The Heretic Gods of this world were, frankly speaking, unimpressive.
Even the monkey before him—Sun Wukong—was nothing special. His power was shackled, suppressed by the rules of this land and the distorted form of his incarnation.
Watching the monkey rush toward him once more, Izumi decided he had seen enough.
There was no need to keep playing around.
He activated the Human Order Safeguard Sphere.
"O God of the Void—hear this proclamation."
"Here and now, I declare the defeat of human wisdom."
"Our gaze has grown obsolete, our limbs feeble, our knowledge stagnant."
"Thus, in the name of humanity's final legacy, I consign countless decisions, innumerable failures, and all prosperity alike—unto nothingness."
"Let this single strike bring down the gods. Let the bell of revolution resound!"
Izumi's voice echoed across the planet.
Across the world, people unconsciously raised their heads toward the sky.
Most of all, those working aboard orbital stations froze in horror as they watched the Milky Way itself begin to distort.
The universe dimmed.
Stars shifted, rearranging themselves into colossal magic circles, ancient and absolute. From those formations, countless meteors tore free, blazing as they plunged toward Earth.
Their destination was unmistakable.
Japan.
At that instant, the entire Japanese divine system erupted into chaos.
The gods who had slumbered in legend were forcibly awakened.
From the depths of the Hidden World, the so-called Mikado—the one worshipped as Susanoo-no-Mikoto—burst forth. The man who had long manipulated Japan's occult societies from the shadows had lost all composure.
Fear twisted his face as he stared skyward.
One by one, Heretic Gods manifested.
Weak or strong, it no longer mattered. The skies above Japan became saturated with overwhelming divinity.
Several powerful shrine maidens collapsed on the spot, consciousness shattered by what they perceived.
They had seen the impossible.
Amaterasu Ōmikami.
Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.
Izanagi-no-Mikoto.
Izanami-no-Mikoto.
Ebisu.
Kagutsuchi.
The Eight Thunder Gods.
Ame-no-Tajikarao.
Every god whose name resounded within Takamagahara descended from myth into reality.
And without hesitation, they charged toward Izumi.
Their voices overlapped in furious condemnation.
"Godslayer—cease at once!"
"Insolent insect!"
"Stop this madness!"
"You dare raise your hand against our divine lineage?!"
"We will never forgive you!"
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If that attack were to land, Japan would vanish from the map.
And with its destruction, the faith sustaining these gods would be erased from history itself.
Deities born of belief could not survive such a fate.
How could they not be enraged?
Thus, they descended in force, abandoning Takamagahara to halt Izumi by any means necessary.
Yet Izumi merely sneered.
"So this is it?"
"A bunch of trash."
He held genuine contempt for the Japanese gods. A family of degenerates, every last one of them.
Behind him, Kanase Kanon hovered in the air, her excitement barely contained. The appearance of so many gods set her blood ablaze.
For the first time, she wanted to fight.
Her power surged, threatening to spill over.
Izumi noticed.
And laughed.
"If you want to do it," he said lightly, "then do it."
"Today, we slaughter to our hearts' content."
With a wave of his hand—
The meteors began their descent.
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All across Japan, people stared at the falling stars with hollow eyes.
Despair etched itself onto every face.
The members of the Official History Compilation Committee fled without dignity, abandoning all pretense of control.
Even Sun Wukong, who had been blasted away earlier, stared upward in shock.
But he did not yield.
Roaring, he invoked further Authorities.
"Supreme is the Receptive—through it all things are born, obedient to Heaven! The Earth bears all!"
"Mirror of Heaven and Earth, divine sword of Yin and Yang—by the oath of brotherhood, I, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, summon my sworn kin!"
"Come forth, Second Brother—Zhu Bajie!"
"Come forth, Third Brother—Sha Gojō!"
"Heaven quake! Earth tremble—hasten!"
Multiple Authorities erupted in succession.
Wukong forcibly summoned his subordinate gods—his sworn brothers.
At the same time, the Japanese gods unleashed their own powers.
"Now is the hour to exterminate barbarians of all directions—annihilate the heretics!"
"Thunder made manifest—rend the heavens!"
"I am the Moon God, ruler of Yomi!"
Authorities clashed, illuminating the sky.
Divine words echoed endlessly as the gods struggled desperately to halt the falling meteors.
Japan boasted of eight million gods—yet seeing them in person left Izumi profoundly disappointed.
They were weak.
Painfully weak.
Some weren't even worthy of being called fodder.
Eight million in name only—quantity without quality.
So few possessed true Authorities.
To stop him?
Impossible.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The moment the meteors descended—
Kanon acted.
She could no longer restrain herself.
A voice of immaculate sanctity escaped her lips.
This was her first invocation of Authority.
"O stars—eradicate the enemy before us."
Her power fused with Izumi's.
The meteor storm intensified.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!!
Meteor after meteor struck.
Some lesser gods managed to block one… maybe two.
But the sheer number was overwhelming.
The Grand Order–designated Human Safeguard Sphere was merciless.
The sky rained annihilation.
Explosions, screams, and despair swallowed Japan whole.
Many didn't even have time to scream before being erased.
The islands became fields of blooming destruction.
Japan drowned in fire—no different from nuclear hellfire.
Countless Heretic Gods were erased on the spot.
When the meteors finally ceased, only a handful remained airborne.
Sun Wukong.
Tsukuyomi.
Susanoo.
Izanagi.
Izanami.
Amaterasu.
Below them, the land was sinking.
Cities lay in ruins.
Seawater flooded inward as the islands began to disappear.
The world watched in stunned silence.
No one had imagined a Godslayer so brutal.
Japan had been sunk.
And its gods—obliterated in a single strike.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sun Wukong looked down at the devastation—
And burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"So this is your end!"
Though his summoned brothers had returned to myth in the meteor storm, he felt nothing but exhilaration.
After centuries of imprisonment, the sight was intoxicating.
Susanoo and the others glared at Izumi, eyes bloodshot with hatred.
Izumi scoffed.
"Time to go."
"From this moment on—there are no more Eight Million Gods."
With that—
The Belt of Subspace cleaved through the heavens.
Space itself was sealed.
There was no escape.
The gods could only watch as they were severed in two.
"I HATE YOU—!!!"
Susanoo's curse echoed across the dying sky.
His regret was boundless.