I loaded the geek game

"You mean... the Lord of all gods and spirits?" Kamiya asked, his tone a mixture of surprise and realization.

The Lord of Ghosts and Gods was the final sacrifice to solidify the seal of "Ruins." Is this the truth that Seimei's divine consciousness could never explain?
Kamiya felt a chill creep up his spine: "So Abe no Seimei didn't die directly in the war of gods. The reason he perished was because he ascended to the throne of gods?"

“Indeed.” Xu Fu’s voice suddenly became unusually calm, like the deathly silence before a storm. “To sit on the throne of the gods, to sacrifice oneself, and to extend the next thousand years for Izumo—this was the destiny that Izanagi had written for the ruler of all gods and demons. And Abe no Seimei… fulfilled his mission.”

Kamiya took a deep breath, his divine light fluctuating violently. He quickly calmed down and asked Xu Fu again in a deep voice, "And what about you? You said Izanagi inscribed laws into your body, but what role did you play in this sacrifice?"

“This stone throne is two sides of the same coin as the one in Takamagahara. The sealing power must not only solidify the exterior of the Ruins, but also penetrate its interior.” Xu Fu slowly turned to look at the towering stone throne behind him, his tattered black robes unfurling in the darkness like dying wings. “And I am the foundation of this divine throne, the embodiment of the law. To put it more bluntly—”

“I am the presiding officer of this destined sacrifice. Because the Lord of all spirits and gods was transformed from a human, in order to ensure the compatibility of the ritual, the presiding officer of this ritual must also be a deity who has transformed from a mortal.”

“From the moment I first saw Izanagi, I had already become a pawn in His plan… and He had long ago marked the fate of every pawn in His hands.”

The only point of doubt surrounding Xu Fu's earlier account of the past was now explained—

Takamagahara's unusual enthusiasm and exceptional treatment of him were all for a reason.

It's heartbreaking.

"There's another question, about Ashiya Dōman..." After a brief silence, Kamiya asked, his voice echoing in the boundless darkness, "Did Ashiya Dōman choose to betray Takamagahara because he knew of the destiny of the Lord of Demons and Gods?"

According to Xu Fu, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and Izanagi all sacrificed themselves to solidify the seal on "Ruins." After that, due to the decline of the gods in Takamagahara, there were no gods with the rank of "capable of ruling Takamagahara" available, so they could only choose to cultivate a supreme deity among mortals to continue the sacrificial ritual.

Thus, Abe no Seimei became the fourth victim.

Among these four gods who sacrificed themselves, there is one special case—

Ashiya Michiman.

Kamiyagawa still knows very little about this first quasi-deity ruler who betrayed Takamagahara and chose to join Yomi.

"I am not sure."

Xu Fu shook his head, his withered white hair fluttering like spider silk in the darkness.

This was somewhat unexpected for Kamiya, who hadn't anticipated that even Xu Fu was unaware of such matters.

"As far as I know, Ashiya Dōman... compared to the later rulers of the gods and demons, namely Abe no Seimei and you, the originally chosen Dōman did one more thing—reconstructed Takamagahara. After Izanagi's self-sacrifice, the Takamagahara divine realm completely collapsed and dissipated into Izumo due to the loss of its god-king. Later, after a long time, it was thanks to Dōman and the gods who assisted him at the time, such as Amatsu Mara, that Takamagahara was able to reappear in the world and stabilize once again... I have some perception of all of this in the Void."

Reconstruct Takamagahara.

Kamiya River seems to have gone through the same process.

However, his method of "reconstruction" was merely to illuminate the divine casket of Takamagahara. After that, he gained Takamagahara's approval and reopened the path to the divine realm.

The whole process didn't take much effort at all.

According to Xu Fu, Ashiya Dōman's process of "reconstructing" Takamagahara must have been very difficult, and it was only with the help of the craftsman god that it was completed.

The later situation of the Kamiya River can be described as "one generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade."

"Trapped in the Ruins of Return, I had no choice but to wait. I waited for Ashiya Dōman, who possessed the qualifications of the God-King of Takamagahara, to ascend to the throne. However, none of this ever happened. Ashiya Dōman's figure never appeared in Takamagahara again. So, you ask me if Dōman knew the truth about Takamagahara... I don't know, I can't answer that."

"And then there's Abe no Seimei. Like Doman, Seimei also didn't enter the Ruins, nor did he see me, so he couldn't learn the truth about Takamagahara from me. I think that even right before he ascended the throne, Seimei wasn't sure what would happen next. However, perhaps because of Doman's betrayal, Seimei had some reservations about Takamagahara. You said you came to the Ruins because of a reminder left by Seimei's divine consciousness, which also corroborates this. It seems Seimei had some backup plans, but that's all."

"Hmm..." Kamiya River pondered briefly after hearing Xu Fu's words.

Based on Xu Fu's account and the information provided by Seimei's divine sense, the situation on Abe no Seimei's side can be roughly reconstructed.

He probably realized that becoming the ruler of all spirits and gods was not as simple as it seemed, and he also had some investigation into the past of Takamagahara and obtained some clues about Xu Fu.

That's why he built that secret chamber behind the statue of the Heavenly Maiden.

But Seimei was appointed to the post in a time of crisis, and he didn't have much time left.

Perhaps it was because the expansion of the Ruins and the threat of the Underworld were imminent that he could only sit on the throne with doubts, and upon learning the truth... he met his end.

As for his last remaining divine consciousness, all he could do was remind Kamiyagawa, the newcomer, to explore the Ruins and meet with Xu Fu, who had a deep entanglement with Takamagahara, before ascending to the throne of the gods in Takamagahara.

As for Ashiya Dōman...

He never met Xu Fu, nor did he ascend to the throne of a god.

The motives behind this enigmatic traitor's decision to flee to the underworld remain shrouded in mystery.

“O Lord of the spirits and demons of Izumo, you already know everything about Takamagahara. Now it is my turn to ask you a question.”

At this moment, Xu Fu's hunched back suddenly straightened, and his black robe moved without wind.

"Seimei ascended the throne, submitting to the destiny inscribed by Izanagi, thus continuing Izumo for a thousand years; Dōman fled to the underworld, and whatever his purpose, at least he could have one night of peace before the Ruins of Rebirth swallowed Izumo..."

In the endless darkness, the towering stone throne began to tremble, rumbling as it rose higher. Ancient, grotesque, blood-red inscriptions appeared on the black stone surface, writhing like crimson serpents. Kamiya saw Xu Fu's withered skin beneath his black robe, and the faint, illusory images of chains reappeared. The marks of time that had bound him crumbled at this moment, revealing his divine essence etched with law.

The enormous phantoms wandering around once again let out a shriek, while Xu Fu's voice grew even louder, echoing through the space:
"Then you—"

"It's about becoming Abe no Seimei,"

"Still Ashiya Dōman?"

The divine light surrounding Kamiyakawa dimmed abruptly under the pressure, but his right hand, which was pressing down on Ame no Ouha and Futsu no Mitama, remained motionless. The thunderous sound from the scabbard resonated with his heartbeat, exploding like a thunderclap.

"I am neither Abe no Seimei nor Ashiya Dōman." Kamiyagawa looked up, his black hair swaying in the turbulent energy, but the deep light in his eyes was more brilliant and resolute than ever before. "I am, and will always be, myself." (End of Chapter)