Within the rift of the Yellow Springs, a deathly aura potent enough to corrode divinity surged forward. However, as it came within three feet of -Ian, it became incredibly docile, actively veering away to avoid him. Lin Qiye, who was being carried by the scruff of his neck by -Ian, realized that he too remained completely unaffected.
Beyond the rift, the landscape was not as bleak and terrifying as one might imagine. Though constructed from endless piles of white bone and lingering resentment, the realm mimicked the pavilions and galleries of Takamagahara. It was a twisted kingdom of death, fueled by obsession and unyielding regret.
"Outsider, become a part of me!"
Izanami's will reverberated across the entire realm of the Yellow Springs. The earth split open, and countless pale, undead arms clawed their way out of the soil, reaching for the two men to drag them down into the deathly roots of the land.
-Ian casually snapped his fingers.
*Snap.*
With that light sound, the entire Yellow Springs shuddered violently. Every surging law of death froze instantly. The hideous arms solidified in mid-air before disintegrating inch by inch.
-Ian looked deep into the heart of the realm, where the figure of Izanami emerged—half-rotted, half-exquisite—her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Your territory?" -Ian's tone was flat. "Sorry, but I've taken a liking to it. It's mine now."
He reached out and clenched his fist toward the void at the core of the Yellow Springs.
A power of the "Void," more ancient and ultimate than hers, erupted violently, forcibly flooding into Izanami's Divine Spark.
She let out a desperate shriek. Under the influence of the Void, her rotting, maggot-infested half was restored to a pristine state, but her breathtakingly beautiful half rapidly withered, losing all its divine radiance.
In the end, she fell from the air, transformed into an ordinary woman with a numb expression.
-Ian didn't turn her into a figurine. With a casual wave of his hand, her decaying divine robes were instantly replaced by a well-fitting, modern receptionist's uniform.
"From today onward, you are the receptionist and greeter for Yellow Springs Co., Ltd. You are responsible for visitor registration."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Yellow Springs underwent a cataclysmic transformation.
Palaces of bone rose from the ground, transforming into brightly lit city streets. The gloomy path of the Yellow Springs became a polished marble floor. At the entrance of a massive building, a sign materialized out of thin air: "Japanese Deity Re-employment Guidance Center."
In every corner of the realm, countless minor deities who had hidden here to escape -Ian were now trembling in terror. Japan claimed to have eight million gods, and the vast majority of them were hiding in this place.
As -Ian's divine sense swept across the area, a smile of discovery appeared on his face. "Oh, so this is a talent market for gods. This makes things much easier."
Lin Qiye stood to the side, watching the former Creator Mother, Izanami. Now dressed in an OL uniform, she stood blankly at the front desk, clutching a tablet. Several Golden Custodes dragged a mountain god, who looked like he was about to faint from fear, out of a corner and tossed him toward the desk.
-Ian manifested a comfortable "Interviewer's" throne and sat down. Looking at the long line of Japanese gods being herded forward by the Custodes, he smiled. "Now, for the exciting sorting process."
He cleared his throat, his voice echoing throughout the "Center." "The interview criteria are simple. Anyone harboring malice or whose appearance does not meet my aesthetic standards will be humanely destroyed and recycled. The rest will be redistributed based on their specialties."
A deathly silence fell over the queuing gods, their fear almost tangible. But looking at the imposing Custodes guarding the entrance and the former Ruler of the Yellow Springs at the front desk, no one dared to move.
"You, come up and introduce yourself," -Ian beckoned to a trembling goddess in white at the front of the line.
Izanami looked up woodenly. "Name, divine office, specialties."
The goddess stepped forward shakily. "I... I am Yuki-onna... I govern ice and snow. My constitution... can keep the surrounding area cool..."
-Ian looked her up and down and nodded. "Hmm, decent ability. High-quality talent. I hereby announce the official establishment of the 'Exclusive Massage Parlor - Japanese Branch.' You are appointed as Technician No. 1."
Before Yuki-onna could even react, she turned into a streak of light and vanished.
The next candidate was an ugly plague god emitting an ominous aura. She had just begun to speak—"I am the powerful..."
"Next," -Ian waved his hand, and the plague god was instantly decomposed into pure energy particles.
A goddess of hot springs was appointed as Technician No. 2 due to her lovely face and unique abilities.
Subsequently, a large number of beautiful goddesses were categorized by their divine functions and assigned roles such as "Exclusive Ear-Cleaning Specialist" and "Exclusive Physical Therapist," all being teleported into the newly opened "parlor."
When it came to the male gods, the unsightly ones were purged immediately. Those with outstanding temperaments and handsome features, such as certain wind and flower gods, were handpicked by him.
"The female Custodes and interstellar warriors under the Emperor's command have spent years campaigning and lack entertainment," -Ian announced publicly. "I have decided to open an entertainment venue called the 'Takamagahara Host Club.' You are the first batch of employees."
Just as this absurd recruitment fair was halfway through, an encrypted communication request popped up in front of -Ian.
The Emperor's emotionless face appeared on the screen. However, the background was no longer the bridge of a warship, but the interior of a massive golden pyramid, filled with twisted flesh and frantically writhing hieroglyphics.
The Emperor's voice was cold and solemn. "The pantheon of the Nile River basin... has suffered an unexpected 'contamination.'"
He showed -Ian a series of images: the Egyptian gods, led by the god of death, Anubis, were not resisting. Instead, they were performing a grand sacrificial ritual.
They were proactively offering their Divine Sparks and divine bodies to a mass of Chaos flesh at the core of the pyramid, which radiated an aura of ultimate decay and disorder. Their faces were twisted with the ecstasy of embracing eternity.
The smile vanished from -Ian's face.
He recognized the source of that aura and cursed under his breath, "Those idiots. They think it's an opportunity, not realizing it's just a higher-level livestock farm. What a waste of those goddesses."
The communication cut off. The Emperor's will already blanketed all of Egypt. He had decided to act personally; before the contamination could spread, he would completely erase this rotted pantheon, along with that mass of Chaos flesh, from the universe.
At the core of the pyramid, facing the self-sacrificing Egyptian gods, the Primarch "Lion" El'Jonson and his First Legion had already sealed off the entire space behind the Emperor.
"You have betrayed the basic logic of life and chosen to embrace decay and falsehood," the Emperor declared. "You are not gods; you are a cancer upon the universe."
He raised his power claw, blazing with a golden psychic fire, preparing to execute the final purification.
At that moment, the Chaos flesh suddenly accelerated its consumption. As Anubis and the other gods were devoured, their faces showed a sense of ultimate liberation. The Chaos flesh expanded rapidly, forming a bloated mass composed of countless eyeballs and pustules.
Upon the mass, a giant face formed from the fusion of countless other faces slowly emerged. It looked at the Emperor and let out a mocking laugh. "Do you truly believe that destroying a mere fragment of me can stop my Master's gift from descending upon this fertile world?"
Unmoved, the Emperor simply increased his psychic output.
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