I, The Dragon Overlord

Chapter 458 - Welcoming Amaterasu Omikami

Shrine Maidens or mikos with pure bodies and believers in the gods from all over Japan knelt down in front of the inner shrine.

In modern Japan, it was actually very difficult to find pure chaste girls who believed in the traditional gods and served as miko for them.

These girls may not necessarily look beautiful, but their hearts and bodies were in tune with the gods. They were not polluted by the mundane world and became devout and firm believers in the gods.

For Louie, these mikos would rise up to his divine kingdom once they died. Although they could not become saints, they would still largely increase the divine kingdom’s power.

For true gods of the world of San Soliel, the strength of their divine kingdom lay in the number of their believers. Strong people were secondary because mortals could never be stronger than true gods. As long as the gods remained immortal, everything else was just a passing cloud.

“Let’s begin!”

The chief priest sternly commanded. The Japanese imperial princess cowered in fear and stepped forward to receive the naginata used in the ceremony. Then she began an ancient dance for the gods.

Since it was a play, it was better to spare no expense and perform the full set of rituals and ceremonies that had existed since ancient times. Such activities resonated in the hearts of humans and induced a sense of belonging, thus bringing about a deeper faith.

In a world without supernatural powers, rituals used the environment to create a psychological effect, but in a world with supernatural powers, such rituals contain a more symbolic meaning.

The ritual to call for Amaterasu was not complicated. Compared to the ritual to call for God Taiyi in China, this ritual was much simpler and less grandiose, but more striking.

The mikos shook their goheis or wooden wands, and the sound of bells tinkled. The scene in front of the many Japanese officials gradually filled them with a sense of tranquility. A song arised from the distance and cleanse their very being.

An invisible wind blew into the inner shrine. Princess Aiko, covered in sweat, put down the naginata in her hand. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and took out a ceremonial dagger. She closed her eyes and slashed her palm, causing blood to drip from it onto the ancient bronze mirror in front of her.

At this time, the chief priest finally stood up and advanced forward step by step. Each step he took seemed to contain a mysterious power that attracted everyone’s gazes. When he finally came beside Princess Aiko, he spoke in a low voice, “Very good. Your task is done, go down.”

With the words of the chief priest, the princess was surprised to find that the wound on her palm had miraculously recovered. The stinging pain was gone, replaced by a warm and light feeling.

“Amateraus Omikami is a benevolent god. Your body is very weak, so this ritual will benefit you. You will receive Amaterasu Omikami’s favor and slowly become healthier.”

Princess Aiko was surprised at the unexpected honor as she looked at the chief priest. She felt incredulous that this chief priest who had always given a cold and stern impression would speak out to comfort her.

She obediently bowed her head and then backed away.

The Japanese Imperial Princess was a miserable girl with a weak character. Louie was not an evil god who would just use her without giving her some benefits.

For a true god-like Louie with the divine authority of life, let alone healing a sick body, healing a terminally ill body was simpler than eating and drinking.

Then Louie began a dance to the Gods in front of the prime minister, the emperor, and other high officials.

“Doesn’t the chief priest’s steps look like the Taizan Fukun no Sai?”

“Are you talking about the Taizan Fukun no Sai of the great onmyouji Abe no Seimei of the Heian period?”

“Yes, that’s right. Don’t you think that this chief priest who also has the surname Abe might have a relationship with the legendary child of the fox?”

“Our Prime Minister is also surnamed Abe. According to legend, the great onmyouji looks enchanting. What do you think about our Prime Minister, do you think he looked like Abe no Seimei?”

“......”

These words made the many Japanese officials silent.

“The steps also seem like it isn’t Taizan Fukun no Sai. Besides, the Taizan Fukun no Sai is an onmyou technique for beginning the dead back to life. This time, we are worshiping Amaterasu Omikami, so how could it have anything to do with the Taizan Fukun no Sai?”

A theologian of Tokyo University stared at the steps of the priest in front of him and began to write and draw, recording all the steps being taken. Although the dance of the priest was completely different from what he remembered in texts and even looked like a hodgepodge of randomness, the Kyoto University theologian would never think this. The one performing the dance was a priest with supernatural powers and could never be wrong. The only thing that could be a mistake was the canonical records.

The ritual dance was not long, and a sound that seemed to exist and not exists became clearer and louder. Then the chief priest shouted, “Greetings to the mighty god Amaterasu Omikami!!”

At the chief priest’s voice, everyone was shocked to see the symbol of Amaterasu Omikami, the Yata no Kagami, floating up. This bronze mirror reflected the light of the sun. With the mirror at the center, a faint light that took the form of a person appeared in the sky above.

Just a glance was enough for people to tell that it was a god. Everyone felt a great tremor from their souls; it was as though even doubting the sanctity of the being before them was akin to blasphemy.

Louie had copied the manifestation of Goddess Lorentia from his own memories to create the figure. Then, he used his power to occupy the nature of the Goddess of Morning. Naturally, it wasn’t as perfect as the original Goddess of Morning but it was enough. The blurred features that were covered by the light of the sun also made the mortals feel the majesty of the gods.

“Greetings to Amaterasu Omikami!”

The emperor was in tears and excited because this sacrifice had been done with the contribution of the imperial family. In the future, the legend that the imperial family was the children of Amaterasu Omikami would be more deeply rooted.

He had already thought of worshiping the god every day and even publicizing it so that the entire nation would join the faith of Shintoism.

The radiance emanating from Amaterasu’s body was like the noon sun. It was righteous but warm, like the goddess written in mythology.

At the outskirts of Ise Grand Shrine, many journalists and people came spontaneously after hearing the news. After seeing Amaterasu Omikami show her divine body, they all knelt down trembling with fear and prayed.

For the citizens of a nation, they would mostly choose the god that their own culture believed in because people would subconsciously think that those gods would shelter them.

Louie believed that Japan, which had many shrines, would have an easier time gaining more faith in Shintoism. Then he could harvest all the faith and turn it into his own power.

Amaterasu Omikami’s divine form was only in the air for a few seconds. Then, the sunlight fused into one and disappeared in front of everyone. At the same time, thousands of kilometers away from Japan, Amaterasu’s figure directly appeared in Los Angeles.