Chapter 182: The Ultimate Power Named "The Future"
Perhaps the phrase "properly emptying the brain helps improve thinking" was also applicable to Conan.
When he slightly loosened his control over his mind, his brain entered a stress-induced state of overclocked thinking. In an instant, it analyzed the current situation countless times, producing a logically sound, step-by-step reasoning result, complete with conjectures and countermeasures for the future trajectory of events. It even found the spare time to use various methods to tempt Conan into abandoning his "troublemaking" rationality and eloping with this brilliant, capable, and high-IQ brain.
Of course, the result was beyond doubt. Conan, who carried his own will through reason, quickly suppressed and bound his brain again after utilizing it, giving it no chance to chatter!
With a flicker of logic returning to his eyes, Conan quickly reverted to his dazed, silly appearance and said to Ichigo Kurosaki:
"The good news is that the appearance of these time travelers means we don't need to ask Professor Agasa to build a time machine—its birth and arrival are now a temporal inevitability. The bad news, Ichigo, is that according to my deduction, unexpected factors have appeared in my plan. You might be facing a rather troublesome battle..."
"To me, no battle is troublesome. There are only varying degrees of pleasure!"
Ichigo's attitude was clear. The smooth black sphere rolled once on the ground, then stretched its elastic body, sprouting cylindrical arms and legs. In a highly abstract, sketchy black stick-man form, he fell into a stance against the dozens of colorful Magical Girl sentries.
Experience changes a person. As the protagonist of the Bleach world, Ichigo's pursuit of "style" was rooted in his instincts, as that was the fundamental trend of that world. But since reaching 100% Absolute Domain, that instinct had naturally dissipated. Current Ichigo's only aesthetic requirement for his body was that it be capable of striking or being struck; anything else was irrelevant!
And these Magical Girl Rangers traveling back from the future gave Ichigo quite a surprise!
The spandex armor on these girls crackled with electricity. Their momentum surged as they leaped into the air in unison, executing the Magical Girl Flying Kick!
In Ichigo's eyes, these kicks were quite a sight! Buffed by their armor, their kicking power was enough to flip a heavy truck. Furthermore, they were highly trained; despite dozens of feet coming his way, the offensive wasn't messy. It was layered, sequenced, and rhythmic—a tide of violence clearly born from long-term "group-brawl" training.
But that wasn't the important part. As they kicked, flames of light erupted from their feet, indicating some unknown mystery.
Ichigo's old habit of battle aesthetics kicked in. He didn't bother to parry, choosing instead to take the feet with his face to experience the secret of the kick.
The girls' feet seemed to be packed with bombs. Every impact resulted in a thunderous explosion. Flashes of fire burst against Ichigo's face and body. Using the recoil of the explosions, the lead attackers zipped away, clearing a path for the follow-up attackers. A perfectly executed barrage of dozens of explosive kicks landed squarely on Ichigo.
"So it's just a little trick like this!"
After tanking the ultimate moves with his face, Ichigo's absolute battle-wisdom instantly pierced the mystery. The "bomb-like" kicks actually used real explosives. The foot armor of these spandex-clad girls contained mechanical triggers that detonated on contact.
Though it was a mechanical device, the formula of the explosives was impressive. If an ordinary person took a hit at close range, they'd be blown to pieces. Overall, the kick provided physical impact damage plus enchanted fire damage. It was decent, but it left Ichigo feeling a bit bored.
As a King of Purity who never refused a fight, he didn't discriminate against using external tools, but relying entirely on tools felt uninspired. Still, Ichigo was polite at heart. He didn't complain, instead throwing out a casual hook.
Ichigo was casual, but his power was not. His "casual" strike was a different concept for anyone else. Although his power was low due to his "heavily injured" state, the overwhelming momentum covered for it. Like a mountain collapsing, it was a force no human could resist.
But to Ichigo's surprise, the punch missed.
The Magical Girls seemed intimately familiar with his combat habits. The moment Ichigo moved, an explosion triggered on their suits, using the thrust to propel them out of the way. Then, the counter-attack followed. Light-flames erupted from the joints of their elbows and knees, using the explosive burst to propel their strikes into Ichigo!
"Oh? I underestimated you!"
The spandex they wore didn't look advanced to Ichigo—mostly just muscle-potential stimulation. But the technique of using explosions to enhance combat speed was interesting! The principle was simple, but it required imagination and suicidal courage. Without grueling day-and-night training, one couldn't turn such a crude method into a viable martial art.
The blood and sweat spent mastering this style, and the will condensed within it, manifested as physical attacks before Ichigo's eyes.
The most outstanding among them was a warrior in a red suit. Her use of the "Explosive Style" had reached an artistic level. Her elbow triggers fired, light blooming as the thrust drove her fist into Ichigo with extreme velocity. Using the reaction force of the impact, she retracted her fist instantly, only for the explosion to trigger again for a follow-up. Her other hand and both feet followed suit, creating a continuous, rhythmic symphony of light-flames and impacts.
Amidst the roar of light, shadows of fists and feet filled the air! Though it relied on external force, the finesse of the execution earned Ichigo's praise. In his vision, the red-suited figure blurred, replaced by the image of a gun—a humanoid scarlet pistol firing madly at him.
The gunfire was like a musical performance!
"Yes, yes! Exactly! This is indeed my development path for the future of Magical Girls..."
In the basement, Professor Agasa watched the monitor with great excitement. Beside him stood several other Magical Girls.
"That's right, Professor. This is the 'Universal Magical Girl Combat Technique' you invented in the future. You call it the 'Bullet Strike.' Following this is the 'Shell Blast' and 'Missile Slaughter.' Finally, there is the theoretical 'Nuke Annihilation' which no girl has achieved yet. Do you believe we are from the future now, Professor?"
Agasa turned to the girls beside him, his excited expression turning into a sigh of helplessness.
"Fine, fine. While I have serious doubts about time travel, to borrow a phrase from a friend: when the evidence is right in front of you, you have to believe a little."
Just moments ago, Agasa had been in his pajamas, holding a coffee cup and wondering how much research funding he had left. Suddenly, lightning flickered, and dozens of spandex-clad people fell from the sky, filling his living room. Before he could react, they checked their watches, screamed that the arrival was too late, and warned that the "Evil God and Demon King" were coming.
They dragged him to the basement and started babbling. The gist was: in the future, while humanity was ignorant, the Evil God Edogawa Conan and the Alien Demon King Ichigo Kurosaki gathered a massive army of evil minions and launched a war of conquest. Human nations were routed. The God and King conquered the world, turning it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by darkness and sin.
But humanity didn't submit. They formed a Resistance, bravely fighting the "Dark Idol Duo." And Agasa was a key member. Thanks to his Magical Girl armor, humans could actually fight the minions.
More importantly, the future Agasa discovered how the Duo built their army. One day in the "Past," Conan and Ichigo brought a blueprint to Agasa, paid him a pile of cash, and had him build it. Agasa agreed, not knowing it was a Time Machine. The Duo used it to go back to the ancient past to brew the apocalypse in secret.
To atone, the future Agasa rebuilt the time machine from memory and sent the "Five-Color Ranger Squad" back to rewrite history.
The past Agasa was in a stupor, eventually asking why there were dozens of people if it was a "Five-Color" squad. They explained that a "Five-Color Squad" was a five-person unit—the basic building block of the Magical Girl Corps. Future Agasa had sent ten units at once. If not for the energy cost of time travel, he would have sent all 100,000 remaining Magical Girls in one go.
Agasa gasped. If 100,000 people appeared in his house, not a single brick would be left! Still, as an inventor, he found time travel scientifically impossible—it violated the laws of entropy and the standard model of physics.
But then, Conan and Ichigo arrived.
Without a word, just seeing Conan on the monitor triggered a surge of hatred, killing intent, fear, and madness in Agasa's heart. If not for the girls holding him back, he would have charged out with a wrench to beat Conan's head.
When the End-Time Witch fought the Giant of Light earlier, every citizen of Beika became part of her. Traces remained; the First-Loop residue in Agasa was flickering. (Of course, without the girls, Agasa would have just been beaten awake by Ichigo's fists.)
The second piece of evidence was the combat techniques. The armor Agasa had built under Mo Yu's coercion (using the Power-Enhancement Shoes) was a prototype. The future girls were using "upgrades" he had thought of but hadn't tested yet. Seeing his own logic and habits in their gear convinced him.
But he was still worried. The duo that brought darkness to the world was in his living room, brawling with the future girls.
"I'm the 'Father of the Magical Girl Armor,' fine," Agasa said. "I might be useful in the future, but right now I'm just an unknown tinkerer. Protecting me is useless. The God and King can just go find another scientist."
"Professor, you are too humble," a girl replied. "In this era, only you can build the time machine. Even the Alien King Ichigo Kurosaki can't do it, because Earth lacks the core elements. Only your Stand can ignore logic and force the machine into existence. We must protect you to stop them from traveling back."
Agasa hadn't expected to be a key player in history. His face darkened. "But there's a problem... you guys don't look like you can protect me!"
Indeed, while Ichigo was "selling blood" for his aesthetic, a casual counter-attack was enough to push the girls back.
The girl beside Agasa spoke heavily: "Professor, in the wasteland of the future, resources are scarce. This armor is a budget version designed to save resources. The techniques are limited to the 'Bullet Strike' level. But believe in your future self—the King of Extreme Madness, one of the Great Kings of Earth! You have the power to change everything."
Agasa blinked. "What did you say? In the future, I'm called the King of Extreme Madness?"
The girl turned her head, avoiding eye contact. "Your ears are unfamiliar with the future accent. I said the King of Pure Wisdom..."
Agasa looked at her refusal to meet his gaze and felt his future was looking grim.
The battle continued. Ichigo gradually defeated all the Magical Girls. Stretching his "stick-man" shoulders, he turned to Conan.
"Little Detective, you said this would be a troublesome fight? It wasn't that bad."
Conan didn't speak. He looked toward a corner. Ichigo followed his gaze.
Lightning flashed, a rift tore open, and another group of Magical Girl Rangers appeared! One stepped forward and shouted at Ichigo:
"Demon King! Although our last salvation plan failed—allowing you to learn the history of the future and destroy the last Resistance—it was useless! The song of humanity is a song of courage! We survivors found the King of Wisdom's remaining head in the ruins and have risen again! Demon King, let us end this thousand-year grudge!"
Ichigo noticed these girls weren't wearing spandex; they wore armor made of fused machinery and living flesh! He sensed that this group wasn't from the same "Future" as the first batch—they were from a further Future!
"I don't have much feeling for the futures you talk about," Ichigo said, falling into a stance. "If I were really a Demon King who conquered the world, the future wouldn't look like this. But it doesn't matter. If you want to fight, come. I don't refuse anyone."
The leader of the second batch roared: "Demon King, do not be arrogant! We have prepared for years. Under the guidance of the King of Wisdom's head, we have innovated human tech. Behold my treasure!"
She pulled out a bell. As she rang it, Ichigo felt his spirit particles become chaotic and withered.
"Interesting future! You built a spirit particle suppressor? Your King of Wisdom has some skill!" Ichigo praised. But his battle-will didn't waver.
Just as he was about to move, the living room flashed again. A third batch of "Magical Girls" arrived!
"Gurgle... Evil Demon King! After the Resistance and the Remnant Fire Squad failed to change history, we, the humans of the Third Era, heard the whispers of the Lord of Omniscient Wisdom. He said that if we sacrifice you to Him, any wish will be granted. Demon King... offer your life to the Lord!"
Ichigo looked at this batch: they were covered in tentacles, spoke in sibilant whispers, and had distorted, amorphous bodies.
Ichigo's brow furrowed. The lightning in the room hadn't stopped. Even more distant "Futures" were traveling back against the river of time to reach the present.
Conan, standing dazed in the back, finally spoke:
"That is the trouble. My plan was interfered with by an unexpected factor—or rather, used by one. We haven't even traveled yet, but the setting of 'Time Machine' has utterly disrupted the timeline. Ichigo Kurosaki, you aren't facing one or two squads. You are facing all of the 'Future'!"
End of Chapter
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