Chapter 762: Going to War with Azure Sky
Izayoi Sakamaki easily detected that wavering thread of malice from the bizarre martial artist. The invitation the other party issued felt more like a provocation.
The blond youth with his hands in his pockets turned his head to look at the strongest individual he had seen so far among that special group of people—the bronze-skinned man who commanded miracle-like Gifts.
That kind of Gift was extremely special. Or rather, calling it a Gift wasn't even accurate. Among the numerous types of powers Izayoi Sakamaki had seen since arriving in this world, it was the most unique one.
It wasn't just power; it also influenced probability, causality, destiny, and many other factors. It was a special ability that exceeded the boundaries of simple power.
It was more miraculous than the Authorities of most gods.
Sousuke's eyes held a smile. He once again gulped down the rest of his rum, then tossed the small wooden barrel aside.
That beast, created by Sosuke Aizen by gathering numerous power factors, elements, and concepts, had finally reached the stage of baring its fangs at him.
"Mercenary Tao, have you really made up your mind?"
Although Sousuke's life was approaching its end, and he had accepted the fate that he would die in this world...
That didn't mean just anyone could come and take his life.
At the very least, his legacy shouldn't fall into the hands of this beast who hadn't even figured out the reason for its own existence.
Sousuke looked down on Kaito Shirogane; he had confirmed this point himself from their very first meeting.
Mercenary Tao was a creation that completely deviated from his ideals.
He was also different from Aizen and that other guy.
This was a beast modeled by Aizen entirely according to the needs of the [Infinite Dimensional Space], a lifeform that should have been completely impossible to birth.
Yet, the other party was born. This was a miracle, and also destiny, and it further encapsulated Aizen's terrifying ambition towards higher-dimensional worlds.
Sousuke's gaze turned distant, as if he saw behind Kaito Shirogane that extremely arrogant man who always fancied himself standing atop the heavens.
Tsk, a mere plot character, yet he even looked down on the position of a [Black King], aiming for an even more terrifying position, wanting to overturn everything.
How could he possibly be completely oblivious to such a thing?
Kaito Shirogane's smile was beaming. He looked at the King of Miracles' eyes, which clearly contained a warning, yet he still nodded.
"Yeah. I made up my mind about that the moment I entered this world."
Kaito Shirogane's gaze towards Sousuke was exactly the same as when he looked at that bald man in the B711 world.
Hum, hum, hum...
Figures appeared one after another. Brynhild, a defense-specialized Reincarnator, was actually the first to appear by Sousuke's side. Following her was Reinhardt. Roman and Mori-Summer appeared a moment later. Roman's expression was a bit shaken; clearly, an unexpected enemy had appeared in the Attack on Titan world earlier.
As for Mori-Summer, this was the first time she completely and utterly directed her killing intent at Kaito Shirogane.
Behind Kaito Shirogane, Hakumen simultaneously raised her white tachi. Terrifying spiritual pressure erupted with a boom. Even without drawing the sword, a terrifying sword pressure materialized in front of everyone, like blue and white arcs of light constantly crashing against Azure Sky's formation.
Clack. Artoria plunged her sword into the ground with both hands, channeling her magical energy completely into the holy sword.
Amidst the highly volatile atmosphere, Satoru Gojo, carrying the Professor, teleported instantly between the two groups. Everyone in Azure Sky immediately focused their attention on Satoru Gojo.
The Limitless technique on the surface of Satoru Gojo's body was instantly triggered. Concentric rings of illusory fluctuations similarly emerged from his body, and that arrogant, "honored one" mentality surfaced along with them.
Thud. Professor Kento was tossed towards the Azure Sky members by Satoru Gojo.
"Hah~ Are you guys finally going to put away those hypocritical faces and go to all-out war?!"
Satoru Gojo had long been sick of the Azure Sky group always acting like saviors and judges. Whether in the host's real world or the various task worlds of the Space, this group always seemed to act high and mighty.
That kind of attitude really made it easy for him to recall some memories he didn't want to look back on.
No, it would be more accurate to say this group was even more disgusting than him and Suguru. These people weren't just condescending in terms of power; they had a condescending arrogance in their values and morals as well.
It was as if everyone else in the world was wrong, and only they were searching for the perfect path.
Therefore, everyone else was a contrarian, while they were the ones fighting while carrying the weight of everything.
It truly was... so disgusting it made one want to tear everything to shreds.
Having fallen to become the King of Curses, and then resurrected and corrupted by [All the World's Evil], Satoru Gojo had long since embarked on a new path.
He spat on his past self, and he spat on this Azure Sky group even more.
At this moment, Black Rabbit walked over with Asuka Kudo and Yo Kasukabe. The three of them didn't know that the mastermind behind this massive Gift Game was an outsider; they were still looking for clues within the Gift Games.
Seeing this situation, Izayoi Sakamaki stopped Black Rabbit from intervening and spoke up.
"I don't care what kind of grudges you have between you, I'm going into this 6-Star Gift Game to take a look."
"As for anyone who interferes with me, I can't guarantee what I'll do~"
After saying that, Izayoi Sakamaki directly signed his name on the massive parchment. His figure instantly transformed into a ray of golden light and vanished into the parchment.
And at this moment, in the participant column on the parchment, over a dozen of the twenty-something names instantly extinguished. Only the name at the very front, [Gilgamesh], had survived from earlier until now; the other survivors had almost all just entered.
Izayoi Sakamaki's name subsequently lit up as well.
The other three from [No Name] frowned. They knew the danger level of this 6-Star Gift Game, but they couldn't just let Izayoi Sakamaki participate alone.
Kaito Shirogane's gaze moved from the Professor to Brynhild, to Roman, to Reinhardt, and finally to Mori-Summer and Sousuke.
He quickly signed his own name.
[Participant: Mercenary Tao]
The moment the new name appeared, Kaito Shirogane also turned into a ray of light and fell into the parchment.
The Azure Sky members also looked at Sousuke.
Although Mercenary Tao had a fearsome reputation and was now being hailed as one of the strongest [Sovereign Monarchs], faintly on par with that woman in the Western District.
But that was only relative to other assemblies, to other Reincarnators.
Along Azure Sky's journey, they had faced more than just one or two Sovereign Monarchs; they had even participated in battles of higher intensity.
Ultimately, everyone in Azure Sky possessed the top-tier combat power of ordinary assemblies.
Moreover, Sousuke was still here!
The [King of Miracles] hadn't died yet, and a mere Mercenary Tao was already impatient to claim the crown of the new king. This generated intense hostility among all the Azure Sky members.
Sousuke glanced up at the sky. With this glance, he subconsciously saw that carriage shuttling through the clouds again.
"This is probably Yoko's true plan. She wants me and that beast to both die in this world."
Sousuke possessed a trait similar to a sudden flash of insight. Occasionally, he would directly touch upon the truth of an event.
This trait required no logical deduction process, nor did it need the intervention of information; it only required a spark of inspiration.
And under the Authority of Miracles, these sparks of inspiration occurred for him much more frequently than for ordinary people.
This was why Sousuke looked like he had nothing to do most of the time.
Because he fundamentally didn't need to pursue information or conduct verifications. He just waited for his flash of insight, and everything would become clear.
"But even so, you all still know what my choice will be, don't you?"
Reinhardt sighed helplessly, Mori-Summer lowered her eyes, and Roman said helplessly,
"Yeah. You're going to proactively walk right into Yoko's trap, and then make her understand that even in this kind of situation, miracles will still happen, aren't you?"
The [King of Miracles] not only governed miracles but also pursued them.
Therefore, in battles and choices, he would always make the worst possible choice, yet he would always miraculously survive and find a way out of desperate situations.
This feeling would incrementally crush the enemy's will and tear down their psychological defenses.
Sousuke was exactly this kind of guy with terrible tastes; everyone in Azure Sky knew this intimately.
The next moment, Sousuke signed his name. He was followed by Mori-Summer and Reinhardt. Before signing, Reinhardt specifically instructed the Professor.
"Kento, remember, Yoko is no longer your sister. Just stay in this world for the full thirty days. The Space will guide your return at the appropriate time. Remember, do not get involved in Ouroboros's special Gift Games. Even in scripts where you are familiar with the plot, there are hidden traps."
Brynhild and Roman subsequently signed their names as well.
Satoru Gojo and the others, because they currently also possessed Gift Game qualifications, weren't pulled in alongside Kaito Shirogane; instead, they also signed their names one by one.
Hum, hum, hum...
Beams of light pierced into the sky, and massive fireworks exploded one after another.
This special phenomenon finally attracted the attention of the major Communities in the Underwood region, and even Communities from further away began advancing toward this location.
Rumors circulated that the mysterious 6-Star Gift Game contained a Grand Gift from a certain mythological lineage.
The Professor watched this scene, his fists clenched tight, his mind flashing back to his exchange with that Satoru Gojo.
He had heard the voices of Kaito Shirogane's side, and at this moment, he deeply felt the sorrow of the incomprehension between people.
It seemed that his sister, the Guild Master, and himself had all developed a lofty sense that they were saving everyone. And because of that feeling, they had begun to ignore the wills of others.
Yoko had ignored the struggles of the weak Reincarnators fighting to survive, forced by the Space to commit mass slaughter.
The Guild Master had ignored the fact that many dangerous task worlds inherently posed a threat to Reincarnators.
And he himself had ignored the fact that Lord Mercenary Tao was absolutely not meant to be a savior...
He covered his face, feeling utterly ashamed that he had actually hoped Mercenary Tao would consider the bigger picture and not fight the Guild Master to the death. Even more so, he felt fortunate that he hadn't been killed.
When Hakumen and Madara Uchiha appeared and saw that only the Professor was left, their expressions instantly shifted.
Kaito Shirogane landed in a massive forest. Thick water vapor permeated the surroundings.
Zzt~
Electrons crackled through the air as the Mantra Network instantly expanded.
A sudden commotion arose in the forest.
Roar!
Massive roars echoed one after another from within the forest.
This forest—no, this rainforest—hid a terrifying number of magical beasts!
Kaito Shirogane's figure leapt upwards with the momentum. A pitch-black silhouette crashed through the water vapor, and a white mist-like shockwave exploded with a boom.
However, Kaito Shirogane stomped down from mid-air. Accompanied by a popping sound, the sheer force instantly pierced through the magical beast's body.
Kaito Shirogane himself rocketed into the sky. With golden Ki wrapping his body, he broke through the rainforest canopy and instantly reached the high altitude above.
Under the veil of night, the rainforest below was pitch black. Amidst subtle rustling sounds, countless magical beasts seemed to simultaneously sense the appearance of an enemy and began leaping into the air.
Hum~
Golden Ki appeared in Kaito Shirogane's palms. This time, it wasn't in the form of a Dodon Ray. Instead, terrifyingly intense Ki gathered into spheres, which Kaito Shirogane then fired off.
Bang bang bang bang...
Kaito Shirogane threw his hands out continuously. Golden Ki blasts rained down like a downpour. The dense swarm of leaping magical beasts was instantly bombarded by the rain of energy blasts.
Boom boom boom...
Amidst the wails of the magical beasts, Kaito Shirogane had already turned his head. In the extreme distance, perhaps hundreds of kilometers away, a black ocean had already engulfed everything.
Deserts, plains, forests—everything was submerged.
Within the black sea, an endless stream of black magical beasts was brewing.
The weaker ones were roughly on par with those he had just fought, merely at the level of [Average] tier Reincarnators. However, there was no shortage of special individuals emitting extremely powerful magical energy among them.
Those whose mere magical emanations made one feel "ferocious" and "dangerous" were undoubtedly [Fierce] tier magical beasts.
And above the pitch-black ocean, a massive demonic dragon entrenched itself. Its terrifying presence crushed down almost the exact instant Kaito Shirogane looked at it.
[Beast: Tiamat]
"Child of man, was my love... wrong?"
[Archetype of Terminus and Genesis EX051, based on your identity as a viviparous species, you will be affected by Tiamat's special attack modifier.]
Kaito Shirogane looked at the figure of the demonic dragon, its size completely different from the sixty-meter setting in the original work. After a brief thought, he understood. The ability to recreate various worlds and enemies came from the Reincarnator, Ouroboros. But the factor truly determining the strength of the manifested enemies was the 3-Digit big shot behind Ouroboros.
Obviously, that big shot's strength was terrifyingly oppressive, and they had placed a heavy wager on this Gift Game.
This Tiamat likely possessed specs exceeding even the original work.
Kaito Shirogane looked back down at the pitch-black rainforest and the black seawater spreading within it. With a thought, he voluntarily dropped downwards.
The next moment, complex magical arrays appeared in the sky one after another. That familiar posture was undeniably Reinhardt's handiwork.
Within the massive magic circle, astrological signs shifted. Finally, a radiance like a great star lit up. The next moment, it tore through the distance of hundreds of kilometers, striking directly towards Kaito Shirogane's position.
Kaito Shirogane had already sensed the feeling of being locked on, which was why he had voluntarily dropped into the Sea of Life.
His figure then instantly split into hundreds of afterimages, beginning to sprint towards Reinhardt's direction at an unimaginable speed.
Reinhardt was a textbook spellcaster, and a top-tier one at that. He seemed capable of simulating the ultimate techniques of various constellations from the Saint Seiya universe.
Furthermore, considering that one must possess one of the three strongest species to open the gate, Reinhardt highly likely possessed the bloodline of a Divine Spirit. This kind of guy had to be eliminated first.
Kaito Shirogane's speed was incredibly fast, but while he was still sprinting across the black sea, a terrifying sword pressure slashed down from the sky.
Mori-Summer had made her move.