won't serve you…"

~ A New Sun ~

As it turns out, the process of blessing someone isn't all that complicated.

It's pretty much the far less sexual, far more boring version of how I gave Kuroka chakra, except instead of trying to give someone that, it's focused more along the line of giving people a passive effect based on my powers.

Izanagi recommended something simple, like granting resistance against the sun's rays, basically a sort of divine SPF sunscreen.

He has me training this by passing my Holy Spirit Power through a pebble.

Now. How would one tell if a blessing affects a pebble, of all things?

Well, first, it starts with the pebble not exploding.

Izanagi helpfully pointed out that would be what happens if I failed to bless a person as well.

Thanks, Grandpa. Proving exactly why I didn't test that shit on Kuroka.

In any case, it didn't take long for me to get the very minor blessing to stick, upon which, I moved up to bigger rocks…and repeated the same stuff I did to the pebbles.

Repeat and repeat, move up to bigger rocks, like boulders, and repeat.

Then, start all over with pebbles, but instead of a minor blessing, a more mild one.

It went on like that until I was drained of my divine powers.

Izanagi was right when he said blessings aren't too difficult, with the step up between blessing tiers as they were only having a modicum increase in difficulty.

Supposedly, that was only the start, though he clarified that we probably wouldn't have time to go over the insane shit like manipulating probability and causality within the couple of months we had.

Though, artifact creation should be on the table, maybe.

We'll see.

For now though.

I open one eye and stare at the Creator God as he sips obnoxiously loudly from a beer bottle.

"You know," I begin, gritting my teeth, "It's annoying enough trying to gather Ki with you constantly pulling the life force away from me. I don't need that as well."

Aptly, Izanagi continued sipping. Louder.

I simply sighed and got back to meditating.

Once I drained my divine powers, this is what he's been having me do next.

Sit on a nearby hill in the middle of the Shinkai imitation forest, and focus on my human spiritual side, ki, or senjutsu.

But of course, with a twist.

"You were much too coddled back in Kyoto, you know." Izanagi mused, a strand of ki pulling away, just out of my grasp as I tried to take it with my own.

My brow furrowed as he continued, "Ley Lines, brimming with natural life force, all focused on that one city. It's the perfect place to cultivate power in the art, but not so much control."

Another strand dodges and weaves around my senses, just out of reach.

I click my tongue.

"Something you sorely require, considering the boons the arts offer you." He continued, almost chidingly, "As someone with some authority over life, you should possess a natural talent for the art, boy."

"Not as much as the cats, old man." I respond on instinct, lightly, as I focus more so on a small wisp of ki getting suspiciously close.

"The Nekomata and the Nekoshou? Bha!" He huffs, "They cheat with their innate connection, they don't count."

I chuckle at that with a wry smirk, "Says the literal Shinto Creation God."

"That's also differe-"

I snap the wisp of ki up all of a sudden like a viper scooping up and consuming its prey in one gulp.

Izanagi halts speaking a second, before chuckling to himself, "Cheeky brat."

"Slow old man." I respond in kind.

I don't even flinch when the side of the spear bats me over the head.

Kuroka…wasn't that great of a teacher, but one thing she was good for was helping build resistance to a physical stimulus when meditating.

So I continue smiling along as Izanagi grunts in dissatisfaction, seeing me completely unaffected.

"Where was I…before the cats…ah, right. Senjutsu." He continues, gruffly, "One of its lesser-known abilities enables it to increase the luck of its users by simply cycling their ki throughout their bodies in a certain way."

My senses pulse, and I try to grab onto another tendril of Ki.

Just as I latch onto it, it slips straight through my grip like a little snake.

"Of course, it's not true probability manipulation," Izanagi continues with a smug hum, "it's more so the poor man's version. But a little good luck can never not be helpful, no?"

"The other stuff also helps." I muse aloud, "Like aura blasts, striking the internal body and soul, things like that."

"Don't forget the more subtle arts," Izanagi chides lightly, "Senjutsu can also be used to affect the mind and abilities, and take control of nature itself."

"Don't think turning trees into minions is very subtle, old man." I add on.

"...Fair enough." He concedes with a grunt, "The point is, Senjutsu has a wide array of uses purely by itself. All of which I expect you to take full advantage of, understand?"

"I know, I know…I wasn't planning on not doing so," I state, "it's just going to take some time to incorporate everything into one cohesive fighting style."

He hums in thought to that, "That is something we shall be focusing on as well after some time has passed."

Eh?

"How are we going to do that?" I ask tentatively.

"Do not worry about it for now," he waves me off, "focus, you have ki to grab and cultivate."

Well, I won't argue with that I guess.

It's probably going to be rather crazy, considering the fucking puzzle mountains.

No, I will never get over that!

A ki wisp slaps me in the face and I lose focus for a second.

Izanagi merely chortles behind me.

~ A New Sun ~

Two weeks, seven days a week passed purely like that.

As it turns out when neither the mentor nor the student needs food or sleep, the student can regenerate, and the mentor is an absolute hardass, the work does not stop.

When my physical body was sufficiently trained, we'd move on to my Holy Spirit Power.

When my divine powers gave out, we moved on to the raw spiritual.

Rinse and repeat in a seemingly never-ending cycle.

And it wasn't like it got boring, either. Izanagi, when properly motivated, switched things up on the regular to make everything more interesting.

Whether that be changing the courses, and puzzles, adding a fucking maze in the mountain sections, or switching the targets of my attempted blessings to facsimiles of very frightened pigeons, he came up with something new after a while that kept me hooked.

As if he ultimately needed to do any of that, though. I could tell that stuff was mostly for his amusement, what I was focused on was results.

It's only been two weeks, and yet, I can feel the difference it's made.

Today is different, a rest day, Izanagi called it.

I'd press X to doubt, but I don't have a game console here, unfortunately.

So instead, I walked out into Kuni's planes, to get a feel for where my strength now sat at.

After going out a good distance from 'camp', I drew my broken sword.

Clenching the hilt within my grip, I focused, pouring Holy Spirit Power into the blade, and shaping it along its edge, and past the broken bit.

The blade, what bit remained attached to the hilt, glowed with a humming crimson red, encased by a golden honey glow that stretched out, becoming a phantom overlay, imitating the old shape of the sword.

It's a bandaid fix, but one that will have to do. Hell, it's not even a perfect bandaid placement.

I can see wisps of golden aura flake off here and there, the phantom edge isn't entirely solid yet either, it leaves ghastly trails as I move it around or swing it lightly.

Definitely cool looking, but not at all effective in a fight where the ghostly remnant of the blade would simply pop like a water balloon.

Still though, nice first shot, it'll have to do for now.

I take my stance, phantom sword held out.

For the first time in the past two weeks, I put my breathing techniques back into place, swelling my lungs with that sweet oxygen, letting my blood and muscles feast.

My chest and face burn as my mark activates, dark golden aura bubbles and bursts off my form, before coalescing around me.

I take a step, and rocket off into the distance, with a single sword stroke.

Dance.

The ground shatters beneath and around me as I move, and a trench appears where I bring my blade down into the ground.

I turn to see the path of my movement, carved into the ground for Heaven knows how long behind me, then turn back to look at the trench extending out before me, and deep into the ground.

I blink slowly in realization.

I just broke into Ultimate Class. I think. Probably.

My unenhanced base state has been feeling closer to within the realm my maximum was lately, so that should be the case.

Well, without Ara-Mitama, but that's more or less a berserker state, I don't count that as being wholly me. Yet.

Definitely going to need to compare with Kuroka when all this is done. She described herself as 'pretty far up there in ultimate class with three tails now, nyah~!' after all.

…I miss my cat. Cats. Plural, now.

"All warmed up I see."

"HNN!?" I damn near jump, whirling around to find Izanagi floating there, an eyebrow raised at my reaction, "Fucking…Damn it, old man. I was thinking about stuff!"

He does not look amused, "You can do that, later…today's the day we assimilate everything you've gained into your repertoire."

My eyebrow twitches, "I thought you said today was for rest."

"Technically, it is." He holds his spear out, "All you need to do is fight me. Worry not. I won't strike back, merely defend. Your job is simply to get used to what you now have. Easy, yes?"

I stare at him for a little while longer before sighing, "I guess…especially since I don't have exactly anything combat ready to add quite yet."

"Precisely." He taps the spear to the ground, the trench, the destruction I carved into the ground via my high-speed movement earlier fills and flattens out.

"Then whenever you are ready." He floats there ready, with his spear held out.

My grip on my blade tightens as I slide back into my fighting stance, "Not even gonna fight back a little bit, old man?"

He snorts, "Knocking you out every microsecond wouldn't help, would it? Beyond shutting that mouth of yours up for a second, I suppose."

Hmm. An idea occurs.

"My mouth? Okay, old man. How about several?" I ask with a grin.

"Several? What are you–"

I cut him off by showing him, smoothly transitioning my grip on the hilt into the hand sign I need.

Smoke explodes out around me, and as it clears, revealing half a dozen other mes standing there with the same stupid grin, and same glowing swords, Izanagi floats there, goggling at me.

"Avatars? No…these feel too real to be constructs, so then this is…" Izanagi trails off, before smirking, "Cloning, then? Most interesting…come on then."

"En garde!" I and all my selves roar out as one, before jumping the old man, glowing swords swinging.

Okay, that sounded pretty bad, but the old man is a primordial creator god with a spear that can manipulate reality, so it's fine!

Granted, it's not like I was doing this just to JJK jump the annoying old man, this has a larger purpose.

For a while now, I've been meaning to complete my swordsmanship, but couldn't because stuff kept getting in the way, or I had to focus on other things first.

But now, not only do I have the time, but I have something better than air to practice on, I've got a practice dummy who will let me swing on him.

And can keep up the entire time, even against seven of me, for as long as need be.

Izanagi blocked a few of the blades with the long shaft of his spear, and easily glided around the rest.

He'd twist his body one way to somehow dodge several swings at once in the chaotic dance of swords, in a way, he's doing his dance.

His was a very rigid, efficient, style of movement. It sacrificed form over sheer practicality. It lacked grace, yet somehow, that made it graceful in its way?

Heh. Look at me judging fighting styles. If it works, it works.

His certainly did.

There was a twist this time, or at least nothing I'd truly call a twist.

Instead, in the middle of the mosh pit of swords, the god holding a spear would start critiquing us.

"Straighten out your foot, loose footwork is a loose stroke!" He calls out to a clone after easily passing them by.

"Arms tucked in! Your blade is already long enough, you do not need to make your swing wider." He hisses to another as he blocks their swing.

"Unnecessary movement there. There's no need to shift your feet like that, keep them firm!" He calls, here and there, again and again.

Honestly. He sounds like a restaurant critic on Yelp.

I'd also be lying if I said this wasn't my favorite part of all this training so far, though.

With my breathing techniques back up, I can pretty much go forever, so…

I wonder what this old man will have to say about all the other forms I remade?

~ A New Sun ~

Hour after hour passes, as Susanoo sits on his throne.

Yet, that feeling in his gut, that trepidation stirring in his stomach remains, and continues to grow stronger.

This phantom pain, this sinking dread…

He shut down all exits and entrances to Yomi a while ago.

Yet the feeling didn't leave.

But it's fine. Everything is completely, and utterly fine.

Everything will be worth it.

Even when Ama eventually comes down to have words with him over all this, he's got a plan for her too.

He's dealt with her before, he can do it again.

His foot taps the ground restlessly, echoing like the ceaseless falling of rain.

His hand flexs, back and forth, gripping a phantom blade.

He stares, glaring at the spot where he sent his Nephew away.

It's almost like he's asking for something to happen.

Yet, when it does, he can only be stunned silent, the pit in his stomach dropping.

At exactly four hours after he sent his nephew away, a column of pure white explodes into existence, right in the middle of the throne room.

He recognizes the Holy Spirit Power almost immediately.

Father.

But it isn't him who walks out from the pillar of light, instead, it's…

"Nephew…" Susanoo murmurs, eyes widening as his all too smug Nephew smirks at him.

He's stronger now.

Several times stronger now.

What.

"Met your Dad," his nephew starts, eyes swirling into Tomoe, "he said you're a whiny little bitch who needed to be spanked more as a child."

What.

Then there was smoke, a massive explosion of it bursting out from all around him as the pillar subsided.

As it cleared, there stood several of his nephew.

At least a dozen.

Fucking clones. His divine senses, from just a cursory glance, couldn't see which one was fake, and which was real.

Not like they gave him the chance to look much.

"Every man for himself!"

They all screamed at once, before scattering.

He rose, lightning coiling his form as his eyes blazed, his arm swung out, and at its peak, his blade appeared.

Ama-no-Habakiri appeared, and the throne room blazed with rolling thunder, covering the walls, floor, ceiling, everything.

The mostly empty throne room that is, save for himself.

Wait.

He was too slow…?

No. His nephew had gotten faster. Far faster than he was before.

How?

Susanoo snarled, dark taint dripping from his blade like a poison, as the palace creaked at the storm brewing outside.

"FATHER!" He roared, "WHAT KIND OF GAME ARE YOU PLAYING!?"

Why!? He never cared! So why!?

Lightning flashed outside, the palace began to actively sway under the force of the raging storm outside.

Fuck it.

No more waiting around.

After he drags the last of Kagustuchi from that boy's cooling corpse, he'll beat his nephew into the dirt, then go down to Kuni and do the same to him.

But…then Mother will…

No. He steels his will. She'll see his reasons, all will be well.

He'll make it well, with his own two hands.

Unlike his Father before him, he won't cower from doing what needs to be done!