Chapter 8 — Punishment of the Gods
Bang!!!
Hidan's face blossomed with pain as both his feet lifted off the ground, his head thrown back.
But it wasn't over. Shinji, determined to make Hidan fully realize the gap in their strength, immediately closed in half a step. First, he drove an iron-hard elbow straight into Hidan's chest.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones echoed sharply.
As Hidan flew backward, Shinji caught one of his arms with precise timing and forcefully flung him upward.
Then, with a powerful stomp on the ground, he launched himself into the air!
Both hands lightly pressed against Hidan's body, while his right knee pressed firmly against Hidan's spinal column at the waist…
With just the right amount of pressure at the moment of landing, Hidan could have been easily split in half—head and heels nearly touching!
Boom!
The impact cracked the ground beneath Shinji into a spiderweb of fractures.
Yet, surprisingly, the expected gruesome outcome never came to pass.
At the last moment, Shinji had unexpectedly withdrawn his strength, sparing Hidan from being broken like a pair of chopsticks.
Plopping him to the ground, Shinji exhaled a slightly heated breath, the bloodstains on his forehead already fading.
Defeated.
Once again, defeated.
And this time, it was an unprecedentedly humiliating loss.
Lying on the ground, Hidan felt an unbearable surge of resentment filling his chest.
Especially when Shinji had held back on that final strike, it struck at Hidan's sensitive nerves even deeper!
"Hahaha… I won't die! Even if all that's left of me is my skull, I'll crawl out of hell and bite your throat off!"
"If you can manage that, then go ahead and try. But right now… you're far too weak. Weak enough that I don't even feel it's worth using my full strength to finish you off."
With that, Shinji turned and walked away.
"You… you're mocking me!"
"Next time, no matter what, I'll make sure to kill you!"
"Hey, Akagi Shinji! You bastard! Come back here!"
Hidan's furious roar echoed through the base, only to be quickly intercepted by the followers who rushed him to the infirmary for treatment.
---
The next day, Hidan emerged after receiving treatment.
He had expected to face extremely severe punishment—after all, he had disobeyed the orders of the cult leader and had shamelessly gone to provoke Akagi Shinji, only to be thoroughly beaten…
Yet to his surprise, the cult leader Takihata hadn't appeared by the time he stepped out.
But given his personality, Hidan didn't care and quickly pushed the thought aside.
It wasn't until mealtime, when overhearing the conversations around him, that he clenched his fists in rage!
"Hey, did you see it?"
"Of course! The cult leader's method of execution was pure art! So thrilling!"
"Damn, you pervert! But Akagi… that guy really has guts. Didn't make a sound the entire time."
"Hah, that's because he got the gift of immortality from the Evil God himself. Otherwise, he probably would have pissed himself! That punishment… no normal person could survive it!"
"Maybe. That's what happens when you defy the cult leader's will—no exceptions."
Bang!
Hidan slammed to his feet, toppling his chair, grabbed the man who had spoken with a sour tone by the collar, and lifted him into the air.
"Hey, Hidan! What are you doing?!" his companion said in a shaky voice.
"What punishment? Are you talking about Akagi Shinji? What happened to him?"
The man, now dangling, turned red in the face. He was about to reply defiantly when Hidan's cold, deathly gaze made him shiver. Hastily, he said:
"Yeah, it's Akagi Shinji. I don't know the full details, but it's apparently because of what happened with you yesterday. The cult leader was furious and publicly punished him."
Yesterday?
Hidan froze. But wasn't that whole incident started by him?
Even if the cult leader wanted to punish someone, it should have been him, not Shinji!
Confused, Hidan decided to see for himself.
"Where is he?"
"What?"
"I said, where is he?!"
"In… in the main hall… ah!"
Bang!
Hidan threw the man aside with force. With pure malice, he said, "Next time you're going to talk bad about someone behind their back, make sure it's in a private place. Even if Shinji doesn't have complete immortality, you're no one to act recklessly. Understand?"
"I… I understand," the man said, lowering his gaze in resentment, unable to comprehend why Hidan would defend his rival. But if he valued his life, he knew not to provoke him again.
Hidan strode off and soon entered the main hall.
---
This was the usual place where the cult worshiped the Evil God, though now it bore a different atmosphere.
Before a massive faceless statue of the Evil God, a figure hovered in midair, pierced by eighteen jet-black spears. Blood dripped constantly, flowing into grooves in the floor.
This was the "Punishment of the Gods" of the Evil God Cult. Eighteen spears pierced the victim's limbs and torso, carefully avoiding vital areas to preserve life.
Once the blood filling the grooves of the cult's pattern reached the proper level, the victim would achieve salvation—indicating that under the watch of the Evil God, their sins had been cleansed with blood.
In reality, though, no one had ever survived this punishment.
Hidan approached and saw that the one undergoing the "Punishment of the Gods" was indeed Akagi Shinji.
Noticing someone approaching, the bloodied Shinji instinctively lifted his head. Seeing Hidan, he split his lips into a grin.
"Seeing me like this… doesn't it feel good?"
"Yeah, it's… exhilarating. But I'm more curious—what did you do to deserve this?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because someone told me you were punished for what happened yesterday…"
"Hey, don't tell me you think I took the fall for you! Don't dream. I was too busy worrying about my own ass. You might be the next one to end up like me, so if I were you, I'd just go back to bed quietly."
"You've still got the energy to insult me… looks like this so-called 'Punishment of the Gods' isn't so bad after all."
After a final taunt, Hidan left.
Behind him, Shinji slowly disappeared into darkness again, the sound of dripping blood echoing endlessly in the hall.
---
On his way back to his room, Hidan's expression shifted continuously.
Eventually, he stopped and turned toward the place where the cult leader Takihata resided.
Even if Shinji was right—he hadn't taken the fall for him—Hidan knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he understood the truth.