Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

Kurosawa Shizuki originally planned to kill all the enemies before trying to convert Nakamura, but now she has to convert Nakamura in such a rushed situation. However, she unexpectedly found that the success rate was higher than she had imagined, and the cost was low.

[Would you like to perform black matter erosion on Nakamura Yukase... Growth rate consumed: 0.35%... Since Nakamura Yukase is eager to continue serving you, the current success rate is 93%.]

Thank you, Yukise-chan. In this cold world, you are the only one who is truly reliable. Even after death, you are still willing to continue to serve me... Kurosawa Shizuki was so moved that she almost cried.

This time, the black matter encountered no obstacles and entered easily. Nakamura's charred corpse began to writhe like a puppet again, and then black flames erupted all over his body.

Nakamura Yukase's body creaked and groaned as she shakily stood up. Her wounds had completely healed; layers of charred skin peeled away, revealing new skin beneath. A deep darkness shimmered in her eyes.

"...What happened...How disgusting, I should be dead...The last thing I remember...an explosion..."

"Ugh—" Nakamura vomited on the ground, expelling clumps of black substance that sometimes dispersed and sometimes coalesced.

Yukise looked up at Kurosawa Shizuki with a blank expression. Her eyes first lit up with surprise, then turned to fear. "Saintess, I remember your head... Thank goodness, your head is still here... But where did your heart go?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a large amount of blood spurted from the wound that Kurosawa Shizuki had been barely pressing with her black hair, splashing onto Nakamura's bewildered little face, which ironically made her face appear even more vivid.

I never knew you had such long reflexes! Help!

[Congratulations on acquiring the Blue Shadow Servant, Thorn Shadow - Nakamura Yukise. Nakamura comprehended the power of thorns during an extremely painful death. Physique: 15, Spirituality: 48, Rationality: 10. Skill: Black Spirit Body - Thorns...]

[Because you have absorbed a Shadow Servant with high affinity, your Shadow Servant has shared with you a brand-new Dark Matter manipulation technique: Dark Matter Spirit - Thorns.]

Kurosawa Shizuki could no longer stand; she felt that death could completely blind her at any moment, and she no longer had the mind to look at any new black matter techniques.

[You have entered a near-death state. Do you wish to consume...?]

However, the death knell rang out again. The sniper wouldn't give her any more time to breathe. After confirming that the previous shot still hadn't completely killed Kurosawa Shizuki, he fired a third shot.

Forget about defense, the dying Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't even move her legs an inch, making her a sitting duck.

"Be careful, Holy Maiden!" Nakamura Yukise almost instinctively spread her five fingers at Kurosawa Shizuki.

The piercing sound that tore through the air, carrying a chilling aura, caused a layer of frost to rise from Kurosawa Shizuki's body, but this time Kurosawa Shizuki was not hit.

As Nakamura Yukise reached out in the direction the bullet was fired, countless black thorns sprouted from the shadows behind her. Before the sniper fired, the tangled thorns solidified into a solid thorn shield behind Kurosawa Shizuki.

Although it didn't completely stop the bullet, it successfully deflected it from its initial trajectory, sending it flying past Kurosawa Shizuki's ear and leaving a dramatic gash in the ground four or five meters away.

However, as the frigid aura brushed against her, layers of chilling white frost formed on Kurosawa Shizuki's eyebrows and hair, making it increasingly difficult for her to circulate her dark power.

At the same time, black thorns, like spears, easily pierced the chests of several Shindai-kai cultists who were trying to finish them off. These cultists, pierced by the black thorns, turned into mummies in the blink of an eye, their energy seemingly being absorbed by Nakamura's thorns.

More thorns sprouted rampantly from the ground, weaving like a spiderweb, tightly binding Kurosawa Shizuki and Nakamura Yukise within a protective shield. They blocked the blades of the Thunder Samurai, the bullets of the yakuza, and even Takasaki Ryo's furious lightning strikes. Although they were constantly being shattered by the enemy's attacks, they were more than enough to buy some time.

"Strange, when did I master this power of using dark matter? I've actually reached the third tier!" Nakamura tilted his head, looking bewildered. This surprised and delighted Kurosawa Shizuki as well. Originally, as part of dark matter, the Shadow Servant could actually release the power of dark matter?

What exactly is this? Can a dark matter life form possess its own unique dark matter? A shadow hidden within a shadow?

Suffering from both sniping and the frost, Kurosawa Shizuki finally couldn't hold on any longer. Her vision went black, and she collapsed helplessly, only to be caught by Nakamura Yukise at the last moment.

Nakamura Yukise's new body, formed from black matter, was devoid of warmth. Yet, nestled in her icy embrace, it allowed Kurosawa Shizuki's tense nerves to relax slightly, because Nakamura had already inserted his left hand into her heart, which had no heart. Nakamura's completely black left hand grew countless roots, connecting with Kurosawa Shizuki's tragic wound.

"Holy Maiden, you must hold on! I think I can save you!" Nakamura said anxiously.

Kurosawa Shizuki's soul began to leave her body again, once again being drawn by an invisible force towards the world called the Netherworld. At the last moment, Kurosawa Shizuki finally heard the system's final notification.

[You have triggered the 'Undying' trait. Your Shadow Servant, Nakamura Yukise, has consumed Black Matter to share 35% of your life force with you. Your body has been reshaped.]

[Nakamura Yukise's remaining health: 65%.]

P.S., I'm experiencing writer's block again, it's so frustrating.

Section 71, Chapter Seventy-One: Facing the Blade

Consume black matter, begin regeneration!

The newly born spirit of Nakamura Yukise immediately became much weaker, and her originally solid body once again became semi-transparent. Her left hand, which was connected to Kurosawa Shizuki, began to deform and decompose continuously.

Between Kurosawa Shizuki and Nakamura Yukise, an intensely hot black flame reignited. Dozens of black thorns sprouted from the shadows, wrapping around Kurosawa Shizuki's body in circles. The barbs tore at Kurosawa Shizuki's delicate skin, but no blood flowed out. The black substance seeped into her body through the wounds, surging within her and repairing her body, which was once again on the verge of death, at an incredible speed.

Thump, thump, thump, another heart was re-formed, and the blood, almost inseparable from the melanin, surged once more.

Nakamura thoughtfully withdrew her left hand from Kurosawa Shizuki's heart. Her entire left wrist had completely disappeared, but because she was a spirit, a new wrist grew back, though it was much weaker than before.

Nakamura Yukise's makeshift protective shield, created from black thorns, was on the verge of collapse under the enemy's relentless attacks, and the enemy could break through at any moment.

"Thank you, Yukise," Kurosawa Shizuki said, clutching her chest as she struggled to her feet. The black substance flowed around her, then solidified again into a nightgown-like garment that barely covered her body.

“It is only natural for a servant to serve his master with everything, isn’t it?” Nakamura smiled with a hint of disappointment. “Without the blessing of the saintess, I probably would never have had the opportunity to become such a peculiar being.”

Was she telling the truth? Kurosawa Shizuki didn't know. Even though the Shadow Servants couldn't rebel under the influence of the Black Sun Stone, they clearly still maintained a great deal of independent consciousness. Kurosawa Shizuki's first two Shadow Servants were obviously very troublesome. The Shadow Girl stayed hidden in the shadows and simply ignored her completely, while Yamauchi disobeyed her orders and directly stormed into the Shindai-kai headquarters to his death, which only made the enemy more vigilant about the Black Sun Cult.

However, Kurosawa Shizuki can think about how to get along with the Shadow Servants later; that damned sniper is the most urgent matter!

This time, Kurosawa Shizuki didn't hesitate to invest all her black matter into defense. The black matter in the barrier state condensed into a circular protective shield around her without any blind spots. In addition, the black matter thorns she had just learned from Nakamura wrapped around the outside of the protective shield, forming a second layer of protection. She didn't believe that she could still be sniped by that guy after doing all this.

Even if she could repeatedly revive by consuming the life force of her Shadow Servants, she absolutely did not want to experience being shattered by that death-like sniper again. No other member of the Divine Generations was nearly as dangerous as this terrifying blade sniper!

We have to take out this disgusting sniper, otherwise we can't continue fighting at all! One wrong move and a bullet will blow your head off or your heart off; who can withstand that?!

"Yukise, you work with my dark spirit to hold off that Heartbeat Man and that bunch of stinky samurai. I'll go deal with that damned sniper, okay?" With Nakamura Yukise, who possesses independent consciousness, as her teammate, Kurosawa Shizuki no longer had to face the enemy's siege alone.

"Understood, I will do my best!" Nakamura Yukise nodded to Kurosawa Shizuki, forcing a smile, but Kurosawa Shizuki could see the lingering resentment in her eyes.

"Boiling, stripping, burning!" Takasaki Ryo, a follower of the Heart-Shattering Cult, took off his headphones, his voice almost hysterical. Under his call, thunderous ripples spread out, and the gangsters all let out incredibly brutal roars. This time, their clothes were all burst open, their bodies grew fine scales, their fingernails grew long, and their eyes turned completely scarlet. They were no longer human.

Their heights all exceeded two meters, and their backs were bursting open by newly formed structures, which turned out to be pairs of translucent, ribbon-like wings.

The Thunder Warriors' dance steps became even more sinister and eerie under the lightning, with rings of lightning coiling around their bodies, and their katana, naginata, spear, and bow all poised to strike.

"You dogs of the Shindai-kai! Come on, let me have some more fun!" Nakamura waved her hands excitedly, like a conductor at a symphony concert. As she waved her hands, countless black thorns burst through the ground and surged towards the Shindai-kai cultists who were charging towards them. Behind the thorns were all sorts of strange black beasts.

The berserk cultists clashed with the crazed black beasts and sharp black thorns, and the bloody battle reached a fever pitch right from the start.

“None of you will leave here alive.” Nakamura raised his hand, and several thorns pinned a Thunder Warrior to the ground, her body bathed in dripping black blood, her smile both sickly and furious.

Without even glancing at the battlefield behind her, Kurosawa Shizuki used her eight spider-claw-like black legs to support her protective shield, rapidly approaching the direction from which the sniper had last fired.

Less than 30 seconds had passed since his last sniping shot, and Shizuki Kurosawa was certain that he couldn't possibly change his sniping position again in such a short time.

Directly opposite the building where the first sniper bullet was fired, on the roof of an office building, even amidst the increasingly heavy rain of blood, Kurosawa Shizuki could still clearly see the fleeting glint of light from the reflector on the rooftop. He was still trying to snipe her!

The distance to the sniper was estimated to be about one kilometer. If Kurosawa Shizuki relied entirely on her dark spirit body to travel, she could arrive in a maximum of thirty seconds.

Sniper, I'm here to kill you!

"Boom!" The sniper fired again, but this time the target was not Kurosawa Shizuki's body, which was completely protected by the black material.

It was actually her foot joint, formed from black matter, that she used a precise shot to sever the entire foot!

Kurosawa Shizuki's body, along with her protective shield, suddenly lost its balance and swayed forward. It took a lot of effort for her remaining seven limbs to stop the forward momentum and regain her footing.

However, the sniper rifle fired again at a measured pace, and another limb was inevitably severed.

Damn it! Unable to support the protective shield, the black limbs went limp, and Kurosawa Shizuki's body and her protective shield crashed heavily into the middle of the street.

Without the support of her black limbs, her thick black protective shield would only allow her to roll at a very slow speed, turning her into a sitting duck for the enemy to snipe. Before she arrived, the sniper would have already finished moving around at a leisurely pace.

But once she grows more limbs, the unprotected limbs themselves will become targets for enemy snipers.

She was faced with a difficult choice:

Should we maintain a strong defense and advance steadily at a snail's pace, or should we completely abandon the cumbersome defense and rush towards the sniper at top speed?

Six hundred meters from the sniper, this short block stretched on endlessly.

The reflector still gleamed with a cold light. Even knowing that Kurosawa Shizuki was there to kill him, the sniper remained as calm as ice. He was waiting for Kurosawa Shizuki to make a decision, waiting for her to reveal her next fatal flaw.

A chilling feeling, like a thorn in one's back, lingered in Kurosawa Shizuki's heart, so intense it was almost suffocating. Having already been killed twice in succession, Kurosawa Shizuki dared not be careless towards this terrifying sniper any longer.

The sounds of fighting from Nakamura's side behind them were fading away, and it was unclear who had ultimately emerged victorious.

But Shizuki Kurosawa knew very well that the real outcome of this battle would depend on who survived to the end, her or the sniper. Whoever won on this side would easily determine the outcome of the other battlefield.

Within the "false history" space created by the Age of Gods, the crimson rain of rust grew heavier amidst thunder, turning into a rapid downpour, with raindrops striking the earth like stirring war drums.

Kurosawa Shizuki made a decision in her heart.

Kurosawa Shizuki realized that what she needed most right now was speed.

Admittedly, the sniper's bullets posed a great threat to her, forcing her to use a large amount of dark matter for defense for a long time. However, if she continued to defend, she would never be able to catch up with the sniper and would only be "kiteted" by him indefinitely.

If the speed is fast enough that the opponent can't snipe it, maybe that's enough? A strange idea popped into Kurosawa Shizuki's mind.

She didn't believe the enemy could snipe at the bubble in the water...

P.S., I've been updating less frequently lately because I'm adjusting my mindset; I had a writer's block at one point that lasted a long time.

Section 72, Chapter Seventy-Two: The Hunt for the Blade

Although Kurosawa Shizuki's current skill set doesn't include any skills or secret techniques that can produce rapid movement, she does have a move that can achieve a similar "shrinking the earth to an inch" effect, although the purpose of this move isn't rapid movement, but rather to kill the enemy as quickly as possible.

The first secret technique of the Void Blade Style, Mirror Flower Water Moon, based on the previous experimental results of Kurosawa Shizuki on ghouls, currently has a maximum dash distance of nearly thirty meters.

In less than 0.5 seconds, it can rush 30 meters. In the eyes of the enemy, this is undoubtedly a teleportation-like rush. Any life under this technique will vanish like a mirage.

She is currently less than 600 meters away from the sniper. Theoretically, she could reach the sniper in a matter of seconds by making about 20 dashes.

The problem is that this move is extremely taxing on the body; a normal human body cannot withstand such rapid attacks. Given her constitution, she could only unleash it a maximum of three times before becoming exhausted, and five times would bring her body to the brink of collapse. For an ordinary person without special physical abilities, it would be an incurable injury…

However, physical problems are not really a problem for Shizuki Kurosawa; she can probably break through the limits of the human body with ease.

Because as long as she still has Shadow Servants, even if she dies, she can rely on them to revive. So, even if her body is just broken, she can naturally use the life force shared by the Shadow Servants to repair it.

"I'm sorry, Yukise-chan. I can only rely on your life force to help me get out of this predicament again," Kurosawa Shizuki silently apologized to Nakamura Yukise in her heart.

Kurosawa Shizuki nonchalantly dismantled the heavy black barrier surrounding her, leaving only a thin layer of black to cover the exposed skin. She looked up and gave the sniper a provocative smile.

Raise both hands horizontally to assume the ready stance for the Phantom Blade Style.

The blood-red aiming line was once again aimed at her brow.

The sniper hesitated for a moment, clearly taken aback by Kurosawa Shizuki's complete abandonment of defense, but the next instant, the reflective scope flashed again.

But this time, the sniper bullet was destined to miss its target.

First Secret Technique: Mirror Flower, Water Moon. With a swing of his hand blade, he effortlessly tore through the air, advancing at an incredible speed, the air filled with the sharp whistling of the wind.

The sniper bullet only hit the afterimage behind her, shattering the window of a shop behind her.