Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

It was only then that Kurosawa Shizuki realized that Kurosaki Jubei had been standing nearby the whole time. So he had been just standing there watching? How embarrassing!

[Kurosaki Jubei (dark blue), head of the intelligence department of the Heikyo branch of the Black Sun Cult, saw the truth of the world in the shadow of the wine glass. Secret Techniques: The Mystery of Fission VI, Pleasant Sacrament V, Skills: Dark Spirit Body - Rift, Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator, Bartending...] Because he is considered a member of the Kurosawa Shizuki Cult, Kurosawa Shizuki can directly see his stats.

"What a pity. I thought I was going to have a good look at them," said Kurosaki Jubei, the owner of Parthia Bar, somewhat disappointed. "The two princes of the Order, expressing their love so openly, is indeed a sight we haven't seen in a long time."

"Uncle Kurosaki, since you've been acting as a third wheel all this time, you should at least be prepared to be one, okay?" Asakura Yuki playfully waved her little pink fist at Kurosaki Jubei. "If word gets out about what just happened, I'll chop you up!"

"No, no, no. No one in the world knows how to keep secrets better than me. I didn't see anything, I didn't hear anything." Kurosaki Jubei raised his hands and surrendered with a wry smile.

"Please forgive me for reminding you both, but I am not yet the Yin Princess." What was with this feeling of being appointed? Kurosawa Shizuki was in a dilemma. Did she really have to sell herself to this strange Yang Princess in order to rise to the position? She definitely didn't come to the Black Sun Cult to do that! Suzuki had never said that becoming the Yin Princess required offering herself up.

“You’re not yet, but you will be soon~” Asakura patted Kurosawa on the shoulder with a grin. “If I say you’re the Child of Shadows, then you definitely will be the Child of Shadows.”

"Didn't I hear that not only do I need your approval, but I also need the Holy Lord's consent, and on top of that, I need the 'Controlled Flame' to acknowledge me?" Kurosawa Shizuki felt that the information Suzuki gave her couldn't be wrong.

"Kurosawa-kun, Heikyo isn't such a closed-off place, is it? Haven't you heard about the recent war within the Kyoto headquarters, known as the 'Fire of Division'?" Asakura looked at Kurosawa Shizuki with considerable surprise.

"What is that? I've never heard of it before." Kurosawa Shizuki looked blank. If it was something very important, why had Suzuki from the Anti-Suppression Bureau never mentioned it to her?

"Asakura Miko, our saintess, is usually preoccupied with her own... personal affairs and doesn't care much about the affairs of the cult headquarters, so it's normal that she doesn't know. After all, that matter is kept secret from most people within the cult." Kurosaki explained to Asakura with a half-smile.

"Since you, Kurosawa, will eventually become the Child of Shadows, you are entitled to access the Order's confidential information, and there's no need to hide it from you—"

Two weeks ago, my mentor, Natsume Seishun, formally declared war on those stubborn old fogies who wanted to worship the withering sun—the so-called 'Controlled Flame' Council. Natsume Seishun devoured all four Sun Apostles, three 'Brides,' and two 'Sun Priests' within the Controlled Flame, completing the Dark Sun Ritual and passing through the Gate of Fury in one fell swoop, thus achieving the immortal feat of the Creator.

"Master Natsume is the thirteenth immortal being recorded in the history of the Black Sun Cult, and also the only immortal being currently remaining in the human world," Kurosaki Jubei added with pride.

What?! Our Holy Lord is so powerful? He's become an immortal? Kurosawa Shizuki felt panicked. Could this fabricated identity created for her by the Anti-Corruption Bureau really not be seen through by the Holy Lord she had never met?

"Although the cult is still nominally controlled by the 'Controlled Flame', those old fogies have actually become the Holy Lord's shadow servants. Nominally, the Black Sun Cult is still a mechanism of constant checks and balances between the Holy Lord, the Prince, and the Controlled Flame, but in reality, it has fallen into the Holy Lord's absolute control."

"So as long as you can satisfy the Holy Lord and successfully become the Child of Yin, our Heijyo branch will receive a lot of resources from headquarters, including strange items, black crystals, and ritual offerings, which will greatly enhance the strength of the entire branch." Kurosaki Jubei envisioned a bright future for Kurosawa Shizuki.

In short, it's like going from a democracy to a dictatorship, right? If we really end up confronting that unfathomable leader of the Black Sun Cult in the future, it will probably be very troublesome, won't it?

"Therefore, the Holy Lord now needs an obedient Prince of Yin, and you are currently the only candidate for Prince of Yin. The Holy Lord has entrusted me with all the work in northern Japan. I am very willing to acknowledge you as the Prince of Yin. As long as you can successfully purge the traitors from the Order, there will be no obstacles within the Order for you to become the Prince of Yin. It is an established fact."

Asakura pinched her delicate chin and said confidently, above her swaying kimono, the sun rose over the tranquil sea, and the morning mist rippled.

Kurosawa Shizuki truly hadn't expected that the position of Yin Child, which the Anti-Corruption Bureau had painstakingly sought to make her, would fall into her lap so easily. Didn't the Black Sun Cult really want to reconsider? Was it really a good idea to so casually hand over such an important high-ranking position to an insider?

But... cleaning up traitors? Kurosawa Shizuki suddenly thought of the former Shadow Prince that Suzuki mentioned who betrayed the cult. It really wasn't that simple after all? Perhaps the Black Sun Cult was plotting to use one enemy to devour another?

Chapter 83, Section 83: Friendly Exchange Between Immortal Girls

"Do I need to get rid of that traitor immediately?" Kurosawa Shizuki frowned. With the threat from Kiriezumi still imminent, she had no time to deal with the former traitorous prince of the Black Sun Cult.

“We’ll deal with Mihara’s matter later. Mihara, who has joined the Sisterhood of Knots, is most likely still hiding deep in the mountains of Kureno. We won’t be able to lure her out unless we offer a sufficiently tempting bait. We need to take our time.” Asakura wasn’t in a hurry at all. She spoke of the former Shadow Princess with considerable disdain, but there was also a hint of hesitation in her tone.

"Ladies, before we get down to business, would you like a drink?" Kurosaki Jubei asked with a smile. "Saintess Kurosawa, it's your first time at my bar, so it would be a shame not to try my signature cocktails."

"Kurosawa, you're not doing a very good job as a saintess. It's been several months, and you haven't even been to the headquarters of the intelligence department once?" Asakura seemed a little dissatisfied with Kurosawa Shizuki's work attitude.

"After all, I'm not an adult yet, so it's inconvenient for me to go to places like this. Besides, when I hear the word 'bar,' I always think of some smoky and disgusting places..." Kurosawa Shizuki explained somewhat reluctantly. How could she know how the original owner of this body had actually been a saintess in the past? As it stands, it's already a miracle that the Heijing Black Sun Cult hasn't collapsed. The original owner of this body was simply a typical example of "doing nothing and yet the world is well-governed."

"And now that we're facing such an imminent threat, do you really still have the mood to leisurely drink here?" Kurosawa Shizuki felt that Asakura and Kurosaki were far too lacking in urgency.

"Idiot, you're too tense. It's precisely because you're overly nervous that we need to relax a bit. Alcohol can numb our nerves and allow us to think about things more calmly." Asakura poked Kurosawa Shizuki's forehead and laughed lightly.

"Given that I was recently shot in the head by an enemy sniper, please forgive me for not being able to relax," Kurosawa Shizuki said somewhat nervously. Although the sniper was now dead and gone, and the Falconer's handy weapon was now lying in her shadow, Kurosawa Shizuki still couldn't shake the feeling of falling into the abyss of death after being sniped not long ago.

No one can escape the brink of death so easily, even though Kurosawa Shizuki's dark essence granted her the ability to be resurrected.

"Kurosawa-kun, you haven't quite embraced the mindset of a fourth-order Sun Apostle of the Order yet. We'd better chat over drinks," Asakura tapped the bar lightly with his fingers. "Uncle Kurosaki, let me see your skills. Tequila Sunrise, how about a glass?"

"Please wait a moment." Kurosaki Jubei smiled confidently as soon as he mentioned bartending.

Next, Kurosawa Shizuki witnessed a dazzling bartending performance. It is said that the Japanese pursue the "way" in everything they do: the way of tea, the way of flowers, the way of chess, and even the way of ramen. In Kurosawa Shizuki's smooth and flowing movements, she could vaguely see the so-called "way of sake".

"Kurosawa-kun, you're already at the fourth rank now. Even though you've just awakened, you still have several loyal shadow servants, right? I quite like your Nakamura-san." Asakura chatted casually with Kurosawa Shizuki while mixing drinks.

“Yes, although they don’t have many Shadow Servants at the same time, they can indeed play a very important role in battle.” Kurosawa Shizuki nodded. Shadow Servants seem to be a special force unique to the Black Sun Cult, and they probably have a very special status in the entire Black Sun Cult. It is said that the Shadow Servants of Black Sun Mitra are, to some extent, equivalent to the oracle apostles of Black Sun.

Kurosawa Shizuki watched Kurosaki Jubei's smooth and fluid bartending movements with a somewhat dazed expression. It was as if he possessed a kind of magic; just watching him mix drinks would make one feel relaxed, as if the flow of time had slowed down.

Stir the ice cubes in the glass with a metal rod to cool them down. The hot tequila, sweet orange juice, and bright red brown sugar water dance together, creating a vibrant, sizzling color that truly resembles the brilliant sunrise over the Mexican plains. Finally, carefully use tweezers to pick up a semi-circular lemon slice and place it on the rim of the glass as a decoration.

The prepared Agave Sunrise was placed on a small round piece of cotton cloth and gently pushed in front of Yuki Asakura.

"Thank you for the treat," Asakura said, raising his glass and gently swirling it before taking a slow, deliberate sip, exclaiming with delight, "Refreshing, fiery yet sweet~"

Asakura exhaled another semi-transparent black substance, like the eye rings exhaled by a smoker, changing various shapes in mid-air. Sometimes it was a Pegasus stepping on air, sometimes a fish swimming in the sea, and sometimes a clown doing somersaults.

"An even more important use of the Shadow Servants is that they grant us true 'immortality.' The Sun Apostles of the fourth tier are among the most immortal beings in almost all fourth-tier beings. We can say that they are close to being half-immortals."

Kurosawa Shizuki deeply understood Asakura's words. Without a specific method to target immortality, neither she nor Asakura could be resurrected no matter how severely their physical bodies were damaged, as long as they still had Shadow Servants. In the eyes of their enemies, this was probably an extremely cheating power.

“However, the pain and fear of each death are real, and I cannot forget such devastating pain…” In Kurosawa Shizuki’s dazed, deep blue eyes, she seemed to see the four suns shimmering in the depths of the dark realm once more.

"Kurosawa, don't just stand there in a daze. You should order a drink too. If you can't let go of death, at least learn to numb yourself," Asakura urged Kurosawa Shizuki, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Um... I'm not an adult yet, so it's not convenient for me to drink, right?" Kurosawa Shizuki stammered. Whether in her past life or now, she had never been to a place like this before.

"You've killed countless people, why are you still worried about minors not being allowed to drink alcohol?" Asakura chuckled again. "I know, you just don't know what to drink, right? I'll order for you. Kurosaki, bring Kurosawa Saintess a Long Island Iced Tea."

“Understood, Saintess Kurosawa. I’m sure this cup will give you a wonderful first experience.” Kurosawa winked playfully at Asakura, his smile carrying a deeper meaning.

"I always felt you guys had ulterior motives," Kurosawa Shizuki muttered softly. Although she said no, seeing how well Asakura had enjoyed drinking it, she was actually a little expectant. Judging from the name of the drink Asakura had mentioned, it seemed to be just some kind of tea beverage, perhaps with only a little bit of alcohol mixed in?

“Don’t worry, let’s continue our discussion about life and death—” Asakura continued to sip his sake, expanding on the topic, “Since we can’t die, perhaps we should look at death from a completely new perspective.”

"Life has become a bargaining chip that can be consumed and calculated for us. Many seemingly powerful enemies have become insurmountable obstacles in the face of our immortality."

"An invincible enemy is one whose death you can take hundreds of times. As long as you can kill him once, you win."

Over at Kurosaki's side, another flurry of cocktail mixing ensued. Various liquids that Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't recognize were poured into the shaker and vigorously shaken! The ice cubes collided with the metal, making a crisp sound!

As Kurosawa Shizuki listened to Asakura's words, a storm raged in her heart. What kind of terrifying experiences had Asakura had to be able to talk about death in such a calm tone? Had Asakura been killed hundreds of times by someone?

"If you think you can break through the physical limits that are impossible to break through, then go ahead and break through them in a life-threatening training. Even injuries that are absolutely fatal will heal sooner or later, so you can break through your physical limits indefinitely."

"Even if one person faces an entire nation, as long as we have enough Shadow Servants, we can wage a war of attrition without restraint, killing them one by one. It doesn't matter if we perish together. No matter how powerful a nation is, it will eventually be defeated by the Undead."

"You should know that in one part of history, our Black Sun Cult's ancient undead actually waged a great war in which several people wiped a country from history."

“If the opportunity arises in the future, it’s not impossible for us to achieve such a great feat.” Asakura spoke slowly and deliberately about something that sounded like a myth to Kurosawa Shizuki.

P.S. It seems like they've started scanning for porn again recently, but I'm too lazy to check myself. If I get caught and my book is gone, I can only leave it to fate.

PS2, the author has hardly ever been to a bar. The only time he went was when someone bought him a Long Island Iced Tea, haha.

Section 84, Chapter Eighty-Four: Too lazy to think of a title.

"Heh, anyone can talk big. If you wanted to do that, how many Shadow Servants would you need to control as expendable resources?" Kurosawa Shizuki retorted with a cold laugh. Could it be that the Shadow Servants could really be assembled into a "Shadow Legion" to fight?

"It is said that the most powerful Black Sun Undead in history did indeed possess an army of shadows and conquered countless countries in a grand war. However, the most powerful Black Sun Undead today probably only controls a few dozen shadow servants at most."

"What should I do if I want to have more Shadow Servants?" Kurosawa Shizuki hadn't forgotten that her current limit for Shadow Servants was only four, and three slots were already taken, making the Shadow Servant slots seem a bit too tight.

"Even a fourth-tier Dark Essence, at its maximum, can only have a maximum of seven Shadow Servants. But please don't forget, your Shadow Servants can also possess Dark Essence. If you promote your Shadow Servants to the fourth tier, they can have even more Shadow Servants." Asakura's words once again exceeded Kurosawa Shizuki's expectations.

"Shadow servants can have other shadow servants... Why does this sound a bit like European feudalism? A vassal's vassal isn't my vassal?" Kurosawa Shizuki felt the situation was getting weirder and weirder. She was going to promote the existing shadow servants to the fourth tier? If she hadn't become an immortal, could she really control shadow servants of the same tier?

"You can roughly understand it that way, but before creating the Shadow Servant Legion, we'd better become immortals first. If we rashly try to control Shadow Servants of the same rank, we'll easily be betrayed."

"When you drink, your thoughts tend to wander. Kurosawa, don't just talk the talk, Kurosaki-san's cocktails are really well-mixed." Asakura gradually opened up, she was already slightly tipsy, and her voice became a little trembling.

Kurosaki Jubei's bartending was also nearing its end.

Kurosawa Shizuki recognized the drink that was poured into the highball glass last. The black liquid was poured into the alcohol and white bubbles rose up, which reassured her a little.

"They even have Coca-Cola? Is this really alcohol?" Kurosawa Shizuki asked curiously.

"Don't worry, this is definitely not alcohol. It's just a drink to help girls who are new to bars get used to alcohol. You can drink it like fruit tea." Asakura pushed a large glass to Kurosawa Shizuki, resting his chin on his hand and blinking his big eyes, seemingly quite looking forward to Kurosawa Shizuki's reaction after drinking it.

Kurosawa Shizuki looked down at the prepared drink. It did look like iced tea in color, and the lemon slices floating in the glass were quite cute. It felt very girlish and gentle. She sniffed it but couldn't smell anything special.

"Stop looking, wine isn't for looking at. You should drink it," Asakura raised his wine glass again and took a big gulp. "Drinking should be as refreshing as I am."

"Well... thank you for the treat?" Kurosawa Shizuki held the glass of high-pitched sour drink with both hands, took a small sip, and said, "It tastes so bitter. I don't really feel anything else."

"Come on, let's have a drink! Yin Yang Yu Zi, I hope we can work together happily in the future~" He casually raised his Tequila Sunrise and challenged Kurosawa Shizuki to a toast without saying a word. Kurosawa Shizuki was too embarrassed to refuse Asakura's kindness, so she lightly touched his glass and took a big gulp like Asakura.

Suddenly, a surge of heat welled up inside him, rushing to the top of his head. Kurosawa Shizuki's face flushed bright red, and the world before his eyes became dizzy.

"Oh dear... phew, this, this wine is quite potent!" Kurosawa Shizuki swayed unsteadily, her words becoming incoherent, and she was almost drunk. In the end, Asakura caught her waist with an extremely natural movement, preventing her from being knocked down on the spot.

"Haha, I didn't expect the Saintess Kurosawa to be so easy to hook," Kurosaki Jubei finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Long Island Iced Tea, known as the 'date rape drink,' basically knocks out any girl who comes here for the first time if she's given a whole glass."

"You...you...liars! You got me drunk...how can we talk about serious business now!" Kurosawa Shizuki said angrily. As expected, Asakura was completely untrustworthy; not a single word she said was believable.

"My dear little Kurosawa, have you forgotten what rank you are? How could a Sun Apostle be knocked out by a cup of mortal wine? Use your black matter to resist." Asakura gently patted Kurosawa Shizuki's back.

Kurosawa Shizuki then remembered the black matter within her body, which could even bring her back to life, so resisting mere alcohol was naturally no problem. So she quickly activated the black matter to neutralize the restless alcohol in her body, and finally a cool sensation appeared in her mind. Although she was still a little dizzy, she was at least not completely knocked out.

"The Holy Maiden is actually just an ordinary girl. In the past, she was always a lone wolf, always keeping people at arm's length, and always resisting anything within the cult," Kurosaki sighed, looking at Kurosawa Shizuki's adorable slightly drunk appearance. "But recently, the Holy Maiden has finally started to try to use the cult's resources and get involved in cult affairs, which is something to be thankful for."

“Ha, Kurosawa, it seems you and I are pretty much puppets in the hands of the adults,” Asakura said, swirling a half-empty bottle of Tequila Sunrise in her hand, the glass seemingly shimmering with sunlight. “After all, we’re about the same age, and in terms of shrewdness, we can’t even compare to those old foxes who are still young even at a hundred years old…”

"Our age? May I ask how old you are? I'm a legitimate high school student myself, and I don't believe that your age matches your appearance, Ms. Asakura." Kurosawa Shizuki had now relaxed and was chatting with Asakura somewhat unrestrainedly.

"It's really impolite to ask a lady's age so abruptly! Although I'm not as youthful as you, Miss Kurosawa, compared to those old monsters in the Order who are also at the fourth rank, my age is nothing more than that of an infant." Asakura's smile was tinged with annoyance. She actually started comparing ages with the old monsters in the Order. Her age was indeed much older than her appearance. Was she thirty, forty, or even older? In Kurosawa Shizuki's eyes, Hino Miko suddenly became an old lady pretending to be young while wearing the skin of a young girl.

"Age is not the point!" Asakura slammed his fist on the table in annoyance, the waves on his magnificent robes surging even more violently. "What I want to say is that because we are all geniuses, our dark spiritual bodies are blessed by the Black Sun, which is why we are able to 'overthrow the superiors' and achieve what those old guys could never achieve in their entire lives. Therefore, we are all feared and dreaded by those guys."

“However, even if we sit in a position like the Princess, aren’t we just knives in their hands? We occupy high positions, but we don’t have the means to wield power.” As Kurosawa Shizuki’s understanding of the cult deepened, she gradually realized that although she was nominally the Supreme Saintess of the Heikyo Black Sun Cult, the actual power of the Black Sun Cult was probably in the hands of middle and high-ranking cadres like Kurosaki, Sakata, and Hasegawa.

She is merely a symbolic leader, like a flag. Even if Kurosawa Shizuki wanted to take power, she would probably still be at a loss when faced with the myriad affairs of the cult. The cult is definitely not something that a high school girl can fully control.

Unlike the Black Matter in the shadows, which can be controlled at will as if it were an extension of one's own body, the cult is not a place where one can easily control the Black Sun Cult. If Kurosawa Shizuki really wants to gain greater influence within the cult, she might need to cultivate more confidants. Relying on the system to exchange for cult members and place them into the cult would be a good option. However, the Nightmare Points required to exchange for cult members are currently too high, and Kurosawa Shizuki simply cannot afford them. They are generally three to ten times the level of skills of the same quality, since many cult members start with various extraordinary skills and items.

"Being a sword for a big shot isn't bad. As long as you keep yourself at your sharpest point and use that sharp end to kill, you don't need to worry about anything else. Just follow other people's orders and you'll naturally get what you deserve." Asakura's smile, however, contained a hint of disappointment.

"Asakura, whose sword are you? The sword of that Natsume Saint?" After getting used to it, Kurosawa Shizuki actually found the Long Island Iced Tea quite delicious, experiencing the feeling of her nerves being slightly numbed by the alcohol, as if she had temporarily cast aside all her troubles.

Taking small sips, and letting the black matter dissolve the alcohol at the right time, you'll feel lightheaded, and your tone of voice will become lazy and pleasant.

“The Holy Lord is not qualified to control me. The one who bestowed Yang Flame upon me is my true master. I can only be his blade,” Asakura muttered to himself. “But if I am always just a blade in someone else’s hands, there will always be a day when I will be abandoned. But those big shots are not happy to see us out of control, so we ultimately need to become our own blades.”

Besides the Holy Lord who is already an immortal, are there other "dark secrets" behind the Black Sun Cult?