Mortis, who had just shifted from illusion into reality from the depths of Wakaba Mutsumi's mind, didn't even have time to greet anyone before she froze in place.
Her large eyes went completely blank. Her neck tilted upward bit by bit, gaze traveling along those legs thicker than tree trunks, up past the impossibly broad latissimus dorsi, until she finally stared dumbly at the iron-tower-like woman before her.
Everyone's gazes crossed and gathered beside Kocho Shinobu.
Standing before that exaggerated body, which could practically blot out the sky, even Shinobu—wearing the Will Glasses, with willpower at the peak of ordinary humanity—couldn't stop her right eyelid from twitching hard. A blush rapidly surfaced at the base of her ears.
But her fingers clenched sharply, nails digging into her palm. With that faint pain, she forcibly regained control of her facial muscles.
The curve of her lips did not collapse in the slightest.
Her gentle smile remained firmly fixed on her face.
Then Shinobu took a deep breath, pretended not to notice the surrounding atmosphere, and summoned her Flame Hashira avatar.
The Flame Hashira avatar was tall and well-proportioned, with long limbs and tight, flowing muscles full of explosive power without losing feminine flexibility.
Looking at that older-sister-like body, bright-eyed and radiating warmth and enthusiasm, an almost imperceptible sigh flashed through Shinobu's eyes.
Every time she saw the Flame Hashira avatar's perfect balance of power and feminine curves, Shinobu felt envy and jealousy rise inside her.
After all, on countless late nights, she had hated her own small body—this body that would never grow tall, this body whose weak wrists could never deliver a beheading strike.
But the moment her peripheral vision drifted to the Stone Hashira Kocho Shinobu on the other side, her craving for strength instantly dispersed.
That towering body over two meters tall…
Even someone like Shinobu, who hated her own frail body to an extreme degree, found it difficult to endure.
The contrast was simply too great.
Precisely because the sight was so difficult to process, she had been intentionally delaying the summon when everyone else called forth their Potential Avatars.
That said, when that overwhelming, mountain-toppling strength surged into her through the connection between avatar and self, Shinobu finally understood with terrifying clarity just how powerful the current Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei, truly was.
She compared her Flame Hashira avatar, her original body, and this Stone Hashira avatar.
And she realized that the current Stone Hashira might very well be the strongest of all the Hashira.
No flashy sword forms.
No need for refined footwork or subtle adjustments in force.
Nothing complicated at all.
Just pure strength.
Strength so absurd it overruled technique. Strength so vast it crushed all skill beneath brute force. Strength that seemed to shatter biological common sense itself.
If not for the fact that he still possessed a human appearance and did not need to eat humans to survive, Shinobu would almost have been unable to distinguish whether this terrifying physical power belonged to a human—or a demon.
As her thoughts drifted, Shinobu suddenly understood why those villagers had been afraid.
No wonder, after the Stone Hashira beat that demon to death, he had been accused of murder.
That level of violence was not something ordinary people could comprehend.
Himejima Gyomei had eaten only watery soup and coarse, plain meals with almost no nutrition. Without undergoing any formal physical training, he had still beaten a demon into a pulp with his bare hands and dragged the fight out until dawn, when the sunlight burned it away.
His physical talent was far too ridiculous.
He was practically a monster born to eat from the bowl of Stone Breathing.
After several seconds, seeing that everyone was still staring at her Stone Hashira avatar with no intention of looking away, Shinobu sighed inwardly.
Helpless, she could only explain aloud:
"This avatar uses Stone Breathing."
She gestured toward the iron-tower-like figure standing beside her.
"It places more emphasis on bodily training. That possible version of me can be considered my opposite extreme. My body is extremely frail, while that version of me is somewhat…"
She paused.
"Excessive."
Everyone nodded in perfect unison.
They understood the logic.
The terrifying physique itself wasn't necessarily the problem.
The real issue was that the delicate, graceful face above the neck looked far too out of place.
When Shinobu's original body stood next to the Stone Hashira avatar, her body—barely over 150 centimeters tall—only reached the avatar's waist.
By comparison, she looked almost like a child.
After staring in shock for a long while, Toyokawa Sakiko finally recovered.
She blinked hard, forcibly tearing her eyes away from the arm that looked capable of punching a mountain apart, then coughed lightly.
"Alright, everyone. Potential Avatars are called that because they represent all kinds of possibilities. Don't find it too strange. Our main objective right now is Morinami Minami's Palace."
Only then did everyone forcibly shift their attention, turning their eyes toward the towering stone outer wall and the tightly shut heavy brass door ahead.
Even so, someone would occasionally sneak a quick glance from the corner of their eye at that moving iron tower.
Then everyone directed their avatars into Morinami Minami's Palace.
The strategy was the same as before.
Their real bodies would remain outside the Palace for safety, while the avatars entered first to explore.
They would use the avatars' ability to disperse, be resummoned, and effectively refresh through the chat group to gather intelligence. If possible, they could even launch suicide attacks to see whether the problem could be solved directly.
"Begin."
At Sakiko's command, the Potential Avatars surrounding them immediately moved.
Sakiko, Soyo, Mutsumi, Shinobu, and Mortis stayed outside the door, focusing their minds on the avatars.
But the moment the avatars crossed the iron gate and entered the Palace's range, after they had advanced only a short distance, a sudden change occurred.
Without any warning, every avatar's footsteps stopped at the exact same instant.
Whether it was Gojo Sakiko, Ryomen Sukuna, or even Stone Hashira Shinobu, all of them froze in place with perfect uniformity.
Before the people outside could react, an enormous wave of cursed energy erupted from inside the Palace like a volcanic explosion.
Then the complete-version Gojo Sakiko standing at the very front suddenly raised her right hand, her long index and middle fingers crossing and locking together.
"Domain Expansion—Unlimited Void."
The cold, emotionless voice fell.
Almost at the same time, the two Ryomen Sukuna avatars standing on either side of the formation also moved.
Their hands rapidly came together in signs, their voices overlapping:
"Domain Expansion—Malevolent Shrine!"
Void expanded madly outward beneath Gojo Sakiko's feet—that was the barrier representing the infinite flooding of information.
At the same moment, two sinister shrines made of bone and flesh rose from the ground, hung with ox skulls, accompanied by ripples of crimson water that occupied the left and right sides of the Palace.
Three domains erupted at the same time.
The air twisted violently enough to be visible to the naked eye.
Outside the gate, Sakiko's expression changed.
She had never issued that command.
She tried to send a retreat order through the mental connection, but it was like throwing a stone into an abyss. Not even a ripple came back.
She snapped her head toward Soyo, whose face also showed shock.
In that instant, Sakiko understood.
Their Potential Avatars had been seized.
Sakiko stared fixedly ahead at the three overlapping Domains, feeling the crushing pressure surging out like a tsunami.
After the initial shock, she rapidly regained calm and began analyzing at high speed.
After obtaining control, the mastermind had immediately made the avatars expand Domains on the spot.
Sakiko guessed that whoever had seized the avatars intended to use those Domains to instantly kill every Potential Avatar and wipe out their advance party.
But then Sakiko let out a cold laugh and said to everyone beside her,
"Judging from that action, the enemy should know that Domain Expansion exists and that it's an extremely powerful skill. But their understanding likely isn't deep. They may only know the surface."
Soyo pushed up her glasses.
"The sure-hit effects cancel each other out."
Exactly.
When several Domains of the same level are expanded in the same place at the same time, their sure-hit effects cancel one another out. Until a winner is determined, nothing happens.
Unless the other Domains collapse and only the last one remains, those inside will not be affected by any sure-hit technique.
Right now, within Unlimited Void's barrier, both Malevolent Shrine's indiscriminate slashes and Unlimited Void's information-flooding effect were inactive because of the conflict between sure-hit commands.
Normally, since Malevolent Shrine was an open-barrier Domain with no sealed boundary, its attack range was far greater than that of ordinary closed Domains. It should have been able to attack Unlimited Void's outer shell from outside—where Unlimited Void did not cover—and easily break it apart.
But ironically, because two Malevolent Shrines of the same origin were present outside at the same time, their sure-hit effects canceled each other the instant they opened.
Not only did they fail to attack Unlimited Void's barrier, they instead restrained one another.
Thus, Unlimited Void's barrier remained perfectly intact, and the two Malevolent Shrine altars stood silently.
Three Domains capable of destroying heaven and earth existed at the same time.
Yet aside from the terrifying pressure, they caused no actual destruction.
Sakiko rapidly pieced together the clues.
An existence capable of instantly seizing control, while only half-understanding Domain Expansion.
Her intuition told her that the mastermind was absolutely Morinami Minami herself.
Back in Mutsumi's mechanical-city Palace, Morinami Minami must have hidden in the dark and silently watched everything unfold.
That had caused their information to be exposed early.
The other side had witnessed the terror of Unlimited Void instantly freezing the mind, and the brutality of Malevolent Shrine shredding everything. Even the basic moves of the various Potential Avatars had likely been seen through from top to bottom.
But Morinami Minami had made one mistake despite all her preparation.
In that battle, Gojo Sakiko and Ryomen Sukuna had never engaged in a Domain clash—or rather, because their sure-hit effects would cancel, they had never opened Domains at the same time.
Therefore, Morinami Minami, who had only gathered information through observation, had no idea what would actually happen when multiple Domains overlapped.
She thought using three Domains at once would stack their effects and kill all the avatars inside.
She didn't know that the three Domains would instead neutralize one another.
They couldn't drag this out.
Sakiko's gaze sharpened.
She stopped wasting effort trying to fight for control and instead used the chat group system's authority, selecting the command to disperse the avatars and resummon them beside her.
That command bypassed the control law entirely.
Inside the gate, Gojo Sakiko's avatar—still holding the Domain hand sign—vanished instantly.
With the caster gone, the enormous spherical barrier stretched across the front of the Palace shattered at once. Unlimited Void disappeared.
Beside Sakiko, the young Gojo Sakiko in a technical-school uniform and the complete-version Gojo Sakiko reappeared.
This test result was obvious.
The chat group's underlying authority was definitely above the rule restrictions inside Morinami Minami's Palace.
With Unlimited Void gone, the three-way balance collapsed.
But before the two Malevolent Shrines could begin to wreak havoc, they too started crumbling as their casters vanished. The gigantic flesh-and-bone shrines faded into nothingness.
Soyo, Shinobu, and Mutsumi reacted just as quickly. Following Sakiko's example, they forcibly dispersed the Potential Avatars still inside the Palace and resummoned them.
The two Ryomen Sukuna avatars returned to Soyo's side.
Geto Mutsumi's gentle, smiling figure returned beside Wakaba Mutsumi.
And the absurdly exaggerated Stone Hashira avatar, along with the normal Flame Hashira avatar, returned behind Shinobu.
All advance forces were safely withdrawn.
The space inside the brass door became empty once again.
Only then did Mortis blink.
She stared blankly at the Palace interior that had gone empty in an instant, then looked at the avatars who had reappeared behind everyone, her face full of question marks.
"What just happened? Why did they suddenly start fighting themselves?"
Although she shared memories with Wakaba Mutsumi, she hadn't personally controlled a Potential Avatar.
She had only seen the avatars suddenly stop, unleash their ultimate moves without warning, then vanish into thin air.
She couldn't feel the terrifying loss of control when the mental connection was cut off, so she didn't quite understand what had just happened. The sudden shift in the situation left her completely confused.
Sakiko turned around.
Her gaze passed through the brass door that looked like the maw of an abyss, staring deep into the dim corridor inside the Palace.
"I suspect Morinami Minami's Palace contains a rule that can directly control targets."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"At the very least, avatars will absolutely be seized."
Hearing that conclusion, everyone's expressions turned grave.
This single inference raised the danger level of this exploration by several stages.
Because it might mean their real bodies would have to personally enter the Palace.
From a combat perspective, this wasn't an actual loss. As long as they possessed their Potential Avatars, they could still display one hundred percent of their avatars' strength.
But it also meant the tactic of using avatars to scout was completely invalid.
Their real bodies would have to cross that brass door and venture into the enemy's Palace themselves.
And from what they had just seen, that was extremely dangerous.
If an avatar was controlled, the real body outside could still forcibly cancel and recall it through the group system's authority.
But if the real body personally walked in, and if this control rule could also apply to the body itself…
Once controlled, the mind might be manipulated directly.
They might not even be able to call up the chat group panel in their heads, or use group teleportation to escape the Palace.
There would be no chance to flee.
They would become puppets on strings, completely at someone else's mercy.
A violent wind swept beneath the high canopy of the dark sky, stirring fragments from the ground.
The massive museum crouched there like a beast with jaws opened wide, silently waiting for prey to throw itself into its mouth.
After everyone thought for a while, Sakiko slowly exhaled and stepped forward, breaking the dead silence.
She decided to enter Morinami Minami's Palace personally to test it.
"That's too dangerous, Sakiko!"
Soyo noticed immediately and shouted, her voice rising sharply.
Sakiko raised a hand, stopping what Soyo was about to say next.
Then she calmly and methodically explained her reasoning.
"First, in Icarus's Movement Form, I have extremely strong resistance and purification against control abilities. As long as that purification can buy me even an instant of clarity, I can activate group teleportation and escape immediately. Compared to all of you, the danger is lowest for me."
"Second, Unyielding acts as the final insurance. Even if I lose in a spiritual clash, I can still trigger a rule-level revival on the spot and force myself back up."
"So letting me test it is the best choice."
It was logical.
Reasonable.
Impossible to refute.
Soyo opened her mouth, but found no loophole.
After making the decision, Sakiko did not blindly overestimate herself.
To ensure everything was as safe as possible, she opened the chat group's shop interface, bought Omen Premonition, and put on the glass-bead bracelet.
She stood quietly in place, adjusting her breathing, eyes fixed firmly on her wrist.
One second.
Two seconds.
Ten seconds passed.
The bracelet remained still.
None of the glass beads cracked.
Sakiko's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she exhaled.
It seemed that Icarus's Movement Form, with its high resistance and purification, combined with Unyielding as a guaranteed revival mechanism, did indeed form a set of abilities that heavily countered the Palace's strong control rule.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin