Hidan stormed out of Lord Takigawa's chamber with clenched fists.
"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."
"I don't need anyone sticking their nose into my business."
"Some stupid Divine Punishment… who cares."
He disappeared down the corridor.
Inside the execution hall, Shinji Akagi kept his head lowered.
Then a faint smile crept across his face.
Synchronization Level Increased
+80
The surge hit instantly.
Combined with the +20 from the hot spring incident, Shinji had cleared in ten days what previously took an entire month.
Efficient.
Painful.
Worth it.
Being pierced eighteen times in public had not been for nothing.
Earlier, while suspended on the spears, he had also died once.
Status Update
Death Event Quality: LowCursed Energy Increase: MinorPhysical Reinforcement: MinorMental Fortitude Increase: Minor
Shinji still didn't understand what qualified as a "high-quality death."
Did exploding count?
Did meaningful sacrifice count?
No idea.
He stopped thinking about it.
Shinji became the first person in cult history to survive Divine Punishment.
No one was particularly shocked.
After all, pseudo-immortality existed.
Once the novelty faded, operations returned to normal.
Something else changed.
Hidan stopped picking fights.
Instead, he trained.
Relentlessly.
Taijutsu.
Weapon drills.
Endurance.
The message was clear.
He intended to come back stronger.
Lord Takigawa was pleased.
So pleased that resources began quietly shifting toward both Shinji and Hidan.
Better meals.
More recovery supplies.
Priority access to experimental data.
Lord Takigawa understood his cult's limits.
They bullied small nations.
Nothing more.
If a major power took interest, they would be erased overnight.
What he needed…
Were pillars.
Two undying sorcerers.
Blood Curse: Death Link.
Blood Art: Red Dominion.
Given time, they could reach the level of elite combatants.
Maybe higher.
And with that…
The Jashin Cult would no longer be insignificant.
"Shinji," Lord Takigawa said one afternoon after a blood sample was drawn. "How long have you been with us?"
"About three months."
He nodded.
"Then it's time you take on a task."
Shinji felt a flicker of caution.
Test?
Or trust?
Either way, it didn't matter.
He wasn't leaving yet.
"Give the order," Shinji said evenly. "I exist to serve Jashin."
Lord Takigawa smiled.
"You and Hidan are the future of this cult. Don't rush to offer your lives. When that day comes, we will all walk to Jashin together."
Shinji bowed his head.
Inside, he scoffed.
You first.
Aloud, he remained respectful.
"Yes, Lord Takigawa."
"There is a financier in the Land of Waves who has supported us in secret. Recently, he encountered trouble."
"You and Hidan will handle it."
"Sheltering here will not make you strong. Only real bloodshed does."
Shinji nodded.
Understood.
No illusions about this being simple.
A real mission meant real killing.
Elsewhere, Hidan reacted exactly the same.
Why the hell do I have to work with that bastard?
But Lord Takigawa's decision was final.
He believed friction forged bonds.
He believed shared slaughter created loyalty.
And perhaps…
He wasn't entirely wrong.
Two immortals.
One mission.
The Jashin Cult's experiment had entered a new phase.