Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "The only thing I don't know is what tier of Western Mythology world this angel comes from. If it's from a high-tier fantasy world, that would be wonderful."
Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "If it's from a low-tier fantasy world, the angel's strength might not even surpass my own."
In some worlds, angels were sacred and untouchable—capable of obliterating entire worlds with ease.
In others, angels were nothing more than humans who happened to have white wings. Their combat power was embarrassingly weak. A single rocket launcher could put an end to them.
She certainly wasn't hoping for the latter.
Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "@Child of Nature—what's your reward?"
Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "Even though your participation share is only a bit higher than mine, I should be able to extrapolate a rough estimate of my own reward's caliber from yours."
Though now that she thought about it—why was Brandon White's share 2% and hers only 1%?
Hadn't they both stayed out of the fight entirely?
Could it be because Brandon had been the one present on site when Chen Yu battled Hidan and Kakuzu, and had livestreamed the whole thing?
Hmm...
Child of Nature: "Meteor Heart Flame."
Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "A Strange Flame?"
Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "From the Battle Through the Heavens World... so this Twelve-Winged Angel isn't all that formidable after all."
Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "sigh.jpg"
Perfectly Ordinary Group Owner: "Oh well. People need to learn to be grateful."
The instant she heard it was a Strange Flame, Roxie Vale's spirits deflated considerably.
The Battle Through the Heavens World was one of those settings that could be called strong or weak depending on how one looked at it. In her memory, even the Dou Di—the highest cultivation rank in that world—didn't seem especially imposing.
Though she couldn't recall the specifics of exactly how powerful that translated to in practice.
In any case, the blood of this Twelve-Winged Angel was clearly not from any particularly formidable angel. Being weaker than a Dou Di was almost certainly the case.
Still, people needed to learn to be satisfied. At the very least, it would make her meaningfully stronger, wouldn't it?
And the Dou Di wasn't necessarily weak, either. After all, the novels contained things like World Rules and World Barriers.
In some worlds, the rules were loose—space could be shattered at will, time reversed on a whim.
In others, the rules were ironclad. Someone who could ordinarily punch through space with a single fist might find themselves capable of nothing more than breaking a rock.
At 1% participation, this reward was more than adequate. And most crucially of all—it was extraordinarily compatible with her.
Sacred Guardian Left Wing: "Twelve wings on a Twelve-Winged Angel... isn't that a bit excessive?"
Sacred Guardian Left Wing: "A mysterious angel whose combat power is tied directly to the number of wings? That's a rather strange setup."
Angel Yan reached out and touched the pair of wings at her sides, feeling that a single set of two was the most natural arrangement.
Six pairs of wings. Twelve feathered wings in total. It was genuinely difficult to picture what that would even look like.
Holy Lord: "@Child of Nature—any interest in trading the Strange Flame?"
Child of Nature: "Not at the moment."
Holy Lord: "If that changes, come find me."
He had already evolved Burning Verdict to the Heaven Stage. As a Fire Demon by nature, his own flames were more than sufficient on their own. And in a world where Immortals and Demons coexisted, powerful flames were hardly a scarce resource—though most of the truly remarkable ones were tied to specific divine techniques.
Beyond the Fire Crow from his own world, he had also purchased Strange Flames from Roxie Vale's world, and had spent an enormous sum of points doing so.
Without all of that investment, there was no way Burning Verdict could have been elevated to the Heaven Stage this quickly.
His current cultivation, if converted into Battle Through the Heavens ranks, would place him at roughly the Dou Huang level. The simple truth was that he had only begun training recently. Even with his unique constitution and the considerable innate power he already possessed, breaking through to a higher rank in such a short span was simply not feasible.
Though the Dou Huang rank was not as strong as his original power had been in raw terms, cultivation itself was, at its most fundamental, a process by which the soul tended toward perfection. In its own way, it had elevated both his strength and his physical constitution.
In terms of combat techniques, he was noticeably sharper than he had been before.
Holy Lord: "@Uchiha Dance King, @Most Ancient God-Slayer—what rewards did you two receive?"
Fifth Division Captain: "The rewards granted by the chat group appear to be tailored to each individual. The group owner received the blood of a Twelve-Winged Holy Angel; the Ancient One received Form Fusion; Holy Lord received Burning Verdict; Lin Fengjiao received the Demon-Subduing Dao-Heart."
Fifth Division Captain: "The Marquis's reward should be tied to the God-Slayer system."
Richest Man: "That tracks."
Richest Man: "But within the God-Slayer system, the reward that would best demonstrate its value should be an enhancement to his Position Rank, shouldn't it?"
Richest Man: "It's entirely possible it helped Voban enhance successfully outright."
Richest Man: "After all, Marquis Voban has failed enhancement after enhancement. Even at a 50% success rate, success isn't guaranteed."
Tony let out a laugh upon seeing Aizen's analysis, and typed his response in good spirits.
Most Ancient God-Slayer: "???"
Most Ancient God-Slayer: "Correct. The chat group's reward to me was: God-Slayer Position Rank Enhancement +1."
Most Ancient God-Slayer: "@Wuxia King—just you wait, Luo Hao."
Most Ancient God-Slayer: "You'll be caught very soon."
Wuxia King: "Save the daydreaming for when you're asleep."
Wuxia King: "Once the gap between you and me widens, it can never be closed again."
Luo Hao dismissed Voban's bold declarations with undisguised contempt.
Even if they had started from exactly the same point, she would be the strongest without question. In every regard—she would be the strongest.
Boil the Ancient One into Soup: "Wait—something seems off."
Boil the Ancient One into Soup: "Everyone, look at Uchiha Madara."
The Ancient One's words caught the group off guard. A ripple of bewilderment spread through the chat, and all eyes shifted toward the livestream. In the real world, Brandon White, Roxie Vale, and Voban likewise turned to look at Madara.
At this moment, he had both hands pressed firmly over his eyes. His body shuddered without ceasing, as though he were enduring pain beyond what words could capture.
A long stretch of silence passed. At last, the pain seemed to ebb away, and Uchiha Madara lowered his hands from his face.
The Reincarnation Eyes within his gaze pulsed with a mysterious, dazzling azure radiance.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha..."
Uchiha Madara broke into a long, unrestrained laugh as he felt the boundless reservoir of pupil power surging within his eyes—an ocean without end or shore.
"Hashirama. The distance between you and me has grown ever wider."
"Beneath these eyes, even the Six Paths Sage and his entire bloodline, all attacking at once—none of them would be my equal."
"This boundless, inexhaustible pupil power truly is intoxicating..."
Madara murmured, half lost in the sensation. His eyes remained fixed in the form of the Reincarnation Eye—but unlike before, the sky-pure azure of those irises now bore within them a pattern: a pristine, snow-white lotus flower.
This signified that these Reincarnation Eyes had grown into something far mightier than they had been before.
"Is your reward connected to the Reincarnation Eye?"
Roxie Vale gazed at Uchiha Madara's eyes with open curiosity. But why would his reward be tied to the Reincarnation Eye? As a member of the Uchiha clan, any enhancement should logically have strengthened the Rinnegan.
"What you see as the Reincarnation Eye is simply the form I am using at this moment."
Uchiha Madara reined in his laughter and closed his eyes gently. When he opened them again, the two irises displayed entirely different patterns.
His left eye was the deep, enigmatic purple of the Rinnegan. His right eye was the brilliant, crystalline azure of the Reincarnation Eye.
But whether Rinnegan or Reincarnation Eye—both now bore within them the same strange design: a lotus flower.
(End of Chapter)