The black stone rolled to Byakuya's feet. This stone was brought by Reinhard from the Mist Game.
When that Go match concluded, Reinhard took the central stone from the board, stating he wished to keep it as a keepsake.
Haha...
A keepsake.
"Hahahaha..."
Byakuya suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Splendid, truly magnificent. It's a genuine pity you didn't return to Kitsune."
"Seth."
Hearing this, a few individuals were startled.
From Byakuya's words, was Reinhard originally a Kitsune operative?
Some people had already heard murmurs regarding this connection, though the precise details remained obscure. But they knew Reinhard and Kitsune must share some association.
Reinhard opened his right hand. The Demon Blade, as if pulled by an irresistible gravitational force, was directly snatched into his hand from a distance.
"I don't believe it's a pity."
"The Kitsune way of life isn't truly suitable for me. As for you, the moment you entertained the thought of killing me, you should have immediately heightened your vigilance."
"Because I will certainly strike first and eliminate you."
Byakuya heard this and lowered his head. "Killing me... Haha, it's merely a conspiracy of fate..."
Attack!
Before Byakuya could finish speaking, a group of monsters instantly charged toward him!
Time seemed to halt at this precise moment. The world bleached to black and white; everything became utterly still.
When the world regained its full color, Byakuya's hand was already resting over his chest.
He pulled out two halves of the Tiger Stone from his chest, then suddenly slammed them onto the ground!
"I have had enough of the world's constraints, enough of this layer of rules' shackles!"
The stone was genuine!
Byakuya actually discarded the stone voluntarily?
Reinhard's mind rapidly analyzed the situation. He witnessed a grotesque smile spreading across Byakuya's lips.
No!
"Retreat!"
Boom!!
Reinhard's command was delayed. A blinding energy fluctuation instantly erupted from Byakuya's body, directly consuming the group of monsters that had advanced toward him!
Reinhard, grasping Yang Lin with one hand, suddenly pulled back backward!
And Yang Lin, being dragged away, felt his pupils dilate. He stared at the energy released from Byakuya's form, and a ripple gradually appeared in his eyes.
"Is this...?"
Thud!!
Another loud sound followed. White light exploded, and the group of monsters enveloped by the white light were all violently expelled!
They tumbled and scattered everywhere; only Byakuya, at the epicenter, remained standing firmly in place.
But at this moment, Byakuya registered a profound change!
The Yin and Yang qi in his hands had vanished. His black and white hair had shifted to pure white, wildly cascading around him.
And his pupils had become one black and one white.
The left eye was pitch black with no visible white sclera, the right eye pure white with no discernible pupil.
Behind him, there was no Phantom clone. Instead, a Taiji Diagram materialized!
The Taiji Diagram continuously spun behind Byakuya. He slowly raised both hands, and a terrifying aura, like a gathering hurricane, swept over the area!
The atmosphere at this moment fell utterly silent, still as stagnant water.
Until one person, trembling visibly, broke the silence!
"4th Step?!"
As these words were spoken, the air in the entire space fell silent once more.
Byakuya...
Had reached the 4th Step?
Byakuya's gaze swept across the monsters' faces. "Yin and Yang merge, Taiji itself. This form of mine, no one has ever witnessed."
"This is your honor."
Taiji · Byakuya.
This was Byakuya's ultimate form, and his abilities were now in their complete, refined state.
Over the years, Byakuya had completely refined and integrated the power of the Heavenly Stem, no longer requiring the Tiger Stone!
The reason he had carried the Tiger Stone until now was not for balancing power, but for suppressing it!
The moment he shed the Tiger Stone, his power completely merged into a single entity!
Promoted to 4th Step!
However, if Byakuya had ascended to 4th Step, why hadn't he been expelled to the Reason World?
Was there a flaw in this specific space?
Reinhard faced Byakuya. "Where exactly is this place?"
Byakuya turned to face Reinhard. "It is the terminus of the world, the final anchor point of the endless Grand Cloister."
"Here, all external rules can be ignored. Whether 4th Step or 5th Step, all can peacefully coexist here."
"Surprised?"
Taiji Byakuya, both his physical strength and his mental fortitude had achieved the 4th Step.
The scales of victory were once again broken, beginning to tilt decisively in Byakuya's favor.
If Byakuya was considered invincible at his prior tier, then suppressing him with 4th Step attacks would still offer a reasonable chance of victory.
But today Byakuya was 4th Step, so... would 4th Step attacks still prove effective?
"This is Byakuya's true inherent strength?"
"4th Step... Hahahaha, he was already 4th Step all along?"
"We are but two 3rd Step bodies, yet he commands 4th Step... So, we never stood a chance from the very beginning?"
Queen Bee's clone, looking at 4th Step Byakuya, suddenly burst into laughter. "Indeed, 4th Step. No wonder. But have you forgotten something?"
"If this location can accommodate 4th Step life forms, then I, too, can ascend to 4th Step!"
With that declaration, Queen Bee's clone ceased suppressing her strength. Power began prioritizing this vessel, until this body ascended to 4th Step Lower-Tier!
But this was not Queen Bee's full potential. She possessed the might of a 4th Step Mid-Tier, yet she could not dedicate all her reserves to a single avatar.
Because her main body remained situated within the Reason World. If her core self were attacked during this crucial period, the results would be catastrophic.
Therefore, Queen Bee's primary form had to maintain 4th Step integrity, meaning the power she could channel into this clone was extremely limited, topping out at 4th Step Lower-Tier.
Furthermore, one critical factor remained ambiguous: what exactly were Taiji Byakuya's powers?
Queen Bee's question was answered swiftly!
Byakuya took a single step forward. The Taiji Diagram spun, and an invisible light enveloped the entire spatial area!
Deceleration!
It was deceleration again!
Queen Bee's figure froze instantly. Byakuya extended his right hand, and a black long saber materialized instantly in his grip!
Yang energy materialization?
Wait a minute!
Byakuya's Taiji form—could it be that he could utilize all his previous fragmented abilities?
For example, that deceleration—that was the Black Tortoise ability from his Four Symbols form!
And materialization was the Yang energy ability from his Yin-Yang form!
Byakuya's black saber spun towards Queen Bee's neck, but this deceleration was even more intense than before. Queen Bee's speed was infinitely slowed, making escape from this strike impossible!
"You're 4th Step, so what?"
Seeing the black saber almost upon her, at this moment, Yang Lin suddenly charged forward, batting away Byakuya's black saber with a sword!
His speed remained the same as before; he was unaffected by the slowdown.
This was because the sword in Yang Lin's hand possessed a specific ability: it ignored deceleration.
This wasn't a sudden development; his father had once consumed a superpower candy from a candy box, gaining an ability that, coincidentally, was deceleration!
After being forged into a sword, this ability underwent a modification!
It could now ignore deceleration!
However, even if Yang Lin bypassed deceleration, there was one crucial factor that couldn't be overlooked now: Byakuya had attained 4th Step!
After having his saber deflected, Byakuya instantly struck with the speed of light, slashing at Yang Lin!
Saber light flashed, and one segment of snake scale on Yang Lin's body shattered!
He originally possessed six segments remaining; now, only five were left.
The decoy previously destroyed by Byakuya's saber carried no snake scales.
From this observation, one could infer something: the scales' defense operated on a conceptual level.
No matter how potent your attack, even one from a 4th Step entity, it could still be blocked!
"Why can't you just learn to be a little quieter?"
Thud!!
Yang Lin's figure flew backward, directly colliding with the boundary of the void!
Byakuya's black saber in his hand spun, instantly reappearing before him. He delivered a powerful kick to the chest, unleashing the force of ten thousand armies!
Crack!!
The snake scales shattered. Yang Lin reached out, but Byakuya landed a high kick directly to his lower jaw, sending his entire body rocketing upwards!
Byakuya charged with his saber, and Yin fire surged, instantly engulfing Yang Lin!
At this critical juncture, only the final snake scale remained on Yang Lin's body!
The cotton rope of the Peace Talisman around his neck snapped, floating before Yang Lin's eyes. This was an item he had planned to give to his mother later.
Yang Lin reached out to retrieve the talisman, but Byakuya, with a fierce sideways kick, sent him flying again!
Thud!!
The last snake scale shattered, and Yang Lin had completely lost his defensive capabilities.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood from his chest. The Yang Tree sword flew from his hand, clattering directly onto the ground.
Byakuya stepped down heavily on the Peace Talisman, his form flickering as he assaulted Yang Lin!
He was just about to unleash a decisive saber strike, but Reinhard, operating under deceleration, intercepted, blocking Byakuya's attack with his Demon Blade!
Byakuya frowned. His right arm was instantly encased in exaggerated metal armor, and he drove a punch towards Reinhard's face!
Boom!!
Reinhard's speed suddenly skyrocketed. He directly reached out and caught Byakuya's fist.
But the sheer momentum of this punch unleashed an incredibly terrifying aura. The residual shock alone lifted Reinhard's black hair, and simultaneously, left a fracture mark on his mask!
Crack!!
Reinhard's white mask began to splinter, revealing the upper half of his face.
Byakuya saw this, and a grin spread across his lips. "I thought you were..."
Hm?
Wait a minute...
Something felt fundamentally wrong?
Byakuya, as if realizing a grave error, suddenly retreated, but a thread, utterly ignoring all defenses, struck his chest!
Byakuya reached out to grasp the thread lodged in his chest, but his hand simply passed right through the filament!
This thread was incorporeal, and it wasn't formed from spirit energy either!
Its precise function remained unknown, but Byakuya had just confirmed one crucial piece of information!
Reinhard was 4th Step!
Reinhard slowly spread his arms. One thread connected to Byakuya's chest, and another thread instantly materialized on Yang Lin's body!
He had evolved?!
Byakuya was correct; Reinhard had indeed evolved, and it had happened just now!
He had advanced directly from 3rd Step peak to 4th Step!
But Byakuya couldn't fathom the mechanism of his evolution!
Well, this takes us back a long time ago. 024 Great Serpent's consciousness escaped, and 001 went to pursue Great Serpent.
The library was right before him. At that time, Reinhard made a very bold decision!
He rushed into the library and took several items from it!
Among them was a potion!
That's right, the bookstore originally stored two potions. Later, only this one was taken by Reinhard.
At the same time, he also took several Ancient Artifacts from the bookstore.
This was the beginning of everything!
Reinhard, after obtaining the potion, had not consumed it, because he knew that if he drank the potion, with his 3rd Step peak level, he would definitely advance to 4th Step!
So this bottle of potion had always been kept by Reinhard until today!
Reinhard processed the potion into a capsule and placed it in his mouth, just as Mei had placed the Death potion in her mouth years ago!
Byakuya's ascension to 4th Step immediately made Reinhard think of something.
That's why he asked Byakuya, "Where is this place?"
And Byakuya's answer did not disappoint him: this was an independent space that disregarded external laws!
Upon receiving this information, Reinhard immediately bit down on the capsule in his mouth, completing his evolution without anyone noticing!
This potion was called "Equilibrium."
After he consumed the potion, his abilities evolved in the direction of equilibrium!
The effect of this potion wasn't overwhelmingly strong, because it wasn't a forbidden drug, just a very ordinary potion, so its effects were limited.
But this potion, when applied to 006, produced an incredibly terrifying result!
Reinhard named this evolutionary branch the Line of Equilibrium!
Simply put, he only needed to connect two people with the Line of Equilibrium, and those two individuals' strength and abilities would be leveled to the same degree!
This means, if Reinhard connected a 4th Step entity and a 2nd Step entity simultaneously, then the 2nd Step would instantly possess 4th Step combat power.
It was equivalent to forcibly pulling two people up to the same height.
At most, only two people could be connected at a time, and the thread could not be severed. The only way to break it was to deal with Reinhard!
As long as Reinhard perished, this line would naturally break.
So, logically speaking, Reinhard should connect himself with Byakuya!
However, Reinhard didn't do that. He gave the other line to Yang Lin!
Why?
Very simple: because of Byakuya's deceleration!
Reinhard could not evade Byakuya's deceleration; even balancing power was useless against it.
But Yang Lin could ignore deceleration, so this line, given to him, was the most suitable choice!
However, what if Byakuya attacked Reinhard with full force at this moment?
The answer, of course, was...
"Seventeen!"
Reinhard suddenly shouted loudly. He perceived his own speed as normal, and everyone else's too.
However, from Byakuya's perspective, their voices were extremely slow.
And Byakuya's words, when heard by them, were so fast that they couldn't even make them out!
This was temporal relativity. Everyone was decelerated. If one person wasn't decelerated, then Byakuya was equivalent to being accelerated!
Hearing Reinhard's shout, 017 Balance understood, and directly clasped his palms together!
"Open the door!"
With that, Byakuya's and Yang Lin's figures instantly vanished from where they stood!
The two of them were forcibly pulled into Balance's Bagua space!
This was the countermeasure!
If Byakuya attacked Reinhard with full force, then Byakuya would be pulled into Balance's space, preventing him from attacking Reinhard!
The rest could only be left to Yang Lin.
Reinhard held both ends of the Line of Equilibrium. If one line broke, it meant the person on the other end had died.
"Kid, it's all up to you."
...
Inside Balance's Bagua space.
After Balance consumed the forbidden drug, this space underwent a dramatic transformation, clearly expanding by an unknown magnitude.
It was also like a small world of its own.
And the eight paths had completely vanished; only the Bagua pattern remained, coiled in a circle at the center.
Byakuya stood with his hands behind his back at the absolute center of the Bagua, the Taiji Diagram behind him extending down to his feet.
Yang Lin drew his Yang Tree sword from his side. His aura and life level at this moment had surged to the exact same level as Byakuya's!
4th Step!
Yang Lin pointed his sword at Byakuya with one hand. He knew this must be Reinhard's tactical arrangement. Since that was the case, then...
"Draw your sword, just you and me!"
Byakuya smiled. He directly extended his right hand, only to see endless black qi surge forth, forming a long black saber!
"The cowards have fled. Leaving you alone to face me. Now, it's just us."
Yang Lin gripped his sword with both hands. If you asked him if he was afraid, his answer would be yes; he was afraid of death. But this was fate!
Since he was destined to fight Byakuya, there was no need to flee. Better to face fate!
Byakuya remained motionless, but Yang Lin actively launched an attack, charging towards Byakuya!
Rather than fleeing for his life, he would rather die like a warrior!
Fighting to the death, live or die!
Yang Lin's sword struck Byakuya heavily. The Yin-Yang Diagram beneath Byakuya's feet spun, directly diverting his attack in another direction!
At the same time, Byakuya turned his hand, drawing his saber and striking Yang Lin. He carved a shocking wound directly across his chest!
Yang Lin attacked, but the Taiji Diagram spun again, and his strike was neutralized!
Byakuya remained motionless, only using one hand to wield his saber, hacking Yang Lin until he was covered in lacerations.
"Only a 4th Step physical body, but no 4th Step abilities. A hollow shell."
Puff, puff!
Another bloom of blood erupted on Yang Lin's body. Blood seeped through his clothes, slowly flowing to his feet. Yang Lin forcefully unleashed another strike, but his attack couldn't even come close to the man!
Byakuya's Taiji body protection deflected all of his attacks. If he couldn't breach the Taiji, it would be difficult for Yang Lin to inflict harm upon Byakuya.
At this moment, Yang Lin took a step forward, and an aged voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"Xun [Wind] determines position, swiftness."
With that command, Yang Lin's speed suddenly surged. A whirlwind swept around him. He advanced, slashed with his sword, and then evaded Byakuya's counter-attack with a mere flicker!
Byakuya twisted his wrist, his black saber snapping back for a stab!
"Qian [Heaven] determines position, shift."
The aged voice spoke again, and Byakuya's attack abruptly changed direction!
Yang Lin seized the opportunity, striking from behind with his sword, ambushing Byakuya!
"Kun [Earth] determines position, contract."
As that voice finished, the distance between Yang Lin and Byakuya was suddenly contracted, as if the very space between them had been folded, directly teleporting Yang Lin's sword toward Byakuya's face!
Pfft!
The blade grazed his face. Byakuya urgently tilted his head, acquiring a streak of blood on his countenance.
At this moment, Byakuya's feet moved.
He took one step backward, and simultaneously wiped the blood from his face with two fingers.
"Transversing space?"
Byakuya murmured, his smile fading. Another black saber materialized in his other hand, and Yin fire surged, spraying everywhere!
He stomped the ground, directly charging at Yang Lin with full force!
Balance observed this tense confrontation. He held a spinning wheel in his hand. This wheel would complete a rotation periodically.
And each time the wheel turned, he would apply a specific force to the arena contained within the space.
Byakuya and Yang Lin's figures intermittently shifted within the space, constantly merging together; the clash of weapons accompanied by sprays of fresh blood!
Blood mist gradually saturated the entire area. And in Byakuya's eyes, the world sometimes inverted, sometimes the four cardinal directions—east, west, south, north—became chaotic!
A whirlwind accompanied Yang Lin. His speed grew faster and faster, continuously accelerating!
And each of his attacks, ignoring spatial constraints, struck Byakuya's body!
As blood splattered everywhere, Byakuya's eyes gradually became clouded with crimson mist, leaving only a pure scarlet hue!
How bizarre were the inherent abilities of this specific space!
All favorable factors were skewed toward Yang Lin, and all unfavorable factors were arrayed against Byakuya.
Byakuya ceaselessly adapted to the visual disorientation, finally resorting to directly closing his eyes, relying solely on his hearing to engage Yang Lin!
Saber after saber, sword after sword, both their weapons simultaneously struck the opponent's body. In the end, the two even abandoned defense entirely!
Yin fire burned intensely on Yang Lin's body, attempting to incinerate his entire being into nothingness, while the blood mist echoing in the space continuously regenerated his structure!
Byakuya was also self-healing, but the blood mist acted like a life-draining pump, constantly extracting flesh and blood from his form!
Gradually, the two combatants realized a critical fact!
The rate of recovery was insufficient to match the speed of destruction!
The Yin fire consumed Yang Lin faster than the blood mist could mend him!
And the blood mist drained Byakuya's vitality faster than he could regenerate his form!
At this rate, there would inevitably be only one conclusion in the end!
Simultaneous demise!
But Yang Lin harbored no thought of stopping, nor did Byakuya ever contemplate retreat!
Because there remained one decisive solution to this stalemate: eliminate the opponent before their signature ability grinds you away!
Byakuya was certain of his victory, while Yang Lin embraced the resolve of self-sacrifice. He needed to win; he had to bring his father home with him!
Time ticked away minute by minute.
Their states were like two wine glasses colliding continuously, already riddled with hairline cracks. With just a marginal increase in force, one of the glasses was bound to shatter.
Yang Lin's consciousness became infinitely hazy; only a single imperative remained in his mind: kill the opponent!
And Byakuya mirrored this intensity. Both abandoned dodging, abandoned defense, simply accepting the opponent's blows, trading wounds for wounds, blood for blood. It was plainly a trial of endurance to see who would collapse first!
It was a race to determine who would die first!
Byakuya's wrist dropped, half his body dissolving into mist, yet his remaining hand gripped the black saber fiercely, plunging it into Yang Lin's heart!
And Yang Lin's sword simultaneously pierced his own heart. Both stared at each other with wide eyes, without a word exchanged, only the pungent scent of spilled blood and heavy, laborious gasps!
Pfft!
A torrent of blood sprayed from Byakuya's eyes, immediately followed by his ears.
The black saber in his hand slowly dissipated, and his imposing figure fell, kneeling onto the ground.
Seeing this, Yang Lin, gripping his sword with both hands, gathered the last of his strength to attempt to pull out the Yang Tree sword. As a consequence, his body faltered, and he stumbled back several paces.
Yang Lin hunched over. He struggled to lift his sword, finding he couldn't. He could only drag the weapon, step by step, towards Byakuya!
The heavy greatsword scraped across the ground, emitting a harsh grating sound continuously!
Upon reaching Byakuya, Yang Lin gritted his teeth, summoned his final reserves of power, raised his sword high, and then...
Plunged the sword into the ground.
Thud!
The Yang Tree sword thus lodged itself directly into the earth before Byakuya.
Byakuya was stunned into silence. He slowly lifted his head, only to see Yang Lin's eyes wide open, supported only by the sword he had planted, before his body collapsed fully onto the ground.
His breath was so faint it was almost nonexistent.
Dead?
"I... won."
Byakuya's mouth twitched slightly. He desired to smile, but his face was incapable of forming any expression.
The corrosion inflicted by the blood mist on Byakuya's body vanished. He was left with just half of his form remaining.
"Cough... Haha, cough cough, haha, cough cough, pfft!"
Byakuya laughed and coughed relentlessly, spitting blood from his mouth and nose, then collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Yang Lin's blood and Byakuya's blood gathered in one spot, forming a viscous pool.
The Yang Tree sword, planted in the pool of blood, slowly began to absorb the surrounding blood, as if drawing sustenance.
Gradually, small sprouts and numerous plant vines emerged from the Yang Tree sword.
These sprouts and vines converged, enveloping the entirety of the Yang Tree sword, and then began to grow wildly.
Shrouded by the blood mist, this plant growing from the Yang Tree sword transformed into a towering tree.
Immediately following this, countless small green orbs budded on the massive tree. These green orbs exploded one after another, releasing white, dandelion-like fluff.
In an instant, all the green orbs detonated.
Vast quantities of white fluff scattered across the environment, drifting like snow across the sky, slowly settling downward.
Summer snow, Yang Tree flowers.
The fluff gently settled into the blood, and also upon Byakuya's eyes.
"The Yang Tree... blooming?"