At the spot where Satsuki's black [Dead Line Boundary] once stood—
A lone figure remained, her long black hair flowing wildly in the swirling energy storm, black lightning of annihilation crackling around her.
The shattering of the Dead Line Boundary had exposed her directly to the twin cataclysms—each strong enough to destroy stars and rend worlds. Even her golden body of the Demon Buddha had suffered damage.
The broken prayer beads and scattered gemstones at her waist were undeniable proof—this was the first time the Demon Buddha had ever faced true injury in direct combat. Yet the blood trailing down from the corner of her lips only curved upward with the rise of her smile.
A faint blue light flickered across her form—[Status Infusion] restored her body completely.
The space around her echoed with a tone brimming with exhilaration.
"Since descending into this world, not a single god, human, or demon has managed to harm me in the slightest. Therefore—you are worthy to witness me fight at full strength for the first time."
Her words of absolute dominion reverberated through the world. Along with them surged a terrifying current of Vipralopa energy around her body.
"How can this be… even now, she still can't be defeated!?"
Even with their Masters providing near-infinite mana from afar, the King of Heroes and the King of Knights found themselves utterly unable to move.
The only one left with strength to fight was the mysterious Assassin.
Flickering with ghostly blue fire, Assassin seized the brief moment when Satsuki's Dead Line Boundary had collapsed—when her golden body was momentarily exposed—and launched a furious assault.
Thrusts. Sweeps. Slashes.
Every motion of the Old Man of the Mountain was vast and unrestrained—more akin to the frenzied rampage of a berserker than the subtle, silent precision of an assassin. Each strike carried devastating weight.
Satsuki wielded a dark-gold longsword in one hand. After only a few exchanges, she realized that in pure swordsmanship, she was completely outmatched.
However, fortified by the might of the Demon Buddha's golden body, she had no fear of the decayed blade striking her. Instead, she divided her focus, channeling the immense magical power within her body.
Having used [Vipralopa: Earthly Wheel Reincarnation Annihilation], the burden placed upon her [Giant Tenseigan] was immense. For the time being, both [Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion] and [Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion] were unavailable.
But she still had one final trump card—[Three Divine Kings' Sacred Wheel].
Though Assassin held the advantage in swordsmanship, he could not break through Satsuki's defense.
Her physical foundation was simply too overwhelming. Even a casual swing could deflect Assassin's full-strength thrust, while a single counterattack could easily tear his body apart.
Yet, with his EX-rank [Battle Continuation] and his existence already beyond the boundary, normal concepts of "death" no longer applied to him.
Though Satsuki's [Instant Death Authority] could not affect him, she still possessed other methods of attack.
With a sharp, commanding shout—
"Begone!!!!"
"Begone!!!!"
"Begone!!"
Black annihilation lightning exploded outward under Satsuki's will—an existence capable of erasing even the entropy of the universe itself, reducing all matter to nothingness.
Even Assassin, indifferent to death itself, sensed true danger. Instantly, he turned into blue spectral flame and retreated from Satsuki's position.
At that moment, three distinct powers burst from the [Three Divine Kings' Sacred Wheel] on Satsuki's wrist. The combined energy of the Vipralopa Wheel gathered behind her head, forming a vast, radiant, and intricate celestial halo.
From every corner of existence, the echo of Sanskrit hymns resounded.
Across the endless sky, twisted Sanskrit symbols began descending like rain, while the ground sprouted countless black mandalas.
The King of Knights and the King of Heroes, upon hearing the sound, found their bodies no longer obeying their will. Their Saint Graphs were forcibly distorted under an overwhelming external force, twisting toward the state of [Anti-Servants].
With the curse of Māra—the Dharma of the Demon Buddha who defies enlightenment—the very world beyond began to wail in lamentation. Satsuki's unleashed power had long since surpassed the limits this world could contain.
For her, releasing a Noble Phantasm's true name held no meaning anymore.
The authority unleashed from the [Three Divine Kings' Sacred Wheel] had transcended even the measurable limits of Alaya's system.
Bathed in the omnipresent light of Vipralopa, her power no longer hid itself—it demanded that Alaya reveal its final hand.
In her grasp, a primordial world—shrouded in chaos and creation—flickered faintly into existence.
—It was none other than Satsuki's [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra].
"Alaya… how much longer do you intend to hide?"
Channeling her authority into the misty void within her grasp, Satsuki unleashed the [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra], letting it expand infinitely outward—until the entire world was transformed.
Everywhere the eye could see, layers upon layers of crystalline realms, glimmering with faint Buddha light, unfolded endlessly.
Boundless black radiance stretched both upward and downward without end. Twisted Sanskrit characters flowed ceaselessly along the vast outer walls of this layered cosmos, filling heaven and earth with gray, distorted light and scripture.
When swept by this radiance, there was no distinction between the famed King of Knights or the world-cleaving King of Heroes—before Satsuki, they were one and the same.
For within this domain, only the Demon Buddha reigned as the sole, undeniable truth.
Here, no existence and no law could surpass her.
With a mere wave of her hand, the King of Heroes—who had split heaven and earth—vanished from the space.
With a single thought, the undefeated King of Knights was engulfed and erased by the devouring black light.
Even legends that had carved their names into history could not resist. Unless one stood beyond the boundary—unless one could maintain their true self—they could not contend against Satsuki.
From beginning to end, they had never stood a chance.
Yet Satsuki had never been waiting for Alaya's strike.
Throughout her battle with the Heroic Spirits, she had been gathering traces of Alaya's power—and just now, she had finally succeeded in luring out her greatest opponent.
"Since the immeasurable kalpas, at long last, a second [Enlightened One] is born within this world. Truly… this brings me joy."
With a tone of reverent admiration, a broken figure appeared before Satsuki—it was Assassin's ruined body.
His form was shattered, fragmented, glowing faintly with the same light that emanated from Satsuki herself, suspended within the [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra].
Then, enveloped by radiant brilliance, an immense vortex of will pierced through the [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra] and descended into Assassin's body.
From the white brilliance emerged a solemn figure, seated in lotus posture upon green leaves—a divine presence of sacred majesty.
One hand formed a mudra, six crimson points gleamed upon his brow.
He was robed in red kasaya, his lowered gaze serene and profound—his expression exuded the mystery of enlightenment, unstained by shadow or impurity, radiating holiness itself.
At a glance, Satsuki understood—the being before her was utterly unique, unparalleled across all realms.
And, he was the most powerful existence she had ever encountered in all her journeys across the worlds.
The Enlightened One—Śākyamuni.
The Enlightened One was a being whose mind had reached a realm of clarity far surpassing even Satsuki's.
To face such an existence, Satsuki had no certainty of victory.
However, she did not believe his descent had come with the intent to oppose her.
After all, within this cosmic domain, the Enlightened One was the supreme existence.
His Buddhist realm extended far beyond the solar system, encompassing the entire cosmos—the Buddhakṣetra known as the "Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds."
The Milky Way itself was but one "Three Thousand World"; thousands of these formed a Great World, and thousands of Great Worlds together made up the "Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds."
Those who journeyed tirelessly to save all sentient beings were called Bodhisattvas; those who achieved liberation were also called Bodhisattvas. Such beings possessed cosmic-scale existence—divine entities capable of overseeing entire solar systems with ease.
Satsuki, in her [Aspect of the Demon Buddha], was known as the [Three Thousand Great Thousand Heavens' Demon King]—and it was for this reason.
Yet the Enlightened One was a being who had transcended even that level, while Satsuki was merely one with the potential to reach it.
"So, the Enlightened One has not come to save this human order?"
"Among the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, there exist as many stars as grains of sand in the Ganges. The overturning of one such grain holds neither the need nor the worth of my intervention."
The Enlightened One's body emitted a faint radiance. Within his lotus-hued eyes, he instantly perceived the entirety of Satsuki's origin.
"I have come merely out of curiosity for your birth."
As he spoke, a soft light rippled across his body.
The Buddha's radiance spread outward, and the [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra] was split cleanly in two. Satsuki did not resist; with a graceful motion, she withdrew her domain.
When the [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra] receded, the surrounding environment shifted once more—returning to the familiar grounds of Ryuudou Temple, Mount Enzou.
Though the scenery seemed unchanged, both beings present could perceive the truth behind the illusion.
Through divine means, the Enlightened One had restored the world's form—but upon the planet, no trace of intelligent life remained.
Humanity's collective will, Alaya, had lost its anchor; only Gaia's force—the planet's own will—persisted in fragmentary form.
"This realm sinks ever deeper into the trials of Māra. The beings within, ensnared by their own sins, struggle or surrender to the sixfold temptations of desire, unable to attain release. Yet you, the one called Māra, Lord of the Sixth Heaven, have escaped the sea of craving instead."
"You see clearly, Enlightened One. Yet this is the choice of most beings upon this planet."
Satsuki raised her hand—gold and azure light intertwining—spreading across the entire world.
"When the Dharma is extinguished, the beings shall depart from the realm of desire. This is their will—not mine."
In that instant, the world seemed to reverse in time. Space and history folded backward.
All sentient life erased by the expansion of the [Black Domain Buddhakṣetra] was restored once more, reinserted into their destined paths by the authority of the [Wheel of Creation] and the [Wheel of Fate].
"All who live must die; all beings suffer within the wheel of rebirth…"
Watching as life once again filled the world through Satsuki's—Māra's—power, the Enlightened One's expression remained unchanged.
"Even if not by your hand, when the destined time arrives, I too shall proclaim the end of the Three Thousand Worlds. All beings—all suffering—shall return unto me. In ultimate awakening, all shall become one."
"If all beings become one, then the Three Thousand Paths shall cease to exist," Satsuki replied calmly, seated upon her black lotus throne. Her tone was serene and divine—her posture, uncannily akin to that of the Enlightened One himself. "If all beings are enlightened, then what need remains for an Enlightened One?"
Then she continued.
"The path to enlightenment is not singular, nor is enlightenment a singular end. Just as good and evil bear no true distinction—some choose to fall, some to struggle, some to transcend, some to descend."
"Human perception does not change the nature of existence itself. There is no need to interfere—simply await the convergence and dispersal of karmic bonds."
At this, the Enlightened One's fingers formed a mudra, and a faint smile touched his lips.
"Amitābha. You have already attained enlightenment. My journey here has not been in vain."
With that, the divine figure of the Enlightened One vanished—just as abruptly as he had appeared.
Within the vast, empty Ryuudou Temple, only Satsuki's lone figure remained.
And deep within the Root, a new Alaya was already forming, reshaping itself anew—but that was far beyond Satsuki's concern.
Then, from within her consciousness, the voice of her system spoke once more.
"Host, the total energy data from Alaya and Akasha's records has been successfully archived. The Time-Space Medal is now fully charged. Would you like to continue traversing—or return to the Naruto world?"
Only then did Satsuki finally relax, exhaling a long breath.
At last—every one of her goals had been achieved.
"No need to rush…"
Her Tenseigan gazed into the heavens, where an enormous invisible vortex was coiling and rotating.
It was the manifestation of the Counter Force—known as "Gaia."
The massive vortex spiraled around Satsuki, and then—from her body—another existence separated.
Aside from the red eyes and white hair, the figure looked identical to Satsuki.
"So this is what they call the 'King of the Lostbelt'?"
Satsuki glanced calmly at the "self" created by Gaia's imitation.
The white-haired Gaia looked back at her—those eyes devoid of true intellect, resembling the divine, detached state of Arjuna Alter.
"Our agreement has been fulfilled. The transaction is now complete."
Within her consciousness, the space-time passage connecting to the Naruto world had fully stabilized. Even the central pillar—the artifact [Atlas]—had been retrieved and set aside.
Behind Satsuki, a new dimensional gate opened.
Before leaving, she turned her gaze once more toward a distant point.
There, Asato Miyatsuki had just awakened, dazed and disoriented.
And the being once known as "All the World's Evil"—Iphis—stood still, gently removing the single white petal from her forehead.
Her brow furrowed slightly, as though some faint instinct told her the petal was important. Yet she could no longer remember what it signified.
Even her identity as [All the World's Evil] had been completely forgotten.
Just as the one once branded "Angra Mainyu" had borne the sins of all mankind, she too had been reborn anew—as the apprentice magus named [Iphis].
Now, she simply studied magic under her mentor in peace—
As for everything else, both her memories and her destiny had long since been rewritten into nothingness.