Transformed into the leader of an esoteric sect in Japan

Mu Zi, with her four pairs of purple wings spread out, had a pale face frozen in the spiritual liquid, and a pale yet extremely sorrowful smile appeared on her lips.

Section 143, Chapter 141: The First Meeting with Ms. Theresa

The burning scarecrow exudes a strong pagan aura, its entire body covered in steaming blood, and its pair of golden elk antlers resemble both the antlers of a wild beast and golden tree branches.

Without any warning, the tide of battle turned in an instant. The elaborate dream-butterfly maze laid out by Lady Fujiwara was utterly and brutally shattered by a simple and brute force. As if locked in by an irresistible force, she had nowhere to escape and became fresh meat on a chopping block, ready to be slaughtered. Although Kurosawa Shizuki looked like just a sickly and frail girl, and although she possessed the status of a witness, the true dark power that belonged to her was pitifully small.

However, the next second, Kurosawa Shizuki seemed to have become a different person. The golden skull reflected another illusory yet real dream world. The dream world completely eroded reality with an incomparably domineering attitude, dragging everyone into another dimension. Here, the grand feast never ends. Wizards, heretics, and demons gather from all directions of the world. The cross burns forever. A blue-haired priestess girl serves a horned god. A beautiful black-haired dancer with a wonderful physique dances an inexhaustible dance that is more ancient than the world itself.

"This is impossible! This is impossible! This makes no sense. How could such a being be hiding in the forest?" Lady Fujiwara stared in horror at the golden skull in Kurosawa Shizuki's arms. How could a being of such rank have been hiding in the forest for so long without her noticing? It was as if a time bomb was buried at her feet, ready to explode at any moment, but neither she, Muko, nor the Centipede Sage had ever sensed its presence.

"Your Excellency, as we all know, history has countless layers of folds, so all hidden possibilities can be established as established facts," the sea-blue-haired priestess smiled as she rose from her throne woven of bone fragments, thorns, and pearls. She nodded to Lady Fujiwara, her demeanor as elegant as a young lady about to attend a banquet. "In order to enter the woods, I killed myself and split myself into many parts. I must admit that sometimes, being too high-ranking can cause trouble."

Despite not being from Japan, she could speak fluent Japanese as if she were a native speaker. However, it was very strange that her lip movements were not in the correct Japanese lip movements.

"What a joke! What need is there for someone like you to go to such lengths? If you want to fight us, we have absolutely no chance!" Lady Fujiwara, pierced by the golden antlers, did not bleed a drop of blood. However, she was aging rapidly at a visible speed. Her former youth and beauty were now like a dream, and anyone could see that she was being inevitably "stripped away."

“The reason I did this was, of course, to deliver a special message to a special person,” Theresa Aquino turned her head, lifted the hem of the priestess’s skirt, and gave a noble bow to Kurosawa Shizuki. “Kurosawa… Shizuki, I must say, names in your country are really hard to pronounce. Although this is probably the first time you’ve met me, I’ve been looking forward to our meeting for a long time.”

When the blue-haired girl looked at Kurosawa Shizuki, time in this world immediately froze. Whether it was the distorted expression of Mrs. Fujiwara, the curious look of Asakura Yuki, the ecstatic Nakamura Yukise, or the utterly dejected Takasaki Ryo, their expressions were all frozen in place. It seemed that only Kurosawa Shizuki and Theresa were able to speak and communicate.

“Miss Theresa…? You’ve known me for a long time? You mean, you did this just to send me a special message?” Kurosawa Shizuki realized that she seemed to be in the middle of a huge scheme, a delicate link in it.

“Alas, I am also troubled. After all, we are in different histories, eras, and countries, and the distance is too great. The information transmission loss rate is over 90%, so we have to use some tricks. For example, we copy the information hundreds of times, compress and reassemble it, and finally seal it with a password. I only decided to send this message in this way after confirming that you will definitely visit the woodland of the Divine Congress today.” Theresa’s smile was innocent and pure, but a scarlet blood light surged in her eyes.

"Then... what kind of information is it?" Kurosawa Shizuki was stunned. After visiting the woods, she hadn't received any other information besides this skull.

"Hehe~ Of course it's—a secret that can't be told!" Theresa smiled mischievously, putting a finger to her lips. It was that kind of heart-stopping statement again, making Kurosawa Shizuki want to vomit blood. What an old riddle master.

“Miss Theresa, you know what? I really hate riddles, but since I came here, I’ve seen countless riddles,” Kurosawa Shizuki said, quite annoyed.

“Although I don’t know what the word ‘riddler’ means in your culture, I can feel a strange pleasure in my heart,” Teresa laughed melodiously, as a black-haired dancer appeared beside her at some point. “Just as this lady next to me once said, it is a very pleasant thing to see children troubled by some unsolvable riddles.”

The dancer beside Theresa had a very blurry face and her body was constantly distorted, but her figure was exactly the same as that of Adela Mendoza, whom Kurosawa Shizuki had seen in the videotape. However, this was definitely not Adela herself, but just a false afterimage, as if it would disappear at any moment.

"However, as the person involved, one's fate is in the hands of others, and each exploration only reveals one layer of obscure mystery after another, like peeling an onion. This is not a very pleasant experience."

"Relax," in the next instant, Theresa was already standing in front of Kurosawa Shizuki. Kurosawa Shizuki could see clearly every inch of Theresa's tender skin, her soft lines, and her bright yet deep eyes. Theresa affectionately flicked Kurosawa Shizuki's forehead, and Kurosawa Shizuki could smell the sweet scent on Theresa that was both candy and blood. "The Ligeias mean you no harm. We just started a grand gamble. The 'information' I mentioned is just the bet I placed in this gamble. And the person I bet on is you. Feel honored."

Theresa's large eyes were misty and unfocused, which was strange. How could someone like her be nearsighted?

"It is indeed an honor to be bet by someone of your high status, but... at least tell me what I can do to help you win this bet?" Kurosawa Shizuki tried to get information out of Theresa from a different angle. The "Lighia" that Theresa mentioned seemed to be a rather wicked group of women, who started this inexplicable bet without consulting her at all.

“You don’t need to think about things that are too far beyond your status. All you need to do now is struggle to keep living. As long as you can keep living, you can please the Ligeia the most. If your performance is good enough, becoming a member of the Ligeia is not impossible.” Theresa winked at Kurosawa Shizuki, as if hinting at something. “I hope you can use my brain well. Consider it my first investment in you.”

Giving away her head as a gift so casually, and then speaking to her in such a relaxed tone—although Teresa appears to be an incredibly sweet girl, it actually makes Kurosawa Shizuki feel a chill run down her spine. Sure enough, beneath her girlish exterior lies a terrifying monster.

"What horrible things are you thinking about!" Theresa tapped Kurosawa Shizuki's forehead again. "For an existence like me, death is as common as sleeping. I've died countless times, with different incarnations in different histories, eras, and countries. Sacrificing an incarnation to participate in this game, isn't that enough as long as it's fun?"

"Are all the members of the Ligeia Society you mentioned like you?" It sounds like the Ligeia Society might be a powerful secret cult. Judging from Theresa's words, Kurosawa Shizuki might also be qualified to join?

"Hmm... As for the Ligeia Society, you can think of it as a gaming club made up of a group of lonely, older women. In this club, I am one of the youngest, most beautiful, and most powerful members. Feel honored to be favored by me!" Theresa patted her not-so-muscular chest triumphantly. "If you join in the future, I'll finally have a junior to bully this time."

“But we’ll have to talk about that after you win this bet,” Theresa said, pulling out an hourglass from somewhere and holding it in her palm. “Oh dear, this dream is almost over. We’ll talk again when we have time.”

"As a gift for our first meeting, I'll take care of this madwoman once and for all for you. But don't rely on me too much in the future," Theresa turned around, covered her forehead with one hand, stood on tiptoe, and looked up at Lady Fujiwara, who was hanging high on the golden antlers. "After all, I'm just an incomplete memory avatar from a dream. I can only help you one more time before this dream disappears forever. Rather than using me in battle, I suggest you spend your time learning some ancient and forbidden knowledge from me."

"For example, the legendary language of witches, Fouchino, or I can tell you some stories related to 'The Locksmith's Dream.' Of course, as a noble descendant, I can also answer some questions about blood. We may only have five minutes to meet each day, so make the most of it." Theresa put on a pair of crystal glasses that looked like they had a very high prescription, with dark gold lenses.

From all directions, countless witches sang Latin hymns in unison, the grand carnival continued, the perpetrators lashed the sacrifices nailed to the crosses, and bright red torches were lit on the burning scarecrows. The final, grand sacrifice was about to begin.

Before Kurosawa Shizuki could respond, Teresa, atop the burning scarecrow high above, was already standing on the edge of the antlers in the blink of an eye. Time resumed its flow, and Lady Fujiwara's face showed utter panic; she seemed to have sensed what was about to happen:

“Wait, noble bloodline! We can make a deal…”

“Without a deal, you are not worthy. I know your kind of depraved nature all too well. A scum mother who uses her daughter as a tool only deserves to be the most sumptuous dinner on the bloodline table, along with my heartless father from back then.” Theresa revealed an incredibly bright yet cruel smile, revealing a pair of rather cute-looking fangs at the corners of her mouth.

She took a bite out of Lady Fujiwara's exposed nape of the neck, and devoured her with relish, like a gourmet savoring a grand meal.

Lady Fujiwara had no chance to struggle. The moment she was kissed by the blood descendant, her eyes froze, dazed yet calm, as if she had sunk into a sweet dream from which she would never wake.

Of course, she was far more than just tasting blood. For a bloodline of her level, blood could no longer satisfy her. What she craved more was emotion, existence, time, and even destiny. Theoretically, a bloodline that can devour everything is a mythical creature that is at the end of the evolutionary path of the ghoul that Kurosawa Shizuki once killed.

"Tsk, rotten, spoiled food," Theresa relented, complaining with dissatisfaction.

The spot on the antlers that once belonged to Lady Fujiwara is now empty. In the blink of an eye, she aged, withered, and decayed, then dissipated into dust, collapsing in this long-forgotten, false dream.

P.S. I've temporarily combined the Theresa from the old book with the Theresa from the esoteric sect, so for a long time, Theresa can be used as the protagonist's mentor.

PS2, I plan to find a way to gradually downplay the system element in the future. Adding a system to this book was indeed a miscalculation on my part. In fact, I can't control the system element at all, and it actually makes the novel feel disjointed. Conceiving all sorts of nightmare points, a shop, and exchange systems is really frustrating.

Chapter 142, Section 144: The Shadow of the Rending Wolf

Fujiwara no Kageko saw the dark dawn.

The perpetual pain was like being split into countless pieces, cut by countless tiny blades. The reflection in the glassy liquid showed the giant wolf split in the depths of the dark realm, howling endlessly at the broken sun. The color of the pain was black.

However, the light in the eternal night, in a daze, did indeed seem like a glimmer of light in the long night, but this light was the Holy Spear of Yuli Flame, which was thrown by the King of Yangyan himself. It was a sacred judgment. The great Mithras pursued the immortal light and brought down divine punishment on all sins and darkness. Muzi opened her arms as if to embrace this "dawn".

In the dark dawn, the figures of two slender girls gradually overlapped, were pierced through, and walked toward the undeniable boundary of death.

Dawn should be hope, light, and salvation, but what she saw was a deep and suffocating darkness, a thick haze, and a great winged figure looming over her, symbolizing her inevitable destruction. She was destined for such a future from the very beginning.

In the dark dawn, another twilight child reveals a sorrowful smile, slowly dissolving as if welcoming the first touch of fresh snow under the sunlight.

Sister, it's such a pity. I've never even had the freedom to choose death. God has never granted a sacrifice the right to self-destruct.

She had tried to fight back, but it had been proven that the struggle was pointless. She was destined to face this fate. She was split into two by God, and now she has been reunited as one, just like the cycle of destiny. No matter how far she escapes, she will eventually return to the starting point.

In the dark dawn, the two Muko finally merged into one, leaving only the girl. Her hair was half pale and half deep black. Behind her, the four pairs of purple wings that once belonged to the Kirigakure clan had disappeared without a trace. Now, only a pair of pale, moth-like wings remained behind her, and finally, the pure white wings slowly dissolved.

It transformed into a pale white cloak, spreading out behind her. Compared to the girl's petite figure, it stretched to tens of meters long. The pale scarf shimmered with a star-like brightness. Black, dense scales grew all over Mu Zi's body, each scale as solid and beautiful as obsidian. A strange, deep purple color appeared in her eyes, the rich purple glowing with an evil light.

"*****..." Mu Zi uttered words that were difficult to understand. The language was noisy, clamorous, and carried a taboo aura. Ordinary people who just listened to it would probably fall into a frenzy from which they could not escape.

Muko revealed a nonchalant smile. She placed her hand on the Yuli Flame Holy Spear that had still pierced her chest and casually pulled it out. The Yuli Flame on the Holy Spear burned fiercely, making a sizzling sound when it touched Muko's hand, which was covered in black scales, but it did not harm Muko in the slightest. Muko casually broke the Holy Spear in half like a toy.

However, the wound in his chest, pierced by Yu Liyan, had not healed. The area in front of his heart was empty, a heart-wrenching and incurable injury.

Mu Zi snapped her fingers again, and a series of bubbles burst. The glass spirit liquid in mid-air exploded like bubbles, and the twisting black shadows inside the glass spirit liquid let out painful howls. Wolf howls rose and fell, but they only made Mu Zi frown slightly. Mu Zi covered her ears with her hands, and a painful expression appeared on her face.

"*******——!" Mu Zi let out a sharp roar, like a thunderclap descending upon the world, instantly drowning out the howls of the wolves in the midst of the conflict. The writhing, tiny black wolf shadows all vanished completely in Mu Zi's roar, but the black haze surrounding Mu Zi took a long time to dissipate.

The next instant, a massive shadow loomed over Muko. The eight-armed black giant, wearing a mask of molten gold, hurled the deadly Uri Flame Spear, but the Blazing King, with its dulled senses, was unable to perceive the strange changes occurring in Muko. The Blazing King's eight arms pressed down on Muko from all directions. The Blazing King had been ordered by Asakura to kill Muko; if it could not be confirmed that Muko was completely dead, the Blazing King would launch an endless offensive against her.

The eight arms of the King of Blaze symbolize the eight sacrifices he made to the great black sun Mithras when he was still human. If Uriyan cannot kill Muko, the King of Blaze will naturally change his attack posture. His eight arms form different hand seals. The King of Blaze sits cross-legged with his black corona spinning behind his head, resembling the gods and Buddhas of the esoteric Buddhist sect.

Muko, however, floated casually in mid-air, gazing up at the King of Blazing Sun, a childlike, innocent smile on her lips, as if a child had discovered a new and fascinating toy:

"********~" Mu Zi's voice was cheerful, as if she was greeting the King of Yangyan. However, the King of Yangyan did not respond. He had long lost his mind and was left with only pure killing intent, a tyrannical nature, and hatred for everything in the world.

This time, eight different sacred objects formed from black matter emerged from the corona behind the King of Blaze's head—an axe, sword, spear, knife, hammer, staff, shield, and mirror. The King of Blaze held one of these sacred objects in each of his eight arms and launched a relentless attack on Muko.

The pure white cloak fluttering behind Mu Zi burned like flames, and the corners of her mouth still held a pure smile. She did not try to avoid the Sunfire King's attack, but instead flew towards it. She spun gracefully, her posture like that of the most outstanding dancer.

Mu Zi raised his hand, and the King of Yangyan's holy sword shattered; Mu Zi stood on tiptoe, and the King of Yangyan's giant axe broke; Mu Zi looked up, and the King of Yangyan's spear exploded...

Mu Zi waved the pure white cloak behind her. The cloak grew infinitely, yet it also gathered a light deeper than the universe. The cloak straightened, becoming like a long sword that could cleave the heavens and the earth.

Mu Zi spun around, causing the cloak behind her to spin as well. With devastating force, all eight arms of the King of Yang Yan, which were holding the sacred artifacts, were severed at the same time. The eight sacred artifacts fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Mu Zi stomped hard on the strange crimson-gold mask of the King of Yangyan. Despite his slender body, which was as thin as dust, he unleashed an incredible amount of power. The King of Yangyan, who was over a hundred meters tall, lost eight arms, let out an unbelievable roar, lost his balance, and fell heavily backward, resembling a collapsed majestic mountain.

No one could see that deep within Mu Zi's eyes, a wolf-shaped darkness slowly spread out, emitting a cold and inky glow.

----------

"It seems our battle will soon be over, Fenrir's agent." The scarred lieutenant, whose pupils had turned a deep blue, clashed his Dawn of the Winged with Chai Qi's blue folding knife with his left hand. Sparks flew as he exchanged hundreds of blows with Chai Qi in the blink of an eye with incredible skill.

"No matter what you were planning before, Fujiwara no Kageko has reunited with you."

The scarred lieutenant's blade was engraved with countless winged Valkyries, while Chai Qi's folding knife was tattooed with a giant black wolf that seemed to devour its prey.

A fateful duel ensued between the giant wolf and the Valkyrie.

"The fifth chosen one was still devoured."

The shadow of the Overlord surged into Scareye's body, signifying that Scareye had reached a divine descent with the Overlord through the contract with the Purifier. Now, the one fighting Chai Qi is no longer Scareye, but the Ash Overlord whose fearsome name shakes the entire world.

The ruler's hand was extremely steady, like an old oak tree weathered by time. His blade was sometimes heavy and oppressive like a tsunami, and sometimes light and agile like a whirlwind.

"It is clear that a mentally impaired immortal like the King of Yangyan is no longer able to stop Mu Zi from continuing to hunt down the remaining Chosen Ones."

Chai Qi displayed incredible resilience. Even when facing the onslaught of the Overlord, he remained as calm as an iceberg, calmly dealing with each of his opponent's attacks, analyzing, thinking, and resolving them in a clear and methodical way. Deep within Chai Qi's eyes, however, emerged a blood-red light belonging to a wolf.

"You have already lost this war. Give up Pingjing as soon as possible, and you can still recover some of the losses of your Anti-Suppression Bureau."

Chai Qi sometimes used the power of the lamp to create illusions to guide the Overlord to attack false targets, and sometimes used the power of the blade to directly dismantle the Overlord's offensive. Between the real and the fake, although he was undoubtedly suppressed by the Overlord in terms of war skills, he was still able to continue to persevere in dangerous situations. Even though the Overlord kept trying to shake Chai Qi with words, Chai Qi remained silent and did not respond at all.

It appears that the Overlord is merely fighting Chai Qi with blades like a worldly warrior, but only the Overlord and Chai Qi know the true danger within this battle. The Overlord is not trying to kill Chai Qi with his blade. For a representative of the named like Chai Qi, physical damage is meaningless. The only thing that can truly harm Chai Qi is to strip him of his authority to exist.

Like a battering ram repeatedly striking a city gate, the Overlord was testing Chai Qi's limits, searching for the most fatal flaw in Chai Qi's body. Once the Overlord seized an opportunity, it would be Chai Qi's life force that was slain by the Dawn of the Winged Ones. The Overlord's blade was cutting off Chai Qi's very essence. Once killed by the Overlord, the time within Chai Qi's body would undoubtedly be stripped away by the Ash Arts of the Purifiers. The threads of time within an existence of Chai Qi's caliber were undoubtedly top-quality goods, even to the Overlord of Ashes. The Overlord's gaze was playful and mocking. He was quite looking forward to the real gains he would reap after Chai Qi's "city gate" was opened.

However, the Dominator's offensive abruptly paused for a moment. He sensed that something was amiss. Chai Qi, a being skilled in the power of lamps, had managed to hold out against him for so long with only a strange folding knife. Moreover, Chai Qi's counterattack posture was surprisingly similar to his own as the Dominator, the Purifier.

He was as if he were fighting against his own reflection.

A sense of absurdity, as if I had been fooled, welled up inside me.

However, behind Shiba Inu, the Akita Inu transformed into Fenrir, a giant wolf as black as night, revealed an extremely cruel smile and spoke in human language once more:

"Lord of Ashes, do you really think our operation this time is just to kill the chosen ones within the Molting Club? Everyone knows that Fujiwara no Kageko's fate is already sealed and cannot be altered; she is destined to become the incarnation of Kirieko. But being unalterable does not mean she cannot be corrupted or desecrated..."

"You should understand that the language of wolves can corrupt everything, because resentment is deeply rooted in the heart of anyone. As long as resentment is not dispelled, the sound of wolves will never be extinguished."

“You also harbor deep resentment in your heart, and you are battling your own resentment,”

"Hmph, you actually made this kind of preparation from the very beginning? I really underestimated you." The Overlord's expression suddenly darkened, and his attack abruptly stopped, clearly he had also realized the truth.

The Overlord understood that with Chai Qi's goal already achieved, continuing the battle would only result in greater losses. Even if he killed Chai Qi, he would not be able to obtain the desired gains from Chai Qi's body, because Chai Qi was now just an empty shell with only the shadow of the Rending Wolf. Fighting him would be both strenuous and fruitless, as there was no time left in his body.

The shadow of the Split Wolf is an extremely high-level influence, capable of even awakening the deepest hatred within the named one. Only agents who have personally witnessed the Split Wolf in the Netherworld are qualified to bring this influence into the mortal realm. Chai Qi never appeared in this false history in his true form; what he fought against the Overlord and Scarface was merely an empty shell imbued with the shadow of the Split Wolf.

Although the Shadow of the Rending Wolf can only reside in this world for a maximum of half a day, it can draw power from the resentment of any being. Similarly, the Shadow can learn the combat skills that the Overlord has honed throughout his life from the Overlord's resentment. Continuing to fight here is nothing more than swinging a sword to cut the reflection in the mirror.

So he abandoned Chai Qi, sheathed the Dawn of the Winged Ones, and turned to leave.

"Chai Qi" and the black wolf made no attempt to pursue, for they knew they could never defeat Scarface, who had been summoned by the Lord.

"I will visit you again, Fenrir's agent. I will find the real you." The Overlord coldly declared his determination to kill, then disappeared into the shadows of the fabricated history.