A Battle That Changed the Worldline, the Monster’s Completion (3K)

Scarlet Sheen rose one after another. They were the final remnants left in this world by powerful reincarnators.

The Mad King was stunned as well. In just an instant, more than half of his subjects—the forces he had preserved for the future war against the multiverse—had been instantly killed.

He raised his greatsword and slashed downward again, with such force that the sky itself seemed to split apart.

Roar!

Before the sword’s momentum could fully rise, a terrifying roar echoed out. That demon-like figure tore through space in an instant, crashing straight into the Sword of Damocles like a streak of black light.

Boom!

As the slash violently distorted space, a devastating shockwave comparable to a Category 12 storm erupted above the city, flattening the rising tsunami.

But an even more terrifying impact began to build before exploding outward.

The Mad King felt as though he had struck a cold, hard land of absolute frost. Not only was its resistance terrifyingly solid, but there was no feedback at all.

He did not feel as though he was fighting a living creature. All Things Re-emerge sensed only an abyssal silence of death.

Roar!

Amid an even more horrifying roar, the Mad King realized that the Sword of Damocles was being pushed back bit by bit. His other hand pressed against the massive blade.

With a ripping sound, Royal Authority Power shone, and he drew another silver King’s Sword from the Sword of Damocles.

The illusory silver greatsword immediately pierced into Mercenary Tao’s undead body.

The Mad King had already noticed something was wrong. Mercenary Tao’s ability pool definitely should not contain this kind of power. Otherwise, All Things Re-emerge would have been able to seize corresponding power from him.

In other words, this was a power born from his bloodline, nature, or even his Heart Light?!

Could a human truly give birth to such power?

Or rather, was this guy really a human of this world?!

Pfft!

The Sword of Royal Authority thrust out as Royal Authority Power gleamed. Azure order, crimson violence, silver immutability—various forms of Royal Authority Power merged together. The Sword of Royal Authority was a weapon more powerful than most so-called famous swords and plot equipment.

Yet now, he could clearly see that the other party held a pitch-black Claymore in one hand, blocking the Sword of Damocles, while his claw-like left hand directly gripped the blade of the Sword of Royal Authority.

Black lightning flashed ceaselessly. Spiritual Pressure so intense it reached the extreme formed a peculiar kind of skin over the other party’s body.

The light of All Things Re-emerge was completely blocked outside that body. Or rather, his Heart Light was constantly being devoured by that strange body.

Rings of black Ripples could faintly be seen spreading from the other party’s surface.

"Mercenary Tao, what exactly are you…?"

The Mad King’s reluctance and regret over killing Mercenary Tao gradually faded away. He was beginning to realize that Mercenary Tao’s very existence probably had some kind of problem.

He recalled the powerful reincarnator who called herself the King of Destiny, who had told him about the final war and the differing choices of the three kings.

He had no interest in those three people who possessed power yet became lost because of it, nor did he wish to join their gamble.

But power itself was not guilty. He had to possess power capable of embracing everything in order to realize his ambitions.

The special card in his hand was growing hotter and hotter, as though reminding him that he was now qualified to use it.

Yet the Mad King stared at Mercenary Tao below, who had become a beast incapable of communication, and countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

Should he activate Card EX00? God King?

Crack, boom!

The King’s Sword exploded. As the Mad King’s gaze shifted, an icy sensation had already appeared on the surface of his body.

Mercenary Tao, seemingly transformed into an Arrancar, was unbelievably fast, scarcely any different from Teleportation.

The Mad King had only just turned his wrist when the other party was already standing atop his arm.

He clearly saw Mercenary Tao tilt his head. There was no reason in those scarlet eyes, only pure Greed and brutality.

Ring!

A black slash bloomed over Tokyo like a massive crescent moon. The silver giant staggered back two steps, and an enormous arm hundreds of meters long fell from the sky amid silver radiance.

The monster roared even more excitedly. The black Claymore moved as smoothly as if it were one of his limbs, black crescents blooming like lotus flowers.

If A Single Thought of Silk had been here, she would have recognized this sword momentum as the type she excelled at most.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft…

When their levels of power drew close, an overly huge body instead became a hindrance.

With a thought from the Mad King, the great Sword of Damocles stretched across before him, allowing the lotus-like black crescents to explode against it without end.

Icy Soul Power lashed around his body like long streamers.

In terms of total energy intensity alone, the Mad King felt that he had probably already surpassed so-called Supreme Experts. Yet his energy system was incomparably chaotic. The strongest of them all was undoubtedly the Inner Force he had obtained from Red Dust.

But Inner Force alone was but a drop in the ocean compared to Mercenary Tao’s Soul Power.

For the first time, he realized that someone could rely on a single form of energy to reach such a terrifying level.

No authority, no Heart Light—just utterly terrifying energy intensity, forcibly erasing the gap between tiers.

If he did not rely on the Silver King’s immutable Royal Authority Power, a single round of the other party’s slashes would cleave his body apart.

With a thought, the Mad King suddenly changed the momentum of the Sword of Damocles in his hand and thrust it straight at the other party.

And Mercenary Tao, demon-like and moving as if by Teleportation, naturally could not be struck by such a sword momentum. He flickered like a skipped frame and appeared atop the Sword of Damocles.

Just as the Mad King had expected, someone as perceptive as Mercenary Tao would surely realize that since the Sword of Damocles could attack the physical world after being drawn by him, it could likewise be attacked.

He saw Mercenary Tao reverse his black Claymore. Accompanied by a soul-rending roar, the black greatsword fiercely plunged into the side of the Sword of Damocles.

Boom!

A nuclear-explosion-like blast erupted in an instant. Royal Authority Power far surpassing that of any Royal Authority wielder in K World fully erupted at that moment. The Sword of Damocles, which had long exceeded its limits, completely lost its balance after being pierced by Dragon-Slayer.

Silver-white Ripples spread like water from the sky, reaching tens of thousands of meters away in an instant.

Then destructive light flared up.

Although Mercenary Tao had teleported tens of thousands of meters away in an instant, the Mad King still smiled.

It worked!

The Sword of Damocles had always been the restriction upon the King’s Sword.

An equally powerful energy within his body exploded directly.

The silver giant and the greatsword exploded together over Tokyo.

The nearby sea was vaporized in an instant, the coastline receded hundreds of meters, and Tokyo was completely erased, becoming a vast inland sea in the middle of the cleaved Japan.

The Mad King knew that after this attack, it would be utterly impossible for any humans to remain alive in Tokyo. But for the future and great cause of the entire world, sacrifices of this scale were unavoidable.

The Mad King emerged from the explosion. Data-like streams flowed across his silver-white body, his appearance constantly changing before finally settling into a form nearly 1.8 meters tall.

Strands of silver-white short hair jutted toward the sky. He raised both hands, and an illusory crown appeared above his head.

The unrestricted Power of the King had been achieved.

All that remained was naturally to end this conflict, calm the tsunami, then unify the authority of every nation and lead the entire world into the supernatural age.

As his thoughts shifted, he suddenly froze.

In the sky opposite him, as the residual force of the explosion dissipated, the monster radiating black and scarlet Spiritual Pressure also raised both hands. An illusory black crown, seemingly formed from thorns, descended bit by bit.

The monster looked at him as well, like a mirror image.

The only difference was that its chest was completely hollow, with only black and scarlet Soul Power endlessly pouring forth.

"Mercenary Tao, do you also… have the ambition to become king…?"

Because his power was too great, the Mad King strangely felt that he had touched upon a few traces of a special spiritual awareness. Like those great figures who had changed the course of history, there was always some moment when inspiration struck, some instant when they sensed that they had touched history itself.

At this moment, the Mad King felt that he had touched that history—or rather, touched the worldline.

He understood with absolute clarity that this world was changing because of this battle.

The Mad King pressed one hand against his chest and slowly drew out his King’s Sword.

Illusory silver Ripples of All Things Re-emerge completely wrapped around the sword, and its aura and sense of presence began to surge wildly.

The rising aura pierced the heavens, even forcing the two people hiding within them to retreat.

Across from him, Mercenary Tao also reached for his chest, but there was nothing there.

An inexplicable smile appeared on the Mad King’s face. Accompanied by Mercenary Tao’s ear-piercing roar, he slashed out.

A silver-white line cleaved directly through the black sky.

Buzz!

Only then did the terrifying roar erupt. The canopy formed entirely from Spiritual Pressure was torn apart, revealing the real world behind it.

The Mad King watched the monster, a silver line appearing across its body as it roared ceaselessly and seemed about to collapse. He was about to say something when that figure suddenly froze in midair.

The next moment, it stood upright again as though time had reversed. Beneath its feet, black-and-white steps appeared layer by layer.

This was…

The next moment, the monster Mercenary Tao raised that black Claymore with both hands, adopting the exact same stance he had used before drawing his sword.

In that instant, the Mad King seemed to see another version of himself, another future.

Buzz!

He raised his sword and slashed again.

Clang!

A terrifying roar and clash exploded before the Mad King. That beast-like fellow did not unleash the same sword momentum as him. Instead, it teleported before him and exchanged slashes with him.

Amid the intense collision, the Mad King did not retreat a single step and raised his sword to slash again.

Clang!

Naturally, Mercenary Tao did not retreat either.

With every slash, amid the terrifying booms, the sea and tides fell into disorder, and new typhoons began forming in Japan’s coastal waters.

The aftershocks of a Calamity-level battle had appeared.

Clang—crack!

A sound of breaking rang out. The next moment, with another slash, the black greatsword snapped in half. The Mad King’s sword momentum did not stop, cutting into the monster Mercenary Tao’s shoulder and neck.

Pfft!

Amid spraying blood, the monster let out a roar as if it had been mortally wounded.

Bai Cangshu felt as though he had pursued and yearned within boundless darkness for an unknown length of time. At last, he saw what he wanted.

Something scorching, beating, incomparably fervent.

It was as though every beat carried an indescribable weight.

I want it… I want that!

That is what I lack!

Pfft!

Warm blood covered Bai Cangshu’s entire body. The radiance on the silver-white figure before him began to dissipate bit by bit. In his hand, a blazing heart was beating violently.

In the sky, Cao Qi sensed some kind of change and abruptly pointed down at Japan below.

But the smile on Aizen’s face no longer needed to be concealed. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Heaven and earth reversed in an instant, and the entire world had become unrecognizable. Cao Qi’s finger descended as destructive lightning struck down, but where below was there any sign of Japan?

On the vast island below, a group of reincarnators desperately deployed all kinds of barriers.

At the center of the Finality Empire, even the Great Sun of Finality had no idea why his Finality Empire was facing an attack of this magnitude.

A Mad-tier attack?!