Thick blood soaked the stone platform as the cultists' massacre came to an end.
Only a few children remained on the platform, standing there trembling, yellowish liquid dripping from their pant legs. Despite their terror, they couldn't move an inch.
A mysterious force had bound them in place.
In that moment between life and death, Reiji's desperate will to survive suddenly flared, allowing him to move ever so slightly.
His severed head lay alone on the ground, eyes wide open, staring at the frightened children.
Am I dying? Damn... what a miserable way to go.
Thoughts began flooding his remaining brain.
They say death is a return to a warm embrace... that death brings peace.
Just get it over with already! End my suffering!
Take me to the field of red spider lilies—so haunting, so beautiful.
Take me to the shores of the River of Forgetting.
Let me drink Meng Po's soup and forget it all.
Wait... was Meng Po an old lady or a babe? I remember reading in some book she was a tsundere blonde loli!
No, no, that's not right—Meng Po should be a busty, gentle older sister type!
Suddenly, Reiji froze. The corners of his mouth twitched awkwardly on his disembodied head.
"Why am I still alive? Where's my field of red spider lilies? Where's the River of Forgetting? Where's the hot Meng Po? Damn it, I was mentally prepared to die already!"
Looking at his own headless corpse lying in front of him, Reiji felt a bit awkward.
So... even after getting decapitated, I'm still alive?
And not only that—somehow, he could still feel his body. Though his spatial awareness was a bit off, he could control everything.
If he wanted, he could have his headless body stand up, grab his head, and sprint five hundred meters.
He smacked his lips, coming back to his senses, and a name popped into his mind—Hidan.
That guy believed in some kind of Jashin cult. Damn... don't tell me this is that cult?
Reiji was seriously starting to think the creepy cult Hidan had joined was exactly this one.
On the stone platform, the killing had stopped. The only child left had fainted from fear.
Yet even unconscious, the child remained standing, completely motionless.
Below the platform, a cold voice echoed.
"Take the 'gift.' Chop up the rest and toss them into the blood pool. Prepare for next time."
"Yes, Divine Emissary-sama!"
On the platform, Reiji couldn't keep pretending anymore.
Chop me up?
I survived without a head, but if they turn me into ground meat, how the hell am I supposed to live?
Watching as Isamu picked up the child and started heading toward the passage, Reiji couldn't hold back any longer.
Screw it—if they catch me, they catch me! Better to stay alive, even if it's pathetic!
He had planned to play dead and slip away from this hellhole, maybe even get lucky and survive. But he didn't expect this so-called divine messenger to be so damn ruthless!
Without thinking, Reiji let out a desperate shout.
"Wait!"
His voice echoed through the cave, and everything fell silent.
Reiji forced his headless corpse to its feet, stumbling like a drunk. He clumsily picked up his own head, forced a sheepish smile, and said weakly,
"Uh... big bro, if you're leaving, mind taking me with you?"
The cultists were dumbfounded. Even these cold-blooded executioners were creeped out, a chill running down their spines.
Seeing the bunch of vicious killers recoil in fear, Reiji awkwardly hid his head behind his back, grinned nervously, and stumbled along after Isamu.
Time passed in a flash. Half a year went by...
Underground, in a sealed room filled with scrolls, Isamu sat cross-legged on the floor, a massive scroll spread out before him.
March 24.
Experiment: The effect of dismemberment on an immortal subject.
Method: Knife cutting.
Conclusion: Dissecting the body caused no real harm. Once stitched back together, the subject could move freely. Even after being minced, the tissue showed a tendency to reassemble, though the process was extremely slow.
Notes:
The subject cannot be killed by conventional cutting.
No signs of tissue enhancement were observed.
The subject retains the ability to feel pain and continued screaming and cursing throughout the experiment.
…
March 26.
Experiment: Effects of fire on the immortal body
Method: Fire Release
Conclusion: The immortal body, like ordinary test subjects, has no resistance to fire. High temperatures temporarily deactivate bodily tissues, but even when fully carbonized, the tissue regains activity and reassembles. It cannot be killed this way.
Remarks: The body has a strong self-regeneration tendency. As long as it's well-nourished, any part can regenerate.
…
April 18.
Experiment: Effects of freezing on the immortal body
Method: Ice Release Kekkei Genkai
Conclusion: The target's tissue reacts no differently from that of an ordinary person—it is susceptible to freezing and shows no unusual traits. However, once thawed, it regenerates on its own.
Remarks: The subject seems extremely sensitive to cold and curses constantly! Recommend sealing him with an Ice Release user.
…
June 1 – October 1.
Experiment: Effects of starvation and desiccation on the immortal body
Method: Wind Release
Conclusion: Desiccation has no effect on the immortal body. However, prolonged starvation will slowly deplete it to death, estimated to take one year.
…
October 2.
Experiment: Potential applications of immortal body tissue
Method: Implantation into other test subjects
Conclusion: Experiment failed. All 231 test subjects died. The tissue is highly invasive and inevitably kills the host. No method has been found to halt the process.
Remarks: The immortal body may not be a blessing from Jashin-sama, but a curse.
...
October 10.
Experiment: Effects of lightning on the immortal body
Method: Lightning Release
Conclusion: Lightning Release causes no damage. Instead, it greatly stimulates the tissue, accelerating regeneration and triggering extreme hunger.
Remarks: Not recommended for use.
...
Final conclusion: The immortal body cannot be killed by sealing, fire, lightning, or freezing. Only starvation may slowly erase it. The subject has no extractable chakra and no other special features.
Final recommendation: Starve it to death!
…
As he confirmed the scroll had reached its end, Isamu furrowed his brow and slowly raised his scar-covered face.
"Other than the immortal one, what about the surviving 'gift'?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly man in a white coat stepped from the shadows and bowed respectfully before Isamu.
"Divine Emissary-sama, per protocol, the gift has been fully brainwashed and renamed Haruto. Once we obtain the blood of the Fire Daimyō, we'll be able to activate the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood, a life for a life!"
"Good," Isamu nodded without a flicker of emotion.
"Take care of the 'gift'. No—take care of Haruto. He will be our most lethal 'knight'."
The old man knew this Divine Emissary was obsessed with shogi and understood how highly he valued Haruto. He silently resolved to give the boy extra attention.
"And the immortal one?" the old man asked curiously.
"..."
Isamu froze, his previously relaxed expression twisting into a deep scowl.
He knew full well that Reiji had become a major burden on the organization. Taking advantage of his immortality, the guy devoured bowls of military ration pills at every meal. If denied, he'd go berserk, clawing through walls and stealing from other cells. In under a year, he had already tunneled through a whole row of cells.
After a long silence, Isamu cast a displeased glance at his oblivious subordinate and exhaled sharply.
"Was he brainwashed?"
The old man's face turned bitter at once. He hesitated, then said, "Yes, we did... but the results were odd."
"Oh?" Isamu raised an eyebrow.
"The immortal seems to believe he's the Ninja World incarnation of Jashin-sama himself. He lashes out and curses constantly!"
The old man looked like he wanted to keep venting, but Isamu raised a hand to cut him off.
"That's enough. From now on, use the immortal as a test subject for ninjutsu experiments."
"And... the offering in three days—is it ready?"
At that, the old man's face turned serious.
"Everything is ready!"
With those words, he closed the scroll and hurried away.
Watching Isamu leave, the old man sighed helplessly at the thought of that immortal monster. Shaking his head, he turned to go, muttering to himself the whole way out.
"Ugh, if you ask me, they should just starve that guy to death. He acts like he's invincible and just keeps eating like a bottomless pit. You think military ration pills are free? He's burned through half my research budget!"
As the base's overseer, the old man in the white coat knew full well how much Reiji could eat.
To put it bluntly, the entire base's test subjects went through maybe a hundred, two hundred rations a day at most.
But Reiji? He ate three meals a day—each one a giant bowl. His daily intake alone matched that of every other test subject combined.
On top of that, he loved wandering around. What used to be a quiet and orderly prison had basically turned into a marketplace thanks to him.
Worse yet, surveillance had confirmed that the guy was a full-blown fanatic. Several cultists had already started expressing discontent over Reiji being locked up.
In short, he wasn't just buddy-buddy with the guards—he'd become a massive burden on the entire organization.
Thinking about it made the old man's eye twitch uncontrollably. He felt utterly drained.
"Damn it... after this sacrifice, we're sealing that freak for good!"
...
Inside his cell, Reiji leaned casually against the iron bars, grinning and chatting away with one of the guards.
"Jin, haven't seen you in months. Out on a mission?"
The guard, Jin, gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"It's your fault, you damn glutton. I heard more than half the guys in the base were sent out to earn money."
Hearing Jin complain about his appetite, Reiji rolled his eyes in full view and shot the man a look of disdain.
"Come on, Jin, you're too petty.
If an organization can't even make sure its people are well-fed, how's it supposed to win hearts, huh?
Take our Jashin cult, for example—if they can't even feed me, the incarnation of Jashin himself, how do they expect anyone else to believe in them?"
"Yeah, right! More like a walking curse. Jashin-sama can't stand your blabbering mouth!" Jin shot back instantly.
Reiji had called himself Jashin's incarnation so many times that, in the beginning, the guards would beat him for mocking their faith.
But after trying every form of torture and realizing he just wouldn't die, they gave up. Eventually, a few of the more fanatical believers even started to take his words seriously.
In their dim minds, only a true avatar of Jashin-sama could have such terrifying power.
As for Jin, he was one of those whose faith wasn't quite as solid.
"Clang, clang." Jin gave the cage a lazy knock, signaling the end of the chit-chat and ready to move on with his patrol.
"Hold on."
Reiji reached through the bars and grabbed Jin's sleeve with a smile, eyes narrowing mischievously.
"C'mon, Jin, chat with me a bit more!
Why is everyone back all of a sudden? I just saw Captain Kawazuka yesterday. Isn't he usually out raking in funds year-round?"
Jin yanked his sleeve back and smacked Reiji's clenched fist with his baton.
"How should I know? Don't ask me," he grumbled, then turned and disappeared into the darkness without another word.
"Tch. Stingy bastard."
Reiji pulled back his arm, now red and swollen, but a sly smile tugged at his lips.
In his palm, he tightly gripped a yellow brass key, chuckling to himself.
In that brief moment, Reiji had snatched the key from Jin's waist.
He didn't know exactly which cell it opened, but that didn't matter.
Jin had only recently returned and was now guarding this entire row of cells. The keys at his waist? Definitely for this block.
It didn't matter if the key wasn't for his own cell.
He'd already used the excuse of food fights to tunnel through the mud walls separating the cells in this row.
At first, the guards tried patching up the holes. But every time they filled them in, Reiji would dig right through again within days.
Eventually, the guards got tired of the hassle. Since no serious trouble had come from it, they just gave up fixing the holes altogether.
In the beginning, some of the more withdrawn inmates hated how Reiji barged into their cells.
But after one adult inmate who tried bullying Reiji ended up with a torn-out throat one night, no one dared mess with the kid again—
Even if he looked like he was only seven years old, he was clearly an unkillable monster.
Monsters don't sleep or die. The others needed both.
And so, Reiji roamed this entire row of cells freely.
As long as he had a key, he could try them all. One was bound to match.
...
In a dark corner of his cell, Reiji gritted his teeth, face twisted in pain as he forced the brass key into a self-inflicted wound in his abdomen.
He winced from the foreign object lodged inside but clamped a hand over the wound.
Moments later, the wound healed completely.
Reiji slowly lifted his head, and in the black of his eyes, a strange white light shimmered.