With her skyrocketing gambling skills, Tsunade was brimming with confidence and eager to prove the truth of her words. Right then and there, she grabbed Hikari, Kushina, and Miroku to start playing cards.
Kei quietly gave the three of them a meaningful glance. Hikari and Kushina immediately understood.
Although Miroku, being highly intelligent, had little interaction with him, she quickly caught on to what was happening. With a smile in her eyes, she gave a slight nod in agreement.
"Thank you, Kami-sama! I—I will surely make good use of the divine power you have bestowed upon me, spreading your glory and ensuring that everyone sings praises to your name!" Kanae, having just absorbed the multiple layers of divine power granted by Kei, was filled with joy and excitement. She quickly bowed once more in gratitude.
An unparalleled sword technique beyond imagination, a force even more unstoppable than Blood Demon Arts, [Fourfold Break in One Second]!
And then there was that perfect substitute for Breathing Techniques, Seeds of Natural Energy, which allowed external energy to be absorbed into the body, forming an energy cycle that greatly enhanced one's strength!
Based on the divine information transmitted to her, as long as she trained diligently, she would soon possess the power to face Muzan head-on!
"It's nothing, just work hard," Kei responded, feeling the intense fervor of worship directed toward him. He cast an exasperated glance at Miroku, who had already started playing cards.
A professional shrine maiden truly knew how to sway people!
Did Miroku worship him? Without a doubt!
But more than worship, it was gratitude.
Gratitude that he had the power to change the fate of shrine maidens, to release the souls of those who had been trapped for countless years, freeing them from eternal loneliness and darkness.
That was why she actively cooperated with the Five Element Shinobi Army's high command in spreading his faith. To a great extent, she believed that doing so was not only beneficial to him but also to ordinary people and the world itself.
If something benefits everyone, why not do it?
As for the expertly crafted words used to "persuade" Kanae, those were clearly carefully designed!
First, she praised the divine name, spoke of its might, and recounted past achievements. Then, she made it clear to Kanae that her deity was kind and merciful, approachable yet deeply responsible for his followers.
She listened to Kanae's past, explored her deepest desires, and gathered information about her world.
She grasped her needs.
She ensured Kanae was prepared to pay the price and dedicate everything.
And in the end, Kei only needed to give a slight response, and Kanae would become his follower. In fact, even if he didn't respond and merely agreed verbally,
Miroku, possessing the special power of shrine maidens, could still provide considerable help to Kanae. But for an ordinary person to be swayed , if they didn't end up as a fanatic, it would be strange!
A fake fanatic deceiving a whole bunch of true fanatics… where's the logic in that? Kei silently ridiculed the situation.
"Kami-sama, may I enshrine a statue of you?"
Recalling the proper duties of a shrine maiden, Kanae asked softly.
"No need for that. Here, take this charm instead." After a moment of thought, Kei used his primordial energy, transformed into Wood Release energy, and in the blink of an eye, created a two-inch-tall wooden figurine.
He then imbued it with "Shield of the Seraphim" and "Guardian Vishanti" from the Book of the Vishanti of the Chaos Archmage, along with a "Cleansing Spell."
Even though these were defense-type magic spells, their counteracting power alone was enough to eliminate most dangers.
As for the Cleansing Spell, not only would it keep the small wooden figurine perpetually clean and intact, but it would also allow the wearer to remain fresh and spotless at all times.
The first two were life-saving measures.
The last one… Well, girls wanted to stay clean, fragrant, and soft, right?
"Thank you, Kami-sama!" As soon as Kanae received the small divine figurine, the dust from her earlier battle with Doma instantly vanished.
Even the stains on her haori, resembling butterfly wings, were swept away by the wind. Just the effect of the Cleansing Spell alone made her pleasantly surprised.
She immediately held the figurine tightly against her chest.
Many Demon Slayer Corps members who had received the distress signal were still heading toward the Eternal Paradise Faith, where Doma was. She needed to quickly inform the Demon Slayer Corps that she had received the blessings of a god.
They had the hope of completely eliminating the Demon King!
After bidding farewell to Kei, Miroku, and the others, she hurried back to the Demon Slayer world.
"A figurine…" Hikari watched as Kanae left. While continuing her card game with Tsunade and the others, she stared intently at Kei.
She had also received a small wooden figurine before. Yet, when she held onto that figurine and entered the seal, by the time she came back out, all that remained in her hands was a pile of ashes.
Although, with her current mastery over [Six Paths Yin-Yang Reincarnation], she could easily create a Wood Release figurine herself, but that wasn't the point!
It wasn't the same at all!
"One for each! One for each!" Kei chuckled at Hikari's eager expression. He casually created a batch of small figurines in one go, enchanted them with triple-layered magic, and handed one to each person.
As for the extras, he tossed them into the wooden house at the center of Eden. In the future, if anyone wanted to gift them to others, or if Miroku needed them to spread faith, they could just take one from there.
Teresa and Clare clearly preferred the protective magic. Meanwhile, Kushina, Tsunade, Hikari, and Miroku, who had no real survival pressures, were more interested in the Cleansing Spell. No need to worry about dust and stains, it was practically a blessing for women.
"Ara~ Kami-sama when it comes to winning over believers, you're truly a natural talent!" Miroku removed her divine talisman from her neck. She threaded the soft gold-colored cord through the small wooden figurine's built-in clasp and wore it around her neck.
A continuously active Cleansing Spell allowed believers to feel the divine power at all times. Over time, this would only deepen their faith!
"Hey, hey, that's slander! I didn't even think about that!"
"It's precisely because you didn't think about it that I said you're naturally gifted!"
Kei was speechless as he looked at Miroku.
The way she kept calling him "Kami-sama," at this rate, it was practically turning into a nickname!
"By the way, what exactly is that Fourfold Break in One Second you mentioned earlier?" Kushina, now wearing the small wooden figurine around her chest, recalled her earlier curiosity and casually asked.
Hikari also perked up at the question.
"Are you guys going to play or not?! It's your turn!" Tsunade stuffed her small wooden figurine into her cleavage, looking down at the excellent hand of cards she was holding. She grumbled as she urged her distracted teammates to focus.
She could clearly feel that her gambling skills had improved significantly, yet she still lost five games in a row!
"Fourfold Break in One Second, it's this."
Kei reached out and lightly tapped Tsunade's head with his fingertip.
The carefree Tsunade, who had been sitting cross-legged on the grass, immediately collapsed forward onto the ground, radiating intense grievance and despair.
"Obaachan, don't call me yet! My gambling skills just got better, I didn't experience winning a few times yet…"
"So unfair~ Sensei can't be relied on, teammates can't be relied on, and even he is unreliable… There's a whole Five Element Shinobi Army, and none of them are helping me at all…"
"Sob sob sob~ My terrible gambling skills! I lose everywhere I go! I still owe a massive debt of 100 million ryō that I haven't paid off, and the debt collectors keep knocking before my paycheck even arrives…"
Catching her off guard, Kei's technique sent Tsunade spiraling into deeper and deeper despair. By the end, she was on the verge of tears.
A few seconds later, Tsunade slammed her fist into the ground.
Clenching her teeth, she turned around and glared furiously at a certain smug bastard who looked as innocent as could be.
"Kei! This time, I'm gonna—"
"The real gambling paradise exists in this world. It's called Las Vegas, want to experience it for yourself?"
Kei lifted a black suitcase, revealing stacks of gleaming gold bars inside.
Story completed at Chapter 298!