Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yuusha de aru - Epilogue

Fallen petals won't return to the branch, a broken mirror won't shine again

The girls chosen by Shinju - the agglomeration of land gods - and fighting using divine powers.
Their enemies - the Vertexes, the advance force of the heavenly god trying to destroy humanity.

Divine Era 300, April.
A new Vertex invasion after approximately 1.5 years since the last. The Heroes of project A awaken. The "Sealing ritual" added to the updated Hero system proves its usefulness. "Virgo" Vertex is destroyed.

Divine Era 300, June.
Another Vertex invasion. Project B Hero "Miyoshi Karin" meets up with the project A Heroes. Successful activation of the "Sealing ritual" by Miyoshi Karin alone.

Divine Era 300, July.
Vertex invasion deviates from estimated schedule, five Vertexes appear simultaneously. In addition, incomplete Vertex types are spotted. Activation of "Mankai" by the Heroes is confirmed. Elimination of all invading Vertexes confirmed.

Divine era 300, September.
Heroes "Inubouzaki Fuu", "Tougou Mimori" go berserk.
Divine Era 300, December.
Fire Offering Festival is conducted, with Hero "Tougou Mimori" as the offering.  Due to opposition from Hero "Yuuki Yuuna" and four others, Fire Offering Festival suspended.

From the viewpoint of humanity, the conflict of humans, land gods and the heavenly god was always centered on the Heroes. However, in their shadow, there was another entity...

Girls who used divine powers in their operations. Their name was "Sentinels". Rather than combat with the Vertexes, their duty was to assist the Taisha in their countermeasures against the heavenly god. Bluntly put, their duty was to set the stage up for the Heroes, mere odd jobs.

Divine Era 301, late winter.
Kagawa prefecture, Daisoku city, Gold Tower. The thirty two Sentinels were doing their daily training.
The training regimen consisted of: lower body half strengthening, building stamina and mock battles with the assumption of a fight against Stardust. The Sentinels' duties mainly consisted of surveying the outside of the wall surrounding Shikoku. The most important part of their training was to nurture strength necessary for movement across the inflamed wasteland for a long period of time, as well as the combat strength to oppose the Stardust standing in their way.

"After the running, we're going to have a mock battle using the new formation we talked about yesterday".

Hearing the words of Kusunoki Mebuki, the Sentinel commander, Kagajou Suzume raised a shriek of complaint.

"Eeh!? Mebu, we're still gonna keep going!? Let's call it a day already, I'm going to die from overwork if this goes on! Haaah, haaah, haaah! Hear that? Hear that!? I'm beginning to hyperventilate from fatigue! This is dangerous!"

Suzume dropped down on the floor, breathing heavily on purpose.

"Su-zu-me... You're getting double the training."

"Roger that, ma'am! Mock battle next, got it!"

Suzume hurriedly stood up and got in position.

"Mebuki-senpai, everyone. Maybe you should finish your training for today. The mess hall has dinner ready".

Kokudo Aya, the Miko living together with the Sentinels in the Gold Tower, entered the training grounds. Suzume's eyes lit up at her sight.

"Ayaya! Thank you! You're my saviour! A goddess! An angel! See, see!? Even Ayaya's saying so,so let's call it a day for now!"

"Fine..."

With a tired look, Mebuki ordered the Sentinels to finish their training.

In the mess hall, Suzume lay flat on the table in front of her dinner.

"Anyway, aren't our duties basically over at this point? Sure, we get called out to check what's going on outside the wall sometimes... But it's not like they have us go far away like before, and we don't have a quota on soil samples or anything."

"We're taking our time training exactly because we don't have many missions now. Come on, I'll give you a mandarin, so get it together".

Mebuki peeled a mandarin and put a piece of it in Suzume's mouth.

"Ahh, I can feel the vitamins spreading through my body. Mebu, I want more~!"

"Alright, alright..."

Mebuki kept feeding Suzume mandarin pieces.

At the end of the previous year, a Fire Offering Ceremony involving six Mikos, Aya included, was supposed to occur, but Tougou Mimori volunteered to be sacrificed in their place. Following that, Tougou Mimori was rescued by the other Heroes, and the Fire Offering Ceremony was prevented. Mebuki was relieved. Kusunoki Mebuki's creed was to have no sacrifices. She didn't know who Tougou Mimori was, but regardless, she was not to become a sacrifice. However, Mebuki and the others were powerless to stop the Fire Offering Ceremony.

She didn't know how, but the Heroes were able to do that. And after the ceremony was stopped, Shikoku regained stability for a while.

After the Fire Offering Ceremony incident, the amount of missions the Sentinels were tasked with declined sharply. The Sentinels' main duty was to assist with the Taisha's countermeasures against the heavenly god. However, the plans of the Taisha were essentially suspsended. Looking for a different solution, the Taisha wasn't giving the Sentinels any orders.

However, they did inform the Sentinels that they would eventually be promoted to Heroes. In other words, their duty was not to cease, and the Taisha must've been looking for some other way to use them. And since they were enticing them with such sweet words as "becoming Heroes", that duty was likely to be important.

"Oh how I wish an order would come down to us soon. Then I would at last be able to earn more feats of honour than Mebuki-san and make the Miroku name known throughout Shikoku" - said Miroku Yumiko while eating skipjack tuna and drinking black tea - a dubious food combination to say the least.

"Miroku... You probably still can't..." - said Yamabushi Shizuku, slurping on ramen.

"What do you mean, "still"!? What do you mean, "can't"!?"

"Miroku-senpai, you're going to be fine! Hard work like yours will definitely be rewarded! But it's better if you don't have to do anything dangerous or fight..."

Aya's expression darkened.

The thirty two Sentinels plus one Miko all lived in the Gold Tower. They numbered enough people for an average school class. Mebuki, Suzume, Yumiko, Shizuku and Aya often hanged out together.

"Oh yeah... Kusunoki, here."

Shizuku gave two bags, wrapped in gold and silver, to Mebuki.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Upon opening the bags, Mebuki found chocolate in both of them. In one of them was a lumpy chocolate truffle, seemingly handmade. The other had a bar of chocolate, as-is.

"It's... Valentine's today, so. From me and SHIZUKU."

"Aah... I see, then."

Since Mebuki had little interest in social customs, she completely forgot about it. In addition, nobody talked about vain things like Valentine's Day in front of Mebuki, who projected a tough and aloof image.

"Ah, I have something for you too! Give me a minute, Mebu!"

Suzume stood up, dashed out of the mess hall and returned after a short while. She was carrying a lot of bags in her hands.

"Here, a popular Ehime souvenir: chocolate mandarins! They're mandarins cut in circles, dried and coated in chocolate. They're su-per tasty!"

"Thanks... But there must be what, two dozen bags here? I can't eat that much..."

"Then share what you can't eat with the others! I even get to spread the word about Ehime mandarins like that, two birds with one stone!"

"Mebuki-senpai, I have something ready too."

Aya gave Mebuki a wrapped bag. Inside was a handmade chocolate cake.

The other girls in the mess hall began approaching Mebuki with chocolates and sweets in their hands.

"Kusunoki-san, me too, me too!"

"Commander, please take this!"

"Ya're crazy popular, commander. Here, I have some too!"

"Here's from me... J-Just an obligation one, okay?"

"My deepest gratitude for all you've done for us!"

A mountain of chocolate piled up in front of Mebuki.

"Ah, uh... Thanks, everyone." - said Mebuki with bewilderment.

Among the rest of the girls, one stood out...

Miroku Yumiko was fidgeting and trembling.

"I... I forgot. N-Not that I had any deep feelings of gratitude, merely of friendship, but not giving anything while everyone else is doing so makes me feel like I'm losing... Alfred! Alfred! Bring me the finest chocolate in Shikoku, and be quick with it!"

"No, there's no Alfred. Your imaginary butler can't bring you real chocolate."

"Alfred exists, Suzume-san! In... in the future Miroku family, for certain!"

"So  he doesn't exist now..."

"Just you wait, Mebuki-san! I shall purchase baker's chocolate and begin cooking immediately!"

Yumiko stood up from her chair, but Mebuki grabbed her by the hand and stopped her.

"Miroku-san, please wait. It's already dark outside, and nobody's going to give you a permission to leave at this time of the day to buy sweets."

"B-But..."

Yumiko wasn't convinced, and Aya began patting her head.

"Please don't worry. I'm sure Mebuki-senpai would accept it to tomorrow too. So you can just make it then. Right, Mebuki-senpai?"

"Tomorrow or any other time, it's not like I would decline it..."

Why were they making such a big deal out of Valentine's chocolate in the first place? She wouldn't care much if she didn't get any.

"Uh... Aya-san? Having my head patted like this is... A little embarrassing..."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Miroku-senpai! I didn't mean to!"

Aya took her hand of Yumiko's head in surprise.

"No, well, I do not mind. In fact, could you do this a little longer?.."

"Really? Okay then..."

Aya kept patting Yumiko on the head.

After that, the Sentinels who saw that happen would occasionally request Aya to give them headpats. But that's a story for a different time.

"You know, Mebu, you're going to have a real busy time on White Day with so many chocolates received."

"You're right. But I'll have to pay everyone back."

She simply had to return the gratitude to the friends who followed her. It's been nearly half a year since the Sentinels and Aya, the Miko, began living together in the Tower. They overcame many dangers together, and understood each other. The Sentinels trusted each other enough to talk about personal issues and worries.

For the Sentinels, the Gold Tower became their "home".

However, sometimes Taisha personnel would come to this house of theirs and do something in the basement floors. The Sentinels were forbidden from entering that area, so they had no idea what exactly was taking place.

Several days later, a mission was suddenly announced.

A group of Taisha priests arrived at the Tower, and the Sentinels were, as usually, gathered at the viewing platform. However, Aki, who was formerly in charge of the Sentinels, was not amongst them. They didn't know where she was and what she was doing. Mebuki might've found her irritating in many ways, but Aki also had to live through all of the pain brought by her position. Was that not in the way, perhaps she and Mebuki could've understood each other better.

One of the priests began talking in front of the Sentinels. His speech was fast, and a sense of hurry could be clearly felt from his tone.

"I'm sure all of you have already heard that the Gold Tower is called Senkeiden in the Taisha, and is a spiritual defensive structure, much like the Great Bridge."

After Aki told her that at the end of the previous year, Mebuki let the others know as well. The Senkeiden was not yet complete. The Taisha personnel working in the Tower might've been to finish the project.

"The Senkeiden's attack is meant to be a two-stage one. The first one involves it collecting the spiritual energy from its surroundings and then releasing it at airborne enemies, its name being Senkeihou [Chikage cannon]. The antenna-like equipment on the roof is responsible for that. As a second volley, the Senkeiden itself would be launched at the enemy and destroy the target... However, at this stage, only the Senkeihou is finished. But we have no time left, so it has to be used now."

The priest's words caused a sense of tension wildly different from the one the announcements their routine survey missions brought to spread through the platform.

"Used... Against what?"

"The enemy coming from the heavens."

"What!?"

All of the Sentinels froze in their places.

The enemy manking has been fighting against since the end of the Christian Era - the heavenly god. Up to then, the Heroes fought their advance force - the Vertexes. However, this time the actual being was about to manifest itself.

Aki mentioned the possibility of that happening the year before. The time has finally come.

"Tomorrow, the heavenly god will show itself."

The priest droned on.

"Did a Miko oracle tell of that? Why so suddenly?"

The priest paid Mebuki's question no heed and continued.

"The Senkeihou alone is unlikely to cause the heavenly god significant damage. However, all it has to do is slow its advance to a degree. And after that, there's no other choice but to leave it to the Heroes."

The following morning, the preparations to fire the Senkeihou began. A certain amount of time was needed to accumulate enough energy from the land, so the activation time was on a countdown till the appearance of the heavenly god.

Aya, as a Miko, was standing by in a room in the Tower's basement. Aya's body was supposed to be the circuit guiding the energy of the land to the Tower. After enough power was accumulated, Aya and Mebuki had to simultaneously press their respective switches to activate the weapon.

Approximately ten minutes before the Senkeihou was fully charged...

The Tower began shaking.

No, what began shaking was the land itself.

"A-An earthquake!? Mebu, save me! The Tower's going to break!"

"Suzume, calm down! The Tower won't break from shaking like that! More importantly, look!"

The Sentinels, standing by at the viewing platform, began murmuring as they looked outside. The sky became dyed dark red, and from the sea... from outside the wall, a disk large enough to cover the sea appeared. That was the heavenly god.

"There are... Stardust."

Muttered Shizuku, pointing at the direction of what they presumed to be the heavenly god.

Normally, Stardust weren't supposed to be able to get inside the barrier. Yet here they were, plainly visible. Did they break in along with the heavenly god, or were they being produced by it?

The Stardust horde was headed towards the Tower.

A priest began addressing the girls at the platform through the speakers.

"The enemy's appearance was sooner than we estimated! Since the Senkeiden is closer to the heavens than any other place, it's going to get targeted first! You Sentinels have to protect the Tower until the Senkeihou can fire!"

"The least you could have done is estimate the invasion time properly!"

Yumiko cursed in a voice that couldn't be further from her usual polite intonations.

"Those priests saying it's unexpected is something we expected in the first place! Everyone, get in positions we talked about yesterday!"

A "roger" roared out in response to Mebuki's command, and the Sentinels went rushing to their assigned positions.

Mebuki pressed another switch in her hand, different from the one that would activate the Senkeihou.

"Senkeiden, changing into defensive mode! Deploying Senkeibashi [Chikage bridge]!"

Five rods extended from the surface of the 144-metre tall Gold Tower, and each of them began opening up in a fan shape, turning into scaffolding.

On each of the five scaffolding pieces - the Senkeibashi - was a four-person group made up of one officer, two gunners and one protector. In addition, there was also a group at the rooftop, at the viewing platform and the ground floor.

Eight groups of four people, adding up to thirty two. They would defend their assigned positions to their last breath.

Mebuki, Yumiko, Shizuku and Suzume were at the rooftop. With Mebuki, Sentinel number one as their core, they were the first squad. Since the rooftop contained the equipment responsible for the Senkeihou, it was the most important place to defend, hence Mebuki, their strongest asset, being assigned there.

That, of course, didn't make the other locations any less important. If the ground floor group fell, the Stardust would break into the basement and attack Aya, killing her. If the groups on the scaffolding or the viewing platform group fell, then the Stardust would likely tear through the Tower itself, breaking it down.

Each and every one of the thirty two Sentinels and one Miko was crucial. The Taisha viewed the girls as little more than "a group". But every single one of those girls had an important duty to fulfill, and a battle to fight.

Mebuki could contact the other Sentinels through the communicator built into their battle dress. She began her speech to her comrades.

"The big boss of the Stardust and Vertexes who have been tormenting humanity for 300 years, the heavenly god has appeared today. And now that it's here, this must be the final battle. We can't defeat it. We're not Heroes. We don't have the power to take down gods. All we, along with the Senkeiden, can do is wound it a little. The people and the Heroes probably don't even know we're fighting. There's nobody who'll sing us praises for it... So what! Even if nobody knows about it, we're here! The thirty three of us are fighting here! The holiness of this battle, our efforts, our resolve, our lives, our feelings, the fact we're even here - even if nobody else knows about that, we do! Even if the damage we deal to the heavenly god is barely noticeable, no more than a single punch, it's definitely going to help the Heroes who will follow up on it! And we're the only ones who can do that! Nobody else in the world can! We'll put our lives on the line and the Heroes will feel that!"

"Roger!" - thirty two voices of Mebuki's friends responded in unison.

"Everyone, ready for battle! We're protecting the Tower until the Senkeihou is ready to fire! We're fulfilling our mission with nobody dying and no casualties, like always!"

"Roger!"

The Stardust horde reached the Gold Tower.

"Mebu! It's too high, I'm scared! Sorry if I end up wetting myself, Mebuuu!"

Suzume was shaking like a leaf. Mebuki's group was standing on the rooftop of a 144-metre tall tower.

Even though Suzume wasn't usually scared of being inside the Gold Tower, she was still an extreme coward, afraid of both the height and the dark.

"Suzume. If you fall, I promise I will pull you up. So calm down and fight."

"Uuh... Got it. I'll do my best, Mebuuu!"

Suzume readied her shield.

"Miroku-san, SHIZUKU! Guns at the ready!"

"Leave it to me!"

"We're doing this!"

Mebuki, Yumiko and SHIZUKU aimed their rifles and shot through the Stardust. The adverse effect of splitting the Sentinels into eight groups was the small number of shots fired, but each of those shots became more precise over the half a year they spent training and fighting. Each and every shot landed accurately at the Stardust, eliminating them. The ones who got through the bullets were cut down by the bayonets.

The heavenly god... Countless people died because of it in the Christian Era. Countless casualties were its fault. At least a punch. They had to give it at least a single punch in return for toying with human lives. So they couldn't let the enemy come near the firing antenna.

The Sentinels on the five Senkeibashi footholds fought the same way. The officer, gunners and the protector all gave it their all.

Although the majority of the Stardust was concentrated on the Tower itself, some would head down to where the ground floor group was. And those, of course, could not be ignored either. Even a single Stardust was a massive menace to humans. So the Sentinels shot them all down without fail.

"You know, aren't we protecting humanity right now? Kinda like Heroes!"

"Yeah, you're right! Awesome..."

The Sentinels' duties up to now were just exploration of the outside world and related tasks. They didn't protect the world or the people like the much-admired Heroes. Even though they were risking their lives, there wasn't any sense of accomplishment or duty that would accompany protecting the world.

Up to that moment.

The Sentinels were fighting to protect the people. To protect the world. Just like Heroes.

The viewing platform group was engaged in battle with Stardust that managed to tear their way through the window. The fifth group was in charge of it. Sentinel number five, the youngest of the officers, and three other Sentinels under her command.

"The Tower... We won't let any Stardust destroy our Senkeiden! Girls, let's put out guts into this! We'll protect it!"

"Yeah!"

This tower was a place where the girls have been living with their friends for half a year after having been called to it by the Taisha. Some of the girls were sick of the harsh traiing. Some of them cried, afraid of their missions. But they got through all the pain and fear together. For the thirty three girls, the Gold Tower was something irreplaceable.

For them, the Tower itself was a comrade fighting together with them. It was something precious to them, even omitting the fact it possessed a weapon capable of striking back at the heavenly god. So they wouldn't let some Stardust destroy it.

The ground floor group protecting the entry to the basement was the final defence line. If the enemy broke through them, then they would kill Kokudo Aya down below.

The Stardust that fell on the ground near the Tower would head inside and rush to the basement entry. But they would find Sentinels standing in their way. Tasked with the ground floor was the second group - Sentinel number two and her three subordinates. Out of the eight groups protecting the Tower, this group was second only to Mebuki's in terms of combat strength.

"We're not letting those monsters get to Kokudo-san! Protect her with your lives! Let's show them the human spirit!"

"Roger!"

The Sentinels' gunshots, bayonets and shield blocked the way underground.

Aya was the Sentinels' moral support. Those who dropped out of the Hero training facility, those who weren't selected bby the Shinju - in other words, they were leftovers. But Aya kindly watched over them. She was their salvation.

So they would protect her no matter what. They wouldn't let her die.

Mebuki was in the middle of a fight against the Stardust when a bizarre mark appeared on her chest.

"...Huh? What is this..."

The heavenly god, encroaching from over the sea, began pulsating with an eerie red light.

The same mark appeared on Yumiko, SHIZUKU and Suzume's chests.

"What exactly is this?"

"Uwaaah, this is bad! I have no idea what this is but it's totally gotta be bad! This is bad this is bad I'm gonna die!"

"Is this shit the heavenly god's doing? That's so annoying!"

If this ominous-looking mark really was its doing, then it was undoubtedly something dangerous.

Worried voices began to be heard through the communicator. It seemed that the marks appeared on everyone in the Tower.

"Three minutes left until the Senkeihou is charged! Hold the line!"

Mebuki yelled to every Sentinel defending the Tower and glared at the heavenly god.

Some god it was. Sitting up in its heavens since times immemorial, looking down from above all self-important, and toying with human lives like they were nothing but garbage. Why was something so full of itself even allowed to exist? And she was going to beat that anger into the heavenly god.

Two minutes until the charging is finished.

Mebuki looked over the land of Shikoku from the rooftop. People stood still at the roads, staring at the red sky with bewilderment. The Heroes must've been somewhere out there too. Miyoshi Karin with them.

In the past, Mebuki would've probably lamented not being a Hero, not having the power to fight against the heavenly god. But she was different now.

(I need to do what I have to do! What I can do! I'll give it the first punch, and Miyoshi-san and the other Heroes will finish it!)

She would pass the baton.

One minute until the charging is finished.

The Stardust weren't getting any less numerous. For every one taken down, another would attack. Mebuki was thinking of the comrades fighting together with her. She was thinking of Aya, hard at work in the basement. She was thinking of the Heroes, who must've been somewhere.

Charging complete.

"Mebuki-senpai, it's ready to fire!"

Aya's voice came through the communicator to Mebuki.

"Aya-chan, we're pressing it together."

"Got it! Together!"

"Three, two, one... zero!"

Mebuki pressed the switch.

Aya, in the basement, pressed the switch at the same time.

The moment that happened, the outer and inner surfaces of the Tower became covered with texts of prayers. The antenna on the rooftop began to glow a bluish white while giving off a growling sound. The land around the Tower began to glow, and the light ran up to the top of it. The light accumulated at the antenna, and was then fired out. Incinerating the stardust in the way, the ray of light closed in on the heavenly god...

And made contact.

Surely, this hit must've dealt the heavenly god at least some damage. Surely, they must've helped to protect the world at least a little.

As the Senkeihou's attack hit, the world began changing, starting from the wall surrounding Shikoku. Mebuki knew what it was. The "Forestization" had begun.

(Heroes, it's up to you now. We did what we could... So you do what you can...)

When Mebuki came to her senses, she found herself collapsed on the Gold Tower's rooftop. Next to her were Suzume, Shizuku and Yumiko, in the same condition.

Mebuki stood up and looked around. The dark red sky, the Stardust, the heavenly god - all of them were nowhere to be seen. The mark on her chest disappeared as well.

"Huh!? That huge disc thing is gone! The Stardust too!"

Suzume's eyes were darting around the place.

"Was the heavenly god... defeated?"

"The Heroes... did it."

Yumiko and Shizuku stood up and looked at the blue sky.

(They won... the Heroes... They protected this world.)

Mebuki looked down on the wintry Kagawa.

Shortly afterwards, her other comrades' voices began resounding through the communicator.

"All groups, damage report."

"Second group, three lightly wounded, no heavy injuries, no casualties!"

"Third group, one lightly wounded, no heavy injuries, no casualties!"

"Fourth group, two lightly wounded, no heavy injuries, no casualties!"

"Fifth group, two lightly wounded, no heavy injuries, no casualties!"

"Sixth group, four lightly wounded, no heavy injuries, no casualties!"

"Seventh group, three lightly wounded, no heavy injuries, no casualties!"

"Eighth group, three lightly wounded, no heavy injuries, no casualties!"

"...Thank you. No casualties this time too! Those wounded, get treated immediately! Mission complete!

From that day onward, the world changed. Though it would be more accurate to say that it returned to normal.

The heavenly god has disappeared, and the Shinju left its corpse behind. The wall surrounding Shikoku disappeared, and so have the roaring flames and sea of lava outside it. Instead there were the lands and ruins from before the Divine Era, preserved as they were.

On the day following the battle against the heavenly god, Aki the priestess came to the Gold Tower. Mebuki, Suzume, Yumiko, Shizuku and Aya were talking to her at the viewing platform. The windows were broken by Stardust during the battle, so the wind blew into it freely.

"Didn't you say... You wouldn't be coming to this tower again?"

"I did, Kusunoki-san. But I think I'm the one who should tell you. It's my responsibility as someone who was in charge of you."

"To tell us, what exactly?"

"First of all, yesterday the ceremony of Shinkon the Taisha planned on was refused by the so-called bride, Yuuki Yuuna-sama, a Hero, and the rest of the Heroes. In addition, the heavenly god, which appeared in response to the Shinkon, was also driven back by Yuuki Yuuna-sama."

"Shinkon?"

Aki explained the unfamiliar word to the confused Sentinels.

With Shinju's lifespan nearing its end, the Taisha was out of options. It was then they came up with a truly final solution - the Shinkon.

The girl most beloved by the gods would be offered to the ruler of the land gods as a bride. By doing that, humanity would be acknowledged as gods' kin. And in accordance to an agreement between the heavenly and land gods made aeons ago, the heavenly god would become unable to attack humanity.

The heavenly god became furious at humans approaching divine territory, and yesterday it finally made its appearance. That was an expected occurence, and so the Taisha dispatched the Heroes to hold it off until the Shinkon was completed. However, in the end, the Heroes and Yuuki Yuuna declined the Shinkon. And then they forced both the land gods and the heavenly god away.

"So that's why you knew when exactly the heavenly god would appear..."

If it was going to appear when the Shinkon started, then no wonder they knew the exact time.

The priest said about the Senkeihou "...all it has to do is slow its advance to a degree. And after that, leave it to the Heroes." Mebuki thought that they were expecting the Heroes to defeat the heavenly god, but it seemed she thought wrong. The Taisha were hoping that the Heroes would help the Shinkon happen.

But the Heroes went against their expectations, and drove the gods away.

"But you know, wouldn't it be good if the heavenly god didn't attack us anymore? Why'd the Heroes have to refuse it?"

Suzume tilted her head.

"The one taking part in Shinkon ascends to the divine realm, and becomes unable to interact with the mundane world... From a human standpoint, they essentially die. And they couldn't accept that. Especially the other Heroes, who held Yuuna-sama dear."

"D-Die!? Oh that's no good, of course not! Obviously they'd refuse it, what the hell!?"

Suzume raised a voice of shock. It was an answer that fit her, concerned with her life above everything lese, well.

"You people... were going to sacrifice someone, again."

Mebuki stared at Aki.

"...The Taisha was not united in its thoughts concerning the Shinkon. Some suggested to use it to drive the heavenly god to indignation, lure it out and strike it down. Although, the majority of the Taisha were in favour of becoming gods' kin, losing their human form and living together with the land gods... Not that it changes anything about the human sacrifice involved.

Aki continued in a monotone. When Mebuki heard "losing their human form" her breath was taken away. She had no idea what exactly those words implied, but she was certain it could no longer be called "living".

All of humanity almost became sacrifices. To save everyone, they were willing to sacrifice everyone. That was simply absurd. Or did the Taisha not think of "losing their human form" as a sacrifice? Or perhaps the Taisha, driven into a corner, simply lost their minds.

"Even with the ceremony incomplete, the most devout of the Taisha lost their human form during it. In fact..."

Aki looked at Aya.

"Kokudo-san could've had the same happen to her."

"Me... too?"

It seemed that Aya was not told anything about the Shinkon.

"However, as you can see, Aya-san is in perfect health."

"It must've been because she was a part of the Senkeihou at the time, separated from outside influence. It could be said that you Sentinels and the Senkeiden kept Aya-san as she is."

"...Then that alone makes what we did worth it"

Mebuki was trying to swallow the truth.

Someone who opens the way to a world with no sacrifices. That was the "Hero" Mebuki strived to be. But if there was even one priest she didn't even know who lost their human form, then her goal was not reached. Just like with the Fire Offering Festival... Mebuki realised how powerless she was, and the fact ate at her. She still had a long way to go before she became the "Hero" she wanted to be.

But the fact they were able to protect Aya, their important friend, was a relief.

"Even though both the heavenly god and the land gods cannot be seen anymore, they did not disappear. Though far way, the heavenly god still resides in the heavens, and though they lost the form of Shinju-sama, the land gods dwell in all of creations... It's unlikely they will interfere with the human world again. The powers of Heroes and Sentinels are gone now. You are all back to being normal middle-schoolers. You probably won't have to fight again."

In response to Aki's words, Mebuki gave a clear answer.

"Fighting was never the Sentinels' duty in the first place. So it's fine if we don't have to. Our role, our duty is odd jobs. And in the chaotic world that's lost divine blessings, odd jobs are most important. There are a lot of things humans have to do now."

"...I see. That's a possible answer too."

Softness appeared in Aki's voice.

"But of course. Even with our battle dresses and divine powers gone, with a will as strong as mine it is possible to earn any achievements imaginable. I shall become the foundation of this new era! And carve the Miroku name into history!"

Yumiko seemed completely unperturbed by having lost Sentinel powers.

"Miroku-san, how exactly are you going to earn those achievements, huh? You're just an ordinary person now."

Yumiko closed her mouth under Suzume's mocking stare.

"T-That is something for Mebuki-san to think of. Now, Mebuki-san, let us become the foundation of this new era together!"

"Whoa, she just ditched responsibility! But well, I'm going to stay with Mebu too. Over the past half a year I realised this. There's no safer place in life than next to Mebu!"

"I'm with Kusunoki as well. SHIZUKU too. I want it like that."

Suzume came up to Mebuki's side, and Shizuku grasped her sleeve.

Aya stood, dumbfounded.

"What am... I supposed to do? The Shinju-sama is gone... How can humans live now?"

A significant part of the human society heavily relied on Shinju's blessings to function. With it gone, things could not continue the same way as before. It would be hard to maintain a society as prosperous as before.

And Aya, being a Miko, believed in the Shinju all her life. It must've been her guiding light. And the same must've stood for a lot of others, who lived all their lives with faith in the Shinju.

The human society lost a massive component of itself, both physically and spiritually. And Aya felt that anxiety more keenly than anyone else.

Mebuki began speaking in a kind tone.

"Before the Divine Era came to be, people lived without Shinju-sama's blessings just fine. Just the same as now. Humans can live on their own, without relying on gods."

"But without the Shinju-sama... How am I supposed to live my life?"

"Just like you always have. The Shinju-sama didn't exist in the Christian Era, but it doesn't mean people didn't believe in gods. "The Shinju is watching over me" "The Shinju is looking at me"... Even if god doesn't exist, if just believing will let you live your life right, then there's nothing wrong in believing. So even if the Shinju-sama no longer exists, if believing in it lets you live your life right, Aya-chan, then believe in it. And if you still don't know how you should live..."

Mebuki embraced Aya.

"I'm always with you, Aya-chan. So don't worry."

"Mebuki... senpai..."

Tears began streaming down Aya's cheeks.

"Ayaya, I-I'm with you too! Though I probably won't be very dependable..."

"And of course, you shall always have me to depend on! As I am the oldest, feel free to rely on me whenever you want!"

"Me too... And SHIZUKU... We're with you."

Suzume. Shizuku. SHIZUKU. Yumiko. All of them loved Aya just as much. So they would support her as much as she needed.

"So, Mebu. What are we going to do from now on?"

"Let's see..."

Mebuki folded her arms and began thinking. It didn't take her long to reach an answer.

"First of all, let's do the most Sentinel-like job."

"The most Sentinel-like?"

"Exploring the world outside Shikoku. The flames covering the land disappeared, but Christian Era ruins appeared instead of them, didn't they? If they really are the same as they were back then, then it's possible there are still valuable materials or equipment remaining in them. We can also get soil samples, and use the fields again if there's nothing wrong."

Humans lost divine blessings. But in return, they got what the the humans of the past left behind.

Standing at the viewing platform of the Gold Tower, Mebuki glared at the blue sky, at the vast land.

She was angry. At the gods who toyed with human fates and desired numerous human sacrifices.

As long as she had that anger and her friends by her side, she could continue walking no matter how far, even with her Sentinel powers gone.

(Just you watch, heavenly god, land gods. We humans will survive. With nothing but our human powers, we will survive, you'll see!)