Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

Then, use long chopsticks to stir slowly until the aroma is fully released. Only then do you add the sliced ​​beef. After the beef is cooked, add the other ingredients. The ingredients are neatly arranged in the pot, and they look very appealing. Finally, pour the remaining sauce over them.

The aroma of scallions and meat wafted out together, sizzling in the pot. The snow-white slices of meat curled slightly, making even Kurosawa Shizuki, who thought she had been fasting, feel a little hungry. Could it be that food she prepared herself was more likely to tempt her?

Kurosawa Shizuki put the lid on the pot and began the final simmering. The lid trembled slightly under the steam, and the overflowing aroma was irresistible.

The biggest difference between Japanese hot pot and Chinese hot pot is that Japanese hot pot has very little broth. This time, Kurosawa Shizuki only added a small amount of broth, mixed with the water from cooking the ingredients. Kurosawa Shizuki watched with great interest as the ingredients in the pot rose and fell together as they simmered.

The gods of the Netherworld probably look down upon mortals in the same way.

Kurosawa Shizuki wiped a fine layer of sweat from her forehead. This body could still sweat; she had finally found a trace of what was still human in this body.

Wrapped her hands in a soaked towel, she carried the boiling sukiyaki, still on the induction cooker, to the small square table in the living room, and waved to Ai Kurosawa with a smile: "Ai, what are you waiting for? It's ready to eat."

"Thank you, sister." Ai, who seemed a little downcast, knelt down next to Kurosawa Shizuki. When she saw the sukiyaki pot that Kurosawa Shizuki had lifted the lid of, her big eyes finally brightened a little. "It looks so beautiful, sister. This is really amazing. Your cooking skills are even better than before."

"Don't be shy, try it and see if it suits your taste," Kurosawa Shizuki picked up a piece of beef and put it in Ai's bowl. "What's wrong? Why are your eyes red?"

"It's nothing, I'm just too happy," Ai wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and clapped her hands lightly. "I'm starting to eat!"

"Eat slowly, eat slowly, just like yesterday, like you came from the realm of hungry ghosts." Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Ai's lightning-fast chopsticks.

Picking up a piece of beef, she breathed on it and popped it into her mouth. Squinting her eyes, she tilted her head back, and tears welled up in Kurosawa Ai's eyes again. "It's the familiar taste of my sister. Sister, you're still here with me after all..."

"Ai, what nonsense are you talking about?" Kurosawa Shizuki tilted her head, picked up a piece of seaweed, and chewed it slowly. Hmm, this cooking skill exchange was worth it~ Even if the apocalypse really happens in a year, at least we should ensure a basic quality of life in the remaining year!

"Sister..." She picked up her chopsticks with lightning speed, her little mouth stuffed full of love, and looked up at Kurosawa Shizuki with utmost seriousness: "You won't leave me again, will you?"

"No more." Kurosawa Shizuki looked away and continued to eat her food in small bites.

"Never to leave me? Never again will I be like Dad and Mom, who one day suddenly disappeared forever and can never be seen again?" Love possesses a level of insight beyond Kurosawa Shizuki's imagination. What did her eyes see this time?

"Never again." Kurosawa Shizuki said with a smile, though she didn't mean it. She really didn't want Ai to worry too much.

How much time is left of "forever"? Maybe only three days, maybe a year, maybe... it really is forever?

P.S., the word count is about right, so I'm going to apply for publication. I reckon the subscription numbers will be terrible, maybe around 100 subscribers, haha.

P.S. 2. I also hope everyone can offer more feedback. Where are the shortcomings and problems in this book now? I still need to continuously improve my skills. Although I believe this book is relatively better than my previous ones, it seems the market doesn't recognize it yet, and the results aren't as good as before.

Section 54, Chapter Fifty-Four: Matthias's *The Dream of the Empty Night*

After dinner, Ai Kurosawa resumed watching "World of Wonders" as usual, while Shizuki Kurosawa sat back down in front of her computer.

She turned on her computer, found the original owner's novel folder, and started browsing through the original owner's novels again. Although she didn't have high expectations, she still hoped to learn as much as possible about the original owner. Trying to think in the original owner's way might be the only way to understand the true purpose of the original owner's series of complex arrangements. Of course, it would be even better if she could find more clues related to the summoning ritual that spanned multiple histories, the great enemy, and the Apostle Wuquanzi.

However, Kurosawa Shizuki didn't expect too much from this matter. After all, it was a novel that had been published, and it was impossible for it to involve the intangible arts too directly. Otherwise, it would either attract the attention of the hostile cult or cause the anti-suppression bureau to come and investigate.

To be honest, she still doesn't understand what the "grand scheme" the Black Sun Cult is hiding in these entertainment works. But after realizing the seriousness of the situation she is facing, Kurosawa Shizuki has lost much interest in exploring the Black Sun Cult's true purpose. Perhaps after Kirie is dealt with, she will naturally find out what she needs to know.

With the idea of ​​temporarily numbing herself and releasing stress through the novel, Kurosawa Shizuki temporarily emptied her mind, too lazy to pursue the great achievements of the Black Sun Cult, and only intended to read the original owner's first so-called debut work as a pure reader.

However, even this novel was far from enjoyable to read. Instead, it made Kurosawa Shizuki feel even more depressed. The original owner was indeed a master of writing depressing stories. Any normal reader would probably experience a lot of negative emotions after reading this book.

"The Dream of the False Night" is a collection of short stories. The protagonist is a beautiful young man named Matthias, who in Greek mythology is a genius flute player who challenges Apollo, the god of the arts. He loses the contest and is punished by Apollo by being skinned alive.

Apollo, however, was pleased by Matthias's challenge. After Matthias was skinned, Apollo imbued his skin with divinity, granting it the power of pain and dreams. It was then smuggled to Phrygia, where the priestesses of Cybele crafted it into drumheads. The priestesses were skilled in divination using feathers and fire, and Matthias's skin became a sacred and efficacious object.

According to the understanding of this world's mystical tradition, Matthias "took his name" with the blessing of Apollo.

Countless Apollo devotees would come from all over the world to visit the oracle. After the priestesses struck the thunderous drums, the earth would tremble with the melodious sounds, and the devotees would begin to dream. Matthias, in the form of a god, would then enter the devotees' dreams to the thunderous rhythm and bestow upon them "divine revelation".

The novel tells the story of Matthias traveling through the dreams of his countless followers. Each story consists of two parts: the dream portion and the reality portion. Matthias navigates through these bizarre and fantastical dreams, delving deeper and deeper into them. Driven by an innate curiosity and a penchant for prying into privacy, Matthias's greatest pleasure is to unearth the secrets of his dreamer, layer by layer, to expose the most cruel and dark secrets within their heart. Whenever Matthias deciphers a secret in a dream, he will also assume a different identity in reality to guide and enlighten the dreamer, with the aim of helping them recognize their "true self."

However, in reality, every truth that Matthias unearthed from the dream was by no means a good truth. Once the dreamer recognized his true self, the subsequent story was destined to have no happy ending.

Just like Matthias's own experience, Matthias liked to "peel off" all dreamers. He didn't peel off the skin of their physical bodies, but rather the hidden skin of their hearts. After the layers of pretense and affectation on people's surface were peeled off in their dreams, only the cruel and terrifying truth was exposed.

The little girl, who always lived a life of elegance in a magnificent castle in her dreams, finally realized in reality that her life as a wealthy heiress was anything but happy. Her entire family were her prisoners, her life was stagnant and hopeless, and everything had been preordained from the beginning. Before being married off to a tyrannical old nobleman, the little girl stabbed him to death, set fire to her family estate, causing her relatives to perish in the flames, and embarked on a journey around the world alone. Thirty years later, Matthias discovered that the little girl had fallen into prostitution, where she had been whipped to death by her master. Matthias peeled off the girl's face and made a moon-white mask.

A man who possessed a vast garden in his dreams, a garden filled with every kind of flower in the world, spent his days indulging in the fragrance of flowers. Yet, in reality, he was merely an ordinary perfumer. Under Matthias's guidance, he finally understood the true meaning of his dreams: he wanted to collect the world's most precious scents, thus embarking on a path of ruthless pursuit of "fragrance." Ten years later, the man, a murderer who hunted down nearly a hundred beautiful young women to collect their body odor for perfume, was burned at the stake in the Place de la Judiciary. After his death, the ashes he left behind, sprayed with perfume, were considered sacred by some cult fanatics, flowing with the rich golden hues of a summer afternoon.

The man who dreams of performing in grand amphitheaters is, in reality, the emperor of a vast empire, young and energetic, ruling with an iron fist. Matthias convinces the emperor that the entire empire is but a footnote in his grand drama, causing the emperor to blur the lines between drama and life, exhausting himself in pursuit of the so-called "dramatic" aspects of existence. Finally, as the climax of this grand opera, the emperor sets his magnificent capital ablaze, then alone atop the palace, facing the raging inferno, plays his lyre. Having lost the hearts of the people, the emperor is betrayed by his guards and forced to commit suicide, his last words being, "My play is over. If you enjoyed it, please applaud." After his death, the empire crumbles, plunging into endless civil war. The dagger that killed the emperor is enshrined, its wounds said to never heal.

...All twelve stories follow this trajectory. In this story, Matthias is portrayed as a completely corrupt and utterly devoid of conscience. Everyone He visits in their dreams suffers a tragic end without exception. In the final story, in a strange dance club, Matthias falls in love with a woodland spirit, the Amethyst Insect, through a divinely inspired dance. To love, he must gain freedom from the gods and spend the rest of his life with his beloved. He begins a second wager with Apollo, entering the sun god's nightmare to uncover Apollo's secrets. However, he is consumed by the black flames of the dream, ultimately leading to his own demise.

Matthias's soul was burned to ashes, leaving only bitter salt, as black as his pupils, which Apollo cast into the Sea of ​​Despair.

Apollo granted Matthias ascension, but Matthias was eventually infected with a disease called love, which offended the gods. He could no longer weave dreams to please Apollo, so Apollo used black flames to make Matthias fall again.

In the end, the desperate Amethyst Beetle cut off her wings with scissors. She donned the lifeless skin of Matthias and began her endless journey in the human world in his place. She believed that Matthias was still wandering in some bizarre dream, and she would painstakingly collect the fragments of Matthias's dream to bring him back to life...

In this story, deep within each person's heart, or rather, in their subconscious, lies another self, suppressing a morbid yearning. Yet, that self seems to be the most authentic self. Once this authentic self is liberated, everyone will inevitably head down the path of self-destruction. "Self-destruction is human nature! But it is precisely because of this nature that I sincerely love humanity!" Matthias expressed this view more than once in his writing.

Just as Matthias was skinned alive after failing to challenge Apollo, humanity's fate will inevitably be self-destruction after a series of futile struggles, just like the apocalypse that will come in a year and a half.

Can this even be considered a light novel? And how can something like this even have a market? Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't imagine how such a gloomy and despairing story could become such a bestseller in Heijō and be loved by so many readers. After finishing this book, the depressed Kurosawa Shizuki had absolutely no desire to read the other two novels; her mind was filled with the bizarre and nightmarish gamble that Matthias and Apollo had at the end…

The novel's final depiction of Apollo's nightmare seems to hold deeper implications, but Kurosawa Shizuki is currently unable to comprehend, let alone grasp, these implications. Could it be that even a god as powerful as Apollo actually yearns for destruction and annihilation? Is Apollo hoping that Matthias will defeat him, usurp him, and devour him?

While reading the novel, I felt somewhat like reading a psychoanalytic work. Matthias guides the reader step by step to dissect the dreamer's inner world. Every image has its meaning. Ultimately, Kurosawa Shizuki felt that these stories were quite depressing. Was the world in the original owner's eyes really so dark? Did she believe that she would eventually "self-destruct" as well?

Just like the original owner's "father" who went to great lengths to embark on a long escape, but in the end still had to face the great enemy alone and completely perished?

P.S. Regarding the pacing of this book, it's really frustrating. I've summarized the problems with my past novels, which is that the plot progresses too quickly and there's not enough foreshadowing, leading to an overall collapse. So, I tried my best to explain everything that needed to be foreshadowed before the climax of this book. I didn't expect that this time the pacing of the novel would become too slow again... I can't change the pace of the last few chapters. I'll try my best to speed up the pace in the future.

PY, Abigail's Bloodborne, who doesn't love this theme!

One-Punch Man

Resurrected as Abigail Williams without skills or Noble Phantasms, she must use her body to pay off her debts if she cannot repay the millions within three years!

Given this situation, how can I preserve my innocence after being thrown into a world of blood curses by the God of God?

What?! You're saying... Abby's strength is B? Two levels higher than Red A?!

Tear apart the Healing Church, and deliver a devastating blow to both the old and new Yharnam!

Those with discernment dare not hit me, and those without discernment cannot defeat me.

There is no one here who can defeat me!

-

This is the story of Abby, who started by adding the wrong skills, and as she pays off her debts, she goes further and further down the path of one-shotting enemies in melee combat.

Section 55, Chapter Fifty-Five: Ai Kurosawa's Prophecy

So that's why the original owner ended her life in such an incomprehensible way? Faced with such a desperate situation, she had no hope from the beginning. She felt that she could no longer change anything, so she cowardly chose to escape and forcibly dragged another version of herself from the past to take on everything for her? Kurosawa Shizuki had this thought inexplicably.

"If that's really the case... then you're being incredibly irresponsible..." he muttered to himself, his deep gaze turning to the shadow behind him. "This is clearly your war, so why drag me into it? You despicable creature, do you think you can escape everything by cowering in the shadows?"

No matter how Kurosawa Shizuki called out to the shadow, how she tried to command it, or how she struggled to control the servant within it who refused to submit, there was no response; the shadow merely trembled like ripples.

"Have you been hiding in the shadows all this time, watching me make a fool of myself? Enjoying how I fumble around, bewildered, and stumble blindly like a headless fly in your scheme, ultimately leading to the ending you've arranged for me? Do you think I would willingly become such a pawn?" Kurosawa Shizuki sneered.

However, her anger seemed to be vented on thin air. The shadow didn't care what she was thinking at all, and it didn't bother to answer her. The shadow probably just wanted to see her put on a good show.

"Are you listening? I know you're definitely here. We're already bound together, and we'll probably never be separated. Are you just going to keep deceiving me like this forever?" Kurosawa Shizuki asked through gritted teeth.

The shadow remained silent, but in Kurosawa Shizuki's eyes, it was an admission of acquiescence to her questioning.

"Sister, who are you talking to?" Kurosawa Ai appeared at the bedroom door at some point, her pale golden eyes still gleaming in the darkness, as she placed her hand on the door.

"It's nothing, I wasn't talking to anyone, it's just..." The ferocity on Kurosawa Shizuki's face vanished in an instant. She turned her head, her face showing her usual smile again, "I was just thinking about the content of my novel."

"You're lying, sister! You're lying to me again!" Kurosawa Ai's eyes welled up with tears again. She lowered her head and said gloomily, "Sister, you're planning to leave again, aren't you? You're going to leave me all alone again, saying nice things to apologize. How awful! Sister, you've never changed!"

"I...haven't changed?" A wavering expression appeared on Kurosawa Shizuki's face. After transmigrating, Kurosawa Shizuki had always felt very strange. Why did almost no one around her notice anything unusual about her? Even though it was another existence from history that had been injected into this body, whether it was the Black Sun Cult members, Ando, ​​Suzuki whom she had just met, or even Kurosawa Ai herself, they all naturally regarded her as Kurosawa Shizuki.

Could it be that her personality and behavior are really that similar to Kurosawa Shizuki in this version?

Just as Suzuki said, they were one from the very beginning?

"You could have tried to rely on love, and love has been trying to catch up with your sister, so why can't you see it, sister!" Kurosawa Ai excitedly pressed her small hands to her chest.

Kurosawa Shizuki saw Kurosawa Ai use a small butterfly knife to cut the pad of her left index finger. She gently smeared the bloody finger on her eyelids, and then the golden light in her pupils became even more dazzling.

"Sister, let love reveal the mystery of the future to you. Love has seen it all—you will face moths that ooze lymph fluid, woodlands covering the entire city of Heijō, ovaries splitting open, and amethyst adults soaring freely..." Kurosawa Ai's eyes were shining like beacons, but tears of blood flowed out as well. Her body went limp, and her cane fell to the ground.

“Ai, stop, there’s no need to go this far—” Kurosawa Shizuki quickly caught Ai and supported her trembling body. She didn’t know how to stop Kurosawa Ai’s prophecy, and she was certain that Kurosawa Ai was using a very ominous power.

In any esoteric context, it is generally accepted that rashly observing the future, especially those of extremely high status, will inevitably come at a heavy price. Most of the most famous prophets in mythology met extremely tragic ends.

"The offerings are seven, but three remain. The first person lies dormant in the land of dancing moths, preparing to sacrifice themselves. The second person slumbers silently in the paradise of winter. The third person grieves in despair in the shadows, holding a blade..." Kurosawa Ai continued to make obscure prophecies, kneeling on the ground, struggling to support herself with her hands. Blood dripped continuously onto the ground, and within the blood flowed silvery-white threads.

Kurosawa Shizuki was dumbfounded. This must be a prophecy about the remaining three chosen ones!

"Three weaknesses, seven wounds, the dead will return, the dead have never gone far, those who offend the wrath of heaven will ultimately reap what they sow..."

Kurosawa Ai continued her premonition with a hoarse voice, but this time, blood began to flow from her face, and what she was chanting became increasingly abstract and disordered. Kurosawa Shizuki could even feel that Ai's face was becoming ferocious, like that of a wild beast, reminding her of a wolf that was about to devour its prey...

“Enough, really enough, if this continues…” Kurosawa Shizuki saw that Ai showed no signs of stopping, completely immersed in the frenzied state of prophecy, making communication impossible. In Kurosawa Shizuki's perception, Ai's life was like a wildly burning torch, being consumed at a visible rate…

“I can see more—conflict is a flame, and the whole world is our fuel. Heat it up, raise the temperature, let us feast together. We must climb together, only by climbing can we end the hatred…” Kurosawa Ai’s eyes were like burning lamps, and strange light was flowing from all seven orifices of her body.

Kurosawa Shizuki realized that she absolutely could not let the love continue.

With a decisive strike of her illusory sword style, Kurosawa Shizuki struck Ai on the back of the neck. Ai offered no resistance and passed out cleanly and easily, though she continued to murmur incessantly. The terrifying light finally went out.

He carried Ai back to her room, gently placed her on the bed, wiped the shocking blood from her face, covered her with a blanket, and waited by her bedside for a long time.

It was already past midnight when Ai woke up again. She opened her eyes, her large eyes unfocused and misty, lacking their previous sparkle. A heartbreaking smile appeared on her face: "Haha, it's like this again. Everything is gray and white, I can't see anything..."

"Ai, you didn't need to go this far at all!" Kurosawa Shizuki was extremely anxious. Was Kurosawa Ai's eyes going to be ruined because of those terrible prophecies about the future?

“Sister, don’t worry, this kind of thing has happened before, it will recover in a while, I’m not that fragile,” Ai looked at Kurosawa Shizuki with fear. “Compared to that, what worries me more is you, sister. You’re going to be dealing with a pillar of gods soon?”

“It’s not that exaggerated, Ai. If the Anti-Elimination Bureau’s plan proceeds normally, what will awaken is a fragmented god. Its power may only be considered half a named being, far less terrifying than a fully-fledged enemy,” Kurosawa Shizuki comforted Kurosawa Ai. “In this degenerate age where the art of the invisible is declining, how could there possibly be a god who could descend to earth in its complete form?”

"Is it really necessary to fight?"

“That’s right, I have no choice but to go. Even if I don’t want to fight Him, He probably won’t let me go.” Kurosawa Shizuki shook her head with a bitter smile. Her status as a chosen one meant that there was no room for compromise between her and the Divine Society from the very beginning.

"So, sister, Ai was very useful this time, right?" Kurosawa Ai asked weakly.

“That’s right, loving you is like a lighthouse in the darkness, clearly pointing me in the right direction and making me no longer lost and helpless.” Kurosawa Shizuki said that Kurosawa Ai’s prophecy had indeed verified her thoughts. The so-called “land where moths dance” and “paradise in the dead of winter” were indeed within the original owner’s plan. It seems that Kurosawa Shizuki, who had no other choice, could only continue to follow the route planned by the original owner.

As for other prophecies about love, Shizuki Kurosawa simply cannot understand or explain them. Perhaps some prophecies can only be understood when they become reality.

"Love will always be useful to you, so please don't die. Do everything you can to live. If only Ai is left, then nothing else matters..." Kurosawa Ai struggled to raise one hand and grab Kurosawa Shizuki's sleeve.