Chapter 462: Orochi's Vessel = The Root of Evil
Unlike the 1v1 elimination rounds of the main tournament, the six fighters almost instinctively sought out their matched opponents simultaneously.
Goro Daimon, barely catching his breath, immediately confronted the burliest opponent, Yashiro Nanakase.
Benimaru Nikaido, who enjoyed being admired and surrounded by beautiful women, his eyes slightly bright, charged towards Shermie, whose eyes were hidden.
The team captain, Kyo Kusanagi, aimed his fist at Chris, who was the shortest in stature but possessed an indescribably sinister aura.
Meanwhile, Cheng Tian, watching the blood samples from Chizuru Kagura, which were still slowly but steadily increasing in quantity, suddenly had a peculiar idea at this moment.
If he were to clone a body using Chizuru Kagura's blood, could Maki Kagura then return to life by possessing that body?
It must be said, this possibility was indeed significant.
Especially after Shadaloo's intrusion, which introduced the existence of M. Bison, a true master of psychic energy capable of possessing others' bodies, the possibility of such soul-possession and rebirth became even more plausible.
If he could find a way to subdue M. Bison within the Psycho Power and make him surrender the elements of soul possession, the possibility would further increase.
Of course, Cheng Tian's interest in this was one thing; whether Maki Kagura would be willing to use her younger sister's body to resurrect was another.
This matter was quite ethically stimulating, and ordinary people truly couldn't accept it.
However, souls have their own special ways of communication, and with the Stand World, Cheng Tian could also facilitate highly efficient soul-based communication.
Thus, The World, without further ado, slammed its head onto Maki Kagura's.
The moment their foreheads touched, a vast amount of information, with Cheng Tian as the source and The World as the medium, rapidly flowed into Maki Kagura's mind.
In just an instant, everything about the previous matches, the current state of the Orochi Hakkesshu, and the resurrection of Orochi—a series of information far beyond what Maki Kagura should have known—was transmitted to the depths of Maki Kagura's soul through this head-to-soul contact.
Similarly, Maki Kagura finally learned the true appearance of The World's true form, Cheng Tian.
Cheng Tian's head buzzed, as if he had continuously used Time Stop; it seemed that this kind of soul-level information transfer also caused some mental strain and couldn't be used too frequently.
As the information was rapidly transmitted and understood, Maki Kagura's initial fear, which was a primal instinct when facing a natural enemy, dissipated at light speed, leaving only gratitude in her eyes, and... a twisted emotion of wanting to be angry but not quite able to.
Oh no! It seems I also shared information about cloning!
Cheng Tian immediately started sweating.
Using unfamiliar abilities can be like this; thoughts in one's mind are easily shared.
Objectively speaking, cloning is a highly unethical matter, not to mention Cheng Tian's intention to use a clone of Maki Kagura's sister for Maki Kagura to possess and revive. If their positions were swapped, he might be even more conflicted than Maki Kagura herself.
Maki Kagura's anger wasn't that Cheng Tian was involved in human cloning, but that he was already attempting to clone her own sister.
However, the reason she couldn't be angry was also because Cheng Tian's initial intention for cloning Chizuru was genuinely for her own resurrection.
Maki Kagura wanted to righteously refuse, but the thought rolled and rolled in her soul, and ultimately, she couldn't decisively and clearly utter the response, "Don't do it."
"Sure enough, I still can't accept dying so casually..." Under Cheng Tian's gaze, Maki Kagura, who had unfortunately died at the flower of her youth at 21, her expression shifted to one of self-mockery.
On the other side, the life-and-death free-for-all between the Japanese team and the New Faces Team was already in full swing. The main arena's large screen was directly split into three, simultaneously broadcasting the three sets of battles.
And because the current venue was the core area of the Kagura Corporation headquarters, not only outsiders but even security guards found it difficult to approach. Thus, Iori Yagami, Cheng Tian, Maki Kagura, and the paparazzi Bun, whose figure was difficult for others to catch, became the few live spectators.
Iori Yagami watched as The World descended from the sky with the Yata Mirror, and there was indeed some surprise in his eyes. Although he instinctively felt that outsiders shouldn't casually possess such a precious divine artifact, the other party had clearly saved the mirror from danger, and it didn't seem as though he intended to steal or claim it for himself, so he bothered not to say anything.
Anyway, as long as Chizuru Kagura awakened and performed a slight bloodline resonance, no matter where the divine artifact itself was, it would immediately be forcibly recalled to its guardian's side; as a fellow divine artifact wielder, he was very clear about this.
But soon, Iori Yagami, who inadvertently glanced to his side again, his eyes narrowed, because, like Kyo Kusanagi, he saw that familiar figure who should have been down.
"Is it a reflection of Chizuru Kagura?"
Iori Yagami spoke somewhat to himself, but the next second, his body slightly stiffened.
Because that familiar figure actually shook her head at him, and then a familiar voice directly sounded in his mind.
"Greetings, heir of the Yatsukami family."
"...Are you Chizuru Kagura's deceased older sister?"
After a brief pause, Iori, surprised, also asked with certainty.
Maki Kagura nodded.
Although he had never truly met Maki Kagura nor had any acquaintance with her, Iori Yagami instinctively succeeded in distinguishing her from Chizuru by her demeanor.
In fact, Iori Yagami's acquaintance with Chizuru Kagura was also built upon fighting side-by-side last year and receiving treatment from the Kagura Corporation afterward, which forged a camaraderie.
As a lubricant between the Yagami and Kusanagi families, Kagura had done more than enough. Though he didn't say it aloud, Iori had actually long recognized her. Out of personal acquaintance, while Iori expressed surprise at the preservation of Maki Kagura's soul, he also quickly accepted this fact.
If the Yata Mirror could even seal Orochi, temporarily preserving a soul was naturally no problem.
"Time is short, so I'll be brief."
Maki Kagura also didn't waste time, selectively beginning to impart more information about the Heavenly Kings to Iori Yagami.
The divine artifact had activated its self-defense function because it sensed Orochi's power, and now she could manifest completely because Cheng Tian was supplying energy, utilizing the innocent souls collected from defeating and killing invaders earlier.
Cheng Tian, however, was somewhat lost in thought, watching the six-person group fighting intensely over there.
More precisely, he was looking at Chris, Orochi's vessel.
He didn't know why, but Cheng Tian could feel a very familiar collection of malice emanating from Chris, just like... just like the Root of Evil that was born from the divine artifact Black Pearl, which absorbed human malice!