Mercenary Tao Under Kotoamatsukami

"Mr. Mercenary Tao, you’re joking, right? Miss Heaven’s Will said that Destiny requires you to help me. We…"

Hiranaka Minoru stopped halfway through his sentence, unable to continue. A finger pressed against his throat, sparks flickering from its tip. The muscles in his throat convulsed from the electricity, leaving him unable to speak.

Hiranaka Hana instinctively stepped forward, but stopped herself.

Bai Cangshu withdrew his finger, amusement glinting in his eyes. He wagged that finger as he corrected Hiranaka Minoru.

"My Destiny is only to keep you alive. As for the things you seek, they have nothing to do with me."

After completing Ororchi Yashiro’s Special Trial, Bai Cangshu had also clarified the key to the Virtue Card mission.

Protecting Hiranaka Minoru from death—because of the choices made by Heaven’s Will and Hiranaka Minoru, this mission had effectively made Hiranaka Minoru the World Will’s primary target.

Although Heaven’s Will’s actions had now made her the highest-priority target, buying Bai Cangshu some time, once she was killed or fled this world, the Plot Characters’ hatred would still fall upon Hiranaka Minoru.

Thus, the mission of Golden Order Descends had naturally become bound to Mercenary Tao, who had to keep Hiranaka Minoru alive.

But after learning that the Planet’s Will likewise did not want the Otsutsuki Clan to appear, Bai Cangshu realized that in this world, he was the one who possessed the power to decide the course of events.

Whether it was the Planet’s Will, the Sage of Six Paths, or the Greater Will, all of them had to rely on Plot Characters and reincarnators if they wished to influence the world’s direction.

But he did not. Power had always remained in Bai Cangshu’s hands.

Watching Hiranaka Minoru’s gaze shift continuously, Bai Cangshu guessed that he was still thinking of ways to make Mercenary Tao help him.

Bai Cangshu spoke bluntly.

"Give up, Hiranaka Minoru. None of your plans will come to fruition."

His tone was calm, as though he were making a proclamation.

Hiranaka Hana, however, let out a breath of relief. She clearly knew that Mercenary Tao was an incomparably terrifying and violent man, yet at this moment, his intentions were the only thing that reassured her.

Secretly, she was delighted that her husband’s ambitions had been thwarted.

Uchiha Shisui lowered his head, his heartbeat growing faster and faster. Just as he was about to make that choice, he suddenly heard a laugh.

"Heh, Shisui, have you made up your mind?"

"Are you going to use that one Kotoamatsukami on me?"

Uchiha Shisui raised his head and saw that the mad yet powerful man seemed to carry an additional trace of wind and thunder about him. Simply standing there made Shisui feel as though sparks were constantly flashing across the man’s hair and skin.

Uchiha Shisui nodded, his eyes taking on the form of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

He did not wonder why Mercenary Tao knew he possessed Kotoamatsukami. There was no point in such thoughts, nor did he try to hide it or explain himself.

A cruel smile appeared on Bai Cangshu’s lips. There was not the slightest concern in his expression over being subjected to Kotoamatsukami, the strongest Genjutsu.

Instead, his expression plainly revealed that everything was under his control.

"Aren’t you going to resist, Mr. Mercenary Tao?"

Uchiha Shisui appeared relaxed, but he had already prepared for the worst.

Bai Cangshu smiled freely, his hands clasped behind his back. He had no intention of activating Shana to attempt an instant kill on Uchiha Shisui.

He could hear clearly that at least seven of Uchiha Shisui’s Shadow Clones were hidden nearby. Combined with Uchiha Shisui’s strange Body Flicker Jutsu, Shisui had a considerable chance of unleashing Kotoamatsukami during battle.

Besides, there was no need for him to evade it at all.

He had deliberately kept Hiranaka Minoru and Hiranaka Hana by his side, and had not revealed certain negative aspects of the Golden Order and the Greater Will, precisely because he had been waiting for Uchiha Shisui to return.

If he wanted to completely dominate this world, Bai Cangshu had considered countermeasures against every ability that might affect him.

Other than Uchiha Obito’s complete Dual Kamui after reclaiming Kakashi’s Sharingan, the most difficult ability to grasp and counter was naturally Uchiha Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami.

As the strongest Genjutsu capable of completely altering a person’s thoughts, its activation conditions were extremely covert. Even those affected by it could not detect that they had fallen under its influence.

Bai Cangshu had considered many countermeasures against such a terrifying weapon, including finding an opportunity to kill Uchiha Shisui. In the end, however, he found a better plan.

Kotoamatsukami’s power lay in changing the thoughts of others. But if even the result the other party wished to impose could be guided by himself, then this technique would not have much impact on him at all.

Hiranaka Minoru and Hiranaka Hana also sensed that something was wrong. Just as Uchiha Itachi was about to speak, Uchiha Shisui had already closed his eyes.

Blood streamed from the corners of his eyes.

"Shisui, you…"

Uchiha Shisui clutched his head. As he cast Kotoamatsukami on Mercenary Tao, he was also affected by that man’s peculiar ability. Just as the clan intelligence had recorded, casting Genjutsu on Mercenary Tao would bring intense mental backlash.

It felt as though his mind was engulfed by overwhelming killing intent. This mental state was utterly unlike Uchiha Shisui’s usual way of thinking, and the clash left him dizzy.

Uchiha Itachi had not expected Mercenary Tao to offer no resistance, nor had he expected Shisui to activate his ability in an instant. He supported Shisui and looked toward Mercenary Tao.

You have been affected by the Genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami

Bai Cangshu frowned as he considered the changes within himself, but aside from that spatial prompt, he sensed nothing at all.

Clap, clap, clap clap clap…

Bai Cangshu applauded. The effects and capabilities of Kotoamatsukami had far exceeded his expectations.

"As expected of the strongest Genjutsu. Uchiha Shisui, it truly is an outstanding technique. I cannot find a single trace of myself being influenced by it."

Uchiha Shisui clutched his head, somewhat tense. He had not expected that after being struck by Kotoamatsukami, this Mercenary Tao would actually realize that he had been affected by the technique.

Human thought was the strangest and most intricate thing. There were far too many things one had long grown accustomed to, things one would never stop to wonder about.

Kotoamatsukami changed precisely those things. Uchiha Shisui longed for the peace forged without killing, and the deathless future displayed by the Golden Order was exactly what he desired.

Therefore, he altered Mercenary Tao’s thoughts, making him support and aid Golden Order Descends, allowing the Erdtree Era to arrive.

"Let’s go. If we want the Erdtree Era to arrive, that tree cannot be destroyed now."

Bai Cangshu did not realize the change in himself. At this moment, he only felt that while completing the special event Golden Order Descends, he could also fulfill his Special Trial of Utmost Benevolence and Goodness.

It was a fairly good choice.

Hiranaka Minoru and Hiranaka Hana watched Mercenary Tao’s drastically changed attitude. Their thoughts differed, but within this group, no one had the ability to defy Mercenary Tao.

They could only follow behind him.

The corners of Bai Cangshu’s lips curled upward, and his face still bore a calm, composed smile.

Kotoamatsukami would not erase the target’s memories. Therefore, he knew very clearly that having his thoughts changed by Kotoamatsukami was also part of his plan.

And now, that plan was proceeding very smoothly.

He felt none of the awkward discomfort of having his thoughts secretly altered. As someone who could calmly throw away control of his body and let tens of thousands of vengeful spirits fight over it—

At this moment, he was also seemingly "controlling" his own body to play a novel role-playing game.

"The Golden Order can completely control life force and blessings. To cultivate an Erdtree with a sufficiently wide range of influence, we’ll need to absorb enough life force."

"In this world, there are no more suitable targets than the Tailed Beasts and those sages."

"Uchiha Shisui, we need to continue capturing Tailed Beasts and bringing down sages…"

Uchiha Shisui froze. He discovered that although Mercenary Tao’s objective had indeed become helping him and Hiranaka Minoru bring about the Erdtree Era, his actions were somehow not much different from before.

He was still pursuing those powerful individuals.

Tailed Beasts, sages…

He had heard legends of sages. According to those legends, this world contained certain special hidden realms where sages lived, capable of teaching senjutsu.

Did the arrival of the Erdtree Era require the deaths of beings like those…?