Late at night, within the palace of the Ancestral Star.
Shun's brows furrowed involuntarily, a fleeting irritation flashing in his eyes. The time for that fellow to break the seal had moved forward once again.
As the territory continued to expand, the blueprint for a population of trillions became clearer day by day on the newly born planets.
The phantom of the God-Slaying Whip slowly drifted within his abdomen, nourished and made increasingly solid by the Power Of Faith of billions of people. Even the patterns on the whip's body shimmered with a faint holy luster.
One could feel a majestic power upon touching it, but behind this smooth progress, the ominous feeling lingering in his heart was like a maggot in his bones. Every time he sensed the future or honed his combat strength, that bone-chilling coldness deepened by a notch.
He pressed his hand against his abdomen, as if touching those invisible shackles, his heart filled with nothing but heaviness.
Was this power salvation, or a death warrant?
It wasn't just a simple warning of danger, it was more like a tightly locked attraction.
The more he accelerated the refinement of his trump cards and the more urgently he condensed his power, the stronger the sense of being watched from the River of Time became. It was as if a pair of eyes covered in weathered wrinkles were greedily watching his every step of growth through the cracks of time and space, sucking away every bit of power he accumulated.
He looked up toward the depths of the Universe, this sense of helplessness made him increasingly irritable.
It felt as if every time he expanded the Star Region, he was personally pushing Shibai to break through the shackles of time and space faster and descend upon this world.
His lips twitched slightly, his eyes filled with depth.
To live another life only to be a pawn for someone else's escape—this "kindness" was far too heavy.
Shun closed his eyes, a faint golden light appearing at his brow.
Ten Directions!
The patterns on his forehead bulged slightly due to the circulation of Shinjutsu, and countless fragmented images flashed frantically through his mind.
The sky-blotting figure of Shibai as he broke free from his constraints, the terrifying scene of overwhelming pressure crushing the stars, and the tragic sight of the Uchiha clan being wiped out while the clansmen wailed.
There was also the determination of two people fighting to the death in the shattered sea of stars until their souls were incinerated.
He possessed the ability to see the future and had long ago understood the root of this bizarre connection. He simply hadn't wanted to face this unsolvable fate, always hoping to find a way to break the deadlock.
He looked up at that deep and boundless darkness. The void of the Universe seemed ready to swallow him whole.
"Forget it, what will come will come. Since it can't be avoided, I'll face it calmly."
He slowly opened his eyes, the confusion and struggle within them fading, leaving only a clear and resolute determination.
Shibai's words, carrying the sense of time's vicissitudes, seemed to have traveled across billions of space-times to echo clearly in the depths of his mind.
"I fished your remnant soul from outside the River of Time and gave you new life. All your achievements are compensation for my Karma."
This grace of recreation now seemed like the heaviest shackle, trapping him firmly within this causal loop.
Everything he did, whether expanding the Star Region or increasing the population, ultimately turned into assistance for Shibai to escape.
The more prosperous the human populace, the looser the shackles of Karma on Shibai, and the faster the other party could break free. This karmic binding was like a maggot in the bone, impossible to sever unless one side was completely destroyed.
Shun took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. Now was not the time to indulge in emotions. He had to make thorough preparations as quickly as possible.
Once Shibai broke free from the shackles of time and Karma, there would surely be a fight to the death between them.
That man had violated the laws of the Universe and slaughtered countless planets, wanting to liberate himself from the constraints of this Universe. He had to use a massive amount of Karma to compensate for his past debts to the world before he could withdraw completely and roam freely outside the Universe.
The most convenient and efficient path was to take over Shun's identity and steal everything from him. His power, his clan, and all the faith and Karma he had condensed would be used to completely erase his existence and replace him.
This was a dead end of fate, a causal loop already laid out by Shibai, with no way to hide or avoid it.
Shun closed his eyes and peered into the future again, but no matter how he deduced it, the ending could not escape that life-and-death duel.
Through the fragments of the future, Shun already knew that he had at most one year left.
In the broken images, Shibai's figure became clearer day by day, and the pressure around him grew stronger.
"There's still over a year. Although the trump cards aren't fully perfected yet, I can give it a shot."
He had to race against time to arrange his affairs and sweep away all hidden dangers related to Shibai.
"Having come to this world, I must leave some interesting marks."
Solar power erupted from within him. He wanted to hand-craft a complete Solar System in the vast Universe.
To replicate that star system hidden in the depths of his memory, the one that carried his original intentions.
The eight planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, were to appear one by one.
Time flowed quietly in the Universe, day after day, month after month.
There was no alternation of day and night, no scale of time, only the constantly circulating Divine Power and the gradually forming planets.
Mercury was closest to the sun. Shun condensed hard rock and metal, stacking them layer by layer.
He wrapped Venus in a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, with clouds as heavy as a curtain shrouding the planet in a haze. The surface temperature rose accordingly, forming a unique high-temperature environment.
Mars was dyed with dark red rock and soil, and he outlined the patterns of dried-up riverbeds. He planted a few seeds of life, reserving the possibility of nurturing life in the future.
Jupiter and Saturn were based on gaseous matter, condensing into massive bodies.
Around Saturn, he carefully carved brilliant rings out of ice crystals and rock. With a light brush of his hand, the rings began to rotate slowly, breathtakingly beautiful.
Uranus and Neptune were given outer shells of light blue and light purple ice. He constantly adjusted their orbits, letting them float quietly on the distant edges, guarding the entire Solar System.
For a full half-year, Shun stood in space. He focused intently on the planets before him and finally perfected Earth.
A complete Solar System was officially formed in a corner of the Universe, with the eight major planets revolving slowly around the sun in their established orbits.
He turned his gaze toward that blue planet and let out a long sigh of relief. This was the existence he had carved with the most care, carrying his past attachments.
He clapped his hands, and a massive amount of life force turned into a continuous gentle rain that poured down. It moistened the barren surface with a "sizzling" sound, and countless seeds of green plants sprouted from the ground. They grew rapidly, spreading into dense forests and vast grasslands in the blink of an eye.
Following that, the tectonic plates moved, mountains slowly rose, and rivers surged incessantly, converging into a vast ocean. Waves crashed against the shore with a crisp sound, a stable atmospheric cycle gradually formed, and oxygen levels slowly climbed.
The sparks of life were quietly nurtured on this land, and everything developed in a habitable direction.
Shun meticulously adjusted the climate and ecology of Earth. With a tap of his finger, the four seasons began to alternate in an orderly fashion.
Flowers in spring, shade in summer, fruit in autumn, and early snow in winter.
He also calibrated the length of day and night to ensure appropriate lighting. This step took another month of his time.
When everything finally settled, Earth had become a planet brimming with life and greenery, the air filled with the fragrance of plants and soil, like a paradise on earth.
Looking at that blue planet, a rare softness flashed in Shun's eyes.
Then, he appeared in the core area of the Kara Base.
The cold metal walls shimmered with a faint blue luster.
He keenly sensed that the scent of Shibai's Chakra remained in the cracks of the walls and the dust in the air.
The cells implanted into the members' bodies and the Shinjutsu applied were even deeper marks left by the other party in this world. Like invisible coordinates, once the other party broke free, he could quickly control everything through these marks, even using these people to threaten him.
His eyes instantly turned cold, these marks had to be thoroughly cleaned. Every existence related to Shibai had to be erased, leaving no exploitable flaws for the other party, no matter how tedious the process was—he had to pull them out by the roots.
He clenched his fists and turned to walk toward Ada's residence. The place was decorated elegantly and warmly, with soft carpets and blooming flowers, completely out of place with the cold style of the base.
Ada was leaning by the window, her long hair falling over her shoulders as she gently toyed with the curtains, looking out into the darkness with a hint of laziness and aloofness in her eyes.
"Shun, you haven't come to see me for more than half a year."
She stepped forward and reached out a fair hand, wanting to hold his. Lately, she felt Shun had a lot on his mind, but she never asked much, only wishing to stay by his side silently.
Shun stopped and looked directly into her eyes.
"Ada, I'm going to restructure your body cells and simultaneously remove Senrigan and Omnipotence from your body. These dojutsu and Shinjutsu originate from Shibai and contain his marks, they must be cleared. Otherwise, after he breaks free, he will find you, control you, and even use your body to be reborn."
Taking away her abilities was a form of harm to Ada, but it was the only way to protect her.
Ada's eyes flickered slightly, a flash of surprise in them, but she quickly regained her composure without asking for the reason.
She understood Shun's character. Behind his cold exterior lay tenderness, and he would never make such a decision unless it was absolutely necessary.
She raised her hand and gently touched his cheek, tenderly stroking the fatigue beneath his eyes. "It seems you've been bearing so much alone again. Are you very tired? I'll listen to you."
She had long been accustomed to trusting this man unconditionally. No matter what decision he made, she was willing to comply.
Even if she lost her Shinjutsu, even if she became an ordinary person from then on, as long as she could stay by Shun's side and give him peace of mind, it would be enough.
She gently rested her forehead against his shoulder, feeling his scent, her eyes full of attachment.
Just then—
Bang!
The door was pushed open violently, hitting the wall heavily and making a dull sound.