War with Azure Sky

Reverse Uchiha Izayoi easily sensed the wavering malice from that strange Martial Artist. The invitation the other party issued felt more like a provocation.

With his hands in his pockets, the blonde youth turned to look at the strongest individual among that special group of people he had encountered so far—the bronze-skinned man who wielded miraculous Gifts.

That Gift was exceptionally special. Or rather, calling it a Gift was not quite accurate. Among the many types of power Reverse Uchiha Izayoi had seen since arriving in this world, it was the most unusual of all.

It did not merely affect power, but also probability, causality, fate, and many other factors. It was a special ability that exceeded the limits of mere strength.

It was more wondrous than the authorities of most gods.

Cao Qi smiled as he gulped down the rest of his rum, then tossed aside the small wooden keg.

That fellow Aizen Sōsuke had created a beast from countless factors of power, elements, and concepts. At last, it had reached the stage of baring its fangs at him.

"Mercenary Tao, have you really made up your mind?"

Although Cao Qi’s life was nearing its end, he had accepted that he would die in this world.

But that did not mean just anyone could take his life.

At the very least, his legacy should not fall into the hands of a beast that had yet to find the reason for its own existence.

Cao Qi had looked down on Bai Cangshu ever since their first meeting. He had confirmed that himself long ago.

Mercenary Tao was a creation that almost completely betrayed his ideals.

He was also unlike Aizen and that person.

This was a beast Aizen had molded entirely according to the needs of [Infinite Dimensional Space], a life-form that should never have been born.

Yet it had been born. That was a miracle, as well as fate, and it also contained Aizen’s terrifying ambition toward higher-dimensional worlds.

Cao Qi’s gaze became distant, as though he could see behind Bai Cangshu that exceedingly arrogant man who always claimed to stand above the heavens.

Tch. Just a Plot Character, yet he did not even care for the position of [Black King]. He had set his sights on an even more terrifying position and wanted to overturn everything.

How could Cao Qi possibly be completely unaware of such a thing?

Bai Cangshu smiled brightly. Facing the clearly warning look in the King of Miracles’ eyes, he still nodded.

"Yes. Ever since I entered this world, I made up my mind about that."

Bai Cangshu looked at Cao Qi just as he had once looked at that bald man in B711 World.

Buzz, buzz, buzz…

Figures appeared one after another. Brunhilde, the Defense-Specialized reincarnator, was surprisingly the first to arrive at Cao Qi’s side. Reinhardt followed, while Loman and Sen Xia appeared a moment later. Loman still looked shaken; clearly, Ye had encountered an unexpected enemy in the giant world earlier.

Meanwhile, for the first time, Sen Xia directed her killing intent completely at Bai Cangshu.

Behind Bai Cangshu, Black Face raised his white katana at the same time. Terrifying Spiritual Pressure erupted, and though the sword remained sheathed, a dreadful sword pressure appeared before everyone like a blue-white arc of light, continuously crashing against Azure Sky’s camp.

Crack. Artoria planted her sword into the ground with both hands, pouring all her magical power into the holy sword.

As tensions rose, Satoru Gojo instantly teleported between the two groups while carrying the professor. Azure Sky’s members immediately focused all their attention on him.

The Limitless Cursed Technique around Satoru Gojo’s body was instantly triggered. Rings of illusory ripples emerged from within him, accompanied by that arrogant mentality of supreme self-confidence.

Thud. Professor Ye Kai was tossed toward Azure Sky’s group by Satoru Gojo.

"Ha! Are you finally putting away those hypocritical faces and going to war for real?!"

Satoru Gojo had long been disgusted by Azure Sky’s habit of acting like saviors and judges. Whether in the real world where the hosts lived or the many mission worlds of the Space, this group always seemed to act as though they stood above everyone else.

That attitude made him think of memories he did not wish to revisit.

No, these people were even more disgusting than he and Geto had been. They did not merely look down on others through their power; they also possessed an arrogant superiority in their values and morality.

It was as though everyone in the world was wrong, while only they were seeking the perfect path.

Therefore, everyone else was walking against the current, while they bore everything and fought.

It really was… so disgusting that it made him want to tear everything apart.

Having fallen into the King of Curses, then been resurrected and corrupted by [All the World’s Evil], Satoru Gojo had long since embarked upon a new path.

He despised his former self, and he despised Azure Sky’s people even more.

At that moment, Black Rabbit arrived with Asuka Kudō and Yō Kasukabe. The three of them did not know that the mastermind behind this large-scale Gift Game was an outsider, and they were still searching for clues within the Gift Game.

Seeing this, Reverse Uchiha Izayoi stopped Black Rabbit, who wanted to intervene, and said,

"Whatever grudges you have, I’m going in to take a look at this six-star Gift Game."

"As for anyone who interferes with me, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do~"

With that, Reverse Uchiha Izayoi directly signed his name on the enormous parchment. His body instantly transformed into a streak of golden light and entered the parchment.

At that moment, more than a dozen of the twenty-odd names in the participants column on the parchment suddenly went dark. Only [Gilgamesh], at the very front, had survived from before until now. Nearly all the other survivors had only entered recently.

Reverse Uchiha Izayoi’s name lit up shortly afterward.

The other three members of [No Name] frowned. They knew how dangerous this six-star Gift Game was, but they could not let Reverse Uchiha Izayoi participate alone.

Bai Cangshu’s gaze moved from the professor to Brunhilde, then Loman, then Reinhardt, and finally settled on Sen Xia and Cao Qi.

He swiftly signed his name.

[Participant: Mercenary Tao]

The moment the new name appeared, Bai Cangshu also transformed into a beam of light and descended into the parchment.

Azure Sky’s people also turned to Cao Qi.

Although Mercenary Tao’s Fierce Reputation was well-known, and he was now called one of the strongest [Supreme Experts], faintly ranked alongside that woman from the West District—

That was only in the eyes of other gatherings and other reincarnators.

Azure Sky had faced far more than one or two Supreme Experts along their journey. They had even participated in battles of greater intensity.

In the end, every person in Azure Sky possessed combat power equal to the very strongest members of ordinary gatherings.

And Cao Qi was still here!

The [King of Miracles] had not died yet, but Mercenary Tao was already impatient to seize the new king’s crown. That stirred intense hostility within Azure Sky’s people.

Cao Qi raised his head and looked at the sky. With that glance, he once again subconsciously saw that carriage passing through the clouds.

"This is probably Ye Zi’s true plan. She wants both that beast and me to die in this world."

Cao Qi possessed a trait similar to flashes of insight. Occasionally, he could directly touch upon the truth of an event.

This trait required no reasoning process and no information. All it took was a flash of inspiration.

And under the authority of miracles, such flashes came to him far more frequently than they did to ordinary people.

That was why Cao Qi usually appeared to have nothing to do.

Because he did not need to seek information or verify anything. He merely waited for that flash of inspiration, and then everything became clear.

"But even so, you all still know what I’ll choose, don’t you?"

Reinhardt sighed helplessly. Sen Xia lowered her eyes, while Loman said with resignation,

"Yes. You’re going to walk straight into Ye Zi’s trap, then make her understand that even in this situation, miracles can still happen, right?"

The [King of Miracles] not only governed miracles, but pursued them as well.

Thus, in battle and in making choices, he always made the worst possible choice, yet somehow always survived desperate situations.

That feeling would gradually crush an enemy’s will and tear apart their psychological defenses.

Cao Qi was just that kind of perversely entertaining fellow. Azure Sky’s people knew that all too well.

The next moment, Cao Qi signed his name. Sen Xia and Reinhardt followed. Before signing, Reinhardt specifically warned the professor.

"Ye Kai, remember this: Ye Zi is no longer your sister. Stay in this world for thirty days. The Space will bring you back when the time is right. Remember, do not get involved in Ouroboros’ special Gift Games. Even scripts whose plots you know well may conceal traps."

Brunhilde and Loman signed their names afterward as well.

Since Satoru Gojo and the others also qualified for the Gift Game at that moment, they had not been drawn in alongside Bai Cangshu. Instead, they too signed their names one by one.

Buzz, buzz, buzz…

Beams of light shot through the air, and enormous fireworks exploded in succession.

This unusual phenomenon finally caught the attention of the major communities in the Underwood region. Communities from even more distant areas also began heading this way.

Rumors spread that the mysterious six-star Gift Game contained a great Gift from some mythological pantheon.

Watching this scene, the professor clenched his fists as he recalled his conversation with Satoru Gojo.

He had heard Bai Cangshu’s side of things, and now he deeply felt the sorrow of people being unable to understand one another.

It seemed that his sister, the president, and himself had all developed a noble sense that they were saving everyone. Because of that feeling, they had begun ignoring the wills of others.

Ye Zi had ignored the struggles of weak reincarnators who fought desperately to survive and were forced by the Space to massacre others;

The president had ignored that many dangerous mission worlds already posed threats to reincarnators;

And he had ignored that Lord Mercenary Tao was never a savior…

He covered his face, ashamed that he had hoped Mercenary Tao would consider the greater good and refrain from fighting the president. He was even more grateful that he had not been killed.

When White Face and Uchiha Madara appeared and saw that only the professor remained, their expressions instantly changed.

Bai Cangshu landed in an enormous forest, where heavy moisture filled the air.

Crackle~

Electricity streaked through the air as Mantra instantly spread out.

A commotion immediately erupted throughout the forest.

Roar!

Massive roars rose and fell from within the forest.

This forest—no, this rainforest—hid a terrifying number of monsters!

Bai Cangshu leaped upward. A pitch-black figure smashed through the moisture with a crash, and a white mist-like shockwave burst apart with a bang.

Yet Bai Cangshu stomped down in midair. With a pop, his force instantly pierced through the monster’s body.

Bai Cangshu himself shot into the sky, golden ki wrapping around his body as he broke through the rainforest and instantly reached the air above.

Under the night sky, the rainforest below was pitch-black. Amid faint rustling, countless monsters seemed to sense an enemy at once and began leaping into the air.

Whine~

Golden ki appeared in Bai Cangshu’s palm. This time, it did not take the form of a Dodon Ray. Instead, terrifyingly powerful ki condensed into spheres before Bai Cangshu fired it.

Bang bang bang bang…

Bai Cangshu continuously swung both hands, golden Ki Blasts raining down like droplets. The densely packed monsters leaping into the air were instantly bombarded by the rain-like Ki Blasts.

Boom boom boom…

Amid the monsters’ wails, Bai Cangshu turned his head. Far in the distance, perhaps several hundred kilometers away, a black sea had already engulfed everything.

Deserts, plains, forests—everything had been submerged.

An endless stream of black monsters was brewing within that black sea.

The weaker ones were probably comparable to those Bai Cangshu had just fought, merely at the level of [Parallel]-rank reincarnators. Yet there were also many special individuals radiating extremely powerful magical energy.

Those whose mere leaking magical power made one feel "ferocious" and "dangerous" were undoubtedly [Fierce]-rank monsters.

Above the pitch-black sea, a gigantic demonic dragon coiled in place. The terrifying sense of presence pressed down on Bai Cangshu almost the instant he looked at it.

[Beast Tiamat]

"Child of man, was my love wrong?"

[The End and The Beginning EX051: Based on your status as a viviparous species, you will be affected by Tiamat’s special attack.]

Looking at the demonic dragon, whose size was utterly different from the sixty-meter form established in the original work, Bai Cangshu thought for a moment and understood. The ability to recreate various worlds and enemies came from that reincarnator, Ouroboros, but the one who truly determined the strength of the enemies that could appear was the three-digit great figure behind Ouroboros.

Clearly, that great figure was terrifyingly powerful and had placed a heavy bet on this Gift Game.

This Tiamat probably possessed abilities beyond those of the original work.

Bai Cangshu looked again at the black rainforest below and the black seawater spreading through it. His thoughts stirred, and he voluntarily descended.

The next moment, complex arrays appeared throughout the sky. That familiar style was undoubtedly Reinhardt’s work.

Within the massive magic circle, celestial signs shifted one after another. Finally, a radiant light like a great star lit up, then crossed hundreds of kilometers in the next instant and struck toward Bai Cangshu’s location.

Bai Cangshu had already sensed the feeling of being locked onto. He voluntarily plunged into the Sea of Life.

Then, in an instant, his body split into hundreds of forms, which began racing toward Reinhardt at unimaginable speed.

Reinhardt was a standard spellcaster, and one of the very strongest kind. He seemed capable of reproducing the ultimate techniques of every constellation from the Saint Seiya world.

Furthermore, considering that the Gate required the three strongest species, Reinhardt was most likely of divine lineage. Someone like him had to be eliminated first.

Bai Cangshu moved extremely fast, but while he was still racing across the black sea, terrifying sword pressure had already slashed down from the air.

Sen Xia had made her move.