Chapter 778: The Opportunity to Shatter Destiny
The three-headed evil dragon and Izayoi Sakamaki engaged in a frenzied brawl. Every strike from either of them caused a terrifying airburst.
In just an instant, thousands, even tens of thousands of punches were thrown. The surrounding space began to shatter in large swathes, the atmosphere ran wild, and the sky constantly shifted through different colors.
This was a manifestation of the complete collapse of the energy field in this region.
This world was in an Age of Fantasy where miracles had not yet fully vanished; the concentration of spirit particles, magic elements, and spiritual energy was astonishingly high.
But amidst the frantic bombardment of two monsters gradually transcending the realm of gods, nothing could endure.
The world shook violently. Because the seabed was shattered and the ocean was draining into the earth's core, this planet was substantially dying.
Kaito Shirogane felt the almost wailing agony of Gaia and the Alaya Consciousness, yet his power grew ever stronger.
Bang bang bang bang—
He fiercely pummeled every corner of Izayoi Sakamaki's body. Izayoi's flesh and skin were already damaged, and Kaito Shirogane could even begin to sense the special particles flowing within the other's blood.
That was the true essence of Izayoi Sakamaki's power!
Izayoi Sakamaki, similarly, had his eyes completely locked onto the three-headed evil dragon. He even began to understand the opponent's special state at this moment.
The central head belonged to that powerful martial artist from another world. His frenzied fighting spirit and desire for battle, which seemed capable of piercing the heavens... just being near him made Izayoi Sakamaki feel infected.
The left and right heads were controlled by the legendary 3-Digit Demon Lord, [Absolute Evil: Azi Dahaka]. Only by combining two powers had the opponent earned the right to fight him on equal footing.
No, perhaps it was too arrogant to put it that way. Izayoi Sakamaki vaguely realized that whether it was that martial artist or Azi Dahaka Himself, their essences were unbelievably powerful.
It was just that one hadn't yet fully excavated his own potential, while the other had been fragmented into too many pieces by the seal.
BOOM!
Izayoi Sakamaki and Kaito Shirogane violently clashed fists. The sky and the ocean split towards the sides, and a pitch-black rift separated the world like an uncrossable chasm.
Izayoi grabbed his right arm with his left hand, shook it slightly, and snapped it back into his shoulder. The arm shattered by the invincible punch had already begun to recover.
"I don't know why, but I feel incredibly good right now~"
At this moment, Izayoi Sakamaki also seemed unable to see the wailing world. He had a transcendent intuition, realizing that if the intensity of this battle increased even slightly, this world would not be able to bear it.
In other words, shattering the world itself was the way to save all the survivors in Underwood.
Izayoi Sakamaki bent his knees and leapt fiercely. Amidst a tremor that felt like the earth's crust tearing apart, Izayoi Sakamaki jumped straight out of the atmosphere, the entire world appearing before his eyes.
The most brilliant radiance began to burn on his fist. The [Third Perpetual Motion Machine] howled within him—the ultimate manifestation of human civilization.
At this moment, he was going to shatter the entire world with a single punch!
Along with the Demon Lord!
Kaito Shirogane stood on the fractured seabed, where the once mirror-like ocean was gradually drying up. Corpses of sea beasts, fish, and shrimp were everywhere. If they hadn't died on the seabed, they probably wouldn't have even left corpses behind.
He looked around. The special [Super-Empathy] left to him by the Black King, Superman Clark, was also pushed to its limit by the Limit-Break Spiral at this moment.
In an instant, Kaito Shirogane sensed the thoughts, feelings, consciousness, and emotions of countless people.
Fear, panic, and the despair of a world about to be destroyed.
Among them, the arrogant golden-armored King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, who failed to become a wise king, stood before his own royal capital, holding high the Noble Phantasm claimed to be capable of severing the world.
But his expression was uncharacteristically somewhat desolate.
So what if he had a Noble Phantasm that could sever the world?
Right now, the enemy intended to blow up the world right along with him...
Gilgamesh had actually realized long ago that he could no longer return to the Throne of Heroes, nor could he return to the era he belonged to.
His era had long since ended. Just as the Age of Gods ended with Ragnarok, his Age of Fantasy would also be replaced by the age of ordinary humans.
And now, he was merely experiencing this change once again, in a resolute, unyielding, and cruel manner.
"My King!"
"What should we do? The women and children in the city have been hidden in the rear, but—"
Soldiers appeared beside him one by one, all their eyes filled with fear and despair.
Gilgamesh, having gained a physical body due to All the World's Evil, had long been twisted. Looking at these weak, false phantoms actually begging him, anger welled up in his heart.
But before the anger could be unleashed, it had already dissipated.
In the end, his own existence wasn't much different from these people.
Gilgamesh was always arrogant, but the arrogance of those guys existed in another dimension entirely.
What is real? What is fake? Is he real or fake? Everything seemed to be defined by those so-called [Reincarnators], or the current inhabitants of Little Garden.
Gilgamesh wasn't good at pondering these things. It was already impossible for him to walk the timeline of a wise king, but he could hate, he could be tyrannical!
Zzt!
Crimson brilliance began to shine from [Ea]. He looked up at the guy whose figure could no longer be seen, and an image involuntarily appeared in his mind: the other party throwing a punch, and the world completely crumbling.
Hum!
A golden flash of light illuminated. Gilgamesh shot into the sky like a golden meteor, the magical energy of Ea in his hand blazing.
[Enuma Elish]!
The terrifying magical energy, amplified by this fearsome Noble Phantasm, slashed out instantly.
The pitch-black night sky was sliced into pieces in a flash. He carried the power to sever the world, launching a counterattack upwards.
Mori-Summer turned her head and saw that beam of light shooting into the sky. The magical energy was incredibly intense, and the Noble Phantasm was dazzling, but... the swordsmanship was incredibly weak. There was no possibility of intervening in a battle of that level.
"Found him!"
Roman opened her eyes. She was currently shining with blue-and-white energy, surrounded by blazing white spears, the hexagram beneath her feet flashing incessantly.
Roman, having matured and become serious like never before, had an incredibly firm Concussive Pulse of the Spiritual Light behind her. She pointed one hand towards a piece of the shattered earth's crust below, and with her other hand, without even looking back, she flicked a finger.
A blue-and-white spear vanished into thin air.
Clang! BOOM!
Satoru Gojo, who had silently appeared a thousand meters away, crossed his arms in front of him. The Limitless technique blocked the attack that had seemingly appeared right in front of him.
His eyes grew cold. Satoru Gojo could feel that this originally fragile woman had changed; she had actually grown much stronger now.
Behind Satoru Gojo, Black Face also stepped out sideways. He lightly gripped his white tachi, staring unblinking at Mori-Summer.
Contrary to Satoru Gojo, His opponent had grown weaker—much weaker.
That sharp, penetrating aura, ready to cut anything at any time, had vanished.
The opponent had been struck by the peerless, raging power of his King, shaking her will to fight and her Dao Heart.
Black Face had experienced this feeling as well. When he believed himself to be incredibly powerful, he was ruthlessly crushed by the special essence of his King, who controlled all souls. He, too, had been at a loss.
But Black Face was much more adaptable than Mori-Summer. Without hesitating for long, he submitted to the King.
"Black Face, draw your blade!"
A cold shout rang out. The next moment, a silver-white sword pressure instantly drew a clear silver line from the sky to the earth.
[Full Counter]!
Brynhild held her shield with both hands, blocking in front of everyone. The moment that sky-to-earth slash appeared, Mori-Summer's mind was wandering, and she didn't even react. Instead, it was Brynhild who remained steadfast.
She forcefully tried to deflect this strike using the magical trait of Full Counter.
Crack! Amidst a terrifying sound, she clearly heard her shield cracking. Then, she no longer insisted on a full counter, instead directly pushing the sword strike aside.
Screech~ Pfft!
The seabed and the earth's crust were completely cleaved open. Mori-Summer even saw within the cut surface a massive amount of seawater flowing like a waterfall into the earth's core. Magma met seawater, and amidst the rising white steam, it felt almost like an illusion.
"Behold, a breathtaking view ahead."
Mori-Summer suddenly spoke, sounding inexplicably out of place. But Reinhardt, frantically searching for Sousuke, understood. These were words Sousuke often kept on his lips.
They had seen breathtaking views in many worlds that were impossible to see in reality. This was also their most carefree time, back when Azure Sky wasn't yet obsessed with the Perfect Timeline.
Everyone was stronger than their peers, so Azure Sky barely encountered any major danger. Even the terrifying bosses in the plot worlds were defeated by their combined efforts—either by allying with plot characters or utilizing an information advantage to strike first.
"Pull yourself together, Mori-Summer!"
Roman flicked both hands repeatedly, suppressing Satoru Gojo and Artoria single-handedly. To be precise, she even kept Black Face at bay.
Mori-Summer sat down cross-legged, looking up at the shooting star that had already entered the clouds, and then said, "Fighting them is meaningless. This world will be destroyed by Izayoi Sakamaki's next strike."
Mori-Summer's overall presence shrank further. The Concussive Pulse of the Spiritual Light behind her was no longer expanding; instead, it seemed to disappear, slowly merging back into her body.
After witnessing the sword strike with which Kaito Shirogane cleaved the world, an indescribable despondency and loss crushed her.
She appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, she had been killed by that sword strike countless times over.
Mori-Summer couldn't find a solution.
Yes, even Sousuke was killed by that sword strike. What could she possibly do? In the end, an Azure Sky without Sousuke couldn't be considered a super-assembly at all. Facing guys like Mercenary Tao and Izayoi Sakamaki, she was powerless...
Mori-Summer's heartbeat grew fainter and fainter, her complexion losing color, her aura beginning to wither.
She sat cross-legged on the seabed, catching a glimpse of the top half of Sousuke's body slowly dissolving in the magma.
That guy really died...
And next, Mercenary Tao will die too.
Even a Mercenary Tao possessing that kind of power will die...
Mori-Summer's Spiritual Light collapsed completely. Her expression was calm, but her vital signs grew weaker and weaker. In her heart, she continuously replayed the sword strike that cleaved the world.
In the sky, the night instantly vanished. As if heaven and earth were swapping places, a massive golden sun suddenly hung in the sky.
The world was illuminated in an instant, but this light was a breathtaking view right before extinction.
Outside the planet, Izayoi Sakamaki pushed the Third Perpetual Motion Machine to its limit. He couldn't see it himself, but an illusory flag fluttered behind him.
Bearing the destiny of humanity defeating the Demon Lord, bearing the mission that [Evil] will ultimately be struck down by [Good], Izayoi Sakamaki at this moment could completely be said to be throwing a punch in accordance with destiny and the currents of the times.
This was not a grand momentum that a single world could change.
Below, Kaito Shirogane's scalp tingled. The injuries on the surface of his Body of Stars had long healed, but that numb, tingling sensation constantly reminded him.
If this strike lands, I will die.
I will die along with the world.
Within Kaito Shirogane's world of consciousness, only a single white jade [Throne of the Heart] hung high above the Sea of Consciousness. Amidst the churning Underworld, it looked somewhat solitary.
The face on the throne was now virtually indistinguishable from the face formed by the fusion of Kaito Shirogane and Azi Dahaka.
Three heads. The central one resembled Kaito Shirogane, its pupils shining with brilliant colors. The two dragon heads on the sides were Azi Dahaka. The two had merged completely.
Kaito Shirogane had also acquired the destiny of [Absolute Evil].
Just like Primate Murder, when facing a primate enemy, possessed traits the opponent could absolutely not dodge, not be immune to, and not defend against.
This was a highly targeted [Affinity].
Then, at this moment, the Absolute Good fluttering behind Izayoi Sakamaki reflected the core concept of the Zoroastrian dualism from which Azi Dahaka was born: Evil will ultimately be struck down by Good.
"So this is the final strike... Truly... magnificent~"
Azi Dahaka spoke, but Kaito Shirogane reached out his hands and grabbed the mouths of the two dragon heads on his own accord.
"Don't let the battle and slaughter end for such a boring reason!"
[Sixteen-Fold Kaio-Ken]
[Manifestation of the Cosmic Heavenly Deity]
"Open!"
BOOM!
Golden Ki soared into the sky. The ring-shaped shockwave instantly leveled the seabed and the earth's crust. All corpses, wreckage, and coral vanished completely.
The world beneath Kaito Shirogane became incredibly smooth, like the surface of a planet weathered for countless years.
Amidst the wails of the world, an intensely powerful Ki enveloped Kaito Shirogane.
Behind Kaito Shirogane, the Limit-Break Spiral, spinning at maximum speed, jammed slightly for an instant before turning once more with a crack.
[Talent: Limit-Break Spiral, Evolved]
Behind Kaito Shirogane, the space illuminated by the massive golden sun seemed to be torn wide open, and countless pieces of knowledge and truth leaked out.
Kaito Shirogane's spiral-like thirst for knowledge and his very essence began to frantically demand from within.
Kaito Shirogane raised his hand. The [Stairway of Good and Evil] was incredibly bright.
The black portion of the stairway now overwhelmingly eclipsed the white portion. The essence of Absolute Evil surpassed the essence of the Mad King's Good.
Kaito Shirogane's hand seemed to grab something in the void, then twisted violently.
Beneath the golden pillar of Ki that pierced the planet's surface, Kaito Shirogane transformed into a three-headed evil dragon propping up heaven and earth. Looking up, he saw Izayoi Sakamaki standing outside the planet, his fist raised high, the golden radiance unmistakable.
Kaito Shirogane felt he was still missing a little something, but he couldn't grasp exactly what it was.
Under the cover of the terrifying [Ki] brought by the Sixteen-Fold Kaio-Ken, Kaito Shirogane perceived a trace of an unusual trajectory of power.
Like a thread, tangling within his soul.
A line of destiny...
As long as the [Ki], capable of nullifying all special abilities, was strong enough, Kaito Shirogane could ignore everything else.
It was just that right now, he wasn't strong enough.
The scene from the B711 world, where his Fatalism future was shattered, appeared before Kaito Shirogane's eyes. Looking at it now, a black thread ran through it all.
Such things... are incredibly boring.
I want to shatter it!
Amidst the planet's wailing, the colossal three-headed evil dragon took a step forward. Countless traces of power collapsed on his skin, but these things were too mixed and chaotic; forcefully mashed together, they simply couldn't blend.
Kaito Shirogane knew he was still missing something, but as he continuously fumbled within the Root, even as his sense of existence began to slip away, he still couldn't grasp it.
Suddenly, a sigh rang in his ear.
"What you lack... is the [Miracle] that I already took away~"
Ding~
A crisp, subtle sound, like a silver needle dropping to the earth. A boundless golden ocean violently surged from the earth's core, followed by endless magical energy, spirit particles, golden fairies, white pegasi...
A brilliant Sea of Miracles unfurled completely beneath Kaito Shirogane's feet. Within Kaito Shirogane's Sea of Consciousness, he suddenly felt himself pushed by something, and the white jade throne drifted forward.
Azi Dahaka merged with another man with bronze skin and an exposed chest.
BOOM!
Izayoi Sakamaki's heaven-destroying, earth-shattering strike finally fell. Gilgamesh crashed down like a comet.