Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

To the left of the villa, there was a circular sandy area with what looked like a sandcastle built by a child, but the sandcastle has now completely collapsed.

To the right of the villa stood a half-dead locust tree. On the tree was a tattered rag doll nailed to the trunk by a branch. The doll's entire body was riddled with holes from insect bites.

Behind the villa stood a white marble pillar, but now it was broken in the middle, and silver sand was constantly flowing out from the break.

Even in the heart of the forest, everyone could feel the tremors beneath their feet. Everything here was incredibly quiet, but in Kurosawa Shizuki's eyes, this was just the final silence before ultimate destruction.

As if welcoming new guests, the mansion's tightly closed doors opened by themselves, revealing complete darkness inside.

The three exchanged a glance. They seemed to have no other choice. After all, they had nowhere else to go. Even if it was a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, they had to go in.

"Are we really going to just walk right in like this? What if it's a trap..." Kurosawa Shizuki asked hesitantly.

“Even if it’s a trap, we have no choice but to walk in. Everything here was created by that god’s mind. Do you really think she wouldn’t know we’re here?” Asakura Yuki crossed her arms and walked ahead without hesitation, becoming the first to enter the room.

"I think you should be more worried about your future than about the guy inside. You used that power, didn't you?" Chai Qi glanced at Kurosawa Shizuki with a cold gaze. His senses seemed far more acute than Kurosawa Shizuki's. "We'll talk in detail after we deal with Kirie." There was no blame, no concern, but Kurosawa Shizuki was certain that the original owner did know this guy. However, Chai Qi's tone remained perfunctory, making it seem as if this dog he controlled was an emotionless machine.

The first thing Kurosawa Shizuki saw upon entering the mansion made her feel as if her eyes were about to be blinded: "So white!"

Indeed, the first impression of the mansion is simply and definitively "white," as if the whole world has lost its color, and all the furnishings have been painted in a single white. Apart from that, everything is the normal arrangement of a mansion, and there is nothing unusual about it.

Yuki Asakura and Shibasaki stood in front of a snow-white wall, on which hung various oil paintings. These beautifully framed oil paintings were the only colorful things in the entire mansion.

Kurosawa Shizuki also walked over and looked at the oil paintings in the direction of Asakura's gaze. These oil paintings were obviously the work of some masters. The scenes and figures were as realistic as reality, while at the same time they were shrouded in a layer of artistic aura. However, the content of the oil paintings was very interesting to Kurosawa Shizuki.

Beneath each oil painting, there was a label that seemed to be the name of the painting and the creator. All the creators of the oil paintings left the same signature: "Editor".

The three characters “Compiler” were written in a script that Kurosawa Shizuki did not recognize at all. This script was very ancient and profound, like a series of twisting vortexes. Just looking at them gave one the feeling that one’s soul was sinking into them. Any viewer who saw such script would naturally have the meaning of “Compiler” in mind.

[You have come into contact with the forbidden language 'Deep Amanda'. Continued exposure to more related texts may enable you to master this language. Your current mastery level is 0.2%.]

[You have gazed upon the artwork left by the compiler, and its enigmatic atmosphere has stirred your inspiration. You are now undertaking a spiritual assessment with a success rate of 3.65%...]

Sorry, the check failed. You cannot see anything in the painting.

Shocking! This was the first time Kurosawa Shizuki had encountered such a test. Her current spirituality level was a frighteningly high 120 points, equivalent to more than a dozen humans combined, yet the success rate of the test was only three percent? What kind of terrifying being could possibly understand the paintings left behind by this "editor"?

In "God's Redemption," a blood-red ocean surges in the sky, and a blurry human figure with eight pairs of insect wings descends from the heavens, arms outstretched like a savior. Below, countless beings struggle amidst earthquakes, gales, fires, and thunder, their eyes filled with tears as they kneel in worship before the towering figure. Upon closer inspection, one can see that behind this greatest figure, seven smaller "angels," their forms as insignificant as insects compared to the human figure, are also falling towards the earth.

In "The Cabin in the Woods," there are seven identical little girls in a dilapidated cabin, each wearing a hat of a different color and holding seven weapons: scissors, dagger, pistol, stick, lantern, sickle, and chainsaw. Their faces are contorted with malice as they are killing each other, all for a golden apple.

In "The Last Feast," seven obese men, their bodies covered in fat, slumped over a long dining table, each holding a wine glass. They are clearly dead, and on the gilded and silver plates, their food consists of countless writhing worms.

"The New War" presents a grand scene of an ancient battlefield, where fully armed cavalrymen are charging desperately towards a dense forest of spearmen. Time is frozen at the moment before the two collide. The black knights wear winged crowns like the Grim Reaper, while the phalanx soldiers all have snake heads. It is clear that the snake-headed legion is crumbling under the mass charge of the black knights...

"My Home" depicts a lonely little girl, dressed like a typical otaku, sitting cross-legged in front of the television, engrossed in a game with a controller in her hand. She appears deeply addicted. Beside her are mountains of snack wrappers and various otaku items such as figurines, comics, light novels, and game discs. If you stand a little further back, you'll see that this little girl's home, her otaku retreat, is actually a silvery-white, cracked "egg" that seems ready to shatter at any moment. This painting is stylistically quite different from the previous ones, yet it possesses a greater sense of life.

"What do these paintings mean? Why are there such oil paintings here?" Kurosawa Shizuki asked in confusion.

"I've been wondering how the Generation of Gods could create such a massive, fake world, given their power. Now it seems that the Generation of Gods did indeed commission a powerful figure to create this world, and they must have paid a heavy price for it." A look of horror finally appeared on Yuki Asakura's face.

"The Anti-Suppression Bureau has also made deals with that great man. We know his habits. Just as all great artists leave their mark on their works, this is the trace that great being left in the woods." Chai Qi looked at the oil paintings with great awe, as if he were witnessing a miracle.

"You mean this 'editor' is the true creator of the woodland?" Kurosawa Shizuki looked at the oil paintings. Although the style was very realistic, she didn't really find anything strange about them.

"The compiler is one of the gods of the Netherworld, the third generation of the flesh source god. He was once a mortal, but he followed the Night Watchman's final journey, allied with Mist Spring Child, Red Cup and Black Sun, participated in the grand battle of flesh and stone, defeated the second generation of the Void Source God, and ascended to become a god. He became the god of stories, truth and history."

His favorite thing to do is create one miraculous painting after another, and almost every painting can be used to construct an independent, false history. If a certain ritual is performed and enough is paid to please Him, mortals can also persuade this deity to bestow a painting... After all, He is a flesh-born god who originated from mortals, and compared to other gods, He is the most fair and easiest to talk to.” Chai Qi said in a very fearful tone.

"You mean, we've actually been living in a world constructed within a painting all along?" Kurosawa Shizuki recalled the strange anime-like phenomenon that occurred when she visited the Forest Fairy not long ago, and now that anomaly was finally explained.

“Moreover, it’s not just a simple independent scroll, but a large painting containing one small painting after another. It’s another layer of false history constructed within a false history. This is truly unheard of,” Yuki Asakura stared in horror at the last fifth painting on the wall. “However, even if it’s a false history constructed by the gods, it will eventually collapse and perish if it doesn’t consume the power of ‘time’ to maintain it.”

“Due to a lack of sufficient ‘time’ to maintain them, the first four paintings, along with the worlds within them, have all died. Only this last one is barely surviving with the little time left. The master we are about to visit is probably hiding here.” Yuki Asakura hesitated for a moment before reaching out to the last strange painting, titled “My Home.”

The little girl playing games in the painting seemed to sense the gaze of the people outside the painting. She actually turned her head and waved to the three of them with a smile, as if she was greeting them.

Suddenly, an incredibly blinding white light shone from the last painting, completely enveloping the three people outside the painting. The three felt as if the world had been distorted, and an irresistible force forcibly "sucked" them into the last painting.

P.S., I've reached 400,000 words, which is great! However, the story has only just begun, which is truly disheartening.

Chapter 131, Section 132: Playing Games Before the World Is Destroyed

Kurosawa Shizuki regained consciousness after a brief period of disorientation and weightlessness, finding herself sitting on a soft sofa in a dark and gloomy room, illuminated only by the light from the television.

The petite girl with her back to her looked to be no more than eleven or twelve years old. Her back was incredibly familiar, as if she hadn't noticed her arrival at all. She continued to play the game, tapping away on the controller. The only sound in the quiet room was the crisp sound of her tapping the keys.

Yuki Asakura and Shibasaki weren't there at all. Kurosawa Shizuki was somewhat alarmed to find that there were only her and the little girl there. Looking around, apart from the sofa she was sitting on, the little girl, and the video game console in front of her, everything else in the room was completely immersed in pure darkness. No matter how hard Kurosawa Shizuki tried to observe, she couldn't see anything.

No, Kurosawa Shizuki finally found something resembling Asakura Yuki and Shibasaki, which was placed beside the little girl, but only the size of a palm—it was actually two figurines resembling Asakura Yuki and Shibasaki! Asakura was still wearing a beautiful kimono that seemed to flow, with an eerie yet pure temperament; while the figurine Shibasaki looked like an anthropomorphic dog, with a mocking smile on her face.

They all emanated very familiar energy fluctuations, and Kurosawa Shizuki was certain that it was them! Sure enough, even though the forest was on the verge of collapse, the forest god still held overwhelming power in the face of the true controller of the forest.

They were also from the fourth class, yet they were turned into "figures" by the woodland god without any chance to struggle? But why didn't she turn herself into a figure? Is there anything special about the little girl compared to the other two?

Kurosawa Shizuki already had a reasonable guess about the identity of the little girl with her back to her. Had she really been sucked into that last painting? Was this little girl with such a familiar back the "god" who had been guiding her to the woodland?

No matter how you look at this "god," she's just an immature homebody. She's wearing a pink nightgown-like outfit with a pink cartoon pig pattern on the back, her long, dry, yellow hair is draped over her back, making her look malnourished, and she's staring intently at the game screen with her bare, smooth little feet. Her clear, ethereal eyes are reflecting the glow of the TV screen.

The game that the little girl was playing surprised Kurosawa Shizuki even more.

On the television screen, a red-haired boy, sculpted by a little girl, is wearing dark blue knight armor covered in seaweed. He is seemingly exploring a place deep in the ocean. The visibility on this map is extremely low, and players need to continuously control their characters to throw an item called a fluorescent fish into the air to temporarily illuminate the map in order to continue exploring deeper. If they try to advance in the dark, they will be killed by various enemies and traps hidden in the shadows.

Even with the glowing fish for illumination, the little girl's skills in this game were not particularly impressive. Every step forward was fraught with difficulty, and she was repeatedly defeated by various treacherous enemies, only to be resurrected again in front of the Black Spring Well, which served as her respawn point.

Kurosawa Shizuki certainly recognized the game. It was "Soul of the Black Spring," the flagship title of Shadow Sun, a game company run by her nominal subordinate, Hasegawa Yukari. Shadow Sun's development rhythm has always been to release a pay-to-win mobile game or online competitive game to accumulate capital, and then release a relatively core and complex console game to accumulate reputation. "Soul of the Black Spring" is Shadow Sun's most popular console title at present.

Kurosawa Shizuki remembered that Hasegawa Yukari had already completed most of the development of "Black Spring Soul 2". If she could solve the problem with Kirie, Kurosawa Shizuki might be able to go to Shadow Sun Company to test and play the game when she had time.

However, Shizuki Kurosawa never expected that the influence of "The Soul of the Black Spring" would be so great that even the gods in the forest were captivated by it.

"Sister, you're finally back!" Sensing Kurosawa Shizuki's gaze, the little girl, though she didn't turn around, clearly knew she was being spoken to. The little girl seemed to have known Kurosawa Shizuki for a long time, and said in a coquettish tone, "Come play with me~"

Kurosawa Shizuki had imagined many possibilities of encountering the forest god, but she never expected this situation. Was she really an old acquaintance of the original owner? How did the divine possession by the Generation of Gods and the original owner, who was being hunted by a powerful enemy, come to know each other? When and where did those vague memories that kept appearing and disappearing in Kurosawa Shizuki's mind happen?

Kurosawa Shizuki felt a strange throbbing in her heart once again. Then she realized that the shadow girl, who had been sleeping and recuperating, had awakened again. The shadow girl wanted to control the body. Kurosawa Shizuki did not resist because she knew that every time the shadow girl's will became active, it was burning away her remaining soul even faster. If Kurosawa Shizuki wanted to, she could take back the body at any time.

The original owner is indeed dead; what is still living in this body is merely a ghost that has survived for countless years.

The shadow girl walked naturally to the little girl's side, knelt down beside her, and casually said, "Muzi, I'm sorry it took me so long to come back."

"It's good that you're back, sister. You're still you. I'm so happy to see you again." Muko lowered her head, her head mostly buried under her dry, yellow hair. Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't see her face clearly, but her trembling voice proved that her feelings were not as calm as her appearance.

The shadow girl picked up another controller from the ground, which seemed to have appeared out of thin air without warning.

The following message appeared on the television screen:

"The guardian spirit Shadow has come to this world in accordance with its oath."

Beside the lone red-haired boy, another black-haired, blue-eyed sorcerer girl appeared in the holy white light. The sorcerer girl was dressed in a black robe like a raven and had mastered a forbidden sorcery called "Dark Arts." Surprisingly, her skill level was not low. How could she allow multiple people to play in the forest? Kurosawa Shizuki couldn't understand the principle behind this.

The red-haired boy happily circled around the sorceress girl, clapping as he did so, while the shadow girl manipulated the sorceress girl to respond with the action of praising the black spring.

Muko and the Shadow Girl seemed to maintain a strange tacit understanding, not discussing anything related to the woodland, Misty Spring, or the God Society. They simply played games together calmly and happily in this secluded and dark room, like two old friends who had been separated for a long time. It seemed that they had played together like this for a very long time before, and a similar sense of nostalgia appeared on their faces.

Perhaps because Hasegawa Yukari had completed "Black Spring Soul" under the guidance of the original owner, the Shadow Girl also seemed to be very familiar with the game. With the Shadow Girl's control as a sorcerer, the subsequent gameplay became much smoother.

The shadow girl immediately activated the Cold-Blooded Orb skill, and three small dark blue orbs rose above her head. This way, even without the fluorescent fish that the red-haired boy had previously obtained from the merman army, they could continue to rely on illumination for deep diving.

"We need to stop here. There are three Nightmare Fish lying in ambush ahead. We need to throw a Bewitching Conch to lure them out. Okay, I've buffed you, you can go in now! Slash three times and roll away. Don't be greedy, and whatever you do, don't get hit by a throw."

"Oh! Long live the sister!"

"Next, we need to go to the left. There are three mechanisms hidden in this ruin. The path on the left is relatively the easiest. At the same time, if we kill this fish-faced gun knight, we can get the key item to freeze the vortex."

"Oh, so there's a way to walk here after all."

"Don't listen to this bald guy's nonsense. There's no treasure at all. He wants to push you into a whirlpool. With your current level of training, going there will just be suicide. Kill him!"

"How could that be! You big liar! You're despicable!"

"You need to build up your psionic energy here. The next part requires three consecutive vortex dashes to avoid being hit by the spikes. I've put a shield on you; it can block one spike. Good luck!"

"Oh my gosh! As long as Muko is with her sister, she's invincible!"

Kurosawa Shizuki felt a little frantic. The entire city of Heikyo was about to be leveled by the awakened Kirie, and they still had the leisure to play games here.

Although that's what she said, Kurosawa Shizuki was reluctant to disturb them. She realized that it seemed like it had been a very long time since they had played together like this.

Today might very well be their last chance, and they'll never have such an opportunity again. Whether it's Muko or the Shadow Girl, although they seem to be enjoying the game, they both know the truth all too well in their hearts.

Moreover, the production of "The Soul of the Black Spring" is indeed very well done. Just watching the two girls play together through this body is very interesting. Kurosawa Shizuki thinks that if they became streamers together, they would probably be quite popular.

After watching for a while, Kurosawa Shizuki roughly understood that "Soul of the Black Spring" seemed to be a game like this: As the "Black Sun" kept approaching the human world, the entire world was submerged by black tides. Ten thousand years had passed since a new civilization was established beneath the black sea. The Arles Kingdom, which once worshipped the Black Sun, was eroded by the black tide from the abyss. If this civilization could be revived, the legendary Heart of the Black Spring must be found to purify the disaster known as the Black Tide.

Players take on the role of the "Child of the Setting Sun," a former nobleman of the Kingdom of Arles who, after being corrupted by the Black Tide, has endured countless years before being summoned back to the world by the power of the Black Spring. The Child of the Setting Sun must traverse the entire Kingdom of Arles, corrupted by the Black Tide, to awaken the Heart of the Black Spring and revive the fallen kingdom, establishing a new civilization. However, awakening the Heart of the Black Spring requires five grand sacrifices. The Child of the Setting Sun must slay five fallen kings of the Black Tide to offer sacrifices that will satisfy the Black Sun…

"Phew, we've finally made it this far. Muko, are you ready? Next, we'll be challenging the Gray King Bializ, who wields the Blade of Origin in the Valley of Eternal Night. He was once the Priest King of the Kingdom of Arles."

However, Muko did not respond for a long time. Her hand holding the handle was trembling. Kurosawa Shizuki saw tears welling up in her eyes, which were grayish-white and unfocused, beneath her long hair.

"Muko, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly like this... This is a rare day of reunion, why are you crying?" The shadow girl asked Muko with a gentle smile.

"Sister, now that you're back, please don't leave Muzi again, okay?" Muzi whispered.

"As long as Muko doesn't defeat this boss, and the game never ends, my sister will always be by Muko's side, right?"

In the game, the red-haired boy stands motionless in front of the deep blue vortex leading to the boss room, while the dark magic power of the female sorcerer with eerie blue eyes still stirs within the thick shadows behind her.

“Muko, the past can never be turned back,” the shadow girl said calmly. “We cannot live in the past forever. We must face the future, even if the future ends tragically and desperately, it is still better than being stuck in the stagnant 'past' forever. Because the future is bound to change, and as long as there is change, there is still hope. And no matter how beautiful the memories of the past may seem, they are nothing but dead remnants.”

P.S., I really want to write Genshin Impact fanfiction! I love Princess Judgment so much, and I want Amy to be the main character! If I wrote a novel with Princess Judgment as the main character, the book would probably explode in popularity after 100,000 words.

Chapter 132, Section 133: Broken Porcelain

Muko stared blankly at the profile of the shadow girl, her eyes filled with an unyielding sorrow. In the end, she could only manage a bitter smile.

"In my sister's eyes, am I just someone who lives in the past? But if I can keep dreaming this dream forever, isn't it another, more definite reality for me?"

"What's the difference between existing in a dream you can never wake up from and a certain death? You'll never see anything new in your woodland, or rather, everything new will be resisted and obliterated by the woodland. What's the point of this endless repetition of the past in 'eternity'?" The shadow girl's voice was calm, but to Mu Zi it was as sharp as a knife, slowly dissecting her closed heart.

“Sister, let’s continue playing the game. We don’t have much time left,” Mu Zi said haltingly. “I need to think about it some more.”

“Nobody’s forcing you. If you don’t want this game to end, I can keep playing with you,” the shadow girl said gently. “Anyway, we don’t have anything else to do right now, do we?”

"Sister, can you come with me to level up a bit more? If you can, I hope to defeat the Gray King on my own." Kurosawa Shizuki felt that Muko was just making excuses to get the shadow girl to play with her a little longer.

"If you want, we can teleport to the Valley of Illusion. It's the fastest place to level up, and you can also farm more Insight Salt, which can grant immunity to the Grey King's Frenzy status."

The Shadow Girl is incredibly patient. Kurosawa Shizuki is certain that if Kureko really wants to keep playing, the Shadow Girl can stay here and play with Kureko forever.