From the hillside not far away, Jiang Yan and Raiden Ei witnessed everything happening below.
The more Jiang Yan watched, the darker his expression became.
Even the air around him trembled, letting out cracking sounds as if it could no longer withstand the pressure.
There was no doubt—
This man was furious.
Behind Raiden Ei, the Ring of a Hundred Eyes slowly manifested, killing intent flickering in her gaze.
"Ignorant…"
A voice colder than winter slipped through Jiang Yan's clenched teeth.
"Utterly, hopelessly ignorant!!"
At that moment, Jiang Yan felt a powerful urge to summon the Great Buddha and simply annihilate all of them.
How ignorant—how less than animals—did one have to be to commit something this vile?
Ruu was just a child!
Such a young child—and they wanted to put him on the altar, turn him into a sacrifice?!
Did these people have no hearts at all?!
Among the cheering crowd, Jiang Yan even recognized two familiar faces—the ones he had seen yesterday.
Ruu's parents.
"…My apologies. To think such foolish, rotten people still exist within Inazuma."
Raiden Ei's voice carried guilt. Jiang Yan turned toward her.
Her expression was emotionless, but she already held her naginata in hand.
"Ah… it's fine. Even you didn't know there were still residents left on this land…"
Jiang Yan reassured her gently, then began walking down the slope.
"Where are you going?" Ei asked immediately.
"These ignorant fools wanted to see a god."
Jiang Yan didn't look back. His steps simply paused.
"Then I'll show them what a god truly is."
With that, he continued down the hillside.
"You stay up here."
"This matter—"
"—I'll handle it, even if it means overstepping in Inazuma's affairs."
Raiden Ei originally wanted to follow him, but after hearing Jiang Yan's words, she stopped.
At the ritual grounds, the villagers finished their ceremonial dance and lined up in rows, kneeling toward Ruu.
The village chief stepped forward and drew a small, polished knife from his sleeve.
"G-Grandpa Chief…"
Ruu stared at the knife, fear welling up in his eyes as the old man approached.
"Be good, Ruu. It'll be over quickly."
The chief smiled as he placed a clay jar beneath Ruu.
Then he stepped forward, ready to begin the ritual.
But just as the blade was about to pierce Ruu—
The ground shook violently.
Caught off guard, the village chief fell backward.
The island roared.
Rocks fractured.
Earth split apart around the ritual grounds.
The chief stared behind Ruu in horror, mumbling incomprehensibly.
From the earth behind Ruu, a colossal Buddha—nearly a thousand meters tall—rose into the sky.
The Thousand-Armed Wheel floated behind it.
The Buddha sat in meditation, seven-colored radiance blooming from its form.
In his Twin Star state, Jiang Yan's manifestation of the Great Buddha shone with the same dual-colored brilliance.
Dreamlike.
Otherworldly.
Like a true deity descending to the mortal realm.
The ignorant villagers had never witnessed anything remotely comparable.
A thousand-meter Buddha—
No lightning bird could compare to such overwhelming visual force.
Almost all the villagers collapsed on the ground, trembling in terror.
Some even soiled themselves on the spot.
"G-God… a god…"
The village chief muttered.
Compared to the Thunderbird, the massive Buddha felt far more like a true god.
He hadn't expected it—
Offering Ruu could actually summon such a powerful divine being!
His instincts twisted the situation into a complete misunderstanding:
He thought the Great Buddha came because of the sacrifice.
"R-Respected Lord God!"
Without hesitation, the village chief scrambled forward and prostrated himself.
"If you desire this sacrifice, please take him!"
"As long as you offer us your divine protection!"
At that moment, a deep, thunderous voice boomed from the sky—
"Ignorant mortals!"
"Do you know that committing such inhuman acts will bring…"
"THE WRATH OF THE GODS?!"
Jiang Yan infused his elemental power into his voice, making it resonate, heavy and all-encompassing throughout the ritual field.
And the moment his words ended—
A wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, sweeping over the villagers like a descending storm.
For that instant—
It was the punishment of a divine being.
Under Jiang Yan's precise control, the Haki crushed the villagers with overwhelming pressure—
Enough to terrify them,
But not enough to knock them unconscious.
And it worked.
To these villagers, it felt like divine retribution.
"G-God is angry!!"
Everyone fell to their knees.
Especially the chief—
He kowtowed wildly, smashing his forehead until it bled.
"Forgive us, O Divine One!"
"Mercy, Lord God!!!"
Jiang Yan stared at them and momentarily didn't know what to say.
He even felt… a touch of pity.
But he didn't soften.
He would not spare these people.
Because if he spared them today, it wouldn't be long before they resumed this cursed ritual.
Even if Ruu was saved today—
More children like him would eventually be offered to the altar.
"You have angered me."
The voice echoed from the Great Buddha, making all the villagers freeze, trembling.
But it was already too late.
Countless wooden vines erupted from the ground, instantly binding the villagers.
"Let you taste—what it feels like to be cut apart a thousand times."
In an instant, numerous wooden crosses rose from the earth.
The villagers' arms were nailed wide to the sides, though their legs were left free.
Whenever they sagged under their own weight,
Their arms were pulled, sending searing pain through their bodies.
Instinctively, they would try to push themselves back up.
And that—
Was the deadliest part.
The crosses sprouted countless barbed spikes, scraping their flesh every time they moved. Each slide tore off strips of skin.
The torture was unbearable.
The villagers screamed and wailed in agony.
Within moments, their bodies were already mangled beyond recognition.
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