In this towering temple that transcended mortal understanding, Kanjuro endured the pain of his brain nearly exploding as he faced the indescribable horror before him... Countless tentacles covered in viscous liquid wriggled in the void, severed fingers and ulcerated eyeballs were embedded in the massive body like stardust, and the air was filled with the stench of the deep sea and rot.
"Ant, you have no choice in the matter." Nyarlathotep's voice seemed to come from the depths of the universe, every syllable tearing at Kanjuro's sanity.
Kanjuro pulled a distorted smile: "Since I can stand here, I am not afraid to pay the price. But if you think I'll sign a contract so easily, you're overestimating yourself."
"Interesting." The indescribable thing let out a bone-chilling chuckle. "The more wicked the soul, the more fearless it is. Speak, what do you want to know?"
"Why could Kitami and I become the contractors of the 'dark bible'?"
Nyarlathotep's tentacles traced eerie paths in the void: "The reason toys are toys is that they can never escape my palm. The 'dark bible' requires two souls—the Ultimate Good and the Ultimate Evil. But in the end, they will both return to darkness."
"So I needed Kitami's fall to unlock the power?"
"Exactly." Thousands of eyeballs turned simultaneously. "She is the key to opening the Gate of Truth, and you are the hand that turns the key."
Kanjuro nodded with satisfaction—it was just as he had planned; he had guessed it beforehand.
But just as he was thinking, the temple began to distort violently, and Nyarlathotep's form underwent a maddening change.
Countless female figures flashed in the mist, sometimes turning into pure young girls, sometimes into charming noblewomen. Each was breathtakingly beautiful, yet carried an unspeakable eeriness.
"Is this your true face?" Kanjuro struggled to look away.
"I am merely reflecting the deepest desires of your heart." Thousands of voices rang out simultaneously, like a chorus from different dimensions. "Right now, you are not yet qualified to touch my essence."
Kanjuro took a deep breath: "In that case, why choose to sign a contract with me?"
"Because I crave to witness." All the phantoms suddenly condensed into a young girl wearing a black dress. She gently tilted Kanjuro's chin. "I want to watch you perform the evil of human nature to the extreme. The more evil you commit, the stronger the power I bestow upon you."
"No reward required?"
"Your fall is the best reward." The girl's pupils suddenly split into countless compound eyes. "So, do you want to sign the contract?"
"Of course." Kanjuro revealed a manic smile. "Dancing with the devil has always been my pleasure."
In an instant, the entire temple began to collapse.
Nyarlathotep's true form appeared—a massive entity composed of countless distorted limbs and shimmering star cores. Its tentacles wrapped around Kanjuro's limbs, and cold slime seeped into his skin.
"I bestow upon you the Curse of Immortality. Time shall freeze upon you, and you will forever remain at your most perfect age of eighteen."
"I bestow upon you the Eye of Truth, to see through all the evils of the world."
"Within every person's soul lies a hidden symbol of evil. When you induce them to fall—whether through deception, abuse, rape, or slaughter—the Eye of Truth will reveal their deepest inner darkness to you and bestow upon you corresponding power."
Kanjuro felt an unprecedented power surging within his body.
His vision suddenly became incredibly clear. He could see the hidden marks of sin in everyone's soul and perceive the best way to tempt others into falling.
At the same time, an eternal sense of loneliness followed him like a shadow—he would be forever trapped in a youthful body, becoming an eternal existence that lures the world into corruption.
"Remember," Nyarlathotep's voice gradually faded away, "every time you make another fall, the Eye of Truth will bestow new power upon you. The deeper the sin, the more generous the reward..."
?*?
At the end of that indescribable dimension, the towering temple seemed to be constructed from a distorted starry sky. Nyarlathotep's form constantly changed in the void, and the pupils embedded in the countless tentacles simultaneously reflected Kanjuro's figure.
"What about the 'dark bible'?" Kanjuro's voice echoed in the empty temple.
"That is but a toy I discarded at will." Thousands of voices intertwined into a mocking whisper. "You may use the spells within it to commit evil as you please."
"There won't be any side effects?"
"Since you have become its master, how could you be harmed by your own toy?"
The corner of Kanjuro's mouth hooked into a distorted curve: "In that case, will you hand down any punishment?"
The existence in the void let out a bone-chilling chuckle: "When all the sins in the world have gathered upon you, what else can be called a punishment?"
"In that case, haven't I gotten the best of the bargain?"
"You indeed have no qualification to lose," the countless tentacles slowly tightened, "because you have already stood before me. It is just that one day, you will sink into eternal madness."
"Hahahaha—" Kanjuro laughed toward the sky, his laughter carrying an indescribable frenzy, yet cold tears slid down the corners of his eyes. "If I can live willfully, what does it matter if I become a madman?"
"Very well, now you can go back."
Kanjuro gazed at the entity whose form was constantly changing before him: "Will we meet again?"
It transformed into the form of an enchanting woman, her red lips slightly parted: "That depends on whether you can please me. Go, and release the darkness in your heart to your heart's content."
The moment the words fell, the entire temple began to collapse. Countless stars extinguished before Kanjuro's eyes, and the void peeled away like a fading scroll. When the last sliver of light vanished, he felt the existence of his physical body once again.
???
Opening his eyes, he was met with a pair of cold eyes.
"Where did you go just now?" Reika Kitami's hand was gathering dark magic, her voice carrying an unprecedented chill.
Kanjuro looked down, caught sight of the open "dark bible," and softly chanted an incantation.
Kitami instantly froze in place, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes.
She felt that the magic power emanating from Kanjuro had already surpassed the human realm; it was a bone-chilling power originating from the depths of the universe.
As Kanjuro raised his hand, ghostly blue flames instantly engulfed the entire basement.
Aozaki Sakuya looked at this scene in shock. She could perceive that this power contained the essence of all the sins in the world—it was an abyssal power that even the highest-level Magicians could not comprehend.
Kanjuro walked slowly toward the imprisoned Kitami, his fingertips lightly stroking her pale cheek.
"Do you know?" His voice carried a hair-raising tenderness.
"Your current hateful appearance is much more fascinating than your former weak self."
His hand reached into her skirt, stroking her trembling legs.
Hatred burned in Kitami's eyes, yet she could not break free from this restraint from the abyss.
The flames in the basement were still dancing wildly, casting their figures onto the wall like some ancient sacrificial ritual...
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