For a moment, everything went silent.
"....What is this?" Shibai calmly said, as if he weren't being bound by mysterious divine chains.
His composure surprised Tang San and the others. After all, that wasn't an expression one should have in this kind of situation.
His face trembled. He tried with all his might to move, but the more he struggled, the tighter the chains constricted. His mismatched divine eyes began to slowly dim, and his third eye closed.
By now, as he was being sealed, the Truth-Seeking Orbs disappeared. Tang San returned to his god form, looking injured and exhausted after using the Asura Blood Sword to its maximum power.
Although exhausted, Sheng Ming went over to heal Tang San.
"How are you?" Sheng Ming softly asked.
Tang San returned her question with a bitter smile. "It feels like I've been hitting an indestructible ore over and over again. So besides a massive migraine, I'm mostly fine."
The truth was that he was the most injured out of all of them. A split second later, he would've been annihilated.
Sheng Ming slightly giggled and held her right palm over him. A bright emerald glow emanated from her hand. "Apologies. I can only heal some of your injuries for now."
"No, it's alright. You've done a lot for us all. Thank you." Tang San's lips twitched, feeling that familiar cold gaze that promised death staring at him.
He glanced at Hui Mie, who didn't try to hide his displeasure at him.
Soon, all five God Kings gathered around Shibai Ōtsutsuki.
"You monster... you absolute monster!"
"You...tsk!"
Lie Yan and Ji Dong looked like they wanted to tear him apart, but held back—knowing that they didn't have the power to do that yet.
"... You're sealing me."
Hui Mie snorted. "Thanks for pointing that out, Mr. Obvious."
Shibai narrowed his eyes, the divine aura emanating from them grew weaker. "How? How did you all manage to escape my 'gaze'?"
"I can see everything. That has ever happened.... ever will happen... and I have the power to change both at will.
Time. Space. Reality. A prism of endless possibility. Where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, and with just a mere thought I could bring the reality in which I win into this—thus changing my fate and everyone else's."
Lie Yan's eyes widened in horror. "Impossible! T-That's absolutely impossible! That kind of power, to manipulate the universe to such a degree—not even a God King with an Ultra Divine Tool could achieve that!"
Shibai looked at her in disdain.
He would've raised an eyebrow if it weren't for the mysterious divine chains constricting his entire movements now. "Little girl, I am a God. The Supreme King of Gods. You think it is impossible, but it's simply because you are incompetent.
You simply cannot fathom what a God can truly accomplish, especially a King! When you and others like you have become too comfortable at your current state of being—never thinking that there would be a threat like me coming after you all.
This, is another distinction between your kind and us Ōtsutsuki. We strive for continues evolution.
Even when I first became a God in our universe, I never stopped."
Though his body stopped moving, his divine power diminishing to just a mere speck that was below even a Officer God.
Shibai's cold, sharp eyes still sent shivers down their spines.
Ever they since they've became God Kings, Shibai Ōtsutsuki is the first dangerous person that they've ever fought—powerful enough to threaten them and everything they love. Well, except for two people.
They've already fought someone else that was as powerful as Shibai—a very, very long time ago.
For Hui Mie and Sheng Ming, the seniors of their group, they compared the Dragon God to Shibai Ōtsutsuki.
The Dragon God, the progenitor of all True Dragons in the universe and the supposed progenitor of many other species(which "technically" isn't wrong).
In terms of pure destructive strength, the Dragon God came on top. He was rightfully known as the Supreme God King, capable of withstanding the assault of 16 God Kings and kill 8 at the same time—which all had around the same strength as the Five God Kings.
In fact, Hui Mie and Sheng Ming, as well as the first generation Asura God, God of Evil, and Goddess of Kindness were the last survivors of those 16 God Kings who fought the Dragon God.
But in terms of divine techniques, Shibai Ōtsutsuki certainly triumphs over the Dragon God. Even back then, the Dragon God lacked the level of control and manipulation of the universal laws that pale alien has.
To conjure such a realistic illusion to the point of fooling even the senses of a God King such as themselves—was nothing less of an impossibility.
Which is why they didn't quickly dismiss his words.
"Evolution is motion, and motion is law. While you curl in the comfort of your crowns, I tore the ceilings off my heavens and walked into the dark beyond.
You live inside the borders of what you were taught to fear; I learned how to step outside those borders and press my thumb into other worlds until the divine blood of your universe stained my palms; assimilating myself here, ascending into a new concept of divinity!
I will go beyond my current state of existence!
Why settle for a King? When you can become a God amongst Gods! Bear witness, as I am inevitable—"
Before he could say anything further, and to the shock of everyone else, Ji Dong went up to him and punched his face.
"Fuck!" Ji Dong cursed, pulling back his trembling fist.
"..." Shibai looked at him as if he was looking at a fool.
Ji Dong was no average God King, but Shibai was simply built different.
As someone who strived for the ultimate evolution; to become the ultimate being, a God amongst Gods, Shibai had raised his physical attributes to match his ambition—muscle, bone, and blood forged into something that laughed at pain.
Though it hadn't reached the level of the Dragon God's Physique, it was still something Ji Dong and the others couldn't easily damage with a simple punch.
Granted, the punch of a God King was enough to level continents and wither a planet's oceans.
Ji Dong shook his fist and continued, pointing a finger at him with a mocking expression. "You keep blabbing about having a all-powerful ability to rewrite the universe, and yet, here you are.
Chained, like the rabid animal that you are."
"..." Shibai coldly stared at him before glancing towards Hui Mie.
Tang San had a unsightly expression on his face. He clenched his teeth and said. "This man isn't lying."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Lie Yan turned to him, confused.
Sheng Ming furrowed her brows for a moment. Her eyes widened in fearful realization. "He knows! He knows how we managed to defeat him."
"What? Just by looking at Tang San? Did he read your mind?!" Hui Mie glared at Shibai first before turning towards Tang San, his hands exuding destruction intent.
Tang San shook his head and quickly explained. "No. If he could read and control my mind, he would've done that from the start. What made me admit that he wasn't lying, was when he looked at me—just when I was about to say that he was behaving strangely.
Would a person who had been sealed, start acting like this? Would a person with an ego such as Shibai Ōtsutsuki, be all calm and composed like this? No. Not unless he figured out how we managed to seal him and has a way to break out."
"That... It should just be a coincidence."
"Maybe..." Tang San narrowed his crimson-red eyes, raising the Asura Sword at Shibai. "But he should be able to clarify that for us."
Shibai smirked.
"My Omnipotence and other Shinjutsus are indeed powerful enough to rewrite the universe... unfortunately however, since I had assimilated myself with this universe, many of my abilities are limited. The reason for that is because my assimilation is not complete, the universe is rejecting me.
Because of that, fundamental laws of the universe such as destruction, creation(life), slaughter(asura), Yin(evil), and Yang(kindness) can still overpower me."
Tang San sneered. "You thought that just by showing off a bit of control over our respective authorities, that it would scare us?"
Shibai's eyes shined with an otherworldly golden gleam.
"As expected. I wasn't able to fool any of you."
"From what I had 'seen', you and Destruction had colluded together to annihilate the paths of time.
Normally, I would've been able to notice such an obstruction but it seems like Life had gotten in the way." He glanced at Sheng Ming, knowing now that she was the one distracting him. She had burned through her own vitality to veil the maneuver.
His gaze lingered on her pale face with something between disdain and begrudging recognition.
Sheng Ming merely closed her eyes, not answering him.
Shibai continued. "Because of all that, I wasn't able to see the hidden powers in the flames of Evil and Kindness when I absorbed them.
The seal of Evil, Slaughter, and Destruction from the Ultimate Yin Fire. The seal of Kindness and Creation from the Ultimate Yang Fire. When combined, all five universal laws would result in the all-powerful primordial force of the universe..."
Shibai Ōtsutsuki's eyes flickered with an unknown light.
"—Creation Saint Energy, if I understand correctly. That's it, isn't it? A fraction of it to be exact."
"A mere fraction, heh. But clearly, it's more than enough to stop me. At least for now."
Hui Mie and Sheng Ming were shocked.
"You... How do you know about that?!"
Tang San, Ji Dong, and Lie Yan turned to them in confusion. Though Tang San seemed to be unsurprised.
"What is he talking about? True Creation?" Lie Yan asked.
The seniors of their group went silent for a moment. Sheng Ming sighed.
"Since the beginning of time, there had only been one God. The first True God of the universe. One might even say that he was the Child of the Universe.
That person was the Creation God! A supreme being that had no rival. It's said that he had created the countless galaxies scattered throughout the universe; from the dirt, grass, and animals to the heavens and the fundamental laws of the universe.
He had created God Stars; the higher dimensional stage of the Divine Realm. And after his death, with the dispersion of his divine power throughout the universe, gave rise to the positions of the gods."
Ji Dong and Lie Yan were completely stupefied by such a revelation. This was the first they've ever heard about such a hero! Tang San glanced at them and inwardly sighed.
It was actually surprising that some Gods, especially God Kings such as themselves, don't even know about the Creation God!
Tang San and Hui Mie both blame their previous God of Evil and Goddess of Kindness for not properly teaching their successors.
Sheng Ming kindly smiled at them and dropped a final bomb on them, "Also, the Creation God could be said to be at the level of at least a 7th dimensional being. He's the only evidence of a being greater than a God King, thus many had conferred him the title of Saint God Emperor.
Moreover, from the fragments of his divine power, the Five God Kings of the Divine Realm came to be."
"S-So what you're saying...is that you two and the other three predecessors are the real children of the Creation God?!"
Sheng Ming scratched her cheek. "Well, sorta? The first generation Gods that preside over Destruction, Life, Slaughter, Evil, and Kindness all originated from the Creation God's divine essence. Each of these forces became the foundation for different divine authorities. But, you're not wrong either."
Hui Mie chimed in. "Point is, the Creation God used a special kind of energy. It was called Creation Saint Energy, described as the most formidable and supreme force in existence. It represents a boundless and unmatched form of power that surpasses all other energies.
This extraordinary energy was exclusively possessed by the Creation God, who alone held the authority to wield it. Endowed with an infinite well of Creation Energy, the Creation Saint Energy stands as the ultimate source of strength, embodying the essence of limitless creation and divine supremacy."
Ji Dong smiled. "That sounds awesome! Ha! Hear that, asshole?! That sounds like you can't ever escape from that seal."
"Actually, hold on a moment. If the Creation Saint Energy is so powerful, why wasn't it able to destroy Shibai Ōtsutsuki for good?" Lie Yan found it odd. Since it was the primordial force of the universe, even if it was a fraction, it should've been more than enough to annihilate their enemy.
Hui Mie shook his head. "It's simply because the Creation Saint Energy fundamentally doesn't 'destroy'. While it indeed carries my Destruction Intent, at its core, its purpose is to Create. The foundation of stars, the birth of planes, the creation of lifeforms — that is its true nature.
Even when wielded against someone like Shibai, it doesn't erase him. It can only supress him; sealing his powers and forcing him into a pocket dimension that is impossible to escape from."
"At least, that was what we initially thought..." Sheng Ming added, grimly looking at Shibai.
The Five God Kings solemnly turned their gazes upon the bound Ōtsutsuki. His form flickered faintly, like a lantern struggling against a storm, yet his gaze still pressed against their souls as if daring them to blink.
Shibai slowly opened his mouth, like a rusty door creaking open after years of neglect. The sound that slipped out was not a voice, but a rasp — hollow, jagged.
He was just moments away from being sealed away.
"Listen well. This seal, will not hold me. I will return. This, I promise—!"
"This Emperor shall reclaim his movements after a thousand sleeps.
He shall reclaim his sight and wisdom after a century.
He shall reclaim his throne after a decade.
And he shall stir the heavens once more within a day."
And so, Shibai Ōtsutsuki's body faded into the abyss of the pocket dimension. The chains of Creation Saint Energy wound tighter, dragging him into the void until only his mismatched eyes remained, glowing like triple stars devoured by night.
His final words echoed throughout space, reverberating in their souls long after his form vanished:
A thousand sleeps... a century... a decade... a day...
The void collapsed inward with a thunderous boom, and the seal completed. The oppressive aura that had once threatened to tear the cosmos apart was gone, leaving only the faint shimmer of the pocket dimension's boundary — a prison that none of them could see, yet all of them could feel.
Then silence.
Ji Dong exhaled harshly and spat to the side. "Tch. Let him rot in his cage. Let him dream his thousand dreams. He won't be coming back."
But Tang San's grip on the Asura Sword did not loosen. His crimson eyes stared into the place where Shibai vanished, and he spoke with a voice heavy as iron.
"No... he will. That was not a threat. It was a promise. He had long foresaw his freedom just moments before he was sealed away."
"But why would he say it in front of us?"
"He just wanted to let us know. For that day... would be our end."
The other God Kings fell into grim silence.