Evil God * Transcendence

While Ordinary People are afraid of death, they are even more afraid of repeating yesterday's mistakes.

The whole family squatted on the Ruins, looking at each other. Finally, the person in charge told each household to send out a able-bodied young man to see what had happened.

A man was being pushed out by his mother, looking reluctant. He turned back and muttered, "Mom, what if I don't come back?" His mother slapped him on the back of the head. "You have to go even if you don't come back! Your daughter is only three years old. Do you want her to be humiliated again?"

Merchants followed suit.

Those who do business believe in this the most, and even if they don't believe it themselves, they will definitely be wary of it.

It's better to believe in Evil Gods than to believe they exist.

Last night's storm was scary enough; if another one were to hit, their resources wouldn't be able to withstand a second round of damage.

The Chamber of Commerce President and Haruto selected some clever and reliable people to go and see for themselves.

The nobles were different.

Foreign Military Advisors and envoys shook their heads faster than rattles when they heard they were going to watch a fight against Evil God.

They were up all night yesterday, vomiting bile. Who would want to suffer again today? They huddled in their makeshift wooden hut, none of them willing to move.

The local nobles, however, all followed suit.

Many of these nobles were followers of Evil Gods.

They suffered in last night's storm, and Izuna's words embarrassed them greatly, but their faith remained deeply rooted.

Their idea was simple.

Go along and see what happens. We'll act accordingly, delaying as long as possible. If we can find a way to make things difficult for Izuna, that would be even better.

If the Evil God is defeated, they can Sacrifice themselves to give the Evil God their last bit of power.

If the Evil God wins, they will be the heroes.

One of the White-Haired Women walked in the middle of the group, her hand tightly gripping the metal pendant on her chest. She took a deep breath and caught up with the people in front of her.

Izuna led his large group of people to the Shrine of Bishamonten.

They arrived at the Shrine and went straight into the Main Hall.

The Main Hall was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside. Thick wooden beams stretched across the high ceiling, covered with a thin layer of dust.

Directly in front is a niche dedicated to Bishamonten, inside which stands a wooden statue of the deity, clad in armor, holding a spear, with a fierce expression.

On the altar in front of the statue were several dusty bronze plates, the offerings inside long since dried up.

Various swords, spears, and halberds were displayed on the weapon racks on both sides.

There were also some items called "Magic Artifact" scattered on the shelves.

Several flags hung deep inside the Main Hall, swaying slightly in the breeze seeping in through the window cracks.

The flag was covered in dust, its color was dull, and the patterns on it were not very clear.

As Uzumaki Enma followed the group to the entrance of the Main Hall, he glanced inside and suddenly slowed down.

He squinted and stared at the flags for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Luotai asked quietly from the side.

Enma didn't answer immediately. He glanced at it again before lowering his voice and saying, "The Runes drawn on those flags... weren't just random scribbles."

Luotai was surprised. "You can understand it?"

Enma rolled her eyes. "Of course! You've forgotten everything I told you before, haven't you?"

Luotai chuckled. He hadn't expected Enma to be able to understand it; after all, what merchant would understand such things?

"Look at those lines, one circle after another, they're very similar to the array diagrams used to suppress and seal things in my hometown. They're just drawn more roughly, like someone copied them and only managed to imitate about 70-80% of them."

Luotai frowned. "You mean, something is sealed away in this place too?"

Enma shook his head. "It's hard to say, you can't see clearly from here."

The Main Hall was empty and silent.

Izuna stood at the doorway, looked around, and then raised his hand to wave behind him.

"I'll go in alone next."

Madara frowned. "Izuna."

Izuna's tone left no room for negotiation, "Something's wrong in this hall. You all wait outside."

Hashirama was about to say something when Tobirama tugged at his Tobirama. Tobirama shook his head at him. Hashirama glanced at Izuna's retreating figure and swallowed his words.

The moment Izuna stepped across the threshold, a wave of nausea rushed to his head.

The feeling had nothing to do with physical condition; it was a purely offensive feeling.

It was as if there was something dirty that shouldn't be there and needed to be cleaned up.

He stood in the center of the hall, frowning, his gaze sweeping around, the nausea lingering around him, unable to pinpoint its source.

He lingered in the hall for a moment, then suddenly stopped in front of a flag.

Izuna reached out and lifted the corner of the flag, revealing a narrow opening in the wooden wall behind it.

The opening is very narrow, about the width of a fingernail, hidden in the shadow of the flagpole, and cannot be seen at all unless the flag is lifted.

That nauseating feeling seeped out from that crack.

Mokushō followed behind him, keeping his head down from the moment he entered the hall, his eyes behind the mask fixed on the ground, without uttering a word.

At that moment, he suddenly squatted down and placed his palm on the floor directly beneath the seventh flag.

"Izuna." He looked up. "Down there, that's it."

Izuna immediately clenched his fist and slammed it downwards.

With a loud bang, wood chips and gravel exploded, and a hole cracked open in the center of the floor, revealing a dark, hollow cavity underneath.

A Secret Door to a secret room was revealed through the damaged area.

Izuna crouched down and cleared away the broken wood chips and pebbles one by one, revealing a downward stone staircase below.

The steps were narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, and the stone surface was covered with a thin layer of dust, indicating that they had been there for many years.

He stepped inside.

With each step taken, the aversion in my heart intensified.

The deeper you go, the deeper the feeling becomes, as if something is seeping into your skin.

At the end of the steps, an archway blocked my way.

The door was made of stone, with a smooth, polished surface, and a skull symbol was embedded in the center at eye level.

The skull was crudely carved, with two irregular holes in its eye sockets and jagged teeth. Izuna felt uncomfortable just acknowledging its existence, let alone looking at it directly.

Something in that symbol was whispering to his killing instincts.

Izuna abruptly pulled his gaze away from the grinning skull, took a deep breath, and suppressed the urge in his chest to immediately activate his Mangekyō Sharingan and crush this place into dust.

He reached out and pushed open the stone door.

The space behind the door suddenly opened up.

The interior space is very spacious, almost like an underground stone cave.

The ceiling was very high, hidden in the darkness and the top was not visible. Two rows of stone benches were neatly arranged facing the stone wall at the end, the bench surfaces were worn shiny, and it was clear that people sat on them all year round.

The stone wall was covered with densely packed symbols and characters, the strokes crooked and uneven.

A row of skulls hung from the roof, suspended by thin ropes, their empty eye sockets all facing downwards.

As Izuna passed beneath them, the skulls swayed slightly.

A low wooden table leaned against the base of the stone wall.

The tabletop was covered with a thick layer of dust, and several small, bowl-shaped pits were lined up in the center of the table, with dark-colored residue remaining at the bottom.

Izuna leaned closer and took a sniff; it had a dry, rusty, fishy smell.

It was dried blood.

Mokushō looked around the secret chamber and said, "This should be Sacrifice Chamber. It's quite eerie."

Izuna suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He saw someone.

The man's face was pitch black, with pustules and scars scattered around a single, flame-like dark red eye. Sharp teeth gleamed metallically in his lipless mouth.

A scorching, death-laden wind swept over Izuna, enveloping her in its stench.

In the blink of an eye, the entire basement was transformed.

A sinister red star looked down at him from above, like a terrifying giant eye spewing flames.

Enormous, pitch-black monsters and swarms of insects that blotted out the sky surged forth from that giant eye, transforming into an endless torrent that engulfed the entire world in a wave of blood.

A sea of raging flames rose from the tide of blood, engulfing everything in its path, leaving only scorched and desolate Wasteland in its wake.

"Holy crap." Izuna frowned and took a half-step back. "How disgusting!"

"You are witnessing the destruction of the world." The voice pressed down from all directions.

Izuna let out a cold laugh. In the torrent surging from the depths of the crimson giant eye, amidst the endless flames and madness, his eyes involuntarily ignited with gold.

"The annihilation of the egg," he said. "To dare to show off one's limited knowledge in front of me is truly courting death."

The next second, a blue Light Blade appeared in his hand, and he swung it down.

In an instant, seven cracks appeared on the ground, shattering the Evil God and his illusion into pieces.

The Evil God let out a shriek, bursting through the earth above its head and shooting into the sky, intending to attack the crowd.

But Mokushō wouldn't let him have his way.

Mokushō raised his hand and shouted, "Conclude!"

The moment the words fell, a defensive array composed of countless Pentagrams and Rune Array rose from the ground, golden patterns intertwining to form a light screen that enveloped everyone inside.

Then there's another layer.

Another layer.

Before the crowd could react, five layers of light had already piled up above them. The light curtains were layered one on top of the other, so thick that the sky outside could no longer be seen.

The crowd, which had been screaming in fear, fell silent, staring blankly at the black mist that had crashed into the first layer of shell without even leaving a mark.

Oh, is this really necessary?

Mokushō stood inside the formation, speechless.

"No way, buddy," he couldn't help but shout at the cloud of black mist, "Is it that weak?"

Upon hearing this, the black mist surged violently, as if enraged by the words. It screamed desperately, its voice shrill and piercing, trying to penetrate the formation.

But after the shriek pierced through the five layers of shell, all that reached the ears of those inside was a muffled buzzing sound, like the buzzing of mosquitoes.

The followers of the Jashin Cult were also in the formation.

When they first came in with the group, they were still trying to cause trouble. But now, trapped inside the five layers of shells and hearing the shrill cries of the black mist outside, their faces grew increasingly grim.

Because they sensed it clearly.

That dark, shadowy thing was forcing them out.

The shriek filled their minds, carrying an irresistible sense of command, as if this thing was trying to control them.

They were originally willing to die for the Evil God, but people are inherently rebellious.

Voluntarily sacrificing oneself is called faith, but being forced to commit suicide is a completely different matter.

Moreover, looking at that black mist, no one would think it was a good thing. If the other party had an air of otherworldly elegance and flowing robes, it would be one thing, but this ugly appearance was simply unbearable to look at.

Fukurokuju clenched his fists, his face flushed red, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

He was originally an important Elder in the Jashin Cult, attending monthly gatherings and even participating in Sacrifices.

But now, being forced into this position by the black mist, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Why do I worship this thing?

The White-Haired Woman pulled the metal pendant from her collar, clutched it in her hand, stared at it for two seconds, and then suddenly let go and threw it to the ground.

"What the hell is this thing..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

Seeing that he couldn't break the Formation immediately, the Evil God realized he was no match for Izuna and turned to run away.

It transformed into a jet-black line and instantly disappeared over a thousand meters away.

Izuna's sword couldn't reach it.

In a panic, he ripped off the necklace around his neck, clutched it in his hand, and shouted, "Tsukimiyo! Stop him!"

The red bead on the necklace suddenly lit up.

Immediately afterward, in a split second, Tsukimiyo's figure appeared out of thin air and then he rushed out.

The speed was too fast; those below couldn't see the process clearly at all, only a flash of black light followed by a loud bang.

It exploded.

The deafening flames and roar were like a million windows shattering at the same time. The flames howled, and orange-red light rose from the treetops, turning half the sky dark red.

Even through the Barrier, the shockwave still made the light screen vibrate.

The five layers of shell swayed simultaneously, with the outermost layer shaking the most violently; the Runes flickered twice before stabilizing.

Some people in the crowd covered their ears, some squatted down, and some even sat down on the ground.

A moment later, the roar gradually subsided, leaving only the crackling sound of burning flames drifting from afar.

Izuna lowered his hands from his ears, gazing at the distant, raging forest with a complex expression.

He said to Mokushō, who had dispelled the Barrier and walked to his side, "Isn't he... going a bit too far...?"

Mokushō seemed speechless as well. "Well... who told that Evil God to be so unworthy of his name... we all thought..."

Izuna turned to look at him. "You all thought?"

Mokushō paused for a moment, then said, "It's nothing."

"Oh." Izuna withdrew his gaze and looked back at the sea of fire. "Too weak, huh?"

Mokushō nodded, his feelings complicated.

"It's unbelievable that a mere Evil God has fallen to such a state. No wonder he's been hiding and afraid to show his face."

Izuna put the necklace back around her neck, the red beads still warm against her collarbone. "So... that's it?"

"Not yet." Mokushō withdrew his gaze. "We still need to open the Gate of the Underworld and send him Underworld before things are settled."

Izuna glanced at the sea of fire, then at Mokushō, his tone uncertain. "I think he's probably reduced to ashes."

Mokushō: "..."

"Does this even need Transcendence to help the deceased pass on?"

Don't ask me, I don't know either. Mokushō thought to himself.