The disappearance of chakra and the loss of power for tens of thousands of proud ninjas was nothing short of a magnitude 12 earthquake for the entire world.
Whether it was Konoha, Suna, Kiri, or Kumo, the Hidden Villages were abandoned in a remarkably short time. The former guardians broke into small groups and vanished, quietly blending into new environments as ordinary civilians. They were no fools; they understood that their past history of brutal suppression and slaughter against the Resistance would inevitably invite the most violent retaliation.
The moment they lost the ability to refine chakra, their first instinct was to secure the lives of themselves, their families, and their friends. Yet, even so, a vast number of individuals were rooted out and subjected to ruthless liquidations.
As Allen had always emphasized, regardless of one's willingness, a person must take responsibility for their actions and choices and bear the corresponding consequences. For these ninjas who lost their power overnight, the nightmare had only just begun.
However, compared to the ninjas, the nobles and Daimyo fared much worse. When the regional Resistance forces discovered that the Hidden Villages were empty husks, they wasted no time marching on the great cities and the most prosperous regions. In less than two months, the aristocratic class of the Ninja World collapsed entirely. To be precise, they were purged down to the last bloodline.
Even the lucky few who managed to escape were forced into a life of anonymity. No longer could they introduce themselves with a flourish, declaring the nobility of their blood or the long, glorious history of their clan. When these systems, where birthright determined a person's ceiling, were terminated, everyone stood once more at the same starting line. Complemented by the fierce competition within the Resistance itself, merit became the sole standard for selecting the new administrative class.
As those who overthrew the old regime began building a new order upon the ruins, Allen, hidden deep within a remote and uninhabited forest, finally finished digesting the massive amount of Essence of Life gained from devouring Kaguya. He slowly opened his eyes.
"Wait... Lupos, II, III? Did you guys get taller?"
He reflexively reached out to pat his pets, who had stood guard over him for two months. He noted that after consuming a large quantity of height-enhancing medicine, he had reached about 1.8 meters, meaning he only had to reach out to touch the silver wolves' heads. Now, however, he had to stand on his tiptoes to manage it.
"??????"
Lupos and its two descendants tilted their heads, looking at him with confusion. From their perspective, it wasn't that they had grown taller; it was that their master had shrunk.
A few seconds later, Allen realized the truth. He gritted his teeth and demanded, "Vaelastrasz! I need an explanation! Why have I shrunk again? Is this really some kind of curse?"
"Apologies, but I have detected no traces of a curse on you. The reason for your height decrease is simply that during these two months of metamorphosis, you received no external nutritional supplements, causing your body to naturally 'shrink' slightly. Don't worry, though. Since we have acquired the God Tree, that massive energy collector, we won't starve to death even without eating or drinking," Vaelastrasz explained hastily.
"Is this a question of starving to death? I went from 1.8 meters back to 1.5! And I've already gone through nearly half my supply of height-enhancing meds! At this rate, my height will become a permanent source of pain. No! This cannot continue. Next time I undergo a metamorphosis, remind me to shave my head. Perhaps only by becoming bald can I counteract this vile curse."
Without a doubt, when faced with the choice between being bald or being short, Allen chose the former without hesitation. Though he wasn't sure if it would actually work, it was worth a try. Hair was nothing! He wasn't a programmer pulling all-nighters; even if he shaved his head, it would grow back quickly. But height... once you lost it, growing it back was no easy feat. At least for now, he hadn't mastered such a capability.
"Fine, I understand," Vaelastrasz sighed helplessly. She was well aware of how paranoid and irrational her creator and master could be regarding his height.
Soon, the Red Dragon disengaged from her armor state and reverted to her red whelp form. "Since you have finished your life-tier metamorphosis, it is my turn."
"Oh? You're turning back into a dragon egg again?" Allen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yes! I need to restructure and integrate the God Tree, this powerful energy collector. When I hatch next time, we won't need to devour individuals. We will be able to directly collect the power of an entire planet, provided, of course, it doesn't detrimentally affect the living environment of the denizens."
With that, Vaelastrasz's body began to contract rapidly, secreting a large amount of thick, white fluid. In the blink of an eye, she became a dragon egg once more, radiating staggering life energy.
Feeling the scalding temperature of the egg in his hands, Allen let out a meaningful smile. "Collecting the energy of an entire planet? It seems Kaguya really did contribute something useful. But the question now is: how do I summon the Dark Portal to leave this world? After all, I possess a true immortal body now..."
To figure this out, he began experimenting with various ways of "suicide." His first method was to emulate his previous success by sinking to the bottom of the deep sea. To achieve the best effect, he specifically chose a terrifying oceanic trench with a depth exceeding 10,000 meters.
Looking at the dark, ink-like water beneath the ship, Neji, who had accompanied him, finally spoke up. "Are you sure about this? At that depth, even a Sage Body would be flattened by the water pressure."
"It's fine. That's exactly the result I'm looking for. Remember, if I haven't surfaced in a day, you can just leave."
As the last word left his mouth, Allen jumped from the deck, swimming straight for the deepest part of the ocean floor.
He wasn't sure if the salinity and atmospheric pressure of this world's oceans matched Earth's, but at depths exceeding 10,000 meters, the water pressure would reach at least 1,100 atmospheres. This meant every square centimeter of his body would have to endure over a ton of weight. Unlike an enemy's attack, which lasted only a moment, this pressure was constant, squeezing muscles, blood vessels, and internal organs. A body structure evolved for terrestrial life could not possibly endure it.
Even Allen, having completed his metamorphosis, began to feel extreme discomfort as he reached depths of 8,000 to 9,000 meters. His fragile trachea and lungs began to hemorrhage, and his consciousness grew hazy.
Just as he felt he could no longer hold on, an invisible force suddenly erupted from within him, forming a massive Dark Portal directly on the seabed in front of him. In the center of the gate, the flickering green of Fel energy brought a spark of light to the pitch-black abyss.
Without a second thought, Allen used the last of his strength to plunge through.
The next second...
The crushing pressure surrounding him vanished. In its place was the sensation of soft grass and leaves beneath him.
————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]