Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

From the distant multiverses of history, from the priestess who gifted that precious time to Ai Kurosawa as the first Pythia at the Delphi Oracle, to the gray-haired prophet who foretold the end of the world in the last of the multiverses of history, their fates are remarkably similar. They foresaw everything but were powerless to change it, and in the end, they could only accept their own destruction as prophesied. They were merely a destined link in the thread of time, and they would never have the power to escape the cycle.

Sometimes, Ai Kurosawa has strange thoughts. Perhaps she has the power to break free from the cycle. Perhaps she has the chance to break free from this suffocating shackles of fate with her sister. From a very early time when their father gave them that time, she and Shizuki Kurosawa have already claimed certain powers. However, to truly grasp those powers, they must pay an unimaginably heavy price.

Looking at her older sister, who has always been subtly different from her in every aspect, including her words and actions, Kurosawa Ai is still convinced that the person in front of her is her one and only sister in the world, because that feeling of soul connection has never been broken. But sometimes, when she sees her sister's bright smile, which is completely different from before, Kurosawa Ai can't help but wonder if her sister has paid an incredible price for that power.

"So, I really have to walk that path too?" Kurosawa Ai looked down at the threads of time beneath her wrist, which seemed to shimmer with a strange light, and muttered to herself. Although she felt terrified, she had to admit that it was the only way out. Whether it was to deal with the countless enemies that followed them like shadows, or the formidable foe that would haunt them like a leech and chase them to the ends of the earth, or the apocalypse less than two years from now, she and Kurosawa Shizuki had to pay the price and accept their fate.

As Kurosawa Ai pondered these gloomy and dark matters with a mixture of hesitation and fear, her phone suddenly rang, playing a familiar tune—the theme song from her favorite anime, "World of Wonders," a bizarre and fantastical melody that transported her to another dark and extraordinary world.

Touching the screen, she felt a shiver run through her heart. Even though she couldn't see the caller ID clearly, Kurosawa Ai was certain that it was her sister calling.

When the call connected, unsurprisingly, I heard my sister's slightly tired voice on the other end, but she was still trying to muster her energy:

"Love is me."

"Sister, it's late, and you haven't come home yet," Kurosawa Ai said anxiously. "You wouldn't have been like this before. I've already picked out some monsters for you to devour today..."

"Ai, I'm fine. I just have some chores to take care of tonight, so I might be back a little late. As for the strange stuff, we can talk about it later." Kurosawa Shizuki smiled somewhat reluctantly.

"Sister, you're going to fight your enemy, right? A very dangerous enemy, but you have no confidence in winning."

“As expected of love, no one can hide from the most intelligent love,” Kurosawa Shizuki said. “Unfortunately, no matter how great the odds of victory are, I have no choice. If I don’t fight, we will have no chance at all.”

"Why can't those despicable enemies just leave us alone?" Kurosawa Ai said through gritted teeth. "We just want to be forgotten by the whole world and live a peaceful, ordinary life."

"Ordinary is the greatest happiness. Unfortunately, love, from the moment we are born, we are never connected with this word. If we cannot do everything to the best of our ability, we can only walk towards an inescapable death." Kurosawa Ai listened to her sister's voice on the phone in a daze. She was a little unsure if she was talking to her sister from the past.

"Sister, I'll be waiting for you at home. Come back soon." Kurosawa Ai didn't know how to reply to Kurosawa Shizuki, so she could only utter such pale words in the end.

She is becoming less and less useful to her sister. She can only watch her sister walk further and further away. How can she stand shoulder to shoulder with her sister again and face everything together?

"I'll finish everything as soon as possible and go home early," Kurosawa Ai heard from her sister, who seemed to be in a very noisy environment with upbeat music playing on the other end. "If it's too late, Ai should get some rest. Your eyes haven't fully healed yet and you need to rest."

"Sister, I understand my physical condition. You are the one who needs to be more careful."

"Don't worry about me, take care of yourself, don't wait for me, goodbye."

"Sister... goodbye, please..."

Before Ai Kurosawa could finish speaking, the call was disconnected, leaving her alone once again in the boundless darkness. She stared blankly at her phone, a bewildered and sorrowful smile on her face.

"Sister, wait a little longer. Soon, very soon love will become more useful to you, so please don't abandon love again."

In a daze, Ai Kurosawa unknowingly fell into a dream, and yet another bizarre dream surfaced from the depths of her consciousness.

A dark red spot silently appeared at the corner of Kurosawa Ai's eye, like a drop of blood and tears.

In her dream, Ai saw a beautiful girl with sea-blue hair. On a golden sandy beach, she encountered a god with green eyes. The god wore a pagan crown with deer antlers and ancient priest's robes.

The deity with the antlers placed his index finger on the girl's forehead, and scooped up a handful of golden sand in his left hand, each grain of sand gleaming brightly.

“Each grain of sand represents a year of life; this is my gift to you, and therefore you should accept my love.”

The girl with sea-blue hair shook her head with a cold laugh:

“I refuse, because I pursue red death, not golden immortality.”

P.S. Sigh, it'll be ages before I can finally unravel the foreshadowing about Ai Kurosawa.

Section 94, Chapter Ninety-Four: Entering the Shedding Club

Kurosawa Shizuki hung up the phone.

She and Yuki Asakura walked side by side through the bustling streets of Heikyo. Pedestrians came and went on both sides, countless heads thronged, the traffic lights flickered, and cars surged endlessly. Heikyo, this enormous beast, continued to operate without stopping, as if it were completely unaware of the impending destruction.

A flock of migratory birds flew low with strange cries, beginning their journey to some distant place.

The sky grew increasingly gloomy, the heavens were obscured by thick clouds, and the air was so stuffy it was suffocating.

Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura Yuki both transformed their royal robes into normal school uniforms. Kurosawa Shizuki was still wearing her black and red sailor uniform, while Asakura put on a pure white lace dress. Asakura said that this was the kind of clothes she used to wear when she attended a remote and secluded noble girls' school.

Kurosawa Shizuki possessed a captivating and alluring charm, while Asakura, dressed in this gown, exuded an inexplicable elegance and purity, truly resembling a young lady from a prestigious family. The two girls, each with their own distinct style, walking side by side on the street naturally attracted the attention of passersby, and even talent scouts came to strike up conversations with them. However, a single glance from Asakura and Kurosawa Shizuki, carrying a hint of threat, was enough to deter those who dared to be so tactless, causing them to retreat out of instinctive fear.

After all, they are not truly harmless high school girls. Any one of them, hiding a monster in the shadows, could easily turn this bustling urban area into a hellish scene of carnage within a few breaths.

For the time being, the bizarre and grotesque kimono disappeared, and Asakura now looked like a normal girl. However, when she occasionally turned her head to look at Kurosawa Shizuki out of the corner of her eye, Kurosawa Shizuki still couldn't tell whether what was lurking in Asakura's eyes was love or a morbid murderous intent.

“Your little sister’s voice is kind of cute. Introduce her to me sometime. I think when she grows up, she might be just as delicious as her older sister,” Asakura said casually. “Of course, it’s nice to pick some unripe fruit every now and then.”

"Stay away from my sister. I won't let someone like you experience love. You'll corrupt her." Kurosawa Shizuki said coldly. "Isn't it enough that I'm by your side? You want to enjoy a sisterly feast? What a joke!"

"Leading someone astray? Kurosawa-kun, I think your idea is far too naive. Do you really think your Ai is just as innocent and pure as you appear, a little animal that needs your careful protection?" Asakura scoffed. "Completely wrong! I can smell the scent of her own kind. She just wants you to believe that! Maybe it's you, her older sister, who has been subtly manipulated by her all along."

"Don't assume everyone is as neurotic as you! Ai is my family. I know her better than you do what kind of person she is!" Kurosawa Shizuki was too lazy to continue discussing Kurosawa Ai with Asakura, but Asakura's words were like a nail driven into Kurosawa Shizuki's heart. Ever since she transmigrated, she had indeed felt that Ai had been suppressing and hiding something, especially from the conversation just now. Kurosawa Shizuki sensed an ominous aura from Kurosawa Ai's trembling voice.

After dealing with Kirie's matter, perhaps it's time to have an open and honest talk with Kurosawa Ai. If necessary, it's not impossible to talk about her time travel and the Shadow Girl. Kurosawa Shizuki feels that with Kurosawa Ai's keen perception, she must have noticed the abnormality in herself long ago, but Ai just hasn't exposed it. Kurosawa Shizuki also feels that continuing to deceive herself is meaningless.

"Saintess Kurosawa, as the leader of our Heikyo Secret Cult, I hope you will treat those around you with more caution. In this era, we probably cannot trust anyone without reservation. Because everyone harbors secrets, everyone has their own desires, and desires are mostly destined to conflict with each other." The laughter of Intelligence Chief Kurosaki Jubei came through the portable earpieces worn by the two. Through the Black Sun Cult's inside contacts, Kurosaki Jubei could provide the two princes with intelligence support in various aspects from the rear.

"My naive Kurosawa-kun, just keep believing what you want to believe. Now we have serious business to attend to," Asakura said, closing the GoGo map on his phone, looking up at a spot not far away, a happy and excited smile on his face.

"Ecdysis Club, the Ecdysis Club, Saintess and Lady Miko, you've seen it, haven't you? This is our destination. During the bubble economy era, a mysterious Mr. Fujiwara spent a fortune to buy the best location in Linggu Street and built this legendary underground club. Only the most elite people are invited, and the most taboo dances are performed. Even the Anti-Suppression Bureau's forces cannot infiltrate this club in the slightest, precisely because of the Black Forest power installed inside," Kurosaki said.

At the intersection of the crossroads, where the crowds gather most densely, in the most eye-catching spot on Linggu Street, the bright and shiny sign of the Shedding Club flashes endlessly with exaggerated neon lights. The alluring phantom dancers, draped in elegant capes like gossamer wings, are projected into the air by projector lights, spinning and flowing endlessly. The magnificent Western European palace-style building, a four-story hall, is more like a divine temple than a club, with dark red, deep purple, and sea blue as its main colors.

Kurosawa Shizuki had expected the logo of the molting club to be a moth, but the signboard instead featured a spinning music box.

The gates were wide open to the outside world, and beautiful yet eerie music drifted out from within. Most of the guests were impeccably dressed, wearing all sorts of strange masks, belonging to high society. However, they all emanated rather strange life energy, rarely blinked, had wooden smiles, and moved like puppets on strings...

Almost all of them were parasitized by insects and were obediently pulled into the club by an invisible force. As soon as they approached the Shedding Club, Kurosawa Shizuki could clearly feel the intense and terrifying influence, as if what was in front of her was not a building, but a scorching and frenzied furnace inside.

What was originally a luxurious and elegant club became, in Kurosawa Shizuki's eyes, a demonic abyss leading straight to hell. Whether the guests were bewitched or went there on their own initiative, they would probably all become food for this huge beast to devour and digest sooner or later.

“Heh, it is indeed a very distinctive building. But after tonight, the Shedding Club will be wiped off the map, I’m sure of it.” Yuki Asakura laughed confidently.

"Are you sure it's okay to just let your father transform into a dragon and soar through the skies of Heijō?" Kurosawa Shizuki looked at Asakura with some trepidation. Everyone had seen the exaggerated scene of the Yangyan King transforming into a divine dragon and diving into the clouds. If it were detected by radar or the military, there would definitely be some serious trouble.

"My father possesses the status of an immortal being and is already in a completely black matter life form. For mortals, as long as he doesn't want to reveal himself, no mortal technology can possibly see him. Through the Yang God Mask, I have established an unbreakable connection with him. At least for the next few days, until the divinity of the Yang God Mask is completely exhausted, the power of the Yang Flame King will be our greatest reliance," Asakura said calmly.

"Since the King of Blaze is already so powerful, what need is there for the two of us to infiltrate the Shedding Club alone?" The sheer scale of the King of Blaze's arrival truly terrified Kurosawa Shizuki. She was completely clueless about how to fight such a terrifying enemy. If she were to summon the King of Blaze directly, Kurosawa Shizuki had no doubt that she could raze the Shedding Club to the ground with overwhelming force.

“The King of Blazing Sun is not absolutely invincible. The Shedding Clothes Club is a secret religious site that the Divine Age Society has been operating for a long time. There is also a so-called ‘Forest Domain’ that the Divine Age Society has been cultivating for a long time. Most of the power of those above the level of immortals relies on the divine domain. If the King of Blazing Sun is summoned rashly, he may not be able to unleash the Blazing Sun Domain, and may even be trapped in the shackles of the Forest Domain, only able to exert less than 30% of his strength at most,” Kurosaki Jubei added.

"So, we joined the Shedding Clothes Club to deal with this woodland territory?" Kurosawa Shizuki felt that Asakura seemed to be more thorough in her thinking than she was. If it were her, and she had obtained such powerful combat strength as the King of Blazing Sun, she might have immediately started to act recklessly.

“That’s right, so we need to infiltrate the core area of ​​the Shindaikai without alerting the enemy, find the core of the Woodland Domain, and destroy it. Even our intelligence department can’t get the information on what the Shindaikai is relying on to develop the Woodland Domain under the Shedding Club, but we can at least confirm two things—” The closer they got to the club, the less clear Kurosaki Jubei’s voice became, as if it were being interfered with by some force.

"First, the enormous energy required to maintain a domain the size of the Blackwood could not possibly appear out of thin air. Either the Age of Gods regularly holds extremely terrifying sacrifices, or the Age of Gods controls some very ancient and high-level energy source. Second, there must be a central hub beneath the club that maintains the Blackwood. That hub could be a person, an object, or something in between."

"So we can approach this from two angles: either cut off the forest's energy source or destroy the central hub that sustains the forest. This way, we can summon the King of Sunfire to wage a full-scale war," Yuki Asakura said calmly.

"That's right. A full-scale invasion of the Shedding Club before destroying the forest is extremely unwise. The best chance of destroying the forest territory is to secretly send the Saintess and the Prince to infiltrate. Once the forest territory is destroyed, we can summon the King of Sunfire, and the Shadowless Legion will immediately mobilize to cooperate with your attack. After entering the Shedding Club, all contact with the outside world will be completely cut off. Here, I wish the Saintess and the Prince good luck in this operation!" As the two arrived at the main gate of the Shedding Club, Kurosaki's voice grew more and more distant, and finally, it completely disappeared.

"Why didn't you explain this information to us face to face?" Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura Yuki looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Perhaps our Mr. Kurosaki really enjoys the feeling of directing from behind the scenes." Asakura smiled casually, casually taking off the portable earphones and crushing them with one foot. Kurosawa Shizuki wasn't as extravagant as Asakura; she put them back in her pocket. These portable earphones seemed to be high-end products, so she shouldn't waste them.

"Speaking of which, are we really going to just walk into the undressing club like this without any disguise?" Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura had changed their clothes and were just standing openly in front of the main entrance. Is this what you call infiltration?

They look like ordinary high school girls right now, and it would be really inappropriate for them to be in such an adult setting.

"As a sacred site of the esoteric religion, the Shedding Club has only one conceptual entrance: the main gate. Therefore, we can only enter through the main gate, and we must be invited by the club to be qualified to enter. Anyone with an invitation can enter the Shedding Club. The Divine Age opens its doors to everyone, as long as you yearn for transformation." Asakura smiled and pulled out two black and red invitations from his sleeve, casually handing one to Kurosawa Shizuki.

"The invitations to the Shindaikai contain a special invisible art technique that is very difficult to imitate. Our Mr. Sakata specifically hunted down several Shindaikai dancers to collect two precious invitations for us."

Kurosawa Shizuki felt somewhat displeased. The Heikyo Black Sun Cult should have been a secret sect under her control, but after Asakura arrived, it seemed that everyone immediately switched sides and began serving Asakura. Was the original owner's control over the Black Sun Cult really that poor? Kurosawa Shizuki had only been in this world for a few days, and she didn't have any means to reverse this unfavorable situation. Moreover, in her previous life, she was just an ordinary high school student, completely clueless about running such a large-scale illegal organization, and didn't know where to start.

"What? Are you sulking?" Asakura looked at Kurosawa Shizuki with a half-smile, seemingly seeing right through her thoughts. "Why did Sakata give the invitation to me instead of you, the prospective Shadow Prince? You're resentful too, aren't you?"

"It's my personal inadequacy; I haven't gained the approval of the cult members yet. Hmph, there's nothing to worry about." Kurosawa Shizuki looked down at the invitation. The Black Sun Cult was fine as it was; the most urgent matter was dealing with the issue of the Generation of Gods. No matter how the Black Sun Cult was dealt with in the future, she had to at least survive the day when Kirie descended.

"Don't overthink it. The Heijing Black Sun Cult will eventually fall into your hands. I have no interest in fighting for power. For now, let's focus on how to eliminate the Age of Gods."

The black invitation, almost weightless, lay in her palm, radiating a slight chill. The words on it contained the power of an invisible art; just looking at those sharp, knife-like strokes made one feel inexplicably parched. The black and red invitation had a fluorescent high heel shining brightly on the cover.

"Let us whirl through the night until we are engulfed in flames." This short sentence, followed by a bright red lip print, gives a rather erotic impression. It was a mark left by a third-class cloak dancer from the Divine Era to prevent anyone from forging the invitation.

Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura each put on their own masks, which had been prepared in advance. In order to keep their identities secret, all guests of the Strip Club are required to wear masks. This is a tradition of the Strip Club and also made it easier for Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura to sneak in.

Kurosawa Shizuki wore her gray-white rabbit mask as always, but this time she didn't wear her pale yellow raincoat.

Asakura's mask was pale gold, similar to the Yangshin mask she wore in the previous festival. It was a sorrowful and resentful mask with a skull on the upper half of her face, which was indescribably eerie. Perhaps this was just Asakura's personal taste. Kurosawa Shizuki still thought her bunny mask was much cuter and more pleasing to the eye.

P.S. I suddenly noticed there's a discount! I only have 27 words. I'm a little hesitant. Should I buy myself a gold treasure chest to attract more readers?

Chapter 95, Section 95: The Deadly Injury Within the Shedding Club

Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura Yuki walked side by side toward the main entrance of the Shedding Club. Two swallowtail waiters wearing moth masks and with their hair dyed gray-white greeted them. Kurosawa Shizuki could clearly sense the vigorous and fiery life force within them, the restless power of moths and the power of the heart. They had slender and graceful bodies, long and narrow eyes with pupils so pale that their color was almost undetectable, and every word and action carried an air of mystery.

"Welcome to the Shedding Club, ladies. We are not currently accepting new members. Do you have invitations?" The waiter's voice was elegant and composed, and his smile was impeccable. However, what was particularly strange was that Kurosawa Shizuki could not immediately tell the waiter's gender. Their voices were androgynous, and there was no Adam's apple visible on their necks. Yet, their mannerisms did not reveal much about their femininity. The two waiters' bodies seemed to possess both masculine strength and feminine grace.

Their forced smiles made them seem more like some non-human creatures wearing a human skin than humans themselves.

“We were introduced by friends. They said we could find the most intense pleasure here and forget all the pain in the world. We especially crave that medicine that is said to be able to change everything. Once you’ve tasted it, you’ll never forget it…” Smiling, Asakura and Kurosawa Shizuki each handed an invitation to two waiters. The waiters reached out their well-defined knuckles and gently stroked the two invitations. Kurosawa Shizuki could clearly feel that the temperature of the invitation seemed to rise slightly the moment the waiter touched it.

The invitation seemed to resonate with the waiter's fingers as if it were alive.

"The Shedding Club will not refuse anyone seeking pleasure. I believe you two will have an unforgettable night here," the two waiters returned the invitations to Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura Yuki, made way for the girls, and bowed. "Tonight's theme at the Shedding Club is the exquisite masterpiece within the Whispering Labyrinth. Please enjoy it to your heart's content."

Behind the door was a narrow passageway, not like the entrance to a club used as an entertainment venue, but more reminiscent of the passageway of a deep tomb. Quiet and long, it was lit by pale blue ceiling lights on both sides, and countless tiny colored lights twinkled beneath the translucent floor. In the glass display cases on both sides were countless wax figures, all of them dancers in various poses, each one lifelike, as if the wax figures in the display cases would come to life at any moment and continue to display their incredibly mesmerizing dance steps.

A seductive female dancer wearing a cat mask and a male dancer wearing a snake mask perform a playful, chasing dance, full of provocative charm.

The dancers, dressed in seven layers of gauze, shed their clothes one by one as they twirl, until finally their feathered garments unfurl and there is nothing left to remove.

A dancer dressed as a fox weaves nimbly through the audience, playing games with them. Audience members try to catch her tail, and the dancer tosses knives and wine glasses into the air.

As we got closer to the main hall, we could hear the melancholic music emanating from inside—a combination of keyboard, drums, piano, and guitar, creating a melody that was both unsettling and intoxicating.

"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the secluded paradise..." A charming female voice drifted through the main hall, captivating all who heard it. The soft, alluring voice alone was enough to make one's heart flutter.

"Have you noticed that almost all the dances at the Shedding Club are themed around animals of a certain shape?" Despite being deep inside enemy territory, Asakura's expression remained calm and composed, as if he were going to a banquet, and he chatted with Kurosawa Shizuki in a relaxed tone.

“That’s right, foxes, cats, snakes, birds and insects, what do they represent?” Just hearing Asakura’s voice made Kurosawa Shizuki feel a little relaxed. Kurosawa Shizuki was now somewhat at ease, even if an extremely brutal bloodbath was about to occur in the next moment, at least she didn’t need to be on edge all the time.

"This means that the Age of Gods will undergo different stages of transformation. They will try to imitate different animals. In their worldview, everything can change, and change is the rule of everything. All life will undergo transformations until it becomes the most perfect life. In their eyes, the most perfect life form is the moth..." Indeed, when entering the Molting Club, Kurosawa Shizuki found that the image of "moth" existed almost everywhere.

The exquisite silver-plated chandelier is decorated with moth patterns; the dancer's wax figure's costume has moth patterns along the edges; the wallpaper on the wall is covered with purple moth icons; even the handle of the water glass is shaped like a moth's wing...

"They believed moths were the most perfect, so they hoped to create a new world where only moths remained?"