Shinji started the countdown:
"5——"
"4——"
"3——"
"2——"
"1——"
"I, I choose, I choose the second one."
It's better to cling to life than to die.
In the final second, Hideo Hayama finally made the choice Shinji desired.
No, he couldn't make any other choice. Everything was under Shinji's control.
Shinji had spent so much time acting as the God of Death, making deals, not just for fun, but to create the most suitable environment and fully utilize the power of suggestive magecraft.
Suggestive magecraft, in the conventional sense, is a required course for every competent magus. The purpose of learning this magecraft is to clean up or prevent any potential exposure when mysteries are witnessed by ordinary people.
For example, if Shinji conjured a fireball and was seen by a passerby, he would use suggestive magecraft to suggest to the person that they didn't see anything. Another example is when Shinji carried the "Moon Spirit Marrow" through security checks, he would suggest to the inspector that "everything is normal."
All magi follow a fundamental premise: magecraft derives from mystery, and the fewer people who know about it, the stronger its power. Conversely, the more people who know, the weaker it becomes. It's easy to imagine that the effectiveness of suggestive magecraft, as a form of popular magecraft, is naturally limited. It's only when suggestive magecraft is still considered magic that it can make someone your slave.
In modern times, any magus can resist suggestive magecraft. Even for ordinary people without any magic resistance, the content of the suggestion needs to be simple to ensure the effectiveness and duration of suggestive magecraft.
No magecraft lasts forever, and suggestive magecraft is no exception. Most suggestions go unnoticed by the recipient, not because suggestive magecraft is ineffective, but because the effects fade over time, meaning they are forgotten. If they are not forgotten, a situation similar to the night when Sakura remembered and changed her fate may occur.
Of course, it doesn't mean that complex suggestions cannot last. Ultimately, the suggestion is just a manipulation of the human mind, and there are various ways to manipulate the human mind beyond magecraft.
Language, environment, and even the slightest unintentional changes in the human body can have an impact on the human mind. By utilizing these factors effectively, the effects of suggestive magecraft can be greatly enhanced. How to make good use of these factors belongs to the secret teachings of magus.
Of course, for an ordinary person like Hideo Hayama, Shinji didn't need these secret teachings. It was enough to let him struggle on the edge of fear and death, to break down his mental defenses, and make him not doubt Shinji's words.
Now, the prelude is over, and it's finally time to start the actual suggestion.
Shinji pretended to be displeased and said, "Choose the second one, huh? I thought you would choose the first one. That would have saved me a lot of trouble. But since you've already agreed, I'll let you live a little longer."
"Thank you, Reaper-sama," Hideo Hayama once again prostrated himself on the ground.
"Don't get too happy," Shinji suppressed his disgust and let out a cold snort. "In your human terms, all I did was change your death sentence to life imprisonment. Don't think that you can freely indulge yourself during the remaining time as you please."
"Reaper-sama..." Hideo Hayama was truly on the verge of collapse this time. Even a shinigami shouldn't treat humans in such a cruel manner.
Shinji remained unmoved and continued, "Since I didn't take you away, I naturally can't claim the soul of Kaori Tachibana. But both of you will become my subordinates shortly. There are some things I should tell you."
"Please enlighten me, Reaper-sama."
"I don't mind telling you. The soul of the girl named Kaori Tachibana is exceptionally outstanding. No matter which deity she follows, she can become the executor of the divine will—a messenger. As for you, you can only be a low-level grunt. In our realm, Hell, you would be a prison guard, or in your country's culture, a 'little devil.' The hierarchy in the world of gods is far stricter than that of humans. She has countless ways to punish you if she wishes. And once I have control over your soul, there will be no possibility of reincarnation or dispersing of your spirit. Do you understand what I mean?"
Upon hearing the words of the shinigami, Hideo Hayama's face was once again filled with cold sweat. "I understand my mistake. Please, my Lord, save me."
"You foolish human, why don't you understand? No deity would favor those who don't strive for themselves and only pray to the gods. Only when a person puts in their effort will the gods lend a helping hand." Under the influence of suggestive magecraft, these words were like a burning hot iron that pierced through his eardrums and deeply imprinted themselves in Hideo Hayama's mind.
"I understand. Please, my Lord, tell me where Kaori Tachibana is. I will go and seek her forgiveness."
"Calling you foolish is accurate. What good does verbal forgiveness do? Forgiveness or not depends on your actions. One of the most important tasks of a messenger is to evaluate souls, and I will give Kaori Tachibana the method in advance. If she sees your change, I believe she will forgive you. Of course, you can also take revenge on Kaori Tachibana while you're still alive, but you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."
"No, I dare not."
"Just 'dare not'?" Shinji intensified the power of suggestion.
"No, no, I never thought of it," Hideo Hayama immediately corrected himself.
"Hehe, lying to a shinigami, it seems like I need to punish you a bit," Shinji said, lifting Hideo Hayama's body with the long handle of his scythe and carrying him on his shoulder. He then opened the window of the room and flew out directly.
At that moment, all of Hideo Hayama's doubts vanished, leaving only fear and submission.
He shouted, "Lord Shinigami, please spare me this time. I won't dare anymore, I won't dare anymore."
"Shut up, if you say another word, I'll throw you down," Shinji casually shook his scythe, leaving Hideo Hayama speechless with fear.
"Don't worry, since I said I won't take your soul for now, I won't let you die. It's just a lesson for you," Shinji had planned this. It was the final scene of the script, which would make Hideo Hayama firmly believe in his words and also allow Kaori Tachibana to feel a sense of satisfaction.
The punishment was to hang him on a cross on the rooftop of the chapel at Reien Girls' Academy High School.
You like JK (high school girl) types, right? You like devout girls, don't you? Well, you can get close to them now!
Flying to the chapel, Shinji used the top of the cross to pierce through Hideo Hayama's nightgown, entering from the back of his neck and coming out, like a piece of dried meat hanging from a beam.
Originally, Shinji planned to prepare a rope and directly tie Hideo Hayama to the cross. But then he thought, isn't this the image of Jesus' crucifixion? Although as a magus, he didn't have much affection for the church, no matter what, the holy figure of Jesus was a thousand times, ten thousand times stronger than the scumbag Hideo Hayama Therefore, Shinji ultimately abandoned that plan.
However, he did not expect that even without the image of Jesus' crucifixion, in the eyes of the people in the church, it was still an insult to the Lord. Just as Shinji was about to knock Hideo Hayama unconscious and leave, he felt a powerful aura.
=====
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