Crimson Night

Li Qingzi cradled the black sword steeped in Armament Haki, murmuring as if crying and laughing at once. Hongye, whose senses were exceptionally sharp, caught it and turned her head in surprise. She had not expected to have misjudged her.

No—or perhaps it was not that she had misjudged her. Rather, this Strong-tier newcomer, somewhat famous in the space and once favored by the Great Sun of Finality, was only now truly beginning to unleash herself.

Previously, Li Qingzi had been trapped within the false image she had created for herself, unconsciously binding her own power within that cage.

Humans were creatures who imposed limits upon themselves.

For example, if someone was led to believe they had a terminal illness, thought every day about their own decline, and despaired and suffered over it, their body would gradually begin to truly decline.

A person could not do what they believed themselves incapable of doing.

Li Qingzi had not limited herself in that way, but the eyes of others, her own self-respect, and her pride still caused her to lean toward certain choices in battle.

For instance, the reason she had been so obsessed with that swordsmanship capable of cleaving mountains with a single strike was because she wanted to surpass Hawkeye—to surpass the self who had once trembled before Hawkeye’s blade.

But after enduring blow after blow, after Bai Cangshu had stripped away both her dignity and innocence, it was as though a white swan had been pressed into the mud. At last, she no longer clung to those pointless things.

She began to feel her own malice with clarity.

The thrill of cutting a human body apart with one slash, the pleasure of her opponent being utterly unable to keep up with her swordsmanship, and the looks in the eyes of those on the brink of despair as they gazed up at her—these were all things she craved.

Li Qingzi hugged her sword, its blade slicing open her skin. The stabbing pain only made her happier. For one moment, she felt that her heart had broken. But then she realized something even more clearly.

She had finally found her heart again.

Boom!

Black Knight was a step too late. Having already lost his helper, when he charged at her bodily once more, Li Qingzi had become as elusive as a ghost.

The reason the One Piece World’s enhancement system remained so popular and enduring—and was, in some respects, even more universally applicable than the Chakra system—was that its system of physical arts, Haki, and Devil Fruits might not possess the vast range of complementary abilities and bloodlines that Chakra did.

Yet this entire set of abilities was extraordinarily comprehensive, and could be perfectly incorporated by Reincarnators from nearly any other power system.

Even Reincarnators who used Battle Aura or soul power would naturally benefit if they could master Haki.

What was more, Observation Haki, to a certain extent, possessed effects akin to both a Martial Arts Grandmaster’s Sensen no Sen and the Future Sight held by some Magic Eye users.

Armament Haki, meanwhile, greatly strengthened the body’s defenses while also granting its user a certain degree of immunity to special abilities.

The power of the heart and the power of will were powerful systems independent of energy systems.

From Spiral Power, WAAAGH! Field—I Think Therefore I Am Power—and AT Field—the Wall of Heart—to the simpler Haki, all were powers that transcended the structural level of matter and energy. They were miraculous powers.

Her ability level had clearly not changed, yet Li Qingzi’s strength had greatly weakened after being captured by Bai Cangshu. Now, in this moment, that lost strength seemed to return once more.

Her eyelids drooped, and a pleased smile curled at her lips. Although her Observation Haki had not yet reached the level of foreseeing the future, she could still easily sense Black Knight’s movements.

Under the extraordinary trait of Divine Speed, even the extreme speed driven by Black Knight’s explosive physical strength could not so much as ruffle the hem of her clothes.

Clang!

In an instant, the sound of swords being drawn and the increasingly warped laughter of a woman came from all directions. Sword light slashed in from every side.

Black Knight raised both hands to guard himself. His body, reinforced by both magic power and Battle Aura, was struck again and again. His silver armor began to shatter, and wounds steadily multiplied across his body.

He roared in helpless fury as the blood mist spread wider and wider, his body swelling further. But the woman’s figure was everywhere around him, sword light flashing everywhere. He was cut until his flesh split open.

Hongye withdrew her gaze. She felt she had witnessed something rather good. The current Moon Demon had earned her recognition; she had transformed into a truly powerful Reincarnator.

Boom!

Her figure shattered in an instant. Blazing White clouds of smoke roared out like a giant python, while Bai Cangshu’s eyes turned white and his body swelled until he was not much smaller than Black Knight.

He shattered Hongye’s body with a single punch, but there was no sensation of striking flesh.

Bai Cangshu raised his head and looked at the white moon hanging in the sky and the crimson night. He remained where he was, no longer pursuing recklessly.

This strange celestial phenomenon could not possibly be real. The reason was that the hazy white full moon had not granted the extraordinary trait of Silver Wolf Under the Moon any corresponding enhancement.

Based on the principle that the space’s judgment took highest priority, Bai Cangshu guessed that Hongye’s Title Ability, Crimson Night, was most likely some form of Genjutsu—or rather, an illusion realm.

At a thought from Bai Cangshu, powerful soul power surged forth. His pupils moved rapidly as he observed his surroundings, trying to determine the woman’s intentions and the effects of this environment.

The Calamity Yin Spirit activated. A Yin Spirit with long hair draped over its shoulders emerged from behind Bai Cangshu like a shadow.

This was also Uchiha Madara’s first time appearing in the material world in the form of a complete Yin Spirit. Free from the restraints of a physical body, his strength was likewise greatly affected.

"Under these circumstances, you chose not to use that white-haired brat. I suppose you need these special eyes of mine?"

Uchiha Madara crossed his arms, arrogant but extremely clear-headed when it came to battle.

When both sides were Yin Spirits or soul bodies, he could not perform as well as that frivolous white-haired fellow.

This man who called himself his host was not someone like Obito, who lacked combat command ability. Therefore, there was only one explanation.

His scarlet Three Tomoe spun as he took in the strange environment around them.

This Genjutsu, not constructed with Chakra, could not be directly reflected by the Sharingan. But correspondingly, he could still detect certain clues in this "technique," which was built upon Mental Power and negative energy.

With his back to Bai Cangshu, Uchiha Madara walked backward. Suddenly, his Sharingan spun rapidly. The ground before him began to churn, and dark lava seemed to melt into flowing magma once more.

Pitch-black bones emerged from within.

It was a man in a black robe, several soul rings appearing around his body.

Uchiha Madara met the man’s eyes. His Sharingan spun, and Genjutsu had already been cast.

Meanwhile, Bai Cangshu stood in place, coldly watching figures emerge one after another from the magma before him. Their energy signatures were completely different, and there was a faint but unmistakable aura of death around them.

This so-called Crimson Night seemed to be an illusion realm that summoned the dead back in some manner.

Clang!

The sword cry rang out sharply. The silver armor shattered, and the enormous body was cut nearly in half by sword light. Even half of its head was sliced away.

Black Knight roared. Before Li Qingzi’s sword momentum could leave his body, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her, tearing off one of her arms.

His strength was so immense that the instant he seized her arm, he ripped it off.

Li Qingzi seemed unable to feel pain. Her feet tapped rapidly, and the black sword in her hand flipped into a reverse grip. Following the pull of the arm he had torn from her left side, she shot backward into the air. The black sword hooked around Black Knight’s neck as her body twisted violently.

Splat!

A fountain of blood shot into the sky. Li Qingzi stood in place, holding her sword one-handed as blood rained down over her. Her expression was delighted.

She understood why Bai Cangshu had laughed when she said that day that she wanted to pursue a regenerative bloodline.

Power was not that sort of thing. Her lack of regenerative ability was not some decisive weakness. Only her sword not being sharp enough, only her own weakness, were.

On the other side, Bai Cangshu shook his head and sighed.

"So it’s this kind of ability. What an awfully roundabout effect."

"Don’t you want to kill me, Hongye…?"

His Killing Intent Perception detected no killing intent. The other party seemed to only want to trap him. That was not the outcome he wanted.

Bai Cangshu suddenly turned. Powerful qi gathered at his fingertips, and the Dodon Ray let out a piercing shriek. Its target was the warehouse Hongye had previously protected.

Inside were likely the production workers and technical personnel whom the Great Sun of Finality had ordered the Reincarnators to capture.

Buzz!

The Dodon Ray fired with a thunderous blast. At the same time, a red fireball shot out from the direction of the warehouse. The two collided midway, briefly locked in stalemate, then exploded in midair.

Hongye waved away the smoke from the explosion before her. By then, more than a hundred dead people who had emerged from the lava had gathered in front of her.

They were all Reincarnators whose deaths she had witnessed. Whenever Crimson Night descended, those Reincarnators would be summoned to fight for her.

Hongye lowered her eyelids.

"Mercenary Tao, could you give me a little time?"

Only then did Bai Cangshu see through the figures of the hundred dead. Behind Hongye, the warehouse was already strewn with corpses. A Reincarnator dressed in a black suit and black top hat watched him with great interest.

Seeing Bai Cangshu look at him, the man even removed his hat.

"Mercenary Tao, I’ve heard of you. His Excellency admires your strength as well. Why not join our Great Sun of Finality and change this mediocre world together?"

Hongye was enraged by the actions of this Title-level Reincarnator, who had secretly appeared here, chosen not to ambush her, and instead silently slaughtered every ordinary production worker who could not be taken away.

She gave Bai Cangshu no chance to speak. With a downward wave of one hand, soul rings, Battle Aura, magic, and all manner of energy fluctuations erupted in the next instant. Above them all were characters imbued with special power, beginning to write themselves in the air along with chanting.