Chapter 760: Reversing Good and Evil
The Demon Lord of Absolute Evil, Azi Dahaka, was defeated in ancient times by a certain 3-Digit God King, who buried several stakes into his heart.
This made it possible for this Demon Lord, a [Final Trial of Humanity], to be sealed.
The Community [A Village at the End of the Dark Willow] used a special Pioneer's Gift to make those stakes take root and sprout, growing into a [Giant Tree of Life].
This sealed the Demon Lord Azi Dahaka from the outside.
And there was also an internal reason for this seal. The Zoroastrian pantheon's own [Theological Cosmology: Zoroastrian Dualism]—the fundamental concept that led to Azi Dahaka's birth—had a built-in concept of dualism between Good and Evil.
As the symbol of [Absolute Evil], Azi Dahaka had to rely on [Good] to exist. The Zoroastrian pantheon, through [History] and [Doctrine], created a theological cosmology (simulated Star Particle Creation) where "Good will inevitably triumph over Evil."
This conceptual existence fundamentally restricted Azi Dahaka. It could also be said to have set the tone for his ultimately inevitable defeat.
Kaito Shirogane followed behind Ouroboros, listening as she recounted the various secrets of this world in detail. He could sense that this woman was probably once a Reincarnator extremely skilled at unearthing hidden plots in worlds.
In the Infinite Dimensional Space, a Reincarnator's talents weren't limited to combat and survival. There were many guys skilled at digging up plots who could grow rapidly.
Within the vast number of derivative and secondary worlds, many hid value far exceeding the main tasks. As long as one had the appropriate means and power to dig them out, a Reincarnator could grow stronger at an unimaginably fast pace.
Kaito Shirogane had met a few Reincarnators of this type: from the Professor of Azure Sky, to Hakumen whom he had defeated, and Heaven's Will, who had actively surrendered in the Naruto world.
These people mostly had their own paths to gaining strength and didn't completely rely on the meager rewards obtained from completing main tasks.
Moreover... when it came down to it, Kaito Shirogane himself wasn't the type to rely entirely on main tasks either. A lot of his power also came from rewards outside the task lines.
Ouroboros possessed that kind of aptitude. However...
Kaito Shirogane walked behind the woman, looking down at her condescendingly. Ultimately, this woman still gave off a petty, narrow-minded vibe.
It was as if she were a bitter, complaining person who, after her ideals and beliefs had been destroyed, began to frantically try and make up for it.
As if doing this and that would change the world.
Kaito Shirogane's expression was unbridled, his eyes full of disdain.
"Mercenary Tao, did no one ever tell you I can read minds?"
Sensing Mercenary Tao's undisguised malice, Ouroboros finally frowned and spoke, but she only received a totally insincere apology in return.
"My apologies, my apologies. How terribly rude of me~"
The two of them arrived at a massive cavern. Multiple hidden seals existed outside this cavern, but as Ouroboros led Kaito Shirogane along, they bypassed them all with ease.
This made Kaito Shirogane even more curious about the identity of the person backing Ouroboros.
Achieving something like this wasn't something an ordinary god could do.
In other words, a 3-Digit high-tier entity was likely standing behind her.
Eventually, the two reached the deepest part of the cave. Here, a special flag was planted at the very end. Even before getting close, Kaito Shirogane felt an intense aura of [Good].
Saying he "felt" it might be a bit inaccurate, but indeed, just by approaching, he could feel something akin to sunlight and a spring breeze continuously washing over his body.
Numerous scenes involuntarily surfaced in Kaito Shirogane's mind. They were all the goodwill he had experienced throughout his life.
The snacks Ryo brought over when they were young, the blushing girl handing him chocolates in middle school, the eager and endless chattering of his counselor in college...
But Kaito Shirogane could simultaneously see that this flag wasn't a physical entity. The object was enveloped in a golden luster, but its interior was completely empty.
He didn't know what Gift Ouroboros was using, but she was indeed able to clearly and seamlessly read Kaito Shirogane's mind, entirely unaffected by the abnormal brainwaves caused by Magnetic Field Manipulation.
"Naturally, it's impossible for us to casually obtain the real thing. But for you, as long as you reverse the nature of this thing right here, we can achieve our desired effect."
"You can do it, right, Mercenary Tao? After all, you're the one who possesses that power."
Kaito Shirogane paused, and then the smile on his face became incredibly pronounced.
"The one backing you is actually that Queen?!"
His smile gradually turned arrogant. The Halloween Queen had virtually taken notice of every single Reincarnator they had brought in this time.
It wasn't surprising she could tell he grasped the power of [Antinomy of Good and Evil].
But what was surprising was why the Queen would go to such lengths.
In the Little Garden world, there existed a flag named [Holy Flame], symbolizing the existence of [Absolute Good].
This was also the key to Azi Dahaka's seal.
As long as this flag remained, it symbolized that [Good] still existed, and therefore [Evil] would be restricted.
Kaito Shirogane now completely understood why this woman, who thought so highly of herself, had to "hold her nose" and seek him out.
She desperately needed the power of his Stairway of the Binary Antinomy.
Especially since... his First Step was the very Step of [Antinomy of Good and Evil].
"I see. But pulling something like this off won't be easy..."
Behind Kaito Shirogane, the illusory stairway manifested, and the power of the antinomy of Good and Evil appeared.
Kaito Shirogane indeed possessed the ability to reverse Good and Evil, but applying it to this flag—specially created through a Gift—came with some pressure.
Moreover, this task was clearly not without its dangers.
The complete form of the Demon Lord Azi Dahaka also possessed 3-Digit strength. For the current Kaito Shirogane, there was absolutely zero possibility of a fight.
Even with all his buffs activated, he couldn't engage in combat.
Ouroboros took two steps back, looking at the greedy beast before her, unable to suppress the disgust in her eyes.
Frankly speaking, of all the types of Reincarnators, Mercenary Tao's type was the one she despised the most.
This was a guy who would do absolutely anything to gain power, completely unconstrained by any taboos.
If slaughtering ten thousand people granted him power, he would slaughter ten thousand people without hesitation, and without the slightest psychological discomfort.
If destroying a city granted him power, he would directly destroy the city...
He was a slave to power, with no respect for life whatsoever.
But now, she had to use power to feed this vicious beast, in order to... finally exterminate all the pests!
"I know you're a Reincarnator of the Crimson Sin."
Kaito Shirogane raised his eyes, having already guessed the bait she was offering.
"Then, have you ever thought about... hunting down the King of Miracles yourself?!"
ZZT! BOOM!
A bolt of golden lightning exploded out of thin air.
Outside a massive high wall, a giant with exposed flesh and sinews appeared out of thin air.
Accompanied by a terrifying explosion, an earth-shattering shockwave struck.
The young girl Mikasa only had time to grab Eren, who was so frightened by the giant's appearance that he had completely lost the ability to move.
The next moment, with another boom, the wall was breached.
Countless Titans began swarming through the gap toward the people.
"The wall... is broken!"
Roman and Mori-Summer stood on the other side of the wall, calmly watching the Colossal Titan just a few kilometers away.
Roman raised both hands, and Soul Insects circled her as she flew into the sky.
"The difficulty of the Attack on Titan world shouldn't reach the level of a 4-Star Gift Game. Mori-Summer, I can actually handle this alone..."
A longbow appeared between Roman's hands. She slowly drew it back, the arrow condensing from extremely intense spiritual power.
Rather than an arrow, it was more like she had shaped an ultra-powerful [Spirit Gun] into the form of an arrow.
This was to synergize with the effect of the Demon-Slaying Arrow.
Mori-Summer held her demon sword, quietly watching the scene.
If it were merely the original strength of the Attack on Titan world, Roman could naturally wipe it out alone.
The Attack on Titan world was very dangerous for rookies, but once a Reincarnator reached the [Strong] tier and entered the Third Step, this world practically posed no major threat anymore.
The Titans' defense was too low, and they lacked the ability to truly harm high-tier Reincarnators.
At best, they were just some high-tier zombies.
But Mori-Summer had received a hint from Sousuke to stick close behind Roman.
Screech!
A beam of light pierced the air. The next moment, the Colossal Titan's chest was pierced by the arrow, and the massive light of a magical array flared.
...
Izayoi Sakamaki stood on the edge of the Red Line, and beside him stood Sousuke.
Below, the Marine Headquarters was arrayed for battle; a hundred thousand elite Marines were fortifying Marineford.
"No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem like a world we both needed to enter together."
"Why, is there a problem with this world?"
Although Izayoi Sakamaki didn't have the ability to travel to other worlds, he had seen many kinds of Gifts in the Little Garden world.
Those Marines below, while decent by the standards of ordinary people, and a few individuals exuded a good aura...
But for his tier, their strength was still far too weak.
He even felt he could destroy everything below with a single punch.
And the guy beside him could probably do something similar.
Therefore, he completely failed to see the necessity of both of them entering this 4-Star Gift Game at the same time.
Sousuke looked at the scene below, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
"The Summit War... Haha, you might not know this, but this scene cost me quite a few tears back in the day."
He didn't answer the question, still looking at the Marine Headquarters below. Then, the sea began to change. He sensed the traces of the Whitebeard Pirates' main ship traveling beneath the sea and saw the grand fleet approaching from the perimeter.
But his eyes were still searching for something.
Ye Zi was a meticulous person. She couldn't possibly be unaware that he and Azure Sky would see through her plan and quickly sweep away her various Gift Games.
Therefore, she would inevitably hide some trump cards in certain Gift Games.
For example... a [Black King].
A moment later, with Whitebeard's appearance and his use of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's ability, the sea began to quake and tear apart.
Izayoi Sakamaki finally witnessed the performance of a powerhouse from this world, a smile appearing on his face.
Suddenly, Izayoi Sakamaki turned his head, and Sousuke followed suit.
On the Red Line behind them, a man with shoulder-length hair had appeared at some unknown time.
The man had a distinct cross-shaped scar on his chest, and his entire body radiated pitch-black malice.
"Get out... of my world."
ZZT!
Pitch-black lightning exploded out of thin air. Intense Conqueror's Haki instantly changed the weather.
BOOM!
In just an instant, the chaotic battle on the Marineford battlefield below subsided.
Almost all the Marines and pirates lost consciousness immediately.
Only Whitebeard, Garp, and a few others retained consciousness, looking toward the Red Line in shock.
Sousuke was completely unaffected by the Conqueror's Haki. Izayoi Sakamaki's hair blew wildly backward. He pressed down on his headphones, a look of immense interest in his eyes.
This was the first time he had felt this level of power from an opponent.
Especially since the "Gift" the other party was using seemed identical to what those weaklings below had.
Only the intensity was worlds apart.
Sousuke looked at the Black King, who had both arms intact, knowing that this was indeed just a recording of Black King Luffy from that specific time period, captured by Ye Zi.
And successfully manifested with the help of that Queen.
Although he really wanted to have a good fight with him like in the original timeline, and then slowly explain Azure Sky's philosophy to awaken Luffy's precious, good memories bit by bit...
Unfortunately, he didn't have that kind of time right now.
The next moment, Izayoi Sakamaki threw a punch at Black King Luffy.
...
"Let the world know pain."
The power of Shinra Tensei erupted from the sky, a devastating shockwave sweeping indiscriminately.
Hakumen instinctively summoned [Fox Fire] to alternate between illusion and reality, but Satoru Gojo had already appeared in front of them, deploying the Limitless technique.
Amidst the terrifying impact, Satoru Gojo stood his ground.
Madara Uchiha, however, looked up at the pair of Rinnegan above, his expression gradually becoming lively.
"Hey, brat. You said the abilities in this Gift Game are real, right..."
Hakumen instantly realized Madara Uchiha's goal, her eyes lighting up simultaneously.
If that Ouroboros could manage to manifest the descent of Beast Tiamat, then the scope of what she could achieve was far too vast.
So in this world right now...
She looked at Satoru Gojo in front of her, Artoria behind her, and Madara Uchiha.
The advantage is mine!
In that instant, Hakumen began to deviate from her original intention. Instead of probing to find Ouroboros's true identity, she leaned towards unearthing more power.
"Madara Uchiha, I leave the frontal assault to you. No problem, right?"
Madara Uchiha looked at Pain in the sky, and Susanoo instantly manifested.
Artoria also took a few steps away and drew her pitch-black holy sword.
"Is it enough to just defeat these people?"
She wasn't skilled at covert operations; she was much better at swinging her sword right here.