When Orobashi had destroyed the Bathysmal Vishaps and overthrown the Children of the Sun years ago, the people of Enkanomiya had witnessed his overwhelming power. In their eyes, Orobashi was an omnipotent god who could do anything. So they knelt and begged him to solve their food crisis.
Looking at the sea of kneeling people, Orobashi's heart softened once more. He could not bear to tell them that he was about to die, nor could he tell them that he had found no solution. So he forced a smile and told another lie.
"Don't worry. I have found a way to solve the farming problem. Soon, Enkanomiya will have endless food."
Having spoken, he could no longer bear to look at their hopeful faces. He left hastily. Behind him, the people's voices rose again.
"Thank you, Lord Orobashi—"
"We knew Lord Orobashi would save us—"
"Lord Orobashi—"
The people did not know it was a lie. They cheered with joy.
In the following days, knowing he did not have long to live, Orobashi tried everything to solve the food problem. But he searched every corner of Enkanomiya and found no land suitable for farming.
Despondent, he returned to the shrine and happened to meet Higashiyama-Ō.
"Lord Orobashi, you're back. I heard you found a way to solve the farming problem. What is it? How did you find it?"
The boy looked at him with hopeful eyes. Orobashi could not bear to deceive him. He told him the truth: Orobashi had lied to everyone. He had not found a solution.
"Higashiyama-Ō, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I am not worthy of being your god. I am not a good god."
Orobashi was filled with self-reproach.
Higashiyama-Ō was stunned. "Lord Orobashi, you're joking, right?"
Orobashi said quietly, "I am serious."
Since leaving Inazuma and becoming the god of Enkanomiya, Orobashi had never felt such defeat. As their god, he could only watch his people starve, unable to help them.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He leaped with all his divine power, bursting out of the undersea realm of Enkanomiya and rising above the ocean.
Looking at the endless sea, a strange idea came to him. If Enkanomiya had no land for farming, why not abandon Enkanomiya and come to the surface? Why not move to a small island and start a new life?
The idea was good. But every island nearby belonged to Inazuma. Setting foot on them would be seen as an invasion, sparking a brutal war. So they could not go to Inazuma's territory.
Orobashi was stumped. If not Inazuma's islands, how could he find a place for his people to live?
Then, another idea came to him. If there were no islands, why not create one? A new home for the people of Enkanomiya.
But how? How could he create an island in the middle of the vast ocean? It seemed impossible.
Just as he was racking his brain, a bolt of lightning struck him from the sky. An overwhelming pressure pressed down on him, forcing his head down.
The Heavenly Principles.
The Heavenly Principles were urging him again to invade Inazuma.
Orobashi shouted at the sky, "Most supreme Heavenly Principles, I know I am going to die. But before I die, please let me help the people of Enkanomiya one last time. Once I have solved their food problem, I will go to Inazuma and die."
He begged.
The next moment, the Heavenly Principles seemed to grant his plea. The lightning vanished. The sea returned to calm.
On one side, his people's prayers. On the other, the Heavenly Principles' urging. Orobashi's heart was as dead as ashes. His enormous body lay motionless on the sea, like a great island.
Then, looking at his reflection in the water, an idea flashed in his mind. Since he was going to die anyway, why not use his magical coral branches to create an island? Perhaps it could work.
Hope stirred in his heart again.
Without telling his people, he reached out with his claws, grasped a coral branch, and tore it from his body. Over the long years, these coral branches from the Dark Sea had merged with Orobashi, becoming the source of his power. They had given him the strength to fight the Raiden sisters. They were part of him.
Now, he tore a branch from his body. Blood gushed from his back. The pain made him cry out.
Then, he placed the severed coral branch into the sea. The already large branch came alive the moment it touched the water, swelling several times over, growing rapidly.
Seeing this, Orobashi's face lit up with joy. He knew he had succeeded. He had found a way to save his people.
He reached back, grasped another coral branch, and tore it off.
One branch. Two branches. Three branches.
With each branch he tore off, blood gushed from his back, staining the sea red. With each branch he tore off, his power diminished.
The coral branches from the Dark Sea swelled several times larger after being soaked in seawater.
After a long time, Orobashi, his body drenched in blood, used the branches he had torn off to form the outline of an island.
But he knew it was not enough. He would need to tear off more coral branches to create a new home.