Chapter 79: The Mountain God of Inari, or Just a Monster?
The act of fulfilling a vow refers to the price one must pay after a wish, solicited from a deity, has come true.
As technology advances, humanity has gradually lost its reverence for the creatures they once conjured in their imaginations—the gods—constantly discarding them like tools that have served their purpose.
In the past, both the solicitation and the fulfillment of vows to gods were extremely demanding.
Not only did one need to bathe, change clothes, and perform numerous rituals before the plea, but the price for the fulfillment had to be decided upon at the time of the request and strictly executed immediately after the wish was granted.
It was precisely because people back then understood that nothing in this world comes for free, yet they had absolutely no idea where to direct their efforts, that a series of complex rituals gradually evolved to appease the unknowable deities.
Miko Yotsuya remembered that after she first made her wish to be protected, that 'God' had appeared once, and may have stated the price and requirements she needed to fulfill for the vow. Unfortunately, it wasn't that she didn't want to know, but that she simply couldn't understand what those strange syllables meant.
So, considering that many traditions include the custom of offering fine food to deities, the only method Miko Yotsuya could think of was indeed the offering of food.
Other methods were truly strange; she couldn't realistically capture a pile of animals for a sacrifice, let alone a human sacrifice.
However, there were no strict requirements for the offered food. Fruits, specialty dishes, and meats were all acceptable. The quick-witted Miko Yotsuya then settled on what she believed was the very best food—the bento box personally prepared by Emiya!
To be honest, Miko Yotsuya was quite reluctant to hand over this bento box, only doing so out of fear that the 'God' would not be satisfied with ordinary food. No matter how delicious it is, eating the same food every day can certainly make one tired of it, but Emiya manages to come up with new variations every day.
'Goodbye, my bento!'
Having finally made the choice, Miko Yotsuya felt heartbroken. After a long hesitation, she finally set the bento down completely and gently pulled the rope connected to the bell.
While Miko Yotsuya was inwardly conflicted, Emiya was carefully observing the terrain of the entire shrine.
Starting from the torii gate, which signifies the boundary between the human world and the divine realm, the entire shrine was remarkably neat.
Although moss had grown on the stone pavement, there was not a single fallen leaf on the ground, nor any sound, a stark contrast to the messy mountain forest outside.
Apart from the necessary torii, the main hall, and two fox-shaped statues of divine attendants, the shrine had no other superfluous buildings.
No matter who originally established this shrine, since it was set up in such a remote mountain forest, it must be a shrine dedicated to a Mountain God. In a certain ancient era, the villagers living near these mountains jointly built this shrine, likely seeking favorable weather and a bountiful harvest.
This is because, in most less formal folk religions, the Mountain God and the Inari God are overlapping concepts. Even the orthodox mythological Inari God is sometimes classified as a type of Mountain God. And because foxes prey on mice, which are harmful to agricultural production, the primary divine attendants of the Inari God are foxes, and the deity is sometimes referred to by the folk as the 'God of the Three Foxes.'
The strange divine attendants just seen had fox appearances, and the two statues in front of the main hall were also shaped like foxes. It is highly likely that the Mountain God worshipped at this shrine is the Inari God, or some evolution thereof.
That being said, what exactly was the deal with those two bizarre divine attendants? Was it simply someone trying to impersonate a god, or... besides Cursed Spirits, which are born from negative emotions, could creatures similar to deities genuinely be born from faith? Not the already-existing divine species of the Magecraft world, but purely creatures born from human belief...
Ding-a-ling
Just as Emiya was immersed in contemplation of the shrine, the bell in the main hall suddenly rang.
Whoosh
Accompanied by the rustling sound of wind blowing through fallen leaves, the 'God' Miko Yotsuya spoke of simultaneously appeared in the center of the shrine.
Compared to the two individuals, and even the main hall of the shrine, its figure was majestic. Its lower body was indistinguishable from a fox, and multiple tails were swaying behind it, which perfectly matched Emiya's conjecture about the Inari God.
The only strange point was that its head did not resemble a fox; instead, it looked exactly like a goat's head, with a distinctly sharp muzzle and long horns. Of course, the most important factor was the golden exterior that was utterly unlike that of a Cursed Spirit.
If Cursed Spirits are dangerous just to look at, this 'God' conveyed more of a sense of majesty and sanctity. Combined with the two divine attendants guarding its left and right, this feeling was only intensified.
Miko Yotsuya instinctively glanced back at the body whose shadow completely obscured her. A feeling of fear instinctively arose in her heart, but she immediately felt much better upon seeing Emiya standing right next to her.
'It's okay, it must be okay.'
Comforting herself inwardly, Miko Yotsuya quickly clasped her hands together and gently clapped in front of the offertory box.
'Thank you for helping me, thank you...'
After completing the simple ritual she had learned online, Miko Yotsuya carefully turned her head, only to find that the situation did not look very good.
"☐☐☐☐ ☐☐!" "☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐, ☐☐☐☐☐☐!"
The God seated in the center remained still, but the two divine attendants each took a step forward, uttering some incomprehensible words. However, judging by their slightly ferocious expressions and exposed fangs, they seemed quite dissatisfied with the offering.
Just as the divine attendant on the left reached out a hand, intending to do something, the Mountain God suddenly moved. It extended a massive yet defined sharp claw and pressed it directly onto the head of the attendant who dared to act.
Bang!
The imagined scene of blood gushing did not occur; the attendant's body simply disintegrated into a heap of fallen leaves on the ground.
The Mountain God paid no mind to the state of its attendant. It slowly leaned its head forward, bringing the area resembling a mouth close to the bento Miko Yotsuya had placed there.
"Great, it looks like he doesn't hate the offering."
Miko Yotsuya, who had quickly moved back to Emiya's side, breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing this.
Although it was strange that a creature like a Mountain God would enjoy Emiya's bento, as long as the trouble could be resolved, everything was fine.
"Don't relax your guard yet, Miko-san."
Emiya was still watching the Mountain God closely. He had a feeling that things wouldn't end so simply. If this were a genuine benevolent deity, the divine attendant just now wouldn't have shown such a furious posture, and the Mountain God certainly wouldn't have shattered it without hesitation.
Sure enough, in the next second, this creature, supposedly the Mountain God, 'opened its mouth.'
This wasn't a conventional motion; instead, its entire head violently split open, blossoming like a gathering flower bud to reveal a mouth full of fangs within.
The four sections of the 'mouth' collectively bit down on the bento, swallowing it whole, bento box and all.
After completing this series of movements, the head reassembled into its original form.
The remaining divine attendant on the right spoke again, its expression noticeably calmer than before.
"See? I told you it would definitely be fine.
Emiya-kun's handmade bento—of course, even a Mountain God would love it."
Miko Yotsuya seemed to have developed a blind faith in Emiya in a strange way.
Saying the bento is delicious is one thing, but could there really be food that can cause hallucinations, cure diseases, or even shimmer with golden light when it's made? That's clearly not because it tastes good; it must have been laced with something potent! Besides, with a mouth that looks like that, does it even possess the sense of taste?
"I don't recall my bento having those effects... Wait a minute?!"
Just as Emiya himself was about to be convinced by this assumption of peace, the Mountain God's body suddenly moved again.
Its head split open once more.
And this time, it wasn't just the head; a large portion of its body began to crack along its contours, writhing violently in the air like tentacles. From inside the body grew one human-shaped hand after another, followed by a rush of bells, all surging upward along with the tumultuous flesh.
Finally, the flesh re-condensed at the top to form a head that looked human, except that it was covered with numerous messy strands of hair, and its two eyes were made purely of bells.
In its current appearance, it truly had no difference from an ordinary Cursed Spirit, and was perhaps even more terrifying. However, throughout this entire process, the golden light covering its body never faded, even after it completely transformed into a monstrous form.
With its internal organs exposed, it extended its grotesquely long neck and hands, slowly reaching out toward the two of them.
"Wh-why... didn't it like the offering?!"
Even Miko Yotsuya, who had seen all sorts of monsters, couldn't help but take half a step back in fright. Seeing the crisis imminent, Emiya immediately stepped forward two paces, shielding Miko Yotsuya behind him.
"Perhaps it was so satisfied that it plans to sacrifice both of us together?"
In earlier times, the phenomenon of sacrificing live humans to a god to pray for peace in a region was commonplace!
"Eh, that's possible too?"
Is the bento being too delicious also a fault?
"No time for talk! Retreat to a safer spot, Miko-san!"
Emiya couldn't sense much Cursed Energy flow from this now thoroughly monstrous creature. But purely judging by its terrifying appearance, it was already much stronger than the Special Grade 'Finger Cursed Spirit' from yesterday.
"Trace On!"
Without waiting for the opponent to attack, Emiya preemptively projected Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe and swung them towards the monster's head.
Slice—!
The blades were blocked by the 'Mountain God's' broad, human-like hands, sinking slightly but going no further.
Was its body strength too high?
No, that's not right... it's because the exorcism runes on Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe are completely ineffective against this thing! It has transformed into this shape, yet it still doesn't count as a yōkai or evil spirit?!
"Agh!!!"
Suddenly attacked, the 'Mountain God's' bizarre head immediately let out a terrifying roar, causing the entire shrine... no, the entire mountain range to shake simultaneously.
Undoubtedly, even if this monster cannot be classified as a deity, it truly has an inseparable link to this mountain and land, completely different from an ordinary Cursed Spirit.
Emiya didn't have time for deep thought on these matters, because the monster's other hand quickly slammed down with exaggerated speed. Unable to retreat and evade, Emiya could only swiftly cross Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe in front of him.
Boom!
The force transmitted from the blades was more terrifying than expected, instantly pushing Emiya's defense back against his body, and the ground simultaneously collapsed, cracking open with a long, multi-meter fissure.
This so-called Mountain God showed no signs of verbal intelligence from start to finish, but the remaining attendant not far away was visibly furious at this sight, extending its hand and tightly clenching it toward Emiya.
Despite the absence of Cursed Energy or Cursed Technique fluctuations, Emiya felt immense pressure surrounding him, squeezing him from all directions.
Fortunately, while the attack was strange, its power was not excessively strong. And although the power of the monster in front of him was enormous, it did not seem to use Cursed Techniques; it was just a bizarre and hugely powerful shell.
"...Trace On!"
Emiya struggled to push the opponent's hand away and jumped back. He then raised his left arm high, allowing the light of his Magic Circuits to flash, eventually forming a crudely crafted Axe-Sword.
If his strength is simply stronger and greater than this so-called Mountain God, won't the problem be easily solved?
Lifting the Axe-Sword high above his head with a single hand, Emiya leapt towards the monster and swung the enormous weapon at its head without hesitation.
CRASH—!
An invisible blast of air blew the scattered leaves outward, and the monster's massive body was violently thrown to the ground by the tremendous force, its two bell-shaped eyes spinning wildly in its head.
Regardless of how scary it was, its appearance right now was quite comical.
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