[SYSTEM WARNING! Host's survival instinct has peaked! Genetic lock is being forcibly released! Potential activation in progress!]
[Absolute Domain rising... 96.5%... 97%... 98%!]
[DING! Breakthrough achieved! Congratulations, Host—your realm has advanced to Absolute Domain 98%!]
A purer, more refined golden aura—brimming with "life" and "light"—exploded from Cloud.
Behind him, a massive, indistinct projection of a golden war god seemed to manifest in the very fabric of space.
"Oh? A breakthrough in battle?" The Emperor watched Cloud's surging aura. A flicker of surprise passed through those eyes as black as the abyss—then was swallowed by infinite contempt. "98%... impressive, I'll admit. Among humans, you've reached the very end. However..."
He slowly raised his hand. In his palm, a sphere of pure Dark Power energy began to coalesce.
"Before a god, the gap between the Absolute Domain and Dark Power is... heaven and earth!"
"Dark Sword of Gathering Clouds!"
The Emperor thrust his palm forward. That black sphere instantly transformed into a hideous eight-headed serpent of pure darkness, roaring as it lunged to devour Cloud.
This technique clearly mimicked Orochi's ultimate form.
"Divine Fist of Myriad Forms... no wait—Fist of All Creation!"
Cloud responded without hesitation, pouring every ounce of his newly broken-through power into his fist. Golden light erupted forth, transforming into a rising sun brilliant enough to purify all existence.
By now, Cloud had transcended ordinary techniques. He'd internalized and fused all those fighters' signature moves, recombining them at will into something entirely his own—more powerful than ever.
Sun and serpent collided once more at Mount Fuji's summit.
This impact was more devastating than any before.
The mountain's peak was sheared clean off by dozens of meters.
Molten lava erupted from cracks in the crater, dyeing the white snow an apocalyptic crimson.
When the energy dissipated, Cloud's figure was sent flying again. This time, he traveled over a hundred meters, smashing through an entire small hill before finally stopping.
He knelt on one knee, gasping for breath. Golden blood poured from his mouth like it cost nothing.
His body—tough enough to rival divine weapons—was covered in fine cracks, as if it might collapse at any moment.
He was still at a disadvantage.
"Hehehe... Hahahaha!"
Seeing Cloud's wretched state, the Emperor finally burst into triumphant, maniacal laughter.
He walked toward Cloud step by step. Each footfall ground the volcanic rock beneath him to powder.
He savored this pleasure—crushing the "ceiling of humanity" beneath his heel. Then, like every classic "villain" before landing the finishing blow, he activated his "monologue mode."
"Cloud, do you see now? This is the difference between man and god!" He looked down at Cloud, his voice thick with condescending pity. "You're strong, truly strong. But unfortunately, you were born in the wrong era."
As if mocking Cloud alone wasn't satisfying enough, he turned his gaze toward the base of the mountain—toward every human being around the world watching through various devices.
"And all you pathetic mortals!" His voice rolled like thunder across the heavens. "You must be wondering why I did nothing to save my own son—that worthless trash called An'un, yes?"
He paused, a smile of ultimate cruelty spreading across his face as he revealed a terrifying truth that shocked the entire world.
"Because from the moment he was born, he was never my son—he was feed I'd prepared for myself!"
"That madness in his blood? I deliberately implanted it! I kept him alive, let him grow stronger, all so I could devour him at his peak and use him as the final stepping stone to godhood!"
"As for fatherly love? Heh. Such things only burden the strong."
These words detonated like a nuclear bomb, sending chills down the spine of everyone who heard them.
"Monster! He... he raised his own son like a cultivation pill?!"
"Even tigers don't eat their cubs! This thing... is worse than a beast!"
"I'm going to be sick! The Japanese Imperial Family? This is it? Lower than pigs and dogs!"
In Japan and around the world, the title "Emperor" was now synonymous with unprecedented disgust and contempt.
Centuries of imperial mystique and authority crumbled to nothing in this single moment.
But the Emperor didn't care.
"Curse me, go ahead!" He spread his arms wide, basking in the world's hatred. "Once I've dealt with Cloud, I'll descend upon you personally. The Kusanagi, Yagami, Kagura... all these so-called 'guardian families' will be erased from existence!"
His greedy gaze swept toward the stunning figures of the Kagura sisters at the base of the mountain.
"As for those twin flowers... they shall have the honor of joining my harem and bearing children with divine blood!"
"What did you just say?"
A voice cold enough to freeze souls rose from the ground.
Cloud, who had been kneeling and gasping moments before, slowly lifted his head.
His eyes had changed.
If before they burned with "fighting spirit," now they held only one thing—killing intent so cold it could freeze the Nine Heavens.
Whether Japan fell into chaos had nothing to do with him—he was just a transmigrator passing through.
Whether the Emperor was man or monster, he couldn't care less.
But laying hands on his woman?
Publicly declaring—right to his face—that he intended to raid Cloud's "harem"?
This crossed Cloud's one inviolable line.
As a man who had (self-proclaimed) taken it upon himself to "conquer all harems under heaven," how could he tolerate anyone touching his "private property"?!
"Old bastard..." Cloud rose slowly. His wounds were healing at an impossible rate.
"You've... successfully... pissed me off!!!"
BOOM—!!!
A golden aura more terrifying, more dazzling than anything before erupted from Cloud like the Big Bang itself.
His Absolute Domain—already at 98%—was forcibly torn through that final, paper-thin barrier under the catalyst of his towering rage.
[SYSTEM ULTIMATE WARNING! Host's emotional state has reached critical threshold! Burning origin in the name of protection! WARNING: This action is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!]
[Absolute Domain rising... 98.5%... 99%... 99.99%!!!]
Before the stunned gazes of everyone watching, Cloud's aura rocketed upward—reaching a level infinitely close to the Emperor's own.
...
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