Space Title Competition Begins

"Your Majesty, this cycle is about to end. Should we…"

Mahakala, who usually appeared as a Golden Boy, stood in the great hall of the Finality Empire. Looking at Tan Zhishan, the Great Sun of Finality seated upon the throne, he hesitantly voiced his thoughts.

Through Mahakala’s Title Ability, he could perfectly control the Flame of Finality. Thus, by relying on the Great Sun of Finality’s Title Ability, he had leapt past countless former competitors and become one of the very strongest below the Supreme Experts.

But with the Space Title Competition’s new round about to begin, everything from before would be reset to zero.

Once the Title Competition officially began, all Space Titles earned in the previous cycle would be reclaimed, including the twelve Crowns of Supremacy.

Top-tier Titles generally came with immensely powerful abilities. The Great Sun of Finality, renowned for its destructive power in particular, was devastating when its Title Ability was fully unleashed.

Even if His Majesty was not highly compatible with the authority of Finality and could not perfectly wield its effects, destroying a city or even a larger area would be effortless.

Some powerful Reincarnators lacking sufficient mobility might even be killed in passing, unable to escape the affected range.

With the Title Ability about to be reclaimed, Mahakala believed that perhaps this was another opportunity for the Finality Empire to display its strength.

After all, no one could predict who would contend for the title of Great Sun of Finality this time.

What if that guy also…

Mahakala lowered his head, but his thoughts could not help wandering. He admitted that his feelings toward Mercenary Tao had gone beyond mere wariness. Perhaps "fear" was a more accurate description.

Tan Zhishan sat upon the Iron Throne, a Special Creation he had only recently brought back from some world, continuously browsing intelligence and documents from afar through Mental Power.

He had an exceptionally heavy burden of maintaining his image. He was unwilling to let even his followers see him doing something as simple as reviewing intelligence on his competitors.

He had to maintain his mysterious, powerful bearing at all times.

Only mystery and distance were fertile ground for loyalty. Once he grew too close to these followers, relationships beyond loyalty would emerge.

And he had no need for such relationships.

Tan Zhishan withdrew his gaze from Mercenary Tao’s latest information. He did not actually believe that guy would choose a Crown of Supremacy in the Mental Domain like the Great Sun of Finality. Judging by that guy’s fighting style, Annihilation of Mū from the strength domain or Instantless from the agility domain would likely suit him better.

But…

Tan Zhishan rubbed his brow. Mercenary Tao was a beast who could not be judged by common sense. No one could guarantee that such a person would not deliberately choose the Mental Domain because of their previous conflict.

Most High-tier Reincarnators now knew that Mercenary Tao was the only Scarlet Great Sin Reincarnator to have fully matured so far. By wielding the power of that Great Sin, Mercenary Tao might have exceeded the limit in multiple attributes. It was therefore impossible to predict which domain he would choose.

Or perhaps… that legendary multi-attribute Title?!

"Withdraw. Tell the others to behave themselves for the time being. No one is to use abilities or items beyond the limit in the real world."

Tan Zhishan’s voice was low and magnetic, like the sound of mountain boulders striking one another.

Mahakala froze, then swiftly understood. Certain rumors had likely already been confirmed as true by His Majesty.

That Azure Sky was about to begin its final madness…

Before dying, that Supreme King intended to cleanse the real world on a massive scale of Reincarnators whom order could not contain.

In the mountains of southern Anhui, central East Xia, the scenery had always been exquisite, with emerald mountains and green waters. A man lay upon a bamboo raft drifting along a shallow river. He wore a bamboo hat and a rain cape. Only when his bamboo pole occasionally moved would he smoothly lift his fishing rod and place a fresh river fish into a wooden bucket.

A figure appeared out of thin air amid the white mist. As though she had only just gained weight, her jade-like bare toes lightly touched down upon the bamboo raft.

Ripples spread outward in every direction.

"THE WORLD!"

The woman spoke softly, yet the surroundings instantly turned nearly black and white.

The man lying on the bamboo raft moved the bamboo hat off his face. His outstretched finger slowly withdrew as well. Looking at everything frozen around him, he smiled and shook his head.

"You still love that line, don’t you, President~"

The woman in the white knit sweater had a voluptuous figure and fluffy blonde hair. She looked remarkably like that Tsukihime from the Fate World, but Shiyu knew that she was not.

What exactly her body was made of was probably difficult even for modern Reincarnators to figure out.

"With a mere five seconds of time stop, you fantasize about ruling the world. Tell me, can time stop at my level control this world’s future?"

The woman’s voice was clear and exceptionally gentle, yet her tone rose with an irrepressible ambition gradually revealing itself.

Shiyu, who had once possessed the Crown of Supremacy Eternal Destiny, narrowed his eyes at her words, and his smile became several degrees more dangerous.

"So the President truly intends to make a move?"

"That one is really going to die?!"

As a former sovereign once followed by a large group of elite Reincarnators such as the Sage White Face, Shiyu had suffered an unimaginable defeat in B711 World.

Even his Crown of Supremacy had been forcibly shattered. He had consequently lost his Supreme Expert title and hidden in the Infinite Dimensional Space for a long time afterward.

Then, while investigating Mercenary Tao’s origins, he had come into contact with truths of a higher level and gained the opportunity to face the Three Supreme Kings directly.

The King of Destiny did not answer that question, but to Shiyu, her reaction already explained everything.

"This time, which Title do you want me to seize, President?"

Shiyu was not suited to Eternal Destiny. Though he could vaguely tell that among the candidate Crowns of Supremacy in the Mental Domain, Eternal Destiny was probably the most "superior" one.

Compared to the so-called Flame of Finality or the Heavenly Secrets Disc, Fatalism and Eternal Discourse both corresponded to authorities, even concepts, of terrifyingly high rank.

But that also meant the authority granted by this Title was the hardest to improve one’s compatibility with.

With his aptitude, he would ultimately find it difficult to control it, becoming one of the Supreme Experts who received the least actual improvement.

"Something like that? Choose whatever you like~"

The King of Destiny seemed not to think much of the Crowns of Supremacy. She took a fish from the wooden bucket, raised her head, and directly stuffed the river fish into her mouth. Crunching sounds rang out as the stench of blood spread everywhere.

Bloody water flowed down her snow-white neck and into her towering breasts. Shiyu looked away, unwilling to watch that monster assume such a posture.

"Mmm~ It tastes pretty good."

The woman licked her fingers, then looked at Shiyu and said,

"I want you to join Paradise and become another claw of that monster."

The woman narrowed her eyes, her smile brimming with delight.

Shiyu’s gaze shifted. He had heard about the confrontation in the Slum Area. Life of Silence and Mercenary Tao had declared their intention to establish a new order, while the King of Miracles had said this competition would not be so simple.

Perhaps those people from Azure Sky would all join the contest this time to prevent Mercenary Tao or Qiqi from obtaining a Crown of Supremacy?

No. Shiyu quickly dismissed his own speculation. With Mercenary Tao’s current combat power, stopping him would require Sen Xia to act personally. The others had little chance.

Then… Azure Sky’s target was the Title of Life of Silence?!

Shiyu immediately understood the King of Destiny’s intention. She was deliberately facilitating the future in which Mercenary Tao established a new order!

Since Qiqi might be targeted by Sen Xia or others and lose her Crown of Supremacy, then Shiyu, a former Supreme Expert now in hiding, would compete for a new Supreme Expert Title and help Mercenary Tao form a "two-sovereign" combination in the next cycle…

"Could you tell me why, President?"

Shiyu removed his bamboo hat, then untied his rain cape as well. He wore a dark blue robe. Moisture clung his long hair to his face, obscuring his somewhat delicate features, but his eyes held a sharp gleam.

"You know, I have some unpleasant history with that guy too~"

He could not be considered defeated by Mercenary Tao, but in B711 World, he had been beaten to the brink of death by Saitama while Mercenary Tao had withdrawn unscathed. That had indeed given him some thoughts.

The King of Destiny merely smiled and raised her hand. Though her palm was empty, she looked at the card that seemed to still be in her hand and said,

"Because he is the person I chose~"

In that instant, a flood of light and color poured into Shiyu’s eyes. He felt like a slave whose blindfold had been removed, seeing the New World for the first time.

Countless scenes appeared before him—some he had experienced, others he had never seen. But in every scene, this woman was present.

She seemed to have taken part in every single one, yet he had never noticed. Nor had anyone else in those scenes.

The woman’s voice echoed beside Shiyu’s ear.

"Little Shiyu, tell me, if there were a gamble you absolutely had to win, what would you do to ensure your victory?"

"Of course, I’d replace everyone’s hole cards with my own. Hehe…"

The woman’s laugh was sly, but Shiyu suddenly heard a sharp tick-tock sound. It was utterly abrupt, and then the world returned from black and white to normal.

The white mist and fine drizzle began to flow and fall again. He felt the damp wind between the mountains and the scent of moisture filling his nostrils.

Shiyu lowered his head, his expression shifting uncertainly.

His instinct was to analyze the King of Destiny’s time-stop ability. Judging by the rhythm of their conversation, the subjective duration had definitely exceeded a minute.

Could an ability capable of stopping time for a minute truly be possessed by a modern Reincarnator?

Even the Three Supreme Kings, with an ability of that level…

Wait. Shiyu suddenly recalled the tick-tock sound. Could it have been some kind of special item?!

No. Shiyu immediately rejected the thought. He did not believe the King of Destiny would expose such a flaw. Given the President’s style, this was very likely misdirection intended to lead him toward that conclusion.

Shiyu then considered the information related to time-stop abilities. There were actually many forms of time stop: the apparent time stop produced by manipulating space or matter and freezing everything, the phenomenon of relative stillness created by absolute speed…

And then, after truly grasping the concept of time, genuine time stop!

In the sky, the blonde woman watched the man standing on the bamboo raft, scratching at his head as he sank into troubled thought. Her smile was mocking.

"Sure enough, those two have better judgment than I do."

Shiyu was indeed highly gifted. He grew quickly, adapted well to all kinds of abilities, was skilled at uncovering plots, and excelled at controlling the development of various worlds.

Unfortunately, he was too easily influenced by other factors. With only a slight intervention from her, he had become completely flustered, wasting enormous effort on an opponent he would not even face in the near future.

Someone like him could not compare to Mercenary Tao or that woman.

Fortunately, those two were hers as well~…

"Your Majesty, please be careful of Sen Xia. She is dangerous."

Dong Xuri sat on the floor, looking solemnly at Life of Silence, whose hair had completely turned red.

"According to our analysis, Azure Sky is very likely to send someone to intercept this Title Competition. Of the three, only one will probably target you. The most likely candidate is God’s Dream Blade – Senka…"

Dong Xuri had once encountered an Azure Sky team in a Secondary World resembling an otherworld, and he had clashed head-on with Sen Xia.

He had suffered a crushing defeat from a single slash, surviving only by relying on Golden Crow’s regenerative ability.

But ultimately, the Azure Sky team members at the time had been entirely immersed in their mission to save that world. Sen Xia probably had not particularly wanted to kill him.

After cutting him down, she had not pursued him. Otherwise, he would most likely have died.

Most of Azure Sky’s core members were like that, utterly out of place among other Reincarnators. They were not particularly passionate about gains that were practically within reach.

That group seemed deeply engrossed in a game called "role-playing."

Saving worlds that had been distorted beyond recognition by Reincarnators or crushed by worldlines was that group’s greatest pursuit.

Qiqi’s eyes moved over Sen Xia’s information, but she soon looked away.

"What is Mercenary Tao’s target?"

After obtaining the complete Heart Light Pulse, Qiqi did not believe Sen Xia held much advantage against her. She herself was the type who received relatively little enhancement from a Crown of Supremacy.

The authority of Life of Silence was merely average for her to use. She had already obtained an authority better suited to herself.

Compared to Azure Sky’s interception, Mercenary Tao’s choice concerned her more.

Dong Xuri froze for a moment before shaking his head with a bitter smile.

"My apologies, Your Majesty. We do not know either."

"Not just us. Every Reincarnator qualified to challenge for a Crown of Supremacy is probably wondering the same thing right now. After all, that guy…"

Dong Xuri did not finish, but Qiqi understood perfectly what he meant.

Yes. Mercenary Tao was powerful, the sort capable of challenging any Crown of Supremacy.

Combined with the fact that no one still knew his true specialty attribute, all twelve crowns were theoretically within Mercenary Tao’s possible choices.

She thought for a moment and said,

"Perhaps… Tumi Flower Blooms."

Dong Xuri was so shocked that he abruptly rose to his feet. Luoxi, leaning in a corner without much say in the matter, was equally aghast.

"Huh? Has he gone mad?!"

Qiqi shook her head. This was merely her guess, but from Mercenary Tao’s earlier gaze meeting hers, she had glimpsed a corner of his heart.

There was nothing there but desolation.

The true Mercenary Tao was probably still at a stage where he could only feel his own existence by fighting endlessly, killing endlessly, challenging ever stronger enemies, and pursuing ever greater power.

Other than that woman, there was no better target…

Life of Silence covered her neck, as though she could still recall that stunning slash.

Special Reincarnator EX051, you are now specially invited to enter the Space Title Competition.

Please return to the Space within 1 hour and accept the invitation in your Private Space.