In reality, on a quiet street near Tokyo University's back gate…
A few Enforcement Division agents stared nervously at the ramen cart not far away, their hearts pounding.
Ten minutes ago, they'd tailed Uchiha Hikari here and watched her sit down at the cart, ordering a bowl of ramen.
It seemed like a perfectly normal moment.
But…
Why, in the middle of eating her ramen, did she suddenly unleash such a terrifying aura? And why did the ramen chef's presence feel even more intense than hers?
As their auras clashed, the agents felt a fierce gale whip up around them. Fallen leaves and dust were swept into a vortex around the cart, drawn by some unseen force, only to be incinerated mid-air, turning to ash and drifting away.
Thankfully, the phenomenon didn't last long.
Thankfully, it was nighttime with hardly anyone around. If someone had recorded this and posted it online, it would've sparked a firestorm of debate.
It was over in a matter of seconds.
Both auras subsided, and everything returned to calm.
…
At the ramen cart…
Uesugi Yue snapped his eyes open, gripping the counter in front of him. He looked like he'd just run a marathon, his body drained. Sweating profusely, he stared at Uchiha Hikari on the wooden stool, studying her for a long moment before glancing at his wristwatch.
The hands showed just over six minutes had passed.
About five and a half of those were spent in a daze. The actual time inside the illusion space was probably less than ten seconds.
But…
If you counted the felt time in the illusion, it was a different story. Uesugi felt like he'd been there for at least half a month, fighting non-stop. He'd watched Uchiha Hikari mimic his Kurohi (Black Sun) bit by bit, going from clumsy attempts to a near-perfect replica by the end!
That kind of mimicry was unheard of.
In the Dragon Clan world, yanrei (spirit commands) were tied to bloodlines, fixed from the moment a hybrid was born.
Some prodigies could evolve their yanrei through blood-bursting, like upgrading from Kamaitachi to Vampire Kamaitachi or from Setsuna to Time Zero. But learning or altering a yanrei through training? Impossible.
Especially a Kō (Emperor)-level yanrei.
And creating an entire mental world from scratch? No known yanrei could do that. If such a yanrei existed, its sequence number would have to be 110 or higher…
"What… are you?"
Uesugi locked eyes with Uchiha Hikari, his mind reeling with shock.
On the other side…
Uchiha Hikari wiped the blood tears from her face, rubbing her temples with a weary sigh.
This was the first time since gaining her regenerative physique that she'd felt so exhausted. When she dispelled Tsukuyomi, her vision had even blurred, taking a full two minutes to clear up.
"Maintaining high-intensity combat in an illusion space burns that much 瞳力 (eye power)?"
"If this were a regular Mangekyō Sharingan, I'd probably be half-blind by now…"
Still, the payoff was worth it.
As she'd suspected, yanrei were essentially elemental control abilities, unique to dragons and hybrids, akin to Naruto's Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limits). Higher-tier yanrei might even approach Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Selection) or Kekkei Mōra (Bloodline Encompassing).
The "dragon language" was just the trigger for these abilities, like hand seals for ninjutsu.
But seals were merely an external form. With enough mastery, they could be simplified or even skipped entirely.
Previously, Uchiha Hikari had unconsciously mimicked a Ōken (Kingship)-like pressure by absorbing some of Gen Chisei's power.
And just now, in the illusion space, through sparring with Uesugi and gradually siphoning bits of his energy during their clashes, she'd partially cracked the mechanics of Kurohi's gravity field generation.
So, in theory…
She could use this method to analyze most yanrei in the Dragon Clan world.
Even Dragon King-level yanrei!
"…If I get the chance, I could pull Angers in for a spar. Time Zero seems pretty handy. Though Cassell College might be tricky to track down. Inugami's Setsuna could work as a backup."
As for Dragon Kings, she'd need to tread carefully for now.
She wasn't sure if her mind could handle them unleashing something like Zhulong (Candle Dragon) or Shiva Karma Dance in her illusion space. If it caused irreversible damage, that'd be a problem.
"No need to stress, Master Uesugi."
"I'm just a curious traveler, that's all."
Uchiha Hikari looked up with a harmless smile. "As a reward for entertaining me, I'll toss you a bit more info.
The guy called Tachibana Masamune is a Kagemusha (shadow warrior) cooked up by Herzog. I haven't figured out the exact method yet—probably some mental yanrei. His other Kagemusha is the leader of the Mengguizhong, codenamed Ōshō (King General). Your second son, Gen Chise, is in Ōshō's hands.
Herzog wants to pit the brothers against each other, letting the Sheqi Bajia and Mengguizhong tear themselves apart while he swoops in to revive the White King and take its place.
As for Eriyi, she's his sacrificial vessel for the White King.
As the father of all three and the former Kage-Ō (Shadow Emperor) of the Sheqi Bajia, I'd suggest you think hard about what you're gonna do."
As she spoke, Uchiha Hikari placed two test tubes on the counter. "These are blood samples from Gen Chisei and Eriyi. Get a paternity test done."
"Well, see ya."
She lifted the curtain to leave but turned back to add, "Oh, one more thing. That ability I used on you might have some side effects… like feeling drained now and then for a while. Totally normal, though. Just rest up, no need to panic."
—That was a lie.
Tsukuyomi could cause mental fatigue, sure, even if it wasn't meant to torment the target.
But the real reason for the "draining"…
Was because Uchiha Hikari might occasionally siphon a bit of Uesugi's power to study Kurohi, just like she'd done with Gen Chisei.
Kō-level hybrids had strong recovery, anyway. A little daily drain shouldn't be a big deal.
At that moment…
The nearby Enforcement agents let out a collective sigh of relief. One jogged over, studying Uchiha Hikari's expression before speaking cautiously, "Miss Uchiha Hikari, do you have any other plans for tonight? It's pretty late. If you don't mind, we'd be happy to arrange a place for you to stay."
"Thanks, but I'm good."
Normally, Uchiha Hikari wouldn't mind sampling a fancy modern hotel. With the Sheqi Bajia's wealth, they probably wouldn't skimp.
But she was in rough shape right now and might sleep like a rock. If someone tried to assassinate her while she was out cold, she could take a serious hit.
So…
She'd find a safer spot to crash on her own.
"Kintoun!"
With a wave of her hand, a black cloud zipped over from the horizon, hovering steadily beneath her feet.
Then, to the gobsmacked stares of the two agents, Uchiha Hikari hopped onto the cloud, settled into a comfy cross-legged pose, and waved. "I'm off. Catch you tomorrow."
"?"
As the cloud soared into the sky, the two agents exchanged stunned looks. "Kintoun… that's from Dragon Ball, right? Did Akira Toriyama visit a Nibelungen or something?"
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