Chapter 310: Riding the Infinite Loli Dragon
After a massive magic circle activated, a space began to take shape.
It was as if a virtual world was constructing a game realm.
In almost the blink of an eye, a dimension that looked nearly identical to the Temple of Time formed.
Of course, no matter how similar, it couldn't compare to the Temple of Time space that Renji deployed after using his Noble Phantasm.
Next, he employed another spell—one related to time manipulation that he had obtained from Kuroka.
This spell had since been reprogrammed by him and was now being put to the test.
As the spell unfolded, intricate incantations swirled around him, forming complex polygonal patterns that seemed to scan his body.
The moment the scanning appeared to conclude, the spell instantly solidified beneath his feet into a elaborate magic circle, emitting a rather dazzling light.
Sensing something, Renji took a step forward.
Yet, in the spot he had just left, another version of him remained?
It was as if his soul had stepped out? Or perhaps it was a lingering phantom?
The him who had stepped forward turned around and reached out a hand toward the other him—be it phantom or physical—behind him.
Simultaneously, the him in the original spot also extended a hand, and the two exchanged a firm high-five.
It was a solid, tangible high-five.
Immediately after, the two began to spar with each other, a truly bizarre sight.
"Barely passable,"
The words came from his mouth—no, from both of their mouths simultaneously.
In other words, both were him.
The him who had stepped out of the magic circle first was essentially the future version of the him standing inside the circle, one second ahead.
Their exchange wasn't a fight between two independent consciousnesses; rather, it was like a scene from a martial arts film he had once seen, where a character fought using both hands against each other.
He was simply splitting his focus, simultaneously controlling two separate bodies.
This was the spell he had developed by combining Kuroka's time manipulation techniques with his own cross-dimensional temporal spell from another world.
Of course, if possible, he would have preferred to use the cross-dimensional spell directly here.
Unfortunately, that wasn't feasible, which was why he had created this alternative.
For a short period, it allowed him to seemingly double his power.
No, it wasn't that simple.
Good. He immediately dispersed the spell, and the two versions instantly merged back into one.
Now, it was time for the next step: he would channel infinite power into this space.
This infinite power was drawn from a source similar to Ophis's wellspring of energy, equivalent to this world's root power.
His purpose in drawing this power was, of course, to lure the loli Dragon God over.
From what he had learned from Kuroka, this Infinite Dragon God was overly innocent, much like a child, with no deep cunning or schemes.
Given that, Renji naturally intended to trick this loli Dragon God into coming.
So, he began constructing a spell to connect to the dimensional crevices, reaching deep into the void to allow that power to descend.
Thus, Renji's body began to appear as if it were emanating a gray mist.
The mist dissipated and vanished rapidly upon leaving the body, but upon closer observation, one would notice the space gradually undergoing subtle changes.
The colorless, transparent void itself seemed to be slowly tinted with shades of gray.
So, have you sensed it?
If Ophis, who constantly observes the dimensional gap, were present, she should have detected the anomaly.
Additionally, caution was warranted regarding the True Red Dragon God Emperor wandering through the dimensional gap, as that entity might also cause interference.
Hm?
Renji, sensing something, looked up several hundred meters to his right, where the space suddenly distorted violently.
The next moment, it split open, and a petite, adorable figure clad in a black dress emerged from the torn spatial rift.
She made a somewhat endearing gesture, like a small puppy twitching her delicate nose to sniff the air.
"It smells like the dimensional gap, but this isn't the dimensional gap."
A bewildered murmur escaped her tender lips.
Then, her eyes, darker than the deepest night, turned toward Renji. After a brief pause, she flashed across the hundreds of meters in an instant, appearing right beside him, and leaned in to sniff again.
"Why are you using power identical to mine?"
Ophis tilted her head cutely as she asked.
"Because I drew it directly from the depths of the dimensional gap."
"Eh? You've been to the depths of the dimensional gap?"
Her typically emotionless voice now carried a hint of excitement.
"No, I haven't."
"Haven't?"
Ophis was deeply perplexed. How could he wield power identical to hers without having been there?
"Did you obtain my serpent from someone?"
Ophis had granted her so-called "serpents"—fragments of her power—to many individuals.
But no, if it were power separated from her, she would know. The energy emanating from this person did not belong to her.
"No, I directly extracted it across space from the very place where your existence originated."
"Extracted it across space?"
Ophis stared blankly for a moment.
"Then... can you send me back?"
Her eyes shimmered with hope.
"I can, but I need to form a contract with you."
"Anything. As long as I can return, any contract is fine."
The innocent Dragon God, yearning to return to her dormant homeland, was truly willing to pay any price.
"Good. From now on, I need you to stay by my side for ten years. After ten years, I will send you back."
This demand left Ophis momentarily stunned.
Though naive about worldly affairs, she could understand that such a requirement was almost equivalent to no demand at all.
Ten years might seem long to humans, but to Ophis, it was far too brief—shorter than a single nap of hers.
"And I hope you will merge with this card."
"Okay."
Everything proceeded so smoothly, so effortlessly, that Renji wondered if he were dreaming.
However, the subsequent fusion with the Demon God Pillar Card posed a slight problem.
As expected, an entity of her caliber would not feel any inclination to submit to him through a single card.
So, he changed his approach outright: he would entrust all existing Seventy-Two Demon Gods to Ophis, effectively storing them with her.
His true purpose in converting the Seventy-Two Demon Gods had always been to have enough beings share his burdens.
And now, this adorable loli dragon alone was enough to bear half of it, so he simply placed all the remaining cards on this cute dragon.
So, he wouldn't look for suitable candidates anymore?
He would, and once he found them, he'd extract the cards from the loli Dragon God.
"Is this all right?"
After merging with the final card, Ophis widened her eyes and asked him.
"Yes."
"Then it's settled. You must send me back."
"Of course."
So, Renji patted the head of this all-too-easy-to-abduct Infinite Cute Dragon.
As for his promise to send her back?
He did promise, but who knew if she would still want to go back when the time came.
Once she boarded his pirate ship, it wouldn't be so easy to disembark.
"Ophis, can you revert to your dragon form?"
He was somewhat curious about what it looked like.
"Huh? Okay."
In an instant, a black dragon resembling an Eastern dragon filled the entire space, almost bursting it apart.
And Renji stood atop the dragon's head.
"Alright, you can change back now."
Otherwise, if the space collapsed, this massive body would be exposed to the outside world.
So, after these words, the enormous form vanished, reverting to the adorable, petite figure of a young girl.
Then, Renji rode this Infinite Cute Dragon in a rather peculiar state...