While the system was "digesting" the world's Origin, the flow of time in the outside world returned to normal as the silver-gray power dissipated.
The first to recover was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Although the Rabbit Goddess had not reached the transcendent realm Satsuki now stood upon, her lifeform and power level—supported by the Chakra Fruit and her own bloodline—had already attained the level of Kekkei Mōra. Thus, she was far less affected.
Upon regaining awareness, Kaguya instinctively lifted her head. The Rinne Sharingan on her forehead gazed toward the spot where the black vortex had vanished. She seemed to sense something, yet in the end, she still missed it.
Meanwhile, the portion of Satsuki's consciousness controlling her body in the outside world extended a hand and retrieved the fully formed Shikon Jewel from the air.
In terms of appearance, this newly reconstructed Shikon Jewel was in no way inferior to the original. In fact, judging by the power contained within, it surpassed the former by several times over.
—However, Satsuki herself was not particularly interested in it.
No matter how much the Shikon Jewel changed, it was ultimately nothing more than a tool akin to a "battery." For beings who had reached a certain level, its usefulness was extremely limited.
What truly held value was Satsuki's record of the Samadhi True Fire within the Cauldron of Resonance through Status Manipulation. Because of this, she could now activate the power of the Yasakani no Magatama through the Samadhi True Fire, combining the authority of Perpetuity with her other powers.
Now that the reconstruction of the Shikon Jewel was complete, the next step was to relocate the space in which this island resided...
With that thought, Satsuki formed hand seals before her chest and, after a long absence, entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
"So this is the ocular power after the Byakugan's evolution? All these years, the main branch has been researching the related techniques. I never expected the breakthrough to occur in my descendant," Kaguya remarked with a faint sigh.
Although she also possessed the Byakugan, the direction of evolution chosen by the Progenitor of Chakra had not followed the Byakugan's path.
Instead, it had progressed along a line more akin to Sharingan—Mangekyō Sharingan—Eternal Mangekyō—Rinnegan—Rinne Sharingan.
It seemed that all members of the Ōtsutsuki main family favored this latter path. Even Momoshiki, who appeared later as the major antagonist, possessed the Byakugan but, after devouring Kinshiki, strengthened himself along the path of the Rinnegan.
In terms of combat power, the ocular abilities of the Tenseigan were not inferior to the Rinnegan. In fact, in terms of direct amplification of battle strength, it far surpassed it.
After all, once one obtained the Tenseigan, even without the support of the giant Tenseigan, one could briefly enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode and condense Truth-Seeking Orbs.
And once Truth-Seeking Orbs were formed, against any existence below the Six Paths level, the result was absolute domination.
By contrast, the Rinnegan's enhancement to raw strength was relatively limited—it could elevate an ordinary elite jōnin to a gatekeeper at the threshold of the super-kage tier at best.
In comparison, the gap was immense.
When Satsuki entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode, she did not become enveloped in a differently colored chakra cloak like Toneri had.
To her, that display was a sign of insufficient control over one's power. Toneri's eyes had even regressed from Tenseigan back to Byakugan after his defeat—proof that he had never truly mastered that strength.
For the present Satsuki, entering Tenseigan Chakra Mode merely caused her Tenseigan to grow more resplendent. Around her body appeared expanding afterimages born from excessive power, along with crackling annihilation lightning.
The reason for activating Tenseigan Chakra Mode was to communicate with the giant Tenseigan located in another world and use it to select a suitable replacement space for Hōraijima.
After being enhanced by the Six Paths sacred tools and nurtured by the Ryūmyaku for such a long time, the giant Tenseigan's perceptive abilities had advanced tremendously. Moreover, Satsuki herself had long since gained the ability to observe the three thousand worlds.
What she needed to do now was use the giant Tenseigan to select an appropriate target for spatial positioning. Then, by employing Amenotejikara, she could complete the spatial replacement.
...
Outside the Cauldron of Resonance.
The celestial maiden Kaguyayo also sensed the sudden disappearance of the Cauldron's rampaging power. The development surprised her slightly, but it also allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.
Casting the Art of Mirror Flower, Water Moon to repair the Time Barrier was no simple matter for her—let alone engaging in a tug-of-war against a divine artifact left behind from ancient times.
Even with the support of the Heavenly Feathered Robe keeping her magical expenditure minimal, she had previously participated in battle against the Four War Gods. She had also used the Mirror of Life on a massive scale to shield the residents of Hōraijima from the damage of Asura's Amaterasu Flames.
Over time, the mental strain had grown considerable.
Fortunately, as a celestial maiden, she possessed the traits of immortality in both body and spirit. Had it been another shrine maiden, she likely would not even have the strength to remain standing.
With the Time Barrier fully repaired, Kaguyayo recalled the Mirror of Life from above. Her body transformed into a cascade of cherry blossoms. When she reappeared, she was already inside the shrine where Kanade stood.
"Kanade, the Time Barrier has been restored. You may dispel your barrier."
Hearing Kaguyayo's words, Kanade briefly sensed the barrier above Hōraijima. Indeed, as Kaguyayo had said, the Time Barrier had recovered. The island had once again leapt into another temporal frame, and would no longer face attacks from outside demons.
"You have worked hard, Lady Kaguyayo."
Kanade opened her eyes. After softly chanting several incantations, she withdrew the enormous hemispherical barrier above, which had been glowing with a faint blue radiance.
Once the barrier was lifted, she immediately asked, "Where are Lady Satsuki and Lady Kaguya? Are they safe? What happened within the Cauldron of Resonance just now?"
—"There is no need to worry. We are unharmed."
As Kanade spoke, a black passage unfolded above the shrine—the dark corridor of Yomotsu Hirasaka. From within it, Kaguya's figure emerged.
"The Cauldron of Resonance has stabilized. Satsuki is currently searching for a suitable space to relocate Hōraijima. Before long, this island will truly be cut off from the world. If any among you wish to leave Hōraijima, this will be your final opportunity."
This time, upon hearing Kaguya's words, the residents of Hōraijima within the shrine unanimously expressed that the outside world was far too dangerous, and that they would rather live out their lives here in peace.
"Very well. Since this is your choice, so be it."
With those words, everyone on Hōraijima suddenly felt a momentary sensation of weightlessness. Yet the feeling came and went so quickly that before their minds could fully register it, it had already vanished.
The people inside the shrine instinctively lifted their heads.
Where there had once been bright daylight, the sky had transformed into a vast, boundless expanse of stars.
In the blink of an eye—Hōraijima had been replaced into another space by Satsuki.
After being transferred into another dimension, Hōraijima resembled a solitary ark drifting through the boundless starry cosmos. Around it, however, was a faintly visible black barrier, like an eggshell encasing and protecting the island within.
That was the Dead Line Boundary Satsuki had deployed.
After adjustments through Status Manipulation and Energy Control, this Dead Line Boundary was sufficient to allow the entire island to survive within the vacuum of space. It could even convert cosmic radiation into solar energy usable by the island's plants.
In this way, the living beings of Hōraijima would not face extinction due to a complete lack of energy after being isolated from the world.
However, precisely because of the existence of this Dead Line Boundary, aside from Kaguyayo—who could use mirror-reflection techniques to transfer herself outside—the rest of the island's inhabitants, including Kanade, were now unable to leave.
"That is the general situation."
After completing the transfer, Satsuki appeared within the shrine and briefly explained the circumstances to everyone present. She then glanced at the pitch-black starry sky above, pondered for a moment, and snapped her fingers.
In an instant, the sky above Hōraijima shifted, reverting to the familiar scenery from before Satsuki's arrival.
Simulating an environment through the Dead Line Boundary was effortless for her.
"..."
The humans, yōkai, and half-demons on the island remained in a dazed state. Although they had agreed to seal Hōraijima away and live forever in isolation, when it happened so suddenly and unexpectedly, a faint sense of loss and unreality inevitably arose within them.
Nevertheless, Satsuki left them a hidden back door.
Using Amenotejikara in conjunction with spatial positioning provided by the giant Tenseigan, she installed a portal above Hōraijima leading back to the world of Inuyasha.
After discreetly informing Kanade and Kaguyayo of this arrangement, she departed with Kaguya through Yomotsu Hirasaka and returned to the moon.
The reconstructed Shikon Jewel was no longer of any use to Satsuki. With Amenotejikara, she swapped it directly into Ruri's room at Katori Shrine, placing it upon the tea table. She then instructed Ruri to hand the jewel over to En no Ozunu, thereby completing that commission.
As for the Celestial Coronation Ceremony at Katori Shrine, since Satsuki had already met the Miko beforehand, she had no interest in participating.
Within her sea of awareness, the system had already completed the fusion between the Swirl of the Root and the portion of the world's Origin.
As expected, a new ability had been unlocked.
"Divine Arena? This is the new power you obtained?"
Satsuki looked toward the Swirl of the Root suspended above her lotus throne in her sea of awareness. It no longer resembled a black hole. Instead, at its center had opened a vortex like a spatial gateway.
The system had reverted to its original sphere-of-light form and floated beside her.
"Yes, Host. This is the ability I just unlocked. It is a place where you can compete alongside gods from other worlds."
"Gods from other worlds..." Satsuki cast a skeptical glance at the system. "Like those who hide in Takamagahara in this Inuyasha world?"
She had heard the term "god" more than once.
At first, she had regarded such powerful transcendental beings with distant reverence. But as her strength steadily increased and her experiences deepened, her view of so-called gods had grown increasingly calm.
The weight of that title had diminished in her mind to the point that she now felt faintly dismissive of it.
She had seen far too many beings who grasped only a fragment of power yet proclaimed themselves gods—was not that Tsuchigumo she had crushed underfoot also once called a deity?
The system immediately protested, "Host, the Divine Arena does not contain weak pseudo-gods who have not even grasped a single law. Although you have already mastered several authority laws, such things are not particularly rare across the multiverse..."
The sphere of light continued, "Across the countless worlds, there exist many true god-level beings. They likewise possess law-based authorities. The Divine Arena is a place for such powerhouses who have mastered authority laws to compete on the same stage."
"It sounds somewhat interesting. But what benefit do I gain from participating?"
Satsuki did not reject the prospect of challenging the strongest across the heavens. Yet she was not a battle-crazed fanatic. Without sufficient reason, she would not go about eradicating other gods simply out of boredom.
The system emitted a foolish "Heh heh heh" laugh.
"If there were no benefits, I would not foolishly consume a world's Origin to activate the Divine Arena. Within it, as long as you pass all trials and emerge as the final victor—you will obtain ownership of an additional law authority. You may fuse it or use it to complete your abilities. The reward is extremely generous."
It sounded valuable, yet Satsuki remained unmoved.
"And if I lose?"
The system's tone shifted slightly, becoming hesitant.
"Well... although I do not believe you would lose given your current strength, according to the rules, defeated gods lose one law authority. If a god possesses only a single authority law, then upon defeat they lose their divinity and fall into mortality."
Victory granted one authority. Defeat deducted one authority.
Simple and direct.
Suppressing the surge of thoughts in her mind, Satsuki withdrew her primary consciousness from the sea of awareness.
She was indeed interested in the Divine Arena. After all, there were few directions left for her to advance further.
Moreover, she possessed the power of Vipralopa—a force naturally suppressive toward mythic and transcendental power. It was well-suited for confronting other gods.
In addition, she wielded numerous authorities: Status Manipulation, Energy Control, Instant Death Authority, Perpetuity.
Even in the worst-case scenario of defeat, she could afford the loss.
For beyond these authorities, a significant portion of her strength derived from other sources entirely—such as the Tenseigan, [Aspect of the Demon Buddha], Mahākāla's World-Annihilating Holy Wheel, the Judgment of the Ten Kings series, Sage Mode · Candle Dragon, the Dead Line Boundary, and the Black Domain Buddhakṣetra.
With these powers, she could at least ensure her own survival.
However, this was not yet the optimal time for her to enter the arena.
At the very least, she would wait until she had nearly completed the fusion of her authorities through the Yasakani no Magatama.
Only then would she step into it.