The "Sorcerer Supreme" Shinji referred to was, naturally, the Shrine Maiden Shion, who had been practicing magic diligently lately.
In terms of pure power, Shion—as a complete Shrine Maiden—was already on par with any Sorcerer Supreme in the Sixth Ring World. Now that she was training in magic and beginning to condense her own Magic Ring, her strength was approaching a critical threshold, with a breakthrough to the Six Paths Level possible at any moment.
Therefore, having Shion, a Shrine Maiden from the shinobi world, play the role of a temporary Sorcerer Supreme to fill the void in the magical barrier left by the Storm Sorcerer Supreme's death was a necessary, albeit unconventional, solution.
After a brief moment of shock, Arcane asked urgently, "Captain, can you truly invite a Sorcerer Supreme to join us?"
"Yes," Shinji nodded slightly. "However, I cannot guarantee that she will be able to coordinate perfectly with the other five Sorcerers Supreme."
This world was named the "Sixth Ring," implying that the six sorcerers of this lineage were deeply familiar with one another and possessed seamless teamwork. While Shion matched them in strength—or even surpassed them—she was ultimately a self-taught mage. Her Magic Ring was not yet fully formed, making coordination a significant challenge.
Arcane nodded. "Coordinating between Magic Rings is indeed a major issue, but even without perfect chemistry, having an extra Sorcerer Supreme will make things much better than they are now. Captain, if possible, please invite them to the Sixth Ring World as soon as you can!"
"That won't be a problem," Shinji replied. "I'll arrange for her to come shortly."
Arcane's spirit surged. "Excellent! Rest assured, once they arrive, we will spare no expense to immediately build a custom Magic Tower tailored to their needs!"
The World-Ending Society
The existing five Magic Towers were the culmination of centuries of magical reinforcement and modification. However, to stop a Hegemon and save their world from total annihilation, the Sixth Ring World was more than capable of rushing the construction of a new tower.
Once the logistics were settled, Arcane hurried away to begin preparations. After further discussion, the remaining Lampbearers decided to proceed with Plan A and Plan B simultaneously.
After the meeting, Alice and Hengo brought a Lampbearer codenamed "Specter" to see Shinji.
"Captain," Alice began, "Specter has news regarding the World-Ending Society."
The World-Ending Society was a small faction within the Lampbearer community, similar in scale to Alice's former group. However, the members of this society were universally malevolent—specializing in scams, kidnapping, and looting. Many of them were currently on the community's most-wanted list.
Shinji had already taken note of this group. His God Tree was currently just a small amount of planetary energy away from nurturing the next Chakra Fruit. He had been considering which world to harvest that energy from, and the World-Ending Society had naturally become a prime target.
"Tell me," Shinji said, his interest piqued. "What is the news?"
"Captain," Specter said, "I suspect the World-Ending Society is in contact with a Hegemon."
A Dangerous Collusion
Shinji's brow furrowed. While the Lampbearers in that society were scum, they were still Lampbearers meant to protect a realm. If they were colluding with a Hegemon, the nature of the situation changed entirely.
"I know a guy in the society named 'Battle-Axe,'" Specter explained. "He hinted to me that once you join the World-Ending Society, you never have to worry about the Hegemons again!"
"Is that all? I need more proof," Shinji countered.
Specter hesitated, then added, "Later, he bragged to me that the Society had already 'finished off' one world!"
Alice chimed in: "Captain, I've received many reports about them as well. They used to be known as a pirate crew, but the name 'World-Ending Society' only started circulating in recent years. I tried to eliminate them before, but they escaped every time."
"Yeah," Hengo added. "They have sharp noses and are incredibly vengeful. I know several Lampbearers who fell into their hands. Eventually, people just stopped messing with them."
Shinji looked at them. "Do you truly believe they have a form of contact with a Hegemon?"
"I can't be sure," Alice replied. "But if it's true, we are facing a massive problem."
While Lampbearers were wary of one another, they still traded and communicated. If a group was actively colluding with a Hegemon, everyone else was at risk. Even more terrifying was the implication: at least one Hegemon was no longer aimlessly searching the universe for targets, but was using traitors to hunt down specific worlds.
Considering the gravity of this, Shinji couldn't ignore the Society, regardless of the evidence. After Specter left, Shinji asked Alice, "Can he be trusted?"
"He helped me before," Alice said. "Personally, I believe he is trustworthy."
Shinji nodded. "Good. Arrange for him to set up a meeting with this 'Battle-Axe.' I'll see for myself if this World-Ending Society truly has the power to destroy worlds."
"Captain, let us scout the situation first!" Hengo offered.
"Yes," Alice agreed. "A Hegemon might be involved, after all."
They trusted Shinji's strength, but the Society was no ordinary group; they feared he might walk into a trap. Shinji shook his head. "No need. You're needed here to watch over the Sixth Ring World. Besides, your names are too well-known in the community—you'd be targeted immediately."
Shinji was already thinking about his tree. He had the sacrifice; he just needed the planetary energy for the second fruit. Even without the Society's schemes, he would have found a target eventually. Now that they had delivered themselves to his doorstep, he was more than happy to accept.