Ise Ryuichi's brain completely froze at this moment.
He stared intently at the jet-black, abyssal crystal on the table, feeling the power emanating from it, a power that made his soul tremble and yearn.
What was this?
This was the power he had dreamed of, the power he would stop at nothing to obtain!
This was the only hope he believed could wash away his shame and allow him to take revenge on that man!
But now, this hope had been "bestowed" upon him by that man, casually, as if it were trash.
A gift?
What kind of a goddamn gift was this?!
This was clearly alms!
It was a humiliation more malicious and soul-crushing than any before!
He, Ise Ryuichi, Son of Amaterasu, had never needed alms from an enemy!
However, the rational anger burned, but his body's instincts screamed madly.
Want it!
Get it!
Merge with it!
As long as he possessed this power, all the humiliation he suffered today would have a hundredfold chance of being repaid!
These conflicting thoughts, like two ferocious beasts, tore at each other in his mind, almost ripping his spirit to shreds.
Kamiya Makoto, standing beside him, was also stunned.
He couldn't comprehend Lu Cheng's actions; it felt like watching a dragon, with great interest, toss its treasure to an ant attempting to challenge him.
This wasn't kindness; this was absolute, not seeing the other party as a threat... contempt.
Watching Ise Ryuichi's face contort from his intense struggle, the smile on Lu Cheng's lips deepened.
He picked up the tea cup and took a light sip, as if savoring the excellent drama unfolding before him.
"What, you don't dare to take it?"
Lu Cheng's voice was light, yet it was like a poisoned dagger, precisely stabbing into Ise Ryuichi's most fragile self-esteem.
"That's right."
He shook his head, his tone filled with an expected disappointment.
"Wastrels are always afraid of power they cannot control."
"Because they know in their hearts that once they accept this strength that doesn't belong to them, it's tantamount to admitting their utter incompetence."
Boom—!
These few words instantly snapped the string of "reason" in Ise Ryuichi's heart!
Incompetent?
Wastrel?
"You shut up!!!"
Ise Ryuichi let out a suppressed roar, reaching out abruptly and seizing the black crystal on the table tightly in his palm!
The cold, sinister energy of the ancient god beast instantly surged from his palm into his limbs and bones!
That power gave his body, trembling with rage, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and peace.
He raised his head, his crimson-gold eyes now stained with an impenetrable darkness, appearing incredibly ferocious and insane.
"Lu Cheng!"
He enunciated each word, squeezing the name through his teeth, as if to chew and swallow it whole.
"I will accept your gift!"
"Once I have fully integrated this power, that will be your death day!"
"I will personally purify this disgusting face of yours!"
Facing this whimper like a defeated dog, Lu Cheng merely smiled, his gaze like one watching a child who had just received a new toy and couldn't wait to show it off to an adult.
It was full of indulgence and pity.
He slowly stood up, tidying the corner of his clothes, seemingly having lost the last bit of interest in this farce.
"Alright."
He casually responded, his tone unashamedly perfunctory.
"I'll be waiting."
After speaking, he didn't even bother to look at the man again, as if the vow of "god-slaying" was merely a gentle breeze in his ears.
His gaze passed over the "toy" that had fallen into madness and finally landed on Ise Hinata, who had not spoken a single word from beginning to end.
The Amaterasu Shrine Maiden simply sat quietly, her moonlit eyes now gazing at her brother, consumed by desire, her expression extremely complex.
Lu Cheng's steps paused slightly as he passed her.
His voice, no longer containing the previous mockery and pressure, instead became soft, like a sigh, precisely blowing into Ise Hinata's heart.
"I've opened a crack in the cage door for you."
"Do you want to fly out and see the true world outside?"
"The choice is yours."
After his words fell, he no longer lingered, walking unhurriedly towards the outside of the courtyard.
The barrier protecting the shrine's eternal purity remained like a docile veil before him, not even rippling as he passed through it, disappearing from everyone's sight.
It was as if he had never intruded, merely coming here for a stroll.
Inside the courtyard, there was a deathly silence.
Ise Ryuichi was still immersed in the ecstasy of gaining power and wild fantasies about the future.
Only Ise Hinata.
She slowly raised her head.
Her gaze did not fall on her maddened brother, nor on the direction Lu Cheng had left.
Instead, it passed through the courtyard, through the ancient trees, and looked towards the small, square... sky, divided by the barrier.
The cage door... opened?
In her calm eyes, for the first time, something other than moonlight was reflected.
It was a brilliant starlight, named "yearning."