Initiation Ceremony

[Injury Aura]

Heal, share the injuries of one's own kind, and soothe the soul.

It was a rather simple description for what was essentially a group healing aura, and since it only worked on one's own kind, it seemed to fall short of its four-character name.

"Guardian, the flock seems to have undergone some changes! The injuries of some sheep are improving! One of them even seems to be glowing." Ryomiya Hirosue had observed the sheep's rapid recovery and hurried to report to Shiraishi Wataru.

Shiraishi Wataru took a perfunctory look and nodded. "Not bad. It seems one of the sheep has awakened a healing ability."

"Should we pause the experiment and isolate the awakened sheep?"

"No need. Continue the experiment. Only those who survive are qualified to become pawns."

Ryomiya Hirosue looked at the flock with a hint of envy, but she quickly adjusted her mindset; in reality, it was the flock that should have been envying her.

As the experiment progressed, Shiraishi Wataru finally witnessed the truly absurd nature of this ability.

No matter how the predators tore into any of the ordinary sheep, the aura would redistribute the damage to the sheep that had adapted Steel Body, rendering the attacks completely ineffective.

In the end, Shiraishi Wataru had to step in himself. Under the increased pressure, the aura distributed the damage among all the sheep, with the strongest ones bearing the brunt of the burden.

In other words, the effectiveness of this ability depended on the number and strength of one's peers nearby.

It was an interesting ability, though it was a bit redundant for Shiraishi Wataru now. Unless he controlled several parasitic bodies simultaneously to share damage, the aura had a range limit. If he had the effort to spare for that, why not just use Void Walk to become immune to damage?

Still, it was better than nothing. The fact that a mutation occurred during Ryomiya Hirosue's first attempt was, from a metaphysical perspective, a good omen.

Two days later.

At a winery owned by the Huajin Group on the outskirts of Tokyo, big shots from all over the world gathered, including heirs to major Japanese families, powerful ministers, and young scions of foreign financial conglomerates. If everyone here were to sneeze at once, the financial world would tremble for three days.

They all had one purpose for coming: to observe the initiation and pill-bestowal ceremony of the Holy Infant Society, the only transcendent force that had revealed a willingness to cooperate.

Although in Shiraishi Wataru's design, the The Supreme to which Inagaki Miki belonged also counted as a force, they had not displayed any means like bestowing the Holy Son Pill, and currently only maintained a collaborative attitude with the Special Affairs Bureau.

However, Inagaki Miki had still been invited as a special guest today.

On a lawn, a large buffet had been set up early. People moved through the area, chatting with one another. Occasionally, one could see elderly men in wheelchairs, weakly whispering to those beside them, their eyes filled with longing and anticipation.

Toyokawa Jousei walked through the rows of buffet tables, holding the hand of Hoshino Nanako, an idol singer who had recently debuted and risen to fame for her sweet appearance, as they selected food to their liking.

"Jousei-kun, is my outfit okay today? Is it too casual?" Hoshino tensed up and asked the same question for the third time.

"It's fine. We don't have much to talk about with those people, so don't worry about them. Want some durian?"

"I want some! But I have to watch my figure."

"If you want it, eat it. Worry about your figure tomorrow."

"Nom. So good!"

The two of them seemed out of place among the political and business elites, but no one dared to look down on them. In fact, many envied them for being able to step into the transcendent realm ahead of others, and at such a young age, too.

"Is everyone here?" Nobuo Hirosue checked his watch and asked his son.

Hideyasu Hirosue confirmed, "All the guests on the list have arrived. No one is late."

"Good. Notify the members to enter. I'm going to assist the President."

"Yes."

In the center of the open-air venue was a meticulously decorated area, surrounded by long rows of seats for the observers.

As the members gathered in their uniform attire, the observers took their seats according to the list.

Even if some were dissatisfied with their assigned spots, no one was foolish enough to cause a scene here. Instead, they sat down with smiles and began chatting with those around them, appearing completely unbothered by such trifles.

Soon, the observer seats were full. In the center of the venue, a dozen members had gathered—these were the loyal members who had passed the trials.

Before long, Nakai Hayato and Nobuo Hirosue carried the coffin into the venue and placed it in the center.

The members held candlesticks and sat cross-legged in their pre-arranged positions. Led by the President, the followers began to chant the Society's tenets.

"Please, let the new members enter—"

The new members sitting in the front stood up one after another and walked into the venue in turn.

Once they were in position, the Ninth Guardian descended leisurely from the sky, drawing gasps from the crowd.

After the tenets were recited and the society uniforms were bestowed, the main event of the day began: the pill-bestowal ceremony.

The Holy Infant, dressed in luxurious and mysterious attire, floated up from the coffin. Nakai Hayato knelt first, followed by the rest of the members.

Nakai Hayato announced the names of those receiving the pills, and amidst gazes filled with envy, five people knelt before the Holy Infant.

Even the severely ill old men among them refused help, trembling as they climbed out of their wheelchairs to kneel with great difficulty.

The Holy Infant swept a cold, indifferent gaze over them.

Among them were a man and a woman from the Special Affairs Bureau, both quite young, followed by two elderly men in wheelchairs—one Westerner and one Easterner—as well as a Westerner of about thirty years old.

The Holy Infant did not say a word; with a wave of his hand, five Holy Son Pills floated before each of them.

Finally, he scanned everyone present, giving them a moment of heart-pounding dread before lying back down in the coffin.

The recipients first expressed their gratitude, then swallowed the pills immediately, feeling the changes taking place in their bodies.

The most obvious changes were in the two elderly men; the illnesses that had plagued them for years vanished without a trace, and the strength they had lost long ago began to return. Even as long-time controllers of famous financial conglomerates, they could not contain their composure at this moment and burst into loud laughter.

"Is this what it means to be transcendent?"

Jamie Walton gently clenched his fist, muttering to himself, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth.

"Did you awaken?"

"Aside from Hyper-dense Skin, there's also a significant boost in strength."

"I also have Hyper-dense Skin, and another ability that feels a bit vague."

The two members of the Special Affairs Bureau exchanged whispers.

[Blood Burning Art]

This was the mutation ability of that Westerner, and also the first three-character ability Shiraishi Wataru had encountered. Its daily function was merely a moderate enhancement to physical fitness. Its primary effect was the ability to burn one's own blood to gain four abilities: [Super Strength], [Steel Body], [Regeneration], and [Flight]. The more abilities used simultaneously, the greater the consumption. After the burst, the user would enter a period of weakness, which could be accelerated through blood transfusions.

[Blade]

The mutation ability of the male Special Affairs Bureau member. It provided a minor boost to strength, and as long as he held any edged weapon—be it a sword, knife, or axe—he would gain unprecedented proficiency. He could easily slice bullets in half and could even unleash legendary attack methods like blade beams and sword qi.

The fact that two people had awakened immediately after taking the pill was somewhat unexpected for Shiraishi Wataru, though these two abilities would likely end up gathering dust in the archives.