The Beast’s True Face

"Detected energy fluctuations above Calamity-level!"

"Warning: the eastern coastal crust has begun to shift…"

"Issue a nationwide warning immediately. No, issue a global warning. The world is about to face Calamity-level meteorological disasters!"

Inside the underground military base in Yanjing, red alarm lights flashed without pause. The wall bearing information on hundreds of high-risk Ability Users trembled continuously as well.

Within the base, countless researchers looked panicked, while the Reincarnators urgently gathered there wore grave expressions.

People constantly returned to the space from their sealed private quarters, attempting to obtain intelligence. Yet only scattered reports indicated that an extremely terrifying battle was currently taking place on Japan’s main island.

The estimated destructive force had already exceeded Fierce-tier.

Yet that intelligence was already fifteen minutes old in real time. Judging by the current reactions on the surface, the battle there had not ended at all. Its intensity was instead continuing to rise.

"Tianjie, report on the current situation. This old man has never seen anything like this before…"

Zhong Tianming, the graying chief director of the Southern Heavenly Gate Project, presided over the conference room. The super AI Heavenly Palace was operating at full power, calculating the impact that the threat displayed in Tokyo would have on the global situation.

Heavenly Palace continually projected the future course of events based on the latest developments.

Across the screen, the words "Ability User" appeared more and more often amid long stretches of computational logic.

Even Zhong Tianming clearly realized that this group could no longer be contained in any way.

At first, when these people still had the weakness of being unable to be recorded by cameras or witnessed by the public, so-called Ability Users had merely been a field of research—"ghosts" unable to move freely through the world.

But ever since that young man whose true name was Bai Cangshu gave that speech and held that press conference in Korea, declaring the existence of Ability Users as a group, they had begun to become a force that could not be ignored.

And now, the rate at which these Ability Users were advancing was clearly faster—far faster—than the progress they had made researching those special technological materials!

Ability Users had long since moved beyond mere brawls. They had surpassed the scale of street battles and were heading directly toward the destructive yield of top-tier weapons.

Tianjie, the Reincarnator dressed in military uniform, wore a stern expression as he swept his gaze across the seven or eight Reincarnators present. These were all Title-level Reincarnators who had voluntarily joined as the Southern Heavenly Gate Project continued to advance.

Zhong Tianming nodded, signaling that Tianjie could trust these people.

Only then did Tianjie speak.

"According to the emergency intelligence we purchased at great expense, the energy currently affecting East Xia and the Pacific Ocean is all emanating from the Tokyo region."

At that moment, the screen began playing footage obtained earlier through satellites and other reconnaissance methods.

It was a destructive shockwave that erupted over Tokyo. The Tokyo region was shattered and swept up like ripples.

After the unimaginably massive Sword of Damocles fell into the center of Tokyo, all footage vanished completely.

"The Reincarnator codenamed Mad King is now believed to have reached the Fourth Tier in terms of strength. He is a top-tier Reincarnator whose previous identity was unknown, and his true power is close to… that of a Supreme Expert."

Zhong Tianming lowered his head to examine the documents Yan Qiu, the chief director of the Azure Dragon Department, had handed him.

The other Reincarnators knew more or less some of the news as well, but this was the first time they had heard Mad King’s true strength estimated to be at the level of a Supreme Expert. According to their intelligence, Mad King had initially been considered nothing more than a lunatic or a clown.

Even after defeating Red Dust and the others, he had been thought to be relying on some kind of Royal Authority Power with an immensely powerful first-encounter kill mechanism. Such things were not unheard of among Reincarnators.

"Is there any evidence, Tianjie? Is that guy really that terrifying?"

Someone raised the question cautiously. If he were merely a madman with some powerful destructive ability, then the Reincarnators still had some confidence that they could find his weakness and defeat him.

To Reincarnators, the appearance of that Sword of Damocles almost explicitly indicated that Mad King’s ability originated from the Power of the King in the K Derivative World—a special power gained from the Dresden Stone Slab.

But if he were truly a Reincarnator who had touched the Fourth Tier, then it would be completely different.

After reaching Title-level and the Third Tier, most had already come into contact with the power of authority to some extent.

The more compatible an authority was, the stronger it became. But the Fourth Tier was still only a legend to most people.

Even the famous top-tier Reincarnators in the space today, people like Mercenary Tao, had no proof that they had entered the Fourth Tier.

They might not even have touched its threshold.

Tianjie’s expression remained impassive as he pushed forward another computer. The footage on it appeared to come from a handheld camera or smartphone.

A man with wildly flying hair stood expressionlessly within a massive crater that had once been a city block.

"The person fighting Mad King has been confirmed to be Mercenary Tao!"

Footsteps rang out as someone hurried into the conference room. The researcher in a white lab coat could barely conceal his delight. Zhong Tianming glanced at him, then rose and left.

Outside the conference room, the researcher said,

"We succeeded!"

"We successfully sent that student, Bai Cangshu, in!"

He gestured toward the empty research room. The figure inside was indeed gone, but only an instant later, he reappeared in the room.

His entire bearing had changed completely. His muscles bulged all over, and he radiated a harsh, chilling aura.

Watching this, Zhong Tianming could not help recalling Song Xian’s words once more.

That young man whose true name was Bai Cangshu was willing to provide even more powerful clones for them to study, even to send into that place.

And he did not mind them doing anything to his clones, including but not limited to mind control, hypnosis, brainwashing, and so on.

But Song Xian had still strongly expressed his distrust of the proposal. He said Bai Cangshu was a complete madman, and his clones were all unstable factors as well.

Zhong Tianming rubbed his brow. Given the current situation, Ability Users could actually make Tokyo sink through their own power.

A so-called Supreme Expert was practically a humanoid nuclear weapon.

Under such circumstances, did he have any other choice…?

Boom!

Another powerful impact struck. The research room had specialized energy-absorption devices and was more sensitive to energy detection and absorption.

Yet an energy impact of such magnitude was still horrifying.

Then Tianjie hurried out of the conference room and came before him. Tianjie’s expression was also somewhat stunned and bewildered.

"Elder Zhong, Japan has been cut apart…"

Bai Cangshu held his left hand above his head, and the thousand-meter Sword of Damocles stretched across the sky above it.

The terrifying impact caused Tokyo below to explode apart in an instant. The seawater formed a massive vortex, while Bai Cangshu stood in midair above it.

His pupils trembled, and then he heard a crisp cracking sound from the surface of his body.

Silver ripples lit up across him layer by layer, as though porcelain were beginning to crack. They spread directly over Bai Cangshu’s body, which was wrapped in Qi.

Special Reincarnator EX051, you have been affected by Authority · Power of the King. Commencing assessment...

Special Reincarnator EX051, you have been affected by Heart Light · All Things Re-emerge. Energy · Qi is being stripped away...

Mad King looked at Mercenary Tao with sorrow in his eyes. He would never allow himself to fall into such weakness again.

He would become the king of the world and lead this world, destined for destruction, onto an entirely new worldline!

A card slowly condensed in his hand. Amid the trembling silver ripples, the black card took shape.

EX00? · God King

Above the boundless heavens, Cao Qi looked mockingly at Aizen Sōsuke.

"The half-finished product you made got smashed to pieces. Looks like that guy’s card, the one he held onto until now, ended up winning this round?"

Aizen Sōsuke looked down at the person holding the card, who truly seemed ready to crown himself king and lead the world toward a new direction. The smile in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

Crack.

He clearly caught the sound of something breaking.

"Did you hear that, Cao Qi…?"

"That child is finally going to reveal his true form."

The smile on his face was somewhat twisted, containing both nostalgia and the relief of finally seeing something he had awaited for so long.

Cao Qi looked down as well.

He saw only the beast whose bodily defenses had been cut apart by an authority of exceedingly high completion, then brought under control by a powerful dominating Heart Light, beginning to take on a pitch-black hue.

That black radiance burst forth from the silver cracks.

Roar!

An inhuman howl instantly resounded through the skies.