Chapter 3 — Death Possession Blood and Blood Manipulation
"Begin," the Cult Leader said calmly.
They entered another sealed chamber.
Inside, two unfortunate souls were bound to crosses like crucifixions, terror frozen on their faces. Their wrists had already been cut open, blood pouring steadily into bowls placed beneath them, quickly filling to the brim.
Faced with such a scene, no one in the room reacted—not even Akagi Shinji, who had already grown accustomed to sights like this over the past few days.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Hidan strode up to one of the unlucky victims. Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up one of the bowls of blood and tilted his head back, drinking it down in one go.
Glug. Glug.
Crash!
The bowl slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. The remaining blood splashed across the ground.
Hidan let out a feral grin, stomped directly into the mess, and began drawing a strange symbol with his foot.
Very quickly, a circular pattern enclosing a triangle took shape—painted entirely with blood.
When he finished, Hidan stood within the symbol, trembling with excitement.
He could clearly feel it.
At that moment, the chakra inside his body rapidly transformed into a special kind of power. That power surged forth, completely enveloping the blood he had just consumed.
"That's it… that's it! Hahahahaha!"
Unable to contain himself, Hidan clutched his forehead with one hand and doubled over in manic laughter.
When he finally straightened up again, his entire appearance had undergone a drastic change.
His skin turned pitch black, and streaks of white patterns rapidly spread across his body—symmetrical, deliberate, and horrifying to behold.
Still laughing wildly, Hidan reached into his robes once more and pulled out a short spear. With curious excitement, he lightly dragged it across his own chest.
A long, bloody gash instantly appeared.
Was he simply indulging in self-harm?
No.
The excitement in Hidan's eyes only grew more intense.
Because the unfortunate man whose blood he had drunk suddenly developed the exact same wound on his chest.
Pshhk!
Hidan stared fixedly at his victim as he drove the short spear straight into his own right leg.
"Mmm—!"
The victim's right leg immediately erupted in a spray of blood, but with his mouth gagged, all he could do was let out muffled cries.
"It hurts… it really hurts…" Hidan murmured, shuddering.
"But damn it… it feels so good!!!"
"Hahahaha… let's die together!"
Amid his insane laughter, Hidan repeatedly stabbed himself, carving hole after hole into his own body. Blood splattered everywhere, yet his expression twisted into one of euphoric ecstasy, as though he were about to ascend to heaven.
Thud!
The curse technique suddenly deactivated on its own.
Hidan collapsed flat onto his back, limbs spread wide, his face filled with deep satisfaction—as if he didn't even need a post-event cigarette.
At some point, the unlucky victim's eyes had gone wide.
He hadn't even died from blood loss.
He had been scared to death.
Seeing this, the Jashin Cult members observing and recording everything nearby all broke into expressions of extreme excitement.
They had succeeded again!
Even the Cult Leader couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. Hidan truly was the most precious gift Jashin-sama had bestowed upon him. In just one month, he had already trained this curse technique to such a level.
Though the duration was still short, it was more than enough to inspire exhilaration.
Compared to this…
The Cult Leader's gaze flickered slightly as he looked toward Akagi Shinji.
"You're up, Shinji."
Akagi Shinji stepped forward.
At once, the previously excited and appreciative looks around the room shifted into scrutiny and doubt.
After all, compared to Hidan—who had mastered Death Possession Blood to this degree in just one month—Shinji's current progress was plainly…
Zero.
In truth, even Shinji himself hadn't expected this.
He simply could not cultivate Curse Technique: Death Possession Blood.
Even after forcing himself to overcome his so-called "mental cleanliness," using the absurd justification of "at least drinking blood has fewer parasites" to convince himself, and hardening his resolve enough to try it once…
It still didn't work.
It was as if his very existence was an anomaly.
Someone who should have died, inexplicably lived.
Someone who stumbled into a mutilated version of immortality by sheer dumb luck.
Under such circumstances, failing to cultivate Death Possession Blood almost felt… reasonable.
Besides, he really wasn't keen on drinking blood in the first place.
No other reason—just gross.
Who knew what bloodborne diseases the other person might have? HIV, for instance?
If he caught something like that and then couldn't even die—
That would be beyond unlucky.
So aside from worrying about how to deal with the Jashin Cult, Shinji himself wasn't particularly disappointed.
After all—
He had a cheat system.
And the rewards he'd just obtained were more than enough to get him through this crisis.
Stepping forward, Shinji did not imitate Hidan by drinking the suspicious bowl of blood. Instead, he suddenly pulled out a sharp kunai and slashed it hard across his own left wrist.
Drip. Drip. Drip…
In the silent chamber, Shinji held his left hand out horizontally, wound facing downward, allowing the blood to stream out and drip onto the floor.
Seeing this, Cult Leader Takihata frowned slightly, a trace of displeasure flashing through his eyes.
"What are you—hm?!"
Shinji made no attempt to explain.
He closed his eyes and focused inward.
His chakra suddenly accelerated, flowing through specific pathways in his body. Driven by intense emotion, it rapidly transformed into another form of power—
Cursed Energy.
Then Shinji snapped his eyes open and formed a one-handed seal.
Blood Manipulation!
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, the large amount of blood that had flowed from Shinji's body suddenly seemed to come alive. It twisted into countless blood threads, swirling rapidly around him in chaotic patterns.
The flickering firelight.
The corpses nailed to crosses.
The grotesque religious symbols.
And the blood—writhing as though alive.
The scene possessed an eerie, almost bewitching beauty.
The question Takihata hadn't finished asking no longer needed an answer. Still, to fully intimidate the crowd, Shinji spoke up:
"This is a new curse technique personally bestowed upon me by Jashin-sama—Blood Manipulation."
A new curse technique?
Blood Manipulation?!
Takihata recovered from his shock and looked deeply at Shinji. Then, once more, his expression softened into that of a benevolent elder.
"Very good," he said approvingly.
"Since Jashin-sama has granted you a new curse technique, then focus on mastering it. Praise Jashin-sama~"