Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

He paused, his cloudy gaze sweeping over Ashiya Doman. After confirming that he was alright, he continued, his tone carrying a barely perceptible urgency: "Alright. It's good that you've returned safely. I summoned you back urgently because there's something important. Your master needs your protection."

"I will obey your orders, Master." Ashiya Dōman bowed almost instinctively in response, as if the reverence etched into his very bones was driving him.

But the question in his heart compelled him to ask, "Master, what kind of important ceremony is being held?"

The master's lips curled into a smile, the dim lamplight flickering in his pupils like a fervent flame. He stared at his disciple, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Longevity."

Ashiya Dōman was startled. The word seemed to touch his heartstrings. The surrounding scenery began to overlap and distort, sometimes bright and sometimes dark, like a Rubik's Cube changing.

"Doman? Are you ready?"

With another word from the master, the scene quickly changed and then settled again, but it was now a different scene.

This must be a basement, with countless burning lamps stuck into the walls, completely dispelling the darkness.

The ground was meticulously engraved with a huge and intricate magic circle, its patterns deep and obscure. In the center of the magic circle stood a naked master craftsman. His withered body appeared even more emaciated in the firelight, but the desire in his eyes was enough to burn everything away.

"Daoman! What are you standing there for? Sit down immediately!"

The master's voice was sharp with excitement, and it carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

However, Ashiya Dōman's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the scene on the other side.

It was a cage built against the stone wall, constructed of thick iron bars, and covered with talismans with a yellow background and cinnabar.

Trapped inside was a creature with excessively pale skin, a voluptuous figure, and completely naked.

Ashiya Michiman was unsure whether it was a person or not.

Because "she" had lost an arm and was covered in wounds, from which flowed blood that resembled golden sand.

Her head had disappeared, but even so, she was still alive.

More importantly, she also had a pair of broken white wings on her back, giving her an overall sense of devastation, suggesting that she had experienced some terrible ordeal before.

The master looked very anxious, but seeing the curiosity in Ashiya Michi's eyes, and considering that the upcoming ceremony required the disciple's help, he took a deep breath, suppressed his displeasure, and patiently began to explain:

"I discovered this some time ago when I was observing the celestial phenomena at night."

"She fell from the sky and landed in the forest, and I followed the trail to find her."

“She looked like this when I found her, but,” the master couldn’t help but take two steps closer, staring at the winged human’s mangled body in the cage with fascination, “even so, she is still alive.”

“This must be a deity who fell from Takamagahara to the mortal realm. Even if he is weak, he is still a deity.”

"What I need to do is take his place and become the new god! In this way, the path to immortality that I have been pursuing for so many years can be achieved immediately!"

"Daoman, I promise you, as long as I can become a god, you can become my god, and together we can enjoy eternal life and the worship of all living beings!"

The master's voice was full of allure.

Ashiya Doman instinctively sensed something was wrong, but dared not disobey his master's orders.

It seems that their fear of him was already ingrained in their bones.

"Yes, as ordered."

Ashiya Dōman seemed to know what to do, and sat down cross-legged on the spot.

Seeing this, the master nodded in satisfaction and said no more. With a solemn expression, he returned to the center of the magic circle and began chanting incantations at an extremely fast pace.

"The Nine Heavens Mysterious Demon, the Netherworld opens together. Bearing Heaven and Earth, guiding the spirits back to their remains."

“O soul and spirit, depart from that jade palace. Forsake your divine bodies, and offer yourselves to ascend the throne.”

The chanting grew more urgent and louder, piling up and shrieking in my ears.

The light from the magic circle suddenly surged, transforming into a blood-red pillar that simultaneously enveloped the master craftsman and the remains of the winged man in the cage.

"open!"

The master suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes and let out a deafening shout.

Bang!

The talismans on the iron cage spontaneously combusted without wind, instantly turning to ashes, and the iron gate burst open with a roar.

The headless, winged human's remains, like a puppet pulled by invisible threads, stiffly and contortedly stepped out of the cage, heading straight for the master in the center of the magic array.

Under Ashiya Doman's gaze, the master opened his arms, his face contorted with a mixture of ecstasy and agony. The winged man's mangled body, like a melted wax figure, clung eerily to the master's withered form.

The integration has begun.

The golden sand flowing from the winged man's wound made a sizzling sound as it touched the master's flesh.

The broken wing bone fragments pierced the master's back, taking root like newly formed limbs.

The master's body underwent a dramatic transformation at a visible speed. His loose, dry skin quickly became firm and smooth, wrinkles were forcibly smoothed out, his hunched back straightened little by little, and his white hair turned black. A powerful aura gradually took shape on his body.

"Ha, ha ha ha! I've done it! I've done it!" The master looked down at his hands, which had become young and strong, and felt the surging power within him that far surpassed his former strength. He let out a maniacal laugh, which echoed in the stone chamber and made the candlelight flicker.

His laughter gradually subsided, and his gaze fell upon Ashiya Dōman, who looked utterly shocked, a hint of arrogance and coldness emanating from him.

"Hehehe, Daoman! You truly are my good disciple. Now, let me have you."

Stopped abruptly.

The master's face froze in ecstasy.

His youthful body suddenly swelled violently and uncontrollably, as if countless living things were writhing and colliding wildly under his skin, and his bones made cracking sounds.

"No, impossible! Why?! I clearly had it under control! Ahhhhh—!"

The mournful echo reverberated.

The master's body, like a balloon inflated to its limit, swelled under Ashiya Doman's stunned gaze.

boom! !

A dull bang.

Blood mist, mixed with bits of flesh, bone fragments, and the not-yet-fully-fused remains of the winged human, poured down a foul rain in the secret chamber, instantly flooding the entire underground stone room.

The shockwave swept across, and all the oil lamps went out in the same instant.

The darkness, accompanied by the stench of blood and burning, engulfed everything.

"Ho ho."

In the darkness, Ashiya Dōman felt himself struggling to breathe.

My palm seemed to touch a small, hard object with a strange, jade-like texture.

It feels like a severed finger when I touch it?

Thank you to "行者商丘" for the 500-coin reward.

Thank you to "pi=3.14" for the 200 coins donation.

Chapter 252: The Final Charge

"Nobi, Nobi!"

"Wake up!"

Like a drowning person suddenly pulled out of the water, Nobi Tomoyo opened his eyes.

As far as the eye could see, there was still complete darkness.

Immediately, a lantern emitting a soft green light appeared before him, illuminating the witcher's face.

"Geralt?" Nobita struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse and dry, filled with confusion.

"You're finally awake. I thought you were knocked unconscious by your own armor," Geralt said with a sigh of relief, making a lighthearted joke.

Nobita shook his groggy head to clear his mind.

Where is this place?

Yes, he remembered.

They had just dealt with the tentacles extending from Ashiya Doman's main body when Mount Fuji collapsed, the entire mountain split open, and they plunged into the abyss.

What was that memory just now? It was clearly not a dream, nor did it belong to him; it should belong to Ashiya Dōman's memory.

What are his memories of his master's tragic death in pursuit of immortality? And who is that mysterious headless, winged man?

"I think I saw Ashiya Doman." Nobita found the Hero's Sword next to him, stood up, and quickly checked his body.

Aside from the immense physical exhaustion and muscle soreness from continuous summoning and battles, as well as the lingering mental shock in his mind, he seemed to have no serious injuries.

He then briefly recounted to Geralt how he had become entangled in that terrifying memory.

Geralt frowned, and after listening, he pondered, "That monster's spirit has probably been completely corrupted by power. What you encountered were likely fragments of his shattered memories. And this is the core area of ​​his power, which is why he can affect you through these fragments of memories. This is not a good sign; it means that his madness has already eroded this space."

“But the most urgent task is to find the others and combine our forces.” Geralt swept his lantern around. “I sensed the presence of a unicorn; it’s not far from us. Follow me.”

The two walked among the rugged rocks, the surroundings eerily silent, as if all living things had been swallowed up by the collapse.

Fortunately, they soon found a unicorn who was also looking for Nobita.

Its body remained snow-white, seemingly spotless, radiating a holy halo under the green light of the lantern. Although the light from its golden horn was slightly dim, it could still dispel the approaching chilling evil energy.

With it by their side, the two felt a little more at ease.

"As for the others, Geralt, do you have a way to continue searching?" Nobita patted the unicorn's head and asked Geralt.

Geralt shook his head: "They didn't leave any trace, and I didn't have much contact with them. It's difficult, if..."

The unicorn hissed twice, gesturing for them to mount.

"Do you know where they are?" Nobita asked.

The unicorn nodded affirmatively.

The two immediately mounted their horse, which skillfully navigated the complex passages. Before long, they found Hayato wandering around like a headless fly in a relatively open area.

His blazing motorcycle was clearly engulfed in flames, and its headlights darted haphazardly across the front, like a signal transmitter.

While driving, he also frantically tried to call for his teammates via private messages.

"Over here!" Nobita shouted.

Hayato slammed on the brakes upon hearing the noise, his face beaming with excitement: "President! I'm so glad you're all alright, this place is like a maze!"

After reuniting, they continued their exploration.

The temperature in the passage began to rise sharply, and dark red lava seeped from the cracks in the surrounding rock walls.

More and more, grotesque lava monsters began to crawl out of these wounds, trying to intercept them.

Despite their valiant efforts, the monsters could only cause them some trouble and couldn't stop them from continuing their advance.

Finally, in an area where lava had spewed into rivers, they heard the sounds of fierce fighting and the roars of monsters.

Ethan Reno, covered in blood, was riding on the back of a slightly disheveled white tiger, desperately trying to fend off the attacks of more than a dozen lava monsters, facing a perilous situation.

Without saying much, everyone immediately joined the battle.

With a combined attack, the besieged monsters were quickly eliminated.

Renault and the white tiger were able to catch their breath. The white tiger licked its wounds and let out a low growl.

Reno took the opportunity to replenish some blood energy through the monsters, and his wounds healed faster under the stimulation of the blood energy.

"Luckily you arrived in time. Now, should we try to find a way out?" Renault asked, trying to distract them.

"Have you seen the demonic mist?" Nobita looked around.

Renault shook his head: "After White Tiger and I landed, we came here and have been running ever since, but we've been surrounded here and haven't encountered anyone else."

The unicorn beeped twice, its golden horn pointing towards a cave entrance deep inside.

Nobita understood, so they carefully bypassed the scorching lava river, passed through the cave entrance, and finally stepped onto a relatively dry, black rock platform.

Around this rock platform is a boiling lava pool with a diameter of tens of meters.

Above the lava pool, a black mist, also tens of meters high, was clashing with a being suspended above the magma.

The thing was not a complete biological form. It had wings made of dark red energy on its back, but its main body was shaped like a human little finger that shimmered with a warm, jade-like light.

At the "top" of the little finger, radiating blood vessels, like a rising sun flag, connect to the surrounding lava and rock walls.

This jade-like finger throbbed slightly, radiating a powerful vitality.