Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

The young woman's name seemed to be Nakamura Yukise. She was indeed a university student, a sophomore this year. She was recruited into the cult by a professor at the university. Because she was close in age to Kurosawa Shizuki, she was assigned to be Kurosawa Shizuki's personal assistant. She was obviously quite proud of this job and believed that her promotion within the cult would all depend on pleasing Kurosawa Shizuki.

"Yukise, how was the quality of the food this time?" Kurosawa Shizuki asked calmly.

"This time, it was captured from Muchuan Hospital by five Shadowless Masters with great effort. It is the essence of the black body extracted from a stillborn baby. Hehe, it will definitely satisfy you..." Nakamura Yukise chuckled strangely.

Holy crap, a stillborn baby like that couldn't possibly have been fed normal food! Kurosawa Shizuki felt like she was about to collapse. What should she do? What should she do? What should she do?

They actually want me to eat some stuff extracted from babies? Are you crazy? This is simply inhumane!

“Yukise, to be honest, I’m not that hungry right now, otherwise…” Kurosawa Shizuki hadn’t finished speaking.

“But Saintess Kurosawa, we’ve already arrived at the Gathering Place of Yin. Please don’t be shy. Today’s food will surely satisfy your shadow~” Nakamura Yukise stood in front of a vermilion gate at the deepest part of an underground base, glancing back at Kurosawa Shizuki with a delighted look.

Pushing open the vermilion door, a gust of cold wind rushed in, and behind the door lay bottomless darkness.

Nakamura Yukise clapped her hands lightly, and with a whoosh, the candles on the countless candlesticks behind the door were lit with dim light, illuminating the incredibly gloomy room.

"In that case, I'll give it a try." Feeling apprehensive, Kurosawa Shizuki could only steel herself and follow Nakamura Yukise inside.

Nakamura Yukase casually picked up a lantern that was placed by the door, lit it, and used it as light to lead Kurosawa Shizuki forward.

The damp, vast space seemed to have been used as a warehouse. The stone floor underfoot was very wet, and the almost suffocating silence was filled only by the footsteps of Kurosawa Shizuki and Nakamura Yukise, one after the other.

At first glance, it looks a bit like a wine cellar, but most of the goods stored here are coffins of various colors! Some are stuffed into hollowed-out walls, some are hanging in mid-air, and they come in all sorts of styles. Some are old and have long since begun to decay, while some coffins are brand new. Some coffins are extremely luxurious, engraved with all sorts of extravagant patterns and gold edges, while some coffins are narrow and slender, as if they can only barely fit a child inside.

Besides coffins, there are urns of various colors and shapes, memorial tablets, and all kinds of black and white portraits. As you stroll through them, each portrait seems to come alive, looking at the two visitors with deep and resentful eyes.

All the urns and coffins were covered with talismans, clearly indicating that they contained extremely dangerous things. As she passed by, the terrified Kurosawa Shizuki could hear all sorts of chilling screams and cries coming from inside.

Finally, the two walked to a wooden table at the deepest part of the cellar. On the table were three reddish-brown earthenware jars, wide in the middle and narrow at both ends, with talismans pasted on the small bottles.

Nakamura Yukise picked up a ceramic jar and proudly showed it to Kurosawa Shizuki: "Saintess Kurosawa, this is the food I carefully selected for you. Would you like to enjoy it now?"

Faintly, one could hear the heart-wrenching cries of a baby echoing from inside the earthenware jar.

Although Kurosawa Shizuki still maintained a blank expression, her heart was practically in her throat. She swallowed hard without making a sound.

"Let's not..." Before she could finish speaking, Nakamura Yukise had already giggled and lifted the stopper off the ceramic jar.

"Wah—" A sharp cry of a child suddenly echoed throughout the cellar. Kurosawa Shizuki saw an extremely slender black hand emerge from the pottery jar.

A pink baby, with squinting eyes, a wrinkled face, and limbs that were clearly not yet fully developed, with a resentment and twisted expression that did not match its age, emerged from the pottery jar and floated lightly in mid-air.

His pupils flashed with a violent black light, with no distinction between the iris and the whites of his eyes, and an indescribable black liquid flowed in his eye sockets.

Its body was covered in black blood, and blood was constantly dripping onto the ground, emitting bluish smoke, and was actually corroding the ground.

Upon seeing two living people not far away, the baby, like a wild beast ready to devour its prey, charged madly toward them.

However, in front of the baby's abdomen, there was something like an umbilical cord tightly connecting him to the pottery jar. No matter how much the baby struggled and thrashed, he could not break the umbilical cord and was still several tens of centimeters away from Kurosawa Shizuki and Nakamura Yukise.

P.S., I'll try posting pictures too; I've never done this before.

Section 6, Chapter Six: Hmm, it's quite delicious.

The sudden outburst of the infant vengeful spirit startled Nakamura Yukise, who was initially filled with fervor and excitement. She instinctively took a few steps back, showing that even a cultist like her had an instinctive fear of such a creature.

However, Kurosawa Shizuki never backed down. Dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit and wearing a magnificent crown for ritual purposes, the young female leader didn't even blink. On the surface, she was as calm and composed as an iceberg.

Nakamura Yukise couldn't help but reveal an even more awe-inspiring and fanatical expression. Was this the true aura of a high-ranking member of the cult? Perhaps, whether it was vengeful spirits or strange occurrences, they were nothing more than pastimes for this supposedly chosen one of the cult!

The umbilical cord was pulled by tremendous force, tightening again and again. The baby stared intently at Kurosawa Shizuki with his terrifying, pure black eyes, waving his ferocious claws at her relentlessly. There was no doubt that if he were freed from his restraints, he would immediately launch a relentless attack on Kurosawa Shizuki.

However, Kurosawa Shizuki had a strange feeling. Logically speaking, any normal person would be afraid of such a thing, but she inexplicably felt that the writhing infant spirit in front of her was...

Delicious?

Before Kurosawa Shizuki could do anything, the shadow behind her reacted even faster. Amidst Nakamura Yukise's excited cheers, "Long live the Saintess Kurosawa!", the shadow behind Kurosawa Shizuki's head instantly swelled to almost the height of three people.

Kurosawa Shizuki turned around in astonishment to see her shadow transform into an indescribable, tentacle-like monster, sprouting hundreds and thousands of tentacles.

The baby froze, and then an extremely human-like fear appeared in its eyes, and its small body shrank back.

The baby's crying stopped abruptly. Without a word, it turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared into the pottery jar. Kurosawa Shizuki could even see the small pottery jar trembling in a rather human-like manner.

The tentacles, which could grow unchecked, didn't care whether the baby was inside or outside the clay pot; in the blink of an eye, they had wrapped the pot tightly in dense circles.

Like a little girl popping chocolate beans into her mouth, the tentacles casually tossed the terracotta pot into the air, and the shadow behind Kurosawa Shizuki's head split in two, as if a terrifying shadow beast had really opened its bloody maw.

The earthenware jar was swallowed whole by Kurosawa Shizuki's shadow with considerable bravado, and the baby's desperate cries ceased.

The next instant, the indescribable thing writhing behind Kurosawa Shizuki turned back into its original shadow in the blink of an eye, as if nothing had ever happened.

[Your dark spirit body has increased its growth rate by 0.1% due to absorbing the abandoned stillborn infant of a vengeful spirit, and your energy and vitality have been slightly restored.]

Kurosawa Shizuki, looking completely bewildered, subconsciously rubbed her stomach.

This strange body actually felt a strange sense of satisfaction and pleasure.

If I had to describe how Shizuki Kurosawa feels right now... it's like ordering takeout in the middle of the night in my past life and eating a whole fried chicken all by myself?

The eerie cellar, which had been filled with chaos and wailing of ghosts not long ago, fell into complete silence after the terrifying shadow behind Kurosawa Shizuki swallowed the infant vengeful spirit whole, and no more supernatural phenomena occurred.

The coffin lids were all pressed down, the flickering, dim oil lamp light returned to normal, the chilly air gained a touch of warmth, and the smiles on the portraits became unexpectedly kind.

Kurosawa Shizuki stared blankly at her hands, which were so white and spotless that they were not stained with any dirt. "I'm actually this amazing?"

No, to be precise, my shadow is actually that powerful?

As Kurosawa Shizuki's thoughts raced, the shadow behind her instantly changed. She was certain that her shadow wasn't some wild beast that might turn on its master at any moment; on the contrary, she felt she could control it as easily as controlling her own arm. Perhaps it was because of the purple equipment she initially possessed, the Black Sun Divine Stone Fragment? The effect description stated "Dark Spirits will not betray," which meant that other people's Dark Spirits could potentially betray them.

The boiling shadow first split off behind him, transforming into several figures of similar height to Kurosawa Shizuki.

Then the figure collapsed, turning into several small black birds that flew around the bewildered Kurosawa Shizuki.

Then the bird's body disintegrated again, turning into dozens of pitch-black butterflies that flapped their wings and emitted an eerie light.

Kurosawa Shizuki casually raised her hand and clenched it, and the butterfly condensed into a jet-black samurai sword in her hand. With a casual swing, it actually tore through the air.

She casually tossed the katana behind her, and the shattered sword returned to its original form, transforming back into her shadow.

Surprisingly, it was a lot of fun, ever-changing, almost like Sun Wukong's seventy-two transformations, although there was no place to test its practical effects yet. Kurosawa Shizuki's intuition told her that her shadow might be capable of far more than this.

Moreover, it seems that as long as she continues to devour things like the vengeful spirit from before, her shadow can continue to grow...

On another note, is this cellar filled with vengeful spirits like that baby from before?

But isn't this growth rate way too slow? She only grew by 0.1% after consuming that infant vengeful spirit? Does she need to consume a thousand vengeful spirits to advance to the next stage? Or is it because her initial level is too high, and killing small monsters doesn't give her much experience?

“Um… Saintess Kurosawa, shouldn’t we take you home now?” Nakamura Yukise cautiously interrupted Kurosawa Shizuki’s playfulness from behind. “Some of the other spirits here are going to be released into the city to attract the attention of the anti-suppression bureau, and many believers have applied to use them for cultivation. You shouldn’t send them all at once…”

So, are these evil spirits actually cultivation resources for believers? Or, could other Black Sun believers also grow by devouring vengeful spirits through the shadows behind them, just like they do?

“Okay, take me home.” Kurosawa Shizuki said in an unquestionable tone. She really needed someone to take her “home” because she had no idea where her home was.

Without looking back, he left the cellar and followed Nakamura Yukise around and around again. A few minutes later, he finally left the gloomy cellar.

Stepping out of the cellar, one is surprised to find a rather elegant Japanese garden above, with an exquisite layout, multiple fences, artificial hills and clear springs, vermilion ancient-style roofs, and various mythical beasts adorning the edges.

Beneath the swaying pink cherry blossoms, petals fluttered in the air, filling the air with an intoxicating fragrance that brought joy to the soul.

Strolling through the scenic courtyard above, with its ancient trees, quiet atmosphere, and blooming cherry blossoms, I noticed that the worshippers had all changed into modern clothes that they would normally wear in the city. They all looked quite presentable, some were office workers, some were doctors, some were office ladies, and some were even wearing monks' robes.

It's hard to imagine that such a beautiful garden is located just a few meters below in an underground base, which is a sinister and complex labyrinth where evil cultists hide and perform forbidden rituals that defy common sense.

Following Nakamura Yukise through the many passageways of the courtyard, Kurosawa Shizuki realized that they seemed to be in an ancient shrine. The slanting sunlight shone into the passageways, and through the half-open sliding windows, they could see the purifying basin, torii gate, and shimenawa ropes in the main courtyard.

The deity enshrined here appears to be a black sun deity transformed by the sun. Judging from the statue's appearance, it somewhat resembles Amaterasu, but its entire body is shrouded in an ominous black aura. The black sun goddess holds a long sword in her left hand and a divine bell in her right. Kurosawa Shizuki didn't know what the black sun's name was in Japan.

Observing the murals on the walls of the corridor, the content should mostly be related to the Black Sun. Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't figure out the allusion: two armies were fighting, and a black meteor fell into the enemy's position; a demon whose body was burning with black ghost fire charged towards thousands of troops; a black-robed priestess plunged a dagger into her own chest, surrounded by countless vengeful ghosts, drooling with desire...

Interspersed among the Japanese murals are several depictions of Western European legends in the style of Ukiyo-e, which look quite peculiar. One depicts Roman legions wielding square shields slaughtering barbarians, led by a tall general wearing a black helmet; another shows a compassionate priest kneeling in a sanctuary, disemboweling a bison sacrifice; and yet another shows a priest wearing a feathered golden crown holding up the entrails of a human sacrifice on the Step Pyramid...

P.S., I recently watched the MV for the Kaguya-sama: Love Is War opening theme and I'm totally smitten with Airi Suzuki, she's so cute...

Section 7, Chapter 7: I'm actually quite cute, aren't I?

"Saintess Kurosawa, it's such a pleasant surprise! You've achieved the fourth stage and become an Apostle of the Sun at such a young age. This is an unprecedented and great achievement!" Nakamura Yukise kept praising and flattering Kurosawa Shizuki as they walked.

Kurosawa Shizuka vaguely remembered the game's rating system from her previous life. According to the Anti-Suppression Bureau's most standard rating system, the extraordinary powers in this world seemed to be roughly divided into six levels: the first stage, Awakener; the second stage, Seeker; the third stage, Knower; the fourth stage, Witness; the fifth stage, Immortal; the sixth stage, Named One... Different sects had different names for the rating system. For example, within the Black Sun Cult, they preferred to call Witnesses "Sun Apostles."

"It was just a lucky day that a solar corona ceremony was held. To be honest, I shouldn't have rashly held such a ceremony at all." Kurosawa Shizuki had been trying hard not to think about the 51 lives that had been burned in the secret room not long ago. An overwhelming sense of guilt gripped her heart, but there was nowhere to relieve it. Moreover, it seemed that in the eyes of these cultists, these lives were nothing more than a trivial loss.

“No, Holy Maiden, it is our honor to be burned in your ritual. Those who cannot withstand the flames are nothing but the forsaken of the gods,” Nakamura Yukise looked at Kurosawa Shizuki with devout eyes. “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without your ritual today, I might never have been able to possess the power of the dark matter in my entire life.”

As she spoke, Nakamura Yukise excitedly showed Kurosawa Shizuki the shadow that began to writhe behind her. The Shadowless One was the second-stage Seer within the Black Sun Cult. "If I can pass the cult's assessment at the end of the month, I can also become a member of the Great Shadowless One!"

"Yes, that's quite good, Yukise. Keep up the good work, and you'll eventually be able to climb to a higher level." Kurosawa Shizuki nodded to Nakamura Yukise.

As soon as she finished speaking, Nakamura Yukise's eyes lit up with ecstatic joy. Without another word, she landed on her knees in a tiger-like motion, saying, "Thank you for your recognition, Saintess Kurosawa! I will definitely continue to work hard and live up to your expectations!"

Kurosawa Shizuki stared blankly at Nakamura Yukise, who had knelt down without warning. "Are all Japanese people so shameless? I was just saying something nice."

"No need to go that far, just keep it that way from now on," Kurosawa Shizuki waved her hand somewhat awkwardly, "Continue leading the way."

"Yes, sir! I am willing to die for Saintess Kurosawa!"

Guided by Nakamura Yukise, who was so excited that she seemed to be on fire, Kurosawa Shizuki was finally led to a rather quiet Japanese-style room. Nakamura Yukise respectfully opened the Japanese paper door for Kurosawa Shizuki, kneeling in front of the door like a loyal watchdog, and then thoughtfully closed it for her after Kurosawa Shizuki entered.

Kurosawa Shizuki politely declined Nakamura Yukise's request to help her change her clothes; she wasn't about to get into character so quickly and actually see herself as some high and mighty cult leader.

The incense burner in the room was filled with incense of unknown material, which brought a sense of pleasure when inhaled. A full-length mirror and a change of clothes had been prepared for Kurosawa Shizuki in the room.

Kurosawa Shizuki's face flushed slightly. What was about to happen... was a bit troublesome. She had never changed clothes as a girl before.

After a difficult yet blissful twenty minutes, Kurosawa Shizuki, her face flushed and her skin seemingly dripping with moisture, stared blankly at the stunningly beautiful girl in the mirror.

Dressed in a beautiful summer sailor uniform, black and red, Duck sat on the tatami mat, her red skirt covering half of her snow-white thighs, her pink toes and calves covered with gray over-the-knee socks, and her black shirt with a long red and white tie tied at the collar.

She has a slender waist that can be encircled by one hand, and perfectly proportioned shoulders, though her chest appears somewhat flat. She is about 1.6 meters tall, and her golden curves are pleasing to the eye.

However, her small, palm-sized face shape was surprisingly perfect, almost perfectly matching Kurosawa Shizuki's usual aesthetic standards for Asian women: soft and gentle, with extremely fine hair that flowed smoothly over her shoulders in a very light color.

The slender fox eyes were hazy and watery, languid and lazy, just as described in Dream of the Red Chamber: "eyes that seemed to be both happy and angry, full of affection." What was even more peculiar was that these pupils actually shimmered with a strange dark blue color. Could it be that the original owner was a mixed-race person?

Her fair, almost translucent skin contrasted sharply with the black and red sailor uniform, making her flawless face appear even more delicate and pitiful.