839 Hello, White Sakura (1/2)

If Shigure Tendo truly was the protagonist, then all that needed to be done was to leave him to his own devices.

However, this evidently wouldn't work.

A jinchuriki host seal… Even if this method seemed like the best out of the three so far, it was also a cruel one. Although this might require less of a sacrifice than expiation, it would still require a sacrifice. Also, this wouldn't solve the foundational problem.

Would Soul Society be able to deal with the Catastrophe Goddess if he gave the jinchuriki method to them? And even if Soul Society could deal with her, how many people would die before she was sealed?

What if he loaded again and gave Soul Society additional information? Would they be able to stop the Tendo Family this time? And if they successfully stopped the Tendo Family, would that prevent the appearance of the Catastrophe Goddess?

Various questions swirled around in Seiji's mind.

”There's still one more method that you've probably thought of already, even though I don't really want to say it.” Sayaka looked directly at Seiji. ”This method is to kill all members of the Tendo Family.”

Seiji: ”!?”

”Eliminating all members of the Tendo Family will cut off their sins and eliminate the source of the Catastrophe Goddess's power, causing her to collapse and vanish,” Sayaka stated calmly. ”However, this won't be easy to accomplish. Besides, it might also take some time for the Catastrophe Goddess to disappear. Unknowns might happen during that time. So, even though this is another method to foundationally deal with the problem, this might cause even greater sacrifices than expiation.”

Without a doubt, this was the most terrible method of all.

Killing all members of the Tendo Family… seemed more difficult than even defeating the Catastrophe Goddess. It would be almost impossible.

Seiji decided to forget that he had ever heard of such a method.

”That's all I know,” Sayaka finished as she then looked towards Kungo.

”I still have questions. Why did you manage to survive in such a form after your death? What exactly was that spirit town?” Seiji continued asking questions.

”I don't know.” Sayaka shook her head. ”Even I don't understand why that happened. Logically speaking, I should have vanished completely upon my death… While I was living in that spirit town and before I recovered my memories of life, I thought that it was all a god's blessing. Now, it seems that I was correct. It had been created by the Catastrophe Goddess. However, I have no idea why it happened.”

A god's blessing… Seiji suddenly thought about the White Sakura Goddess!

Could she be the physical materialization of the Tendo Family's good deeds?

At the exact same time that the Catastrophe Goddess, who was the materialization of the Tendo Family's sins, was created, the White Sakura Goddess also appeared as a materialization of the Tendo Family's good deeds. Maybe it was she who really protected the souls of Sayaka Tendo and the other victims of the experiment gone wrong. Perhaps it was the White Sakura Goddess's power that allowed them all to survive in such a state in the Realm of Cherry Blossoms…?

Something flashed in Seiji's eyes as he came to this realization.

”Tendo-san, I'd also like to ask you about something. What relation do you think the Catastrophe Goddess has to you?”

”Her relation to me?”

”The moment that the Catastrophe Goddess was summoned was when she was born. You were the main person in charge of that experiment. You are the person with the most intimate relationship with the Catastrophe Goddess!” Seiji looked directly at Sayaka. ”Then could I interpret that to mean that you and the Catastrophe Goddess have a relationship similar to that of the creator and the created? Just like your relationship with Kungo?”

Sayaka fell silent after hearing this question.

”I don't think so… but, I can't deny this possibility…” Sayaka muttered to herself.

Seiji's heart started beating rapidly.

He felt like he had just found the true key to everything!

”Tendo-san, if the Catastrophe Goddess's appearance brings nothing but calamity, then you wouldn't possibly still exist right now. You managed to survive in such a form, together with everyone else from the experiment! Although your existence might have become more ethereal, all of you truly survived and lived new lives in that spirit town until I arrived.

”That's why, I think that the Catastrophe Goddess's appearance wasn't only a calamity. A counterpart to her also appeared, a goddess of kindness. She was the one who protected you all, not the Catastrophe Goddess. She must have used her power to prevent you all from truly dying. Of course, it might also be that the Catastrophe Goddess spared you all. If my former theory is correct, then there's nothing else to say. But if the latter is correct instead… if your survival is meaningful to the Catastrophe Goddess, then what could this meaning be?

”My guess is that the meaning is this: you are the goddesses' closest relative! You are an existence that's like their mother!!!”