In the stands, Seirin and the other four Ōtsutsuki High Council Members watched, brows deeply furrowed. They clearly sensed Tokito's aura growing ever more chaotic, his movements sluggish—he was steadily losing ground.
At this rate, defeat for both of their fighters was only a matter of time.
"Worthless! Can't even handle a single ninja!"
Seirin snarled, but the moment he exerted himself, the seal within devoured his Chakra. Ache shot through his limbs, his voice turning hoarse.
He glared at Kakashi on the field, venom in his eyes. This seemingly unremarkable man had driven the proud Ōtsutsuki to such straits with those "lowly" Ninjutsu.
Migaki and the others were equally pale, bound by multiple seals and forced to watch helplessly. Their Chakra continued to drain while the bindings only tightened. Golden runes seeped into their skin, leaving hideous marks.
Desperation washed over them like a tide, a chill reaching to their bones.
Having duplicated the Shinjutsu, the pale-gold glow faded from Shun's eyes, returning to their original black. He swept his calm gaze across the anxious Ōtsutsuki leaders in the stands, taking in their desperation-twisted faces.
Then he glanced at the fierce battle below and the children eagerly choosing their next opponents.
"The Ōtsutsuki's final war is over, get to work for me."
The sealing runes of the Arena of Gods flickered. The occasional struggles and roars from within were dampened by layers of energy barriers.
In the distance, several fragments of shattered meteorites drifted through the void, carrying charred marks from their inertia.
Shun floated amidst the broken meteorites, golden Chakra swirling around his body like a light veil.
As his steady breathing rhythmically pulsed, he lightly raised a finger, his slender knuckles brushing through the scattered energy turbulence.
The turbulent flows, capable of tearing apart an ordinary ninja's physical body, became docile the moment they touched him.
He lowered his gaze toward the arena below, encased in its barrier, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. The sounds of slaughter and cheering reached him across layers of space, as faint as echoes from another life.
The trivial matters of the Otsutsuki were settled, these clamors could no longer sway his state of mind.
At this moment, only one name circled in his mind... Shibai.
Only the instigator who had brought this Universe to the brink of collapse could cause a ripple in his thoughts.
The residual light of Divine Eye flowed in the depths of his eyes, golden runes slowly rotating within his pupils. Like precise gears in motion, Shibai's past unfolded slowly in his mind like an ancient scroll.
This name was once the glory of this Universe, the protagonist personally chosen by destiny.
Born with the emerald mark of the God Tree, he could draw upon pure God Tree energy with a mere tap of his finger. He could have followed the trajectory of the will of the universe, guarding the stability of a galaxy and becoming a legend passed down through generations.
A trace of regret flashed through Shun's heart.
Such talent and destiny were ultimately ruined by the temptation of power.
But the temptation of power is bone-corroding, like vines in the dark.
Silently entangling the original intention, eventually swallowing it whole.
Shun could clearly see that after Shibai broke through his limitations time and again, the clarity in his eyes was gradually replaced by greed, descending from a righteous powerhouse protecting planets to a demon harvesting life step by step.
He felt as if he were there, seeing Shibai descend upon a vibrant blue Life Planet. The thick roots of the God Tree burst from the soil, piercing through the clouds and plunging into the planet's core.
Emerald energy ruthlessly swept through the planet's interior, harvesting all living beings, vegetation, and the essence of the land. Even the pulsing origin power at the planet's core did not escape.
In an instant, that planet, once filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers, was transformed into a desolate, silent wreck. The surface cracked and the atmosphere dissipated as it drifted slowly through the Universe, eventually swallowed by a cold nebula.
Such scenes were repeated countless times in his past. Each time was accompanied by the extinction of billions of lives.
The death of countless Life Planets caused massive cracks to appear in the Universe's energy cycle.
Origin power continued to leak rapidly and even the stars of distant galaxies grew a few shades dimmer. Their orbital paths began to show slight deviations, as if they might veer off course at any moment.
But when the energy within Shibai became dense enough to tear through dimensional barriers, there was no trace of guilt for the Universe in his eyes. He had already prepared his way out.
He tore open a twisted rift in the space, attempting to flee with the trillions of stolen Universal Origins.
To escape to another dimension to avoid disaster, leaving the ruin and destruction of this Universe behind him.
The Chakra at Shun's fingertips stirred slightly, and a flash of coldness appeared in his eyes.
Such selfishness was unworthy of that talent.
"Like a thief who stole trillions in wealth, burning the warehouse and then trying to fly far away." Shun murmured softly, his tone carrying a hint of indifferent mockery.
His fingertips brushed through the void, touching a faint residual fluctuation of the will of the universe. Though the will of this Universe had no physical form, it possessed the most primitive protective instinct, it would not tolerate such plunder forever.
At the moment when half of Shibai's body had already stepped into the dimensional rift and his energy fluctuations were about to vanish, Universal Origin power converged from all directions, condensing into invisible golden chains.
They tightly entangled his ankles, and yanked him back from the rift with sudden force, throwing him ruthlessly into the surging, bizarre River of Time and trapping him in the gap between past and future, unable to move.
Shibai could only let the violent power of time continuously wash over his body.
But the damage had already been done. A vast amount of Universal Origin was monopolized by Shibai, the loss was irreversible.
The Universe's energy gap widened day by day, and slight signs of collapse began to appear in the space, threatening a total breakdown at any moment.
The will of the universe desperately needed a controllable, powerful force to reverse the decline and fill the Origin gap. It even went as far as using its own residual Origin as a catalyst to nurture a new guardian.
And he, Shun, under the guidance of this will and the arrangement of the Universal Origin, was quietly nurtured and born, bearing the hidden mission of 'Corrector' since the day of his birth.
He understood in his heart that this was his deepest bond with this Universe, yet it was by no means his shackle.
Shun looked up at the boundless starry sea, billions of stars twinkling in his eyes. They seemed to turn into countless tiny points of light. Even the orbital paths and energy flows of distant galaxies were clearly discernible.
As a transmigrator who had crossed dimensions, in the depths of his soul, was etched a mark that did not belong to this Universe. He never limited or defined his future as merely an 'executor of the will of the universe.'
His vision and potential had already surpassed the established rules of this Universe. The boundaries of his thoughts destined him to break free from the constraints of fate, unwilling to become a pawn moved by others.
Even less willing to let a so-called 'mission' define his life and death.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to deal with Shibai, nor was he going to let the Universe drift toward extinction. After all, in this Universe, there were still the family and partners he cherished.
It was just that he would never follow the arrangements of the will of the universe, to be that pawn who sacrifices himself to perish together with Shibai.
What he wanted was to both end the catastrophe and protect his loved ones, to truly master his own destiny.
A gentle figure approached quietly, carrying the faint fragrance of the God Tree.
Kaguya stopped beside Shun. Her skirt fluttered gently with the cosmic currents, and her gaze fell upon his furrowed brow.
With a mix of concern and worry, seeing him lost in thought while gazing at the stars, his brow heavy with deep reflection, she assumed he was troubled by something.
She spoke softly, asking, "Shun, is there something else troubling you?"
"The matters at the arena have been handled properly, and the children are all well."
Shun snapped out of it and turned to look at Kaguya beside him. The coldness and gravity in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a touch of warmth.
The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he reached out to gently brush away the fine stardust caught in her hair. The movement was gentle and natural as he spoke slowly, "I was thinking about how to deal with Shibai. I have already thought of a plan."
"It's just that this matter is fraught with danger, and I need to leave for a while."
"I'll have to ask you to look after the home and the children."
His tone was calm, deliberately downplaying the danger of the matter, unwilling to let her worry.
Kaguya's heart tightened, and her fingertips subconsciously gripped his sleeve. A flash of worry appeared in her eyes, but she did not press him with too many questions.
She understood Shun's character. Once he made a decision, he would not easily change it.
She nodded gently, her tone firm. "Go with peace of mind. I will be here at home. I will protect the children and everyone, and wait for your return."
As she spoke, the Chakra around her pulsed slightly, full of protective determination.
***
New FF
Re Zero: Dying Makes Me Stronger
Kenma unexpectedly arrives in the Re:Zero world and becomes the protagonist of Re:Zero, Natsuki Subaru, who possesses "Return by Death".
Just when he was about to lose all hope, he awakened a system and got two passive skills.
[Avenger: After each Return by Death, the host will gain one free attribute point, which can be used to buff different attributes, including magical talent and swordsmanship talent, or used for system gacha.]
[Note: When it is detected that the host commits suicide actively, free attribute points will not be obtained.]
[Crisis Mitigation: Sub-skill of Avenger, can reduce the host's pain by 90%.]