Chapter 115: How about it, Itadori Yuji? Do you want to elbow strike Nanook?
「 "What is that future you speak of?" Stelle was very curious about this.
She found it difficult to understand what kind of future would require the power of the entire Xianzhou Alliance, or even the Star God of the Hunt?
"Like I said: Elio withheld key pieces of information from me. The future holds endless possibilities. Knowing the right thing at the wrong time could spoil all our hard work."
"There is only one thing I can tell you about the future: In the best and the worst cases, you will eventually have to face Nanook the Destruction. When that time comes, you will need all the help you can get. It will be a brutal struggle of Aeonic proportions..."
"...proportions that neither you, nor I, nor the Astral Express will ever be able to reach. In the vast majority of futures, that's when destiny ends. But if we follow Elio's plan, there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon."
"Do you know, Stelle? Even Star Gods can be killed."
Kafka's tone was calm like water, yet the words she spoke caused a shudder. 」
「 .....」
〜Jujutsu Kaisen World, Present Timeline〜
Tokyo Jujutsu High, Japan.
"God-slaying? What a wild idea! But I love it!"
Ieiri Shoko slapped her thigh.
Before Kafka mentioned the Star God War, he had always assumed Star Gods were lofty beings, supreme existences that transcended and mastered certain rule-based abilities.
Now, linking "Star God" and "death" together gave these beings a rare sense of reality.
"Then, according to Kafka's statement, can we determine that 'Star God's' are merely a type of organism? …Except that their power is vastly greater,"
Kusakabe Atsuya guessed.
"If categorized as an organism, then killing them might truly be possible…"
"Can Black Flash work on them?"
Itadori Yuji blurted out.
"Uh… that… probably not?"
Iori Utahime held her teacup, briefly imagining Itadori Yuji hitting Nanook with a Black Flash elbow strike… Hiss, that felt a little terrifying.
"If what Elio said is true, and the fight against Nanook is an Star God-level battle, wouldn't calling in the Express crew be useless?"
Itadori Yuji shook his head, saying,
"Stelle is strong, but are we really expecting her to hit Nanook's head with a baseball bat?"
"Uh…"
Kusakabe Atsuya also imagined it, and it didn't really form a clear picture.
"The battle of Star God's is a level unattainable by humans. It seems the only deceased Star God is Akivili of the Trailblaze, right? Was He killed by other Star God's?"
—
「 Meanwhile, on the other side of the Xianzhou.
"Hey, Luocha, you only told half the story about the 『 Propagation 』. Keep going, it's really interesting. It's strange, Star Gods can die too? Aren't they invincible?"
Luocha smiled slightly: "There is no absolute invincibility in the world, nor is there eternal immortality; this is merely an exaggeration from a mortal perspective. However, the demise of the 『 Propagation 』 did indeed transcend the mortal scale—He fell at the hands of other Star Gods."
Sushang tilted her head: "…I don't understand. They're all Star Gods, so why the fighting and killing?"
"You... Are you really from Tianzhou!?"
Sushang's naive expression momentarily stumped Luocha.
"Leaving aside the other Star Gods, surely you know the story of Lan of the Hunt and Yaoshi of the 『 Abundance 』? Isn't the Alliance's long-cherished wish to eliminate the Star God?"
"Of course I know!" When mentioning the Xianzhou history taught by teachers in class, Sushang's volume quickly slipped away, just like her confidence. "Mmm, I know a little… I was supervised by my mother practicing swordsmanship all day, so I didn't attend much school…" 」
「 .....」
〜One Punch Man World〜
Hero Association Headquarters.
"The 『 Propagation 』… an Star God I've never heard of,"
Child Emperor muttered to himself.
"But it reminds me of the bugs and alien monsters in those sci-fi movies I've watched, the ones that can hatch under all sorts of conditions."
"The name of every Star God more or less represents Their duties. The 『 Propagation 』 must be like the 『 Abundance 』, an Star God who indiscriminately scatters Their power across different worlds, right?"
Bang said.
"Fortunately, He died at the hands of another Star God, otherwise I'd genuinely worry that His power might one day affect our world."
"Tch, what is there to worry about?"
Atomic Samurai scoffed.
"To deal with enemies that propagate and multiply, you just need enough slashes to kill them. Unless it's the Star God themselves… there's nothing to fear."
After speaking, Atomic Samurai's gaze flickered toward the green-haired girl directly in front of him.
The unspoken meaning was obvious: with Tatsumaki, a psychic powerhouse, present, no matter how numerous the enemies were, they would just be an easy meal for little Tatsumaki. The true threats requiring caution were figures and combat power at the Emanator level and above.
—
「 "Then… perhaps we should change the subject?" Luocha was helpless.
"Alright, I'll change the subject then: what's inside that big box?" Sushang curiously craned her neck to look at the coffin behind Luocha.
"Oh... this one? It's a casket, more commonly known as a coffin. It's for containing the remains of the deceased." Luocha explained.
"The deceased?" Sushang widened her eyes. "Aren't you a traveling merchant?"
"This is also part of the merchant's work," Luocha explained unhurriedly.
"I was commissioned to deliver this coffin back to Tianzhou along my route. Heh, for long-life species whose lifespans easily reach a thousand years, death is probably a distant concept, isn't it?"
"Nope. The Cloud Knights spend a lot of time on the battlefield— death is a common occurrence. It's just, we don't put bodies in boxes— uh— coffins... In Xianzhou, people go to the Hall of Karma in the Ten-Lords Commission (Long-Life Supervisory Authority) and consecrate the names and jade abacuses of the dead. It's our way of saying goodbye." 」
「 .....」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
"Hmm… that's it? Isn't that too simple?"
Hu Tao furrowed her brow slightly. One must know that in Teyvat, aside from life and death, nothing else is a major event, and the specifications for funeral rites are extremely important.
"Aren't things like the longevity mound, treasury, carriages, boats, sedan chairs, spirit clothes, and spirit boxes prepared? The Xianzhou seems quite particular about these matters?"
"Director, although the Xianzhou and Liyue share some cultural commonalities, their customs and habits are generally vastly different. The rules and etiquette for funeral rites must be adapted to local conditions,"
Zhongli chuckled.
"Ah, what a shame. If I could open the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in the Xianzhou, perhaps I could…"
Zhongli's gaze gently swept across the girl's cheek, then he calmly took a sip of tea:
"Does the Director mean to say, make a huge profit?"
"Eh? Consultant, that is so vulgar of you."
Hu Tao smiled cunningly, her twin tails swaying behind her head:
"This is called cultural dissemination, and incidentally… 'exchanging' the Liyue culture of mourning. If we can use this foundation to expand and strengthen the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business, then that would naturally be for the best~"
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