Chapter 116: A B-Rank Zombie! p2
“Is that so?” the Master said calmly, his face twitching slightly at the word “usurper,” his expression darkening. “You may leave. We are under the protection of the God of Ino; we do not fear natural disasters.”
“Crash—”
“You stubborn old fool, you’re even worse than the previous one!” The enraged executive slammed his hand on the table, shattering it, and stood up.
He was confident the old man wouldn’t attack; neither side wanted a war.
Just as he was about to leave, a commotion erupted within the estate.
Footsteps, shouts, the sound of the main gate opening, people running out.
What’s happening?
He paused, then hurried outside.
The old usurper was still sitting there, his composure unruffled, as if deep in thought. He followed the fleeing crowd.
They’re going up the mountain?
He hesitated, his hands in his pockets.
Wandering around the lower slopes was fine, but venturing higher… that was different.
He knew they kept a zombie on the mountain, a grotesque creature he’d seen once, the memory so disturbing it had ruined his appetite for days.
Had something happened to their “god”?
He moved closer, wanting to gather information, and then, from the fleeing crowd, he heard something that shocked him.
“The great God of Ino has returned to his divine throne!”
“Master Igarashi has found a way to restore his power!”
“Master Igarashi has returned!”
“Hurry! There won’t be any space left for worship later…”
The crowd rushed past him, up the mountain path, some even still undressed from their… activities… earlier.
Hilarious.
He chuckled.
Had they finally lost their minds? Returned to his divine throne…?
Wait, Igarashi? Wasn’t she the previous Master? She hadn’t been executed?
He looked back at the estate, surprised.
Such open defiance of the new leader… it wasn’t like in those TV dramas, where they dragged things out for fifty episodes.
He had to investigate.
If Igarashi was alive, the old man couldn’t openly act against her.
If she revealed what the old man had done, he and his followers would be finished.
Did this mean… if he spoke to Igarashi, he could complete the task his leader had given him?
He stopped, looked around, pulled up his hood, took a deep breath, and merged with the crowd, heading up the mountain.
“Excuse me, excuse me, I have a message for Master Igarashi, coming through.”
Halfway up the mountain, the crowd stopped, prostrating themselves, and he had to step over them, continuing upwards.
Pushing through the densely packed crowd, he finally reached the old house.
A path, cleared by the worshippers, led to the entrance.
The Yamashita Clan executive scoffed at their superstitions, stepped onto the path, and walked towards the house.
He pushed open the door, and froze, his hand instinctively reaching for the door to close it.
But it was too late.
Igarashi, in an elegant kimono, looked at him calmly, and behind her, a massive, grotesque purple head.
Thick folds of skin drooped over its eyes, its earlobes and other facial features similarly… saggy, resembling a statue from a Buddhist scripture.
But… it was so massive!
The head alone was almost three meters long. How tall would the entire creature be?
Twenty meters? Thirty? Even larger?
And its blood crystal aura was strangely… muted, masked by the thick purple skin. If he hadn’t entered the courtyard, he wouldn’t even have sensed it.
If it were sitting, he would have mistaken it for a statue, albeit a strangely shaped one.
“Since you’re here, why not stay a while,” Igarashi said, a faint smile playing on her lips, her gaze fixed on the terrified man in the doorway.
Earlier, after the mysterious Awakened had controlled the “God of Ino” to jump to this house, it had fallen silent, motionless.
No matter how she called out, there was no response. It seemed the Awakened had severed the connection.
Why had they done that? Just to break the chains, save her, and then bring the God of Ino here?
Could it be… someone she knew from before the apocalypse?
She’d considered this possibility, then dismissed it.
Who would be interested in a reclusive, religion-obsessed college student whose life goal was to start a cult? Although she had been quite pretty back then.
This house had been used for storing the “offerings.” After much deliberation, Igarashi had decided to feed all the sacrificed zombies to the God of Ino.
She wanted to destroy this cult.
If the God of Ino reached B-rank, it would break free from the Awakened’s control and destroy the Dhṛtarāṣṭra Ino Cult.
After all, the so-called God of Ino was just a zombie, and the Dhṛtarāṣṭra… well, she’d plagiarized that from Buddhist scriptures. It was an opportunistic cult that had risen in the chaos of the apocalypse.
But now, she would rather destroy it than let it fall into someone else’s hands.
And thankfully, after consuming all the sacrificed zombies, the previously unresponsive God of Ino had… evolved.
But even after evolving, it remained motionless, although not dead.
Only one explanation.
Even as a B-rank, it was still under the Awakened’s control. And that powerful Awakened… had perhaps even forgotten about it.
Discarded it because it wasn’t strong enough. That happened sometimes.
Even as a C-rank, the God of Ino hadn’t been worthy of their attention?
But this… this presented an opportunity.
After sensing the evolution, some of her followers, having broken through the usurper’s blockade, had rushed up the mountain, seen her and the evolved God of Ino, and then, at her behest, spread the news.
She would use the God of Ino’s evolution to reinterpret the scriptures and reclaim her position as Master.
But today, an unexpected guest…
“Yo, Higashida, what brings you here?” Igarashi smiled at the stunned man in the doorway. “Close the door behind you.”
“Uh, right.” He closed the door and looked at her again.
He wasn’t too worried about Igarashi; she wasn’t that strong, and she, at least, knew that she’d created a cult.
Ironically, the only sane person in the cult was its founder, and she’d almost been overthrown by those seeking to get closer to the God of Ino.
“So? How about we put on a show? Help me regain my position as Master?” Igarashi asked, extending her hand.
“A show?” He instantly understood. “I’m in, but on one condition.”
“Tell me,” Igarashi said, her hand still extended.
“Attend the Tokyo Camp Conference in three days,” he said, still remembering the task his leader had given him. “To discuss… the situation in Chiba.”
“Chiba? Is it that bad?”
“Completely submerged… destroyed…”
“I understand. I’ll be there.”
This was a matter of survival. If Chiba had fallen, then Tokyo was next… and how long could Tokyo withstand the assaults from the sea?
Not to mention the amphibious zombies that would flood the city after each tsunami…
As they were talking, they both felt their hearts skip a beat.
A low growl…
They turned and saw the massive zombie behind them, its heavy eyelids slowly opening, revealing its dull, green, pupil-less eyes.
“M-Master… Igarashi…” Higashida stammered, looking at the vacant eyes. “You’re… controlling it… right…?”
“Uh… no…”
An uncontrolled B-rank zombie had just woken up beside them.
“Holy shit—!”
Higashida scrambled for the door, but a massive weight pressed down on him.
“Buzz—”
“Boom—”
Both Igarashi and Higashida were slammed into the ground, their bodies pinned as if by tons of weight, unable to move.
Lin Jiayao looked at her hands.
So hot…
She felt an immense power surging within her, a concentration of blood crystals unlike anything she had felt even as the Building-Tree Guardian.
She felt… she could level this entire mountain.
“Thump—”
Something pulsed within her, a powerful, rhythmic beating, seemingly her own massive heart.
Even through her thick skin, a purple glow emanated from her chest, as if a powerful blood crystal energy source was rapidly circulating within.
She raised her hand and slowly pressed down. As she did, the glow from her chest intensified, the energy flow increasing.
“Ugh—”
Both figures on the ground coughed up blood. Not just them, but also the Awakened worshippers kneeling outside, all collapsed, their bodies convulsing.
Gravity?
No… not gravity…
Resonance… blood crystal resonance…
B-rank… definitely B-rank!
Having experienced the power of the Building-Tree Guardian, Lin Jiayao was certain: the zombie she was controlling was B-rank.
She slowly pushed herself up, supporting her massive body with her hands, and stood.
As she stood, the old house behind her crumbled. Her twisted, slender legs straightened, lifting her towering form. Like a giant, purple-skinned Hunter.
A purple giant, standing on the mountaintop.
“Rumble—”
“Rustle—”
Dust and debris rained down from her body as everyone below stared up at her, their bodies prostrate.
Power…
Lin Jiayao stretched, feeling the power coursing through her veins, and spread her arms.
The layers of skin, like a massive cape, extended with her movement.
Blotting out the sun—
Like a true god, descending upon the world.
She exhaled slowly and looked towards the extraction point…
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