Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

“You can understand it this way: those esoteric practitioners have mostly forgotten themselves, only knowing how to worship and sacrifice to the gods, completely losing their human dignity, and thinking all day about how to get rid of their human identity and transform the entire era into a ‘history’ that belongs exclusively to a certain god.” Suzuki’s eyes revealed contempt and disdain.

"As for the worm faction, they believe that humans are nothing more than livestock of the gods, who bind humanity as shackles, preventing humanity from ever achieving true transcendence. The revival of the worms is our opportunity. The worms have sworn to destroy all the gods and are naturally our allies. Humanity should rely on the power of the worms to rebel against the gods, rebuild human dignity, and seek absolute freedom."

"Are the worms truly without malice? How can humans cooperate with a dangerous being that even the gods fear so much?" Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't help but think that the worms were probably just as dangerous.

"No one can predict what the era after the worms end the gods will be like, but most of the worm faction believes it will be better than the hopeless era we live in now," Suzuki said noncommittally.

“The Asuka faction that serves the gods, and the Worm faction that follows worms…” Kurosawa Shizuki pondered these two peculiar factions, “Isn’t there a third faction that belongs exclusively to humanity itself? A faction that neither believes in the gods nor follows worms, but acts solely for the sake of humanity, isn’t there such a faction?”

"It is said that there was once a group of immortals in Wugang, outside the realm, who wanted to maintain their independence and lived in seclusion. But the legend of Wugang has long been buried in the dust of history, and no one will remember those cowards," Suzuki said with a contemptuous smile.

"Among the gods and the worms, humans are so weak as to be insignificant. If they do not side with one side, they will be regarded as enemies by both sides and wiped out. Humans are such a fragile existence, even if they become immortal."

"What about those who bear names? Shouldn't those who bear names have a certain say in front of the gods?" Kurosawa Shizuki asked doubtfully.

“Ha, the Named Ones. The Named Ones have long since transcended the status of humans; they are more like gods than humans. In the Worm Wars, the Named Ones are the main force hunting the Immortals, and your enemy is one of them.” Suzuki made no attempt to hide her hatred.

"Wait, Suzuki-senpai, as far as I know, there are gods behind the Anti-Extermination Bureau, right? Your goal is to exterminate all the gods, so why would that god support you..." Kurosawa Shizuki thought of something strange again. Was the god behind the Anti-Extermination Bureau, known as the Protector of the People, assisting humans and worms in eliminating the gods?

"That's right. Although they are relatively few in number, the Worm faction also has the support of gods. His Majesty the Tribunal was originally human. His initial purpose in becoming a god was to end the era of the gods with divine power. There is no contradiction between them."

Kurosawa Shizuki was stunned. There really was a god whose purpose was to destroy all the gods? After destroying all the gods, would He ultimately destroy Himself?

The Worm Wars, the Asuka Faction, the Worm Faction—hearing these strange terms again without any warning left Shizuki Kurosawa's mind reeling. She pondered Suzuki's earlier words, wondering if he was forcing her to take a stand.

Birds and worms, there are no middle ground, you have to choose a side... but it seems that in front of Suzuki, there was no choice from the very beginning.

"Kurosawa-kun, now you've finally come to understand the story of the bird and the worm again. So, please tell me, bird or worm, which side do you choose?" Suzuki tapped the table with his coffee cup.

Kurosawa Shizuki felt the answer was completely predictable. The original owner of this body was the mortal enemy of a certain "great enemy," a legendary figure known as the Named One, whom Suzuki called "the tool of the gods"; the original owner had made a pact with the Anti-Suppression Bureau, vowing to eradicate all esoteric sects, most of which belonged to the Asuka sect; the original owner possessed the Black Divine Stone, capable of stealing the shaping power of the Black Sun God during sacrificial rituals, and had been secretly betraying the Black Sun God from the very beginning…

"I am of course a worm, the gods must be wiped out, and humanity will be freed," Kurosawa Shizuki said without hesitation.

"Hmm, not bad. You're still as good as ever," Suzuki finally showed a genuine smile this time. "Well then, Kurosawa Shizuki, on behalf of the Anti-Suppression Bureau, I welcome you back."

Kurosawa Shizuki grasped Suzuki's outstretched hand; her small hand was icy cold, like jade.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has been the stronghold of the so-called "worm faction" from the very beginning. Kurosawa Shizuki's stance seemed to have been predetermined from the moment she held her first corona ceremony after her transmigration.

Recommending a book: a sweet dragon knight romance novel by a popular author – "Miss Black Dragon Doesn't Want to Be a Mount."

The sickly boy did not live to adulthood. Before he died, he made a desperate wish that if he were to be reborn, he would have a strong body.

When he regained consciousness, he had become a black dragon egg.

His wish did come true, except the egg was female, hmm...

Whatever!

Miss Black Dragon believed herself to be invincible, but fate brought her to her nemesis, a brave girl who dreamed of becoming a great knight.

Oh no, now the girl wants to become a great dragon knight.

Chapter 50, Section 50: Next Goal, Become a Princess, Girl!

Suzuki suddenly lowered his head and whispered into something beside his ear, "Chief, is this alright?"

It was only then that Kurosawa Shizuki realized that Suzuki had been wearing a very concealed listening device in her right ear all along, and another mysterious person had been listening to their conversation.

“No lies, no one can fool Hemis, she is a worm,” Kurosawa Shizuki heard a hoarse male voice from the other end: “Unofficial operator Kurosawa and Level 3 operator Suzuki, I authorize you to continue the mission. The purge agreement is temporarily suspended.”

Suzuki clapped his hands casually, and then, under Kurosawa Shizuki's incredulous gaze, all the customers in the coffee shop stood up at the same time.

Students, office workers, the elderly, cross-dressers, waiters... Kurosawa Shizuki was astonished to find that all of them had their left hands pressed against their left ears, where there seemed to be a hidden earpiece.

They all looked at him, then nodded to Kurosawa Shizuki with kind smiles.

But no matter how friendly those smiles were, they only made Shizuki Kurosawa feel a chill. Were all the people in the coffee shop from the beginning members of the Anti-Corruption Bureau?

What would happen if she hadn't passed Suzuki's so-called "review"? This coffee shop would definitely have been heavily fortified by the Anti-Corruption Bureau long ago, right? After these Anti-Corruption Bureau agents stopped hiding their true intentions, Kurosawa Shizuki was quite certain that almost all of them were under the influence of an invisible technique.

The fewest are those who have mastered the Level 2 Secret Techniques, but there are also many who have mastered the Level 5 Secret Techniques. On several of the most powerful knowledgeable individuals, Kurosawa Shizuki even sensed extraordinary items that gave her a very dangerous feeling...

Kurosawa Shizuki felt a chill run down her spine. She was utterly lacking in awareness of danger. Knowing she was about to walk into a trap, she had still walked into the Anti-Suppression Bureau's ambush without any precautions. If things went wrong, even though she was already a fourth-tier being, the simultaneous attack by so many third-tier Anti-Suppression Bureau agents, as former allies, would be extremely dangerous. The Anti-Suppression Bureau must know her abilities inside and out. With their calculated attack on her, she was in grave danger.

Fortunately, she passed Suzuki's so-called review and temporarily gained the approval of the Anti-Suppression Bureau, so the Anti-Suppression Bureau temporarily abandoned the "purge agreement" against her.

The anti-counterfeiting agents left Canaan Cafe in batches. Some disappeared into the shadows, some turned into scattered fragments of light, some rolled on the ground and turned into cats and dogs, and the most amazing one was the one who drew a door on the wall with chalk. He actually opened the door he drew and went inside!

The shop manager smiled and waved goodbye to them, saying, "Everyone, go back and get some rest. I knew Kurosawa wouldn't let us down. This battle is unlikely to even start."

“Mr. Ethan, aren’t you lacking in a sense of urgency? According to our normal work rules, we should consider the worst-case scenario in everything,” Suzuki said irritably. “If we really go up against Kurosawa of the fourth tier, I’m afraid at least half of the operators here won’t be able to leave alive.”

“Life is already so hard, we should look on the bright side. The worst didn’t happen, did it?” The shop manager, smiling and showing off his white teeth, served Suzuki and Kurosawa a few more plates of snacks. “Crispy cookies, cupcakes, and French fries, it’s on me as a gift to clear up the misunderstanding.”

"Thank you, Mr. Manager." Kurosawa Shizuki could only manage a somewhat stiff smile. To be honest, she had just eaten so many snacks in the activity room not long ago, and now she had absolutely no appetite.

Judging from its appearance, it seems to be very similar to the snacks that Suzuki brought to the activity room before. So, Suzuki's previous food was all brought from here?

Suzuki, however, had already started eating without any hesitation, mumbling between bites, "Mmm...delicious. Kurosawa, let's talk about the organization's plans for you again."

"You've lost your memory, which seems to be part of your past plans. We won't press you about your schemes; as long as we share common interests, that's enough. You don't remember anything about your mission now, right? Then I'll reiterate the mission details to you."

Even though Suzuki-senpai was only eating the snacks in small bites, the snacks on the table were disappearing at a visible speed in just a few breaths.

"Your first task after being placed in the Black Sun Cult is to try to expand your influence within the Black Sun Cult. Two months ago, the former Shadow Prince of the Black Sun Cult was turned by the Sisterhood of Knots. You were recently promoted to the fourth rank. This is your opportunity. You may be able to fight for the position of Shadow Prince, which is second only to the Holy Master of the Black Sun Cult."

"Specifically, how should I obtain this position?" Kurosawa Shizuki had heard of the Onmyo-hime of the Black Sun Cult, but this was the headquarters of the Black Sun Cult. As a branch saintess, she probably couldn't easily extend her influence to the headquarters. Moreover, she didn't know how the Black Sun Cult selected its Onmyo-hime. Was it a fair election? Or hereditary succession? Or internal appointment?

“Since you have advanced to the fourth rank, according to our intelligence network, the Sun Prince of the Black Sun Cult, acting as the Holy Lord’s eyes and ears, will be visiting Heijing within the next two days to assess you. Behind the Sun Prince is the true controller of the Black Sun Cult, the so-called ‘Controlled Fire Council.’ The council has seven members. If you can gain the approval of most of these seven members in the coming period, you will surely become the next Shadow Prince,” Suzuki said slowly and deliberately.

"Of course, once you become the Prince, it's only natural that you should hunt down the previous Prince of Shadows who was turned against you, since everyone hates traitors the most." Suzuki's words made Kurosawa Shizuki increasingly panicked.

"For you, this matter is really not difficult. Even in the entire Black Sun Cult of Japan, there are only a handful of people with fourth-tier power. If your loyalty is confirmed, even that Holy Lord would probably be happy to let you inherit the position of the Crown Prince. After all, the Black Sun Cult of Japan is having an increasingly difficult time due to the double attack from the Sisterhood of Knotted Ropes and the Generation of Gods of Bondage."

"I understand, I will try my best to get this position." Kurosawa Shizuki nodded. The traitor actually wanted to compete for the position of the Crown Prince, which was second only to the Holy Lord in the cult. If she really succeeded, the Black Sun Cult would probably be doomed.

“After becoming the Child of Shadows, you will have access to almost all of the Black Sun Cult’s resources. You have a very important task to do,” Suzuki added. “According to our intelligence network, the Black Sun Cult’s higher-ups have infiltrated several Shadow Servants into the Anti-Corruption Bureau. You need to help us find out the identities of these Shadow Servants and help us remove these annoying ‘nails’.”

As expected, Kurosawa Shizuki found it somewhat amusing. She had discovered this when she was converting Yamauchi Yuki. The Shadow Servant skill was incredibly useful. It was no surprise that other fourth-tier Sun Apostles of the Black Sun Cult would also plant such undetectable traitors in other cults.

"Speaking of which, besides me, did the Anti-Suppression Bureau plant any other moles within the Black Sun Cult?" Kurosawa Shizuki asked curiously.

"Of course there are. You can cooperate when the time is right. But don't use such an unpleasant name, okay? What 'traitor'? We call ourselves 'invisible guardians'! Human civilization can only be maintained forever because of behind-the-scenes heroes like you!" Suzuki Machiko waved her little fist with utmost seriousness.

"Okay, okay, the Invisible Guardian, that sounds really cool." Kurosawa Shizuki chuckled dryly.

[Main Quest Released: Gain the approval of the 'Controlled Fire' Council and become the Shadow Prince of the Black Sun Cult! Rewards: 8000 Nightmare Points, Shadow God Mask (Purple), Black Sun Cult Leadership Favorability, Black Spirit Growth 10%.]

Since transmigrating, Kurosawa Shizuki has only triggered her second main quest. It's so difficult! Who knows when she'll be able to complete the initial main quest of expanding the cult? There are just too many things to do right now, and she probably doesn't have time to do any missionary work.

Since that ceremony, the cult has only added about twenty new members on its own, bringing the total number of members to just over six hundred. The Black Sun has extremely high standards for new members; mortals without dark energy are not accepted as members.

"You now have an excellent opportunity to gain the approval of the Controlled Flame. After you regained consciousness, you have already met with the members of the Age of Gods, right? According to our intelligence network, you seem to have taken the initiative to seek out a senior member of the Age of Gods not long ago."

“That’s right. I seem to have been investigating the origin of the ‘Fate-Binding Pill’ of the Divine Society. The Divine Society is a rather dangerous secret cult. According to the information I obtained from interrogating that cult member, the Divine Society seems to be planning a very big operation soon.”

Kurosawa Shizuki had not forgotten the insane vision she had read from Yamauchi Yuki's consciousness: the Kamishiro Association was indeed plotting to turn the entire Heikyo into a hell of red mist.

"This is indeed a very large operation... In three days at most, the Age of Gods will either cease to exist forever, or the entire Heikyo will be razed to the ground. If you can successfully resolve this crisis, you will definitely gain the approval of the Controlled Flame." Suzuki threw out another trump card with an extremely calm expression.

"What?!" Kurosawa Shizuki was completely bewildered. Wasn't there still over four hundred days until the apocalypse? How did it suddenly shrink to only three days? Is Heikyo going to be destroyed by the Age of Gods so soon?!

P.S., the main storyline of Volume 1 is finally coming out! I didn't expect my chat with Suzuki to go on for so long. We'll be discussing another chapter... But these chapters are indeed quite important, serving as a bridge between what came before and what's to come, so we can't really cut them...

py, "A Monster Girl Lives Inside Me". A new story with a bit of a dragon-themed feel, the protagonist's character is quite interesting.

What would the world be like if the monsters in myths and urban legends actually existed?

Because of the disappearance of the girl he secretly loves, Lu Yan travels through a mirage and accidentally joins an academy organization that hunts monsters. However, he accidentally discovers that a monster girl who can talk to him lives inside his body, and his body is quietly changing because of the monster girl.

Change is fine, but please don't try to mold me into a girl!

Chapter 51, Section 51: Wuquanzi Will Eventually Descend

"The Divine Age Society is only one step away from their great achievement of the Moth. According to intelligence from our informants, the Divine Age Society has successfully reincarnated Mist Spring Child's apostle. As long as that apostle successfully devours seven Chosen Ones and undergoes seven transformations, he will become the vessel for Mist Spring Child's descent. Mist Spring Child, who perished in the Worm War, will be reborn into the world."

Suzuki, still calmly sipping his coffee, uttered something truly frightening: "That apostle seems to have completed three transformations, failed once, and the next three transformations will likely be completed within the next three days."

"If Wuquanzi really descends, everything will be over. The spread of the Bond Pill is already extremely widespread. I'm afraid the entire Pingjing will be shrouded in a deadly 'red mist.' After Pingjing falls, the red mist will eventually spread to the whole world, and this chapter of history will be rewritten..." Kurosawa Shizuki felt that this time she transmigrated was really hellish. Only five days after transmigrating, she had to face something like the descent of an evil god?

“That’s right. So it’s not just the Anti-Suppression Bureau; during this period, almost all the secret cults in Pingjing have reached a joint defense agreement, including the Black Sun Cult you infiltrated. The Holy Son of Yang’s visit to Pingjing was also for this operation. We will probably hold an operational meeting the day after tomorrow.”

Suzuki said, "Everyone was playing at a fair table, but now the Kamishiro-kai wants to overturn the whole table, so we will temporarily put aside our disputes and work together to wipe out the Kamishiro-kai."

"I've never heard of this before..." Kurosawa Shizuki was dumbfounded. Even in Yamauchi Yuki's memory, she only knew that the Kamishiro Association was about to "do something big", but she really did not expect that this matter would be so big.

“Of course you’ve heard about it, but you’ve probably forgotten about it because of that ‘extraordinary situation.’” Suzuki rolled his eyes at her.

"What can I do about Wuquanzi's revival?"

"Since the apostle of Mist Spring has been born, the arrival of Mist Spring has become almost inevitable. The Anti-Suppression Bureau began preparing for this operation against Mist Spring a long time ago... Although we cannot stop the arrival of Mist Spring, we can weaken it as much as possible before it arrives, so that it arrives in the most incomplete form. Only in this way can humanity possibly destroy the incarnation of Mist Spring and drive it back to the Netherworld."

"Specifically, how should we weaken Kirie's strength?" Kurosawa Shizuki asked with some apprehension.

"As mentioned before, for Mist Spring's apostle to descend in its entirety, it needs to devour seven Chosen Ones and undergo seven transformations. The key lies in these Chosen Ones. The Anti-Corruption Bureau killed one Chosen One before it was devoured by the apostle. What we need to do next is find more Chosen Ones and kill them immediately. We absolutely cannot allow the apostle to devour any more Chosen Ones. The fewer transformations the apostle undergoes, the more incomplete Mist Spring will descend in three days."

Suzuki's mention of the Chosen Ones sent another shiver down Kurosawa Shizuki's spine. She hadn't forgotten that at the beginning of her transmigration, one of her identities was "Chosen Priestess of the Generation of Gods"... Was she also one of the Chosen Ones? Would an apostle of the Generation of Gods come to devour her and undergo a transformation?

If her past guesses are correct, the original owner's "suicide" was indeed related to this chosen priestess. Could it be that the original owner was actually driven to a dead end by this so-called apostle of mist spring and had no choice but to carry out such a scheme?

"What methods do we have to identify these Chosen Ones of the Mist Springs?" Kurosawa Shizuki tried her best to remain calm. Judging from the current situation, it seemed that the Anti-Suppression Bureau did not know her identity as a Chosen One. Otherwise, the Anti-Suppression Bureau would probably have arrested or killed her without saying a word, and would not have discussed cooperation with her at all.

After all, sacrificing the life of an undercover agent to weaken the power of Kirie, who was about to destroy Heijing, seemed like a very worthwhile deal.

“There is no known way to find the Chosen Ones. We have analyzed the identities of the four confirmed Chosen Ones—a beggar, a cruise ship sailor, a nun, and a company clerk—but we have not found any inherent pattern. It seems that only the Apostle in the world knows the identity of the Chosen Ones. Only when the Apostle comes to us and begins to devour the Chosen Ones can we confirm their true identity,” Suzuki said with a deep frown. “Theoretically, anyone in Heijing could be a Chosen One.”

"The only Chosen One who wasn't devoured by the Apostles, though outwardly a company clerk, was actually an agent of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. We sniped and killed him before the Apostles could attack him, which is why the Apostles failed to take his life." Suzuki's words sent a chill down Kurosawa Shizuki's spine. To hinder Kirie's revival, they didn't hesitate to sacrifice their own people's lives. Was this really the Anti-Corruption Bureau's style?

"We can only confirm the Chosen One through the actions of the Apostles. Fortunately, we have already successfully observed the true form of the Apostle—according to the intelligence our informant risked his life to bring back, she is a lovely little black girl with long hair that almost drags on the ground, and traces of tears in her eyes. Wherever she goes, a chilling aura of ice forms. The people of the Divine Society seem to call her Lady Muko..."

"No matter when or where, once you observe that apostle and find that she is trying to approach anyone, kill that person without hesitation," he said decisively. "Furthermore, never try to engage in any direct conflict with the apostle! Even an unawakened apostle currently possesses at least the strength of an immortal and has inherited at least the eighth level of the secret teachings of the moth and the heart. She is definitely not someone that any mortal can fight against."

Kurosawa Shizuki gasped. She had seen the girl Suzuki mentioned before! This morning, in the park where people did their morning exercises, a nun was leading that girl by the hand. She had initially guessed that it was some kind of cult kidnapping a child, but now it seemed that it was actually an apostle trying to devour the Chosen One? Was that nun, who gave off a strange and twisted aura, the Chosen One?

Kurosawa Shizuki still remembered the eerie little girl's empty eyes as she observed him. "Save me," she had cried out to him again and again, surrounded by a bone-chilling cold. How could he save her? By offering his own flesh and blood to her to devour, to rescue Mizuki from the Netherworld, so that Mizuki could descend upon the human world and destroy it?

But if, as Suzuki says, she is indeed a chosen one, then given that apostle's strength as an immortal, shouldn't she have immediately attacked her upon encountering her? Although Kurosawa Shizuki doesn't consider herself an ordinary fourth-order witness, she doesn't believe she can easily kill a true immortal-class enemy.

There is an almost insurmountable gap between the immortals and the witnesses. The former are mortals with limited lifespans, while the latter are transcendent beings who embrace the infinite. There is an essential difference in their status.