"Indeed, it's already this time... Hey, aren't you leaving?" Hidan decided to take the initiative.
In response, Shinsuke chuckled lightly and showed a pained expression. "Don't worry about me; my leg is cramping up. I need to rest a bit. You go ahead; I'll follow soon."
Hidan: "..."
Damn it, I can't believe I fell for this!
Although he didn't know why, at this moment, Hidan was certain that Shinsuke was probably thinking the same thing he was, which was quite frustrating!
"Never mind, I'll wait for you."
"No need for you to wait; just go outside."
"I'm not going outside."
"Then I'm not going out either."
People around them: "..."
These two... Are they seriously ill?
The noble and disregarded leader of the Cult of Jashin, visibly irritated, said with a blackened face and an amused expression, "Fine, if you both refuse to come out, then stay inside!"
"Leave a few people to keep watch on them. If anyone tries to come out, beat them back! Also, draw blood every hour and continue recording the experimental data. It can't be interrupted!"
"Yes!"
The remaining people immediately displayed malicious smiles.
So, you don't want to come out, huh?
Alright then!
You'll be drawn to death later!
After the Takigi Sect leader left with his entourage, both Shinsuke and Hidan's facial muscles twitched, but neither was willing to concede first. After all, both of them possessed 'immortality,' so a few blood draws wouldn't kill them.
However...
Six hours quickly passed.
Hidan and Shinsuke still showed no intention of coming out.
Their faces had turned quite pale, clearly affected by the blood draws and the prolonged hot spring bath, causing them to feel severe dizziness and lightheadedness.
At this moment, someone approached with a syringe the size of a child's arm, and said with a sinister smile, "It's time again. Will you two come out now to apologize to the leader or contribute some more precious blood?"
The emphasis on the word "precious" was intentional; after all, the syringe had been used five times, and there wasn't much blood left. How could it not be precious?
Ordinary people would have been killed by now!
Fortunately, these two had special constitutions, with blood production speeds several times that of ordinary people, plus their immortality, which allowed them to hang on.
But if this continued, they'd probably end up with even their brain matter extracted!
Seeing that it was time for the forced blood donation, Hidan's already pale face turned slightly green.
But he wasn't willing to concede just like that.
"Still stubborn? I see you can't hold on much longer," Hidan, feeling dizzy, tried to test the waters.
Shinsuke, however, forced a relaxed smile. "It's quite comfortable; I'm about to fall asleep. Just the water temperature isn't hot enough, though."
Hidan didn't believe Shinsuke's nonsense but decided to brag, "Indeed, I could swim in boiling hot water when I was six."
Damn it, why didn't you get scalded to death?
Bragging without any logic?
Shinsuke chuckled, "Ever drunk lava? That taste~ it's unforgettable!"
Hidan twitched his mouth, "Drink lava? Your cheeks would be burned off!"
"I'll count to 1, 2, 3. How about we go out together?" Hidan thought of a plan and said.
"Alright."
"1, 2, 3!"
"..."
An interesting scene unfolded as neither of them moved and both simultaneously gave each other disdainful looks, as if saying, "I knew you wouldn't keep your word!"
"Why aren't you going out?"
"You didn't move either."
Hidan was left with no other option. Clearly, Shinsuke was prepared to drag this out to the end.
So in the end, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and squeezed out a phrase, "Draw the blood!"
Shinsuke was even more straightforward, not saying a word and simply extending his arm.
Draw if you must, who's afraid!
Damn!
At this moment, the sect member in charge was somewhat impressed but didn't slow down, starting to draw blood with another colleague.
However, as they continued, he began to notice something was off. Why wasn't the blood in the syringe increasing?
Looking back, he saw Shinsuke had slumped over with no breathing, looking like a dried-out husk, as if he had been drained.
With all the blood drained and the person dead, how could they draw more?
The sect member was startled and shouted, "There's a problem! Quick, notify the leader!"
Immediately, someone rushed out to find the Jashin Cult leader.
"What should we do now?"
The other sect member, who had just finished drawing blood from Hidan, looked alarmed, nearly dropping the syringe full of blood.
If something really went wrong, even torturing them a thousand times wouldn't be enough to vent their anger!
Before the successful replication of the miracle, Hidan and Shinsuke's importance was equivalent to that of half of the Evil God Sect!
They couldn't afford to be afraid!
"What to do? Quickly carry them out! Especially Hidan, he absolutely mustn't have any more accidents!"
"Oh, right, right, save them..."
The two hurriedly began to clumsily carry the people out.
At this moment, Hidan's pale face finally showed a trace of genuine satisfaction, and he did not stop the people from carrying him out.
Because in the end, Hidan, the great master, had won!
Shinsuke, ah, Shinsuke, you also have your day.
However, Hidan was doomed to be overly happy too soon.
Just as he thought the matter was settled and he had won, he suddenly widened his eyes in shock!
"No! You tricked me! Let go of me, quickly..."
In Hidan's frantic voice, Shinsuke, who should have been in a state of false death from blood loss, suddenly pushed away the sect member who was about to carry him out.
Then he fell back into the hot spring, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth as he mouthed:
"Goodbye..."
By the time Hidan realized that the scene might have been Shinsuke's scheme, it was too late.
The sect members, fearing another mishap, didn't care about Hidan's weak struggles. They just pulled him out of the hot spring with slight force.
Instantly, Hidan was left in a daze, like a limp wax figure.
He lost...
Never expected that in the end, he would lose, and in such an intangible way...
"Akagi Shinsuke! You lack martial virtue!"
Hidan wanted to question him, but losing was losing.
In brutal combat, no one cares if you used sneaky tactics or despicable methods.
Because only those who remain standing and alive in the end are the true victors!
What confused Hidan even more was why Shinsuke had the strength to break free at that moment?
After all, they both had been in the hot spring for so long and had lost so much blood...
Wait!
If he remembered correctly, Shinsuke didn't seem to have had much blood drawn in that last time!
Everyone had been deceived by his appearance!
Realizing why he lost, Hidan could no longer hold on and immediately lost consciousness.
At this moment, Shinsuke received the system's notification that the task was completed and sighed with relief.
In the end, he did play a little trick, using the characteristic of [Blood Manipulation] to control his blood, preventing it from being drawn.
The aim was to deceive everyone into thinking he was in a critical state.
After all, with their importance, even if people nearby knew he might not really be dead, they would be afraid of taking the blame, achieving his goal.
Using the trick too early would have resulted in it being detected.
Using it too late might have left him without the strength to escape, leading to a total loss.
Fortunately, his judgment was correct, and he succeeded.
At this point, the distant sounds of hurried footsteps and the enraged voice of the cult leader could be heard.
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and get them out!"
Not wanting to face the enraged sect leader at this time, Shinsuke immediately relaxed his mind and fell into unconsciousness.