Chapter 248: A Grudge from the Age of Tai Chu

Mentioning the Four Myths, Mihara Sōta and the others thought of the fall of ancient Babylonian mythology.

The image of the Eye-pupil world in the Tokyo sky that day, whenever recalled, was vividly etched into everyone's memory, impossible to shake off.

Having witnessed the power of Chinese mythology and ancient Babylonian mythology, people knew just how terrifying the Four Myths were—yet even one of these mighty Four Myths, ancient Babylonian mythology, was destroyed, besieged by all the other Myths.

And since Moonread and Lucifer spoke of the prior Origin Realm before the ancient era, where the four ancient Myths clashed and warlords of all Myths vied for dominance, could the fall of ancient Babylonian mythology have been caused by the strife among the four ancient Myths?

Because ancient Babylonian mythology was too powerful, it made the other four ancient Myths fearful, ultimately leading them to launch a joint siege.

Mihara Sōta looked at the Moonread deity and hesitantly spoke up.

"A few days ago, beings from the Nether Eclipse Realm came to our Origin Realm, and you, Moonread deity, threw those Nether Eclipse beings into the sky's Eye-pupil world—I saw the ruins of ancient Babylonian mythology there, and also saw illusions of ancient Babylonian mythology being besieged. Is that true?"

The Moonread deity nodded: "It's true. Ancient Babylonian mythology was indeed besieged by all the Myths, and both I and Lucifer participated in that siege."

His tone was calm, no different from his usual speech, yet an unseen weight and resentment lingered in the air.

The siege against ancient Babylonian mythology seemed to be a past neither Moonread nor Lucifer wished to recall—or even mention—holding a grudge against ancient Babylonian mythology.

"Was… was it led by Chinese mythology?" Mihara Sōta breathed heavily.

"Yes and no," Lucifer shook his head. "The siege of ancient Babylonian mythology wasn't just Chinese mythology's doing—all four ancient Myths participated, and it was they who led all the Myths in the assault."

As soon as he spoke, even the air fell into brief stillness.

Mihara Sōta stared wide-eyed, his spirit trembling.

He had thought only Chinese mythology led it—never imagining all four ancient Myths had joined, and even dragged all the other Myths into the siege. What were they trying to do? Erase ancient Babylonian mythology utterly, wiping every trace of it from time?

One could imagine the scene: three Myths equal in might to ancient Babylonian mythology, leading all the others in assault—it was the most terrifying annihilation the world had ever known, without parallel.

"Is ancient Babylonian mythology still around?" Mihara Sōta asked.

"No, every last one was killed. That was the will of all the Myths—no one dared spare a single Babylonian deity. Not one was left."

No sooner had the Moonread deity finished speaking than Lucifer, who had been eating the free potato chips the shop offered guests, added:

"It wasn't just killing them—they scattered their ashes, then tore apart the very main realm ruled by ancient Babylonian mythology. Each Myth took several shattered fragments of that main realm and imprisoned them in eternal suppression."

Crunch—Lucifer swallowed a chip and pointed at Moonread.

"The Eye-pupil world you saw with the ruins of ancient Babylonian mythology? That's one fragment of its main realm, now suppressed by Japanese mythology."

Lucifer's noble bearing carried a rogue air; his expression remained as always, smiling—but no one present felt joy. Only blood, only dread, only hair-raising horror.

All who heard it were chilled to the bone.

Too cruel.

Utterly inhumane.

As the saying goes: punish the guilty, not their families. But when the Myths besieged ancient Babylonian mythology, they didn't just kill its deities—they didn't even spare its realm.

It's like in real life: if I have a grudge against you, I don't just gather a mob to kill your whole family—I blow up your house, divide your land, shatter every single thing you owned, and destroy your ancestral graves and territory too.

What kind of hatred could this be…

Everyone shivered. If ancient Babylonian mythology had a soul after death and learned of this, it would die with eyes wide open.

"They're condemning ancient Babylonian mythology to eternal damnation," Professor Nakata trembled; just imagining it made his scalp crawl.

"Why did ancient Babylonian mythology suffer such a siege by all the Myths?"

Mihara Sōta asked the question he most wanted answered.

"Well, I can't tell you. But if you're not afraid of death, I can tell you—just be ready for the consequence: your entire family wiped out, your soul eternally imprisoned in hell for all time."

Moonread replied slowly.

Not just Mihara Sōta and the others present—even Takahashi and the other high-ranking officers of the Supernatural Response Division nearly pissed themselves.

"Don't say it. I didn't ask."

Mihara Sōta spoke bluntly, even covering his ears, terrified Moonread might speak the words right then.

It wasn't impossible—Moonread was this devious. Who knew if he'd casually drop half a sentence just to scare everyone? What if someone guessed the truth from just half a phrase?

To prevent Moonread from causing trouble, Mihara Sōta quickly changed the subject.

"Can I ask—what exactly are the gods fighting against on the Primordial Battlefield?"

Previously, they didn't know the Origin Realm, nor its power—they only knew Japanese supernaturals, deities, and yokai fought against "that side." They assumed "that side" meant other Myths. But they were wrong. All the gods were fighting "that side."

Now that they know the Origin Realm's power, and that all the Myths ruling it have united against "that side," where does "that side" come from?

Is there another world as terrifying as the Origin Realm?

Or perhaps "that side" are beings from the Origin Realm itself, lying dormant for eons, now grown strong enough to challenge the Myths for dominion over the Origin Realm?

Or could it be that the world was not the first to be born, but that other worlds were born alongside it—each equally primordial?

"I'm truly sorry, but I can't answer that. What 'that side' is on the Primordial Battlefield involves one of the universe's greatest secrets," Lucifer shook his head.

This was the first time Lucifer and Moonread had refused to answer Mihara Sōta's question.

Yes—they refused to answer.

It seemed that even the horrific suppression of ancient Babylonian mythology, a deed that made gods and demons tremble, paled beside the secrets of the Primordial Battlefield.

Before he finished speaking, Lucifer shifted tone, smiling as always:

"But I can tell you a small secret: the shattering of the Origin Realm has nothing to do with the Primordial Battlefield, nor with the war against ancient Babylonian mythology—it involves a grudge from the Age of Tai Chu."

"The Age of Tai Chu?"

They knew the Ancient Era and the Primordial Era; the current age was the Recent Era, before that the Ancient Era, and before that the Primordial Era—but what was this Age of Tai Chu?

Tai Chu? The First Unity? The Beginning of Heaven and Earth? The Dawn of Time?

Mihara Sōta and the others wondered: did "Tai Chu" mean the era before the Primordial Era? The Origin Realm shattered before the Primordial Era—was that what "Tai Chu" meant? Could "Chu" in "Tai Chu" refer to the "Chu" in "Shattered Origin Realm"?

Or perhaps "Tai Chu" referred to an even older era, far older than the Primordial Era, separated by several ages.

……