In the deep, boundless universe, two auras so powerful they made one tremble were clashing with each other!
Inside the Sixth Ring World, Shinji's expression was solemn. Although he was separated from the two Hegemons by a spatial barrier, having witnessed their terror, he knew that as long as a Hegemon was willing, breaking through that barrier was not difficult—it was merely a matter of whether they were willing to pay the price.
Slightly narrowing his eyes, Shinji focused all his senses on the battle outside the spatial barrier.
To him, witnessing a fight between Hegemons was undoubtedly a precious experience. He was unwilling to waste this opportunity, wanting to understand the Hegemons' true nature and their methods of combat as much as possible.
However, because of the barrier of the Sixth Ring World, he could only faintly perceive the cosmic battle through the spatial rift that the Propagation Hegemon had just forced open.
Judging by the aura of both sides, the Plague Hegemon undoubtedly held the absolute upper hand. The Propagation Hegemon was retreating steadily, its aura becoming erratic.
"The Propagation Hegemon is retreating?"
Shinji frowned.
He could clearly sense that the Propagation Hegemon's aura had not weakened but moved further away, indicating that it had fled.
This was not what Shinji wanted to see.
According to Alice's plan, the best result would naturally be for the Propagation and Plague Hegemons to perish together, solving two threats at once.
The second best would be for one Hegemon to eliminate the other at the cost of being severely wounded.
As it stood—with the Propagation Hegemon retreating and the Plague Hegemon remaining almost unscathed—it was the worst possible outcome next to the two Hegemons cooperating to invade the Sixth Ring World.
"It seems the Propagation Hegemon isn't much weaker than the Plague Hegemon; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to retreat safely..."
Shinji realized that the gap in strength between the two was likely not that distinct.
The reason the Plague Hegemon was considered more formidable in the Lampbearer circle was probably just because its methods of invasion were more unsolvable. Since most Lampbearers were too far below that level, they couldn't accurately measure the difference in strength.
This was also why the Plague Hegemon, which had targeted the Sixth Ring World first, hadn't moved against the Propagation Hegemon immediately when it arrived.
The one who broke this balance was Shinji!
In other words, Shinji's current strength was already sufficient to be the "variable" that shattered the equilibrium between two Hegemons!
Because of Shinji's presence, the Propagation Hegemon was weakened, leading to its expulsion by the Plague Hegemon.
Suddenly, while lost in thought, Shinji felt a mysterious, chilling shiver.
Realizing something, he cast his gaze toward the spatial rift. There, within the crack, he saw a dark, gloomy silhouette!
"The Plague Hegemon!"
Shinji's heart tightened instantly.
Clearly, after driving away the Propagation Hegemon, the Plague Hegemon did not continue the chase. Instead, it doubled back immediately, seemingly intending to use the spatial rift torn open by the Propagation Hegemon to invade the Sixth Ring World.
Shinji clenched his right hand. Nine Truth-Seeking Balls instantly gathered in his palm, transforming into a brilliant golden sword.
Whoosh...
Without a shred of hesitation, Shinji lunged with his sword toward that dark shadow outside the spatial rift!
A brilliant, dazzling golden light instantly blossomed in the deep universe, pushing the dark silhouette that was attempting to infiltrate the Sixth Ring World backward.
This was his first time clashing with the Plague Hegemon. His heart was somewhat anxious, but he quickly suppressed his stray thoughts and focused his mind.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion in his hand.
Though that strike had repelled the Plague Hegemon, the blade seemed to have been tainted by something, turning dim and mottled.
"Pollution again..."
One must know that the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion was Shinji's strongest offensive technique. Even after clashing with the Propagation Hegemon, it hadn't been this severely polluted. Now, after just one strike against the Plague Hegemon, the blade was so mottled it was nearly unusable. It was clear just how terrifying the Plague Hegemon's radiation pollution truly was.
Despite this, Shinji remained at the rift, not backing down an inch.
He shook his hand, dispersing the polluted golden sword. In the next instant, he manifested a new one. Holding it, he beckoned toward the gloomy figure lurking outside the spatial rift: "If you have the guts, come in!"
The dark silhouette outside the rift seemed to hesitate while staring at Shinji.
At that moment, with Arcane continuously exerting the power of the Lamp, the rift forced open by the Propagation Hegemon began to shrink. Finally, under the standoff between Shinji and the shadow outside, it vanished completely!
Seeing the spatial rift disappear, Shinji finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Don't be fooled by his arrogance toward the Plague Hegemon just now—he was purely bluffing.
After the series of fierce battles, his chakra consumption was immense. Specifically, sealing a portion of the Propagation Hegemon's body had cost him more than half of his total chakra.
Chakra consumption was secondary, though.
The most troublesome part was the strike he aimed at the Plague Hegemon. Although it successfully stopped the invasion, it had caused his chakra to be polluted. This pollution didn't vanish when he dispersed the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion; the moment the blade was tainted, his body had been polluted as well.
However, as his strength had grown, his chakra's resistance to pollution had also undergone a qualitative leap. Therefore, the Plague Hegemon's pollution was merely troublesome to him now, not fatal.
After standing guard in the starry sky for a while longer to confirm that the Plague Hegemon had no intention of forcing its way in, he returned to the ground.
Seeing Shinji descend, the Lampbearers who had been waiting for a long time gathered around him.
Alice asked, "How is it?"
Shinji said calmly, "I sealed a portion of the Propagation Hegemon, damaging its strength. It was driven away by the Plague Hegemon."
"!?"
Even though they had guessed as much, they couldn't hide their shock.
They couldn't imagine it—Shinji not only possessed the strength to face a Hegemon directly but had even severely wounded one and sealed away a part of its body.
This was simply inconceivable. If this news spread through the Lampbearer circle, no one would be able to keep their jaw from dropping.
Shinji looked at the sky and continued, "The Plague Hegemon tried to take advantage of the situation to invade. I struck it once and forced it back for now. However, it hasn't left; it's still lurking outside the spatial barrier, so we can't be careless."
"Yes!"
The Lampbearers all nodded subconsciously, naturally positioning themselves as his subordinates.