At this moment, Hidan remained blissfully unaware that he had been misunderstood by the great Lord Jashin. After soaking in the warm blood bath, he climbed out of the pool.
"Ahhh, so refreshing!"
He stretched lazily, then turned to Shiki with a taunting grin. "Guess you're not completely useless after all, you waste of space."
Shiki glanced at him. A dark red blur flashed through the air—whoosh—and Hidan's head was cleanly severed.
"Mmmph—!"
Hidan let out a muffled groan.
For a moment, Shiki wasn't even sure if decapitation was a punishment or a reward for this guy.
Damn these masochists.
Especially the ones with immortality!
Propelled by the Kagune's force, Hidan's head rolled several times before finally stopping.
Unlike before, where he could only rage helplessly after losing his head, this time, thick strands of spider silk shot out from his neck, reattaching his head to his body. Thanks to his regenerative abilities, the wound healed almost instantly.
Not even a scar remained!
"Kehahahahaha!"
Hidan burst into maniacal laughter.
"Worthless Shiki, you can't scare me with your little decapitation tricks anymore! Even if you chop me into pieces, I can just put myself back together!"
He drew his black spear and pointed it at Shiki.
"Actually, forget 'someday'—I'll kill you right now and offer you to Lord Jashin!"
With that, he lunged forward, spear in hand.
Shiki sighed, genuinely puzzled.
Does the Kagune affect brain function?
Wait, no—Hidan never had a brain to begin with. Maybe the Kagune is just filling in as a substitute?
As Hidan charged, Shiki didn't even move. Two crimson appendages sprouted from his body, their terrifying speed weaving a storm of bloody slashes.
Before Hidan could even reach him, he was diced into eight pieces—literally.
Head, arms, legs, and torso split into three sections. Eight chunks in total.
"Tch. Pathetic, Shiki! Your attacks mean nothing to me now!"
Hidan smirked, activating the Kagune's power in his body to reconnect his limbs.
But no matter how hard he tried, the [Parasitic Spider] inside him refused to respond.
"Save your energy."
Shiki crouched beside Hidan's dismembered body, looking down at him. "I made these Kagune. If I want to, I can shut them down anytime."
Hidan's face twisted in outrage. "I knew you were up to no good!"
Shiki shrugged. "You were never going to beat me either way. At least with the Kagune, you'll have an edge against other enemies."
Logically, it made sense. But the great Hidan would never admit defeat so easily!
"Listen here, bastard! I'd rather die than use your filthy Kagune for even a second!"
"Mhm. Sure, sure."
Shiki didn't argue. Once Hidan actually got torn apart by someone else, he'd learn the meaning of "regret."
With Hidan's abilities now unlocked, Shiki pulled out a large case.
Dozens of [Kagune Cysts] rose from the blood pool, each carefully placed inside the container.
This was his first mission outside the cult's headquarters—a golden opportunity to spread Jashin-sama's glory.
After three months in this world, his [Jashin-sama's Raising Sim] still hadn't leveled up!
If he didn't take this chance to boost the cult's reputation, when would he?
"Damn you, Shiki! Just wait—I'll make you pay for this!"
Hidan rubbed his neck. Even with immortality, getting decapitated too many times left a weird tingling sensation.
"If you're done whining, let's go."
Shiki picked up the case and walked out of the shrine.
Hidan followed, grumbling under his breath.
Neither of them had much to pack. Shiki at least brought a change of clothes. Hidan? Nothing.
To him, the mission site was only a day's travel away. Two days round trip, plus two or three days for the job itself.
Less than a week. Why bother with extra clothes? He could just wear his outfit inside out if it got dirty.
"You're faster than I expected."
Kikuchi Sanpei, the mission supervisor, seemed mildly impressed.
Two other cultists stood beside him—his assistants and fellow "task enforcers."
Though "supervisors" was more accurate.
The cult leader knew Hidan and Shiki's strength. Completing the mission wasn't the issue. The real problem was how they'd complete it—and what chaos they might cause along the way.
Especially Hidan. Left unchecked, he might just drag the entire Jashin cult into a war against the Five Great Nations by tomorrow!
"Enough talk. Let's move." Hidan scowled.
Kikuchi gave him a long look but said nothing, turning to lead the way into the forest.
The other two cultists didn't dare speak either.
Everyone at headquarters knew the terror of the two "Holy Sons." Crossing them was basically suicide.
And Hidan? He'd actually kill you just for looking at him wrong.
The Jashin cult's base was hidden deep in the mountains, surrounded by dense forests. Wildlife? Scarce.
Anything bigger than a rabbit—deer, bears, even foxes—had long been hunted down and sacrificed to Jashin-sama.
As they walked, the only signs of life were the occasional [Black Beetles] scuttling underfoot or [Ravens] gliding overhead.
Kikuchi began briefing them on the mission details.
"Our objective is to reach Mizuo Village by tomorrow night. Contact Mr. Sakamoto using the cult's necklace, gather intel on Gato, then head to Gato Shipping's headquarters and eliminate him."
Hidan yawned loudly at the lengthy explanation.
"Intel? Sakamoto? Why bother? If we're killing this Gato guy, just go kill him."
He shot Kikuchi a look of pure disdain, as if questioning his intelligence.
Kikuchi's expression darkened. "Gathering intel before engaging is basic strategy!"
Hidan scoffed. "Only weaklings need 'strategy.' The strong just walk in, slaughter the enemy, and offer them to Lord Jashin. Easy."