Bai Cangshu’s True Form

"Black Face, draw your sword!"

Black Face stepped forward. With his left hand gripping the scabbard, he used his terrifying Spiritual Pressure and divinity to withstand the Chaos Magic. His right hand grasped the hilt, and the drawing motion accelerated from slow to fast, incomparably smooth.

The next moment, visible blue-white motes of light continuously gathered toward the long white tachi in Black Face’s hand. The terrifying Spiritual Pressure was completely absorbed into that single slash.

That smooth sword-drawing motion was like a black hole, inexplicably drawing everyone’s attention.

Captain Marvel and Wanda both felt their hearts sink as an incomparably eerie and dangerous sensation enveloped them.

Meanwhile, Ebony Maw and White Face, watching from a more distant building, reacted differently.

Ebony Maw muttered words no one could hear, while White Face’s eyes revealed alarm. Black Face was Bai Cangshu’s top jailer, guarding the Throne of the Heart within that white world of consciousness.

The last time this sword-drawing technique had appeared, everyone—from Satoru Gojo to Uchiha Madara—had been defeated by a single strike.

God’s Slash!

Buzz!

The enormous pitch-black fan-shaped arc seemed to split open the space above New York, exposing the dark void within.

Yet upon closer inspection, what emerged from that void was not a starry sky, but countless faint, shadowy black phantoms. Boundless malice and terrifying resentment radiated from within.

Wanda raised both hands. She did not possess any particularly profound spellcasting or combat techniques. What she had was merely an instinct for casting spells.

The versatility of Chaos Magic allowed her to deal with nearly any situation using this one power.

This time was no exception. The black fan-shaped arc froze before her and stopped expanding. What should have been a pitch-black full moon became only a crescent moon thousands of meters wide, restrained by scarlet chaos.

But Wanda’s eyes rolled white, and her whole body seemed to have been struck by lightning as she was flung away. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

That was the fear brought by the essence exposed within Black Face’s slash, which had intimidated her after their clash on the spiritual level.

There was… hell inside it!

Captain Marvel flew at incredible speed. The instant Black Face drew his sword, she rapidly rose into the air before throwing a punch downward.

A blazing energy wave shot out. At the instant Black Face’s slash was blocked by Wanda, it had already reached Bai Cangshu.

Boom!

An explosion erupted, followed by a teasing laugh.

"Oh my, oh my. It seems your true nature can no longer be hidden. Even with beauty like mine, you were still singled out as the target by these ladies~"

When relaxed, Satoru Gojo was terribly flippant, but he was also the one most eager to tease his own host.

White hair hung loose, and within his now-uncovered eyes, blue skies and white clouds seemed to drift past.

"Hmph. End this boring farce already. How much longer are you going to play house with these people?"

Uchiha Madara’s voice also emerged from the smoke. Standing sideways behind Bai Cangshu, his eyelids lowered, his expression incomparably cold.

The more he witnessed the prosperity and uniqueness of these worlds, the more he yearned for resurrection. Only by truly reviving could his power continue to grow, and only then could he truly earn the right to fight everyone.

After leaving the Naruto World, he had already realized the "shallowness" of that world. It was not a matter of power, but of the will of the entire world.

His former world seemed to have been completely bound by the mere concept of hatred. Yet these broader worlds also contained hatred, war, and slaughter.

But humanity would not stagnate for a thousand years, endlessly entangled in bonds and hatred.

Yes, Uchiha Madara believed that he had finally truly surpassed Senju Hashirama. On this level, Senju Hashirama’s former ambition to unite Sengoku was nothing but fleeting smoke.

That was why he chose to cooperate with Mercenary Tao. He, too, wanted to be resurrected!

Bai Cangshu exhaled, and a fierce wind swept through the area, dispersing the smoke from the explosion.

Only then did Tony Stark and the others manage to rise. They saw several figures appear around the man with black hair dancing in the wind, and more figures were still appearing.

A white-haired, blue-eyed man held up one hand before him. He seemed to be the one who had blocked the blonde woman’s energy-wave attack. Meanwhile, the black-faced man who had just unleashed that terrifying slash sheathed his sword and stood on Mercenary Tao’s other side.

Behind Mercenary Tao stood a gloomy man carrying a war fan on his back. A massive phantom surrounded his body, emanating an equally terrifying aura.

In addition, a blond man appeared behind Mercenary Tao in an instant. He frowned, seeming to feel compassion for everything around him.

An Asian man in a trench coat held a person in each hand, tossed them onto the ground, and only then walked behind Mercenary Tao.

Captain America and Black Widow. Those two should have gone to the underground space in search of Thor and Loki. Now that they had ended up like this, the battle underground likely had not gone well either.

One black spirit after another gathered behind Bai Cangshu and took shape. These were Cursed Spirits and Grudge Spirits that had evolved through endless slaughter within Bai Cangshu’s Consciousness Sea. Bai Cangshu had even spotted traces of Hollows among them.

Bai Cangshu merely stood there, yet his spirits densely filled the destroyed Manhattan streets behind him.

Only now did Tony Stark understand why Mercenary Tao had said that he stood on humanity’s side.

Solomon’s injuries had actually already healed. His body transformed into radiance and vanished, then condensed in the air the next moment. He looked down at Mercenary Tao and the countless spirits behind him.

The alarm on his face could no longer be suppressed.

"This is… Mercenary Tao’s true form?!"

Mercenary Tao was neither a Martial Artist nor a Qigong Master. He was a summoner?!

Bai Cangshu spread his arms, and countless dark spirits immediately let out terrifying shrieks. Those soul-piercing cries were unbearable even for heroes like Tony Stark, who were still ordinary humans at their core.

Bai Cangshu had originally intended to wait for Solomon to tear up the contract and attack him, then kill Solomon directly after reviving and seize everything Solomon possessed.

But unexpectedly, Solomon had "honored" the contract. Not only had he obediently attacked New York City and created the conditions for the appearance of the Flesh Furnace, he refused to tear up the contract and attack Bai Cangshu no matter what.

That left Bai Cangshu somewhat caught off guard. His plan to ambush Solomon could not be carried out for the time being, so he came up with a new plan.

"Solomon, you can have this New York."

"You take New York, and I will take everything I want. Once you have obtained everything you desire, and I have completed the Life Furnace, our contract will be fulfilled~"

Solomon understood Mercenary Tao’s meaning. The other party wanted him to complete the Life Furnace. Then, if Solomon’s side also used the Darkhold and Gabriel’s power to complete the ascent of the ladder, their cooperation contract would be fulfilled. After that… they would be enemies.

Uchiha Madara then tossed the unconscious Snow Witch toward Solomon. This was part of the contract. Solomon needed the power of every member of the Far East Magic Society.

Seeing this, the Tree Herder’s face filled with despair. Artoria’s holy sword behind him drooped to the ground, but the Tree Herder had no idea whether her next slash would fall upon him.

"Mer… Mercenary Tao, I still have value! I still have value!"

He raised the vial of Odin’s blood and shouted.