The Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 30
"The Reality"
The room froze. Every heartbeat thundered as disbelief filled the space. Shadows flickered violently, tracing subtle glitches at the edges of perception, whispering of truths too deep for the students to grasp.
Second Musukoni: "What's happening? Anyone… tell me!"
His voice trembled slightly, though he tried to mask it with bravado.
Shioinkin's gaze swept across the group, unwavering, commanding, a pillar of authority amidst chaos.
Shioinkin: "I'm the real one, students."
Time itself seemed to shiver. The faint glow of holographic panels cast distorted reflections on faces, while mist curled around their feet like a living entity. Every student's heart pounded. Paths they believed were clear… were only beginnings of something far older, far stranger.
Jin Yuan gripped the hilt of his giant katana tightly, feeling his pulse thump in his ears in a way he had never experienced. The tension in the room was tangible, almost oppressive.
Nashino stepped protectively in front of Youchina, eyes narrowed.
Nashino: "It's time for revelation. Who's the real one… who is the real Sensei?"
His voice carried confusion, mixed with urgency.
Second Musukoni: "What the hell is happening here!? Anyone explain it to me!"
Inside, his thoughts raced uncontrollably: I just went to stretch in the garden… how did this happen? What… what is going on?!
Jin Yuan's calm yet firm voice cut through the turmoil.
Jin Yuan: "Come on… reveal it."
Then, in a flash, Musukoni—the one who had transformed into Shioinkin—shifted again. His form shimmered like liquid mist, twisting and unraveling before disappearing entirely.
(From the corner of perception, a shadow blinked out. The 8th shadow, gone—but no one noticed.)
Nashino: "What the hell just happened?"
The mist coalesced again—Musukoni solidified, smiling with that playful, unnervingly calm expression he always wore.
Musukoni: "I'm the real Musukoni, guys."
Yuzurei: "HUH!? What the heck is this!"
Shioinkin's analytical voice sliced through the panic.
Shioinkin: "That creature… it can transform into mist in seconds, mimic voices and shapes… but it cannot replicate personality."
Musukoni: "Which is why it couldn't keep up my personality."
Youchina: "Hm… this is something else."
A sudden rumble split the air. The floor beneath them shifted and cracked—the Blue Realm gates opened, glowing with a fierce azure light. Before they could react, the ground gave way beneath them.
The students tumbled, separated by chance—or fate.
Nashino and Youchina fell in one direction.
Jin Yuan plummeted alone.
Emily and Shinoki fell together.
Musukoni and Yuzurei landed together.
Shioinkin descended alone.
---
Jin Yuan landed atop an endless stretch of high-tech buildings, each structure gleaming with an impossible metallic sheen. The horizon stretched endlessly, pulsating faintly with circuits of light.
A figure approached slowly. His presence was chilling—pale as snow, long black hair cascading over a black suit, eyes deep and black like voids.
Shinjukuna: "Oh… finally. We meet."
Jin Yuan: "What do you mean by that?"
His giant katana glimmered, coursing with blue thunderlight, reacting instinctively to the threat.
Shinjukuna: "Your Cyber Hunters… all my threats that survived. Once I eliminate you, I can expand my realm, my control. The world itself bends to me."
(In the shadows, unnoticed, something stirs—his watcher, observing silently, never stepping into view.)
---
The fight erupted.
Shinjukuna's hands transformed fluidly into axes, katanas, hammers, each strike faster than thought. Sparks of energy collided with Jin Yuan's thunder-infused katana, sending shockwaves that rattled the endless cityscape.
Hours passed in an endless blur of motion. The combatants collided, twisted, and shifted, each attack a precise calculation, each block a test of strength and will.
Then—without warning—they plummeted into a deep, unseen chasm. Darkness swallowed them, yet it was not empty.
They landed in a vast library-like realm, infinite in scale. Walls covered in glowing text, floors lined with endless rows of towering books, each tome radiating knowledge beyond imagination.
Jin Yuan: "What… is this?"
Shinjukuna: "I… never thought… there's another place in the Blue Realm…"
Even here, the fight resumed. Explosive sparks and fire erupted with every clash, yet the library remained untouched—untouched, unscathed, almost sacred in its resilience.
Finally, Jin Yuan's katana pierced Shinjukuna's chest. He collapsed. Shinjukuna's last breath was a whisper of acknowledgment before life faded.
Jin Yuan sank to his knees, massive katana resting beside him, hand on his knee, chest heaving with exhaustion and adrenaline.
---
When he looked around, something caught his eye—a massive square object wrapped in golden threads, pulsating softly.
Jin Yuan: "What is this…"
He uncovered it—a new dark brown book, fresh, untouched. As he opened it, tears welled in his eyes, spilling over uncontrollably. Memories of every battle, every sacrifice, every moment they had saved the Earth surged through him, overwhelming his heart.
At the center of the library, a tree with blue leaves stretched impossibly high. Jin Yuan reached out, touching it. The world flashed white.
He opened his eyes to find himself submerged in deep black water, light nonexistent, only blue ripples surrounding a glowing sphere. He approached, hands trembling, then…
BOOM!
He was back in the library.
A figure appeared suddenly—young, around 25, face calm but lethal. Before Jin Yuan could react, a blade pierced his chest.
Future Jin Yuan: "Hm… it's time for that… my past self. Rest, I am at peace."
The Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 31
"The Truth That Never Reveals"
The air was still, heavy with silence. The present Jin Yuan lay lifeless, collapsed on the cold metallic floor of the library. His giant katana rested beside him, the blue thunderlight dimmed, as if mourning its master.
Above him, Future Jin Yuan sheathed his colossal katana with deliberate precision. His mind raced, calculating, cold yet strangely calm.
Hm… even if I kill my own past self… I won't die here.
He remembered the instant his past self had touched the Fate Sphere. The merging had tethered him across timelines—past, present, and future now bound in one fragile web.
He merged with the Fate Sphere… now I can strike every version of myself without fear. I'll finally fulfill my dream…
And like a shadow folding into itself, Future Jin Yuan disappeared, leaving only a whisper of his presence.
---
The rest of the students arrived, breathless and tense. Their eyes fell upon the body of the present Jin Yuan, and the weight of reality struck them like a hammer.
Emily's legs trembled as she ran to him, collapsing onto his lifeless form, tears streaming freely.
Emily: "Jin Yuan! What happened!? Why… why are you leaving me like this!?"
Her sobs echoed through the library, reverberating off the endless walls of books. She held him close, unwilling to let go, as though sheer will could bring him back.
Nashino stepped closer, voice tight with disbelief.
Nashino: "I… I can't believe he's dead…"
Yuzurei's fists clenched, knuckles white, a storm of anger barely restrained.
Yuzurei: "Tch… that bastard… who the hell allowed him to die?"
His voice carried both rage and grief, the edge of control barely holding.
Youchina remained silent, watching Emily's grief, her calm demeanor masking the turmoil beneath.
Shioinkin's gaze flicked to the fallen Jin Yuan, analytical yet heavy with emotion.
Shioinkin: "Maybe Shinjukuna did this?"
Musukoni shook his head, tone low, precise.
Musukoni: "No… if Shinjukuna had done this, it wouldn't have been just him. Look around. Nothing else was destroyed. Jin Yuan… he died suddenly. Something unexpected happened."
Shinoki gently rubbed Yuzurei's back, her presence a soothing balm.
Shinoki: "Yuzu-kun… it's okay… just breathe."
Emily slowly stood, wiping tears from her face. Together, the students closed their eyes for a single moment, a silent tribute to the fallen. Then, hesitantly, they returned to the world of the living, carrying the heavy weight of loss within them.
Musukoni's voice broke the fragile silence.
Musukoni: "Aren't we taking his body?"
Shioinkin: "We can't… carrying his body across the Blue Realm is impossible. Not now."
Unseen by them, Future Jin Yuan observed from above, perched atop a gleaming skyscraper that stretched impossibly into the mist. His eyes, cold and unyielding, swept the survivors below.
Future Jin Yuan: "Hm… I will wipe out the entire Earth…"
A shiver ran through the air, a warning carried on the currents of fate. Every student sensed the scale of what was coming—but none could stop it.
The Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 32
"The Fate That Never Ends"
The library was silent, but not empty. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls, curling like living fingers. Outside, the Blue Realm flickered with the residue of battles past. From the perspective of Nashino, Youchina, Yuzurei, Shinoki, Emily, Musukoni, and Shioinkin, Jin Yuan lay dead—head bowed, chest still, a giant katana at his side.
Yet, in reality, he was far from gone. The Fate Sphere had merged with him, tethering his essence across time. Present Jin Yuan was nearly immortal now, unkillable by conventional means—but not invincible.
---
Future Jin Yuan stood silently, observing the chaos. Thoughts raced behind eyes that had seen decades of sacrifice and loss.
The Phoenixes… hm. It's time for manipulations.
He stepped to Shinjukuna's fallen form, placing a hand on his chest. Blue sparks of absorbed energy surged from the fallen man into him. With each heartbeat, he felt the threads of time themselves bend.
Now, he could travel—to the past, to the moments that had shaped everything. His path was clear: the beginnings, the loves, the betrayals, all of it… and he would twist them, carefully, meticulously.
---
He appeared in the past, high school years ago, where young Jin Yuan nervously clutched his confession to Chanoki. She had asked for space, and he had respected her wishes. The scene was tender, simple—yet Future Jin Yuan's presence warped it into something darkly calculated.
Chanoki looked at him with curiosity, eyes wide, voice soft.
Chanoki: "Umm… who are you, mister? I haven't seen you around."
Future Jin Yuan: "It doesn't matter. I just need you to answer honestly."
Her brow furrowed in confusion.
Chanoki: "Umm? What… what is it?"
Future Jin Yuan: "Are you going to say 'yes' to Jin Yuan?"
Chanoki froze, shock flickering across her face.
Chanoki: "Why? What… why are you asking?"
Future Jin Yuan: "Just answer." His tone was calm, unflinching, a shadow over her heart.
Chanoki: "…I… I love him. I'll say yes."
Future Jin Yuan's eyes narrowed, calculating, cold.
If she accepts him… I might live peacefully. But I can't save my friends that way.
Future Jin Yuan: "Then… you must reject him."
Chanoki: "Why should I? I won't!"
Future Jin Yuan: "If you don't… I'll kill him."
Chanoki: "HEY! Are you crazy!? I… I won't let that happen!"
Future Jin Yuan: "Then pretend you're rejecting him. I'm a serial killer, his enemy, and I don't allow him a love before me."
Panic rose in her chest. She tried to call Jin Yuan—but he threw her phone into the air, disappearing like smoke into the shadows.
Future Jin Yuan: "See this."
A photograph appeared: present Jin Yuan surrounded by armed men. Snipers. Death.
Chanoki's tears fell instantly.
Chanoki: "YOU BASTARD!"
She swung at him, but his grip caught her fist effortlessly.
Future Jin Yuan: "Think… if you say yes, he dies. If you want him alive, reject him. The choice is yours."
---
Days passed. Fear hung in the air like smoke. Every decision she made was weighed against the life of the boy she loved. Finally, Past Jin Yuan approached her, tentative, hopeful.
Jin Yuan: "Chanoki… what's your answer?"
She hugged him tightly, tears streaming, muffled against his chest.
Chanoki: "I… I love you too!"
He wiped tears from his eyes, voice trembling with joy.
Jin Yuan: "Wait… I'll bring ice cream. Let's celebrate!"
He walked away, blissful in his innocence. But in the shadows, Future Jin Yuan's eyes narrowed.
Future Jin Yuan: "What have you done…?"
Chanoki trembled.
Chanoki: "It's… just… please don't hurt him!"
Future Jin Yuan: "Then… pretend you're cheating on him."
Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.
Chanoki: "If he survives… I'll do it."
Past Jin Yuan returned with ice creams, but froze. Across the street, a bench held Future Jin Yuan, casually sitting beside Chanoki. He kissed her cheek.
Chanoki: "You're… clingy." She chuckled weakly, but her red, tear-stained eyes betrayed her pain.
Past Jin Yuan ran, clutching the ice creams, crying quietly.
Future Jin Yuan: "Perfect… now she has true love on him."
And then, a clone appeared—a copy of Past Jin Yuan, created by Future Jin Yuan to maintain the illusion for Chanoki.
Clone Jin Yuan: "Emily… who is that one?"
He hugged her gently.
Chanoki: "You… still love me?"
Clone Jin Yuan: nods silently
Future Jin Yuan walked to the rooftop, watching the two interact.
Now… she has her own life. And the threads of fate are mine to manipulate.
He disappeared into the shadows, leaving Chanoki weeping, hearts breaking, and the timeline forever altered.
---
The Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 32
"The Fate That Never Ends"
The library was silent, but not empty. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls, curling like living fingers. Outside, the Blue Realm flickered with the residue of battles past. From the perspective of Nashino, Youchina, Yuzurei, Shinoki, Emily, Musukoni, and Shioinkin, Jin Yuan lay dead—head bowed, chest still, a giant katana at his side.
Yet, in reality, he was far from gone. The Fate Sphere had merged with him, tethering his essence across time. Present Jin Yuan was nearly immortal now, unkillable by conventional means—but not invincible.
---
Future Jin Yuan stood silently, observing the chaos. Thoughts raced behind eyes that had seen decades of sacrifice and loss.
The Phoenixes… hm. It's time for manipulations.
He stepped to Shinjukuna's fallen form, placing a hand on his chest. Blue sparks of absorbed energy surged from the fallen man into him. With each heartbeat, he felt the threads of time themselves bend.
Now, he could travel—to the past, to the moments that had shaped everything. His path was clear: the beginnings, the loves, the betrayals, all of it… and he would twist them, carefully, meticulously.
---
He appeared in the past, high school years ago, where young Jin Yuan nervously clutched his confession to Chanoki. She had asked for space, and he had respected her wishes. The scene was tender, simple—yet Future Jin Yuan's presence warped it into something darkly calculated.
Chanoki looked at him with curiosity, eyes wide, voice soft.
Chanoki: "Umm… who are you, mister? I haven't seen you around."
Future Jin Yuan: "It doesn't matter. I just need you to answer honestly."
Her brow furrowed in confusion.
Chanoki: "Umm? What… what is it?"
Future Jin Yuan: "Are you going to say 'yes' to Jin Yuan?"
Chanoki froze, shock flickering across her face.
Chanoki: "Why? What… why are you asking?"
Future Jin Yuan: "Just answer." His tone was calm, unflinching, a shadow over her heart.
Chanoki: "…I… I love him. I'll say yes."
Future Jin Yuan's eyes narrowed, calculating, cold.
If she accepts him… I might live peacefully. But I can't save my friends that way.
Future Jin Yuan: "Then… you must reject him."
Chanoki: "Why should I? I won't!"
Future Jin Yuan: "If you don't… I'll kill him."
Chanoki: "HEY! Are you crazy!? I… I won't let that happen!"
Future Jin Yuan: "Then pretend you're rejecting him. I'm a serial killer, his enemy, and I don't allow him a love before me."
Panic rose in her chest. She tried to call Jin Yuan—but he threw her phone into the air, disappearing like smoke into the shadows.
Future Jin Yuan: "See this."
A photograph appeared: present Jin Yuan surrounded by armed men. Snipers. Death.
Chanoki's tears fell instantly.
Chanoki: "YOU BASTARD!"
She swung at him, but his grip caught her fist effortlessly.
Future Jin Yuan: "Think… if you say yes, he dies. If you want him alive, reject him. The choice is yours."
---
Days passed. Fear hung in the air like smoke. Every decision she made was weighed against the life of the boy she loved. Finally, Past Jin Yuan approached her, tentative, hopeful.
Jin Yuan: "Chanoki… what's your answer?"
She hugged him tightly, tears streaming, muffled against his chest.
Chanoki: "I… I love you too!"
He wiped tears from his eyes, voice trembling with joy.
Jin Yuan: "Wait… I'll bring ice cream. Let's celebrate!"
He walked away, blissful in his innocence. But in the shadows, Future Jin Yuan's eyes narrowed.
Future Jin Yuan: "What have you done…?"
Chanoki trembled.
Chanoki: "It's… just… please don't hurt him!"
Future Jin Yuan: "Then… pretend you're cheating on him."
Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.
Chanoki: "If he survives… I'll do it."
Past Jin Yuan returned with ice creams, but froze. Across the street, a bench held Future Jin Yuan, casually sitting beside Chanoki. He kissed her cheek.
Chanoki: "You're… clingy." She chuckled weakly, but her red, tear-stained eyes betrayed her pain.
Past Jin Yuan ran, clutching the ice creams, crying quietly.
Future Jin Yuan: "Perfect… now she has true love on him."
And then, a clone appeared—a copy of Past Jin Yuan, created by Future Jin Yuan to maintain the illusion for Chanoki.
Clone Jin Yuan: "Emily… who is that one?"
He hugged her gently.
Chanoki: "You… still love me?"
Clone Jin Yuan: nods silently
Future Jin Yuan walked to the rooftop, watching the two interact.
Now… she has her own life. And the threads of fate are mine to manipulate.
He disappeared into the shadows, leaving Chanoki weeping, hearts breaking, and the timeline forever altered.
---
The Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 35— "The Insanity of Mindset"
The world blurred and twisted around him. In a blink, time itself bent to Future Jin Yuan's will. The red glow of his dimly lit room faded into the cold haze of history. Wind tore across scorched battlefields, carrying screams, the clash of steel, and the stench of blood. He had arrived in the year 650—a pivotal moment when the war between Hell and the Three Heavens had reshaped existence itself.
The Heavens, once proud and untouchable, now knelt under the iron grip of Hell's tyranny. Fires raged across the skies, illuminating a landscape of carnage and despair. Future Jin Yuan's eyes, cold and unyielding, scanned the chaos. Nothing escaped him—not the formation of armies, not the strategy of generals, not the terrified expressions of soldiers doomed to die. He was not here to participate… not yet. He was here to observe, calculate, and seize what no one else could touch.
A figure drew his attention immediately—a man radiating a golden-orange aura so bright it seared through the darkness of the battlefield. The Phoenix energy burned like a miniature sun within him. Future Jin Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile. That power… that sphere… would be his.
---
The Mask of Hell
Silently, he moved like a shadow among the chaos. His eyes narrowed as he approached a group of Hell soldiers. With precise, ruthless efficiency, he eliminated one, taking his armor and weapon. No sound escaped his lips, no hesitation. To the soldiers around him, he was one of them. A soldier of Hell, indistinguishable from the rest, yet far more lethal.
Every step brought him closer to his target—the man with Phoenix energy. Future Jin Yuan's heart, unnervingly calm, beat with an almost imperceptible rhythm of anticipation. He was not a participant in the war. He was the predator in a field of prey.
Finally, he was close enough. He raised his giant katana, the blade shimmering faintly with the merged aura of Fate Sphere and his own energy, pressing it against the man's neck with surgical precision.
Future Jin Yuan:
"Give me that Phoenix power… and explain what it is."
The man froze, confusion written across his face. The Phoenix Sphere was ancient knowledge, known to few, and yet here was this stranger, seemingly unafraid, demanding what centuries had guarded.
Man:
"Okay… I'll give you the Phoenix Sphere."
Future Jin Yuan's eyes narrowed further. The name confirmed it. Phoenix Sphere.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"So this is what it's called… and the energy it holds… is unlike anything I've encountered. I can feel its potential even without activation."
Man:
"It was named by the ancient King of the Three Heavens… the same being who fathered Hell itself. Some say he created the power himself, others claim he was born with it. No one truly knows."
Future Jin Yuan:
"His name… his year… any incidents, any wars… tell me. Everything."
The man shook his head.
Man:
"Most of his history is lost… hidden. Only fragments remain, whispers in forgotten halls and sacred texts."
Future Jin Yuan narrowed his eyes. Every fragment would be mine. Every secret, mine to manipulate.
---
Claiming the Phoenix Sphere
The man reached into his chest, producing a small orb that glowed with an intense white light. Vibrations of raw energy radiated from it, washing over the battlefield like a tidal wave in miniature. Future Jin Yuan extended his hand, fingers brushing the sphere, and felt the pulse of immeasurable power connect to his very soul.
Future Jin Yuan:
"So… now what should I do with this?"
Man:
"Press it to your chest. Let it attach to your heart and soul."
With meticulous care, he pressed the Phoenix Sphere against his chest. For a moment, nothing happened. No transformation. No sudden increase in power. Only the faint warmth of energy flowing beneath his skin.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"Patience… even power this ancient requires time, understanding… and cunning. I will not rush it."
Future Jin Yuan:
"How does one activate it? Surely… someone in Heaven must know."
Man:
"No. None of us have ever activated the Phoenix Sphere. It is beyond comprehension."
A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips. Exactly as it should be.
---
The Path to Knowledge
Future Jin Yuan stepped back, surveying the chaos of war again. Soldiers clashed, and the aura of the Phoenix man burned like a beacon, untouched by the surrounding carnage. His mind raced, calculating every variable.
Future Jin Yuan:
"There must be a record… a clue to the King, the founder of the Phoenix Sphere. Where, who, what? I must know, or I cannot control this."
The man hesitated, then spoke.
Man:
"There… there is a place. The Empire of Zongueos, the First Heaven. They hold a book—secrets of the King. But… getting there is impossible. The Queen Victoria guards it, and her army… impenetrable."
Future Jin Yuan's eyes gleamed. Danger, obstacles, and impossibility… all fuel to his strategy.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"Queen Victoria… the empire… every layer of history… every hidden passage… all can be manipulated. Every impossibility bends beneath me. I am not bound by fear, by time, by morality. This… is the chessboard, and I… am the hand that moves the pieces."
---
Calculating Every Move
He retreated to a vantage point, hidden among the smoldering remnants of Hell's army, and observed the battlefield. Men fought desperately, unaware of the predator in their midst.
Future Jin Yuan's mind raced in patterns, connecting the past with the future. If he could obtain the Phoenix Sphere now, then manipulate the empire centuries later, then control the Queen… the timeline itself would bend to his will.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"I am not a soldier. I am not a hero. I am not even a villain in their eyes yet. I am inevitability. I am the chaos that guarantees order… and freedom."
---
Memories of the Present
For a brief moment, his mind drifted. Emily. Nashino. Yuzurei. Musukoni. Shinoki. Shioinkin. His friends—his anchor.
He remembered the warmth of Emily sleeping beside him, trusting, innocent. A silent tear threatened again, but he wiped it away without hesitation. Emotion could not weaken his resolve. The war of history, the conquest of time, and the manipulation of power required a mind unshakable.
"All must be sacrificed," he whispered to himself. "Even me… if necessary."
---
The First Strike
Future Jin Yuan moved with predatory grace, stepping into the battlefield once more. His eyes locked on the Phoenix man, analyzing every muscle, every breathing pattern, every subtle fluctuation of aura. He had the weapon, the mind, and now the strategy.
Future Jin Yuan:
"I will take the Phoenix Sphere. I will bend its power. And I will use it to rewrite every law of this universe."
The man's aura flared instinctively, sensing danger. Future Jin Yuan's katana gleamed under the hellfire, the edge reflecting the chaos and the weight of centuries.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"One moment, one choice… and the world will never be the same. One strike, one mind… and even the impossible bends to me."
---
The Calm Before the Storm
The battlefield roared with the clash of swords and the cries of the fallen. Hell's army pressed forward. Heavens' soldiers struck back. Yet above all this, Future Jin Yuan stood calm. Silent. Calculating.
He had a goal. A timeline to manipulate. The Phoenix Sphere in hand. And centuries of history to bend.
"It begins now," he whispered, the wind carrying his words across the war-torn skies. "And nothing… nothing will stop me."
The snow and blood of history swirled around him. Fire and light collided. And in that chaos, a single figure, untouched by fear, unyielding in will, plotted the manipulation of an entire universe.