Read Novel Full Chapter 579: Worship Ritual
Chapter 579: Worship Ritual
"Evalyn, sit here with Ayamori. Nolan, come with me to the front," Ryuuten said.
Nolan nodded slightly. Evalyn and Ayamori took their places on the cushions that had been prepared, while Nolan was guided to the spot closest to the statue.
The distance was only about two meters. From there, Nolan could see the statue’s form clearly.
’So, she is the Sun God worshipped by so many in the Eastern Empire of Izanagi, huh?’ he whispered.
"Nolan, sit here. You only need to follow the steps I explained earlier. Nothing more. Understand?" Ryuuten instructed.
Nolan smiled. "I understand, Grandfather."
Ryuuten nodded in approval. Once Nolan settled onto the cushion, he calmly surveyed his surroundings.
As both emperor and spiritual leader of the ceremony, Ryuuten did not join them but remained standing at the very front.
Gradually, the torches illuminating the temple dimmed and finally went out completely, plunging the once-bright hall into darkness.
Nolan kept a calm expression, betraying no hint of panic.
Click!
Suddenly, red torches ignited on the stage. The statue of the Sun God became the sole source of light, drawing everyone’s attention.
Nolan stared at it, a strange, unexplainable sensation creeping through him. It was as if the statue... was alive.
’It’s just my imagination, right?’ he wondered.
At that moment, Ryuuten stepped onto the stage, holding a plate with three incense sticks in his right hand. Thin trails of white smoke rose from them.
He stood in front of the giant statue, then slowly sat down in front of it.
Bowing his head, he shouted loudly, "Oh, Sun God, we offer this sacrifice to you. Please bless us."
Hundreds of people behind him did the same, and their voices thundered throughout the temple.
Nolan followed them. To be honest, he believed in the gods, but not in any particular god, such as the Sun God.
After all, he had never seen them directly.
Humans, reliant on sight, find it difficult to believe in what they cannot see.
Nevertheless, his reincarnation into this world was real. That meant the gods did exist.
The ceremony continued steadily. Several people ascended the stage, each carrying a banner of the Sun God.
They were called the "holy children," revered as those closest to the god.
Once the ritual was over, Ryuuten descended from the stage, and the atmosphere became quiet.
Nolan blinked curiously and wondered, ’Is it over? But this is too fast, isn’t it?’
At that moment, a bell rang from the side. Unconsciously, Nolan followed the sound and was surprised.
An extraordinarily beautiful woman appeared, dressed in a white kimono with a long red skirt that brushed the floor.
Her long black hair was tied into a bun, adorned with a red hairpin at the back of her head.
Her purple eyes exuded calmness, tinged with a hint of indifference.
Walking barefoot, she seemed like a moon goddess descended from the sky.
The woman was none other than his mother’s younger sister, Kaede.
"Kaede? What is she doing here? Could it be..." His eyes widened. "She’s going to serve as a shrine maiden and lead the prayer ceremony?"
Shrine maidens—or "Miko," as they were called in the Eastern Continent—held high privileges.
They played a vital role as leaders in the prayer ceremonies dedicated to the Sun God.
Nolan had no idea Kaede was a miko; his grandfather had never mentioned it.
But in hindsight, it wasn’t all that surprising.
Kaede and his mother were the "Hikari no Futago" of the Eastern Empire of Izanagi’s legends.
With such sacred status, it was only natural that she would hold the title of Miko as well.
Kaede now stood at the center of the stage, her back turned to the statue of the Sun God.
Then she pulled two wooden sticks with bells on the ends from her pocket—the same sticks Nolan had seen that night.
Dong!
A gong echoed from the far end of the hall, while sacred, hauntingly beautiful music filled the temple.
Kaede surveyed everyone calmly before beginning to dance—the same dance she had performed that night: the dance of the Sun God.
Kling!
The faint tinkling of the bells reached Nolan’s ears as Kaede moved forward, backward, and sideways with graceful, composed steps.
Everyone present, including Ryuuten, Ayamori, and Ryuusei, bowed until their foreheads touched the floor in full prostration.
Evalyn looked surprised but quickly followed suit.
Kling!
Kling!
With each ring of the bells, Nolan’s heartbeat quickened, as if the sound resonated through his very body.
He drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Glancing around, he saw that everyone was already prostrated. Without hesitation, he did the same.
In his heart, he whispered, ’God of the Sun, I believe in your existence. I know you are there, though I am not your worshipper. Even so, today I worship you. Please, answer the doubts in my heart.’
As soon as he finished, the bells on the stage rang once more.
Kling!
Badump!
Nolan’s heart pounded, his breathing heavy, his body tense.
Then, in the next moment, a faint breeze brushed past him from the front, and the uneasy feeling vanished as suddenly as it had come.
Sensing that something was wrong, he slowly lifted his head and scanned his surroundings.
In an instant, shock washed over him—the atmosphere in the temple had changed drastically.
Everything felt unnaturally still, as if life itself had vanished.
He looked up and saw Kaede motionless, her left foot lifted slightly, toes resting against her right thigh.
Her arms extended gracefully to her right side, the wooden sticks held firmly in her hands.
A smile lingered on her face, yet to Nolan, it was completely devoid of life.
Turning, he noticed Evalyn, his grandmother, and everyone else, frozen in full prostration.
"Something’s wrong," he murmured, carefully pushing himself to his feet.
His eyes transformed into the Eyes of Chaos. Scanning the temple, he realized the space itself seemed frozen.
It felt as if an unimaginably powerful force was trapping them in place.
Nolan clenched his fists and thrust a punch forward. A shockwave surged outward at incredible speed.
If a catastrophe-level monster had been struck by it, it would have been gravely wounded—or, at worst, killed.
Yet the shockwave was absorbed by an invisible barrier.
"Impossible!" Nolan’s eyes widened. He struck again and again—but every punch met the same result.
His Chaos Eyes scanned every crack but found no weakness.
"Who did this? Could it be..." His heart raced. "The God of the Sun?"
If anyone could suppress the Seven Singularities, it would be the gods.
But since they had never appeared, the Seven Singularities remained the most powerful beings on the continent.
Nolan’s gaze shifted to the giant statue. The woman’s form appeared calm, flawless, and without the slightest hint of abnormality.
Then, suddenly, the statue’s eyes glowed red.
Like a laser, the light shot straight at Nolan.
He tried to dodge but failed. His body toppled backward, his right hand stretched out instinctively.
Everything felt sluggish, as if time itself had slowed to a quarter of its normal speed.
At the same time, Nolan’s vision blurred and then gradually faded into pitch black.