144: Demonization of the whole island

Before Hosokawa Kanbei could figure out what was happening to him, an unbearable itch returned.

He couldn't hold back and started scratching his left arm.

But that one scratch led to a big problem.

Hosokawa Kanbei was horrified to discover that with just a light scratch, the skin on his left hand was torn off.

Revealing the raw, crimson muscle underneath.

And a faint pain radiated from the wound.

When the seawater poured in, Hosokawa Kanbei immediately felt excruciating pain.

However, what followed was a strange sense of pleasure.

It made Hosokawa Kanbei feel unable to stop, and he kept scratching his arm.

What was happening to him?

No, he had to stop scratching.

However, Hosokawa Kanbei clearly overestimated his willpower.

His body, in order to gain more pleasure,

Not only did it not obey his brain's commands, but his left hand reached out.

He began to wantonly destroy his own body.

As his skin was constantly torn, it brought intense pain, but also an irresistible sense of pleasure.

This led Hosokawa Kanbei step by step into a quagmire called desire.

When he finally regained consciousness, he found that he had unknowingly been completely enveloped by the seawater.

Not only that, his body had completely lost its protective skin, transforming into a monster without skin.

Yet, despite such an extreme situation, Hosokawa Kanbei felt nothing was wrong.

He didn't suffer from oxygen deprivation, nor did he feel pain from the seawater's erosion.

It was as if his body had mutated.

Just as Hosokawa Kanbei realized this, he looked around in horror.

He found that the battleship's hold, which had been full of Sakura people, was now filled with monsters, each with exposed muscles just like him.

They floated uncontrollably in the crimson seawater, struggling desperately but unable to break free.

What on earth was happening to this world?

Hosokawa Kanbei's eyes were filled with terror.

But what terrified him even more was yet to come.

As the glass shattered, countless marine creatures began to charge at them.

This would be a carnival for marine life.

They survived.

But only temporarily! —

The same thing kept happening at sea.

The roles of hunter and prey were reversed.

This ocean was no longer a domain that the Sakura people could tread upon.

Even with their terrifying high-tech weapons,

They still couldn't cope with this self-inflicted oceanic catastrophe.

Those self-important Self-Defense Forces had now completely come to fear this seemingly calm ocean.

They directly blockaded all sea areas and built defensive structures along the coast.

They attempted to use this method to completely isolate themselves from the influence of these Awakened demonized marine creatures.

And by the way, they expelled all people living by the sea.

Remaining there would only be self-sacrifice, becoming food for the Awakened demonized marine creatures.

However, if they thought they could so easily keep the rampant Black Demon Blood at bay, they were a bit too naive.

Under the efforts of the Black Demon Blood, the kanna tritium in this sea area had been completely absorbed.

It transformed into unpolluted water.

But correspondingly,

The Black Demon Blood in this sea area was infected and evolved into rampant Black Demon Blood.

As the name suggests, it was even more terrifying and rampant Black Demon Blood.

Under the influence of the rampant Black Demon Blood,

The marine creatures in this sea area not only Awakened faster and more powerfully,

But they also mostly lost their minds, becoming Awakened demonized beasts that relied on instinct and only knew how to kill!

For them, it was neither luck nor misfortune.

However, it was too naive to think that such simple defensive structures could stop the invasion of the rampant Black Demon Blood.

Seawater.

The blood-red seawater gradually began to fade.

But this did not mean that the rampant Black Demon Blood had disappeared.

Instead, they were moving rapidly along the currents, achieving a silent invasion of Sakura Island.

By the time the Sakura people on the island discovered the invasion of the rampant Black Demon Blood, it was already too late.

All the water sources on the entire Sakura Island had been infected by the pervasive rampant Black Demon Blood.

What awaited them was the Awakening of the entire Sakura Island.

Or rather... demonization.

Yoshinaga Ichiei.

An office worker who had pulled an all-nighter, working until 3 AM, rushed to the restroom to wash his face.

He didn't notice that the water, which should have been crystal clear, was now tinged with a faint crimson.

Cupping his hands, Yoshinaga Ichiei began to wash his face.

He wanted to look more refreshed and cleaner.

But he immediately let out a gasp, saying, "This water, why does this water seem a bit different?"

"Normally, the water is filled with a strange smell."

"This time, that smell is actually gone, how amazing."

"Should I try the taste of this water?"

No sooner said than done.

Yoshinaga Ichiei cupped a handful of water and gulped it down.

He felt that this water was the most delicious he had ever drunk.

Clean and pure, completely free of any strange impurities.

It even tasted better than the bottled water in the office.

Strange.

Why would this water undergo such a peculiar change?

Could it be that he had worked too much overtime and was hallucinating?

Forget it.

He should go back to sleep first.

He had finally finished work and had a bit of rest time; how could he waste it here?

Thinking this, Yoshinaga Ichiei quickly gathered his things.

With his briefcase slung over his shoulder, he hurried away from there.

But he didn't know that an unknown change had already begun in his body.

Especially when he fell asleep, this change accelerated to its extreme.

Soon.

Yoshinaga Ichiei's body underwent a transformation.

The face exposed from under the quilt suddenly grew redder and redder, finally turning a bizarre blood-red.

Not only that, Yoshinaga Ichiei's skin also changed.

It became tougher and tougher, more and more Tenacity.

The thickness of his facial skin immediately made one feel that his defense power could not be low at all.

Hair?

It was as if all its nutrients had been completely absorbed, turning into withered wild grass and falling completely around the pillow.

Yoshinaga Ichiei no longer had to worry about his increasingly high hairline due to overtime.

Because in the future, he might not even have such a thing as hair.

That extremely smooth scalp was clearly not soil capable of growing hair.

In his sleep, Yoshinaga Ichiei was clearly unaware of his own changes.

He just felt as if something in his mouth was very much in the way.

As if by instinct, he spat it out to the side.

One by one, particle by particle.

They were all teeth.

The moment Yoshinaga Ichiei spat out these teeth, looking into his mouth,

It was clear that he had grown a set of even sharper teeth in an extremely short amount of time.

Especially the four canines that were almost protruding from his mouth; they clearly weren't something to be trifled with.

One bite would definitely penetrate the bodies of most creatures.

As the rampant Black Demon Blood invaded, the degree of demonization in Yoshinaga Ichiei's body deepened.

Just like the blood-red color that was about to spread throughout his body.

His hand, inadvertently extending from under the quilt, had completely transformed into a Claws-like appearance.

Each finger was long and sharp, looking incredibly terrifying, clearly possessing astonishing offensive power.

At this moment, Yoshinaga Ichiei's originally peaceful expression began to contort in pain.

As if something was invading his consciousness.

Finally, at the peak of this pain, Yoshinaga Ichiei opened his eyes.

His black pupils had been completely dyed blood-red.

Most importantly, these were eyes that had completely lost their sanity.

There was only rampage within them, no trace of reason.

"Hungry, hungry, hungry..."

He even opened his mouth wide and let out a roar similar to that of a wild beast.

Awakening mutation requires powerful energy.

Although he had barely completed his Awakening mutation, Yoshinaga Ichiei's body was currently in a state of severe depletion.

Instinct drove him to seek food.

Rip.

The bothersome clothes and quilt were directly torn to shreds by "Yoshinaga Ichiei," revealing his muscular body.

His entire body was rippling with muscles, having completely transformed into the same blood-red color as his face.

He looked incredibly powerful.

Without hesitation, "Yoshinaga Ichiei," like a wild beast, stood on the ground on all fours.

His nose twitched, as if he had caught a scent, and he began to move quickly.

The seemingly solid wall could not stop "Yoshinaga Ichiei's" charge and was instantly crashed through, leaving a large hole.

Like a wild horse unbridled, "Yoshinaga Ichiei" crashed into his neighbor's house.

The huge impact directly woke up "Yoshinaga Ichiei's" neighbor.

However, before he could even figure out what was happening,

"Yoshinaga Ichiei's" incredibly sharp teeth had already met his neck.

Instantly tearing through his windpipe.

Not only that, "Yoshinaga Ichiei's" Claws also directly covered the neighbor's mouth.

Preventing him from making any sound.

Only after he completely lost the ability to breathe due to suffocation did he close his eyes in despair.

Looking at the incredibly fresh prey before him, "Yoshinaga Ichiei" did not hesitate and immediately began to devour it.

Having just Awakened, he was in dire need of energy at this moment.

Or rather, it should be called “it”!

Yoshihide Yosinaga died long ago; what awoke was merely a beast wearing his skin.

A beast named “Yoshihide Yosinaga”!

A demonized beast with no emotions, knowing only destruction.

It would devour any living creature it saw that could become its food!

Perhaps at this point, referring to “Yoshihide Yosinaga” as a demon would be more fitting.

A pungent smell of blood began to spread; this would be a feast belonging to it!

When the feast ended, not even a speck of bone was left on the ground.

Even the blood was completely licked clean by Yoshihide Yosinaga.

With the intake of energy, Yoshihide Yosinaga’s body became more powerful.

Its nose twitched, and it quickly sniffed out the scent of food.

Another kind of food, completely different from flesh and blood.

Without hesitation, Yoshihide Yosinaga dropped to all fours, like a wild beast, and rapidly ran towards the nearest nuclear power plant.

Infected by the mutated Black Demon Blood, these demonized beings also underwent changes.

They instinctively desired to devour substances containing large amounts of radiation energy.

Perhaps they possessed some terrifying Talent that could convert radiation energy into their own energy.

Another lizard living near a volcano was infected by the mutated Black Demon Blood and underwent a mutated Awakening.

Between the nuclear power plant and the volcano, it chose the volcano.

As if unafraid of magma, it moved closer and closer to the center of the volcano.

Under the reflection of the firelight, its body continuously elongated and rapidly expanded, quickly breaking free from the realm of ordinary lizards!

—

With the invasion of the rampant Black Demon Blood, similar events quickly occurred in various corners of Sakura Island.

The rampant Black Demon Blood was all-pervasive.

The entire Sakura Island, except for the high-ranking Awakened who had already undergone Awakening, none could escape.

Only less than one percent of lucky individuals managed to retain their consciousness after the rampant Awakening.

However, for them, this was not luck but the beginning of a nightmare.

Having fortunately retained their original consciousness, they had completely become food in the eyes of the demons.

They would face a fate of being hunted by the demons.

Although demons had low intelligence, they possessed even more terrifying strength.

And even greater numbers.

The fate of these successful Awakened was extremely tragic, ultimately becoming food for the demons.

Death was only a matter of time.

And those high-ranking officials were even more helpless.

Previously, they possessed terrifying power and immense wealth.

But on the demonized Sakura Island, they were completely useless.

Escaping from here was perhaps the most appropriate thing to do.

However, they clearly underestimated the power of these demons.

Before they could escape from here, they encountered a large-scale encirclement by demons.

Even with the protection of many Awakened, they still became precarious.

Watching the endless stream of demons getting closer and closer, Takayuki Yamamura cursed loudly:

“Baka.”

“Why did the Awakening factor undergo such a terrifying mutation on our Sakura Island?”

“We clearly did nothing.”

“This is simply heaven envying Talent!”

At this moment, Takayuki Yamamura’s subordinate, Tomi Yamakage, thought of a possible explanation and began to explain:

“The mutation of the Awakening factor might be related to the kanna tritium we discharged.”

“Perhaps everything we’ve been doing has been wrong!”

However, in the face of Tomi Yamakage’s self-reflection, Takayuki Yamamura cursed again, saying:

“Yamakage, you useless person, what nonsense are you talking about?”

“What kanna tritium? What we discharged was clearly clean and hygienic purified water.”

“I would even dare to drink an entire glass in front of everyone to prove my innocence.”

“Don’t talk such nonsense, quickly think of a way, how do we escape from here?”

Escape?

A pungent smell of blood assailed his nostrils!

Tomi Yamakage’s teeth couldn’t help but chatter.

He wasn’t even an Esper; in this situation, what solution could he possibly have?

Thinking of this, Tomi Yamakage suddenly had an idea and said, “How about we bow and apologize to these demons?”

“According to the spirit of our Sakura Island, as long as one can sincerely bow and apologize, there is nothing that cannot be forgiven!”

Takayuki Yamamura’s eyes also lit up, and he commanded, “Since you know, why aren’t you quickly bowing and apologizing?”

“No, I cannot apologize, only bow.”

“I clearly did nothing wrong, why should I apologize?”

Looking at the stubborn Takayuki Yamamura with surprise, Tomi Yamakage was full of helplessness.

At such a time, he could still be so stubborn.

In a sense, Takayuki Yamamura was indeed as stubborn as an Akita dog.

However, he dared not truly not apologize.

After all, face was a small matter, but his life was a big one.

Thinking of this, he began to bow to the demons in front of him with a very standard posture.

While bowing, he also muttered, “I am sorry, everyone.”

“Everything, everything, is my fault.”

“Originally, I should commit seppuku to atone for my sins with death.”

“But in order to pass on the spirit of Great Sakura Island, I cannot die yet!”

Tomi Yamakage’s movements were incredibly skilled.

In less than ten seconds, he completed a total of nine bows.

It was truly incredible.

After completing nine standard bowing movements, he raised his head with a confident expression.

According to normal logic, since he had bowed so sincerely, the other party would surely forgive him.

However, what he saw was completely different from what he had imagined.

Those demons directly ignored his perfectly standard bows and continued to advance.

They had almost reached him.

Despair.

An immense despair began to spread in Tomi Yamakage’s heart.

It turned out that in this world, there were things that even bowing could not resolve.

Or perhaps he hadn’t bowed enough times?

Thinking of this, Tomi Yamakage directly transformed into a ruthless bowing machine, rapidly bowing to the demons.

Either bow to death!

Or let him survive by bowing!

Takayuki Yamamura couldn’t hold back and directly burst into curses, saying:

“You monsters, you truly disgrace our Great Sakura Island.”

“Tomi Yamakage has already bowed so sincerely, yet you still won’t forgive us?”

“It is your honor to sacrifice yourselves for Sakura Island.”

“I now command you to attack those people across the sea.”

“Unless you kill all the people there, you don’t even think about returning to my Sakura Island.”

“Baka!”

“You useless people…”

However, before Takayuki Yamamura could finish speaking, a sharp Claws had already swung towards him.

Red light shimmered on the slender fingernails.

With just a momentary contact, it directly blew Takayuki Yamamura’s head off.

Completely ending his foolish and pathetic life.

Not only that, the demon that had managed to break through with great difficulty was not so easily letting go.

As if it had seen the most delicious thing, it discovered the trembling Tomi Yamakage.

With a pair of scarlet eyes, it unhesitatingly launched an attack on Tomi Yamakage.

A mere ordinary Awakened had no chance at all against a powerful demon, and was instantly decapitated.

Following in the footsteps of Takayuki Yamamura.

The deaths of Takayuki Yamamura and Tomi Yamakage also marked the end of the entire Sakura Island’s fall.

From then on, there were no longer many Sakura people on Sakura Island; it had completely become the territory of demons.

They continuously hunted the successful Awakened who retained their consciousness, using their flesh and blood to strengthen their bodies.

Of course.

This alone was far from enough.

So they turned their gaze to the ocean.

That place where countless lives were nurtured.

Hunting marine creatures would be the most effective way and means for them to obtain food.

However, these Awakened demonized marine creatures were not to be trifled with either.

To hunt them, even the demons had to pay a heavy price.

So some demons changed their minds and began to devour the land that existed everywhere.

Using these seemingly unnutritious substances to fill their hungry stomachs.

Still other demons set their sights on their own kind.

They fought each other, just to hunt their companions as food to fill their stomachs!

For a time, Sakura Island became like a demon’s den.

It could be predicted that if the current situation continued to develop.

The harsh environment of “raising Gu” on Sakura Island would definitely give birth to a powerful Gu King here.

A peerless Demon King that absorbed the energy of all demonized creatures!

This would be a fatal danger to the entire Blue Star!

Fortunately, due to the special terrain of Sakura Island.

Even if a powerful Gu King was born here, under the protection of the ocean, it would basically not affect other places.

It could only wait indefinitely.

Waiting for the Demon King to become strong enough to break through the ocean’s blockade.

Or for the Demon King to be targeted by an even stronger existence, hunted in one fell swoop, and become nourishment for other powerful existences to grow!