PDLP Chapter 245 Blood Sacrifice, Activated!
Chapter 245 Blood Sacrifice, Activated!
Kyoto, the land of cherry blossoms.
Onmyo-ryo Headquarters.
Abe Shōkichi stood by the window, looking at the gray sky outside.
He has been restless these past few days.
That feeling was like something bad was about to happen.
He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the unease was like a thorn stuck in his heart, one that he couldn't pull out.
Ever since he returned from Izumo City that day, he had been in a daze.
The head of Susanoo.
The female voice residing in the head.
The daily sacrifice of three thousand boys and girls.
Everything felt like a mountain, pressing down on him and making it hard for him to breathe.
"grown ups."
The voices of his men came from the doorway.
Abe Shōkichi turned his head.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a subordinate in a black suit walked in, holding a document in his hand.
"My lord, news has come from the Shinto Church."
"The priests of all the major shrines received divine decrees at the same time."
Abe Shōkichi was greatly encouraged.
"What divine decree?"
His subordinate took a deep breath.
"The gods command us to prepare immediately, and when the time is right, to hold the ceremony."
"The content of the ceremony..."
He paused.
"It is a blessing."
"The gods will bestow blessings upon the empire."
Abe Shōkichi was stunned.
Blessing?
At this time?
He frowned, feeling that something was amiss.
But I can't quite put my finger on it.
"Is there anything else?" he asked.
His subordinate shook his head.
"there is none left."
"The oracle says that the specific ritual steps will be announced separately."
Abe Shōkichi remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he nodded.
"understood."
"Go down."
The subordinate bowed and withdrew.
Only Abe Shokichi remained in the office.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
Blessings...
The gods will bestow blessings upon the empire...
This is a good thing.
But why...?
He always felt uneasy.
Abe Shōkichi couldn't understand it.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his doubts.
Perhaps it's because I've been under too much pressure lately, making me paranoid.
Thinking this, he stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window, the sky was a hazy gray.
Those cracks are no longer visible.
But Abe Shōkichi knew that they were still there.
It was just covered by something.
just wait.
Waiting for the ceremony to take place, waiting for the gods to bestow their blessings...
Everything will be alright.
Abe Shōkichi clenched his fist, his eyes resolute.
……
An hour later.
The Onmyo-ryo headquarters, in its huge conference hall, was packed with people.
High priests of Shintoism, heads of various families, and chief priests of shrines throughout the country...
All the prominent figures in the extraordinary world of Sakura Country were present.
Abe Shokichi sat in the main seat and looked around.
"Gentlemen."
He spoke, his voice steady.
"We have gathered you all here today because the gods have delivered a new divine decree."
The conference room fell silent instantly.
Everyone was watching him.
Abe Shōkichi took a deep breath.
"The gods command us to perform the ceremony immediately."
"The ceremony will be held simultaneously at shrines throughout the country."
"At that time, the gods will bestow blessings upon the empire."
"Our strength will be enhanced."
"The future of the empire will be even brighter."
As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur of discussion arose in the conference hall.
Some were excited, some were skeptical, and some were worried.
"Lord Abe."
An old man stood up and frowned.
"What price is required for bestowing a blessing?"
Abe Shōkichi looked at him.
"No price is required."
He said.
"The gods only need our piety."
The old man frowned, as if he wanted to say something more.
But Abe Shokichi had already raised his hand to stop him.
"This is a divine decree."
Abe Shōkichi's voice is beyond question.
"We just need to comply."
"As for the rest..."
He paused.
"No need to ask any more questions."
The old man opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words.
The conference room fell silent.
Abe Shōkichi looked around and, seeing that no one objected, nodded.
"If that's the case, then it's settled."
He stood up.
"From this moment forward, shrines throughout the country are ready."
"We must make sure the gods see our piety."
"yes!"
The crowd responded in unison.
……
Night falls.
In the land of cherry blossoms, shrines across the country lit up simultaneously.
Those lights were not ordinary lights.
Instead, it emitted an eerie, dark red light.
Light rose from the shrine, illuminating the night sky.
The priests, dressed in ancient robes and holding ritual implements, stood before the shrine, chanting ancient incantations.
Those incantations were obscure and difficult to understand.
But each syllable carries a strange power.
Abe Shōkichi stood in the shrine of Kyoto's largest shrine and personally presided over the ceremony.
He was dressed in the robes of a great Onmyoji, holding a divine staff, and stood before the shrine.
Inside the shrine is an image of Amaterasu Omikami.
The statue's eyes seemed to glow in the dark red light.
"Oh, the great Amaterasu!"
Abe Shōkichi spoke, his voice devout.
"Your people offer their sincere prayers."
"Please bestow your blessings and protect the land of cherry blossoms."
"Protect your people."
The words fell.
The priests behind him chanted incantations at the same time.
Those incantations, when combined, formed a strange power.
Power surged from the shrine and soared into the sky.
then……
Abe Shōkichi sensed that something was wrong.
His body is unable to move.
It's not that feeling of being pressed down by something.
But...
The power in my body is being drained away.
Vitality is slipping away.
Abe Shokichi's pupils suddenly contracted.
He wanted to struggle, he wanted to resist.
But my body wouldn't obey me at all.
It felt like I was being controlled by something.
"this……"
He spoke with difficulty.
"What's going on?"
No one answered him.
Because the priests behind him were also unable to move.
Everyone's face was filled with terror.
Their vitality is also being drained away.
Abe Shōkichi looked down at his hands.
Those once strong hands are becoming withered at a visible rate.
The skin loses its luster, muscles atrophy, and veins bulge.
Just like...
Like a dried-up corpse.
Abe Shōkichi was completely stunned.
He never expected the ceremony to turn out like this.
He believed that the rituals were blessings from the gods.
But now it seems...
This is hardly a blessing.
This is a blood sacrifice!
They are being used as sacrifices!
Why...?
"Abe Shōkichi murmured."
Why...?
He couldn't figure it out.
I really can't understand it.
He sacrificed so much for the gods.
He killed his own men with his own hands.
He sacrificed tens of thousands of children.
He bore an endless burden of sins.
But now...
The gods also want to sacrifice him?
"No……"
Abe Shōkichi let out a roar.
"The gods..."
"You... you lied to me..."
But no one responded to him.
Inside the shrine, the statue of Amaterasu Omikami remains expressionless.
Those eyes, bathed in a dark red light, looked at him coldly.
Why?
Abe Shokichi's voice grew weaker and weaker.
"I am so devout..."
Why...?
He didn't finish his sentence.
Because his throat was so dry that he could no longer make a sound.
His body continued to wither.
The skin is as thin as paper, and the bones are as fragile as withered branches.
At last……
He turned into a handful of ashes.
The clothes fell to the ground and piled up in a heap.
The staff fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Behind him, the priests, one by one, turned to ashes.
Inside the temple, only empty clothes and ashes remained.
And those dark red lights became even brighter.
They surged from the shrine, soaring into the sky and merging into the cracks in the heavens.
From within the crack, powerful auras began to erupt.
Those auras were ancient and violent.
It had a strong smell of blood.
Chapter 245 Blood Sacrifice, Activated! There's a surprise inside, click here to unlock now.