People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 536 Divine Child: Aying, stop running away. You should have known long ago that eternity is impossible.
Inatsume, the southernmost point of Narukami Island, Hanami-zaka.

As night fell, thick clouds obscured the sky, and the scattered houses were shrouded in darkness except for a few scattered lights.

Just like the mood of the residents in both places, even the environment of Inazuma is filled with an atmosphere of sadness at this moment.

Returning to reality from his communication with Nasida and the Tree King, Lin Feng quietly looked at the frontline battle report written on the notice board in front of the village.

I walked along the country lanes to Inazuma Castle, and also observed the differences between the attack and the present from the emotions of the passersby.

Although the battle report undoubtedly declared it another "victory".
However, unlike before when there was even room for debate about which side, the Umijima or Narukami Island armies, was stronger, this situation is different.
Once the general casualty figures were released, all that could be seen were people who were at a loss as to what to do with the current situation.

"How could this be? Are we dreaming?"

"Even with a general present, such heavy casualties still occurred. The entire mopping-up team from Umijima Island and the Shogunate army was wiped out, and not even the bodies could be recovered?"

Never before have I so clearly realized that this is not the time for us to argue, and I have finally discovered that the Abyss invasion is not a minor problem that can be dealt with by waiting.

A casualty count of over a thousand is not a small number in Inazuma, especially considering that the entire force was wiped out by two recently very active squads.

Unlike the casualties in previous wars, the fact that such a horrific event occurred so close to home has finally instilled a clear sense of panic even in ordinary people.

Several hours earlier, Yonomiya and the Arataki-ha had gone to the homes of those regular customers to offer comfort, and the people in charge of the shrine were also trying to stabilize the public's emotions.

However, the stark reality that ordinary humans are utterly helpless against demons greatly spurred those who initially had great faith in the military. Some chose to place their hopes even further in the gods, while the rest...
"."

"The Evil Eye? Although it's a bit crudely made, at least at this point in time, increasing production capacity is definitely more worthwhile than reducing side effects."

"For the current shogunate, talismans and the like are far from enough. It's not so bad that these fools are coming to distribute evil eyes."

It was easy to detect the spread of the Evil Eye among the people, since if this thing was not deliberately destroyed, it could be passed on to the next person even if the user died.

After this one-sided battle, the previously confiscated Evil Eyes will most likely not be sealed away again.
Even with severe side effects, the current military still needs this power that allows them to control elemental forces.

"This is probably the selection that the divine child hoped for. Those who are willing to use this power to make sacrifices now will become the true pillars of Inazuma in the future."

He shook his head, confirming that the current level of social cohesion was far greater than before, with the most basic survival needs suppressing all conflicts to the lowest level.

After briefly calculating how long it would take to adapt to the standardized use of the Evil Eye in the military, Lin Feng began to think about what to arrange for the advance simulation of a certain purple-haired otaku girl.

"Oh, don't blame yourself anymore, Aying. This was an accident that no one could have predicted."

"Even gods are not omnipotent. It would be too much of a burden for you to bear the responsibility of protecting everyone all by yourself."

"."

Tenshukaku, a spacious meditation space.

A pink-furred fox looked at Aying, who was silent in front of her, and was carefully comforting her.

In the past, when I was in a state of mental turmoil, I would choose to calm myself down through meditation, but now even the general seems somewhat restless.

The Abyss invasion hundreds of years ago was indeed large in scale, but for a country like Inazuma, which is isolated overseas, there weren't many truly formidable enemies.

But this time it was completely different; a mere, incompletely formed mimicry monster was enough to hold her and the general off for so long.

If a similar situation were to occur again in the future, the casualties among the military and civilians would undoubtedly escalate to an unbearable level.
"The monsters are appearing too quickly. Against truly powerful enemies, the army's role is far too limited. If this continues, the people will lose confidence more and more."
"Divine Child, what do you think about creating a thunderstorm outside the defensive line?"

Turning to his family, Ying spoke of what he had been considering.

"Thunderstorms? It's not impossible. But are you planning to cancel those offshore ones?"

"Maintaining something like this will greatly deplete your strength; the burdens just on the outer seas are already very heavy."

If you intend to cancel the offshore thunderstorms and instead cover the defensive line, that would be a viable option.

It seemed that he had anticipated this all along, and even guessed how his old friend would respond.

The divine child looked at his old friend before him.
After letting out a slight sigh in her heart, she unsurprisingly heard an answer that was very characteristic of Ah Ying:

"No, those thunderstorms cannot be canceled. I have already canceled the ones in other areas on your advice, but at least the ones around Narukami Island absolutely cannot be canceled."

"Many new monster species have emerged that can move freely in the sea. If the defenses of the outer seas are removed, not only will their options for invasion increase significantly, but..."
If monsters establish hidden lairs around the ocean, Inazuma could very well be dragged into a protracted war lasting decades or even centuries.”

The current expansion of the thunderstorm zone around the outer sea is aimed at preventing monsters from attacking via the ocean and also as preparation for Inazuma's future extermination efforts.

The vast majority of the monsters that the Shogunate army is currently fighting emerge from the unfolding abyssal rifts.

Due to the extremely obvious mutual repulsion between the power of the abyss and the elemental power, if these cracks appear in the area within the defensive line, she can be notified quickly and close them, preventing monsters from having a chance to invade.

But if the naval defenses are completely dismantled, what will happen when countless monsters surge in from other islands and even the ocean?
If even a few powerful individuals are mixed in, the current defensive perimeter will collapse entirely in an instant due to excessive pressure.

Not to mention that in her frantic efforts, she might overlook newly appeared abyssal rifts, leading to the helpless slaughter of the inhabitants within.
"—So, Aying, you mean you don't want to leave too many hidden dangers after the war, you don't want too many casualties among the people and the army, and at the same time you're still thinking about that unseen and intangible 'eternity'."

"Even though I'm just a fox, isn't this a little greedy, even from a demon's perspective?"

He was well aware that his old friend had been in a similar state of turmoil for centuries.
The most direct manifestation of this is that while tacitly approving the Eye Hunt Order, one is unwilling to eliminate the opponents for the sake of "eternity."

They want the future but are unwilling to give up the present, and they don't even want to cause too many casualties among the people.

This desire for everything yet lack of conviction and unwillingness to make choices is a major taboo for a country's rulers.

"But such enemies are clearly beyond the scope of what the army can handle; even if they are defeated, they will certainly suffer heavy casualties."

Kage knew perfectly well that what the divine child said made sense, but he still hesitated.

"." "—So what? You plan to use thunderstorms to deal with the weaker monsters, and then fight tirelessly against those that thunderstorms can't handle?"

"I know that your current body can fight for a very long time, Ah Ying."

But the enemy isn't just those weaklings. Compared to the number of casualties in the army, your condition is the greatest guarantee for Inazuma's survival.

Even though she had anticipated this scene, the Divine Child was still somewhat helpless about her own Aying's performance.

She is undoubtedly a good guardian, but she is completely incompetent in decision-making.

In other words, the current intrusions are initiated by the intruders themselves and do not cause any actual damage.

In any true invasion of the Abyss, the result of being unwilling to give up anything is very likely to be a complete loss.

"The army's duty is to fight monsters, and the people of Inazuma should fight to protect themselves."

"Gods can solve most problems, but the army is also responsible for dealing with places that the gods cannot look after. If the shogunate's army can't even deal with those weak monsters, then what was the point of you establishing them in the first place, Aying?"

"The ultimate goal of the abyss must be the gods. As long as the gods are not here, the annihilation of Inazuma will be inevitable."

"Therefore, if you were to use your strength to completely surround the defense line, the insufficient strength would likely put you in danger when facing a truly powerful enemy."

The gods are the last bastion of the nation. After Inazuma leaves Ayane, even the few executives of the Fool Clan might not be able to withstand him.

Shenzi tried to make Aying realize that a moment of choice had arrived. She hoped that her old friend could face the current predicament and give up some unrealistic fantasies.

"But the people of Inazuma are equally important. If the people continue to suffer losses like today, even if the gods remain, it will be meaningless."

"Kusai-gumi and Chiyo both became enemies of Inazuma due to the corruption of the abyss. I failed to save them hundreds of years ago, and I don't want to see anything like that happen again."

"You mean those counterfeit goods?"

"You should know very well that these are just memories being imitated. You've missed many opportunities to strike before. Do you, Aying, intend to rescue them from the Abyss?"

By continuously guiding the conversation, Yae no Miko felt that Ayane would probably soon ask the question she wanted her to ask.

"No, even if it's just memories, it shouldn't be like this. They clearly have their own will, so why must they be enemies with Inazuma?"

Being able to have a clear and smooth conversation with Kitsunemiya and Chiyo, and realizing that they were not just empty illusions,

But these two old friends of his loved Inatsuma so much when they were alive, there was no reason why their memories would turn out the way they do now.
"."

"If you insist on being so fixated on this, then I think you should know the reason, Ah Ying."

Regarding why the memories buried in the earth's veins are different from those of your past life, and even hostile towards you.

"You couldn't possibly be unaware of the anger and fear that have accumulated within the Inazuma ley lines; it all stems from the people's discontent with the shogunate and the gods over the past few centuries."

"Memory is most easily tainted by external factors, just as past filth can reappear in the form of fallen warriors because of war."

"Because of the previous civil war, a large amount of negative emotions flooded into the ley lines. Even without the influence of the abyss, a considerable portion of the memories within the ley lines have probably been tainted."

"—In short, the people's wishes are in conflict with the gods because of the previous actions of the shogunate."

"The only good news is that, although under normal circumstances such an impression is extremely difficult to change, at this moment, the people's desires are so simple and pure."

If you could temporarily set aside your attachment to "eternity," truly perceive the deepest desires of the people, and respond to them, not only would your power be enhanced, but perhaps even those memories would be purified back to their original state.

Now it's time to talk about these things. If no changes are made, Aying won't be able to use the power of her own will.

As one of A-Ying's most unique advantages, although other gods also have the means to utilize the power of faith, the power of such wishes has a far greater impact on A-Ying and "True" than ordinary faith.

"Wishes" and "dreams" are among the things that Shin is most concerned about. Even the knife she left behind is named "Dream of the Heart," making it a weapon very suitable for utilizing this power.

A single, unexpected strike is certainly good.

However, such power is too constant, making it impossible to defeat an opponent with stronger hard power, especially when the enemy knows Aying very well.

Only by bearing the hopes and blessings of all the people at that most crucial juncture, and transforming the will that was originally opposing her into a source of strength,
Only then can she unleash her true power as the Inazuma deity, achieving a leap in power to defeat the final enemy.

"."

"The people's wishes are against me. Divine Child, what do you want me to do?"

Knowing that her spouse had her own ideas on many things,

Although it was impossible for Ying to easily give up her belief in "eternity," she still wanted to hear what she had to say.

"—It's not complicated. I know it's not easy to convince you, Aying, and it's also difficult to get you to take the first step."

"But now is the best time. If you're really determined, how about trying to return those divine eyes to the 'Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed Statue'?"

"No matter how important eternity may be, the present is the foundation of everything."

"—Stop avoiding it, Aying. You should have realized long ago that the eternity you've been pursuing has been almost impossible to achieve from the very beginning."

From the bottom of her heart, she didn't believe that Aying's eternity could succeed, and the Divine Child felt that Aying herself was clearly aware of this.

So-called eternity is ultimately just an escape from the "present." Whether Ah Ying likes it or not, everything is always changing.

If she doesn't break free from this nightmare lingering from five hundred years ago, the fear of moving forward will one day crush her, causing her to lose even this last remaining deity.
(End of this chapter)