[1] Netherworld Key. I don't know it's official translation, but I saw it being called Xuanming Key, which means mysterious dark/netherworld key. However, since I'm using the characters' english names we'll go with Netherworld Key.
…
At the school, the class bell rang, signaling the end of the period.
From high up in the sky, Zoran silently watched Kino and Thales, one tall, one short, one thin, one plump, leave the classroom. Everything was unfolding exactly according to the original trajectory of the plot.
Next, Kino and Thales would cross paths with Phoebe, as well as an equally cheat-code level existence in this universe: Master Wyatt. They would inadvertently unlock the Netherworld Key [1], prompting Logan's forces to descend, seize it, and ultimately resurrect Hades, the ruler of the Fifth Parallel Universe.
Zoran had no intention of interfering, even if Hades was a rather formidable adversary. This was a cyclical reincarnation spanning a hundred thousand years; everything that transpired was predestined. Just like the rule of balance between Yin and Yang in his original world, the reincarnation cycle of this universe was its own unique cosmic law.
Kino was bound to unlock the Netherworld Key, and the resulting ripples would inevitably draw Logan's top commander to seize it, which would eventually lead to the Energy Locker being passed to Kino. Everything was written in the stars; in all likelihood, a necessary catalyst to initiate the cycle. Therefore, Zoran saw no need to meddle in the timeline.
All he needed to do was go with the flow and extract what he desired from the process.
Watching Kino exit the basketball court and follow the pink-skirted Phoebe out of the school gates, Zoran decided to follow. But the next split-second, a subtle, obscure ripple suddenly vibrated through his own body.
Zoran halted in mid-air, inspecting himself.
It was happening again.
This universe was by far the most powerful and peculiar world he had visited. Humans possessed conviction and Hetero-Energy, utilizing Energy Lockers to transform into Ultra Beast Warriors, granting them power that far surpassed ordinary beings.
Right now, the energy fluctuating faintly within him felt as though it were locked in a tug-of-war with something else. It had been persistent ever since the very moment he set foot in this realm.
Zoran looked down at his open palm, where his demon chi swirled unsteadily. The laws governing power varied from world to world, and he was not yet fully acclimated to the energy mechanics of this universe, known locally as Hetero-Energy. Since his arrival, waves of Hetero-Energy had been swirling around him, seemingly attempting to purge him from the realm, or perhaps driven by some other hidden purpose.
This inexplicable, ambiguous transformation was a completely novel experience, unlike anything he had encountered in previous dimensions.
Had it been a lower-tier world, Zoran wouldn't have given it a second thought. But here, he had to thoroughly understand Hetero-Energy and the mutation happening inside him. With only a few days left before the reincarnation cycle began, and with the cycle itself lasting a mere seven days, time was of the essence.
Fortunately, a particular figure came to mind.
Master Wyatt.
That ancient turtle possessed supreme wisdom and had lived for over a hundred thousand years. He would be an ideal candidate for communication and potential collaboration. After all, they were both, in essence, ancient relics of time.
Casting his gaze downward, Zoran tracked the plump and thin silhouettes as they ducked into the dense shadows of the mountain woods outside the school. This was precisely why Zoran had positioned himself here; his arrival was perfectly timed, and Kino would unwittingly lead him straight to Master Wyatt.
Outside the school grounds, Phoebe walked alone into the dense woods, with the restless duo of Kino and Thales tailing her from behind.
From the moment Kino had first laid eyes on Phoebe, he had been utterly captivated. With her beautiful features and slender figure, she was precisely his type. As for Thales, being Kino's loyal best friend, he naturally went along with whatever his buddy wanted to do.
The two of them trailed Phoebe all the way into the thicket. Up above, completely undetected, Zoran drifted silently through the sky, keeping his eyes trained on the scene below.
Deep in the woods, Phoebe suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Several figures emerged from the surrounding shadows, blocking her path. They were Logan's foot soldiers, sent to secure the Netherworld Key.
"Aha! Don't be afraid, gorgeous! I'm here to protect you!"
Kino and Thales strutted out with theatrical bravado, planting themselves squarely in front of Phoebe. As the protagonist of this world, Kino was about to face his very first skirmish. His opponents, however, were merely the lowliest grunts serving under Golden Lion, Logan's chief lieutenant.
Phoebe glanced at Kino and took half a step back, looking entirely unamused.
"You thugs! How dare you try to kidnap a defenseless, innocent lady… uh, I mean, an innocent babe, in broad daylight! Thales, let's get 'em!"
Kino and Thales charged aggressively at the enemy grunts.
Yet almost the exact instant contact was made, the two human silhouettes came flying right back, crashing hard into the dirt on either side of Phoebe.
Kino charged; Kino bit the dust.
Up in the air, the corners of Zoran's mouth twitched upward into a subtle smirk. Kino had not yet acquired his Energy Locker, so being overwhelmed by even minor grunts was only natural. Frankly, even after he eventually obtained the Energy Locker and unlocked his Ultra Beast form, getting knocked around would remain a regular occurrence. The boy had immense potential, but the entire cycle lasted a mere seven days; an unawakened prodigy was still fundamentally weak when pitted against true powerhouses.
Just as Phoebe shook her head in resignation and readied her Energy Locker, a faint sensation of being watched flitted across Zoran's heightened senses.
Suspended in the sky, he turned his gaze toward the upper atmosphere, his eyes instantly locking onto a dark spacecraft concealed in orbit.
Deep in the cosmos, inside the dark command ship:
"Reporting to the General, a highly anomalous energy signature has been detected on Earth," a soldier announced.
"Oh? Where?"
Before the console stood Logan, a towering, burly figure clad in dark golden armor. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"It is... precisely at Lieutenant Golden Lion's current location. It almost perfectly overlaps with the coordinates of our ground unit," the soldier reported, typing rapidly.
"Analyze the target's Hetero-Energy level," Logan commanded.
On the glowing blue monitor before them, a blurred, indistinct outline of a middle-aged human male gradually materialized. Beside the human silhouette was a gauge designed to measure the intensity of the target's Hetero-Energy.
At that moment, the monitoring soldier stared at the screen, completely flabbergasted.
The gauge representing the target's Hetero-Energy was fluctuating wildly, swinging violently back and forth across the scale. He had never witnessed such a bizarre phenomenon in his entire life. Across all Seven Parallel Universes, the Hetero-Energy of any living organism was generally stable, spiked only during rare moments of absolute conviction, and receded once the burst of adrenaline faded.
But what was happening on the screen defied all scientific consensus.
The gauge measuring the entity's strength was bouncing frantically from one extreme to the other, one second it spiked to the terrifying magnitude of multiple Black Hole levels, and the next second it plummeted so low it was practically undetectable.
"How strange..." the soldier muttered, hastily running a diagnostic on the scanners.
After a brief pause, he turned to Logan. "General, the internal diagnostic shows the scanners are operating flawlessly. The target's Hetero-Energy is indeed fluctuating violently across the board."
Logan gazed at the erratic monitor, stroking his chin as he fell into deep thought. Even with his hundred thousand years of combat experience, he had never encountered such a freakish anomaly.
After a long silence, he gave a sharp wave of his massive hand. "Transmit my orders. Tell Golden Lion to initiate a temporary tactical withdrawal!"
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