The Master turned his head, coming face to face with the upside-down Fushimi Roku.
"I heard you were looking for me?" Fushimi Roku gripped the stick with a reverse hand, one hand clamping onto the Master’s shoulder.
The Master’s words were abruptly cut off, staff standing behind him could see a chair leg piercing through his neck, blood spraying and drenching everyone around.
Fushimi Roku loosened his legs, flipping half a circle in the air, landing steadily on the ground.
He casually pulled out the chair leg and asked the staff where the exit was. They shook their heads repeatedly; they, too, were brought here forcibly, trained to become low-level labor, also clueless about how to leave this damned place.
Fushimi Roku simply switched to another approach, asking where the Sect Hierarch and Masters lived.
"On the top floor, near the core area to the right of the Divine Tree, there’s a sign, called ’World’s Navel’..."
The staff member who turned first explained, hesitated for a moment, then added a reminder: "There are many believers guarding there, and troops are stationed. Going there is just seeking death."
A companion tugged at him, whispering for him not to speak recklessly, warning that the gods were watching them, that even if they ran to the ends of the earth, the all-seeing deities would find them...
Seeing this, Fushimi Roku stepped forward, wiping the blood off the chair leg, inquiring, "What’s your name?"
"Ma-Matsusaka Shintaro..."
"Do you want to get out of here?"
The young man looked barely over twenty, glanced back at his companions, and the other staff members shook their heads at him, signaling not to act rashly.
He swallowed, whispering, "Yes."
"Lead the way," Fushimi Roku grabbed him: "Show me."
Matsusaka Shintaro stumbled a step, his legs trembling with fear, and he muttered, "If I get caught, I’m dead meat..."
"Lead the way." Fushimi Roku couldn’t be bothered with idle talk.
"Didn’t you just say? That something or other World’s Navel."
"It’s the World’s Navel... Didn’t I also just say? Going there is seeking death!"
"If you don’t, I’ll stab you right now." Fushimi Roku pressed down on his shoulder.
Upon hearing this, Matsusaka Shintaro instinctively glanced at the corpse on the ground, the Master lying on his back, face frozen in his final moments of terror, looking especially horrific.
He should never have spoken up...
Matsusaka Shintaro deeply regretted it, looking back at his companions, the other staff all stepped back in unison, cutting ties at the speed of light, thankful they hadn’t spoken up—this was the price of failing to heed advice.
Fushimi Roku had no time for his waxing and waning emotions, pressing his shoulder and pushing the door open to leave.
Matsusaka Shintaro led him through the corridor, encountering other staff members, pretending to smile and nod, fearing the wrath of the death god behind him, or that the chair leg might pierce his lower back... What did this guy eat to grow so strong?
The backstage was in chaos, staff rushing about, not noticing them at all.
Fushimi Roku sensed something was amiss, earlier in the relay room, the Master was yelling about something being out of signal... It seemed something went wrong within the Aum Truth Sect.
He whispered to Matsusaka Shintaro, learning about the ’New World’ hierarchy, the Seven Sins Temple trial rules, discovering that both he and Minamoto Tamako were betting objects in the trial, ending with the current unexpected situation...
"The Seven Sins Temple surveillance signal suddenly cut off," Matsusaka Shintaro quickened his pace, explaining as he walked: "All emergency measures have failed, regardless if it’s first-tier or twelfth-tier participants, everyone faces the same life-threatening danger in the trial field... Moreover, some participants have escaped from the trial field."
At this point, he couldn’t help stealing a glance at Fushimi Roku.
The latter was noncommittal, indicating to continue moving, other matters were unimportant.
Passing a window offering a view, Fushimi Roku glanced out, eyeing the electronic screens in the plaza below, the betting site in complete chaos, participants no longer as elegant, wearing masks, attempting to use communication devices to contact their private security.
Matsusaka Shintaro used an employee card to open a door, revealing an elevator at the end of the hallway, claiming it could take them straight to the top floor, upon reaching the viewing area, a right turn would lead to the World’s Navel...
Before he finished speaking, Matsusaka Shintaro noticed the elevator wasn’t responding; standing in the elevator, pressing the top floor button, the elevator lights wouldn’t turn on.
"Per-Perhaps it’s a crisis, the church locked down the top floor..."
He inexplicably let out a breath of relief; as long as he didn’t have to go up and die, anything was negotiable.
Fushimi Roku frowned, reaching out to press the floor button, and the elevator lights immediately turned on: "Are you messing with me?"
"N-No... I really don’t know what happened..." Matsusaka Shintaro shook his head frantically.
Damn it, why were there so many weird things today?!
As the elevator doors slowly closed, he held onto a sliver of hope, whispering, "Um... can’t I sit this one out?"
"You can leave if you want," Fushimi Roku said indifferently: "But I’ll remind you, this might be your only chance to escape."
Matsusaka Shintaro showed a struggle on his face, heart wavering, suspecting the man beside him might have other cards up his sleeve, perhaps really able to take him out, but fearing Aum Truth Sect’s punishment, if this guy was a brute, wouldn’t he end up being buried alongside?
As he hesitated, fate slipped by, the elevator doors had already closed, time made the decision for him.
The floor vibrated slightly, the elevator ascended slowly, floor numbers flashing continuously, Matsusaka Shintaro’s palms sweating, legs trembling with anxiety, his mind preoccupied with the Master’s punishment methods: skinning, castration, electric shocks, toe-cutting, tongue-cutting...