Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

"The Ghostly Department doesn't welcome cult lunatics. You bunch of scum, the Anti-Suppression Bureau will wipe you all out sooner or later," Suzuki Machiko said mercilessly.

"Eh? Is that so? Well then, Suzuki-san, I wonder if you know that the lovely Kurosawa-san behind me is also a member of the Black Sun Cult?" Asakura Yuki patted Kurosawa Shizuki's shoulder with a mischievous smile.

"Kurosawa, is that so? So you're one of the enemies too? So that's why you approached Ando..." Suzuki looked at Kurosawa Shizuki with a reproachful gaze, as if she were seeing Kurosawa Shizuki for the first time.

"I'm sorry, Suzuki-senpai, but my order will certainly not relinquish Ando's power," Kurosawa Shizuki said, though Suzuki's acting was a bit over the top. She had no choice but to continue playing along.

"Then you too are a member of the secret cult who must be eradicated," Suzuki Machiko said, pressing her hand to the bandage between her eyebrows, her face grim. Kurosawa Shizuki sensed that the murderous aura emanating from her was genuine. Wait, was she really going to make a move? Kurosawa Shizuki was certain that Suzuki was only a third-tier being. Even if she were to hold back, how could Suzuki dare to attack in front of Asakura Yuki? Didn't she know that Asakura Yuki was the same Yang Zhi Miko she had previously told her about?

Or perhaps she has something even more powerful backing? Like that... Akita dog beside her?

“Perhaps we shouldn’t take action now, Suzuki from the Anti-Extermination Bureau and this adorable dog,” Asakura Yuki stood between Kurosawa Shizuki and Suzuki Machiko, her gaze fixed on the strange Akita dog beside Suzuki Machiko. “I think we wanted to cooperate on the matter of the Kamishiro Association, didn’t we? I remember it was your Anti-Extermination Bureau that first signaled that, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed, the Anti-Suppression Bureau wanted to bring together the various supernatural forces in Heijing to resist Wuquanzi,” the Akita Inu surprisingly spoke in human language, its voice a deep, masculine one, like a weathered old man. It slowly rose from the ground, drool dripping from its mouth. “But it turns out that the madmen of the Secret Cult may be difficult to unite into a force. Although the Divine Era Society is already everyone’s common enemy, the Secret Cult members gathered in Heijing are still acting independently, and no one is willing to reach a unified cooperation. In order to ensure the completion of the established plan, we have no choice but to personally venture into dangerous territory…”

"Unified cooperation? You're just being used as cannon fodder under the leadership of the Anti-Extermination Bureau~" Yuki Asakura sneered. "I never expected to meet Mr. Shibasaki, the legendary operator of the Anti-Extermination Bureau, here. You prefer to stay in a dog's body rather than a human body."

"If we can wipe out the Mistress, any sacrifice is acceptable. Everyone should be willing to give their life without hesitation, whether it's the Anti-Suppression Bureau or the Secret Cult. If we can't even reach such a consensus, then we can only watch helplessly as the Mistress reshapes history." The Akita Inu, whom Asakura Yuki called the End of the Game, Shibaaki, continued to speak in his deep, mature voice.

Kurosawa Shizuki was somewhat bewildered. The one who would bring about the end, Shiba Saki? What a joke?! This person, no, this dog, was the high-ranking official behind Suzuki? The one who helped her and Kurosawa Ai alter their destinies in Heikyo and provided them with refuge from their great enemy?

Is the Anti-Corruption Bureau such a...open organization? Even a dog can become a high-ranking member in this organization?

"Are you done talking—" Just then, the being on the throne finally spoke impatiently. The queen, a mountain of flesh on the throne, said in a muffled voice. When the woodland queen spoke, the whole world trembled. Kurosawa Shizuki saw the queen's bloodshot eyes in the darkness, compound eyes like those of an insect. "Our time is precious. Nobody is in the mood to listen to your nonsense. We are here to perform. If we can't deliver a great performance, we might as well all die here."

"Queen of the Woodlands, you asked us to wait for the other two actors to appear. Now, Kurosawa-kun and Miko of the Sun have arrived," Suzuki Machiko said, seemingly ignoring Kurosawa Shizuki's greeting. She turned to the woman seated on the throne, her voice ethereal and clear. "So, what kind of performance will satisfy you and earn your permission to grant us wings to fly to the Temple of Reincarnation?"

Kurosawa Shizuki had no idea where Suzuki and Shibasaki had gotten their information about the Forest Fairy and the wings she possessed, but it seemed that Suzuki knew just as much as she and Asakura had heard from Eiko and Sako.

“We should certainly offer God the most brutal and real performance: death, human sacrifice, pain and despair, and the eternal pleasure perceived after all the ruins,” the forest fairy chuckled softly. “You’re quite sensible, bringing two of my favorite toys from the past.”

The castle trembled violently. Before anyone could react, Yongzi and Shazi, who had been silently standing behind them, were instantly ensnared by several squid-like black tentacles that pierced through the floor. Like lifeless dolls, they were tossed into the air without struggle, landing precisely in the goblet held aloft by the forest fairy. The queen swirled the goblet, her blood-red compound eyes narrowing as she looked at the two unresponsive girls within, a rather wicked smile playing on her lips.

“Shazi and Yongzi, the puppeteers of the woodland created them especially for me, a pair of ‘toys’ that will never die. No matter how many times they are burned, killed, strangled, poisoned, crushed, or beaten, they will always wake up in the new bodies that the puppeteers prepare for them… Is the wonderful immortality bestowed upon them by the woman named Theresa a blessing or a curse?”

The Akita Inu, named Shibasaki, stuck out its tongue. It had been dozing off, but it seemed to have heard something very important and suddenly raised its head.

"The puppeteer with the wolf head has already been killed by us. A puppeteer who committed such a heinous crime does not deserve to continue living." Although Yuki Asakura said these words, Shizuki Kurosawa felt that the malice in Yuki Asakura's eyes was growing stronger.

"Eh? Is that so? Hehehehe, well then, it seems, Sand and Yongzi, this is your last time," the Woodland Queen laughed hysterically, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, "Anyway, everything is coming to an end, so let me savor you one last time..."

"The punishment for betrayal is to be devoured... What virtue or ability do ants beneath the forest have to covet the beautiful sky?"

The woodland fairy raised her bloated head and drank the sand and Yongzi, along with the blood-like viscous liquid, that had been thrown into her wine glass.

Kurosawa Shizuki watched the crimson juice flowing from the corner of her mouth and listened to the grotesque crunching sounds she made as she chewed. She felt a deep unease. Sand and Eiko had been suffering like this ever since they were offered to the forest fairy.

Kurosawa Shizuki had the urge to save Sako and Eiko, but Asakura Yuki stopped her with a look. Was Asakura Yuki really that heartless? Just letting Sako and Eiko, who had just helped them kill the Centipede Sage, end up like this? Kurosawa Shizuki wasn't that close to the highly suspicious Sako and Eiko either, and in order to avoid conflict with Asakura, she ultimately didn't take action.

After all, Shizuki Kurosawa also had this feeling: the Sako and Eiko who had lost their minds were perhaps no longer the same beings as the Sako and Eiko she knew before.

The Woodland Queen licked the juice from the corner of her mouth, spat out two chewed-up doll heads that were no longer recognizable as human. The doll heads rolled down in front of the crowd, covered in putrid liquid, and looked at them with inorganic eyes, as if condemning their indifference.

P.S., speed things up, we need to finish the Woodland storyline quickly. There's a Chosen One in Cursed Paradise to talk about before fighting Mist Spring. My head hurts.

Chapter 121 Lighting the Lamp (Section 122)

"Considering the wonderful offerings you have made to me, perhaps I will consider ending the performance sooner." After devouring and chewing the sand and Yongzi, the forest fairy appeared quite satisfied, letting out a pleasant groan.

"Eh, isn't it true that you would give us wings in exchange for offering sacrifices?" Yuki Asakura said with some disappointment.

"What a joke! The father of these two little girls has sacrificed them more than ten times, and I have only managed to transform him by half. You have only sacrificed them once. Even if this is the precious last time, don't expect to achieve instant success!" The fairy in the forest mocked mercilessly.

"Truly madmen of the esoteric sect. One second they're allies, the next they're betrayed. I really don't know what's the point of being loyal to such a sect." Although Suzuki Machiko had never tried to stop Eiko and Sako from being sacrificed, she now spoke sarcastically to Asakura Yuki.

"Your Anti-Corruption Bureau isn't much better. How many of your agents have been sacrificed in the name of righteousness, ideals, and humanity?" Yuki Asakura immediately retorted. "Moreover, these two dolls are not allies I recognize. Since they have never considered me an ally from the beginning, don't expect me to be sincere towards them."

Yuki Asakura coldly kicked away Eiko and Sako's mutilated heads with both feet, as if kicking away trash, a cruelty that chilled the heart.

Although there was nothing wrong with what Asakura said, and Kurosawa Shizuki actually thought the same thing, something just felt off when she said it. Kurosawa Shizuki felt that if Asakura Yuki were to betray her one day like this, it wouldn't be surprising at all, would it? After all, Kurosawa Shizuki herself was a complete mole. The thought of her head being kicked around like a football someday sent chills down her spine.

“Suzuki, there’s no need to keep arguing with them,” Shibasaki scolded Suzuki Machiko. It was indeed somewhat comical that Suzuki was acting so respectful in front of such a ridiculous Akita Inu. “Our focus now is on dealing with this forest fairy and getting the wings to fly from her. Anything else can wait.”

"I understand, teacher. I was too impulsive." Suzuki didn't refute at all, and cleanly bowed her head to admit her mistake to Shibasaki, but the look in her eyes when she looked at Asakura Yuki could hardly be called friendly.

"How disappointing! This year's trial participants are about to face immense calamities and suffering, yet they're still arguing over some utterly absurd things..." The fairy in the forest's rolls of fat jiggled wildly. She seemed to have seen the funniest thing in the world. Her laughter made the entire hall tremble wildly, and countless phantoms twisted and turned in response to her laughter. The applause rose and fell like a tidal wave.

"The performance dedicated to the supreme being has begun. If this final performance is not spectacular enough, then let us all go to our deaths together."

The Woodland Queen raised her pure gold goblet aloft, then turned it upside down towards the earth, causing the crimson wine to drip and flow down the steps.

"Anyway, all of this that continues to be maintained is nothing but a vain illusion." The fairy in the forest's compound eyes flickered with disappointment.

Although it was just a wine glass that looked no taller than a person, the wine inside seemed to flow endlessly, converging into a bright red river that flowed down from the throne.

"The River of Paintings?" Kurosawa Shizuki felt that the bright red wine was very similar to the River of Paintings she had touched when she was in the canoe. Or rather, the wine in the Fairy of the Forest's wine cup was many times more concentrated than the River of Paintings. Could it be that the Fairy of the Forest's wine also possessed a power similar to that of the River of Paintings?

In the blink of an eye, the bright red liquid rose continuously on the floor of this vast hall, almost reaching everyone's ankles.

A wave of applause, loud and clear, echoed from all directions, almost shattering eardrums. Accompanying the applause, countless bubbles rose from the bright red page, and bursting bubbles released plumes of crimson blood mist.

Clumps of dark red blood mist coalesced into figures that twitched and rose from the blood river like ghosts. A strange, sweet fragrance filled the air, and Kurosawa Shizuki could not tell whether the fragrance was more like milk or flowers.

The blood mist eventually transformed into indistinct humanoid figures. These figures emitted muffled cries, seemingly speaking Japanese, but Kurosawa Shizuki felt that the words were being played in reverse, making it impossible to understand what they were saying.

Blood Shadow donned a series of bizarre masks, each with a different style and mostly depicting various wild beasts, much like the masks worn by the visitors that Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura Yuki had seen at the Shedding Club.

From the air, the flapping of wings, the clapping of shadows, and the whispers of countless people combined to create a chilling symphony.

To the eerie strains of "music," countless blood-red masked figures, in pairs, linked arms with each other, and began to dance an elegant ballroom dance. The crimson dance floor swirled around the four figures in the center of the hall. The forest fairy narrowed her long, narrow eyes, her smile utterly sinister.

"Would you rather join this grand masquerade ball, or plunge into the crimson tide of desire?"

Everyone knew that the "performance" the fairy in the forest had mentioned had already begun. Beneath this incredibly bizarre masquerade ball lay something incredibly sinister; beneath the extreme elegance and composure lay the ultimate malice and filth.

Although the Blood Shadows' dance steps didn't seem fast, as they spun continuously, the dance floor beneath their feet also spun, and the crimson tide spun as well. The scenery in all directions began to spin, and those in the center felt as if they had fallen into a nightmare from which they could never wake up.

Thump, thump, thump, Kurosawa Shizuki clutched her heart. She realized that an incredible influence was indeed spreading from the blood-red dance floor, eroding every part of the bodies of the people in the center of the dance floor. Just like when she fought Takasaki Ryo before, the rotating blood-red dance floor contained the same power of "heart", driving the endless inner life force within the universe.

The Woodland Queen's entire castle seems to be a giant heart. Now, the Woodland Fairy is driving the heart to beat. The ceaseless power of the heart will resonate with everything. Anything that cannot withstand the resonance will be dissolved.

"This is truly wonderful. Is this the power of dance?" Yuki Asakura rested her hand on her elegant chin, seemingly unaffected by the mesmerizing dance steps. Nothing seemed to faze her; she even had the leisure to appreciate these bizarre movements. "How many dancers have been captured by this Queen of the Woods and poured into her insatiable cup of blood? What a magnificent performance!"

This time, the power of the heart far surpasses that of Takasaki Ryo. If an ordinary person were standing here, they would probably die within a few breaths from ruptured blood vessels and a broken heart. Even though all four of them are at least third-tier superhumans, they are still bearing a considerable burden. Kurosawa Shizuki's heart was once rebuilt, and Asakura Yuki has undergone some kind of exaggerated modification to her body. The Forest Fairy's attack is still within an acceptable range, but the others are probably not so comfortable.

"Cough—" Suzuki Machiko, whose face was deathly pale, seemed to be the weakest of the four. She covered her bloodless mouth with both hands and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Machiko, there’s no need to suppress that power any longer. It’s time.” Akita Inu Shibasaki’s eyes remained unmoved as he looked at Suzuki Machiko, who seemed on the verge of fainting. Kurosawa Shizuki, however, saw behind Shibasaki that the figure of another tall, thin man wearing a waterproof trench coat and a top hat was slowly emerging, like an unreal projection. He held a slender mahogany cane in his hand, his temperament gloomy and cold, as if he came from the Taisho era.

Kurosawa Shizuki was certain that this was the strange middle-aged man with the Akita Inu she had briefly met at Tamano-kami Park before. Was this really Suzuki's teacher, a high-ranking member of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the true form of Shibasaki, the man behind the final battle?

Machiko Suzuki unwrapped the bandages from her forehead, revealing a deep blue scar between her brows. A chilling aura emanated from the scar. She covered half of the scar with her delicate left hand, her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were enduring some indescribable pain.

Kurosawa Shizuki could clearly see a thick layer of frost spreading across Suzuki Machiko's entire body, covering every pore and even every hair on her body. Her body temperature was dropping rapidly, plummeting from the thirties to the twenties and then to the teens in the blink of an eye...

It was no longer the temperature a living person should have, but Suzuki's condition seemed to be much better than before. In this frozen state, even the power of the heart could hardly affect her.

"Gentlemen, I am about to use the power of the lamp to dispel the influence of the enemy's mind. It is best not to look directly into my light," Chai Qi's illusory figure said hoarsely to Kurosawa Shizuki and Asakura Yuki.

The Akita Inu raised its head and let out a long howl, which sounded more like a wolf's howl than a dog's.

The phantom lightly tapped the ground with its cane, and a strange and sharp hum suddenly rang out. Kurosawa Shizuki discovered that countless cracks suddenly appeared on the man's entire phantom, and extremely dazzling light flowed out from the cracks in his body. In the blink of an eye, the man's phantom transformed into a phantom completely formed of light. Then, this phantom quickly rose higher and transformed into a giant completely formed of light.

The giant placed his hands on his chest, where a door had sprung forth. He opened the door, revealing a slightly smaller being of light. This being then opened a second door on its own chest, leading to a third being of light… and so on, in an endless cycle, until the seventh door opened—

The figure of an old man carrying a lantern flashed by behind the door. The old man in the gray robe held a lantern in his left hand and a strange hook in his right.

Kurosawa Shizuki only glanced at the old man before she involuntarily covered her eyes. Ignoring Chai Qi's warning, she felt as if she had been blinded, and tears of blood flowed from the corners of her eyes.

An unparalleled light, encompassing and embracing all things, cold, sacred, and inviolable, enveloped the entire castle.

Amidst the radiance, the forest fairy's furious roar echoed, abruptly stopping the eerie music reverberating within the castle.

Kurosawa Shizuki barely managed to open her eyes again, but all she could see was an incredibly glaring paleness. It wasn't until the black matter flowed back into her eyes that her almost completely distorted pupils finally refocused.

P.S., I'm considering removing "In Japan" from the title, because I'm thinking of setting the second volume in the "New Roman Republic," roughly equivalent to the United States in this world. A showdown with a formidable enemy in Japan just doesn't feel as exciting as in the New Roman Republic…

Chapter 122, Section 123: What She Abandoned

Kurosawa Shizuki barely managed to open her eyes again, but all she could see was an incredibly glaring paleness. It wasn't until the black matter flowed back into her eyes that her almost completely distorted pupils refocused, but everything in her eyes remained blurry and indistinct, like looking at flowers through a fog.

The numerous blood-red figures dancing in the crimson dance floor were swept away by the dazzling light released by Chai Qi. Even the blood pool on the ground was mostly evaporated. The light pierced through all illusions and falsehoods. When the light dissipated, the magnificent appearance of the entire castle was punctured in the blink of an eye. There was no longer any golden and splendid hall, only dilapidated walls, curtains full of holes, extinguished candles, and rows of dusty chairs.

On the throne where the Woodland Fairy sat high above, there was no mountain of flesh, but instead a huge cocoon of flesh, within which a massive creature was writhing—a dark shadow that was almost humanoid.

White silk threads hung from the air, suspending countless white cocoons that swayed in mid-air. Inside each cocoon, some disgusting creature was writhing, its body resembling that of a human, with its knees folded like an infant.

Their appearance was somewhat similar to the winged creatures that Kurosawa Shizuki had encountered in the sky above the forest, except that these monsters that had not yet emerged from their cocoons were entirely black like black jade, and even though they had not broken out of their cocoons, their bodies still had a metallic texture.

"This is actually the ovary of the swarm? The forest fairy is also lying in the egg..." Kurosawa Shizuki stared in astonishment at the terrifying ovary on the throne.

“It seems this is definitely not the mother of Fujiwara no Kageko we are looking for. Lady Fujiwara still has great achievements to accomplish; she would not confine herself to this forest created by dreams and eke out a living.” Asakura Yuki snapped her fingers, and clusters of yang flames burned on the countless cocoons of flesh throughout the hall. The monsters curled up inside the cocoons let out painful screams, but they were all mercilessly burned to ashes under Asakura’s yang flames.

“Of course it couldn’t be Fujiwara Mana herself. She’s still in the real world, working tirelessly to advance her great cause and leading the entire Age of Gods in preparation for confronting the supernatural forces of Heikyo.” Shiba Inu transformed back into his adorable Akita dog form, though the light in his eyes hadn’t completely faded. He slowly climbed the steps toward the fleshy egg on the throne of the Fairy Queen in the forest. This was the only thing in the entire castle that hadn’t been burned by Asakura’s glare. Even Asakura’s glare would inexplicably stop burning when it got close to this fleshy egg, just like how even the glare around the egg would be extinguished by a terrifying force.

“But there is indeed a part of Fujiwara Mana here. She transformed and forever abandoned the part of herself that she hated and feared the most here,” the phantom of the man behind Shizaki appeared and disappeared, and the eyes of the one who ended the game ignited with a destructive light again, “making her once human, her love for her family, her attachment to the world, her regret for what she lost but could never get back…”

“She is also one of the reasons we came here. By stripping her of her humanity, the Anti-Corruption Bureau can curse her in reality. We want to take away her humanity. You have no objections, right?” Suzuki Machiko turned to look at Asakura Yuki and Kurosawa Shizuki. Half of her body was still covered in frost, making her look quite eerie, as if she had just come out of the Arctic ice field.

"Hehe, of course I wouldn't dare to object. Usurping humanity and using it to curse the original body, that's indeed your Anti-Suppression Bureau's specialty. So many people have fallen victim to this trick of yours..." Asakura Yuki sneered. She looked at Kurosawa Shizuki and said in a warning tone, "In the future, we will also pursue ascension sooner or later. Before becoming immortals, we also need to abandon our own 'humanity' and pursue the ultimate sublimation. Kurosawa, you must also be careful to use the most appropriate method to preserve your humanity."

"If our humanity is taken away by such ill-intentioned guys as the Anti-Corruption Bureau, something really bad will happen."

The Akita Inu that Shiba Saki had transformed into paid no heed to Asakura Yuki's sarcastic remarks. He climbed onto the bloated fleshy cocoon and examined the indistinct creature inside with his deep and gloomy eyes. His hound-like paws gleamed with a peculiar light. He touched the surface of the cocoon with his paws very gently, and his claws gleamed with a strange light. With extremely gentle and calm movements, he cut a thin slit in the cocoon.

Thick, dark red pus oozed from the fleshy cocoon, along with a cacophony of sounds, all emanating from the same woman. Countless voices belonging to the same woman overlapped, like countless hysterical madwomen screaming their hearts out within the castle:

"Why did you abandon us? Where did we fail to gain your approval? Are we worthless in your eyes?"

"In the end, I still couldn't protect anyone. I'm just a joke. Everything I have will be taken away..."

"Hahaha, Mu Zi, Mom loves you the most. You are the only treasure I have left in this world. Mom will do everything in her power to protect you."

"Hehehe, Mu Zi, I hate you the most, the most, the most! Your veins are full of filthy blood, you are a product of error, and before I kill you, I must eat you up..."

"...Damn it, should I protect or devour? What should I do? Time is running out before it's too late, I have to decide..."

Countless murmurs, just by hearing their voices, make it easy to tell what kind of contradictory and insane psychological state the voice's owner is in. Fujiwara Mana seems to both love and hate her daughter. However, the reason for such a contradictory mentality is not hard for Kurosawa Shizuki to understand - after all, Fujiwara Kageko is also a product of divine calamity.

Perhaps my beloved parents and I have also had such conflicting feelings? Kurosawa Shizuki finds it hard to imagine what kind of extreme and terrifying things the extraordinary beings of this world would do when faced with such a cruel rule as the Heavenly Sin.