To Hell and Back Again
The Kami returned to Takamagahara carrying the weight of their investigation in Minato-no-Sato. But before they could deliver their report, disaster struck. Hebikage, an Aspect of the serpent god Orochi, began to burn alive—his corrupted nature incompatible with the purity of Heaven. To save him, Bionten, Lady of Luck, invoked her divine authority and formed a binding contract, claiming Hebikage as her servant and protectorate. The fire subsided, but the consequences of this bond had only just begun.
With Hebikage stabilized, the Kami prepared to deliver their findings. However, Amaterasu was absent, and so they were directed to her estranged consort: Tsukiyomi, Lord of the Moon. They reported the shrine’s defilement, Kaede’s death, Hebikage’s role, and the disappearance of the dragon-kin child. Tsukiyomi received the news with cold serenity, then gave them a new divine directive:
“Yomi, the Land of the Dead, calls for aid. You will answer.”
👑 The Descent into Yomi
Each year, the veil between worlds grows thin, and lost souls attempt to flee the underworld. Emma-Ō, ruler of Yomi and Judge of the Dead, had called upon the Celestial Court for help. The Kami journeyed into the depths of the underworld to serve as her assistants—each entrusted with the solemn duty of judging lost souls.
What followed were tests of philosophy, morality, and divine perspective. Each Kami was given three spirits to judge, and with every decision, they shaped not only the fate of those souls but also revealed the nature of their own divine hearts.
🍀 Bionten, Lady of Luck
Bionten was confronted with souls shaped by chance, risk, and unintended fortune. A cheating gambler pleaded for a second life through a final wager—Bionten accepted, giving the fraud one last honest game. She then honored a quiet farmer who never believed in luck but lived with dignity. However, when a soldier wept over surviving while his comrades died, Bionten did not grant mercy. Luck, she judged, had spared the wrong soul.
In her eyes, fortune was neither benevolent nor cruel—it was neutral. Bionten judged based on how one lived with their luck, not whether they had it. She believed justice must be chosen with intention, not chance.
🌗 Lor Kan, Mistress of Light and Shadows
Lor Kan's domain—truth and lies—brought her some of the most complex trials. She forgave a woman whose truth had shattered a family, recognizing the burden truth can carry. She blessed a false prophet whose fake miracles gave hope to an ailing town. Yet when she encountered a whispering ghost who revealed damning truths to all of Hell, spreading despair, she silenced him without hesitation.
For Lor Kan, the intention behind a truth or lie weighed more than the act itself. Mercy, clarity, and the preservation of others were at the heart of her rulings. She judged not the words, but the wounds they left behind.
⚡ Hoshiko, Thunderous Fang of the Mountain
As a war deity, Hoshiko judged warriors and tacticians. She cast a harsh sentence on a soldier who fled a battle, labeling his later heroism insufficient redemption. She gave a second chance to a general who used a forbidden storm to save a nation—destruction, if strategic, could still serve honor. When two warriors pleaded to duel in the afterlife, she allowed it—but only the victor would be reborn; the loser, consigned to the void.
Hoshiko saw warfare as a test of discipline and consequence. Her judgments were not about winning or losing, but whether the warrior bore the full cost of their actions. Even valor must submit to judgment.
🔥 Guo, Lesser Kami of the Stove
Guo’s view of sin and virtue was filtered through nourishment and care. She forgave a man who cooked his fallen companions to survive—a grim, sacred act of sustenance. She showed mercy to a noble who poisoned his family to spare them from war, understanding his feast as twisted love. But when a ghostly cook imprisoned souls in eternal comfort, Guo ended his service. Feeding is sacred, she declared, but feeding without freedom is cruelty.
Guo judged based on how souls fed others—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Her kitchen could offer forgiveness, but not escape. Even kindness must let go.
👁️ The Final Trial: Kaede
The final soul brought before the Kami was Kaede, the shrine maiden whose death sparked the crisis in Minato-no-Sato. After impassioned debate and heartfelt pleas, the Kami persuaded Emma-Ō to grant her reincarnation, offering her a new chance at life—and perhaps, peace.
🐺 A Favor Owed
Grateful for their service, Emma-Ō granted the Kami a divine boon. They chose to free Ukemochi no Kami, the food goddess unjustly slain by Tsukiyomi. Though her spirit was released from Yomi, Emma-Ō warned that her body would take time to reform in Heaven. As a temporary measure, Ukemochi would possess Tsukiyomi’s body during the day, walking the world again while he slumbered.
With one final gift, Emma-Ō granted the Kami access to her sacred scrying mirror. Gazing into its depths, they glimpsed a vision:
The three-tailed fox who stole the dragon-kin child now hides in the Saffron Hills.
With direction renewed and their purpose sharpened, the Kami left Yomi behind—knowing the chase was far from over, and the shadow of Orochi still lingered on the horizon.