Heartfire

"If we unseal the divine kingdom, my brother will definitely win… right?"

Ritsu Kageyama was deeply shaken. He and Bai Cangshu had already reached the outskirts of that enormous broccoli-like plant.

If Ritsu had not led the way, Bai Cangshu probably would not have found a path inside without activating Limit Break Spiral.

The Spirit World’s space-time was not bound by the laws of the real world. The terrain and obstacles visible to the naked eye were completely meaningless here. Likewise, places invisible to the naked eye could contain impassable barriers.

The two followed a peculiar route, bypassing all kinds of spatial constraints, and finally arrived at the outskirts of the strange plant.

Here, Bai Cangshu could already sense an extremely dense spiritual presence. Simply approaching this place made him feel a sense of peace.

The master of this world, that Spirit World Evil Lord, had bestowed this place with some powerful force, sheltering every soul that entered and granting them tranquility of mind.

Simply put, souls entering this place would be "purified." The negative emotions within their souls would be removed, and their impurities cleansed to a certain extent.

Bai Cangshu looked up at this creation formed almost entirely from psychic power. He could not help but marvel at what the top Plot Characters of this world were capable of.

Compared with the Reincarnators in the Space at its current stage, Bai Cangshu believed the Plot Characters of this world were stronger.

Not to mention Saitama—even Shigeo Kageyama, Tatsumaki, and the others at their full power were likely not opponents the Space’s top Reincarnators could challenge lightly.

From Eternal Destiny’s series of arrangements, Bai Cangshu could tell that he was consciously avoiding taking action personally and avoiding becoming the target of these top Plot Characters.

If Supreme Experts were truly powerful enough to surpass every Plot Character in this world other than the suppressed Saitama, then they should have had better, more convenient plans.

For the first time, Bai Cangshu sensed how far he still was from the peak of the Reincarnation Space.

At the same time, he knew very well that Reincarnators were a special kind of short-lived Supernatural Being. Their life cycles were far shorter than those of any known Supernatural Being.

Based on the information he currently knew, Reincarnators were deployed in cycles ranging from five days to one month. Considering that they could die in mission worlds at any time, Reincarnators were a species whose lifespans could be measured entirely in days or months.

Of course, the other side of being short-lived was their incomparable rate of growth.

Reincarnators possessed growth systems and growth speeds far beyond those of any Supernatural Being. They could directly seize the fruits of another being’s cultivation in the form of information and rapidly strengthen themselves, something other superhumans could scarcely imagine.

A Reincarnator could experience a massive increase in strength after a single mission deployment. With enough luck, they could even leap across ranks and complete a transformation outright.

Thus, the combat-power tiers of Reincarnators were always fluctuating. Depending on the Space’s current deployment rhythm, the overall strength of Reincarnators would rise and fall within a certain range.

Previously, because he had still been a newcomer and his horizons had been too narrow, Bai Cangshu had never fully understood the strength of upper-tier Reincarnators.

What exactly could true powerhouses accomplish now?

But as the Finality Empire challenged the established order in the real world, and Supreme Experts appeared in this mission world as well—

Bai Cangshu could finally lift that veil.

He was certain that today’s Supreme Experts were probably around Tatsumaki and Shigeo Kageyama’s level. They would not be much stronger, but neither would they be much weaker.

Of course, he did not know the deployment frequency at the Supreme Expert level, nor did he know what secrets so-called Native Worlds held, so he could not judge how quickly Supreme Experts’ strength changed.

But at least, judging by his current rate of growth…

Supreme Experts were not beyond his reach.

"Heh, I thought they’d be more unfathomable than this…"

Bai Cangshu licked his lips, his eyes greedy and fervent.

He impatiently gave Ritsu Kageyama a light push, no longer bothering to conceal his covetousness toward Shigeo Kageyama’s self-created divine kingdom.

"Open the divine kingdom already, Shōnen. Your brother is waiting."

Ritsu Kageyama was now completely flustered. Shigeo Kageyama’s divine kingdom would not bar him. He stretched out his hand, and the enormous broccoli immediately trembled as though it were about to split open down the middle.

"Stop!"

A vigorous voice rang out.

Bai Cangshu lowered his eyelids, and unconcealed malice began to radiate from his entire body.

Within the Spirit World, the sensation of such pure emotion spreading was extraordinarily distinct. His malice dripped into the surroundings like a black liquid.

Bai Cangshu turned his head indifferently and saw a foolish man with one arm severed at the elbow who had somehow reached this place as well.

Skylark was enveloped in golden motes of light, his fighting spirit surging. Even in the Spirit World, the energy of Cosmo had kept him from suffering much harm.

Moreover, his aura was sharp and imposing at this moment. His Cosmo had already begun to burn, and he showed no fear whatsoever in the face of Mercenary Tao’s demonic presence.

Seeing the newcomer, Ritsu Kageyama paused and turned around.

"Keep opening the divine kingdom, Shōnen. It’s the only thing you can do."

The voice of that previously "enthusiastic" big brother had turned icy. Ritsu Kageyama grew even more frightened. He knew his senses had not been wrong—this person really was not a good man.

But… why had he trusted him just now?

"Stay away from him, Ritsu Kageyama. This man definitely does not want to help your brother."

Skylark could clearly sense Mercenary Tao’s evil. That man was probably greedily trying to take something from the boy.

Bai Cangshu sighed. This guy again.

This so-called Ally of Justice had finally irritated him. It was as though a tiny flame had suddenly ignited deep within his heart.

"You really are starting to annoy me."

Bang!

Gray-white Ripples spread beneath his feet. Bai Cangshu slipped into the wind in an instant, and the next moment, one hand reached straight for Skylark’s face.

Skylark’s mind immediately sounded an alarm. He tilted his head, but Mercenary Tao’s right hand, appearing from thin air, still seized his shoulder. A tremendous force struck him, about to smash him into the ground.

Behind Skylark, the Constellation of Martial Immortals lit up once more, and Heracles’s phantom appeared.

He planted both feet firmly on the ground and shook his shoulder. A tremendous force emerged from nowhere, actually hurling Bai Cangshu away instead.

Feeling that overwhelming strength, Bai Cangshu estimated that the power Skylark had unleashed in that instant exceeded one hundred points. There was no way a Reincarnator of this level could have stacked such a stat on his own.

Which meant… this was the power of Cosmo…

Hah!

As Bai Cangshu was flung away, he hooked Skylark’s shoulder with the tip of his foot, twisting his body back around. The black Dragon Slayer had already appeared in his hand.

Screech!

The piercing, resounding sound of a sword swung at extreme speed through sheer unmatched violence, cleaving apart the viscous, steel-forged air, rang out.

A gray-white shockwave of sword force spread instantly.

This strike had come from too close. Skylark only had time to turn sideways and raise both hands before him when he was struck by the terrifying sword light and the black blade itself.

Boom!

Blood instantly sprayed from Skylark’s mouth and nose. The Cosmo around his hands blocked the black sword’s physical slash, but the strange force contained within the blow passed straight through his body.

"A Martial Artist’s internal force…"

Skylark’s vision turned red. Then he suddenly felt the heavy sword in his hands vanish, leaving the space before his eyes empty.

Not good!

In the next instant, his Cosmo sensed the enemy appearing behind him again. The moment he turned his head, the other man had already stepped upon a gray-white shockwave in midair, his left hand pressed against Skylark’s cheek.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three Shockwaves exploded in succession through the black-and-white space, each farther apart than the last.

The terrifying impacts continuously scraped across Skylark’s face. He held his breath and burned his Cosmo, only feeling himself being smashed again and again against the surfaces of various buildings.

Splurt!

A spirit body was shattered by the two of them, purple blood spilling across the ground.

Skylark did not even have time to tell who had been killed by the collision.

He was sent flying out of New Seasoning City with a resounding crash.