Shiki had been busy all this time, and of course, it wasn't just to install an automatic connection system for Hidan.
After three months of continuous analysis and evolution, he had given all the Jashin races under his control a major upgrade.
He had even found time to create several new races.
[Lord Jashin's Raising Sim]
[Host]: A blood pool named Kamizuki Shiki [Level]: 1 (Next level requires 2000 reputation points) Note: The host's mental power will increase with level.
[Jashin Reputation]: 771
[Ability 1]: [ Creator's Womb] [Gene Library]: Ordinary human genes, leaf-cutting mantis genes, giant centipede genes, giant man-eating spider genes... [Genes Under Analysis]: Jashin genes (0.01% progress)
[Producible Races]:
Ukaku·Centipede
Koukaku·Spider
Rinkaku·Mantis
Koukaku·Ant-Man
Human Clone
Raven
Black Beetle
[Ability 2]: [Jashin's Blessing]: Your body is blessed by Jashin. As long as Jashin exists, you will possess an immortal body.
[Introduction]: I will create a world with Jashin-sama in it!
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the Jashin cult's reputation had successfully reached 771, still over 1,200 points away from the next level.
As for the three initial Kagune—[Ukaku·Centipede], [Koukaku·Spider], and [Rinkaku·Mantis]—Shiki had strengthened them.
The centipede was enhanced in length and exoskeleton durability.
Now, [Ukaku·Centipede] had an attack range of ten meters, and its exoskeleton was as tough as steel, coated with deadly venom. Any enemy wounded by it would die within three minutes from the poison.
[Koukaku·Spider] received a new version—Hidan's [Parasitic Spider], which allowed the host to shoot spider silk from any part of their body.
[Rinkaku·Mantis] was upgraded in blade sharpness and speed, emphasizing precision and lethality.
As for the new Kagune—[Koukaku·Ant-Man]—it grew an exoskeleton over the host's body, compensating for Shiki's lack of defensive capabilities.
Beyond the Kagune series, Shiki also created two new Jashin races:
[Raven]: Resembling crows, they could share vision with the host, serving as long-range scouts or distractions in large numbers.
[Black Beetle]: Possessed sensory abilities, with sharp teeth capable of tearing through most prey. Their bodies could store energy, making them ideal for mass production as scouts or for transporting prey.
Over the past three months, Shiki had spread Ravens and Black Beetles throughout the Jashin cult's headquarters.
The cult's base had always been home to a flock of crows, but none of the followers realized that the crows living among them had been completely replaced by Shiki's creations.
The crows around them now were all [Ravens] made by Shiki.
And in the soil, on trees, even inside the followers' rooms—countless tiny [Black Beetles] lurked.
In other words, everything around them was under Shiki's control.
But that wasn't enough.
If possible, Shiki would have loved to extend his influence to every corner of the shinobi world.
But that was unrealistic.
Although the Jashin cult had sacrificed many offerings over the past three months, most of their energy had been absorbed by Lord Jashin through some means, leaving Shiki with only the corpses.
In a way, Shiki was just picking at Lord Jashin's leftovers.
The energy he had gained had long been exhausted in the process of analyzing and creating new races.
If he continued using [ Creator's Womb], it would consume his own life force.
And when it came to consuming life force, Shiki had just one thing to say:
What a coincidence!
I happen to be the proud owner of an immortal body, Lord Jashin's chief spokesperson—Kamizuki Shiki!
Under Lord Jashin's blessing, Shiki's life force was essentially limitless. As long as the great Lord Jashin remained unvanquished, he could not die!
Shiki adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Lord Jashin, surely you wouldn't want your follower to lack the energy needed to spread your faith, would you?"
The next second, the blood pool began to boil.
Ability—Activate!
Shiki went full throttle, producing creations at a frenzied pace.
A massive black shadow rose from the depths of the blood pool, and then the surface split open as countless [Black Beetles] surged out like a tidal wave.
They swarmed into every crevice of the shrine, flooded into the surrounding forests, and some even burrowed into Shiki's oversized coat for storage.
They would become his eyes, ears, and strength in the outside world—an extension of his will!
But just producing these Black Beetles drained nearly all the energy in Shiki's body.
Yet he didn't stop. Instead, he intensified his efforts.
This time, he wasn't making Black Beetles—he was producing Kagune!
The energy cost for Kagune was exponentially higher than for Black Beetles. Under normal circumstances, Shiki could only produce five or six at a time.
But now, he was aiming for far more than that.
At the bottom of the blood pool, hundreds of insect-like eggs surfaced.
Like starving infants, they eagerly awaited nourishment.
In an instant, Shiki's energy was completely depleted, and his life force began burning away at a terrifying rate.
Meanwhile, in a distant realm far from the shinobi world, the great Lord Jashin's hundreds of crimson eyes widened in shock.
What's happening?!
The energy it had painstakingly accumulated over the past three months was being drained at an alarming rate!
At this pace, it wouldn't just lose all its recent gains—it might even have to dip into its reserves!
Soon, the ancient deity traced the source of the drain.
"It's the immortality!"
Lord Jashin's eyes bulged.
It had only granted immortality to two people—Hidan and Shiki.
Normally, the energy consumed by a single death under the immortality blessing was negligible compared to the benefits.
But this time, the consumption was absurd!
It was equivalent to someone dying hundreds of times in just a few minutes!
"Who the hell—?!"
Who could possibly die so many times in an instant?!
Furious, Lord Jashin ignored the energy cost and projected its gaze through its idol into the shrine where it was worshipped.
And there, floating in the blood pool, it saw a beautiful young man groaning in pleasure with an expression of utter satisfaction.
"I KNEW IT WAS YOU, HIDAN!"