"Your heads... are held too high."
The moment those words fell, an invisible pressure surged out from Saint Dio's body like a breached dyke.
Conqueror's Haki!
Everyone present felt as if their hearts were being tightly squeezed by an invisible giant hand, and a fear welling up from the depths of their souls instantly flooded their reason.
They dazedly saw the figure of White Hair rapidly expand and grow larger before their eyes, blotting out the sun like an ancient deity overlooking all living beings.
As for themselves, they had turned into tiny ants crawling at the feet of the god, so small that they did not even have the qualification to look up.
"Thud-!"
"Thud-!"
"Thud-!"
The sounds of steam rifles dropping to the ground rose and fell in succession, followed by the sound of knees slamming heavily against the ground.
Samurai after samurai felt their legs grow weak and involuntarily dropped to their knees, their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground, their teeth chattering out of control and their whole bodies trembling like a sieve.
They even lost the courage to lift their heads, leaving only a single thought in their minds.
What on earth was this entity before them?
As the master of a station, Munechika Shikishima had a stronger willpower than ordinary samurai, but he only managed to hold on for two or three seconds longer.
Immediately afterward, his knees also bent out of control, and his entire body knelt and prostrated on the ground, striking the most submissive dogeza posture.
His forehead pressed tightly against the ground, and his back was already thoroughly soaked in cold sweat.
On the entire platform, the only person still able to stand was Ayame.
Saint Dio's Conqueror's Haki had not enveloped her, but watching the people kneeling and trembling around her, including her usually dignified and steady father, left her at a loss for a moment, not knowing what was best to do.
Saint Dio strode over to stand before her.
He was much taller than her, and as he stood in front of her, that slender figure completely enveloped her.
Ayame instinctively took half a step back, only to find that she had nowhere left to retreat.
Saint Dio reached out, his slender fingers gently brushing across her cheek; the action looked gentle, yet it made Ayame feel a bone-chilling cold.
"It seems I gave you some misunderstanding. I am no good person." His voice was neither high nor low. "I am here to rule you. So, display the respect you ought to."
As his voice trailed off, Jörmungandr behind him suddenly swelled outward.
That snake, which was originally only as thick as an arm, burst in an instant into a gigantic python that blotted out the sky and sun.
Its body soared into the sky, breaking through the roof of the platform and the height of the city wall, standing erected right in the absolute center of Kongoukaku like a pillar supporting the heavens.
Residents of the entire stronghold saw that colossal snake spanning the horizon.
People screamed, wept, and collapsed to their knees, fear spreading through the entirety of Kongoukaku like a plague.
The giant snake lowered its head, those vertical pupils as huge as lanterns overlooking the city beneath its feet, as if inspecting its own territory.
Fortunately, Saint Dio had merely displayed his thunderous methods, making this group feel enough fear.
He did not intend to start a genuine massacre here after all, as that did not align with his purpose.
The deterrence had been achieved, and the effect even exceeded expectations.
With a thought in his mind, the terrifying aura enveloping the entire platform receded like a tide, and Jörmungandr's colossal body that blotted out the sun also began to rapidly shrink, transforming from that giant python capable of coiling around the entire city back into a dark silver longsword, which obediently flew back behind Saint Dio's waist.
After that suffocating oppressive feeling vanished, the samurai kneeling on the ground finally managed to draw deep breaths, sitting paralyzed on the ground one by one like people rescued from drowning, their legs still as soft as noodles and unable to stand up for a long time.
In the gazes they directed toward Saint Dio, there was not a shred of hostility left, replaced entirely by the fear and awe of having survived a catastrophe.
Munechika Shikishima slowly climbed up from the ground, his knees stained with dust, but he had no time to brush them off.
The look in his eyes as he gazed at White Hair had completely changed.
He finally understood what the "god" his daughter spoke of actually meant.
An entity possessing such means had indeed exceeded the category of "human," and calling him a god was no exaggeration.
He bowed deeply, his attitude respectful and humble. "For the offense just now, I ask God to forgive me. Please follow me; I have already ordered quarters of the highest quality prepared for you."
Saint Dio did not say much, merely nodding slightly before stepping forward to follow.
Chapter 20: Power Struggles After Peace, Best to Cling to a Thigh
Under Munechika Shikishima's arrangements, Saint Dio and his entourage were settled in the finest residence within Kongoukaku.
That was a detached courtyard originally belonging to the Yomogawa Family for receiving distinguished guests; the courtyard was spacious and the rooms tidy, and though far from comparable to the luxury of Mary Geoise, in such an apocalyptic environment lacking resources, it already counted as the highest-spec treatment.
Subsequently, Ayame personally arranged personnel to bring Sandersonia and Marigold, who had remained outside the city, into the city as well.
When those two figures nearly three meters in height walked the streets of Kongoukaku, residents along the way invariably cast curious and awe-filled gazes.
Their heights could be called standing out like a crane among chickens in this world, and coupled with their innate oppressive feeling, they caused pedestrians on the street to retreat to both sides in succession, leaving the middle road clear for them to pass through.
The two were long accustomed to this, passing straight through the street without looking aside to arrive at the residence where Saint Dio resided.
Pushing open the gates of the residence, however, they only saw Hancock alone sitting on the veranda, leisurely drinking tea, with a pot of clear tea and a few plates of exquisite pastries set before her in a rather cozy posture.
"Where is the master?" Sandersonia asked.
Hancock swallowed the pastry in her mouth, picked up her teacup to take a sip, and then answered leisurely, "Master and Sister Stussy are busy in the room."
She did not say much more, but Sandersonia and Marigold exchanged glances, instantly understanding what the so-called "busy" referred to.
The two sensibly refrained from pursuing the matter further, each finding a spot to sit down and await their master's next instructions.
As combat personnel, when they had no need for battle, they were instead the most leisurely.
Inside the room, light filtered through the gaps of the paper doors, casting mottled light and shadow on the tatami mats.
An ambiguous atmosphere permeated the air, interspersed with faint sounds of water and suppressed panting.
Stussy braced her hands against the floor, her hips pushed high, her snow-white skin glowing with a thin flush in the dim light.
Her blond curls were scattered disorderly over her shoulders, swaying back and forth with Saint Dio's movements from behind like wheat swaying in the wind.
Saint Dio stood behind her, gripping her arms with both hands as if holding reins, galloping like a horse.
"Mas-, Master... I have already spread... um... those remarks in the city..." Stussy reported her progress intermittently while panting, her voice carrying an unsuppressible tremor. "Now... inside Kongoukaku... at least several dozen people... are spreading the talk of a god's descent..."
Although her voice was fragmented due to the impacts on her body, the content of her report was clear and logical.
This was Stussy; even in her most uninhibited moments, she never forgot her duty.
At that moment in Kongoukaku, street corners and alleys were indeed already beginning to circulate rumors concerning the "god."
"Did you see that? That big snake! It shot up from the platform all at once, higher than the city wall!"
"I heard from my cousin on duty at the platform that it's a god! He can split the earth with a single slash!"
"A god has descended upon Kongoukaku! This is Heaven blessing us!"
Discussions of this sort were spreading among the residents at an astonishing speed.
If one carefully observed the residents who spread the rumors most vigorously, they would find that on the napes of all of them were tiny bite marks resembling those from some insect.
This was precisely one of the abilities of the Bat-Bat Fruit, Vampire Model.
Speaking of vampires, creating blood servants was one of its signature abilities, and Stussy had naturally developed this capability as well.
By injecting her own blood into ordinary human bodies, she could exercise a certain degree of control and influence over them; although she could not achieve complete thought control, it was enough to make them spread specific remarks according to her will.
Using this ability for intelligence work could truly be called achieving twice the result with half the effort.
Beneath the eaves of the residence, dozens of bats the size of palms hung upside down.
They kept their wings folded and remained completely motionless, as if they were merely ordinary roosts.
Yet these bats were all Stussy's eyes and ears; their sight and hearing were shared with Stussy.
Through their eyes and ears, every single movement within Kongoukaku was under Stussy's grasp.
At that moment, through the feedback from the bats, Stussy could clearly perceive that the talk of "God saving the world" had initially fermented in the city, and people's fear was gradually transforming into awe and anticipation; the timing was just about right.
She wanted to open her mouth to report this progress to Saint Dio.
"Ugh-!"
Her body suddenly tensed, and an unsuppressible scream spilled from her lips.
For Saint Dio behind her had suddenly accelerated his speed and force, hammering into her violently like a pile driver.
She completely lost control, leaving only intermittent pants and whimpers as her hands clawed desperately at the edges of the tatami mats.
At that same moment, within the inner quarters of the Yomogawa Family, Munechika Shikishima sat facing his daughter.
The water in the kettle had already boiled, emitting gurgling sounds, and white steam drifted upward, forming an indistinct barrier between the two.
"Father, do you think that Lord God... can really help us eliminate the Kabane?"
Expectant light gleamed within Ayame's eyes.
She had witnessed Saint Dio's heaven-destroying and earth-shattering power with her own eyes.
That sword energy that split the earth, that colossal snake blotting out the sun, and that terrifying pressure that caused the samurai of the entire platform to drop to their knees.
If such an entity was willing to help them, then the scourge of the Kabane that had plagued humanity for many years might truly see an end.
Munechika Shikishima picked up his tea bowl, gently blew away the hot steam, took a sip, and did not answer immediately.
His mind was calculating at high speed.
This so-called "god" was indeed extremely likely to be the crucial turning point to resolve the Kabane.
If his power could be utilized to completely purge those damned monsters, then humanity could retake this land and rebuild the civilization of the past.
But what about after that?
Kariya Shikishima thought further ahead.
The Yomogawa Family was merely the master of a single city called Kongoukaku.
On this land, there were still other station cities of various sizes, each with different lords and families.
Before the threat of the Kabane, the various station cities could set aside their conflicts and cooperate hand in hand, but once the common enemy vanished and peace arrived, the struggle for power would float back to the surface.
At that time, the supreme leaders of the other station cities would all be competitors of the Yomogawa Family when contending for dominance over the new nation.
And if he could firmly grasp this "god" in his own hands-to be precise, make himself the sole spokesperson for the god among mortals.
Then the Yomogawa Family could occupy an absolute advantage in the post-war power landscape.
Relying on the prestige and power of the god to surpass other families, or even go a step further... establishing a new nation ruled by the Yomogawa Family was not an impossible matter.
Munechika Shikishima's fingertips gently stroked the rim of the tea bowl, his gaze deep.
Naturally, these thoughts were things he would only calculate silently in his heart; he could not possibly speak them aloud before his daughter.
Ayame was a kind-hearted child with an upright character, and the education she received from childhood led her to believe that people should trust one another and march forward hand in hand.
She had yet to witness how cruel those bloodless power struggles were.
Even so, it was precisely because of Ayame's innocence that it would be easier to gain the trust of that god.
Munechika Shikishima watched his daughter's face, which flushed slightly at the yearning for a peaceful future, and stroked his beard thoughtfully.
To master that Lord God, one must first figure out what he wanted.
As long as his demands could be satisfied and he was firmly bound to the chariot of the Yomogawa Family, then for the future game of chess, the Yomogawa Family would hold the greatest bargaining chip.
Chapter 21: Creating Blood Servants
With a soft "pop," Saint Dio pulled out from that muddy, wet, and hot expanse.
Stussy collapsed onto the ground like all her bones had been extracted, her hips pushed high still trembling out of control, and her legs quivering like she had the shakes, lacking even the strength to close them together.
Her lower abdomen bulged high from being filled, as if she were pregnant for several months; as her body relaxed, milky-white fluid slowly flowed out from the not-yet-closed gap, soaking a mess into the tatami mats beneath her.
She lay prone in place panting for quite a while before barely managing to flip over and face upward, her chest heaving violently, her blond curls scattered in disarray across the ground, leaving behind only a flush of sated satisfaction on her usually shrewd and capable face.
"I was almost... broken..." she rebuked in a hoarse voice.
Saint Dio did not take up the comment, merely pulling an outer robe over himself at random and tying his sash.
His breathing remained steady; that intense gallop just now had been nothing more than a relaxed exercise to him.
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