Epic Of Caterpillar

Chapter 2895 - 2896: The Oni God Awakens

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Sadako screamed and cried as she witnessed the true horror of Takai Shinjiʼs plan for the Red Oni Tribe.

He had never intended to resurrect their King. His goal had always been to summon Izanami, the Goddess of Death, into the World of the Living.

”Y-You...! Takai Shinji! HOW...! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?!”

”Heh, why are you so upset?! Dumb child!”

Takai Shinji laughed and mocked her as Sadako lay helpless on the ground, unable to fight back, unable to change anything.

The giantess approached slowly, eternal darkness radiating from her form.

”Why are you so sad, my child? Your friend is now part of me.”

”Eh?”

Sadako stared into the goddessʼs red eyes and saw a second head emerge beside her.

Sakura.

”Hello, Sadako. Why donʼt you join us? Become one with Izanami-sama!”

Sadako screamed, stumbling backward, falling to the ground, then scrambling up again as she desperately tried to put distance between herself and that thing.

That thing was no goddess.

That thing was no king.

That thing was pure malice.

”Youʼre not her...! Monster...! Youʼre a monster worse than even us Oni!” Sadako cried.

Crack, crack...!

CRASH!

BOOOM!

A massive explosion of red and golden light erupted inside the shrine.

For a brief moment, everything fell silent, even though the situation had only grown more dire.

A tall figure emerged as the statue that had contained him shattered.

He stood with blue and red skin, four black horns, two golden eyes, six muscular arms, and long silvery-white hair.

Zehe and Kireinaʼs child.

And supposedly, Sadakoʼs ancestor.

”Who dares disturb the peace of my Oni kind?!”

His voice thundered like a divine decree.

The darkness spread by Izanami recoiled before his radiant light. She stared at him in disbelief.

”An Oni with the power of Divinity? What is this...?”

Takai Shinji looked equally stunned, unable to believe one of the statues had truly held the sealed original.

”You...! You were sealed this entire time?!”

Ryo glared at the floating old Oni and furrowed his brows. ”Sealed? I was taking a nap! At some point I seem to have fossilized.”

”...”

”...”

”...”

For a moment, despite the dire circumstances, Takai Shinji, Sadako, and even Izanami stared at the awakened Oni God in utter disbelief.

”I am Iki Ryo, Great Four-Armed Asura! As an Oni, I have achieved Buddhahood and stand among the Great Bodhisattvas of Nirvana! I have descended upon this Realm to set things right and avenge the fallen!”

Iki Ryo summoned four golden swords, gripping one in each hand. His Aura surged powerfully as a Wheel of Fate manifested behind him.

Kireina, Zehe, and everyone else stood speechless!

”R-Ryo?”

”Do you remember us, son?”

Iki Ryo turned to them, smiling warmly and nodding.

”But of course. I wish I could celebrate our reunion properly, mothers. I have spent a long time here achieving enlightenment. I am afraid I might not be the same young, reckless boy you once knew. But I still consider myself your son, and I never allowed the Realm to assimilate me or erase my precious memories of you all.”

Those words struck Kireina and Zehe deeper than anything before.

Their boy had truly grown up.

And he was so cool and handsome, both mothers were practically fangirling.

”Kyaaaaa! Heʼs so cool!” Zehe cried happily.

”He really is! So cool and handsome!” Kireina agreed, hugging her wife tightly.

”W-Wha...! Stop it already, youʼre embarrassing me in front of everyone here!” In the end, Ryo quickly reverted to his old self the moment his two mothers were around.

”...”

”...”

”...”

Takai Shinji, Sadako, and Izanami stared in stunned silence.

Ryo sighed and stepped forward.

He cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck and back.

”After spending a few hundred years in the Heavenly Domain of Nirvana, I am a little rusty, so please forgive me,” he said with a confident smile. ”Goddess of Death, Izanami! As a protector of the Balance of this World, I cannot allow you to roam freely in the World of the Living!”

”Aaahh...” Izanami sighed, tears streaming from her eyes. ”I was once a living goddess... I died giving birth to my belovedʼs son, and I fell into purgatory... He was supposed to save me, but he was too terrified of my dead body to even bring me back... Do you think this is my fault? I BELONG IN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING!!!”

Izanami lost control completely. She screamed while clawing at her face, tearing it apart and regenerating it over and over.

She had gone utterly mad after countless ages trapped in Yomi...

Reasoning with her was impossible.

RUMBLE!

Without warning, she charged toward Ryo. Dozens of giant black arms—formed from shadows and wailing ghosts—propelled her forward like a spider across the land.

Half her body split open, revealing countless jaws, bulging red eyes, and long tongues, a monstrous form ready to devour everything in her path.

”Wicked Goddess of Death, I pity you!”

Ryo roared, channeling his power. His golden swords blazed as his Aura surged with the radiance of the heavens and the steady beat of his heart.

Kireina and Zehe immediately recognized it: Ryo, through his practice of Buddhist Cultivation—different from Immortal Cultivation—had attained a power akin to Heart Essence.

In truth, Buddhist Cultivation was the origin of Repentant Enlightenment, where struggling obsessively through suffering formed the core of its mantra.

Perhaps all Bodhisattvas, and even the Buddha himself, were members of the Heart Tribe.

”Myriad Soul Heaven Selves – Nirvanic Dance!”

Ryo suddenly divided into one hundred golden selves of light.

All of them attacked Izanami with their swords, performing a nirvanic dance that unleashed the pure radiance of heaven upon the death goddess.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

”Nnnggh?! Aaaaagh!”

Izanami screamed in agony as her entire body was covered in slashing wounds, burning with the flames of nirvana and holy light.

”This vessel is far too weak; I need more power...! You!”

Izanamiʼs shadow hands reached for Sadako, seizing her and preparing to devour her.

As the one originally intended as her vessel, Sadako was the most suitable.

”N-No...! Nooo!”

Sadako screamed. Her Aura erupted, taking the form of a great demon king wreathed in flames. She punched Izanamiʼs hand and blasted it apart.

Kireina moved to save her but stopped midway, noticing the girlʼs powerful Aura and the Manifestation born from it.

Unlike a Heart Tribe Manifestation, this one stemmed from a Legacy Sadako had suddenly inherited, or rather, unlocked.

”Sadako! Stand behind me!” Ryo called as he clashed with the furious Izanami. Her giant black hands were constantly severed, only to regrow anew.

”Ahh!” Sadako stumbled clumsily. After admiring her newfound power, she tripped and was caught once more.

But this time...

”Heaven Thunder Axe – Lightning Cleave!”

An axe forged with divine thunder cleaved through Izanamiʼs hands, startling her.

Then several more figures emerged to join the fight.

It wasnʼt just Ryo and the onlookers, everyone present was a monster in their own right.

Takai Shinji groaned as he watched them unite. ”Tsk, how annoying. I donʼt know how you got here, but you will become Lady Izanamiʼs meals now. So rejoice, lowly worms! Offer your pathetic souls to her!”

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