A few days later, in a certain secret room, the candlelight flickered unpredictably.
Shinsuke sat cross-legged on the ground, in front of him floated a giant blood ball.
Suddenly, the blood ball burst open, then eerily froze in the air.
From a distance, one could see that the countless blood droplets scattered in the air were not only the same size but also equidistant from each other!
In the end, they formed a 'hollow' sphere several times larger.
Then these blood droplets suddenly began to move, sometimes merging into various weapons, other times turning into dragons and tigers fighting.
The most bizarre part was yet to come; the blood droplets arranged themselves into the formation of the 'Memorial to the Throne.'
"Phew…"
Shinsuke exhaled and immediately controlled all the blood to fall into a container nearby.
Although he had trained hard in the [Blood Manipulation Technique] for years from another's perspective and successfully retained this valuable experience, his body required a period of adaptation.
Fortunately, he was 'experienced' and didn't take long to adapt, fully converting it into his combat power.
Not only were various usage methods at his fingertips, but he also developed his own technique, [Extreme Style]!
It was only at this moment that Shinsuke dared to say that even without immortality, he was no longer a mere pawn to be slaughtered.
After cleaning up all traces left in the secret room, Shinsuke left.
He didn't want the Cult of Jashin to know too much to avoid being caught off guard in case of future conflicts.
Before reaching his room, someone stopped him.
"Akagi Shinsuke, the cult leader is waiting for you in Prayer Room No. 1. Go quickly."
"Got it."
Shinsuke nodded and changed his route.
When he arrived, he found that besides him, the cult leader Takigi had also called Hidan, the fool.
Hidan's injuries had healed, and his previously burnt eyebrows and hair had started growing back.
Though it was still short hair, it was better than being bald.
Looking at his two 'trusted subordinates,' Takigi could barely contain his ambition.
"Ten days ago, I purchased a batch of sacrifices from the Land of Grass. But now, they and their escorts have all gone missing."
"I want you two to investigate the whereabouts of the sacrifices. If they were robbed, find and sacrifice the robbers to Lord Jashin. If the people of the Land of Grass double-crossed us, make them pay dearly!"
"Yes, Lord Takigi," Shinsuke and Hidan responded.
With the rapid expansion of the Cult of Jashin, there were no living people near the base.
To maintain the number of sacrifices, they had to plunder people from afar.
Takigi knew this wasn't sustainable and had started secretly trading people with various countries.
The deal with the Land of Grass was a test for both sides.
The current outcome didn't look promising.
...
Carrying the evolved cursed weapon, the Executioner's Blade, Shinsuke and Hidan set out again.
According to the Land of Grass, the convoy disappeared near the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain. They sent people to search but found nothing, even suspecting the Cult of Jashin, given its notorious reputation.
If both sides believed the other was at fault and neither lied, a third party was likely involved.
Whoever dared to rob both the Cult of Jashin and the Land of Grass either didn't fear them or was foolish.
Shinsuke hoped it was the latter; otherwise, this mission would be tough.
Especially since the incident site was close to the Land of Rain, Shinsuke knew how dangerous it was there.
If possible, he'd avoid experiencing any pain.
On the way, Shinsuke didn't hurry and often went 'hunting.'
Whether it was cute rabbits or fierce predators, none escaped his grasp.
Eventually, even Hidan was annoyed, "What are you doing? Killing so many animals, can you eat them all? Don't expect me to carry them."
Shinsuke looked helplessly at the sigils on the Executioner's Blade, none of which lit up.
It wasn't easy to exploit loopholes.
Despite killing so many animals, not once did the [Soul Imprisonment] trigger. Must it be humans?
Would it work on tailed beasts?
What about humans who ate Zoan-type Devil Fruits or a reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit?
Never mind, this world has no Zoan-type Devil Fruits, so this question can be ignored for now.
"Never mind, let's go."
Shinsuke cut some meat to eat on the road and left the rest.
It wouldn't go to waste; wild animals would soon devour it.
Luckily or unluckily, shortly after, they heard fighting in the forest ahead.
In normal times, there'd be two options.
One, pretend not to see and leave.
Two, Hidan gets interested and kills everyone to sacrifice to Jashin.
This time, Shinsuke couldn't ignore it.
It wasn't easy finding people to test his blade on!
Hopefully, there'd be enough people for him to use [Silent Strike] multiple times.
"I'll go take a look and maybe cut a few people."
Hidan, interested, asked, "Together?"
"No need, you don't need to fight for this."
"Boring!"
Hidan sat down, leaning against a tree, "Don't keep me waiting."
Shinsuke nodded, drew the Executioner's Blade, and headed towards the noise.
"Kill!"
"Protect the princess!"
"How dare you, bandits!"
"Haha, a rare fat sheep, and it's a princess. We're in for a treat."
"Everyone, attack! Kill them all!"
...
"This plot is too cliché. Good thing I'm not a hero or here to save anyone."
"Hmm, test the sword and leave…"
As Shinsuke approached, he saw the situation.
Forty to fifty bandits, warriors, and rogue ninjas attacked a group of guards around a carriage.