KAMIYO Episode 17: Omodaru-no-Kami — The Pinnacle of Beauty

Prologue: Satisfied Boredom

The world built by Otonoji and Otonobe was peace itself.

Gates were sturdy, paths were orderly. Within was comfort, without was order.

Beasts and plants fulfilled their respective roles, living without lack or excess.

In terms of "functional beauty," it was complete.

However, peace that is too perfect sometimes breeds a poison called boredom.

What existed there was a "landscape for living," not a "landscape for enchanting."

Practical, simple, and somewhat prosaic.

It lacked the overwhelming emotion that grasps the viewer's soul and makes them forget to breathe.

"It is not enough... At this rate, the soul will thirst."

From a rift in the world, a light of deep sea blue (Kaisei-shoku), so deep it seemed to pull one in like the deep ocean, leaked out.

It was neither the gold of order nor the silver of healing.

It was a demonic radiance inviting the viewer into the abyss.

Chapter 1: The Manifestation of Omodaru

When the sea-blue light filled the area, the atmosphere changed completely.

A pleasant tension and a premonition that sent shivers down the spine.

From within the vortex of light, a breathtakingly beautiful male god appeared.

The Sixth Generation of the Kamiyo-nanayo (The Seven Divine Generations).

His name is Omodaru-no-Kami.

True to his name, meaning "Face (Omo) is Complete/Sufficient (Daru)," he possessed perfect features.

Clad in sea-blue robes and crown, his sleeves were artistically embroidered with surging waves and carp.

Every one of his movements was elegant, like a calculated dance, releasing an aura that dominated the surrounding space just by existing.

He glanced over the too-practical world with a sidelong look and let out a sigh.

"I am Omodaru. Harmony alone is not enough. Leave mere survival to the beasts."

His voice was sweet, yet possessed an absolute resonance.

"I shall bring to this world the 'Pinnacle of Beauty' that shakes the soul."

He was the incarnation of beauty, appearing to bring "Enchanting Power" and "Art" to the world.

Chapter 2: Fingertips of Creation, Birth of Art

Omodaru walked up to an ordinary stone rolling by the roadside.

It might have been a useless stone rejected by Otonoji when paving the road.

"O Stone. You are not merely a clod of earth. Show me the true form sleeping within you."

The god gently touched the stone with his long white fingers.

In that instant, a miracle occurred.

The surface of the stone peeled away by itself, revealing smooth curves from within.

In the blink of an eye, the stone transformed into a beautiful sculpture of a beast that seemed to harbor life.

It possessed a contradictory beauty: seemingly about to move at any moment, yet eternally still.

The surrounding air changed completely.

A mere roadside took on the sublimity of a corner of a museum.

"Beauty is the power to move people simply by existing."

Omodaru gazed at his work with satisfaction.

"Whether it is useful or not is trivial. That which transcends function and is eternally carved into the heart is true art."

It was the moment "Art" was born in the world for the first time. It was not essential for survival, but it was indispensable for the fulfillment of the soul.

Chapter 3: The Contagion of Beauty (Pandemic)

As Omodaru walked through the world, his "Wave of Beauty" spread like ripples.

The flowers he passed increased in vividness, blooming proudly as if competing with themselves.

The beasts that saw his figure stopped their mere walking motions, straightened their backs, and began to leap with elegant grace.

"Beauty is contagious."

The god smiled.

"By having one perfect existence, everything around it raises itself to the heights so as not to be ashamed before it."

"Aspiration" (Akogare)—the intense impulse to wish to be more beautiful.

The god's overwhelming aesthetic sense refined the world.

Attire meant for mere "reproduction" changed into evolution aimed at "Beauty" itself.

Chapter 4: The Storm and the Masterpiece

As if jealous of the world filled with beauty, the heavens raged.

Black clouds hung low, and a storm assaulted the gardens and sculptures created by Omodaru.

Muddy water soiled the beautiful lines, and wind tried to strip away the decorations.

However, Omodaru did not rush to protect his works.

Not minding getting wet, he stood in the storm, narrowing his eyes as if enjoying the destructive scene.

"Storm, rage as you will."

He stared at the sculpture being beaten by the rain. Water droplets ran down the sculpture's cheeks, creating a new expression as if it were weeping.

"True beauty increases its brilliance in the midst of trials."

The power to turn being wounded, being soiled, even that, into "Charm" (Omomuki).

A true artist does not fear destruction. He knew.

Real beauty endures wind and snow, gaining "Story" through the passage of time, and increasing in depth.

Chapter 5: Eternal Value

After the storm passed.

The rain-washed world shone even more divinely than before.

The sculpture that endured the trial released a profound presence that approached the soul, transcending superficial prettiness.

Omodaru touched that imperishable brilliance.

"This is eternity. Flesh perishes, and things with form will one day crumble. But..."

His gaze was filled with conviction.

"This concept of 'Beauty,' the memory of the heart being struck, will not vanish. The immortal beauty that continues to strike the viewer's soul even as time flows."

What he brought to the world was "Eternal Value."

It was not material permanence, but an indelible mark named Emotion.

Chapter 6: Longing for Mystery, To the Unseen Half

The world was filled with beauty.

Perfect forms that made everyone turn their heads, breathtaking colors.

Omodaru stood in the center of the perfect world he had created.

But in his expression, there was a slight thirst.

An emptiness born of being too beautiful.

The Surface (Omo) was Complete (Daru). But the "Unseen Thing" in its depths was missing.

He gazed at the cherry-blossom-colored (Sakura-iro), bewildering, and mysterious light flickering in the distant darkness.

"Perfect beauty is not completed alone. If it is only bright, there is no depth."

He reached out his hand. To the goddess he had not yet seen, who hid a charm strong enough to cause fear.

"Ayakashikone. With your 'Mystery fearful enough to awe,' give this beauty an abyss."

The male god with perfect physical beauty sought the goddess who shakes the sensibilities.

When invisible "Bewitching Mystery" is added to visible beauty, the story of the Kamiyo-nanayo reaches a realm that is not just pretty, but capable of stealing the soul.