"What is this?"
Principal Starry carefully picked up one of the vials. Zero saw this, and his mind instantly froze.
Evolutionary Potions?
How had they materialized here?
This was the Reason World. A gathering of individuals enjoying their retirement, and suddenly, two mysterious potions appeared from thin air?
This... What was this anomaly?
Unlike the elixirs Mei had provided previously, these potions manifested without any fanfare, as if they had simply descended from the heavens.
Zero, sporting a deeply puzzled expression, picked up one of the vials. A conspicuous red cross-out marked its surface.
And beneath it, a single word was inscribed:
"Satan?"
Principal Starry squinted at the potion in his hand, studying it for a long moment before he could barely decipher the word.
"Spirit?"
"Excuse me, what exactly does this signify?"
Zero was equally clueless. He couldn't even confirm if this was truly an evolutionary potion.
"You should taste it."
Principal Starry heard this, twisted off the cap of the bottle, and carefully sniffed the opening near his nose. "A scent that is intensely familiar... I must have encountered this aroma somewhere within our world."
"It appears to be..."
"Meteorite ore?"
"No, it seems to encompass more than that. There are raw materials for psychic power potions mixed in, distinguishable by lavender, and an unknown fragrance I've never experienced before... Incredibly complex, incredibly subtle."
Zero heard this and immediately twisted open his own bottle. "What about this scent? Have you recognized this one?"
Principal Starry frowned deeply. "This sharp, pungent smell—sulfur and fire elements?"
"I highly doubt your world harbors anything like that, because this signature is something exclusively found in the Underworld."
"However, much like mine, there are other complex smells blended in, although the sulfur and fire components are significantly stronger here."
Distinct from the common sulfuric odor, intertwined within it was an indescribable essence, carrying undertones of sourness and acridity.
As Principal Starry noted, its aroma was intensely complex, defying categorization with a singular description.
Zero suggested they taste the contents. Principal Starry considered this for a moment, then took a sip, but he did not swallow it immediately. Instead, he held the liquid upon his palate.
Herbal alchemy, as Principal Starry had previously mentioned, was indeed a recognized branch of magic. Moreover, his senses of taste and smell were naturally highly acute.
Principal Starry held the potion in his mouth. Before he could properly analyze the flavor, the liquid instantly vaporized across his palate.
It was at that precise moment that his signature starry eyes stiffened.
Zero was about to speak when he witnessed Principal Starry's eyes suddenly bloom with a vivid purple hue. Immediately following, this purple began to spread in swirling patterns across his physical form!
Then, Principal Starry's entire body vaporized!
His bones and flesh instantly disintegrated, leaving behind only a body composed of pure, raw energy!
His entire being was now entirely purple energy, and his eyes blazed with dazzling white light!
"What is this?"
Principal Starry extended his hands. Before he could savor this transformation, he was forcefully pulled from the Reason World by an unseen power!
Principal Starry was yanked into the deepest stratum of the Dream World!
Zero witnessed this, his gaze sweeping across the scene, and he immediately downed the potion in his hand in one continuous gulp.
The next second, his body compressed violently into a sphere!
This sphere shrank to the size of a ping-pong ball, before immediately morphing into the shape of a heart, vibrating rapidly.
Suddenly, vascular structures began extending outward from the central heart mass. These vessels rapidly sketched a vague humanoid outline in the air!
Then, bone and flesh rapidly generated along the vascular framework, sketching out a skinless monstrosity!
Sulfurous flames erupted from the eyes, spreading across the burgeoning form. With every inch of flesh the flames touched, a layer of skin rapidly grew!
The sulfurous flames flashed across Zero's body, molding an aged, recognizable human face.
Zero reached out, and flames danced upon his fingertips. Immediately after, his body was violently ejected from the Reason World and thrust into the Dream World!
The atmosphere cleared completely at this moment, no longer gloomy nor shrouded in mist.
Blue sky and white clouds dominated; everything seemed dreamlike.
Principal Starry was also present here.
His body was composed purely of energy, and when he spoke, the surrounding air particles resonated visibly.
"I actually reached the Ancient God level?"
"What exactly has happened to this form? Is this what they term true evolution?"
Principal Starry spoke while critically examining his own energized state.
Zero was equally assessing his new physique. Although his outward appearance remained human, deep within him, it felt as though a ferocious beast, intent on tearing space asunder, was being violently suppressed.
"5th Step?"
Just like that, an effortless ascension to the 5th Step?
This potion was fundamentally bizarre!
This was no standard potion!
Although both beings were previously established at the 4th Step, a conventional potion should never permit them to jump directly to the 5th Step.
Therefore, something was fundamentally wrong with this substance!
The inherent energy contained within this elixir was sufficient to elevate a 0th Step life form to the upper echelons of the 4th Step!
Its core attributes and the sheer energy density were completely overwhelming!
This was terrifying beyond measure.
Zero was correct; this potion was anything but ordinary.
Rather, it was a substance formed by the fusion of many different concoctions. This qualified as a Forbidden Medicine.
It's important to clarify: not every potion resulting from mixing several types becomes Forbidden Medicine. It is only when the resulting compound crosses a specific, critical threshold that it earns that designation.
Mei rarely distributed Forbidden Medicine; the only unique instance involved Zero.
The Tai Chi Potion itself was classified as Forbidden Medicine. Its defining characteristic was complete overflow, yet it lacked inherent energy. It could not directly advance a life form to the 4th Step.
Zero had previously administered the potion to ten individuals, all of whom were lower-tier 3rd Step cultivators.
Subsequently, through their own dedicated cultivation, they had to gather ten portions of refined power, fusing the cultivated energy of those ten people with the spiritual essence (or souls) of those ten people, only then could they successfully reach the 4th Step.
Therefore, Forbidden Medicines are banned not simply because of energy overflow, but because of the inherent characteristics they carry.
These characteristics, once obtained by an individual, represent an uncontrollable disaster.
Zero had been relatively fortunate; the potions they received were considered manageable in nature.
However, some potions, perhaps unable to elevate someone by several tiers, instead carry traits capable of annihilating everything!
...
Inside a hidden underground Kitsune facility.
In a containment chamber, a man clearly suffering from severe anemia was confined.
The lights in the room were dim. The anemic man held a potion vial clamped between his teeth. He bit down, shattering the glass, the fragments piercing the delicate skin inside his mouth.
But the man paid it no mind. He swallowed the pulverized glass powder and the potion, mixed with his own blood, into his stomach!
Not long after, a piercing scream echoed from the room!
This sound immediately attracted the attention of the patrolling Kitsune security officers.
They peered through the reinforced glass, and before they could clearly discern what was happening inside, two powerful arms burst through the glass and directly gripped the faces of the two guards!
"What the—"
Before they could finish their thoughts, the two men's faces and bodies rapidly decayed, crumbling instantly into a pile of dust.
The two hands retracted. Immediately afterward, the containment room door began to decay as well, gradually crumbling into fine particles.
A man in simple attire stepped out of the ruined chamber. The base's alarm immediately blared red.
The man wore black and white attire, and a sequence of numbers was inscribed on the chest of his clothing.
SRW-012: Master of Flesh.
The Master of Flesh picked up the shattered vial from before. A large cross-out mark was drawn over it, along with a single word inscribed beneath.
Rot...
Before the Master of Flesh could finish reading it, the glass vial decayed completely into dust.
He repeatedly ground some of this residual powder between his fingers. The powder turned into even finer dust, slipping from his fingertips onto the floor.
The Master of Flesh lowered his head. At his feet lay two firearms, belonging to the two Kitsune from moments ago, looking strangely degraded.
The Master of Flesh picked up one of the guns. The instant his hand gripped the handle, the grip disintegrated into dust.
At that moment, dense footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor!
A squad of heavily armed Kitsune soldiers, clad in exoskeletal armor and boasting excellent gear, surrounded him from both sides of the hallway!
Leading them was a blonde man.
"012 containment breach. Should we eliminate him immediately?"
"Keep him alive. The higher-ups still require experimental material. If we cannot utilize 012, simply consuming D-class personnel won't suffice."
"Understood."
The blonde man raised his right hand. "Monkey."
With that command, a beam of light shot out from the blonde man's hand, instantly transforming 012, the Master of Flesh, into a golden-haired monkey.
The Monkey Position advanced, retrieving the golden-haired monkey from behind. This new monkey, in turn, twisted its head and peeled a piece of its own face away.
"You possess no intrinsic strength at all. No wonder the organization deems you the most harmless..."
The man's jawbone suddenly detached, and then his entire body rapidly decayed, crumbling directly into a pile of dust.
Only an exoskeleton and some discarded clothing remained, along with the Monkey Stone.
The Master of Flesh, now freed from constraint, transformed back into his human form. He clamped the Monkey Stone between his teeth, then held it directly within his mouth.
Although he couldn't clearly decipher the fine lettering on the vial, he grasped the core nature of his ability generally.
"Absolute Decay."
"Fire!"
Dense gunfire incessantly hammered against the Master of Flesh's body.
Every time a bullet struck his flesh, his body would swell into a huge lump or grotesque tumor.
As more and more projectiles impacted him, the Master of Flesh gradually mutated into a sprawling, writhing mass of corrupted flesh.
This swollen mass engulfed the corridor, instantly consuming the group of Kitsune soldiers.
These swollen masses flowed upward and downward for a moment, then quickly converged again, allowing the Master of Flesh to resume his human silhouette.
The Master of Flesh tentatively clenched his fists. How to describe the sensation? It was incredibly subtle.
His body felt like a compressed mattress, enveloped by a layer of skin. When that outer skin layer was breached, the compressed, swollen mass underneath would erupt outwards.
Every bullet that struck him caused significant pain, but compared to the torturous experiments those Kitsune had subjected him to, this pain was negligible now.
The Master of Flesh roughly assessed his new status. He was likely at the upper-tier of the 3rd Step.
Although the increase in his life level wasn't extremely dramatic, the actual effect of this evolution was terrifying.
This wasn't just completing the effect of his original semi-finished potion; this qualified as a true super-evolution!
The evolutionary outcome of this specific potion was entirely different from previous ones!
It was overwhelmingly potent.
Firstly, this potion caused the Master of Flesh's foundational fission ability to evolve, culminating in the grotesque form he had just adopted.
That form was the "Flesh Mountain."
Flesh Mountain was his body. If a human-sized portion of flesh was severed from the Flesh Mountain, that piece could rapidly transform into a human form.
Of course, the transformation wasn't limited to human shapes; the separated flesh could also morph into animals or other life forms.
Similar to his previous derivative compounds, these clones generated by the Master of Flesh possessed corresponding template memories.
Just as his previous replication of Zero's clones could carry Zero's memories and thoughts.
But the Master of Flesh's earlier clones were very frail, at best serving as disposable suicide units.
Now, however, he could replicate not only human flesh and blood but also certain monstrous entities.
For example, creatures like Fish-Men or Vampires.
There was one prerequisite, however: the Master of Flesh first had to have devoured a Vampire or Fish-Man using his Flesh Mountain form.
Correspondingly, the former Master of Flesh used blood to fuel fission, and the lifespan of the separated clones depended on the volume of blood consumed.
But now, everything had changed. He literally cut a piece of flesh directly from his body.
This severed piece was genuinely detached from his core. The more flesh divided, the smaller the Flesh Mountain would become.
However, the Flesh Mountain possessed a capability similar to Red Mist: it could absorb others' flesh and blood to expand its own mass.
And the clones formed from the separated flesh had no inherent time limit. As long as they weren't killed, they could exist indefinitely.
Just this transformation alone, the Master of Flesh mused, was already incredibly potent.
But this evolution was not yet complete; that potion also gifted him the characteristic of Absolute Decay.
Absolute Decay.
Through preliminary testing, the activation method for Absolute Decay proved similar to Arthur's Absolute Severance: it required a medium.
Arthur's medium was the sword in his hand, activated using sharp implements and blades capable of slashing and piercing.
And the Master of Flesh's Absolute Decay was activated via his hands.
Everything his hands touched would begin to decay, and stone was certainly no exception.
Therefore, the Master of Flesh opted to bite the stone, holding the piece firmly in his mouth.
But decay is decay; the degradation time for different materials varies significantly.
Just as natural decomposition affects objects differently—plastics might take hundreds or thousands of years to break down.
Glass, being structurally harder than plastic, can endure for over a millennium.
The Master of Flesh had previously handled the glass bottle containing the potion. The fact that the glass vial wasn't instantly disintegrated suggested that Absolute Decay also incorporated a temporal element.
Thus, the Master of Flesh's Absolute Decay was roughly equivalent to several hundred years of natural decay per second.
This might not sound immediately alarming, as humans only live up to about a century. However, this is not mere time acceleration.
This is intrinsic decomposition.
From the moment he made contact, you were effectively finished—as good as buried. Nature itself had begun the process of breaking you down.
And for a living human, the entire process from contact until only bones remained takes a maximum of 5 years.
This potion, although listed as forbidden medicine, carried such a grave classification precisely because of this ability.
It potentially held the power to end immortal beings. Though unverified, the mere possibility was enough to warrant the "forbidden" status.
The Master of Flesh fought his way out of the Kitsune base and finally reached the external world.
He looked up. Blue sky, white clouds. Above the sun, the ultraviolet radiation was exceptionally intense.
"Four years of sunless darkness. I have finally reclaimed the light. Long time no see... Freedom!"
The Master of Flesh closed his eyes. His mood at this moment was indescribably euphoric. His prior afflictions, such as anemia, had completely vanished.
This location was a desolate mountain forest. The Master of Flesh glanced back at the Kitsune base behind him.
He found a main load-bearing wall at the entrance and gently placed his hand upon it. The wall instantly began to rot!
And this decay expanded continuously, working from the inside out!
After a short while, the entire structure built upon the ground instantly collapsed, burying the underground base beneath the debris.
"Next, it is time to settle some scores."
But before that, he first needed to locate the leadership figures.
He had been imprisoned for four years. The outside world had long undergone earth-shattering transformations. The Chaos Insurgency, too, had likely existed only in name by now.
...
In an African metropolis.
009 mingled on the streets, his suit incredibly tattered. Although covered in grime, he remained as youthful as ever.
Four years of time had left no discernible mark on his appearance. This was entirely attributable to that infuriating, un-destroyable nature!
Un-destroyable meant unchangeable. So even after 10,000 years, or 100,000 years, he would remain perpetually like this!
"Byakuya... Byakuya..."
"Kitsune..."
009 mumbled to himself. At this moment, a local African little girl called out to 009.
"Hey, you dropped this."
"Byakuya..."
009 paid no heed to what the little girl was saying. The girl called out to him again, and only then did 009 turn his head.
He saw a dark-skinned little girl holding a potion bottle in her hand.
"You dropped this earlier."
A potion?
009 saw the item and immediately stepped back. "No, no... This is Byakuya's scheme, yes, it's Byakuya's scheme!"
"You're Kitsune!"
009's expression became frantic. In his mind now, only one thought dominated: this must be another plot orchestrated by Byakuya!
The little girl was startled by his shout and instantly dropped the potion, running away.
009 watched this and gasped for breath. Only after a moment did his scattered pupils seem to solidify slightly.
Was this genuinely one of the potions?
No, that was impossible.
The actual potions were personally bestowed by Mei, so this...
It had to be fake.
009 directly picked up the potion and drank it down in one gulp.
So, why consume a counterfeit?
Of course, it was because 009 could not die. He consumed poisons as easily as water.
Naturally, if this was some kind of anomalous Object, the outcome would be inconsequential either way.
"Come on, if you have the guts, kill me, Byakuya!"
Byakuya had not killed 009, never intended to kill him, nor had he ever desired to capture or confine him. He merely tormented 009 repeatedly.
He relentlessly trampled on 009's moral boundaries with an attitude akin to a game.
It seemed as though 009 could not be contained, could not be bound, yet in reality, he was perpetually tethered. For him now, the world was nothing more than a slightly larger cage.
009 felt absolutely no sense of freedom, despite lacking any physical restraints.
He felt he had always existed within Byakuya's framework, no matter how desperately he struggled, he could never escape Byakuya's grasp.
Byakuya appeared to ignore 009, but in truth, he had already successfully contained him.
An immortal monster, no matter how many times you defeat him, how many times you capture him, it proves useless.
If his inner spirit does not perish, he will fight you until the very end.
Conversely, if his will to resist is dissolved, his spirit eroded, then what purpose is there in containing him or not containing him?
But man proposes, and God disposes. Byakuya's strategy had succeeded, yet...
He would never have foreseen that an evolution potion would inexplicably descend from the heavens, continuously shattering the foundation of his years of meticulous planning.
009 had just drunk the genuine article.
On the bottle was a large red cross, and beneath it, an inscription.
Mortal to God (Godblood)!
Crack!
At that moment, countless invisible restraints shattered on 009's body!
An absolute attribute affixed to his being was utterly overthrown!
That attribute was Absolute Indestructibility!
When the potion's power was about to initiate a change in 009, it had already violated the very concept of Absolute Indestructibility.
And the power of the Chapter overrides absolute characteristics. The Chapter's power inherently transcends all possibilities and established rules. When an absolute characteristic is no longer absolute, even that concept of absoluteness will cease to exist!
The characteristic of Absolute Indestructibility was erased. It was like a shackle, severed with a single, decisive blow!
What followed was a power known as sublimation!
009's body momentarily hovered. Countless golden rays of light converged from all directions, coalescing into brilliant golden runes upon his form!
All the indigenous African residents witnessed this spectacle!
They gasped audibly, some raising cameras, while others immediately dropped to their knees in fervent worship.
"He has achieved Buddhahood!"
All the African ascetics and pilgrims knelt before 009, offering their most profound and devout prayers!
However, 009 could no longer perceive these sounds!
His abilities had sublimated!
Even his absolute characteristics underwent sublimation accordingly!
He was left with only a single absolute characteristic: Absolute Hit!
Now, he no longer needed to fire projectiles at himself. He could make any object deliver an Absolute Hit.
And 009's fission ability also sublimated correspondingly!
The capacity for fission had never truly left him; it was merely the defining characteristic called Absolute Indestructibility that had been acting like chains, restricting him!
And now, this ability had not only been unleashed but had also become exponentially stronger!
A flash of golden light illuminated 009's eyes. This was undoubtedly the effect of the potion.
Then there was only one possibility: "My Lord has looked upon me!"
Hahahaha!
"Return, all return!!"
The forbidden medicine, Mortal to God, containing Godblood, presumably could not be used to directly elevate life's fundamental status.
But the potion carried a characteristic called sublimation, which could influence all of one's attributes and abilities, consequently inducing terrifying evolution.
The result of this evolution was inherently unpredictable—potentially spawning destructive or annihilating capabilities—hence its classification as forbidden medicine.
009's will stirred, and he directly launched himself into the sky!
At that moment, he shone with radiant brilliance!
He utilized Absolute Hit to project his voice, meaning he projected his sound waves, and his target spanned the seven continents and eight oceans!
Just as the Great Serpent proclaimed when it broke free, some birds are simply never meant for cages.
Byakuya's era must conclude!
And 009, with just this single declaration, could overturn Byakuya's established heaven!
"I am Chaos Insurgency, I am 009, and I speak to all those listed!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, no matter your location, heed my words! We are born free; our power was bestowed by the gods. We should not be restrained by any single entity!"
"We shall not live under Byakuya's decree, nor shall we live under Kitsune's order!"
"Byakuya is not the sovereign of this world, nor is Kitsune! We are born equal, yet Byakuya arrogantly claims kingship, high and mighty, controlling everything!"
"They strive to conceal their cruel methodologies, but what other unrecognizable methods do they possess that remain hidden from us?!"
"Whether you are currently contained or not, as long as you exist within Byakuya's domain, who among you can ever attain true freedom?!"
"You wait in hope for someone to overthrow Byakuya. Wake up! That savior will never materialize!"
"If one only hopes for others to grant them salvation, they are not worthy of freedom. Therefore, we can only save ourselves!"
"If anyone is to overthrow the White King, that person must arise from among us!"
"We wander and hide like stray dogs. We are like weeds beneath the twilight, pressed low by the night wind, prostrating upon the ground. We have bowed our heads as subjects for far too long. It is time for the White King to bow his head!"
"In this world, everyone can be a king!"
...
Because of 009's powerful rhetoric, the entire world erupted into chaos.
Ordinary people were slightly unclear on the specifics, but 009's speech was not primarily intended for them!
009's words were aimed at every member on the list.
009's declaration that everyone held the potential to be a king ushered in a new era!
Each list member, in turn, proclaimed themselves a king, led by Allos, the leader of Night Watcher, who named himself the Night King.
Reinhard, leading a remnant faction of the Serpent's Hand, was proclaimed the Black King.
And a coalition of list members who had not affiliated with any established organization also declared themselves sovereigns. They united, forming an anti-Kitsune alliance!
This marked the first organized alliance of list members in history.
Their sole shared objective: to confront the White King!
White King was the title 009 bestowed upon Byakuya, strategically aiming to incite widespread public fury and unify all list members in unanimous opposition to Byakuya!
This was precisely what 009 meant by: using a single declaration to overturn Byakuya's established order!
In terms of calculation, 009 might not match Byakuya. In wisdom, he was inferior to Computer. In martial skill, he fell short of Arthur or Celestial Beast.
But when it came to rhetoric and public address, his talent was undeniable!
How did Chaos Insurgency rally behind 009?
One must understand, 009 possessed no inherent characteristics that commanded loyalty, nor did he wield the mind-washing capability associated with the consciousness descent of 024 Great Serpent.
009 relied solely on his powerful speeches to rally Chaos Insurgency; this is why he became its spiritual symbol and undisputed leader!
However, regarding this global broadcast, Byakuya, situated within the O5 Council, appeared conspicuously unconcerned.
"Chief, how do you intend to manage this situation?"
"I warned you we couldn't simply ignore 009, didn't I?!"
"The ramifications of this incident are truly too severe!"
Byakuya, resting his head on his hand, appeared languid. "Activate η-011. Implement the large-scale global brainwashing protocol."
"This..."
"Hm?"
"η-011... We have utilized it several times already. If we were to repeat..."
"I said, deploy it."
"But..."
"Did you not hear me, Fifth Council Member?"