Chapter 168 He was just an ordinary person, a big...

Even a single believer is enough to grant a god a certain amount of divine power.

This is what the gods need: the power of faith.

Although the power brought by such a small number of followers is only so-so for the already powerful puppet monster, that is still relative to the puppet monster's own strength.

In reality, if we look at society as a whole... even such a seemingly insignificant force of faith is something that many people and beings yearn for but cannot obtain, and can only look on with envy.

Dance. It is a ritual performed when prayers are offered to various deities, sacrifices are made, or something else is done. To the deities, dance is also a very meaningful act.

When Tsukino and Chiya were younger, he had close contact with a god.

Of course, that wasn't his first encounter with gods as a child. Having a mother with such special abilities, Tsukino and Chiya inevitably encountered various gods blocking their path as children. But to be so close, even to the point of face-to-face communication with a god, and even to hear a god complain about that man who called himself Yangming… that kind of experience is quite novel, isn't it?

Is that a deity from Chie Minoru's hometown, or a familiar face to Yomei... uh, a familiar deity?

Based on this relationship, Tsukino and Chiya communicated with the ancient god for quite a while. However, since a long time had passed, even Tsukino and Chiya were unable to recount their conversation verbatim.

However, he still remembered what the ancient god had mentioned about dance. As a god who had existed for a considerable period of time, in the past, his followers would offer him primal dances as a sign of respect.

And the dance of the primitive...

"...Anyway, it's pretty much this kind of dance." The deity briefly described the process of the dance that the believers would perform for him. "It's easy to dance, isn't it? Even a novice can do it easily. So, lad, are you interested in it too?"

At that time, Tsukino and Chiya were speechless. "..." Is a dance that has to be done in a certain way? It does seem a bit too primitive.

As children, Tsukino and Chiya didn't understand, but they were deeply shocked.

Fortunately, there were no such requirements for Aurora's dance. Otherwise, not only could Ohma Kokichi finally openly record the scene on his phone in real life, but Higashigo Miya, the only woman present... probably wouldn't want to see such a scene.

Aurora is, after all, a newly born deity, so the rituals she needs won't be as... primitive as those of the ancient gods. As the first divine mirror, unless Aurora makes any special requests, Tsukino and Chiya can decide for themselves what to dance.

What matters is the sense of ritual. At this moment, with none of the three of them having made any other preparations, dance is the simplest and most convenient ritual, a channel for connecting the gods with the divine mirror.

Tsukino and Chiya had never actually studied dance. Aside from what they learned in school, the only thing he had specifically learned... was some combat techniques for hunting that he had learned from Chie Minoru.

But at this moment, he was jumping quite skillfully.

Although Tsukino and Chiya had never formally studied dance, they had seen it many times. They had also visited numerous shrines and had some understanding of how the shrine maidens danced.

At this moment, Tsukino and Chiya imitated the figures from their memories. Although they hadn't studied them, they looked perfectly natural. Their movements were coordinated and their postures elegant and natural. Even though they were wearing preparatory school uniforms, had no fancy makeup, and there was no background music, it didn't feel awkward at all... It was as if they were just supposed to do it this way. Everything flowed smoothly and naturally.

Moreover, something already exists that serves as the perfect backdrop for his sacrificial dance.

Tsukino and Chiya's dancing wasn't exactly passionate, but he was adept at making others believe he was very serious. So, without anyone noticing that he was openly daydreaming, Tsukino and Chiya danced casually while keeping an eye on the other three people present.

Wang Ma Xiaoji… well, he really did take out his phone. Tsukino and Chiya only managed to steal a glance at him, but they were caught red-handed. The purple-haired boy was smiling happily, seemingly without the slightest hint of nervousness.

Higashigo Mimi... well, she's another one who doesn't seem nervous at all. She stood to the side with her arms crossed, even lazily yawning; watching the dance clearly didn't interest her.

As for Aurora...

If there weren't only three of them in the old school building, the atmosphere here probably wouldn't be so ordinary now.

Because a mutation occurred in Aurora.

It seems that this dance did indeed have some effect on the doll monster. As the people dancing, Tsukino and Chiya themselves didn't feel anything special, but he could see the changes happening to the doll.

It turned back into that terrifying state it had been that day.

Aurora's body was covered in disgusting, mushy flesh, and horrifying, beast-like claw marks appeared on her skin. Her once delicate face... was now half-delicate and half-monster. No, this time it was worse than before, because her mouth was still split open, making her appear even more eerie.

Previously, they hadn't seen it clearly in the false world, but now, upon closer inspection, Tsukino and Chiya discovered that Aurora's legs had been completely covered by fleshy mud, or even replaced. Now, with its terrifying appearance, its height had increased considerably due to the fleshy mud on its lower body, making the three humans beside it appear tiny and creating a strong sense of oppression.

However, perhaps it was also thanks to its existence. The presence of such a highly noticeable doll added a great deal of terror to Tsukino and Chiya's dance.

Is this the strange god?

"Hehe, hehehehe..."

Tsukino and Chiya heard Aurora's laughter.

No matter how patient, gentle, considerate, and attentive Aurora had been in the past, it was all just a facade. At this moment, Aurora's laughter was completely devoid of its former calmness or even coldness; it contained only genuine joy.

Aurora...

Tsukino and Chiya murmured the name.

The doll's anomaly was among the most powerful of all anomalies. Its current appearance truly befits this terrifying deity. A deity transformed from a doll anomaly, a deity that pursues power, a deity that sees humanity as worthless, a deity that revels in human fear.

After devouring its first doll-like counterpart, Aurora's power surpassed that of the other doll-like monsters. Now that it has become a god, does that mean no one can stop it anymore?

Even if Kamukura Izuru possessed all the talents of the Ultimate High School level, he might not be able to easily stop its actions. Not to mention that Aurora already knew of Kamukura Izuru's existence and might have been on guard, those unnatural forces alone are not something that humans without superpowers can easily resist.

However, even the most powerful ability users would probably be helpless against it, because the monster cannot be killed. It can only be sealed away with great difficulty, but sealing it means that it will reappear sooner or later. When that happens, it will inflict even more retribution on humanity.

Is this world about to become a paradise for bizarre dolls? If so, Junko Enoshima might actually be happy to see it develop this way. After all, dolls can always easily do things that humans can't, and Aurora's game might indeed be full of novel "fun" to some extent.

Is this world gradually becoming a paradise for this puppet? Will it start from... this moment?

If that's the case, then Tsukino and Chiya thought, wouldn't they also be considered sinners against the world?

He felt pretty proud of himself... even if it was in a negative way. But he didn't want that kind of pride.

After all, he said from the beginning that he was just an ordinary person who only wanted to live an ordinary life, or so he thought.

So... it's probably time to wrap this up?

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out in the empty old school building.

Aurora's laughter stopped abruptly.

Ouma Kokichi and Higashigoro Miya seemed completely unsurprised by this development. Higashigoro Miya offered no new response whatsoever, while Ouma Kokichi... well, he did reluctantly cooperate.

The purple-haired boy blinked a beat late, and after a second or two of distraction, he suddenly exclaimed in a very casual tone, "Ah! What happened! You scared me to death!"

Tsukino and Chiya fired a shot at Aurora.

Firearms are something that, no matter how you look at it, shouldn't be something a preparatory student of his age would carry around. But at this moment, Tsukino and Chiya holding guns didn't seem out of place at all. He steadily aimed the gun at the doll monster, watching the scattered flesh gather back together, his tone still calm: "So, this still doesn't work."

Aurora... seemingly unable to process what was happening, convinced that no one would betray her.

It wasn't until the scattered minced meat reassembled and returned to its original state that it spoke up to question it.

What do you mean by that?

Its voice sounded angry, but because of the crack at the corner of its mouth, it still looked like it was smiling.