Chapter 763: Fierce Battle, Azure Sky VS Mercenary Tao's Group
Screech!
Mori-Summer stood on a spot resembling a sandy beach. Ahead lay the [Sea of Life], which far exceeded the scale of the original world and was continuously expanding. This sea contained nearly endless magical energy and was constantly birthing powerful magical beasts.
Mori-Summer's posture was loose and relaxed, yet merely through willpower, she sensed the powerful, bizarre, and exceptionally agile figure in the distance, continuously unleashing intense Ki blasts to bombard the ground.
Following Reinhardt's initial strike, the terrifying power—the power of Gemini and Virgo, capable of bypassing the restrictions of the Twelve Gold Palaces to forcefully collapse another sanctuary—erupted from the stars.
It crashed down, aiming straight for Mercenary Tao.
Reinhardt was a top-tier spellcaster. Whether in terms of destructive power or from other perspectives, because the entity he mimicked was terrifyingly strong, even if the replicated ability only retained a fraction of the original's power, it still possessed the destructive capability to instantly kill most [Fierce (Lower)] tier Reincarnators. If the target was a spellcaster or a swordsman with low defense, it could even kill a [Fierce (Mid-Upper)] tier.
That was a power even Sovereign Monarchs could not ignore.
However, through Mori-Summer's Qi perception, Mercenary Tao had already dodged downwards almost before Reinhardt's attack was fully unleashed.
It was a reaction surpassing mere danger perception.
Mori-Summer roughly knew that it was the "a priori intuition" that developed after reaching a certain level of martial arts. Similar to her own Qi lock-on, a martial artist of that realm, much like the "unity of heaven and man" described in novels, possessed an extraordinary perception of danger.
They didn't need you to launch the attack; the mere thought of attacking would trigger a reaction from them.
The next moment, Mercenary Tao split into a hundred afterimages, moving at a speed that even surprised her, a Sovereign Monarch in the agility domain. But a Qi lock-on wouldn't be fooled by afterimages and illusions.
Mercenary Tao crossed a distance of several kilometers in an instant, and he locked onto Reinhardt's position in the clouds directly.
Mori-Summer's eyes narrowed into slits, as sharp as blades. Her lips parted slightly, exhaling a chilling white mist, as if drawing all the heat from her body, leaving only cold, dead killing intent.
Mori-Summer took a step forward, her Qi firmly locking onto Mercenary Tao's true body sprinting across the pitch-black Sea of Life. He was even running across the heads of the continuously emerging magical beasts, his stride stretching for meters.
[Shinga Musou Ittou] (Divine Self Illusionary Blade)!
Mori-Summer stepped forward and seamlessly drew her blade. The demonic sword, possessing the trait to sever all anomalies, was unsheathed instantly. The moment the dazzling blade light flashed, it had already crossed a distance of several kilometers.
The sword light instantly transformed into a terrifying silver streak stretching tens of kilometers, almost illuminating the pitch-black Sea of Life.
Kaito Shirogane, sprinting with inhuman posture, broke into a wide grin. That killing intent that nearly pierced his physique, and the terrifying sword intent sharp enough to instantly cleave through his Three Parts Return to Origin Ki field...
The concept of "the apex of swordsman-type Reincarnators" began to materialize in Kaito Shirogane's mind. The speed, the concentration of this strike, and that indomitable spirit—every single aspect far surpassed the swordsmanship limits of Li Qingzi and Aoi Ito.
But Kaito Shirogane didn't dodge or evade at all. [Musou Tensei] (Nil-Thought Rebirth) was activated, opening the ultimate realm of martial arts: the Realm of Nothingness. Kaito Shirogane instantly became completely empty. This was a realm surpassing the unity of heaven and man.
In this instant, Kaito Shirogane was the "Heavens" themselves, seemingly non-existent in the world.
Mori-Summer's Qi lock-on instantly lost its target. Kaito Shirogane's body passed through that terrifying sword light like a phantom.
Pfft!
A massive silver-white rift instantly appeared in the pitch-black Sea of Life, as if the ocean had been cleaved down the middle. The massive rift parted to the sides, and countless black magical beasts plummeted screaming down the fracture.
Kaito Shirogane, however, suddenly stomped down hard. The air liquefied and cratered beneath his foot. The next instant, accompanied by a bang, Kaito Shirogane's trajectory bent like a massive zigzag line, shooting straight towards the sky.
His speed was so immense that over a dozen sonic booms exploded in succession. With both the [Limiter] and [Qilin Armor] activated, Kaito Shirogane's Agility stat received a six-fold practical enhancement. Even without using [Setsuna], it exceeded a terrifying value of over three hundred.
Her strike missing, Mori-Summer instantly comprehended Mercenary Tao's bizarre ability. Although she hadn't reached the realm of a Clear Sword Heart, her sword would give her the answer. The momentary disappearance of his Qi made her realize that Mercenary Tao could undoubtedly merge completely with heaven and earth for an instant.
It was an ability that could be called invincible, but... only called invincible.
Crack!
Mori-Summer took another step towards the pitch-black Sea of Life. Her left hand discarded the scabbard and grasped the hilt as well. The so-called Way of the Sword was extremely simple.
For the sword, there is only [Severing]!
If you merge with heaven and earth, then I will sever heaven and earth along with you!
The reason Mori-Summer became the apex of the swordsman type was because she possessed a fanatical trust in her sword.
Gripping the demonic sword with both hands, Mori-Summer's presence began to swell instantly. Illusory ripples spread outwards from her back, instantly affecting an area of several kilometers.
The countless magical beasts hadn't even gotten close before they began shrieking in terror.
In the sky, the Mother Goddess of Creation currently entrenched upon the Sea of Life, [Beast: Tiamat], also instantly shifted Her gaze. She sensed the appearance of another entity between heaven and earth that could not be ignored.
Below Tiamat, Izayoi Sakamaki emerged from the Sea of Life completely unscathed. But he also developed a different feeling towards this massive demonic dragon.
This thing... can shatter the attacks of miracles and Gifts. They didn't kill her...
Seeing the demonic dragon turn her head, Izayoi Sakamaki also looked in that direction. There, an incredibly mad Way of the Sword was rapidly surging.
Hum!
In this instant, the heavens and earth abruptly changed color.
The sky instantly turned pitch black, and a terrifying spiritual pressure descended from above.
The roars of countless magical beasts vanished in this instant. The world seemed to lose its color and sound, leaving only the oppressive weight of a soul—an anomalous, overwhelmingly powerful soul fully exerting its presence—bearing down on weaker souls.
As the most loyal defender before the Throne of the Archon at the center of Kaito Shirogane's Sea of Consciousness, Black Face possessed the special aptitude of the Divine Spirit species. He was also a Shinigami who governed souls, having devoured numerous souls in the Naruto world. In Kaito Shirogane's Sea of Consciousness, he had gorged himself on those hundreds of thousands of spirits until he almost exploded.
Finally, he had accidentally obtained a sliver of divinity from a God of the Abyss in a certain world.
In terms of status and class, Black Face far exceeded all spirits and souls.
But when he was swelling with pride over his own powerful strength, he was crushed by the overly terrifying true nature of his host. He saw the essence that other spirits simply could not see.
His master was absolutely no mortal; he was the King who ruled over all souls!
Black Face rarely took action, but upon arriving in this world, he had been exceptionally released by his master. He understood that in this world, his master needed him to fight.
Black Face's white tachi was drawn, and the spiritual pressure between heaven and earth instantly transformed into pitch-black raindrops crashing down.
Just as Mori-Summer was gripping her sword with both hands, ready to strike Mercenary Tao, she saw a spirit, its face covered in black markings, appear within her Qi perception.
The entity seemingly barged in out of nowhere and clearly spoke human words.
"Black Face, draw your blade."
The next moment, the spiritual pressure oppressing heaven and earth vanished instantly, replaced by a sword pressure from the white tachi in front of Black Face that directly tore space apart.
An indescribable immense terror manifested. Black Face swung his sword, and space disintegrated inch by inch. A pitch-black rift, like a massive full moon, accompanied the sword pressure, appearing before Mori-Summer right before she could unleash her ultimate strike.
A sharp pain pierced Mori-Summer's forehead, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. It was the premonition that a moment of life and death had arrived.
Screech!
Grey fluctuations swirled upon Mori-Summer's demonic sword. The next moment, she swung down at Black Face before her.
...
Bang!
The white sea of clouds was instantly pierced. Wrapped in golden Ki, Kaito Shirogane charged straight towards the radiant figure beneath the massive magic array blanketing the sky.
"Reinhardt, are you ready... Hah!"
With almost zero delay, the instant the two terrifying slashes erupted below, Kaito Shirogane had already roared out above the sea of clouds.
Terrifying lightning exploded outwards with Kaito Shirogane's body as the center, instantly encompassing an area of several kilometers.
Reinhardt was about to teleport, but the magnetic field was instantly altered. The electromagnetic force twisted the vestibular organs in his brain, causing a momentary spell of dizziness.
The lightning and explosion had already engulfed him.
Following that was the Breath of the Dark Abyss, spewing from Kaito Shirogane's mouth like black fire.
The Authority on Reinhardt's skin gleamed. That sliver of primordial god blood flowed within him, instantly condensing a layer of divine power on his skin. As a top-tier spellcaster, Reinhardt surprisingly possessed a top-tier divine bloodline.
As a descendant of the primordial gods, no matter how thin the bloodline, it was far more resilient than that of ordinary humans or typical beastification bloodlines. He intended to tank Mercenary Tao's attack.
Simultaneously, the illusory ripples of the Concussive Pulse of the Spiritual Light appeared behind Reinhardt. He looked solemnly at the terrifying beast.
He raised one hand, as if to grasp the other party's very existence.
But the next moment...
BOOM!
As the explosion swallowed Reinhardt, and the impact and power of the Abyss Breath struck his body, making his internal organs vibrate... a terrifying sound of impact erupted from behind him.
Reinhardt turned his head instantly, only to see Brynhild, fully clad in black armor, holding her shield with both hands, already appearing behind him. And in front of her, Mercenary Tao, wearing a ferocious and terrifying smile, was punching forward, pitch-black lightning constantly striking Brynhild's body.
This guy...
Mercenary Tao's combat frequency was terrifyingly high. Almost simultaneously with launching a large-scale area-of-effect attack of that caliber, he had already placed himself within the attack. He was willing to hurt himself just to instantly crush his opponent...
"Don't even think about it!"
A muffled female voice roared from behind the visor. Holding the pitch-black shield with both hands, she firmly blocked Mercenary Tao's attack, which was infused with Conqueror's Haki and over 300 points of Strength.
Brynhild possessed a special ability called [Cover]. By merely activating it, she could instantly appear beside a teammate.
She didn't just block it. The next moment, Brynhild's strength seemingly skyrocketed out of nowhere.
To Kaito Shirogane's astonishment, a terrifying monstrous strength, completely surpassing his own, struck back at him along with the pitch-black power of Conqueror's Haki.
[Full Counter]!
BOOM!
The air instantly liquefied, stagnated for a split second, and then snapped right down the middle.
Kaito Shirogane tilted his head, and a white smoke dragon roared past, grazing his body.
The clash between that Conqueror's Haki infusion and the Conqueror's Haki on his own body parted the sea of clouds below them.
Electric arcs constantly flickered across Kaito Shirogane's body due to the impact of the white smoke dragon. His current defense was extremely high; this move merely left a few scuff marks on his Qilin Armor.
"Heh, as expected of Azure Sky. To think a defender would have this kind of ability..."
Kaito Shirogane's eyes narrowed dangerously. In this instant, a destiny star lit up behind Reinhardt, and he and Brynhild instantly teleported tens of thousands of meters away.
The massive magic circle covering the sky lit up once again.
This time, Kaito Shirogane planned to watch several planet-like illusions crash down from the sky.
[Galaxian Explosion]!
While Kaito Shirogane was surprised that Azure Sky's most low-profile defender had displayed the famous magical trait [Full Counter] from the Seven Deadly Sins, Reinhardt, who had just nearly been severely wounded, unleashed his full power.
He raised one hand high, and the phantom of a man wearing Golden Armor appeared behind him.
This move was enough to kill any Reincarnator below the [Fierce (Upper)] tier who lacked special life-force enhancements. It was a strike that truly showcased the power of a spellcaster as the ultimate top-tier destroyer.
Simultaneously locking onto Mercenary Tao, the simulated Cosmo instantly pulled Mercenary Tao's mind into an illusion.
Reinhardt knew very well that Mercenary Tao wasn't just powerful in combat; he also possessed immense vitality, recovery, and immortality.
But...
Before Reinhardt could continue summoning the power of a new Gold Saint, a figure with hands in his pockets had already appeared in front of him.
"Hey, hey, hey. Is the self-proclaimed righteous Azure Sky actually ganging up on our evil host?"
"Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void!"
Satoru Gojo acted uncharacteristically, forming hand signs directly in front of the two, the expression on his face so arrogant it was practically twisted.
Eyes opened all over his body, and crimson chains emerged from his back.
A pitch-black barrier appeared. Yet, Reinhardt merely shifted his gaze, his expression entirely unpanicked. The next moment, Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes detected an arrow shooting up from below.
Intense spiritual power, carrying the property of exorcising all spirits, curses, and negative energy, pierced through the air.
Crack~ Bang!
Before the Domain could fully form, it was completely shattered by the Demon-Slaying Arrow.
Brynhild was suddenly startled. An image appeared before her eyes: in the night sky, Roman, flying continuously with the aid of her Soul Insects, was slashed out of the air by a purplish-red sword beam.
Her eyes trembled. Sure enough, she saw that Satoru Gojo, whose Domain Expansion had been interrupted, didn't show anger but rather a cruel smile, as if his scheme had succeeded.
"Quick, protect Roman!"
Reinhardt realized it even faster. With a roar, Brynhild instantly vanished. The purplish-red, devastating sword light, like a massive laser, had already swept across from the sea.
Brynhild appeared directly in front of Roman, her shield blocking the sword light.
[Full Counter]!
She directly reflected Artoria's terrifying sword aura back.
Hum~
At this moment, space warped instantly. The space in front of Reinhardt shifted, and he saw that Satoru Gojo had instantly brought Mercenary Tao right in front of him.
And Mercenary Tao's hands were positioned one up, one down—his stance was set.
That was... [Shun Goku Satsu] (Raging Demon)!
The Surge of Murderous Intent enveloped everything in an instant. As Reinhardt was wrapped in killing intent and the aura of death, the Galaxian Explosion he mimicked finally detonated where Mercenary Tao had just been. The terrifying explosion instantly blasted a crater over a hundred miles wide in the center of the Sea of Life.
Splash~ The sound of the flowing Underworld echoed in Reinhardt's ears. A chill ran down his spine; he heard the gates of life and death creak open.
I'm going to die.