Chapter 498: The Feeling of Being Completely Outplayed
After arriving in the Twelfth Universe, Dark Uchiha Dali froze.
He saw Uchiha Dali floating calmly in midair, arms crossed, watching him with a half-smile—almost like greeting an old friend.
What surprised him even more was that the Twelfth Universe had not been absorbed.
Everything was still here.
Stars, galaxies…
Seeing these familiar scenes, Dark Uchiha Dali felt uncertain.
"What are you playing at?"
He stared at Uchiha Dali and demanded an answer.
"I already said, half for each of us."
Uchiha Dali spread his hands.
"You're messing with me?"
Dark Uchiha Dali still didn't understand what trick this was supposed to be.
His instinct told him this must be another of Uchiha Dali's pranks.
Uchiha Dali kept a straight face. "I mean it literally—this universe's energy will be split evenly between the two of us."
"Uchiha Dali, what exactly do you mean?"
Dark Uchiha Dali's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Every part of him screamed that this was a trap.
Uchiha Dali smiled. "It's simple. Even if I let you take all the energy from this universe, it won't change the final outcome between us."
"But for fairness' sake, we'll take half each."
Hearing this, Dark Uchiha Dali slit his eyes.
So he really was being underestimated.
He had already absorbed the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Universes.
The Fifth had been taken by Uchiha Dali.
Then they split the Eighth, Uchiha Dali seized the Ninth, they split the Tenth, and Uchiha Dali grabbed the Eleventh.
In total, from the ten remaining universes, Dark Uchiha Dali had absorbed five, Uchiha Dali four.
Logically, Dark Uchiha Dali had the advantage.
Yet Uchiha Dali dared to say it didn't matter if he gave him half—or all—of the Twelfth Universe.
Wasn't this blatant mockery?
"Uchiha Dali, are you really that confident?"
Dark Uchiha Dali stared coldly.
"That's not confidence. That's arrogance."
Uchiha Dali grinned shamelessly.
Seeing that he was clearly being toyed with, Dark Uchiha Dali's eyes darkened.
"Fine! Then I won't hold back!"
If Uchiha Dali wanted to be arrogant, he'd simply take the gift.
He unleashed his Dark Devouring Refinement upon the Twelfth Universe.
But the moment he activated it, he was stunned.
Because nothing happened.
No feedback.
It was like swallowing emptiness.
There wasn't a trace of energy coming in.
He looked again. The stars, galaxies, nebulae… all still existed.
"What's going on?? My ability suddenly stopped working?"
His expression changed, full of confusion and doubt.
Then he noticed Uchiha Dali's amused expression.
The moment he saw that, Dark Uchiha Dali realized—
He'd been tricked.
Again.
"You bastard!!"
He roared, throwing a punch at Uchiha Dali.
The powerful blow shattered everything.
At the same time, it fractured all illusions in front of him.
As the scene dispersed and turned into endless darkness, he finally understood the truth.
"Heh. You really aren't fit to stay inside my body. Being eliminated is only natural."
"You can't even see through genjutsu anymore…"
Uchiha Dali appeared behind him, mocking him without restraint.
Hearing this only infuriated Dark Uchiha Dali further.
It was true—he had only just realized it was an illusion.
But did that really prove he was inferior? Impossible!
"It was just some low-tier abilities I discarded. For a high-level deity, laws are everything. All those other techniques are just meaningless ornamentation!"
"Watch how I crush you!"
As he spoke, Dark Uchiha Dali lunged with a storm of attacks.
Uchiha Dali had faced this barrage many times before.
He remained calm, letting the attacks hit him.
Everything Dark Uchiha Dali unleashed simply vanished into the endless darkness, like stones thrown into the sea.
Uchiha Dali remained unharmed.
Dark Uchiha Dali knew what this meant—
He had gone intangible again through Kamui.
"How long does your Kamui even last?!"
Dark Uchiha Dali couldn't take it anymore and yelled.
He had never received an answer before.
But this time, unexpectedly, Uchiha Dali answered.
"It lasts as long as I want. Is that hard to understand?"
Uchiha Dali asked calmly.
Dark Uchiha Dali froze.
Then a realization struck him.
Ultimate deities commanded the power of laws.
All universal rules were created by them.
So for an ultimate deity, Kamui wasn't impressive in itself—
But once modified by divine law, it became something entirely different, elevated from a simple shinobi technique into a divine ability.
Everything became clear, and Dark Uchiha Dali felt like his intelligence had been crushed.
A faint sense of frustration rose inside him.
Because before Uchiha Dali revealed this secret, he had never even considered the possibility.
Something so simple.
So obvious with just a moment's thought.
But until Uchiha Dali pierced that final layer of paper, his mind had been fogged as if bewitched—completely failing to realize it.
"Am I really this dumb?"
Dark Uchiha Dali began to doubt his entire existence—no, his entire godhood.
"You aren't dumb. You just have dull aptitude."
Uchiha Dali said with a half-smile.
Hearing that, Dark Uchiha Dali's eyes flew wide open.
"You… can read my thoughts?"