Chapter 178: Kurusu Konochi, Begin Your Performance!
Seitenshi's expression remained calm. She now trusted Ren unconditionally. If he said this man was an enemy, he was, regardless of his act.
Saiki Kusuo's eyes flickered, his telepathy already hearing the man's frantic inner voice.
"I must pretend! I must! Only then can I survive! That monster killed Biba without lifting a finger! From now on, I am Kurusu Konochi! I am the loyal bodyguard!"
"Oh ho."
Ren heard the thought as clearly as if it were shouted. He knew what the cultivator was thinking without even needing to guess.
This guy was quite shrewd, but unfortunately, he had met them.
Without exposing him, Ren folded his arms, a glint of cruel amusement in his eyes, and quietly watched him perform.
Kurusu Konochi didn't notice Yomogawa Ayame's body tremble, not with fear of him, but with disgust.
He stood up, faced Ren's group, drew his samurai sword (the original Kurusu's), and shouted at them, "Who exactly are you people? Why did you kidnap Lady Ayame? And what sorcery is this?!"
Ren didn't speak, and the others, sensing his intent, wouldn't answer either.
Kurusu Konochi saw that his questions went unanswered. He put on a brave, desperate face.
"Lady Ayame, please return to the Armored Train with me immediately! It's too dangerous here!"
As long as I can get her back there, into the crowd...
He reached out, trying to pull Yomogawa Ayame behind him, to "protect" her.
But to his surprise, Yomogawa Ayame flinched back violently, retreating in panic.
It wasn't until she bumped into Ren's solid frame that her fearful heart gained a sliver of security.
Kurusu Konochi's heart sank. He forced a confused, pained smile. "Lady Ayame, what are you doing? We need to return to the Armored Train. Only there is safe."
Tears of sorrow and betrayal welled in Yomogawa Ayame's eyes. Her trembling finger pointed straight at him. "You... you're not Kurusu! Who are you?!"
Hearing this, Kurusu Konochi immediately became anxious, his act faltering. "I am Kurusu Konochi, Lady Ayame's guard! Please look closely! It's me!"
He fumbled, trying to sound sincere. "If you don't believe me, ask me anything! I can answer any question about our past!"
But his performance did not earn Yomogawa Ayame's trust; instead, it made her even more sorrowful.
Ren had already let her see everything from the transmigrator's memory.
What stood before her was merely a monster wearing Kurusu Konochi's skin.
Clap... clap... clap!
Ren clapped his hands slowly, a mocking smile on his face. "Good acting. Truly, 10 out of 10."
He placed his hands reassuringly on Yomogawa Ayame's shoulders, bent down, and quietly asked by her side, his voice gentle, "Miss Ayame, how do you think he should be dealt with?"
The warm, reassuring aura brushed against her cheek. Yomogawa Ayame's body trembled, and she stammered, "Sir... could you... could you let the real Kurusu... rest in peace...?"
"No problem."
Ren smiled slightly and pointed a single finger at the panicking cultivator. "I will let him die a natural and peaceful death."
Seeing Ren's action, the death-fearing Kurusu Konochi cried out in terror, dropping his act completely. "No! Lady Ayame, I am Kurusu! Don't kill me! Please!"
He thought his body would explode, just like Biba Amatori's.
In reality...
Such a thing did not happen.
"I'm... fine?"
Kurusu Konochi looked at his body, back and forth, finding no change at all.
He thought he had been spared, but unfortunately, he had thought too much.
"Wait! My body!"
Kurusu Konochi discovered something.
His skin was turning sallow and dull. His hands... they were wrinkling.
Slowly, deep-set wrinkles also began to appear around his eyes and mouth.
"No... This shouldn't be happening! This body... it's a very young, strong body! How can there be wrinkles?!"
By the time he reacted, his body had already begun to rapidly age.
From everyone's perspective, it was a horrifying, silent spectacle.
In just a few seconds, Kurusu Konochi rapidly aged from a strong young man.
His back hunched. His hair thinned and turned a brittle white. His face became a mass of deep wrinkles, his teeth fell out, and his skin became sallow, covered in age spots. He shrunk, his body becoming just skin and bones.
He could barely stand, needing to lean on his sword, which now looked like a trembling cane. He was, in an instant, an old man on the verge of death.
"I..."
The trembling, ancient-looking Kurusu Konochi only managed to utter "I..." before his eyes widened, he gasped for a breath that wouldn't come, and he fell backward, dead.
Hiss!
This incredibly bizarre, silent death made Vivi and Ayame gasp.
Even the people in the Doomsday Chat Group were extremely shocked.
[March 7th: "What just happened?! That person aged... like, 80 years in 5 seconds!"]
[White Blood Cell: "Biologically, humans cannot age that rapidly. That is terrifying."]
[Chihaya: "A young man... suddenly turned into an old man..."]
[Silver Wolf: "This has to be Ren's time power. He didn't just stop time, he accelerated it for one person..."]
[Momonga: "It must be the Big Boss's move! The Big Boss is mighty!"]
[Esdeath: "This is true time manipulation. Time stop, time acceleration... such powerful abilities."]
Even just the ability to stop time was much more powerful than her Mahapadma. Her ability seemed to freeze space, but in reality, it just instantly froze molecular activity. This... this was true control.
Ren clapped his hands, delighted. "Such an operation really works. Much cleaner."
He merely applied the power of time to that person, accelerating his personal growth, directly making Kurusu Konochi rapidly age to death.
Ren looked at Yomogawa Ayame. "How is it? Is he at peace?"
He directly let him die of old age. How peaceful. Like falling leaves returning to their roots.
"..."
Yomogawa Ayame's mouth hung open. She said blankly, "Are you… God?"
"Unfortunately, I am not."
Ren smiled and turned to look at Saiki Kusuo and the others.
When Kurusu Konochi died, the Doomsday Chat Group notification did not appear. The mission was not over.
There were still thousands of Kabane to deal with. Ren said, "Next, I will adjust the time of the entire world to a slowed state. You can earn points yourselves. The more Kabane you kill, the more points you get."
He specifically reminded Saiki Kusuo.
"If you want to perfectly control your Psychic abilities, the various functions in the Chat Group are excellent choices. You should also need points."
"With your ability, you can kill very quickly. It just depends on whether you have the heart for it."
At the end of the day, Saiki Kusuo was just a Psychic with a normal, non-violent mindset.
"Mm."
Saiki Kusuo nodded, and then, without a word, disappeared, teleporting away.
"Seitenshi, Mikasa, and Vivi, you can act on your own in this area. Stay safe."
"Okay!" The three nodded and set off, Mikasa zipping away with her ODM gear while Seitenshi flew, carrying Vivi.
Ren did not resolve everything at once. There were two reasons.
One, to leave some scraps for the mission personnel; he had already taken the big share by killing the two cultivators.
The most important reason was that he needed to conduct an experiment.
The duration of Doom Companion was two days.
If he kept the entire world in a slowed time state, how would these two days be calculated?
Would it be calculated according to the world that Ren perceived—this planet?
Or would it be calculated according to the time of the entire universe, beyond Ren's perception?
What was the difference between two days in the universe and two days on this planet?
These were all things he wanted to understand.
After the others left, only Yomogawa Ayame, Ren, Mumei, and Horobi remained.
Biba Amatori was already dead. Ren also released Horobi from her restraint, letting her fall to the ground. He asked her coldly, "Will you seek revenge?"
As long as he sensed even a hint of hatred in her heart, he would kill her without hesitation. Ren had no habit of leaving enemies alive. Even if she was a beautiful woman.
Horobi's dim, empty eyes glanced at the Soul-Refining Banner on the ground, and finally, she shook her head with a bitter, broken laugh. "No... Sir did the right thing. He... he was never the Young Master."
"Mm."
Indeed, her thoughts were genuine. No hatred or anger. Only despair and a hollow emptiness. She had escaped a disaster.
At the same time, Ren narrowed his eyes and looked at Mumei.
Even if she was a group member, if she showed killing intent, he wouldn't spare her.
"What about you?"
Mumei just shook her head blankly, silently, tears streaming down her face.
Anger? Hatred? These emotions were nonexistent. Her heart was filled only with confusion and a bewildering, agonizing emptiness. Her "brother" was a lie.
As for Yomogawa Ayame, before Ren could ask, she spoke directly, "Thank you, God, for letting Kurusu rest in peace... I... I want to bury Kurusu. May I, Sir?"
"Yes. Burial is simple."
Ren tapped his foot on the ground. The earth trembled slightly.
The spot where Kurusu Konochi's aged body lay, the ground seemed to open its mouth, swallowing him whole. Then, the ground returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
"..."
Yomogawa Ayame was silent, a wry smile appearing on her face. It was the only way. In the earth of Aragane Station, it would count as a burial.
"God... thank you for your help." Yomogawa Ayame bowed deeply.
Seeing the cultivator's evil and terrifying plan, she could imagine what a hell on earth it would have become without Ren's arrival.
"Don't call me God. You can call me Lord Ren."
After Ren said this, he looked up at the millions of wandering, wailing spirits still darkening the sky, trapped by the banner's residual power.
Behind him, massive, golden Redemption Wings bloomed.
"Redemption."
A blinding, warm, golden light shone from him, illuminating the entire station. The surrounding frozen Kabane began to dissolve into light particles, and the screaming spirits in the sky paused.
Their pained expressions softened. They looked toward the light, and one by one, they dissolved, purified and released.
It had a similar, but far more powerful, effect to Aqua's divine light.
And after purifying the spirits and Kabane, Ren felt that a considerable amount of the power of faith was absorbed by the Redemption Wings.
When Yomogawa Ayame saw this scene... this god-like purification...
Her belief that Ren was God grew even stronger.
Although, she would obediently call him Lord Ren from now on.
"Your... friend..." Horobi murmured, staring at Mumei, unable to quite understand. Her friend possessed power like a God.
"..."
Mumei knew nothing. She had only just joined the Doomsday Chat Group. Her whole life was a lie, and her only reality now was the chat screen in her mind and the god-like man in front of her.
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Dedicated Fan"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]