Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

As night deepened, the sisters walked together through the dazzling lights of the modern metropolis.

On the giant advertising screen, the teenage idols showed flawless smiles.

On the display cases in the shop windows, dazzling luxury goods are marked with outrageous prices.

On the spiderweb-like overpass, the endless stream of cars converges into a vast river of light, the ever-pulsating veins of the metropolis.

Neither of the sisters noticed that, high above them, dozens of crows perched atop a telephone pole, scrutinizing them with cold eyes and recording everything.

Dark crows, carrying the stench of the dead, cawed eerily as they rose into the night sky.

P.S., I really want to play Ghost of Tsushima, but I have to write every day and I just don't have the time. *cries*

Chapter 22, Section 22: Beneath the Deep Sea, the Scorching Sun Burns

Shinji Sakata crammed the five corpses of the esoteric cultists, along with the last corpse of a senior cultist whose upper body was no longer human, into a seafood transport van with a sign that read "Sanleng Seafood".

Inside the seafood factory behind him, his cult members were painstakingly cleaning up the traces left behind. All clues that might point to the Black Sun Cult had to be erased, and the scene of the internal fighting among the cult members had to be fabricated.

Even if the agents from the Anti-Suppression Bureau came to investigate afterward, Shinji Sakata hoped to divert all their attention to the Yokai Shindaikai. After all, the Yokai Shindaikai's various cult activities had become more and more frequent recently. With the Yokai Shindaikai drawing attention, the Black Sun Cult could better develop its power in the shadows.

Sakata Shinji quickly suspected that the Anti-Suppression Bureau might be planning a major operation against the Seimei Shindai. Anyone could spot the unusual behavior of the Seimei Shindai recently, which had become increasingly aggressive. The Seimei Shindai had become more and more unscrupulous, openly engaging in various esoteric activities, including kidnapping, terrorist propaganda, esoteric gatherings, assassinations of key figures in the Anti-Suppression Bureau, and attempts to attack the Black Sun Cult's parishes... They used every means possible, completely disregarding whether they would offend anyone.

Could it be that the "great achievement of the moth" that the Divine Alliance has been pursuing is about to succeed?

Shinji Sakata's deep gaze fell upon the eerie wooden statue of Mizukiko at the very center of the seafood factory. The carving was crude and clumsy, with the head of a snake, the wings and limbs of a moth, and the torso of a human. Beneath its feet lay countless sinners with distorted faces, and blood-stained vines sprouted from the sinners' bodies, along with their hideous scales and tentacles. Yet, the god sat astride the statue like a Buddha, exuding an aura of chaos and malice. With Shinji Sakata's keen senses, he could easily perceive the morbid vitality growing within the wooden statue.

Shinji Sakata dared not damage the statue of Kirie. He suspected that Kirie, whom the cult worshipped, might have already begun to corrupt the mortal world, and his rash action might attract Kirie's attention. He preferred to leave the statue where it was and let the professionals from the Anti-Corruption Bureau handle it when they visited later, since no one knew better than the Anti-Corruption Bureau to exorcise evil spirits.

That's the world's largest supernatural organization, sworn to liberate humanity from the shackles of the gods. Even the Black Sun Cult's headquarters is as fragile as a child before the behemoth that is the Anti-Extermination Bureau. Almost all esoteric sects would do everything in their power to avoid direct conflict with the Anti-Extermination Bureau, after all, behind it stands that "Protector of the People." Now, the Alliance with the Divine Generation is becoming increasingly reckless. Is Kirie Izumi truly prepared to declare war on the Protector of the People?

Shinji Sakata dismissed those absurd thoughts in his mind and continued with his usual wrap-up work. The conflicts among the gods in the Netherworld were none of his concern, as a lowly cultist; that was a matter for great figures like the Holy Maiden or the Holy Lord to consider.

Aside from Kawamura Kai, the other kidnapped mortals showed no potential to ignite the Black Sun Flame, so Shinji Sakata stuffed them all into the van's cargo bed. Most of them were unconscious, and even those who weren't were powerless to resist due to their prolonged weakness, leaving them at the mercy of the Black Sun Cult members.

Close the rear door, lock it, and make sure there is no way to escape.

Silencing is a necessary evil, and esoteric Buddhist activities cannot tolerate the slightest mercy.

Just as his subordinates were dealing with the scene, Shinji Sakata sat on the edge of the factory's dock, facing the black sea of ​​Heijyo Bay, lit a cigarette, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

"Editor, what should we do with them next?" Kawamura Kai stood behind his editor, looking anxious. He was no longer the arrogant man who usually delayed his manuscripts; instead, he had become cautious and careful. After all, not long ago, he had witnessed firsthand how his usually gentle and refined editor had transformed into a cultist and dealt with a group of lunatics.

He was half-forced into joining the cult called Black Sun by Shinji Sakata. To be honest, he could not possibly have any real faith in the so-called invincible Black Sun God Mitra. What he feared more was Shinji Sakata's gun.

“This is how we’ll handle it.” Shinji Sakata got into the van, drove it around a sharp corner, heading straight for Pingjing Bay, and floored the accelerator.

The van, like a runaway horse, sped wildly toward Pingjing Bay. Just before it was about to fly off, Shinji Sakata jumped out of the van, rolled on the ground, and remained completely calm and expressionless.

Kawamura Kai stared in disbelief as the van plunged headfirst into the sea, bubbles rising to the surface. He could even faintly hear someone banging on the door and calling for help from inside the back of the van. But the van sank as if by fate, taking with it the lives of the dozen or so innocent people who had been kidnapped along with Kawamura Kai.

"Isn't it necessary to go this far? Most of them are ordinary people who have nothing to do with Tantric Buddhism... Why should we kill innocent people indiscriminately?" It seemed that only today did Kawamura Kai truly understand the editor he usually regarded as "cold on the outside but warm on the inside".

“No connection? It’s all related to the cult, my dear new cult members,” Shinji Sakata sneered. “As long as we live, the influence of the hidden gods is everywhere. If we let them live tonight, the agents of the Anti-Corruption Bureau can use their divination to track down our hideout tomorrow.”

"This is a war between the secret cult and the Anti-Suppression Bureau. It's either this side or that side; there's no room for neutrality. Anyone who considers themselves neutral is an enemy of both sides."

“You’re the same, Kawamura Kai. Within the Order, you must demonstrate your value, or you will be abandoned. I look forward to your performance.” Sakata Shinji patted Kawamura Kai on the shoulder.

"How can I realize my value?" Kawamura swallowed hard, feeling like he was suffocating.

"Soon you will receive the Black Sun's blessing. You will have an open soul, an endless stream of inspiration, and an ever-strengthening physique... So your first step is to hand in all the manuscripts you owe, then create two new pseudonyms, publish a few new books, and continue telling the story of the Black Sun. I will slowly train you on how to do it." Shinji Sakata smiled like a devil.

"Wait, editor, you mentioned that the Anti-Suppression Bureau can track down cult members through divination, right?" Kawamura Kai suddenly thought of something. "If they sink the witnesses into Pyeongkyō Bay, wouldn't they be able to divination them out?"

"Ha, what lies hidden beneath Pyeonggyeong Bay is something even the Anti-Suppression Bureau probably can't predict. Once a secret enters Pyeonggyeong Bay, it will remain a secret forever," Sakata Shinji sneered, placing his left hand first on his left chest, then making a sharp slash, his five fingers spreading out towards the deep, dark sea, where the waves surged:

“Praise be to the apostle of the black sun, thank you for bestowing upon us the burning black matter, I repay you with human sacrifice.” He smiled with awe and fervor, and bowed deeply.

The van, carrying more than a dozen homeless souls, sank deeper and deeper into Pyeonggyeong Bay. The van was slowly filled with seawater, and the floating corpses collided with the roof.

Then, from the deep sea, a series of clear bell sounds rang out, followed by a long, trembling whistle.

【I dreamt of a land three thousand nautical miles beneath, called “Gate.”】 The ghostly female ritual song echoed on the seabed, calling out to that indescribable, enormous creature.

It's like... an unparalleled giant ship, traversing the bottom of Pyeonggyeong Bay, cutting through the deep ocean currents.

In the deepest part of the ocean, accompanied by the long cry of some creature, a mysterious and secluded realm, inaccessible in terms of occultism, unfolds on the seabed. Visually, large clumps of black mud almost pollute the entire Pyeonggyeong Bay.

From the black mud, an incredible beast materialized, gracefully stretching its mythical form, crawling out, its entire body burning with black flames that never went out, even though they were found at the bottom of the sea.

An indescribable, enormous shadow rose silently, its spreading darkness stretching as far as the eye could see, as if it could fill the entire ocean. As it moved, the ocean was stirred into waves, and the shadow enveloped the entire van.

The twisted black mud coalesced into a shape resembling the head of a wild beast, its gaping maw seemingly ready to devour everything, like the deep, dark abyss of Naraku.

Then the van was cleanly and efficiently swallowed up in one gulp.

Seated upon that throne surrounded by flowers is… From the black mud bloom filthy lotuses, and the priestess, long forgotten of her form, still sings that endless song, a vain race preserved from ancient times.

[The King of Blazing Sunlight Burns Under the Scorching Sun.]

P.S. The foreshadowing in this chapter probably won't be resolved until more than a hundred chapters later. Anyway, I'll try to compress the chapters from other characters' perspectives as much as possible, taking up no more than one chapter at most.

Section 23 Chapter Twenty-Three: Shall we take a bath together?

After going home.

[Your fanatic Shinji Sakata sacrificed a mortal, XXXX, to the Black Sun Apostle, the King of Kagero. Because it was a targeted sacrifice, you cannot gain Nightmare Points.] Suddenly, this message sounded more than a dozen times in a row.

Kurosawa Shizuki was immediately displeased. Her initial goodwill towards this person vanished. Sakata Shinji, she thought, "I didn't expect you to be such a traitor, sacrificing ordinary people without consulting your superiors at all. Are you really the ruthless cultist you are?" Most importantly, she still couldn't get her Nightmare Points bonus?! She also wondered what the King of Kagerou was. Based on her memories from her past life, she vaguely remembered that "Kagerou" in Japan seemed to refer to the phenomenon of air distortion due to intense heat? Kagerou, in essence, was an invisible, burning fire.

Hmph, I won't let this guy off easy next time we meet!

Just as Shizuki Kurosawa was muttering to herself, Ai Kurosawa, leaning on her cane, was already walking briskly towards the bathroom.

Kurosawa Ai: "Sis, I'm going to run the bathwater. You're too dirty. You can soak after I'm done."

Kurosawa Shizuki: "Eh, is this okay? Can I soak in the same bathwater you used?"

Kurosawa Shizuki had never heard of this before. So, there's a custom in Japan where families share a bathtub? It always makes her think of strange things, like a brother sitting in the tub, greedily inhaling the scent his sister left behind, and then drinking the bathwater—"My sister's bathwater is a family specialty, and as her older brother, I have to try it." Is this what anime is like? I love it.

"No way, no way," Ai looked at her older sister with disgust. "Sis, you really don't even remember how to take a shower?! And what's with that perverted look on your face? You're definitely thinking something really weird!"

"It's just taking a bath, is there some special method involved? Besides, it's really unhygienic for us to share a bathtub." Kurosawa Shizuki looked puzzled.

“Sister, no matter what, at least help me take a bath first,” Kurosawa Ai pointed to her left prosthetic leg. “It’s very inconvenient for me to bathe by myself.”

Kurosawa Shizuki was getting more and more of a headache. Taking a bath was already a troublesome thing for her, but she didn't expect that she would have to get past her younger sister first. Moreover, she really had no reason to refuse. It must be very troublesome for her younger sister, who only had one leg, to take a bath.

They went into the bathroom together. The bathroom wasn't big, and the sisters squeezed in together, making it easy for them to touch each other's hands, feet, or shoulders.

Fortunately, Ai Kurosawa is very self-reliant. Even with a missing leg, she can take off her clothes with great dexterity, without Shizuki Kurosawa having to help her.

Clearly, this wasn't the first time Ai had bathed with her sister, and she showed no shyness at all when exposing her body to Kurosawa Shizuki.

Ai's body was already quite well-developed for her age. Fortunately, Kurosawa Shizuki wasn't a lolicon. Looking at Ai's naked body, her shiny black hair cascading down, and her fair face with a rosy glow, she felt like she was looking at a large, white doll. She had a slight urge to hug her and rub her against her.

"Sister, are you planning to take a bath with your clothes on?" Kurosawa Ai looked at Kurosawa Shizuki with the kind of look one would give an idiot.

"But I really wanted to wash by myself..." Kurosawa Shizuki hesitated, wondering why she ended up here with Ai, who was almost naked and looked like a little white rabbit.

“Sister, I’m not comfortable letting you go into the bathroom alone in your current condition,” Kurosawa Ai rolled her eyes. “I doubt you could do something like drinking shampoo like it’s syrup.”

Just how lacking in common sense do you think I am?

Kurosawa Shizuki rolled her eyes. It seemed that no matter what she said, love would definitely have to be washed with her.

I could only squint and clumsily take off my clothes. The process of taking off my clothes was much more difficult than the process of putting them on, since this time I had to take off my underwear as well. Because I was so nervous, I even messed up the buttons several times.

"Too slow, sis, you're making me so worried. You can't even take your clothes off?" In the end, Kurosawa Ai came over with her cane and helped Kurosawa Shizuki take off her clothes. Ai's little hands roamed all over her body, and every skin contact made Kurosawa Shizuki feel a strange flutter.

"What are you so excited about, sister?" Ai asked blankly, her innocent little face making one want to commit a crime.

"I'm not... excited, I'm just a little unaccustomed to it." Kurosawa Shizuki crossed her arms over her chest, her voice growing weaker and weaker.

Next, under Ai Kurosawa's guidance, Shizuki Kurosawa removed Ai's prosthetic leg.

“This prosthetic leg… also has strange power.” Looking at the prosthetic leg held in her hand, Kurosawa Shizuki seemed to be deep in thought. Her intuition sensed that there seemed to be some kind of peculiar power in the prosthetic leg of love. Moreover, this prosthetic leg was indeed different from ordinary prosthetic legs. When held in the hand, it had a delicate texture like human skin. It was very soft and not heavy. It even gave people the illusion of holding a living human leg.

"This is a prosthetic leg that Uncle Chaiqi helped me order from the Anti-Suppression Bureau. It's been infused with the power of casting. Although it can't completely replace my lost left leg, it at least allows me to walk in a posture that's close to normal." Kurosawa Ai sat on a small wooden stool, her face flushed. With only one leg left, Ai had to lean on Kurosawa Shizuki. "Sister, stop daydreaming! Come help me!"

"Big sister~ hug me!" Kurosawa Ai opened her arms to Kurosawa Shizuki, blinking her big, watery eyes.

Kurosawa Shizuki took a deep breath and walked with difficulty towards Kurosawa Ai. She picked Ai up in her arms, and when her arms touched her sister's soft skin, Kurosawa Shizuki's breathing became more rapid, and her face turned bright red.

Ai placed her hands on Kurosawa Shizuki's shoulders, still seemingly confused as to why Kurosawa Shizuki was reacting so strongly. Then, Ai finally realized what was happening and revealed a mischievous smile:

"No way, no way, sister, would you really have strange feelings for your own sister?"

"No, what are you talking about..." Kurosawa Shizuki's response sounded weak, like a mosquito's buzz.

Holding her younger sister in her arms, she felt so light and gentle, which made it a little strange that the whole table of barbecue they had eaten not long ago had gone to some other dimension. Kurosawa Shizuki could feel Ai's warm breath on her neck and chest, which tickled her.

"Ah!" Kurosawa Shizuki suddenly let out a cute, macho exclamation.

"Your sister has developed again," Ai's little hand, like a rogue, pressed against Kurosawa Shizuki's left breast, right on top, and even skillfully kneaded it. "Looks like doing this often really works, huh?"

Kurosawa Ai seems to have done this often before, and her movements are quite skillful. Could it be that the original owner asked her to do this before?

"Stop fooling around..." Kurosawa Shizuki's face was so red it was almost dripping with water, and her legs were trembling slightly.

"Don't tease your older sister anymore!" He picked Ai up and placed her on a small wooden stool, then reached for her armpits without saying a word and began to tickle her as revenge.

"Hahaha, sister, don't do this..." Kurosawa Ai seemed to be enjoying herself, and started tickling Kurosawa Shizuki in return. Soon, the sisters' laughter echoed in the bathroom.

After playing around like this, Kurosawa Shizuki finally got used to it and wouldn't lose her composure even when facing her and Ai's naked bodies.

Steam filled the entire bathroom. With both hands, she ruffled Ai's beautiful hair, which was covered in foam, and carefully applied shower gel from head to toe, touching almost every part of her body. Her movements became more and more skillful. Finally, she turned on the showerhead and rinsed Ai, who was giggling, clean.

Occasionally, Ai would suddenly attack various sensitive areas of Kurosawa Shizuki, and Kurosawa Shizuki would naturally retaliate without hesitation with a sensual response.

Looking at Kurosawa Ai, who was soaked to the bone, her skin appeared even whiter and more delicate. However, without realizing it, Kurosawa Shizuki's gaze towards her sister became increasingly clear and serene, no longer tainted by the impurities of their past life. No more strange impulses arose in her heart.

Especially when I saw the clean, sharp cut on Ai's left leg, I felt a strange pang of heartache. What kind of injury could leave such a scar? It was as if... Ai had never had a left leg at all.

The process of helping Ai take a bath became more and more natural. Kurosawa Shizuki inexplicably felt as if she had repeated it countless times in the past. Why was she so skilled at it?

P.S. I've heard that it's easy to pad out the word count when writing this kind of plot, so I'll try writing it anyway. Since most of the details have been omitted, it shouldn't cause any problems.