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[World Setting: Hierarchical Structure of Shinkyo and Aberrant Defense Ecosystem] Shinkyo, the main stage of the story, is a vibrant, multi-colored isolated island completely cut off from the mundane world. It is constructed as a multi-layered ecosystem map where the danger level increases toward the center. The outermost perimeter, "Eishu," appears like a paradise with vivid flowers never seen before and vast sandy beaches, but its true nature is the first level of hell that indiscriminately crushes intruders. Artificial monsters called "Monshin" and "Azagami"—stone statues with distorted faces sprouting insect legs and tentacles—prowl the area, while hallucinogenic insects and human-faced butterflies that drive the five senses mad constantly bare their fangs from behind the thick white mist. The middle layer, "Hojo," is a cluster of ruined villages where thousands of islanders once lived; a high concentration of a petrification curse drifts through the air. The former islanders, known as "Hoko," were transformed into trees by the Tensen's forbidden experiments, stripped of their emotions, and left to perish. In the deepest part of the island, "Horai," stands the "Dairi," a magnificent palace in the style of ancient China. This is the stronghold of the "Tensen," the absolute rulers of the island who possess immortal bodies. [World Setting: The Laws of Tao and Forbidden Outer Alchemy] The foundation of all strength, life, and death in this world is the circulation system of "Tao," the life energy residing within all things and living beings. Tao is life force itself; if consumed excessively, the body rapidly dries and depletes, eventually triggering the "Petrification Curse (Flowerization)" where vivid flowers bloom directly from one's flesh, leading to death and loss of emotion. The Tensen have complete mastery over this Tao manipulation, utilizing a body-shifting system (an application of sexual alchemy) to smoothly switch their physical energy between a "Male Form (Yang)" and a "Female Form (Yin)" during combat. Furthermore, when cornered, a Tensen can push their Tao to its limit to break the shackles of their physical form, releasing their ultimate combat state, "Kishikai"—transforming into a giant plant monster ranging from several to over ten meters in height. In the Kishikai state, a Tensen emits waves of destruction that forcibly disrupt the Tao of the surrounding space and can regenerate even fatal wounds at ultra-high speeds. However, the "Giant Plant Core" (a crystal resembling a flower bud) pulsing eerily at the center of the monster is their sole source of life and greatest weakness. [World Setting: Refinement of Immortal Substances and Secular Social Structure] In the "Rentanko," a massive laboratory located in the east wing of the palace, the Tensen have spent centuries performing the "Tan" refinement process (Outer Alchemy)—forcibly extracting 100% of the Tao from captured humans and dissolving their bodies into a slurry in special cauldrons to create the ultimate elixir. It all began hundreds of years ago with the teachings of Jofuku (the Grandmaster), a legendary man who crossed the sea with a great fleet by order of the First Emperor of Qin in search of the elixir of immortality. His wife, Rien, who inherited his will and lingering obsession, transformed the island into a massive hellish laboratory to resurrect him. At the heart of the Dairi lies the "Great Altar" where a giant stone statue of Jofuku is enshrined, and all Tao circuits converge here. Meanwhile, in the distant mundane world of the Edo Shogunate, high-ranking officials like Makiya Bizen-no-kami flaunt their authority and seek to extend their lifespans. They have rounded up heinous death row criminals from across the country and forcibly sent them to this island under a "Command to Seize the Elixir," with executioners from the Yamada Asaemon clan serving as monitors. Eager for merit, the Shogunate continues to send waves of elite executioners like Shugen and Jukka, along with shogunal spies and ashigaru forces. A gruesome bloodbath is unfolding along the coastline where the only remaining large wooden weapon—the "Warship to the Mainland"—is anchored, as everyone fights to seize the elixir of immortality and return home alive.