“Hurry up you morons! He will be coming any second…”

“Your Highness? What are we looking for exactly? It’s not that I didn’t pay any attention but… ”

“You fool!!” And in a flash, the dark figure zapped his minion to dust. He then went on slowly, speaking with a soul-wrenching voice,

“It’s the damn star! The heavenly figure that kept this realm awake for the last millennia. It consists of several fragments that were crafted by the disciples of the Kotoamatsukami of the eminent Takamagahara. Now go and FIND THE DAMN THING!”

The ravenous voice rattled the remaining minions, driving them to viciously search for the artefact that their boss spoke. The search continued until a splash of disturbance surfaced that startled the boss.

“What’s this ominous feeling?”

At that moment the cavern began to rumble, muddling the thieves. The boss made an almost instantaneous turnaround, only to witness cavern entrance blockage that stood strong had begun to crumble right before his eyes.

“He’s trying to break in!”

“Quick! Get over there and use your powers to hold off and buy us a bit more time!”

Channelling all of their strength, two of the minions strived to hold the barrier from breaking apart by the mysterious energy secreting from the other side. Their relentless attempts were soon rendered futile after the cavern blockage exploded with a thunderous boom that slammed them into the ground, disintegrating them into dust. As the wall collapsed, a grandeur-looking silhouette materialised into the murky view of the remaining thieves.

The head took a step back after the contour evolved into the almighty image of Izanagi-no-mikoto made an ironical stare with a smile on his face.

“Boss! We got it!” The other two minions cried out. But little did they know of what was yet to come. As the boss turned around to witness their ill-attained victory, the crystal that the minions were holding out into the air surged blinding rays into the air. Not long after, the rays evolved into flames which engulfed the minions, turning them into ash on the spot.

"What just happened?"

The crystal morphed into an eagle-like creature as it was about to touch the ground, which then rapidly took flight and landed on the shoulder of Izanagi, who then patted the eagle while replying,

“I suppose you might have just fallen victim to the might of my daughter, Emperor Sutoku.”

Emperor Sutoku, the cursed emperor of Japan who was granted immortality and access to the spiritual dimension as one of the three great Onryō was heading face to face with the divine. He casually bowed down, pretending as if nothing happened and proceeded to greet the great kami.

“Izanagi...My lord…I was…umm…”

Izanagi wasn’t paying attention at all, for he was casually performing a hand symbol while keeping his fingers on his forehead. And then the cave began to rumble once more which crumbled the remaining walls inside the cave. The pieces settled on Izanagi’s hand which then sparked life into a peculiar-looking gem, which had colours that would mesmerise the eyes of anyone lucky enough to gaze upon it.

“Looking for this?” Izanagi said with a smirk, “They said that only the most powerful could cease my breath. But…here were are. I am surprised to see a mortal who was cursed with the filthiest would dare to face a kami. What are you possibly expecting to do?”

“Look who’s talking? Aren’t you the one who betrayed your forefathers and the words of the heavens to excruciate your offspring? You call yourselves Izanagi and yet you could neither prevent your 'Dear wife' from dying nor prevent the accumulation of filth.”

Sutoku was furious. After interpreting Izanagi’s lines as hateful and disrespectful, he sought to stab Izanagi from behind. Izanagi, with his confident face readied up unleashed a power surge from his body while simultaneously shouting,

“I do not recall ever teaching my offspring ways of disguise. Or actually, it’s maybe why you are so bad at it I suppose. Enough hide and seek. SHOW YOURSELF, SON!”

As the surge touched Sutoku, it violently pushed him away from Izanagi’s vicinity, landing him on the spot where the wall stood strong. Moments later, Sutoku’s Onryō skin withered away, revealing the underlying godly form of Kagutsuchi, one of Izanagi’s children who went rogue after brutally murdering his mother.

“Old man, you still pack a punch. I was waiting to finally go head-on with you once again,” Kagutsuchi said, forging his fire blade.

“What do you desire of son?” Izanagi inquired. “First you took away the love of my life and perpetually left her in that unholy land. Now you are out here back at it again, trying to take your anger upon me once more.”

“Father, I do not desire your pathetic life. I only require vengeance for my real brothers, Hiruko and Awashima. How could you just let them disappear?”

“I feel your burden son. But I am afraid that it was the best we could have done. The entire world would have been brought to its knees by those two,” Izanagi winced as the painful flashbacks continued to flood his mind.

“Enough of your sorrow talks father! I require of that Solitaire to bring back Hiruko and Awashima!”

“What ill words are you speaking of Kagutsuchi? The world we created and this crystal are the last remnants of my love for Izanami. Why do you want to take it away from me? Besides, this crystal is…”

“ENOUGH IZANAGI! I AM GOING TO TAKE IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER!”

After a disgraceful interruption, Kagutsuchi summoned the fires powered by his fury and engulfed Izanagi while simultaneously charging towards Izanagi with his crusted fiery katana, yearning to slice. Izanagi continued to patiently hold till the ravaged fire god was only a few steps away, before ordering the eagle on his shoulder to release a beam of light at Kagtsuchi’s feet. The energy was instantly converted into an explosion that threw Kagutsuchi back to his original position, covered in open wounds that later were covered in flames.

Witnessing his son’s condition, Izanagi’s fatherly instincts triggered and turned his voice down, walking up to his son and saying,

“Get up son. I do not want our relationship to end this way. I will ask you once again. Please assist me in making this world a better place.”

“YOU THINK THAT I’D EVER CHOOSE TO FOLLOW YOUR STEPS AGAIN, OLD MAN?”

“I guess I have no choice huh…”

“Old man, there’s one more thing I’d like for you to know by the way.”

“And what could that be, arrogant child?”

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“That I…do…not…FIGHT FAIR!!!”

Izanagi suddenly panicked. And it didn’t take long for him to realise the true meaning behind Kagutsuchi’s words. After screaming at his father’s face, Kagutsuchi summoned a clone of his which emerged behind Izanagi and slashed him with an identical of his same weapon. The slash gashed Izanagi’s back, shaking his blood and violently devastating his heavenly hair, thrusting him into the face of his enemy. The eagle’s reaction time was insufficient to protect its guardian and was taken off the moment Izanagi was attacked. The avatar pushed in the same direction, willing to simultaneously land a strike along with Kagutsuchi. Kagutsuchi eagerly waited, not knowing what was yet to come.

“Are you ready to witness the rise of the noblest of the kami, FATHER?”

“NO, YOU WON’T! I WILL NOT LET YOU STAIN THE NAME OF THE KAMI WITH THE FILTH YOU CARRY IN YOUR HEART!”

Shrouded with rage, Izanagi accelerated into his arrogant son with a blade being held by his hands. Kagutsuchi promptly tried to recall what it was, which he was successful at but unfortunately couldn’t react to as combined with Izanagi’s immense speed left him with a huge cross-looking gash.

“It’s the damn…”

“Yes…This is the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi!”

Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, a sword crafted in the heavenly realm of Takamagahara which has blades spanning from both sides of the tip was the ultimate weapon that Izanagi utilised to perish evil and was also the same weapon he used to combat his wife’s brutal murderer so many years back. Izanagi didn’t hold back once again, for he opted to thrust the blade through Kagutsuchi’s body after altering his body with a well-timed Kesagiri strike. As Kagutsuchi was pierced by the omnipotent blade of Takamagahara his avatar was already on the way to stab Izanagi, with a murderous intent radiating from its eyes. As he was about to close the distance, Izanagi’s eagle flew in with rays blazing from its wings and headbutted the avatar. The hit momentarily stunned him and by the time its vision had recovered, it was already in the grasp of another figure’s hands with its throat being slowly crushed. Kagutsuchi could witness what was happening through the eyes of the avatar, along with the same sensation of pain, which greatly distorted his ability to recognize the entity.

It was a woman, about the same height as Izanagi equipped with a kimono of heavenly colours supported with jewellery that could rival the brilliance of the sun itself. She had long hair, with an extremely slight blue tint that accompanied the eyes that were similar to Izanagi’s could only enhance the splendour of her presence.

“Dare to mess with the Kami again Kagutsuchi? You shalt not return UNPUNISHED!”

As these phrases escaped her mouth, the figure of the helpless avatar who was under the grasp of the goldy figure disintegrated like darkness that had gone awry fall victim to the light of the sun. The chances for a comeback had been ruined for Kagutsuchi yet he continued to struggle in front of his father’s presence with a grim on his face and constant coughs of explosive embers.

“You…think you can kill me, old man? I sense...your power has been draining…for millennia. How are you going to finally finish…me…off?”

Izanagi didn’t produce the reaction that Kagutsuchi expected, for he motionlessly stared at him with his weapon held up at Kagutsuchi’s throat.

“IZANAGI!”

The goddess broke her silence while spectating the scene from a distance.

“I am listening.”

“You know very well that your powers have faded since the creation of this world. Kagutsuchi is still dangerous and arrogant! How confident are you in your abilities…Father?”

“Huh…Father?” Kagutsuchi replied with bafflement in his voice, unable to figure out the conundrum. “How…come...you…are…”

“SILENCE!, you traitor!” Out of fury and rage, Izanagi stabbed Kagutsuchi once more, only this time he had his sword stuck inside of his enemy whilst embedding him on the ground.

“Daughter, I am aware of it. The father of creation himself has been cursed with his creations and my will to destroy leeches only promotes the ill-doings of my long-gone wife. It was my fault. Only I shall clean up this mess. In the name of the Takamagahara, I shall never allow a leech to break and stain the name of Kami!”

“But father…”

“AMATERASU!” Izanagi finally decided to reveal the true identity of the goddess of the sun. “Please, Leave at once. I will not let you wet your hands with the same blood that I have been tainted with. Takamagahara needs your guidance.”

Amaterasu was desperate. Despite attempting to help her father to remove the threat of Kagutsuchi, her attempt to break into the action was prevented by Izanagi himself who summoned a dome to isolate him and Kagutsuchi inside. The visibility was later affected by a cloud of smoke and by the time it had returned to normal, Izanagi was the only one remaining inside the dome, grasping his star. Amaterasu soon noticed the sparking flow of tears draining through the eyes of her father. She stood motionless for a few seconds as he slowly turned towards her. The grief displayed through Izanagi’s face urged her to get closer to her father.

“I am sorry…Amaterasu.”

The moment those words escaped his mouth, Izanagi’s body began to fade away. Moments later, Izanagi had turned his eyes upon Earth, or more specifically, the islands of Japan, the tranquil lands that he and his wife formed after arriving on Earth. There he took the form of a beggar and waited in a remote location in the mountains of the Iga province, awaiting the arrival of a significant individual at that time.

Sensei Hattori Akio.

Receiving the message sent by the beggar, Akio visited the location accompanied by his most trusted subordinates who were sceptical about the whole situation.

“Sensei Akio, so you do end up coming after all…” Izanagi said while he was being approached by elite Iga Ninjas. “I am surprised by your decision to agree to meet some random beggar who won’t be of any use to your valuable time.”

“Sir, are you sure about this?” One of the foot soldiers who were guarding Akio’s parameter inquired his senior.

“That’s enough Rokujou, I’ll handle it from here onwards.”

“Understood.”

The guards stepped back as Akio advanced into Izanagi’s presence. Moments later, the ninjas were nowhere to be seen as they blended into the camouflage of the greenery of the mountains.

“I am very sure of the fact that you aren’t just any beggar,” Despite Izanagi’s current ragged appearance, Akio could see right through it. He felt the disparity and the radiance of Izanagi’s aura and could easily deduce that this was no ordinary human being. “Speak to me, Kami-sama. How may my mortal presence assist you today?”

“Haha, no need to be formal, Sensei Akio,” Izanagi said and moments later, he offered his divine creation; the Star of Izanagi to Akio accompanied with what appeared to look like scrolls. Akio gracefully accepted the offerings and was soon flabbergasted by the levels of power that his senses picked up as he was coming into contact with the star.

“This is my star. My ultimate creation. Keep it safe and its blessings shall shower the worthy human beings of this land for generations to come. The scrolls that I have provided you with will have everything that you mortals would need to know of my star.”

Izanagi’s eyes and tone spoke the sorrow and truth ravaging inside his soul, which Akio could easily grasp and comprehend.

“Izanagi-no-Mikoto, it’s my greatest honour to be lucky enough to be at your grace. I can assure you that we Iga ninjas shall protect this divine creation with our lives and will not in any way let its power fall into the hands of the evil.”

Accepting Izanagi’s offerings, Akio took a bow and slowly stepped backwards.

“Humans…Ah, such wonderful creatures. Thank you…for your service…”

Izanagi put a smile on his fatigued face. As his smile lasted, his body began to wither into dust, which left Akio and his guards, who rid themselves of their cloaks stunned as the farewell was unfolding before their eyes. By the time Izanagi’s figure had gone, a cherry blossom sapling had appeared in his place. Akio, followed by his guards paid their last tributes to Izanagi with a slow and honorific bow.

“Hattori-sama, What are we supposed to do now?”

“Protectors of Iga,” Akio said. “This rendezvous that had just taken place shall remain confidential until the right time comes around. The divine gift that our creation god has provided with should be protected at all costs. Rokujou, Nomiya, Kushizu and everyone else here; Go north, south, east and west to safeguard the fragments of the star. You will be granted the power of Momochi Sandayu’s artefacts to assist on your journey…”