(Author's Note: Hehehe, the readers and fans of my books knew the drill. If I failed to deliver and stopped writing my works, I just couldn't help but return to them many months later and then rewrite them to polish the thoughts and visions I had again!)
(Well, here it is, the Rewrite!)
(I hope you like it~! - Nine_Clouds)
--- Chapter 1 ---
Huff!
Huff!
Heavy breathing echoed in the dark room.
Moonlight seeped into the prison cells, revealing a sickly figure dressed in white.
A handsome young man sat on the cold floor, gasping for breath. He wore a ragged white robe and tattered black pants, yet they appeared clean, giving him a mysterious vibe.
The young man's four limbs were bound with obsidian chains, leaving him no room to move or escape. Nevertheless, his obsidian dark eyes swirled silently, resembling an abyss filled with endless perseverance.
"1212..."
"1213..."
"1214..."
"1269..."
"1333..."
"1369!"
His murmurs echoed within the prison cell.
Clank!
Someone suddenly struck the cell, causing sparks and dust to fly.
The young man didn't flinch. After all, he couldn't even move. The sparks illuminated his faint smile.
"Otsutsuki Tenma..." A cold voice emanated from the other side of the cell.
"The Acting Patriarch has requested your insignificant presence."
Otsutsuki Tenma!
That was the name of the sick-looking young man. Before he could react, the person already dragged him out of the cell, leading him like an animal through the street.
As they walked, Tenma's appearance became clearer. He looked no older than twenty, though he was older than that. The descendants of the Otsutsuki Clan always appeared youthful.
His body was lean, somewhat lacking visible muscle. His long white hair was disheveled, partially covering his pale face and half of his scarred back.
He had two curved white horns, one of which got broken due to a fight with the disciplinary committee over killing a jealous clan member not too long ago.
Tenma seemed unremarkable next to the other members of the Otsutsuki Clan.
However, compared to regular human standards, he was no different from a celestial being.
"I-Is that him?" A member of the Otsutsuki Clan nervously pointed at Tenma.
Soon, others began to whisper and point fingers at the young man.
"The Wild Horse…"
"Why did Rakushiki-sama bring him out?"
"This is a sign of misfortune. Damn it! I'm not in the mood to harvest Chakra Fruits anymore."
"The Forsaken of Divine's Blood..."
"The Weakest Otsutsuki…"
"The Laziest Bum…"
"The Most Useless Man…"
'Tsk, what a bunch of hypocrites, as expected from this disgusting clan,' Tenma thought to himself. 'Who doesn't know about the vile acts of the Otsutsuki Clan over millions of years?'
'They've robbed, killed, and obliterated countless universes just to grow stronger.'
'Just because I don't want to fight unnecessary battles, they call me the Weakest…'
'Just because I refuse to destroy the world by planting God's Tree, they label me the Laziest...'
'Just because I don't abuse my Kama and Shinjutsu (Divine Technique) as they do, they deem me the Most Useless!'
To them, Tenma was weak, but this was mainly because the clan council didn't reveal his deeds.
The mockery rained down on Tenma, but he didn't care. He believed in Karma.
And Karma is a bitch.
In reality, Tenma wasn't Otsutsuki at heart. Yes, he had transmigrated into this awful clan many years ago.
Bang!
A giant metal shrine's gate swung open as the Otsutsuki Rakushiki, an Elder, dragged Tenma inside.
Crack! Thud!
"Kneel, and press your head to the ground, boy…" Rakushiki commanded, breaking Tenma's legs and forcing his head onto the cold ground.
The young man remained silent as whining wouldn't evoke sympathy from these cold-hearted monsters.
Empathy?
Heart?
Emotion?
No, they don't have such things!
These people would gladly boil newborns and turn them into soup for their own nourishment if they could make them stronger.
And that wasn't even the most disgusting thing they did.
At the end of the yard was a platform where the Acting Patriarch of the Otsutsuki Clan sat, gazing at Tenma indifferently.
He had a pair of pure Byakugan and an emerald Rinnesharingan on his forehead. A scar ran across his left eye, extending to his well-trimmed mustache and beard.
Like all Otsutsuki, the Acting Patriarch had a white complexion and hair, and that cold, haughty look on his face.
"Boy, greet the Patriarch…" Rakushiki pressed harder on Tenma's head, causing blood to rush to his brain.
Otsutsuki Tenma chuckled, "Hehe, isn't this our Acting Patriarch, Zenzaimon-sama?"
"Nice to meet you, and good fucking morning~!"
"You look as hideous as I remembered."
"How is the scar? I bet it burns..."
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon snorted, "Otsutsuki Tenma, all the Elders are present here…"
"Today will be your trial."
"We will decide your fate once and for all!"
Several mystical eyes scrutinized Tenma's frail body, causing his smile to widen slightly.
"Ah, no wonder the air feels disgusting!" Otsutsuki Tenma grinned again, blood spilling from his mouth.
"How dare you, you rat! Know your place!" shouted several Otsutsuki Elders, anger flaring in their voices.
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon raised his hand, "Don't let him provoke you. You know how his Shinjutsu (Divine Technique) works."
"Otsutsuki Tenma, do you acknowledge your sins?"
"Sin? No, I don't recall any..." Tenma replied sincerely.
"Shut up! In year 1,212, you stole over a hundred Chakra Fruits and killed fellow Otsutsuki Clan members in that universe!" shouted an enraged Otsutsuki Elder to the left.
"They are my sons! You bastard!"
"Hahaha, sorry. I don't remember killing anyone important. But I do remember eliminating a bunch of disgusting worms," Tenma laughed, unbothered.
"Worms! You dare call my three beloved sons worms? I will kill you!" The elder's eyes transformed into Tenseigan, burning with a blue flame of hatred.
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon sighed, rubbing his temple. "Don't move, Elder Hajime."
"But since you mentioned one of Tenma's sins, let's reveal the rest."
"In the year 1213, Otsutsuki Tenma stole the Otsutsuki Clan's Artifact, the Eyes of Balance, and slaughtered 300 branch clans."
"Whoa! That's slander, patriarch! They are rebelling! I can't let the branch clans rebel against us, right?" Otsutsuki Tenma cheerfully added.
An elder gritted her teeth and said, "In 1214, Otsutsuki Tenma spread the Untold Curse and stopped the growth of the God's Trees entirely in many universes, causing significant losses to the clan..."
"It was an accident, I swear!" Otsutsuki Tenma nitpicked. "The Dark Moon Goddess, no, she was a bitch, planned to ruin our Space-Time Gateways, so I had to kill her."
"I swear it was an accident! Please trust me!"
Twitch!
Veins popped on everyone's foreheads. There was no way they believed Otsutsuki Tenma's nonsense.
The Dark Moon Empress was their indirect ally.
Although her character was questionable, she could provide the Otsutsuki Clan with rare resources. And Otsutsuki Tenma had butchered her before everyone's eyes.
Thankfully, they could revive her, though she later demanded Otsutsuki Tenma's dead body in return.
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon continued with an angry look, "In the year 1269, you sacrificed the Otsutsuki Clan's strategic resource, the Starry Pool, and gave it to the Goddess of Wisdom, Aurelia..."
"Only to have a date with her."
"Well, that, patriarch. You can't blame me for that! Aurelia is so goddamn hot!" Otsutsuki Tenma complained back. "Which of you wouldn't want to date her? I dare you to say no!"
"I dare you to swear by her name!"
"Me first, I swear on the name of my darling, Aurelia, that you old fossils are a bunch of pussies!"
Gulp!
Every male in the trial ground swallowed hard. They knew Tenma was trying to provoke them into a deep hole.
After all, swearing by the name of the Goddess was taboo. The Otsutsuki Clan was strong—unbearably powerful—but even they knew who they shouldn't offend.
"Hehe, see, what a bunch of cowards." Otsutsuki Tenma laughed gleefully.
Meanwhile, the female Otsutsuki Elders cursed at Tenma.
"Vulgar!"
"Vain!"
"H-Hentai!"
"Pervert!"
"Trash!"
"You should just die!"
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon clenched his fists and whispered, "Finally... In the year 1333, you committed an unforgivable act."
"You questioned the Words of our God, Otsutsuki Shibai, and desecrated his ancestral grave by soiling it with your piss!"
"Pui! He's dead anyway!" Otsutsuki Tenma looked up and spat his blood on the ground.
"Why are you following the words of dead people anyway?"
"God? Gosh, please, I have a date with a literal Goddess, and you're here worshipping ashes."
"You might as well jerk on those ashes, hahaha~!"
"Who is superior, huh?"
Everyone fell silent, eyes filled with impotent rage.
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon's Rinnesharingan twitched as an overwhelming aura erupted in the trial ground.
He stood up and looked down at Tenma. "Otsutsuki Tenma, the clan will give you a chance to repent..."
"Hand over the 'Limitless Path' to the clan, and I will erase your sins."
"Pfft! Hahaha! I knew it!" Otsutsuki Tenma laughed at the sky. "I knew you wouldn't be so kind."
"I knew you wouldn't dare to ask Aurelia herself for the Limitless Path!"
"Your only response is yes or no..." Otsutsuki Zenzaimon was ready to use his Shinjutsu (Divine Technique) at any time.
Otsutsuki Tenma grinned. "What about..."
"A question first?"
"Bear with me."
"If you answer this question of mine, I might give it voluntarily."
The Otsutsuki Elders groaned, "Patriarch, don't."
"This is just another trick of his."
"What's the matter? Afraid? I say you can drop off the patriarch position and commit seppuku right now." Otsutsuki Tenma taunted playfully.
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon stared at him silently, "The question..."
"Tell me."
Otsutsuki Tenma ignored the extreme pain all over his body and blurted plainly, "What year is this?"
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon and the Otsutsuki Elders glanced at him in confusion because it was a simple question.
They couldn't see any trick behind it.
Otsutsuki Zenzaimon furrowed his brows before answering, "1369."
"Heh, noice~!" Otsutsuki Tenma laughed out loud.
"Well, my answer for your request is, unfortunately, no, patriarch."
"And fuck this shit! I'm out!"
DING!
"No, his blood..." Rakushiki, who held Tenma down, suddenly realized that the blood Tenma spat out was glowing brilliant blue and red like the moon above them. His complexion instantly went pale.
"Bye, everyone!" Otsutsuki Tenma lifted his head and playfully winked at them.
"I'll go out with a bang!"
"Everyone, seal the space-time and the dimension! Hurry, don't let him use that unknown Shinjutsu!" roared Otsutsuki Zenzaimon as he used his Rinnesharingan's abilities, followed by the rest of the Otsutsuki Elders.
However, they were two steps behind.
Oh, no!
Rakushiki felt nervous, a bad premonition rising in his heart as he couldn't move and felt Tenma's blood rapidly producing a supernova-like eruption.
Not only that, the heat from Otsutsuki Tenma's body alone already burned Rakushiki's hands to ashes.
"Shinjutsu (Divine Technique)—Karmic Blood Reincarnation!"
Otsutsuki Tenma closed his eyes, feeling at peace.
.
.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An eruption akin to the first Super Big Bang, also known as the beginning of all things, occurred, devouring the Otsutsuki Clan into the void and killing nearly all the Otsutsuki Clan members.
When Otsutsuki Tenma got dragged from his cell to the trial ground, his Shinjustu (Divine Technique) was already activated.
The effect is simple, yet deadly. It turns anything Tenma had touched with into superheated particles that could destroy the atomic bonds.
Yes, even air.
The trigger?
Otsutsuki Tenma's question, and Otsutsuki Zenzaimon's answer, though the detail is 'unfortunately' omitted for now.
And the rest is history.
"OTSUTSUKI TENMA, I CURSE YOUR EXISTENCE! I CONDEMN YOU TO DEATH!" The nearly dead Otsutsuki Zenzaimon screamed at the top of his lungs, looking like a burnt corpse.
"AAAAAAAAAAHH! I WISH YOU ETERNAL SUFFERING!" Then, he slowly and unwillingly crumbled into ashes, drifted away by cosmic winds.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, a crimson light appeared in the void. A drop of blood floated, wandering in the darkness.
[Ding! You have awakened the "Limitless Path System!"]