"According to the original perfect plan..." The Ota Clan's ancestor painted that subversive blueprint, "The ancestor of the Tsunayashiro Clan, carrying the center and creation represented by the Soul King's heart, shall become the supreme and most exalted… Great Soul King!"
"And we, the ancestors of the other four clans, shall respectively merge with the Soul King's limbs, becoming the Eastern Soul King, Western Soul King, Southern Soul King, and Northern Soul King who assist the Great Soul King and govern the four directions!"
"At that time, the five kings will rule together, the rules will be reshaped, and our will shall be the law of the world. What a great undertaking, what a..."
Listening to the division method of [Great Soul King] and [East, West, South, North Soul Kings], the expression on Setsuna's face became extremely strange, the corner of his mouth involuntarily twitching slightly.
'This sense of déjà vu, why did it sound so much like the configuration of the Grand Kaioshin leading the four cardinal Kaioshins in the Dragon Ball World?'
'Could it be that this 'one master, four assistants' power structure was popular in the universe?'
The Ota Clan's ancestor did not notice Setsuna's subtle expression. It continued to dangle the bait, its crimson gaze fixed on Setsuna:
"You seem to have been exiled, forced to enter Hell? I can perceive an aura on you that does not belong to this world, yet you are not completely rejected by Hell..."
"I can send you back to Soul Society, as long as you find the lost hands and heart of the Soul King and bring them back to Hell."
"At that time, you can replace that damned traitor and become one of the new [Northern Soul King]! Ascend to godhood with us!"
"That does sound like a not bad proposal." Setsuna smiled slightly. "But I have a better idea."
"Why don't I take the Soul King's legs from you, bring them back to Soul Society, and then I find the Soul King's hands and heart."
"And I, alone, will become that unique, complete Soul King!"
"Arrogant! Ignorant! Wishful thinking!" The Ota ancestor's tone was full of mockery. "Having only the Soul King's status without the Soul King's Reiryoku just makes you a slightly more powerful Shinigami."
"Only by combining the Soul King's status with the vast Reiryoku accumulated in Hell over a million years can the true foundation of the Soul King be forged!"
"I understand." Setsuna nodded. "Then, the plan needs adjusting."
"First, I'll kill you old fossils here, seize the Soul King's legs, and incidentally rule Hell, taking control of its Reiryoku."
"Then, I'll return to Soul Society, find the Soul King's hands and heart, and finally, I alone will complete the great undertaking of becoming a god."
"You..." The Ota Clan's ancestor was finally completely enraged. "Greedy, foolish! Your ambition will destroy you!"
"Hearing those words from your mouth is utterly unconvincing." Setsuna snorted with laughter, transforming into a stream of light and charging towards it.
The two continuously collided and separated in the sky, then collided again. Each exchange erupted with terrifying energy that tore space and annihilated all things.
Golden-red and bloody light frantically intertwined and annihilated, completely dyeing the sky above the Ota Clan's main castle into a chaotic apocalyptic scene.
The earth continuously cracked open, revealing bottomless abysses.
The members of the Hell Resistance Army, even though they had retreated to a sufficient distance, were still shaken and pale-faced by the world-destroying battle aftershocks.
"This is a battle between Transcendents?" Kinroku's hand gripping his sword tightened slightly, his voice dry.
"So terrifying, just the aftershocks make me feel like my spiritual body is about to be torn apart." A later-generation Lieutenant said with lingering fear.
"Thank goodness we have the Captain-Commander." Katori took a deep breath, her eyes full of fear and relief.
"If we had followed our original plan and attacked the Ota Clan ourselves, facing a monster like that, we would probably have been completely annihilated, not one escaping."
The battle continued, Setsuna gradually gaining the upper hand.
His pure, condensed, and exquisitely controlled power showed an increasingly obvious advantage against the Ota Clan's ancestor's vast but extremely bloated and sluggishly controlled Reiatsu.
But the Ota Clan's ancestor had, after all, accumulated for a million years, with deep reserves. It was difficult to completely defeat it quickly.
After another fierce collision, Setsuna's figure suddenly retreated: "Warm-up over."
"Ha, bluffing..." The Ota Clan's ancestor completely disbelieved. How could the strength the other party had shown possibly be just a warm-up?
But the next moment, it saw Setsuna's spiritual body violently burn.
An indescribable ultimate destructive energy compressed and erupted from the center of Setsuna's burning spiritual body.
"Solitary Version - Athena Exclamation!"
A rapidly expanding microscopic 'singularity', internally filled with the annihilation of rules, instantly engulfed most of the caught-off-guard Ota Clan's ancestor's misty body.
"What? You madman!" The Ota Clan's ancestor's enraged and terrified roar came from within the 'singularity', filled with incredulous fury and pain.
It couldn't understand. Why would the other party, clearly having the upper hand in strength, choose this kind of mutual destruction, suicide attack?
The 'singularity' expanded to its limit, then suddenly collapsed inward, along with everything inside it, including Setsuna's own spiritual body, completely disappearing.
All that remained was a briefly existing void, its edges flowing with chaotic rainbow-colored energy.
The remnant half of the Ota Clan's ancestor's misty body clumsily 'flowed' out from the edge of the void and re-condensed, but its aura was much weakened.
Its misty body became thin and transparent, countless suffering faces wailing within it, clearly having suffered extremely severe trauma.
"Damn... damn!" It cursed, still shaken.
However, just as it thought it had at least taken down that terrible opponent—
A faint spark out of nowhere ignited at the center of the void where Setsuna's spiritual body had dissipated.
The spark rapidly spread, converged, and took shape...
In an instant, Setsuna's figure completely unharmed nirvanically reborn from the nothingness.
The Ota Clan's ancestor's crimson gaze suddenly froze, as if seeing the most inconceivable thing in the world.
"Are you... the Will of Hell?" It exclaimed involuntarily, but immediately denied itself, "No, even the Will of Hell's revival isn't this fast. What kind of monster are you?"
Setsuna didn't explain. He just flexed his wrist, his smile unchanged: "It seems one wasn't enough. Then, a second one..."
Without hesitation, Setsuna again burned his spiritual body, condensing that despair-inducing 'singularity'.
"Stop! You monster!" The Ota ancestor finally felt fear penetrate to the bone.
An enemy that couldn't be killed and could infinitely use mutually-assured-destruction forbidden techniques… how could you fight that?
Its million-year pride and ambition began to crumble before this unreasonable, shameless ability.
The resistance army watching from afar, who hadn't even had time to grieve for Setsuna, watched dumbfounded as Setsuna revived and then self-destructed again.
"The Captain-Commander can revive infinitely? And self-destruct infinitely?"
"Sigh, this kind of ability is too shameless, right?"
"Tsk, I almost feel sorry for that monster."