"YOU'RE A CHEATER!!! YOU'RE A DAMN, CHEATING BASTARD!!!"
Hoyuu's voice roared inside Yun Che's mind like a thunderclap, rattling through the spiritual realm they shared. The fury in his tone was raw—feral even. Every word carried enough venom to scorch stone.
Yun Che exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if he'd been expecting this exact tantrum.
"No, I'm not," he replied, his tone deliberately calm. "You're the one who said it yourself—'as long as it's within my ability, it's fair game.' Remember?"
Hoyuu's voice cracked back, louder and more unhinged.
"But NOT THIS!!!"
Even within their mental plane, Yun Che could feel Hoyuu's rage boiling over. The Hollow had fallen right into his trap, completely blindsided by the full potential of the Ginrei Kojaku and the catastrophic power of Licht Regen.
Yun Che's smirk was audible.
"Deal with it," he said simply. "The Heilig Bogen is part of my ability. You agreed to that. You just didn't read the fine print."
"Fine print—?! You smug—"
Yun Che cut him off sharply, voice turning mock-serious.
"Now, ten points. Pay up."
"What?!"
"The bet," Yun Che said, tapping his temple. "You lose, you pay. That's how this works."
There was a pause. Then, through gritted teeth—
"Bastard!"
A faint chime echoed in the air as Hoyuu reluctantly transferred the agreed energy share through their soul link. Yun Che could feel it flow into his core—sharp, powerful, and tinged with irritation.
He chuckled softly.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
Hoyuu hissed.
"You're insufferable."
"I prefer efficient."
For a long moment, the two said nothing—the silence between them charged with the residue of battle and bruised pride.
Finally, Hoyuu broke it, voice simmering with reluctant admiration.
"Heh. Guess you've got more bite than I thought, King."
Yun Che's smirk returned, faint but smug.
"You're just figuring that out now?"
Hoyuu growled in irritation, his voice fading with a mix of grudging respect and pure spite.
"Next time, I'm not holding back."
"Next time," Yun Che replied coolly, "you'll still lose."
==============
[Ding… The host has received 10 affinity points from Hoyuu. Remaining affinity points: 40]
==============
Yun Che couldn't hide his inward smirk. Ten points lighter, he now had a cushion—enough to avoid jumping into every scrap. Knocking down Hoyuu's affinity like that felt deliciously efficient. After all, the Hollow had used every trick it could; why shouldn't he?
"Hmph, I thought I was winning," Zangetsu sulked in Yun Che's inner world, voice dripping with wounded pride.
"You thought wrong," Yun Che shot back. "If I'd told you about the second stage of the Heilig Bogen, you'd have played this differently—or not taken the bet at all. So I kept it quiet. Jasmine kind of inspired the idea." He shrugged, pleased with himself.
"That damn flower," Zangetsu muttered, then accused, "Still— you cheated."
"You're one to talk," Yun Che snapped, amusement beneath his irritation. "You used that Hollow form. I used my Quincy form. Fair's fair."
"Bastard, how is that fair?" Hoyuu grumbled through the link, the complaint half-anger, half-admiration.
"Doesn't matter. I win. That's what matters," Yun Che declared, striking a mock-victorious pose.
"Tsk…" Hoyuu clicked his tongue—defeat and pride tangling together. He knew when the argument was pointless.
Yun Che let the tension ease. "Look, I still owe you for helping clear this mess."
"Save it," Hoyuu replied, voice roughening into something almost fond. "At least I had fun. Beats being locked up in your world—even if I lost."
Clearing his throat, Yun Che added, casual and practical: "I asked the system to bump up possession to five minutes instead of three. Best I could do."
"Stingy…" Hoyuu snorted.
"Asshole, be grateful. Better than three." Yun Che's tone was smug, but there was real relief in it—he hadn't taken Hoyuu for granted.
"Hmph. It's something," Hoyuu conceded. "I had my fun. I'm going to sleep. Wake me and I'll beat your ass."
"Thanks. Watch my back next time, you dumbass," Yun Che said, half-laughing.
"I'll try to keep you alive. And deal with that annoying flower of yours—world'd be boring without her." Hoyuu's voice softened into something like affection. "Be seeing you, King. Don't hog all the fun next time."
The link dimmed and Hoyuu's presence slid into silence. Yun Che let out a breath; beneath the bickering and bravado, he recognized the gratitude threaded through the other's words. An odd, reluctant bond had formed—born of shared danger, wagers, and ridiculous amounts of carnage.
He tipped his head toward the ruined field, feeling the weight of the moment. They'd argued like brothers. They'd fought like enemies. And already, in a way that surprised him, Yun Che found he didn't mind the thought of Hoyuu watching his back.
Smiling faintly, Yun Che descended toward the ground, his crimson aura flickering like dying embers in the aftermath of victory. The battlefield had fallen silent—his triumph complete, the air still thick with the remnants of reishi.
For a brief moment, peace seemed possible.
Then the chime of the system broke through his thoughts.
"Now what…" he muttered, exhaling as another notification blinked before him. He pressed it with mild irritation—until the message appeared.
==============
[Ding… Triggering the second trial's hidden objective.]
=============
Yun Che frowned.
"Oh? What is it this time?"
He tapped the notification again—and froze.
=============
[Ding… Hidden Objective Triggered: Defeat the 100,000th Beast.]
===============
"Wait—what?"
The ground trembled beneath his feet. A low, rolling quake rippled across the entire realm, so deep that even the air seemed to shudder.
From the tower above, Jasmine's voice cut sharply through the growing tremors.
"Yun Che!"
He looked down—and his eyes widened. The very earth beneath the tower was cracking.
Not just the ground—the realm itself.
Thin fissures of darkness spread through the air like shattered glass, radiating outward from a single, pulsing point. The energy was wrong—alien, raw, chaotic.
Then, before his eyes, space itself began to rupture.
This wasn't like the ordinary dimensional tears that accompanied Hollows slipping through from Hueco Mundo. No—this was something else. Something far stronger. The Azure Dragon's realm was supposed to be impervious to intrusion, yet now even its fabric of existence was splintering apart.
The rumbles intensified until they became a roar. The sky fractured with it.
Then came the shadow.
A black, pulsating mass forced its way through the widening crack. The very air twisted around it, turning the bright azure of the dragon's domain into an oppressive darkness.
From the rift, a leg emerged—long, armored, glinting like obsidian steel. Then another. And another.
Eight in total.
The rest of the body followed—a hulking form wrapped in layers of dark carapace, its armor gleaming crimson under the fractured light.
The creature's eight eyes flared to life, glowing blood-red, each one burning with feral intelligence and boundless hunger. Its fangs dripped with a dark mist that corroded the air itself.
Jasmine's voice broke the silence, sharp and instinctive.
"A… spider?"
The word barely escaped her lips before the creature's roar shook the realm.
The spider fully emerged, its sheer presence warping the air around it. A dense, oppressive aura rolled off its body—heavy, suffocating, and laced with killing intent so tangible that even the Azure Dragon stirred.
"This… power…" Jasmine whispered, her pupils shrinking.
Yun Che's eyes hardened as he raised the Ginrei Kojaku, its silver glow flickering to life in his hand. The weapon pulsed in sync with his heartbeat, responding instinctively to the monstrous pressure filling the air.
The spider's movements were slow, deliberate, and terrifyingly confident. Its shadow engulfed the ground for miles, dwarfing even the mightiest creatures Yun Che had faced thus far.
This was no mere remnant of the trial.This was the hidden boss.
And even before the system confirmed it, Yun Che could feel it—this thing was beyond anything he had fought before.
============
[Ding…]Hidden Objective: Defeat the 100,000th Beast.
Target Identified: Level 91 – The Black Spider of Calamity.
===========
Yun Che's eye twitched violently.
"Is this a freaking joke? A monarch-level spider?! My full strength doesn't even break the peak of the Tyrant Profound Realm—and now I have to fight that? Hey… hey… tell me this isn't real."
The ground shuddered again, fissures glowing red beneath his feet. The towering spider loomed before him, its eight eyes flickering with malevolent intelligence.
High above, the Azure Dragon observed in silence, its vast form coiled around the upper spire of the tower. When it finally spoke, its voice carried the weight of ages.
"I see… it's just as crazed as ever."
Jasmine turned her head sharply toward the dragon.
"Wait—you sound like you know it."
The dragon's eyes narrowed, its ancient gaze fixed on the abomination below.
"In a sense," it rumbled. "This dragon captured that spider during the Era of the Gods. Its kind waged war against our divine race. We triumphed—and sealed this one away within this realm."
The revelation struck like thunder. Jasmine's expression tightened as she pieced it together.
"Then this spider… it's a godly demonic beast?"
The Azure Dragon exhaled deeply, the sound echoing like a rolling storm.
"Not godly anymore. Millennia of confinement without a source of divine essence have eroded its power. It has fallen to the level of a Monarch… yet even so, this dragon would never underestimate it."
Jasmine frowned, her sharp eyes assessing the monstrous form below.
"So you captured it, sealed it here, and didn't even feed it? No wonder it looks ready to eat him alive."
The dragon's tone darkened, a low rumble shaking the tower.
"Hmph. That creature is this dragon's sworn enemy. Why should I nurture it? And besides, this realm once held ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine beasts—it has never lacked for prey."
Jasmine's lips curved into a knowing smirk.
"Well… not anymore. Someone kind of vaporized all of them, remember?"
The dragon's eyes flicked downward toward Yun Che, who stood defiantly before the colossal spider. A faint glint of realization crossed its ancient gaze.
"For the Spider of Calamity to awaken after so long…" the dragon murmured inwardly.
"It seems this creature has been drawn to him."
As the two divine observers spoke, the ground beneath Yun Che split apart. The spider's eight legs slammed down with bone-rattling force, carving fresh craters into the scorched terrain. Black mist bled from its mandibles, hissing where it touched the air.
Yun Che raised his Ginrei Kojaku, his face a mix of annoyance and grim resolve.
"Perfect. Just what I needed—a starving divine spider with anger issues."
Yun Che listened closely through Jasmine's Tenteikura, her voice crisp and urgent in his mind. From her words—and the Azure Dragon's grim tone—it was clear: this creature wasn't just any remnant of the trial. It was something ancient, something with history.
But why had it appeared now?
Because he'd wiped out its food supply?
Or because it was drawn to him?
He didn't get time to think.
A sudden hiss cut through the air, followed by a dark blur.
"Tch—!"
Yun Che twisted aside as a mass of black liquid hurtled toward him, splattering where he'd stood a heartbeat earlier. The ground hissed and smoked violently, melting on contact. When he glanced back, his eyes narrowed.
"Webs?"
The substance shimmered with oily light—thick, elastic, and humming with spiritual energy. The strands glowed faintly crimson at their edges.
The spider had spat them straight from its maw.
"Of course," Yun Che muttered. "Monarch-level spider, Monarch-level webbing. Figures."
His lips quirked in a half-grin despite the tension.
"I wonder how strong a coat made out of this stuff would be…"
Before the thought could finish, another blast of black silk ripped through the air. Yun Che leapt back, flipping over the attack as it carved a groove into the ground. The spider lunged after him, its fangs dripping a viscous, acidic venom that hissed and bubbled wherever it landed.
He landed hard, boots skidding against the trembling surface. The monstrous arachnid towered above him, its eight eyes burning like crimson suns.
"That armor…" he muttered, frowning as his Ginrei Kojaku shimmered in his hand. "Arrows won't get through. Just like the dragon before. Empowered arrows take too long to charge, and that thing's too fast. I'll need to fight the old-fashioned way."
With a wave of his hand, the Ginrei Kojaku dissolved into particles of silver light, vanishing back into his inner world. In its place, Yun Che reached into his inventory.
His fingers brushed cool metal.
When he pulled it free, five silver rods gleamed faintly in the light, each one inscribed with flowing runes of reishi. He clipped them to his belt in one fluid motion, then drew one with his right hand.
A low hum filled the air as he infused it with Spirit Force. Blue light flared to life along the rod, gathering, compressing, and solidifying. In a flash, the weapon extended—its edge forming into a whirling, vibrating blade of pure energy.
The sound was sharp and alive, like the hiss of a spirit slicing through reality itself.
Yun Che flipped the blade once, testing its balance, his crimson eyes gleaming.
"Seele Schneider," he muttered. "Been a while since I've used one of these."
It wasn't a sword in the traditional sense—it was a Quincy's Soul Cutter, a weapon of pure reishi resonance. Among Quincies, the Seele Schneider was more than just a blade; it was both a weapon and a conduit, capable of absorbing spiritual energy from whatever it struck.
Yun Che hadn't mastered all Quincy weaponry yet. His expertise lay mostly in bows—Kojaku and Ginrei Kojaku—but this weapon offered something he needed now: adaptability.
Other Spirit Weapons remained locked behind mastery thresholds and system permissions, their usage restricted until he reached higher proficiency with spiritual constructs. Haki weapons were no match—they lacked the refined, ethereal resonance of Quincy armaments. What mortals considered sharp was dull compared to a Seele Schneider's edge.
Yun Che didn't hesitate.
The moment the spider's killing intent peaked, he ignited his power.
Purgatory—open.
Hollow Mask—active.
Crimson and black energy exploded around him, twisting together into a storm that scorched the air. His once-blue Seele Schneider flared, shifting into a dark, pulsing red—the same hue as the glowing lines running along his Quincy attire. The blade hummed, thrumming like a living thing as his power spiked beyond its previous limit.
"Alright then," Yun Che muttered, eyes narrowing behind the mask. "Let's dance."
He vanished.
A sharp boom cracked through the battlefield as Yun Che executed multiple flash steps in rapid succession. His speed blurred into afterimages, crimson streaks slicing through the air. Though the Spider of Calamity was monstrously fast for its size, Yun Che's Hollow-enhanced movement left it struggling to track him.
In a flicker, he reappeared beside one of its massive legs—and slashed.
SHING!
The Seele Schneider cut clean through the limb. Then another. And another. Within seconds, five of the spider's legs had been severed, each blow delivered with surgical precision. The final strike sent the creature collapsing, its body crashing into the ground with an explosive rumble.
Yun Che landed a few meters away, cloak fluttering in the residual wind. He held the Seele Schneider low at his side, its red blade crackling with residual spirit energy.
"Legs are weak points, huh? Works for every species," he muttered.
But then—A pulse of black energy erupted from the spider's body.
The severed legs twitched. Then, before his eyes, they were coated in a dark, oily substance and began to reform—fibers knitting, bones reshaping, armor plating sealing shut until the limbs were whole again.
Yun Che's expression flattened.
"High-Speed Regeneration? Great. And here I thought only Hollows pulled that stunt."
The spider rose slowly, towering over him once more. But then, instead of a roar, a voice echoed through the air.
Smooth. Feminine. And disturbingly sultry.
"Interesting…"
A shiver crept down Yun Che's spine. He instinctively took a step back.
"You… you can speak?"
"Giggle… Of course I can speak, mortal."
The voice dripped with amusement—and hunger. "It's been so long since I faced a human who could withstand my touch. More… more… show me what else you can do!"
The spider lunged, spewing a barrage of web bullets and venomous silk. Yun Che teleported mid-air, reappearing near its head. He spun and drove a powerful horizontal kick right into its face.
CRACK!
The impact sent the colossal spider tumbling across the battlefield, its body plowing through the ground and sending a shockwave of dust and debris outward.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then—
"Hahaha… HAHAHA! More… MORE… MORE!!! DOMINATE ME, MORTAL!!"
The laughter was wild, feverish—borderline ecstatic.
Yun Che froze.
"…This thing… THIS THING IS A FREAKING PERVERT!!!"
The spider's wounds sealed once more, its massive frame shaking with gleeful, unholy laughter.
"Hyahahahaha—yes! That's it! Show me more of your fury! Your strikes send shivers through me!"
Yun Che pinched the bridge of his nose under his mask, exhaling hard.
"You… do all your meals excite you this much?"
The spider's breathing grew heavier, its dark aura flaring violently.
"Ehe-he-he… Normally, potential meals bore me. But you… you're different. Your pressure… your power… even your scent. It drives me mad. It's the first time I've wanted to be dominated!"
"…Damn it," Yun Che muttered. "This thing's got a screw loose."
Before he could finish, the spider lunged again. It slammed all eight legs into the ground—burying them deep into the earth.
Yun Che's instincts flared.
He dropped low just as—
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The spider's legs erupted upward like spears, bursting from the ground in a wild frenzy. Each one stabbed with blinding speed, cutting the air with a sound like tearing steel.
Yun Che darted between them in a blur, his haki-enhanced perception reading their movements a split second ahead. The ground shattered around him as each strike missed by inches.
He landed on a broken slab of rock, cloak fluttering in the dust storm the spider's attacks had created.
"Persistent little pest, aren't you…"
His eyes narrowed as his aura began to surge again, Hollow energy bleeding into the air.
"Fine. You wanted to see what I can do? Don't complain when I show you everything."
The spider's many eyes glimmered in manic delight.
"YES! THAT'S WHAT I WANT! BREAK ME IF YOU CAN, MORTAL!!"
Yun Che tightened his grip on the Seele Schneider, his grin sharp and dangerous.
Yun Che's instincts screamed.
The spider's legs slammed into the ground again—then vanished.
He didn't hesitate.
SLASH!
The sharpened tips erupted from beneath the earth like a nest of spears, slicing upward with brutal precision. Each strike moved with unnatural speed, more like a field of sentient blades than limbs.
Yun Che blurred into motion, haki amplifying his senses, allowing him to predict their emergence a fraction of a second before impact. He twisted, flipped, and rolled across the fractured terrain, every movement a razor's breadth from being impaled.
The spider didn't relent. It plunged its legs underground once more—eight monstrous spikes diving deep—and the earth quaked violently.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The same deadly pattern erupted again.
But Yun Che had already adapted. His movements became smoother, sharper—almost anticipatory. The longer the spider pressed the assault, the more efficiently he read its rhythm.
Still, the relentless barrage forced him higher and higher until, finally, he leapt into the air, landing in the open sky.
There, the air trembled around him.
A glowing crimson sphere formed in his palm—unstable, pulsing with destructive intent. The unmistakable energy of the Heretic Third Art.
"Tch. Normal arrows won't cut it," Yun Che muttered, steadying his breath. Below, the spider's legs sank into the ground again, sensing the build-up of his power.
He could feel it: the monster wasn't just fast—it was intelligent. It had seen his attacks, studied his movements. It was already adapting to his tactics.
"Too bad for you," Yun Che growled, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "I can adapt too."
He stabilized the rampaging energy swirling in his hand, forcing it under control. Crimson lightning arced from his fingers, scorching the air.
With a single flash step, he vanished from sight—reappearing directly above the spider's head.
"Destroying Sky, Decimating Earth!!!"
The words tore through the air as he slammed the crimson sphere downward.
BOOOOOOOM!
The explosion was apocalyptic. A wave of scarlet fire expanded outward, tearing through the spider's skull and carving a crater deep into the ground below. The blast scattered chunks of molten rock in every direction.
For a brief moment, silence reigned.
Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring everything. Yun Che hovered above the chaos, cloak whipping behind him in the heat of the aftershock.
"How's that for size?" he muttered, confidence lacing his tone.
The battlefield remained eerily quiet. Even Jasmine's voice stayed silent through the Tenteikura.
Then—
RUMBLE.
The ground shook.
A deep, guttural growl reverberated through the earth. The mountain of rubble that buried the spider began to move.
Yun Che's expression shifted from triumph to disbelief as a massive claw burst from beneath the stone, followed by another, and another.
The Black Spider of Calamity crawled free, its once-broken carapace knitting itself back together—only this time, its glow had darkened. Its aura burned hotter, heavier, more vicious.
Worse—its body was absorbing something.
The lingering red flames of Yun Che's Heretic Third Art bent toward it like moths to a flame, spiraling into its wounds.
Yun Che's eyes widened.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
The system's cold chime confirmed his horror.
======================
[Ding…]
[The Black Spider of Calamity has absorbed the host's attack as nourishment.]
[The Spider of Calamity has leveled up to Level 92.]
=======================
Yun Che's mouth fell open.
"…What in the flying fuck?!"
The spider loomed larger now, its eight crimson eyes glowing with sadistic delight. Its voice slithered through the air, deeper and smoother than before.
"Ehe-he-he… Thank you, mortal… for the meal."
A black haze rippled from its form as its power surged higher than before.
Yun Che landed lightly on the shattered earth, tightening his grip on the Seele Schneider.
"Oh, that's just great. I actually made it stronger."
He clicked his tongue, annoyance and adrenaline surging in equal measure.
"Note to self: stop feeding ancient monsters."
The spider flexed its legs, the ground cracking under its weight as it prepared another charge. Its voice trembled with manic glee.
"Delicious… more… I want more!"
Yun Che's mask gleamed red in the dim light. His smirk returned, sharp and deadly.
"Shit… Now look what you did, you dumbass."
Yun Che clapped slowly, sarcasm dripping from every word as he stared at the hulking spider that had just leveled up using his own energy.
The monstrous arachnid's laughter echoed across the ruined battlefield—a sound halfway between pleasure and insanity.
"Ehe-he-he… Your energy… it's delicious!"
Yun Che's eye twitched.
"Glad you like it. Pity I didn't make it poisonous."
High above, the Azure Dragon let out a deep, weary sigh.
"This is precisely why I sealed that abomination. It grows stronger by absorbing energy directed at it."
He glanced toward Yun Che, his ancient tone edged with mild exasperation.
"That boy made the right call by not using his spirits earlier… but that last attack only made it worse."
Jasmine crossed her arms, brow furrowed.
"Then how did you defeat it before?"
The dragon's voice rumbled, ancient and grim.
"It took me centuries. The creature's endurance was… obscene. It doesn't die—it simply feeds. I only managed to seal it after crippling it during its weakest regeneration cycle."
He paused, the weight of memory flickering in his eyes.
"Though I doubt it remembers me now. Hunger erased whatever sanity it once had."
Jasmine huffed softly.
"The demon beasts from the Era of the Celestials sure are weird."
Down below, Yun Che exhaled slowly. His instincts screamed at him not to unleash another blast of power. Every ounce of his spiritual sense confirmed it—any energy-based attack would only strengthen the beast further.
Physical strikes?
Useless.
Every hit only made the spider moan with excitement.
And that alone made him profoundly uncomfortable.
"You're enjoying this way too much," he muttered, blocking another strike that sent him skidding backward.
But then—an idea flickered through his mind. Wild. Ridiculous. Possibly suicidal.
"…Ah, screw it."
Straightening his posture, Yun Che deactivated his Seele Schneider. The blade dissolved into particles of light, leaving his hands empty. He cracked his neck and smirked.
"Hey, you said you wanted to be dominated, right?"
The spider froze mid-lunge, tilting its monstrous head.
Its eight eyes narrowed, and a low, delighted giggle escaped its fanged mouth.
"Ehe-he… You really are interesting, mortal. It's true—I crave domination as much as I crave a worthy fight."
The laughter deepened, dripping with challenge.
"But with your puny strength, that will remain nothing more than a silly dream."
Yun Che slowly lifted his gaze, an easy smile spreading across his face.
"You know, I might be weaker than you…"
His voice dropped to a cold whisper as his eyes began to shift—crimson rings blooming across his irises, rotating slowly like gears of fate.
"…but when it comes to dominating, I can be pretty damn fierce."
The spider froze, its amusement faltering for the first time.
"Those eyes… what are you?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Yun Che said softly, his Sharingan fully awakened, its tomoe spinning hypnotically.
The spider trembled—not from fear, but from exhilaration.
"You really are fascinating. Mortals before me usually scream before they die… but you—"
It leaned closer, its breath hot and heavy with venom.
"You don't even flinch. That makes you… delicious."
Its tone darkened with obsession.
"But if you lose, I'll turn you into my pet."
Yun Che's smirk turned sharp.
"Sorry, but yours truly doesn't do collars."
The spider's eyes gleamed.
"We'll see about that! AFTER YOU'RE MINE!!!"
It lunged, all eight legs bursting forward like spears, its monstrous body surging through the dust cloud.
But Yun Che didn't move.
He stood perfectly still, eyes locked on the incoming blur of fangs and black armor. The Sharingan spun faster—three tomoe aligning into a tri-ringed vortex as a surge of raw, flaring power erupted from within him.
The air shifted.
Then — BOOM!
Yun Che's aura exploded upward, tearing through the sky like a crimson hurricane. Invisible yet all-consuming, it flooded the entire realm — an overwhelming wave of raw domination, power, and divine authority. The heavens shook. The earth howled. Every creature in the Azure Dragon's domain froze, suffocated by the crushing pressure.
It wasn't merely strength.
It was sovereignty.
The very essence of a conqueror.
Even the Azure Dragon, an ancient divine being who had witnessed the rise and fall of gods, recoiled under the sheer presence. The dragon's pupils contracted to thin slits, its scales trembling under the invisible weight.
"Such… power!" it thought in disbelief. "This one carries the might of the Heavenly Kings? No—this… this is different. Even the Heavenly Kings could not command such domination! This aura—"
The dragon's voice trembled, echoing through the realm.
"It carries the same pressure as my soul! What… is this boy?"
From above the tower, Jasmine clutched her chest, her breathing ragged. The air around her vibrated violently, as if refusing to exist near that overwhelming presence. Even with her soul empowered by the system, she could barely withstand it.
"You idiot…" she whispered, her voice shaking despite herself. "I never knew your Haki was this powerful. You could… conquer the entire world with this alone."
For the first time, she felt the full force of his will — the Will of the Heretic Conqueror, magnified by his Hollow and Heretic essence. Even Retsu's legendary killing intent couldn't compare. This was not spiritual pressure. It was absolute command.
Below, the Black Spider of Calamity froze.
Its monstrous body convulsed as the pressure crushed it into the ground, the weight of Yun Che's dominance forcing it to its knees. The earth cratered beneath its limbs, and cracks splintered across its armor. Its eight crimson eyes widened — not with fear, but with primal recognition.
"Your aura…" it rasped, trembling. "This pressure… this intimidation. Ha ha ha…"
Its laughter turned manic, feverish.
"I finally found you! That taste — that power — that dominance! Even if my body crumbles, I must make you mine!"
It began to crawl forward, each movement slow and strained under the weight of Yun Che's aura. Its armored carapace screeched as it dragged itself across the cracked ground.
Yun Che's eye twitched.
"Eeeeeek… this thing is a pervert. A loose-screw pervert!!!"
He extended his hand sharply.
Absolute Suppression — release!
A shockwave rippled outward. The full force of his will slammed into the spider like a mountain descending from the heavens. The ground cratered again, the creature's body flattening as if a million tons had been dropped upon it.
It couldn't move. Not an inch.
The spider gasped, its voice strained.
"Mortal… you truly are… interesting. For thousands of years, none have forced me to submit. You… you are the first."
Its breath slowed, defiance fading to awe.
"Even in the Era of Gods… no one carried such will. You have my respect. End my life, mortal. I've found the opponent I sought. I can die satisfied."
For a moment, silence.
Then — the oppressive aura vanished.
Yun Che exhaled heavily, his power collapsing all at once. The Hollow mask shattered, the glow of Purgatory dimming. The overwhelming aura that had split the heavens faded into the wind.
He staggered, knees hitting the ground. His breathing came in rough bursts — the cost of sustaining the combined Will of the Heretic Conqueror, Purgatory, and Absolute Suppression all at once. Suppressing a being three realms above his own pushed his body beyond its limits.
"Damn… that took a lot more out of me than I thought…" he muttered between breaths.
The Black Spider of Calamity stirred weakly. Despite its earlier submission, its eyes glowed faintly with lingering hunger — an instinct it could not fully suppress. But Yun Che felt no killing intent. Just… curiosity.
Panting, he slowly stood again, forcing his shaking legs to straighten.
"I have no intention of killing you," he said at last. His tone was calm, but every word carried command.
The spider tilted its massive head, its eight eyes narrowing in intrigue.
"Then what do you want of me, mortal?"
Yun Che met its gaze without flinching. The exhaustion in his body was eclipsed by the burning focus in his crimson eyes.
"A proposition," he said. "I wish to make you my follower."
The spider's body went still.
Even the winds halted for a moment.
For the first time in thousands of years, the creature that once terrorized gods… felt something new.
Not fear.
Not hunger.
But curiosity.
It had met countless mortals. None had spoken to it like that. None had looked into its eyes without trembling.
And this one — this battered, bleeding human — had just demanded its allegiance.
A slow, almost reverent laugh rumbled from deep within its chest.