Chapter 783: The Anomaly and the Mortal, Breaking the Wall and Seeking the Dao
Beneath the twin Sala trees, branches and leaves swayed. Kaito Shirogane sat cross-legged. On the grass around him, leaves grew rapidly, and flowers of various colors bloomed in an instant.
A strange fragrance appeared. That scent was incredibly similar to the [Bodhi] Kaito Shirogane had once used.
This place seemed filled with the power of Bodhi.
Kaito Shirogane's eyes scanned his surroundings. These scenes were not illusions; rather, this space truly contained power akin to seeing a universe in a single flower.
The Halloween Queen had just referred to the pair of eyes in the sky as the eyes of the [Enlightened One], and this title mostly referred to the Buddha himself.
In other words, this was not a place the Halloween Queen had fabricated out of thin air. She had truly used the Authority of Boundaries to bring Kaito Shirogane to the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment, in some unknown era and some unknown world.
Moreover, that Buddha did not object.
This was something the current Infinite Dimensional Space could not achieve, no matter how many Dimensional Points or Singularity Points were spent.
The Infinite Dimensional Space's excavation of upper-tier power was still far too shallow right now.
Kaito Shirogane quickly focused his mind, discarding all kinds of speculations and thoughts.
He relaxed the muscles all over his body. Ki, Magnetic Field Rotation, Surge of Murderous Intent, Soul Power, and so on... everything collapsed inward into his body.
Even the Three Parts Return to Origin Ki, which naturally circulated outside his body at all times, slowly dissipated.
Kaito Shirogane was going to reorganize his power from scratch, starting from the most basic initial form of power!
Within Kaito Shirogane's body, an electric current was born from his heart, then followed his bloodlines to instantly flow through his entire body. The cells all over his body emitted a sound like cicadas chirping in an instant.
The initial power: the power of muscles.
Kaito Shirogane's physical body went from the most relaxed state to completely tense in an instant. The terrifying power caused his body to exhibit no movement, yet that tense contraction directly shattered the air around him, creating a terrifying blazing white airburst.
Boom!
The shockwave spread in all directions, blowing the flowers and grass into the air.
Next was the power of breathing.
Between Kaito Shirogane's mouth and nose, his breathing rhythm changed naturally. The breathing rhythm of Hamon, the Demon Slayer breathing styles, and then Shen Wulong's yoga breathing method...
As the breathing rhythms shifted one by one, the internal organs and blood flow within Kaito Shirogane's body also changed. These various changes continuously elevated Kaito Shirogane's physical capabilities.
Ribbon-like ripples spawned from behind him.
Accompanied by the changes in his breathing rhythm, golden Ki naturally birthed from within Kaito Shirogane, instantly filling his body and further radiating outward.
Whoosh!
It burned on the surface of Kaito Shirogane's body like flames.
The power of Ki!
Martial arts thoroughly entered the transcendent realm at this point, and Kaito Shirogane's body naturally floated up from the ground.
Then, Kaito Shirogane's aura began to change. Terrifying killing intent spread, and the crimson Surge of Murderous Intent permeated the surface of his body, mixing with the golden Ki, swaying as it rose.
Kaito Shirogane's aura grew stronger and stronger, but his frown deepened.
Clearly, each type of power possessed terrifying potential capable of piercing the heavens and earth, but they simply could not be fused together, and he was unwilling to discard any of them.
Kaito Shirogane didn't mind others calling him a beast; he was indeed as greedy as a beast.
His thirst for power could not be severed.
Thump, thump.
Kaito Shirogane's heart began to beat rapidly along with his impatience, instantly crossing the critical limit, and an illusory spiral unfurled behind his back.
Power shouldn't be such an inconvenient thing. It made no sense that one had to give up a portion of power to gain further strength...
Crack, crack!
With the emergence and mixing of more and more power, the air began to crack inch by inch. Without Kaito Shirogane realizing it, the Qilin Armor had appeared, and the Kaio-Ken had been activated.
He was like someone trapped in a dead end, starting to wrestle with himself.
Flowers bloomed continuously all around. Before Kaito Shirogane's eyes, novice monks seemed to appear. These novices were all similarly sitting cross-legged under the trees.
Each one was muttering incantations.
Wind, snow, rain, and dew appeared in sequence. Even though the golden Ki and Surge of Murderous Intent flared like fire on Kaito Shirogane's body, the snow and wind still fell upon his head.
Before long, Kaito Shirogane was covered in snow, and even the twin Sala trees stopped swaying.
The Halloween Queen stood in the sky above, watching with great interest. Kaito Shirogane remained completely motionless, yet she saw that he seemed to undergo millions of changes.
He was an ignorant young beast, continuously crashing between the sheer cliffs of a mountain, constantly trying to break free from his restraints, wishing to see a new world.
From the Halloween Queen's perspective, she could easily see what kind of scenery lay behind which wall. By clearly giving up a portion of the obstacles, given his aptitude, he could have long since shattered the cliffs and seen the truth.
But the knight she had chosen wanted to completely destroy all obstacles.
Greedy to the extreme, and at the same time, passionate about power to the extreme.
Even the knight with the most profound martial arts techniques under her command did not possess this kind of personality.
What made the Halloween Queen even more curious was that she could not see the [Reason] he had become like this.
For a human—or not just a human, but elves, demons, beastmen, and even Dragon Species or gods—it is very simple to develop a thirst for power at a certain moment.
But to develop a desperate thirst for power at all costs, there usually must be some kind of reason.
Is it hatred? For example, someone suffering the grudge of their clan being exterminated, needing to obtain power stronger than their enemy for revenge.
Is it fame? There are indeed guys in this world who would abandon all principles just for [Fame].
Or is it love? The power of so-called [Love] has always played a role equal to hatred in the continuous flow of human history.
But the Halloween Queen saw none of this in Kaito Shirogane.
His essence was completely empty, like a hollow puppet. Clearly possessing no reasons within him, yet he clung to his thirst for power.
It was as if this pursuit of power was his very essence...
"Is this the essence of the so-called [Unnavigated Sea]? How interesting~"
Hum!
An extremely dull sword hum rang in the Halloween Queen's ears. She suddenly turned her head and looked towards another space.
There, a gaunt, withered woman appeared, hugging a demonic sword with a notched blade, leaning against a tree, her entire body covered in fallen leaves.
The opponent's aura was so weak that it wouldn't be strange if she died at any moment.
But her withered hand still tightly gripped the demonic sword, continuously trying to draw it out.
Every time she drew it out an inch, a piercing sword hum would appear, and she would press it back in.
Over time, the originally crystal-clear sword hum had become grating and dull, as if raw iron was being ground together.
The Halloween Queen looked at this woman upon whom Ryo had placed great hopes. She was similarly a seeker of the Dao.
Her aptitude among mortals could probably be considered top-tier genius, possessing a natural affinity and comprehension for the [Sword].
But this aptitude was ultimately still within the realm of mortals. Not to mention comparing her to the anomaly she had chosen, or the Izayoi Sakamaki chosen by Shiroyasha...
Even ordinary gods and Dragon Species possessed a gap she could not overcome.
Due to the difference in species, there was a natural disparity in the way the two sides viewed power.
Just as an ant is naturally unable to clearly see the world, from the perspective of power, humans are also like ants, naturally unable to see the whole picture of [Power].
The opponent was locked in the aftermath of the battle between Ryo and Kaito Shirogane. If she could not break free from the limitations of the concept of [Human], then the opportunity she had given her would turn into a withered grave that took her life.
Hum...
The frequency of the sword hum became lower and lower, the sound duller and duller. That demonic sword looked as if it could snap at any moment.
In the tavern in Underwood, Reinhardt was still dead drunk, and Kento lay slumped on the table, having lost consciousness.
On the other side, Brynhild and Roman sat rigidly at another table opposite them.
Satoru Gojo waved his hand at the two with a mocking smile. Artoria, whose arm had been healed, had her head buried in her food; if there was anything still the same about this king who had fallen to the path of tyranny, it was probably that her appetite had never faded.
Both sides had lost the desire to excavate power in this world. One side awaited the return of their host, while the other prayed for Mori-Summer.
"The renowned Azure Sky, crushed by us so simply? Tsk, truly living up to a false reputation."
Satoru Gojo mocked. Seeing the others not answering, his malice spread further. Strictly speaking, in his battle against the several Reincarnators of Azure Sky, he had completely fallen into a disadvantage.
Therefore, practically speaking, these guys from Azure Sky were not the weaklings he loathed the most. However, the fact that these strong individuals capable of defeating him had become so feeble merely due to the death of one person fueled his dissatisfaction.
This scene brought back some unpleasant memories.
"Ah, what was that woman's name again? Mori-Summer?"
"What a pity. She was a pretty good fighter. To die from fear just from witnessing a battle between the strong? Truly... comical."
Screech, bang!
Satoru Gojo's provocations finally stepped on the landmine of the remaining Azure Sky members.
In almost an instant, Roman entered a combat state again. Her spiritual power surged wildly, and spiritual spears floated around her like a barrier. The incredibly pure spiritual power strongly countered Satoru Gojo.
She loosely gripped a long spear, looking at Satoru Gojo. Her former fragility had vanished, leaving only resolve and determination.
"Satoru Gojo, I know you are intentionally provoking us, but it would be best if you stopped right here."
The corners of Satoru Gojo's mouth curled into a grin, and Black Face also approached from the other side.
Hakumen, sitting near the door, massaged her forehead. Underwood had just experienced a tragedy, and various Communities were on high alert.
With that monster Mercenary Tao absent, if those 5-Digit masters appeared, their group wouldn't be able to hold them off.
But she was completely powerless to stop these lunatics. Just as the battle was about to erupt, a terrifyingly profound sword hum suddenly rang out.
Hum...
The sword hum went from low and deep to high-pitched, from hoarse to melodic, from a volume that required careful listening to echoing throughout the entirety of Underwood.
"This is..."
Hakumen had never felt such a terrifying sword hum.
A sword hum was typically the signature characteristic of a sword master after their Swordsmanship Mastery reached Lv7.
There was no need to attack; just drawing the sword would naturally cause vibrations and rhythms that made the blade emit a clear hum.
And the stronger the sword master, the clearer the sword hum.
But even at the Lv9 level, it was impossible to have this kind of momentum. Was this Lv10 or Lv10+?
Mori-Summer had recovered?!
The people in the tavern noticed it simultaneously.
The next moment, the tavern's main doors were gently pushed open.
A woman walked in, her long hair messy and unkempt, trailing to her feet, her body covered in fallen leaves and debris, looking like a beggar.
"Mori... Summer..."
Roman could hardly believe that the person before her was Mori-Summer.
Mori-Summer usually dressed sharply and had never shown such an untidy appearance.
But right now, the opponent looked no different from a beggar.
Even her figure was extremely emaciated, as if not just three days had passed, but three years, or even over a decade.
Mori-Summer's skin had become sallow, and cracked, dead skin was visible. She no longer had the image of a young girl.
Even that demonic sword, Kokorowatari, which never left her side, was nowhere to be seen.
"Mori-Summer, you..."
Brynhild immediately stepped forward, carefully inspecting Mori-Summer, and attempted to take out some medical supplies.
But Mori-Summer raised her hand, stopping her.
Her eyes were calm, her pupils as unruffled as an ancient well.
"It is fine. I am... very well right now."
"Better than ever before."
Having said this, Mori-Summer turned to look at Satoru Gojo.
In this instant, Satoru Gojo felt an unprecedented danger descend, far more terrifying than his encounter with Toji Fushiguro in his youth.
He activated the Limitless technique almost instinctively.
Pfft!
A blazing white sword mark appeared in front of Satoru Gojo.
Satoru Gojo's mind chilled, and he raised his hands, but in an instant, countless blazing white sword marks erupted.
Boom!
Satoru Gojo spun as he crashed through the tavern wall and flew outside.
While he was flying out, a massive number of slashes continued to appear out of thin air.
Black Face and Artoria instantly drew their swords, but Mori-Summer merely raised her hands, and sword light similarly exploded in front of the two.
This scene left Roman and Brynhild utterly shocked. Although Mori-Summer was very strong, they had never seen a Mori-Summer this strong.
With casual movements, she suppressed three spirit bodies that had entered the Fierce tier, and that Black Face was probably capable of entering the [Fierce tier: Upper] level.
And Mori-Summer, who achieved all this, gave them the impression that she was doing it with complete ease.
"You succeeded?!"
Brynhild was incredibly overjoyed, even washing away some of the sorrow of Ryo's death.
The dead drunk Kento and Reinhardt also looked at Mori-Summer with bleary eyes.
In the blurriness, it was as if they saw that familiar figure behind Mori-Summer.
Mori-Summer reached out her hand to the two of them.
"It is time to wake up. We are going home together."
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The sound of clapping came from afar, drawing near. The first clap was outside the Underwood commercial street, but the fourth clap was already ringing right beside their ears.
Mori-Summer turned her head with calm eyes and saw a familiar face.
Mercenary Tao!
"Is this the swordsmanship of the Divine Domain? As expected of the apex of the swordsman class."
"But attacking my people and just leaving like this, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
A dark green trench coat, pitch-black long hair, and similarly, no apparent kinetic force emanating from his body.
But just by him standing there, Mori-Summer felt an overwhelmingly intense oppressive force. She understood that Mercenary Tao had also entered that realm.
Lv11+, Divine Domain Technique!