The Sage Makes His Move, Strange Ability (3K)

The Sage’s hand left Red Dust’s head. He slowly undid his mink coat and stored it away in his inventory.

With a light tap, Red Dust slammed into the ground with a bang, embedding himself directly into the asphalt.

"Heh, looks like Mercenary Tao never took you seriously either, Red Dust…"

The Sage lowered his eyelids. The combat power Mercenary Tao had displayed far exceeded his expectations.

He had thought that even so-called exceptional combat power would merely rank among the stronger upper echelon. Combined with a bloodline possessing immortality and Hyper Regeneration, it could indeed defeat some Title-level Reincarnators despite the difference in rank.

But he had never expected that beneath that pink robe and ugly red Avatar lurked such a monster.

A Reincarnator who, according to intelligence analysis, had been deployed no more than ten times had, in less than two minutes of direct combat, overwhelmingly destroyed a Reincarnator team renowned in the East District’s Third Tier—though that team had been missing its two strongest members.

But the Sage knew clearly that even if he did not intervene, and Red Dust was excluded, the current Archimedes and Left Eye’s group of five could easily crush most Second Tier Reincarnator squads, kill nearly any mass-produced Title-level Reincarnator, and defeat a considerable number of Title-level Reincarnators without powerful special abilities.

Yet even with such a lineup, supported by intelligence and holding the advantage of striking first, they had been beaten into collapse in less than a minute of actual fighting, their morale utterly shattered.

That level of combat power was simply beyond anything Red Dust could compare to. The Sage knew Red Dust’s strength well. Once Reverse Universe took effect, Red Dust, with exceptional energy attributes, possessed roughly the strength of a true Title-level Reincarnator.

But even Red Dust would struggle against Archimedes’s magic that could cut through anything. With the others working alongside him, Red Dust would most likely end up severely wounded or dead after killing a few of them.

That was completely different from Mercenary Tao’s current overwhelming dominance.

Therefore, he concluded that none of those who had appeared before—whether Red Dust or Millennium Worm—had ever been worth Mercenary Tao’s notice.

He had not used his full strength at all.

The Sage had indeed originally planned to bring Mercenary Tao under his command, just as he had once "subdued" Red Dust, which was why he had not acted directly.

But at this moment, after seeing Mercenary Tao’s true strength, the Sage abandoned that idea.

"Tang Sanzang, kill him. This Mercenary Tao is probably one of that caliber."

As he spoke, a soft chuckle rang out. Red Dust lay face-down in the asphalt, barely able to breathe as blood flowed freely, yet he still recognized that voice.

Tang Sanzang, a true mainstay of the Finality Empire and follower of the Great Sun of Finality, had really appeared.

A chill ran through his heart. The Sage and Tang Sanzang had appeared together, while Saitama and Tatsumaki had coincidentally left this group.

That was probably no coincidence.

This was an "arranged" encirclement and extermination.

Tang Sanzang wore a red kasaya, his chest bare. His skin was nearly golden, even dazzling beneath the sunlight.

Hearing the Sage’s words, he pressed his palms together, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"Even if he is an anomaly, he is merely one that has yet to mature. Why would the two of us need to act together?"

Then Tang Sanzang turned toward the Sage.

It was said that he "looked" at the Sage, but Tang Sanzang’s eyes remained closed throughout. When communicating and conversing with the Sage, he did not rely on any external senses at all.

"Or do you hope this fellow will wear me down, so you can contend for that legendary Limiter fragment yourself?"

The Sage’s expression did not change. He merely turned his head, too lazy even to look at this eccentric Supreme Expert’s follower.

"Do not speak nonsense. Since His Excellency has already entered this world, that thing naturally has nothing to do with either of us."

The Sage undid the buttons of his exquisite shirt one by one. His movements were elegant, as if he could not see his subordinates being driven into a desperate situation by Mercenary Tao.

That Silver Plot Equipment shield, reinforced to +6, was about to run out of energy. The venom being sprayed about recklessly had already entered the battlefield of Tatsumaki and those two monsters, ???.

There was a considerable chance it would draw their attention.

"Tsk, tsk. As hypocritical as ever, Mr. Sage. Don’t you get tired of living like that?"

Tang Sanzang asked.

"The myriad forms of all living things are but a layer of skin, and karma stretches boundlessly…"

"You are attached to appearances~"

Then he took out a purple gourd and began drinking deeply from it.

From the corner of his eye, the Sage saw the purple gourd. His unbuttoning paused slightly before he smiled, seemingly unconcerned by Tang Sanzang’s mockery.

He removed his crisp shirt, revealing a lean, muscular body. Unlike his refined outward appearance, the Sage’s muscles looked as though they had been carved by knives and axes, covered in horrifying scars.

With another flash of light in his hand, he changed into a completely black priest’s robe.

"Hehe, Tang Sanzang, tell me, if everyone in this world stopped pretending and stopped adorning their skin, would not this vast human world be overrun by demons and ghosts?"

"Especially people like us… Reincarnators, heh…"

Team member CF97731144 (Archimedes) has died

The Sage reached out and grasped at the space ahead as though seizing the "scene" before him, then yanked.

Buzz~

Bai Cangshu, radiating scarlet malice, along with Red Queen and Left Eye, who were already naked and entangled together at his feet, all shuddered slightly.

Their bodies appeared before the Sage and Tang Sanzang.

Bai Cangshu’s gaze shifted. He saw the severed black sedan, Red Dust embedded in the ground, and… that bizarre monk sitting cross-legged in midair, as well as the black-robed priest standing before him with a kind expression and graying temples.

"Amitabha. Mercenary Tao, it seems you are a man of passion as well."

Seeing the fate of the two women from the Chaos Sage, Tang Sanzang offered his assessment. Reincarnators had always been bound by no taboos. What he despised most were hypocrites, especially Azure Sky’s bunch—just a group of idiots who could not even distinguish their own positions.

The Sage watched the scene and nodded.

"This is the first time I have seen sin power on this scale from Scarlet Great Sin, Sequence Two."

"You truly are an anomaly."

The Sage seemed to be praising him, but his tone swiftly changed.

"Unfortunately, this space can no longer bear the emergence of more anomalies."

The Cocoon of Greed surrounding Bai Cangshu had grown terrifyingly thick. Amid the fear of the Chaos Sage’s group, he had successively absorbed the powers of lightning, magic, and swordsmanship. Later, he had soaked in venom, then used the Heart of Slaanesh to make the two female Reincarnators sink into desire, devouring their life force in great quantities.

If he fought Red Dust again now, those blade auras would be almost incapable of breaking through the Cocoon of Greed’s defenses.

"Tsk, cut the crap."

Bai Cangshu spoke, and a blood-mist-like aura spewed from his mouth. Together with the poisonous fog, it spread across several hundred meters in an instant, engulfing everyone.

Red Dust, lying on the ground, immediately felt unable to breathe. His vision began to darken, and his consciousness was about to fade.

As the Sage approached Mercenary Tao, he could directly feel that utterly feral nature, along with physical power that seemed ready to explode.

Great Sin Reincarnators possessed the ability to plunder others’ information and generally had stronger attributes. That was within his expectations, but…

You have been affected by Omen of the Evil God: Gaze of Arrogance. A Strength check is being conducted...

You have been affected by Omen of the Evil God: Heart of Slaanesh. A Mental check is being conducted...

In but an instant, amid the surging malice, some kind of attack had already taken form.

The Sage’s eyelid twitched. The blood mist before him vanished instantly, and a massive blood red figure stretched to its limit, already appearing before him. In front of its palm, spiraling scarlet air spun like rotating blades.

It gave off a bizarre shriek.

Pfft!

With one palm strike, the sonic boom cloud was instantly shattered, and dense gusts of force scattered like blades.

The Sage’s head jerked for an instant, and countless cracks immediately spread across the asphalt behind him.

His eyes remained calm as he raised a hand before himself.

"Martial arts… I know a little as w—ugh."

Before he could finish, distorted force swept in from behind. The instant he lowered his head to evade it, he suffered a fierce impact from the front.

A knee slammed violently into his body.

Bang!

A Blazing White shockwave spread outward, and the Sage was sent flying in an instant.

Bai Cangshu condensed out of the blood mist, Advanced Instant already activated. He glanced at Tang Sanzang, who seemed unwilling to act, then sneered at the Sage he had sent flying.

"You feel pretty good, Mr. Sage~"

The Sage planted his feet in midair, sliding hundreds of meters before coming to a stop.

He looked at his twisted hands and slightly caved-in chest, then shook his head.

"Things like martial arts are still so dull."

"Come, let us play something more interesting, Mercenary Tao…"

"From now on, if you dodge my fists during our battle, you will die."

Bai Cangshu’s heart sank slightly. It felt like the instinctive discomfort that came after hearing some ominous curse, or as though some restriction had been placed within his body.

Based on your Mental attribute, you have obtained the following information:

You have been affected by the special ability of an unknown Reincarnator

Buzz!

The air was torn apart in an instant. In a bold posture, the Sage crossed several hundred meters, his body stretching forward as he threw a punch at Bai Cangshu.

The punch was not especially fast. Bai Cangshu could have dodged it with ease, but the nerves in his brain suddenly burned with pain—a warning of some danger.

Bai Cangshu stepped forward in an instant and threw a punch as well.

Boom!

Their fists collided. The Sage’s force rapidly softened against the Cocoon of Greed, while Bai Cangshu’s fists moved terrifyingly fast, striking the Sage dozens of times in a single instant.

Myriad Death Intent erupted at once.

Pfft!

The Sage’s body exploded instantly.

Bai Cangshu looked at the corpse breaking apart in midair and sensed something was wrong. Looking down, he saw only the corpse of a woman with long, narrow bangs covering her eyes.

The Sage appeared in the distance once more, his expression calm as he raised one finger again.

"Mercenary Tao, in the battle that follows, if you block my fists, you will die."

Based on your Mental attribute, you have obtained the following information:

You have been affected by the special ability of an unknown Reincarnator

Tang Sanzang sat in the air, using telepathy to sense the Sage’s battle, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

He noticed that one of the Chaos Sage’s two women had already died, but in his perception, the one fighting Mercenary Tao was indeed the Sage himself.

It was not some kind of Genjutsu or hypnosis ability.

So it was some ability to Substitute Death or transfer damage. What were its activation conditions?

Tang Sanzang knew very well that information was essential to defeating the Sage. But when facing a Reincarnator capable of interfering with perception, how could one obtain information…

Ha, Mercenary Tao, try harder. Do not die too early. Let me watch a little longer!

Bai Cangshu looked down at his fists. The feeling of striking the other man’s flesh and the sensation when Myriad Death Intent erupted had both been completely real.

He quickly realized that the Sage likely possessed some special ability capable of transferring damage.

Watching the Sage place another unknown ability upon him, Bai Cangshu licked his lips, his heartbeat continuing to accelerate.

"Good, truly good… Mr. Sage, I am starting to like you…"

Crackle!

Intense lightning began to erupt from the phantom image of the Omen of the Evil God, and savage bolts of lightning began to course through the air.