When Shirou said that, Natsuya couldn't help but gasp.
Who told him he could mash legends together like this? This way of treating historical myths like a jigsaw puzzle was just… absurd!
"At first, she's born as the divine child of Gozu Tennō, Minamoto no Mitsunaka's offspring. Because of the strange phenomena caused by her oni lineage, she's seen as an ill-omened child and secretly placed in Sensō-ji to grow up. At fifteen, she calls herself 'Ushi Gozen,' establishes a demon realm in Shinagawa's Bell Forest, and is ultimately defeated by Minamoto no Raikou."
Shirou's voice echoed in the quiet room.
"But now, if Raikou and Ushi Gozen are two sides of the same coin, the truth becomes: though Ushi Gozen was raised at the temple, Mitsunaka couldn't bear to let her talents go to waste, so he brought her back to educate her."
"But because Ushi Gozen was a monster, Mitsunaka never treated her as human or called her his child. He saw her as a being with inhuman power—a living weapon."
"In other words, Ushi Gozen—the young Raikou—was only ever expected to be an emotionless weapon. The 'slaying Ushi Gozen' incident was really a battle between the two personalities within her. Raikou represented the bright, righteous general, and Ushi Gozen was her terrifying oni side."
Natsuya rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Preparing for the Holy Grail War and countering Odin's schemes, she'd been quietly investigating hybrid forces in Tokyo. Among them, the Minamoto family did seem reminiscent of the Minamoto clan of a thousand years ago.
What was more interesting was that these White King-blood hybrids were far less stable than other Black King-blood hybrids. Those unstable bloodlines, when fallen, turned into Dead Servants—called "oni."
So, simply giving a Heroic Spirit a glorious heroic side wasn't enough—there had to be a fallen, opposite side as well. Just like Raikou—not just the heroic legend, but also the oni past. At this point… wasn't she basically a "counter-hero"?
Erii, off to the side, was actually listening intently, her pen scratching across her notebook in neat strokes, eyes fixed on Shirou.
"So Raikou ultimately defeated the monster inside her, right?"
Shirou noticed the unusual insistence in her question, as if she needed to hear the answer over and over. Her fingers trembled slightly on the pen, as if she both hoped for and feared the response.
"Yes. Raikou ultimately overcame her monstrous side."
"Even though for more than a decade she lived as the oni 'Ushi Gozen,' she eventually met someone who changed her life. For that person, she fought herself and decided to remake who she was."
"In the end, Ushi Gozen's personality stepped back and sealed itself away, and Raikou grew into a hero celebrated across the land."
Erii seemed moved, her handwriting growing uneven. "So… even if you're born a monster, you can still become a hero?"
She chewed on that thought—the same monstrous origin, the same upbringing as a hidden family weapon. It was as if she saw herself reflected in Raikou's life.
Her heart twisted. She'd always believed she was the most terrifying monster, destined only to be destroyed.
But Shirou had told her—a monster could leave the past behind and become a hero admired by all.
A jolt went through Shirou. The story fit Erii's situation perfectly.
From birth, she'd been caged by her family. She was the vessel for a "god" and its prison, living in constant fear of losing control and becoming a disaster.
"Yes… it's alright," he said, gently ruffling her hair. "Even if you're born a monster, as long as you keep a just heart, you'll beat your past self one day and greet a hero's future."
After a moment's comfort, the corners of Erii's mouth turned up. The darkness in her heart seemed to retreat, fading into a faint, mocking laugh before disappearing altogether. A bright smile replaced the gloom in her eyes.
"…"
Natsuya, watching from start to finish, frowned deeper and deeper.
The atmosphere between them felt… off. The air had that faint, familiar sweetness—like back when Shirou was with Nono.
Realizing she was inevitably becoming a third wheel, Natsuya couldn't stand the injustice and broke the mood.
"Hold it! Shirou-nii, I still don't get something. You said in your version of the legend that Ushi Gozen was 'the divine child of Gozu Tennō.' Are you linking the oni to the Buddhist deity Gozu Tennō?"
"Exactly. The 'ushi' in Ushi Gozen corresponds to the ox in the Chinese zodiac. In the story, Ushi Gozen transforms into a giant ox demon, which is the great divine messenger of Gozu Tennō."
He paused. "And Gozu Tennō is the incarnation of Taishakuten—or Indra."
"Huh?"
Natsuya's eyes widened, nearly dropping her notes. The Gozu Tennō–ox demon link was fine, but Gozu Tennō as Taishakuten's incarnation? What kind of logic was that?
"It's a bit complicated—it involves Shinto-Buddhist syncretism and the honji suijaku theory… let me find the reference."
Shirou started spouting scholarly jargon as he dug through the books on the table.
Natsuya wanted to tease him—he didn't seem like the type to spend all day buried in this stuff, so how did he know so much? But she swallowed it and helped search.
"Here! In Abe no Seimei's Kin'u Gyokuto-shū, it's recorded that Gozu Tennō was King Mahetora of the Northern Heavens, a reincarnation of the Star of Heavenly Punishment who once served Taishakuten—so the two are subordinate and superior."
"And this text also notes that Gozu Tennō shares a story framework with the northern martial deity of Shinto—viewed as the same as Susanoo."
He flipped open another, the Gion-sha-ki. "Similarly, it says Gozu Tennō is Susanoo's son and the manifestation of Yakushi Nyorai. That means here, Gozu Tennō is Susanoo's child."
Here, Yakushi Nyorai and Susanoo were equated.
That's Shinto-Buddhist syncretism—Shinto kami being regarded as the manifestations (gongen) of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities of the Buddhist pantheon.
For example: Izanagi as Shakyamuni or Amitābha; Izanami as Kannon; Amaterasu as Dainichi Nyorai; Tsukuyomi as Amitābha; Ōkuninushi as Daikokuten; Ninigi as Shakyamuni; Inari as Dakiniten; Ebisu as Bishamonten; Fudō Myō-ō…
Step by step, Susanoo becomes the manifestation of Yakushi Nyorai.
"Gozu Tennō is also called the guardian deity of Jetavana Monastery, enshrined at Gion shrines. In syncretism, Gozu Tennō is an incarnation of Taishakuten, and also conflated with Susanoo."
And as everyone knows, Taishakuten is equated with Indra—a result of Hindu and Buddhist cross-influence.
"Then, in the Meiji era's Haibutsu Kishaku (anti-Buddhist) movement, Gion shrines were converted to worship Susanoo. But public belief didn't change, and Shinto-Buddhist syncretism still lingers."
By the end, Natsuya was slack-jawed. Following this chain of logic, any Japanese Heroic Spirit with a myth link could be extended into Buddhist and even Hindu connections—the disguises were endless!
Shirou shut the book. "So, after going around the circle, the final conclusion: Ushi Gozen, transformed into an ox demon, is the child of Gozu Tennō, whose chain of identity is Gozu Tennō → Susanoo → Taishakuten (Śakra Indra)!"
Natsuya opened her mouth but had no words. She suddenly realized—if this worked, couldn't Heroic Spirits from other regions also be forcibly tied to every kind of mythology? This alias game would never end!
Shirou nodded at her quick thinking. Exactly—that was the idea.
(End of Chapter)
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