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Published at 8th of September 2023 08:28:05 AM


Chapter 135

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AN: Sorry for the delay in chapters, the Insurance Adjuster came back with a lowball settlement. The amount was half of the lowest estimates I got from a few contractors so I have been working with Public Adjusters and other General Contractors to bump the amount up. So far the insurance is playing hardball, but we are slowly getting them to a reasonable amount. I always was told insurance companies were cheapskates, but up till this happened I never realized how bad it actually was.

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—Cole POV, Yasaka’s Village—

Rushing over to me as I returned from my lunch meeting, Yasaka asked me how things went with the Four Pantheon Leaders. Glancing over her shoulder at the many Elders who had gathered to meet with her today, all of them were visibly nervous as they await the news. Each of them had risked quite a lot to get to this point, and they were all likely hoping a good result came about from the meeting.

 

“It went just how I expected, they have agreed to my terms and will not bother any of the smaller factions moving forward. Each of the leaders will ensure their Pantheon Members know not to bother them, and have assured me proper punishments will be enacted for those who breach the agreement.”, I told Yasaka with a grin, “They have also agreed to sit down with us to discuss trade agreements. All parties agreed to flexible timelines as well so no more working yourselves to death for them.”

 

Hearing the news, I watched relief wash over the Elders as they began hugging one another. Doing the same with me, Yasaka held onto me tightly and thanked me for securing such great terms for them. Telling her that it was no big deal, I inquired how the meetings went with the other Elders.

 

“It went very well, our territory has expanded to encompass the entire island chain and a small part of the mainland. There were simply too many people to house them comfortably here, and thankfully there was plenty of land around us to expand into. Now that we have peace with the Hindu and Buddha Pantheons, we are in a very comfortable place again.”, Yasaka replied with a beaming smile, “If my grandmother and mother were still alive, they would be overwhelmed by how much our faction has grown. By the time things are settled, we will likely rival the Three Major Factions in overall strength.”

 

“Fortunately you will never need to find out if that is true.”, I said as she let go of me, “The Three Factions are all onboard with peace now so it should be smooth sailing for many centuries to come.”

 

Nodding her head in agreement, Yasaka insisted on introducing me to the many Elders that had joined the council. Introducing them to me one by one, I shook their hands and gave them a friendly greeting. Trying to call me Divine Lord Cole, I politely asked them to refer to me as Cole or Lord Cole. As Yasaka was doing the introductions a familiar face popped her head in to ask another important question.

 

“Ahem…I hate to be the one to bring this up, but what of the Shinto Pantheon?”, the Miko asked interjecting herself into the conversation, “Do we need to worry about potential issues with them moving forward?”

 

Cracking a devilish smile, I told her that I already had a plan in place for them. Hemmed in on all sides now their Pantheon had only a few options left open to them and with a little help from Indra and Sun Wukong…they would soon be forced to make a critical decision. Depending on how they decided to move forward, their Pantheon would either just barely limp by or they would be killed by outside forces.

 

“Since they are in dire straits now, I will stay here for a few nights just to be safe. If a certain someone decides they want to go out fighting, he will run straight into the jaws of certain death.”, I stated loud enough to ensure everyone present could hear me, “While I have no doubt that Yasaka alone could kill him at her current strength, I would rather not risk her safety.”

 

“This is your chance Lady Yasaka!!”, the Miko shouted as she spoke before realizing it.

 

“I told you not to say anything!”, Yasaka panicked with a bright red face, “So Cole…does that mean you will be staying in my home for the duration of your visit?”

 

“Hehe, kids nowadays.”, a few of the Elders teased her as they left to give us some privacy.

 

Nodding my head in response, I apologized for forcing this onto her. Violently shaking her head, Yasaka assured me that she was more than happy to have me stay with her. Telling me it would be like we were newlyweds, the naughty smile on her face said it would be much more than that. Deciding to ignore her expression, I suggested we head inside and have some tea.

 

—3rd Person POV, Next Day—

Following through with the agreement they made with Cole, word quickly spread about the deal Four Pantheons struck with Cole. As the details began to spread, the weaker Pantheons began to panic as they were left out in the cold. Seeing the writing on the wall for them, many Pantheons began grouping to save themselves while leaving the Shinto Pantheon all alone. Having been the cause of the Great Exodus of Believers, they were vilified by the other deities and were no longer welcome anywhere.

 

“Where is Inari..?”, Amaterasu inquired as she wished her close friend was here with her during this trying meeting.

 

“She is currently in the bath, Inari is still not in a good mental state after her encounter with Youkai and Cole.”, Sukunabikona replied with an apologetic look, “I told her to avoid coming here as it would likely degrade her mental state even more.”

 

“Frankly I do not blame her for skipping this meeting because there is not a lot to discuss.”, Hachiman said as he looked at the food on the table, “We cannot leave our realm without being attacked by the other Pantheons and no one will come to our aid. The Biblical God, Lord Azazel, and the Devils have all refused any attempts to speak with them…we have nowhere left to go. At the rate things are going, our time among the living will end in a few centuries now…”

 

Silently agreeing with his assessment of things, many of the Shinto Deities were ready to grovel at Cole’s feet for mercy. The remaining human followers they had would not sustain them, and now that they were cut off from the Human World…things would quickly go downhill for them. Glaring over at the man responsible for their dire situation, Susanoo was currently drinking himself into a stupor as he could not cope with the malice being directed at him. Unwilling to concede that he did anything wrong, in his mind, all he had to do was wait for his fellow deities to agree on attacking Cole head-on. Unfortunately, in his drunken state, he failed to realize that his only remaining ally in the Pantheon was slipping away from his side.

 

“There has to be something we can do…have we tried all the Pantheons?”, Amaterasu inquired trying to hide the fear she felt.

 

“Yes…we sent our envoys to everyone and no one would receive us. The Persians and Egyptians went as far as killing Fūjin and Raijin to show their disgust for us.”, Takemikazuchi replied having been the one to open the boxes with their heads in them.

 

(AN: This is not Mortal Kombat Fujin, it is the actual Shinto God of Wind.)

 

“Damn it Susanoo, do you have nothing to say about this!?”, Omoikane shouted at the God of Storms as his patience wore out, “You have not uttered a word this entire time, we are going to disappear because of you!!”

 

“It is not…my fault!”, Susanoo spat as he hiccuped, “If that bitch of a *hiccup* Kitsune had just done like I asked *hiccup* we would be fine. That wench went and got in bed with that *hiccup* Otherworlder and now acts like she is our equal! If all go and fight Cole together *hiccup* I know we could kill him!! We *hiccup* are the strongest deities in the world, haha!!”

 

Having taken all they could bear, many of the deities present began plotting to hand Susanoo over to Cole as a peace offering. As the man responsible for their suffering, their hope was that Cole would show them mercy if they offered the one responsible for attempting to disgrace Yasaka and the Youkai Faction. While many were on board with this plan the only thing holding them back was Amaterasu, and by this point, she was holding on by a single thread. Feeling the expectant stares of her subordinates upon her, their leader finally acknowledged she was at the end of the road with her brother.

 

‘I have no choice anymore…I cannot continue to cover for his mistakes any longer. Even though we are related by blood, it falls on me to do what is best for our Pantheon.’, Amaterasu thought looking at the man that once was her innocent younger brother, “Susanoo, I am sorry but going to war with Cole is simply not an option for us. The Devils, Heaven, several other Pantheons, and the new, powerful Youkai Faction alone are already too much for us to handle. Attacking Cole directly would be the death of us all, and there would be no glory to be had in a one-sided slaughter. As the leader of our Pantheon, I have to make the difficult decision of how to protect us as a whole. I truly wish it had not come to this dear brother, but I can no longer shield you from punishment. We will hold a vote tomorrow morning to decide if we shall offer Susanoo to Lord Cole for mercy.”

 

“*hiccup* That is not a funny joke sister dear.”, Susanoo laughed dryly.

 

“I…I am sorry brother, I have no choice here.”, Amaterasu said as she got up to leave with tears in her eyes, “I hoped that one day you would mature into the man our father thought you would be, but that day never came. While you may think little of me as your older sister, I have always loved you and cared deeply about you. One day when we meet again beyond the grave…I hope you will forgive me for this decision.”

 

Fleeing the room with a broken heart, Amaterasu needed time to gather her emotions and thoughts. Understanding that their leader was throwing away the only family she had, even though he was a piece of work, their respect for her grew as she demonstrated her commitment to them over her own family. Glaring at Susanoo as they began to leave one by one, most of the deities went to comfort Amaterasu and show that they would be there for her when this was all said and done.

 

Left alone in the Great Room, the realization that he was all alone and hit rock bottom…Susanoo broke. Instead of being remorseful or wanting to atone for his actions, the God of Storms flew into a blind rage as he began destroying the furniture in the room. Breaking plates and pottery too, once everything was in pieces, his target switched to someone who had recently humiliated him in front of his brethren. Still bitter and angry with Inari, he had a plan to enact his revenge on her before being cast out from his home.

 

‘If I am going to be thrown to the wolves tomorrow, I will make sure that Vixen never forgets me.’, he thought as he grabbed his sword and stumbled out of the room, ‘I refuse to die with my name still besmirched by that canine!’

 

Punching and cutting down any of the servants that got in his way, Susanoo left a trail of carnage behind him. Hearing the screams of their fellow Angels from the hallways, those that were tending to Inari poked their heads out and saw the enraged deity coming straight for them. Seeing the fresh blood on their swords, all of them understood what he was about to do to Inari.

 

“I have come here to teach you manners you vixen!!”, Susanoo shouted as he stumbled toward the bath, “Move out of my way if you wish to live!!”

 

“Someone fetch Lord Hachiman and Lady Amaterasu immediately!!”, one of the Angels commanded as they hurried jumped on Susanoo to slow him down, “He has gone insane!!”

 

Rushing past Susanoo, several Angels managed to flee while many more were cut down by him. Forgetting about the ones who escaped, Susanoo attempted to force his way in but the remaining Angels jumped on him. Desperately trying to save their Lady Inari from certain death, they screamed at her to run away from Susanoo. Hearing her stir within the bath, the God of Storms blasted the Angels off of him with lightning and cut the wall separating Inari from him in half.

 

“You disrespected me in front of our kin the other day, and now that I am about to die you will…”, Susanoo started to say as he saw the naked Inari in front of him trying to hide her body with a towel.

 

Forgetting all about his anger toward her, Susanoo felt a new urge wash over him. Feeling the sudden shift in his demeanor, Inari’s blood ran cold as she had seen those same eyes on several occasions. Realizing that no one was left to protect her and she was unarmed, Inari began screaming for help before Susanoo could force himself on her.

 

“Stay back!!”, she screamed as she grabbed a nearby stool, “I do not want this!! Please go back to your harem, and leave me be!!”

 

“Haha, I will show you the pleasures of being a woman and you shall sire me a child!”, Susanoo said as a twisted smile came over his face, “If I am to be thrown to the wolves tomorrow it is only right that I have a successor to my title. It is the least you can do after the disrespect you showed me the other day.”

 

“Lady Amaterasu!!! Lord Hachiman!!!”, Inari screamed as made a dash for the window, “Please someone help me!!”

 

Kicking a piece of lumber at her, the beam knocked Inari off her feet and onto the cold, stone floor. Ripping his shirt off, the God of Storms ran toward her as she floundered around trying to get up. Grabbing her tails before she could get going, Inari grabbed the same wooden beam and bashed it into his head. Momentarily releasing her, the Kitsune instinctively teleported herself out of the Pantheon to escape Susanoo. Going to the only place she felt safe from him, Inari stumbled into Yasaka’s Village screaming for help.

 

“Yasaka please help me!!”, Inari cried loudly as she ran through the mud toward her home, “I am sorry for being a lazy, no-good deity!!”

 

Hearing her cries for help, people began to stir in their homes and race to their doors. Seeing the almost nude Goddess racing toward Yasaka’s home, everyone was very confused about what was happening. Having no idea why Inari was here naked, some people thought the Shinto Gods were planning on using her to tempt Cole.

 

“Inari, I told you that I wanted nothing to do with the Shinto Pantheon ever again!!”, Yasaka shouted as she stepped out of her home, “Why are you coming here again to plead for-”

 

Seeing the expression on Inari’s face and the towel in her hand, Yasaka knew why she came. Having had the same expression when Susanoo made his ridiculous offer to her, the resentment she held for Inari vanished as the Goddess fell into the muddy roadway. Crawling through the mud with snot and tears running down her face, this was a woman desperate for someone to protect her from a monster.

 

“Please do not leave me!!!”, Inari cried gripping her nightgown with her muddy hands, “Call Lord Cole immediately, I would rather he kill me than let Susanoo touch me!!!”

 

Following after Inari, Susanoo arrived in the village in a drunken state and immediately locked eyes with the Goddess. Screaming bloody murder, Inari begged Yasaka for mercy and offered everything she had in exchange for her innocence to remain intact. Rushing toward the two of them with his katana drawn, a small metal object shot out of Yasaka’s home and blew straight through Susanoo. Hearing a deafening explosion erupt several miles away as the object hit a mountain range, the God of Storms looked down to see a massive hole in his chest.

 

“What…happened…”, he coughed as blood came out of his mouth.

 

“You came a lot earlier than I expected, good thing I decided to spend the night.”, Cole replied as he stepped around Yasaka and Inari, “This is my territory shit stain, and you came barreling in here with your weapon drawn. I hope you are ready because you just started a war that you are not going to win.”





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