Chapter 215: The Worldly Vessel
by DiswaDeath is certain, but life is like a hibernation.
Minamoto Kiyomoto’s frozen limbs, frozen body, and frozen heart came back to life.
He subconsciously thought that he was still in the dark and cold body of “Akan,” like a crypt, with cold air like white ghosts.
But when he turned his eyeballs and looked around, the plain was covered in snow, a vast expanse of white. In the distance, a few familiar mountain peaks came into view.
The world was white and silent. Under the sunlight, the ice field shone with white light.
Between the heavens and the earth, there was not a single sound.
Minamoto Kiyomoto squinted his eyes slightly, unable to tell whether it was the sun or the snow that was a little dazzling.
This was not heaven, but the deep valley where Rikka went into seclusion every winter.
‘Did Rikka save me?’ This thought popped into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mind.
He struggled to turn his head and saw Rikka lying in the snow. Her white long hair and snow-white skin almost merged with the snow.
If one was not careful, one would mistake her for snow and the snow for her.
After waiting for a while, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s right hand finally moved. He pushed aside her bangs, and the shattered ice crystal artifact was embedded in her forehead.
His fingertips slid slightly, and the ice crystal fell off and was hidden in the snow, waiting for someone to pick it up one day.
From the ice crystal, Minamoto Kiyomoto felt the divine energy of “Akan.”
Rikka opened her eyes. She looked at the azure sky. After two seconds, she turned her head to look at Minamoto Kiyomoto.
“This is how I was picked up by my master,” she said.
“Are you Akan, or Akan’s child?”
“Are you going to name me Akan?” Rikka asked Minamoto Kiyomoto. “When my master picked me up, she also asked me, ‘Are you snow, or a child of snow?’ and then said, ‘Snow is Rikka, and also Senmo. From now on, you are Rikka, the Senmo Miko.'”
Minamoto Kiyomoto was stunned for a moment, then he laughed.
“What do you want to be called?” he asked.
“Minamoto Akan?”
“Hahaha, Akan is fine.”
“Hmm. Kiyomoto, my divine power is still sealed for a while. I don’t have any clothes. We…”
“Wait… what are you doing… no… why can you move already?”
“I am Akan, a child of snow.”
After learning from Little Butterfly what Kamiyo had said, Himegami Izayoi wanted to rush over immediately to see her daughter.
But she couldn’t.
She couldn’t bring danger to Kamiyo and Ayako.
Himegami Izayoi and Kamibayashi Miko sat down under the cherry blossom tree again.
“That’s great,” Himegami Izayoi said with a smile.
The cherry blossoms blew down, danced in her hair, and landed on the hem of her kimono. Kamibayashi Miko knew the feeling Minamoto Kiyomoto had when he first saw Himegami Izayoi.
“Don’t be too happy,” she also couldn’t help but smile. “If you’re too happy, you’ll be targeted by Konohanasakuya-hime.”
“If she dares to come, the two of us will join forces and kill her,” Himegami Izayoi said with a laugh.
At this time, a maid in a cherry blossom-colored kimono walked out of the cherry blossoms like a cloud and said to the two of them:
“Your Majesty, Lord Divine Medium, Amatsumara sent a message that the Worldly Vessel was suddenly completed.”
“Suddenly completed?” Kamibayashi Miko was puzzled.
A weapon refiner, why would he use the word ‘suddenly completed’ for weapon refining?
A golden butterfly flew out from between her black hair and shook off golden dots like sand in mid-air.
The golden dots outlined a picture.
Like a mirror, Lake Biwa. At the bottom of the lake, the Amatsumara clan, with the support of the entire Kansai, was constantly collecting ‘starry sky liquid’.
These black liquids, with a faint blue luster and small lights, slowly swirled like a nebula. The last time she saw them, they were still accumulating drop by drop.
And at this time, they were all gathered in mid-air.
“I knew you would take a look,” in the picture, Itomi Sayaka said. “It’s real, not a trap.”
Himegami Izayoi and Kamibayashi Miko looked at each other. The two of them quickly got up and secretly rushed to Lake Biwa.
“Your Majesty, Lord Divine Medium!” The Kasen guarding Lake Biwa bowed to the two of them.
“Hmm,” Himegami Izayoi replied.
The two of them came to the forging room, as if they had suddenly come to space and walked into a nebula.
“You’re here,” Itomi Sayaka walked over.
“What’s the situation? Why was it suddenly completed?” Himegami Izayoi asked.
“I don’t know. I asked that old man Amatsumara, and he didn’t know either. At that time, all the starry sky liquid flew up and gathered on the embryo on its own.”
Himegami Izayoi’s gaze swept across and found Amatsumara. He was staring blankly at the starry sky liquid in mid-air.
“Amatsumara,” her voice was majestic.
Amatsumara was startled. He came back to his senses and saw the two of them. He quickly walked over.
He was still halfway there, and his waist was already bent.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!” Amatsumara bowed.
“What’s going on?” Himegami Izayoi asked.
“I don’t know either…”
Himegami Izayoi saw his stammering appearance and knew that he really didn’t know.
“Didn’t you say it was suddenly completed?” Kamibayashi Miko looked at the turbulent starry sky.
“It is indeed completed,” Amatsumara paused and said hesitantly, “but with my strength, I can’t control the power of the stars, and I can’t make it take shape.”
“The power of the stars?”
“Yes. Divine energy is the natural power of the earth; life force is the power of human faith; and the Worldly Vessel is the third kind of power, the power of the stars in the universe. Only the stars can break the barrier of knowledge and let ordinary people see the divine energy.”
“You’ve said so much. How can we master this power?” Itomi Sayaka interrupted his chatter.
“…I really don’t know,” Amatsumara was both terrified and annoyed. He frowned and thought about a solution.
Himegami Izayoi had no time to care about her subordinate’s incompetence at this time. She looked at Kamibayashi Miko.
“This is Kansai’s divine artifact. Are you willing to give it to me?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.
“Don’t be long-winded. Hurry up,” Himegami Izayoi replied.
Kamibayashi Miko smiled and turned her gaze to the starry sky.
The golden light, like a living thing, spread around her body. In the soft golden light, her figure gradually blurred.
Strands of light penetrated into the turbulent starry sky.
“It’s working! It’s working!” Amatsumara’s eyes widened. He was so excited that he forgot his etiquette. His dream since he was a child was about to be realized.
“Dong!” It was like a giant log hitting a big bell, and also like the sky turning into an iron hammer, fiercely smashing towards Lake Biwa.
The entire Lake Biwa exploded with a bang.
This lake, which was formed 4 million years ago and was the third oldest lake in the world, was like a small puddle after the rain, and was “stepped on” into a vacuum.
The lake water formed a big wave and rushed towards the mountains and fields around the lake. Countless trees were washed away by their roots.
The experts from the Judiciary Bureau who were on guard around were hit by the huge wave and the majestic force in the huge wave, and they fell in the air, dizzy.
Some exploded in the air, some were unconscious, and fell into the mountain forest, pierced by stones and branches.
In the blink of an eye, the three thousand experts that Himegami Izayoi had arranged in Biwa had lost more than half.
“Taiko! Ogosho!” Himegami Izayoi held the Yata no Kagami, and the mirror light shot towards the sky.
At the end of the mirror light were the Taiko holding the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the Ogosho commanding the magatama.
From a distance, Himegami Izayoi was like a ball of fire, continuously providing power to the Yata no Kagami, while the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the magatama were like two huge comets that would hit the earth.
Himegami Izayoi turned her head to look at Kamibayashi Miko. In a ball of golden light, her figure could no longer be seen.
She gritted her teeth and could only support herself with all her strength.
“Lord of Kyoto, hand over the Yata no Kagami. I promise to let you and your daughter live a peaceful and prosperous life,” the Ogosho said loudly.
“Okay, you take back the magatama first,” Himegami Izayoi was so angry that she laughed.
The pressure of the war in these years had made the Ogosho’s control of the magatama even better. At this time, the feeling he gave her was no weaker than the Taiko’s.
“Why waste your breath on her? After we kill her, I’ll use the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to split the Yata no Kagami in half. Kanto and Hokkaido will each have half.”
“Haha, as expected of the Taiko. This is a good proposal!”
Himegami Izayoi was about to mock the two of them, but her chest suddenly felt stuffy, and the mirror light was completely suppressed by the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the magatama.
If she chose to escape, she could barely deal with it with the Yata no Kagami, and could even escape into the deep sea and leave.
But Kamibayashi Miko had entered the world of capacity and was subduing the ‘Worldly Vessel’. If she left, it didn’t matter what happened to the ‘Worldly Vessel’. Kamibayashi Miko would definitely be evaporated like the water of Lake Biwa under the two forces.
“Takeo! You dare to betray Your Majesty!”
“Kanto, Kansai, and Hokkaido are all one family in Japan. How can there be betrayal?”
Himegami Izayoi’s peripheral vision swept across. At the bottom of Lake Biwa, Itomi Sayaka and Amatsumara were fighting with the Takeo Kasen.
The Takeo Kasen was born on Chikubu Island on Lake Biwa. It was Amatsumara who had chosen this place to forge the ‘Worldly Vessel’. Seeing that he was familiar with the terrain, she had personally sealed him.
She didn’t expect that this inconspicuous island master of Chikubu Island actually had the strength to fight against Itomi Sayaka and Amatsumara.
Because he often trained at the bottom of Lake Biwa, even Minamoto Kiyomoto had not discovered that he was a traitor.
“Sayaka, Amatsumara, kill him!” Himegami Izayoi ordered coldly.
“Ogosho, it seems that our sincerity is not enough,” the Taiko sighed faintly.
As soon as he finished speaking, he and the Ogosho, no longer stingy with their life force, fully awakened the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the magatama.
The Yata no Kagami buzzed, and blood overflowed from Himegami Izayoi’s bright red lips.
Amatsumara was anxious and couldn’t help but glance at the ‘Worldly Vessel’. The dark starry sky was already half penetrated by the golden light, but it still hadn’t taken shape.
“While I’m fighting, you dare to be distracted!” The Takeo Kasen clasped his hands together, and the lake water that was constantly flowing back into Lake Biwa from all directions showed countless light and shadows.
These light and shadows, wrapped in lake water, were like a tornado, and also like a drill, and they smashed towards Amatsumara.
By the time Amatsumara came back to his senses, it was already too late. After barely blocking hundreds of water currents, he was heavily smashed to the bottom of the lake by the lake water.
Fortunately, he had a protective divine power, and the clothes he was wearing were also divine artifacts, so he barely survived.
Without Amatsumara’s support, Itomi Sayaka immediately fell into a disadvantage.
The Takeo Kasen was also anxious.
If he couldn’t leave Lake Biwa before the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the magatama broke the Yata no Kagami, he would die in the aftershocks without even his ashes left.
He thought that after injuring Amatsumara, he could quickly deal with Itomi Sayaka. Who knew that this woman was also proficient in various water spells.
And the divine power he had hidden in the water of Lake Biwa had been used on Amatsumara. At this time, these lake waters became the other party’s helper instead.
The mirror light was constantly being pressed down. The two of them not only had to worry about each other, but also had to pay attention to the white light of the three divine artifacts above their heads.
Once they poked their heads out, they would definitely be swallowed up like sand falling into the sea.
In the stalemate, the light on Kamibayashi Miko’s body suddenly dissipated. At the same time, the turbulent starry sky, like a dark cloud illuminated by the sun, merged with the golden light.
Kamibayashi Miko’s body swayed, and she almost fell. Her divine power was exhausted.
“Takeo!” the Ogosho shouted.
The Takeo Kasen repelled Itomi Sayaka and flew towards the ‘Worldly Vessel’ on the ground.
The golden and black clouds continued to condense and deform, turning into a long sword.
The body of the sword was black, with golden patterns on it, and the edge was glowing with a faint blue light, as if it was a corner of the starry sky seen through a gap as big as a sword.
A majesty different from all things vibrated from the body of the sword.
“Don’t let him get it!” Amatsumara shouted and struggled to stand up.
Itomi Sayaka was speechless and stared at the Takeo Kasen. Her御风咒was pushed to the limit.
The Takeo Kasen looked at the ‘Worldly Vessel’ not far away. His heart was burning, and he couldn’t even breathe smoothly.
After the war began, all the practitioners understood the power of the three divine artifacts.
In front of the three divine artifacts, whether it was a practitioner or a county-level yokai, they were not worth mentioning.
And now, as long as he got the ‘Worldly Vessel’, he could go from being a chess piece to a chess player. Maybe he could occupy Kansai and become the new Lord of Kyoto.
Thinking of this, the Takeo Kasen suddenly rushed forward. At this moment, his御风咒actually entered a new realm.
“Hiss—” The Takeo Kasen disappeared.
Itomi Sayaka’s whole body trembled. She was so scared that she swung her palm forward and forcefully stopped her forward momentum.
“What’s going on?” she was covered in cold sweat.
The ‘Worldly Vessel’ fell straight down and was inserted into the ground, leaving only the hilt.
Itomi Sayaka turned her head to look at Kamibayashi Miko, and then looked at Amatsumara as if she had just remembered.
“I don’t know,” Amatsumara was also at a loss. “I just forged it, but I don’t understand it.”
“You forged it, how can you not understand it?” Itomi Sayaka didn’t believe it and questioned, “Even if you can’t control it, you should know why it makes people disappear!”
“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” Amatsumara fell into deep thought.
Kamibayashi Miko looked at Himegami Izayoi. The mirror light in her hand was like Lake Biwa in the wind, trembling slightly.
Kamibayashi Miko took a deep breath, suppressed the dizziness of her divine power being drained in an instant, and walked towards the ‘Worldly Vessel’.
“Miko!” Itomi Sayaka hurriedly stopped her. “You can’t go over!”
“Then what should we do?” Kamibayashi Miko did not resist, but asked calmly.
Itomi Sayaka’s face became even paler.
Her eyes flickered for a long time, and she withdrew her blocking hand.
Kamibayashi Miko continued to walk towards the ‘Worldly Vessel’.
“Miko,” Himegami Izayoi called out with difficulty.
Kamibayashi Miko did not look back.
She took every step, and the Taiko and the Ogosho became crazier.
Himegami Izayoi still held on. Kamibayashi Miko did not disappear.
She held the hilt of the sword and pulled it out with all her strength. The sword did not move, as eternal and heavy as the starry sky.
“I understand, I understand, I understand!” Amatsumara suddenly shouted.
“Understand what?” everyone looked at him.
“It’s over, it’s all over,” Amatsumara suddenly muttered to himself.
“What on earth did you understand?!” Itomi Sayaka grabbed his collar and cursed.
“It’s impossible.”
“What’s impossible?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.
“No one can use that sword.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Itomi Sayaka said anxiously.
“Natural power, human power, and starry sky power, the three are combined… no wonder, no wonder the Worldly Vessel appeared on its own!”
“Appeared on its own? Didn’t you forge it? Hurry up and think of a way!”
“It’s useless. After the three powers are combined, a new power will be born. No one can use that power. Forging this sword was indeed my own will, but from the moment the embryo appeared…”
With a “bang”, Himegami Izayoi spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.
The body of the Yata no Kagami fell to the ground with a “clang”. I was worried that it would break just like that.
The Taiko and the Ogosho stopped at the same time.
The Taiko’s gaze turned to the ‘Worldly Vessel’. He wanted to get longevity from the unknown.
The Ogosho’s gaze turned to the Yata no Kagami. That would give him more power and strength.
Itomi Sayaka was hit by the aftershocks and sat on the ground paralyzed.
The ground of the forging room, which was originally smooth and tidy, and harder than rock, was now like the stone slab road of an ancient capital that had gone through a thousand years, full of potholes.
“Yuki,” she could only look at the sky, not daring to look in the direction of her sister.
Kamibayashi Miko supported Himegami Izayoi, her face soft and calm.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s me, cough, it’s me who’s sorry,” Himegami Izayoi said weakly. “If it weren’t for the Worldly Vessel, we… cough, cough… could have waited for Kiyomoto to come back.”
“It seems we won’t be able to see him one last time,” Kamibayashi Miko said.
“It’s too early to say that.”
Kamibayashi Miko, Himegami Izayoi, and Itomi Sayaka suddenly turned their heads and looked at the source of the voice.
“Minamoto Kiyomoto!” The Taiko and the Ogosho were shocked. They reached out at the same time and took the Yata no Kagami into their hands.
The Taiko let go and gave the Yata no Kagami to the Ogosho—without the Lord of Kyoto’s spell, the Yata no Kagami was just a sturdy mirror.
Minamoto Kiyomoto, dressed in black and wearing a golden crown, and Rikka, in a snow-white kimono, slowly descended from the sky.
“Kiyomoto-kun,” the Ogosho did not rush to make a move and said kindly, “give me the spell of the Yata no Kagami, and I’ll let you and them leave.”
Minamoto Kiyomoto ignored him and walked towards the ‘Worldly Vessel’.
“It’s impossible, it’s useless,” Amatsumara murmured. “After the three powers are combined, fate has already descended. This sword is just the fate we think it is. No one can see the real fate, and no one can control it.”
Minamoto Kiyomoto pulled out the ‘Worldly Vessel’.
Black with a hint of blue, with golden patterns flowing continuously, this was the incarnation of the incredible.
Amatsumara’s whole body trembled, and his eyes widened.
“Fate always flocks to the powerful and the tyrannical. It will submit itself to a person’s will for many years.
“Fate likes these arrogant and willful people. These people are very similar to itself, both are equally unpredictable.”
Minamoto Kiyomoto stroked the body of the sword.
For him, everything in this world was like an open book, which could be read at any time. Humanity had no secrets.
“Fate? Just with this sword?” The Taiko flicked his sleeve, and the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi appeared in his hand.
Minamoto Kiyomoto pointed his sword diagonally.
The crowd forgot to breathe.
The ‘Worldly Vessel’ pierced through time and space. At the tip of the sword was a still seven or eight-year-old child, who was the Taiko as a child.
Minamoto Kiyomoto slowly withdrew his sword from the past.
“I don’t want to change the past, the encounter between me, Miko, Koyako, and Rikka,” he said.
“So, I’m going to kill you now.”
[Marriage Contract]
- The man and woman who enter into this contract will follow the will of the gods and enter into a new life as one, sharing happiness.
- In this unity, the woman takes the man as her husband, and the man takes the woman as his wife.
- The husband has the obligation to love and protect his wife with all his heart, and the wife has the obligation to respect and assist her husband with all her heart.
Based on the above content, Minamoto Kiyomoto, Himegami Izayoi, Kamibayashi Miko, and Rikka, on this day, which is April of the first year of Shenwu, enter into this marriage contract and sign their respective names as proof.
Minamoto Kiyomoto
Himegami Izayoi
Kamibayashi Miko
Rikka
The Tokyo Daijingu was the first secret shrine to hold a Shinto wedding, and it was later opened to the public.
Minamoto Kiyomoto sat at the head, beside him was Himegami Izayoi in a white kimono and a red kimono jacket; Kamibayashi Miko in a white kimono and a golden kimono jacket; and Rikka in a white kimono and an ice-blue kimono jacket.
The banquet lasted until it was almost dark, which was the legendary “demon time.”
Minamoto Kiyomoto noticed that there were too many people.
At the banquet, Minamoto Nagatoku looked a little old and wandered around. Minamoto Kiyone, who was beside him, was dressed as a married woman. Minamoto Kiyomi was still wearing a girl’s kimono.
The head of the Ichijo family had been replaced by the cousin who had taken him to the flower street.
Rabbit, Yuka, Fatty, and the others had also matured a lot.
A few three or four-year-old children ran in, followed by an eleven or twelve-year-old girl. She was polite, and the crowd hurriedly called out, “Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”
The girl returned the greeting one by one.
Among the three or four-year-old children, two of them threw themselves into the arms of the Itomi sisters. Itomi Yuki shyly hugged the child, looking at him with a smile.
Itomi Sayaka patted the dust off the child’s clothes and pinched the child’s nose to scold her.
A handsome but somewhat dazed boy found Kamibayashi Miko, but Kamibayashi Miko pushed him into Rikka’s arms.
The little boy said he was thirsty.
Rikka fed him wine from her cup.
Kamibayashi Miko quickly took Rikka’s wine cup.
“Come here!” someone called out to the little boy.
Minamoto Kiyomoto followed the voice and saw his mother and Tamahime sitting together, looking at the boy with a smile.
Noticing his gaze, Tamahime looked over and secretly winked at him.
Noticing Minamoto Kiyomoto’s daze, Himegami Izayoi asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Minamoto Kiyomoto smiled and shook his head. He comfortingly patted Kamibayashi Miko’s hand.
Kamibayashi Miko looked at him strangely.
“Miko, do you believe in future people?”
Kamibayashi Miko did not answer, but poked his waist with a hand knife.
[The End]
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