Chapter 748: The Black King Society and Azure Sky
Sousuke retracted his gaze from the massive Golden Tree. He observed the outstanding Reincarnator before him. Even by his standards, this woman possessed an exceptionally superior, high-level perspective.
That special talent was the result of the space observing her outstanding natural endowments.
"Miss Amane, are you willing to join Azure Sky?"
Sousuke spoke suddenly. This caused the ponytail-wearing man, Mukizu, who had deliberately kept a distance of nearly a hundred meters while leaning against the Golden Tree, to shift his gaze.
But he immediately regained his composure.
Although their trio had shared trials and tribulations, if they had to evaluate their aptitudes as Reincarnators, Mukizu believed that neither he nor Mushin could even remotely compare to her.
Amane shook her head.
"With all due respect, my path is different from yours."
"You are a seeker of the truth chasing the glory of an ideal, while I... am merely an apostle acting in accordance with the most correct timeline."
Amane lowered her head, a self-deprecating smile on her face.
Her talent, Mr. Mouse (Hundred Click), rather than giving her a super brain capable of turning bad luck into good and pre-simulating everything, had instead locked her inside a cage called "Correctness."
Precisely because she had pre-simulated every scene hundreds of times, when making a choice, she would naturally select the most advantageous and correct route.
But at the same time, she had lost the remaining strength to fight against errors and fallacies.
Amane quietly watched the swaying branches and leaves of the Golden Tree in the sky. That golden radiance was just like her.
Seemingly beautiful, powerful, and flawless, yet possessing a desolate sense that everything ended here.
"I am only a woman of this caliber. King of Miracles, if possible, I would actually like to recommend that companion of mine to you..."
Amane tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear. She looked toward the other side of the Golden Tree, where Mushin was constantly practicing his abilities and combat techniques.
Behind him, faint illusory fluctuations were beginning to generate in a way he hadn't even noticed himself. It was a nascent form that the Reincarnator himself could not yet perceive, but because she had already seen countless futures, she knew.
She knew clearly that he possessed a far grander future than her own.
Sousuke's gaze swept over Amane's two companions. Both were considered excellent. One of them had already begun to touch his own essence. If he didn't die unexpectedly, he would probably touch the power of the Concussive Pulse of the Spiritual Light after four or five task cycles.
However, this level of talent held no decisive significance for the world to come.
He had only invited Amane on a whim. Azure Sky had very few members, and he was worried that after his death, that group wouldn't even be able to find a decent candidate.
Sousuke waved his hand, abandoning the topic.
"The Western District's Yoko Katarina has already issued an ultimatum to you. If you continue to cultivate the Golden Tree, she will personally lead a team here to slaughter every last one of you."
"After this task cycle, I probably won't be able to protect this area anymore, so..."
Amane nodded. She seemed to have anticipated this long ago.
"Before that happens, I will join the banner of the New King."
[You have assimilated the Dragon Emperor Nidhogg (Pseudo)]
[Based on the effect of the Divine Hull of the Primordial Genesis Man, you have accommodated a new bloodline]
[All Attributes +13. Current: Strength 72, Constitution 74, Agility 67, Spirit 89]
[You have obtained the Trait: Dragon Species (World's Rarity) — You will be treated as a Dragon Species creature, exerting intense suppression on all dragons, sub-dragons, and dragonborn. You are immune to mental-type abilities such as Dragon Might, and gain a 65% exemption against elemental abilities.]
[You have obtained the Trait: World Tree Calamity (World's Rarity) — The blood of Nidhogg will deal additional damage to the World Tree lineage (up to 21%). The damage you cause to species of the World Tree lineage will grant you an additional maximum exemption of 13%.]
[You have obtained the Kotodama: The Untainted Land (S-) — A Dragon's Edict. Based on your Spirit attribute and Authority, strip away all elemental authorities within the area.]
Zzt~
A golden streak of lightning flashed across Kaito Shirogane's skin. The muscle spasms instantly vanished. Kaito Shirogane opened his eyes, his golden irises shining brilliantly.
The fine, pitch-black scales on his skin disappeared bit by bit. Kaito Shirogane exhaled a breath of stale air that actually smelled of sulfur.
Although this bloodline sent by the King of Miracles was only temporarily and forcefully cobbled together, completely lacking the true might of that original Dragon Monarch, it gave Kaito Shirogane the attributes he wanted most.
Without a doubt, the pseudo-Dragon Emperor born from forcefully fusing the Four Great Monarchs might have had massive weaknesses in terms of Authority, but its physical body had indeed been enhanced to the extreme.
It gave the current Kaito Shirogane an all-attribute boost. For someone who possessed a series of multiplicative attribute abilities like the Kaio-Ken and the Qilin Armor, this enhancement surpassed most Authorities.
He was becoming more and more adapted to his combat style. Only pure power was true and absolute!
"Sovereign Monarch, you are..."
Mizuki saw Kaito Shirogane's golden eyes, as well as the faint imposing aura and pressure emanating from him.
Kaito Shirogane waved his hand. He never explained his actions.
"Release the news. Eden will begin a comprehensive recruitment of high-tier Reincarnators, and we will host the first Tenkaichi Budokai (World Martial Arts Tournament) in the real world. The winner will receive an S-Rank Singularity Point and the opportunity for me to act on their behalf once for free."
Mizuki was stunned. She had never heard this news before, and she was sure no one else had either.
This was clearly a whim of the Sovereign Monarch.
But she only pondered for a moment before immediately agreeing.
"Understood, Sovereign Monarch. I will perfect the details of this tournament."
Hosting a large-scale tournament—and in the real world, no less—involved a terrifying amount of detailed issues, including how to invite Reincarnators, how to ensure safety during the battles, and even how to ensure that a massive number of Reincarnators wouldn't break out into a deathmatch during this period.
But she believed she could solve them all.
Kaito Shirogane waved his hand. Even without relying on mind reading, he could guess what many people were thinking.
"There's no need to consider those things. We are just hosting a tournament. The rest will be left to the Reincarnators themselves~"
"The Reincarnators I need are not giant babies who can't even take care of themselves. So-called Reincarnators... should always be ready to face life and death!"
After saying this, Kaito Shirogane had already left. Mizuki remained where she was. Soon, Aoi Ito and Kiyoko also returned to the personal space.
One was preparing to enhance herself, while the other was about to begin a new deployment.
Mizuki hesitated for a moment but still told the two of them the news that Kaito Shirogane was going to host the Tenkaichi Budokai, and explained Kaito Shirogane's requirements.
Kiyoko, whose temperament had become increasingly cold and demonic after obtaining the Demonic Heretic title, merely gave a light snort. She waved her hand dismissively.
"You place too much importance on those Reincarnators."
"Things like Reincarnators are just like locusts."
She turned the doorknob and left the room.
Aoi Ito clearly noticed the change in Kiyoko. This woman's strength was improving very quickly, and she had a clear sense of competition toward Aoi.
Aoi Ito recalled the scene of Sovereign Kaito Shirogane lying in the same bed with Kiyoko when she returned to the space that day, and she instantly understood.
Her expression was odd, but because she was a mercenary herself and had killed an unknown number of Reincarnators, she understood perfectly what Kaito Shirogane and Kiyoko meant.
Perhaps it was because she was a Reincarnator herself that she harbored the thought that Reincarnators died easily and were therefore precious.
But in reality, from the perspective of the entire space, Reincarnators weren't precious at all.
They could even be completely described as consumables.
What the space truly wanted were top-tier Reincarnators capable of entering primal and secondary worlds. Below that, no matter how many mid-to-low-tier Reincarnators died, the space had ways to quickly replenish them.
At worst, it would just increase the frequency of conscription. This world had a population of nearly ten billion; these were all potential Reincarnators...
Mizuki completely understood. Perhaps Sovereign Kaito Shirogane was dissatisfied because the intensity of battles faced by current Reincarnators wasn't high enough.
He intentionally hosted this tournament to create more opportunities for Reincarnators to fight and slaughter each other.
Combined with the Sovereign Monarch's previous declaration, it was very clear that the fundamental tone of the world from now on would become increasingly dangerous!
"Reinhardt, do you still remember which task world you entered for the first time?"
The woman's voice came from within the armor, sounding very muffled.
The man sitting in the manor drinking black tea looked up at Brunhilde sitting directly across from him.
"It was the Attack on Titan world, right? I had three experiences of almost being trampled to death by Titans, and two experiences of almost being executed by the Military Police."
Professor Kento sat at the far end of the long table. He felt that the atmosphere in Azure Sky was a bit strange right now.
And... weren't there a few too many people in this manor at the moment?
Several white round tables were arranged in the courtyard.
He sat alone in a corner, occupying a single table.
Meanwhile, Mori-Summer, Reinhardt, Roman, and Brunhilde—four senior members—were gathered around a single table, seemingly recounting the past.
As for the other two tables, the people sitting beside them were completely shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
It was as if even light entering that area was absorbed, making it completely impossible to see who was inside.
But he already knew what this unique appearance meant. Without a doubt, the seven people at these two tables...
Were all Black Kings!
The legendary Black King Society was currently present in its entirety in the Azure Sky gathering space!
And everyone seemed to be waiting for that man to return.
This was a final gathering, a farewell party among acquaintances.
A purple gemstone of astonishingly high purity appeared in the Professor's hand. He crushed it instantly, using the power of the Tarot Sequence to peek at the true identities of the Black Kings.
The pitch-black shadow before his eyes instantly broke open, and a pitch-black streak of lightning flashed in an instant.
Crackle!
The space in front of the Professor emitted an explosive sound, and the area became charred black.
"Hey, Luffy! Don't be so strict with our little brother, he's still a kid~"
Reinhardt explained loudly, but his tone sounded as if he was joking.
The Professor rarely saw Reinhardt act in such an "unreliable" manner. He was usually the most composed and dependable member of Azure Sky.
The King of Azure Sky, Sousuke, was casual in character and acted recklessly, often doing things that caught everyone off guard. According to others, he was a guy who was good for nothing except raw power.
Azure Sky's No. 2, Mori-Summer, was extremely cold to everyone and rarely took the initiative to do anything, but when she struck, it was always with the most decisive slash. Outside of combat, she was basically invisible.
Roman, who excelled at various spiritual arts and demon-slaying archery, had a gentle personality by nature, but because of his lover Roland's death, he had a knot in his heart and was a guy who could fall into sorrow anytime, anywhere.
Brunhilde, the Guardian of Azure Sky, the Unbreakable Shield. She was steady and reliable but rarely spoke, acting almost entirely as an invisible presence.
Only Reinhardt seemed all-encompassing, capable of doing anything.
"Heh, back then it was Roland who desperately saved your life, wasn't it? I've heard him say it many times."
Brunhilde spoke up, a rare occurrence. Her voice was delicate and gentle, forming a sharp contrast with her rigid armor.
The Professor noticed that everyone was acting out of character. Brunhilde was talking more, Reinhardt was being unreliable, and Roman—who usually shed tears at the mere mention of Roland—was indeed crying, but he was smiling.
"Yeah, Roland said his legs were torn off trying to save you, and finally he cried and begged you, and only then were you willing to carry him through the stage..."
Hum~
Space flickered, and a figure returned to the manor.
Sousuke, still dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, looked at the manor full of people and snapped his fingers with his right hand.
Massive amounts of alcohol and exquisite food continuously appeared.
"Hahahaha, you guys are still talking about those embarrassing stories from back then. I've heard that stuff to death. Today, I'll take you all to hear mine!"
He stomped his foot, and the ground instantly caved in. The round tables slid together in an instant and merged into one under a golden radiance.
A massive round table appeared.
Then, Sousuke pointed at the sky. A huge shadow appeared, blotting out the sky.
After the sunlight was lost, the Professor realized that the people within the shadows began to reveal themselves one by one.
A one-armed man with long black hair draped behind him and a clear cross-shaped scar on his chest; Monkey D. Luffy from the One Piece world.
A Kryptonian with heroic facial features, wearing a black tight-fitting battle suit with a massive 'S' symbol on his chest; Clark Kent.
A goddess with long golden hair cascading down her sides, her platinum eyes devoid of warmth, exuding a chilling majesty just by sitting there; Rhongomyniad.
Zzt~
As the Professor looked further back, he felt a sour ache in his eyes.
But the next figure had already appeared before him.
Over a black bodysuit, he wore a red martial arts uniform. A muscular physique, similarly missing an arm, his body enveloped in an energy that was both familiar and terrifying to the Professor—Ki!
This guy was... Son Gohan! The one-armed Gohan from that tragic worldline!
Pfft!
A severe pain shot through the Professor's eyes as both his eyeballs directly exploded.
"Restore."
Sousuke's voice rang out, and then the Professor noticed that the black veil had once again covered the figures of the Black King Society members.
The last things he saw remained etched in his mind.
One was a Black King in the appearance of a young girl, her entire body shrouded in despair and magical energy. The other had exquisite features, making it hard to distinguish between male and female, but the armor they wore looked in every way like the structure of a Saint Seiya Cloth.
It was that certain someone from the Puella Magi Madoka Magica world, and someone from the Saint Seiya world...
[You have witnessed Special Unit: Black King]
[You have come into close contact with Special Unit: Black King]
[You have suffered the Curse: The Witch's Terminus]
In an instant, the Professor felt his cognitive skills fall into chaos. He couldn't even clearly remember the faces and identities he had seen, or exactly how many Black Kings he had witnessed.
How many Black Kings were there in total again...
The world began to twist. He felt like throwing up, but at that moment, Sousuke's voice echoed, instantly dispelling the distortion and chaos.
"Everyone, let's raise our glasses together. To my... grand death!"
"In your lifetimes, I hope you all... achieve your heart's desires, and make this world..."
"No longer twisted."