KAMIYO Episode 28 : The Birth of Kukunochi-no-Kami —The Raging Torrent of Life, the Grotesque Giant Tree Piercing the Heavens

Prologue: The "Heat" at the Bottom of the Earth Shattering the Silence

Oyashimakuni (The Great Eight Islands) had obtained a solid skeleton of rock and sand, and was welcoming a time of quiet stability.

However, that silence did not last long. The moment Izanagi and Izanami poured intense divine spirit deep into the bottom of the earth to bring forth the next "pillar of life," the world was struck by an unprecedented anomaly.

Rumblllle...!!

From the depths of the earth, a raw, eerie rumbling, entirely different from a crustal movement, began to echo.

It was not the creaking of inorganic rock, but a frenzied echo as if the earth itself had become a "giant beast," writhing and roaring.

"This trembling... is it the quickening of life? But it is far too violent!"

Izanagi raised a sharp voice, looking down at the earth that had begun to undulate like waves beneath his feet.

What they had poured in was the source of life for "plants" that connect heaven and earth. However, on the primordial earth, the vitality of plants was by no means gentle or mild. It was the most ferocious and pure "torrent of life," attempting to crush rocks, devour the soil, swallow everything, and multiply.

Chapter 1: The Raging Earth, the Explosion of Life

Zudoooommm rumblllle!!!

Suddenly, the earth at the center of Oyashimakuni blew upward toward the heavens with a tremendous explosion.

Tons of giant bedrock shattered into pieces, and a cloud of dust obscured the sky. What crawled out from the crevice of that raging earth was nothing as endearing as a "sprout."

"Wh-what is that...!"

Izanami gasped.

Erupting from the bottom of the split earth was an ominous, giant mass of "tree roots," looking as if countless giant serpents were intertwined.

Those grotesque roots, as thick as mountains alone, writhed and smashed the surrounding rocks one after another, raging with the momentum to devour the entire earth.

It was truly the violence of life.

It was the terrifying figure of the primordial "tree," destroying the silence of heaven and earth, attempting to expand its biosphere by sheer force.

Chapter 2: The Grotesque Giant Tree Piercing the Heavens

Craaack! Spliiinter...!!

From the center of the raging mass of roots, this time with a roar that seemed to tear the sky, a single "giant trunk" piercing the heavens began to extend at a tremendous speed.

Its appearance was far removed from the beautiful trees known to the humans of later eras.

The bark was sharply splintered like the scales of a dark iron dragon, and the trunk twisted and bent as if in agony. The branches thrust out in all directions tore through the void like giant claws aiming at prey, and every single leaf emitted a blue-black light like a sharp blade.

"Rooooaaarrr!!!"

Though there was no wind, the branches and leaves violently struck against each other, making a roaring sound as if the giant tree itself was letting out a bellow.

Piercing through the clouds in the blink of an eye and reaching the zenith of the firmament, that grotesque giant tree began to explosively radiate the massive vitality it had sucked up from the earth toward the sky.

Chapter 3: The Manifestation of the Tree God, Kukunochi-no-Kami

The moment the giant tree reached the heavens.

From the center of the branches and leaves that had spread wide enough to obscure the sky, a blindingly intense emerald green light was emitted.

The light traveled down the trunk of the giant tree, and in the very center of the raging roots, above the crevice of the earth, it brought out the figure of a robust male god.

He was the God of Trees, taking root in all creation and reigning at the apex of life.

It was the birth of Kukunochi-no-Kami.

"..."

Kukunochi-no-Kami stood there in complete silence.

His physique was taut like a tough great tree, and the robes he wore were a deep green reminiscent of the darkness of a dense forest. On his arms, hard patterns like dragon scales, identical to the bark of that grotesque giant tree, were etched.

In his eyes, along with intelligence, an overwhelming "thirst for life" that surpassed even wild beasts burned glaringly.

Chapter 4: The Green Erosion Devouring the World

"A magnificent swell of life, Kukunochi-no-Kami. With your power, completely cover this desolate Oyashima with the green robes of life!"

Izanagi's powerful command echoed out.

In response, Kukunochi-no-Kami grandly threw both his arms toward the heavens.

Dooooom...!!

At that moment, from the grotesque giant tree piercing the heavens, countless seeds of light rained down upon the entirety of Oyashimakuni like a meteor shower.

The instant the seeds touched the rock and sand, the earth began to rage once again. From everywhere, primitive trees as sharp and wild as the giant tree thrust out at a maddening speed.

It was not the birth of a gentle and mild forest. It was a "green erosion."

Smashing bedrock, pushing aside sand, ferocious green tentacles filled every space.

In the blink of an eye, Oyashimakuni transformed into a "primordial sea of trees," growing thick and lush, so deep, dark, and terrifyingly full of vitality that not even a sliver of light could reach an inch ahead.

Chapter 5: The Pillar of Life Connecting Heaven and Earth

"Oh... what a fierce and terrifying sight. But this is the true essence of what it means to 'live'."

Izanami gazed at the ferocious tree roots approaching her feet, and far from feeling fear, she even found beauty in that overwhelming explosion of life.

Life, simply being there, is weak. Only through the "tenacity" to push others aside, seek light, and survive even by devouring the earth can the bloodline be connected for eternity.

Standing at the center of the raging earth, Kukunochi-no-Kami bowed deeply toward Izanagi and Izanami.

The grotesque giant tree towering behind him had now become a "giant pillar" piercing heaven and earth.

Below, its roots extended to the very bottom of the earth (Ne-no-Kuni), and above, its branches spread all the way to the firmament of Takamagahara.

This world created by the gods was now firmly sewn together so it would never separate, bound by the heaven-piercing pillar of life known as Kukunochi-no-Kami.

The wind god circulated the energy, the gods of rock and sand built the foundation, and now, the tree god tore through the earth and established the ferocious "green life" that connects heaven and earth.

Covered in a terrifyingly beautiful primordial forest, Oyashimakuni had finally prepared the perfect yet harsh stage for the next lives—the gods of fields and mountains—to pulsate.