So, this chapter is what I was talking about. All I can say is that there's nothing I can do about it. Sigh.😣😣
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"Danger! Extreme danger! I could actually die here!"
Tannin barely evaded the light arrow's trajectory, his massive purple form twisting through the dimensional space with desperate agility. When he sensed the divine arrow that followed, the one that had truly been released from the bowstring, an unprecedented sense of crisis erupted from the depths of his being.
This crushing sensation of imminent death was something he'd only experienced twice before in his long existence: once in the presence of Great Red, and once when facing Ophis herself.
"This ends here!"
With those words, the arrow that could pierce through dimensions and shatter worlds was released. Simultaneously, a man's slightly anxious voice cut through the air.
Ajuka materialized instantly in front of Tannin using a transfer circle, extending one hand forward with supernatural speed.
In the span of mere heartbeats, endless layers of defensive magic bloomed into existence, forming an intricate barrier between Tannin and the oncoming projectile.
A cascade of magic circles rendered the sky into a kaleidoscope of colors, demonic magic circles, Eastern mystical formations, Nordic runic arrays, and Ajuka's own unique calculation-based constructs. In that impossibly brief moment, the Satan had deployed thousands upon thousands of defensive barriers.
Crack! Crack crack crack!
Yet despite their number and complexity, Takeyo's Heaven-Piercing Arrow shattered through them with contemptuous ease.
One by one, the barriers splintered and dissolved like crystalline glass struck by a hammer. Even the final defensive layer, an incredibly intricate combination formation that could legitimately be counted among transcendent-level magics, proved insufficient.
CRACK!
Countless fractures spider-webbed across the combined array's surface, glowing with unstable energy. Then, with a sound like reality itself breaking, the arrow penetrated through.
And struck Ajuka's outstretched palm.
Thunk.
Ajuka's brow furrowed slightly as the arrow pierced through his transcendent-level physical defenses and actually broke his skin, embedding itself shallowly into his palm.
This was the most powerful of the three arrows Takeyo had fired, and Ajuka had managed to stop it here. The other two had been intercepted by earlier defensive layers.
"Such offensive power," Ajuka murmured, examining the wound with analytical interest even as he began applying healing magic. "It seems I underestimated you, Takeyo. You've truly matured into a formidable combat force."
Behind him, Tannin was still processing what had just happened, his draconic vocabulary suddenly expanding with colorful profanity.
"Holy, ! What the, ! I can't believe, !"
For the first time in centuries, the former Dragon King had felt death's cold breath on his scales. Even his powerful dragon heart was still racing, struggling to slow from its adrenaline-fueled sprint as his body tried to process how close he'd come to oblivion.
THUD.
On the distant battlefield, Takeyo collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Every drop of spiritual power in his body had been depleted in that single instant. Although his energy reserves and origin were already beginning their recovery process, it would still take several days before he could return to his peak combat effectiveness.
But thankfully... thankfully, the mission was complete. That's why he'd pushed himself so far beyond his limits in this battle with Tannin. If it hadn't been for the sign-in system's requirements, he would never have expended so much effort.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have triggered a plot-based sign-in event! Sign-in Rank: Gold!]
[Sign-in Plot: The Fear of the Dragon King]
[Objective: Make the Blaze Meteor Dragon Tannin fear you. Status: Complete.]
[Congratulations to the host! You have received: Sword of Promised Victory (Star Sword Version)!]
[Sword of Promised Victory: The glorious holy sword that saves the stars. Created to defeat invaders who would destroy the world, this golden blade can repel almost all forms of evil. This form represents the state after opening six of the thirteen restraints from the "Thirteen Restrictions" seal system. Since less than half the seals have been released, its true power remains dormant. Even in this limited state, it possesses devastating might capable of annihilating powerful evil beings. If all thirteen seals were to be released, it would possess the transcendent power to save entire worlds.]
"An EX-rank Noble Phantasm," Takeyo thought distantly as consciousness began to slip away from him. "The Star Sword... that's Arthur's version of the holy sword, not Artoria's. Arthur's Star Sword is EX-rank, while Artoria's Sword of Promised Victory is A++ rank."
"Takeyo? ...Takeyo?"
Ajuka looked at his student with concern as the young man's eyes glazed over, then shook his head with a mixture of exasperation and pride. He moved to Takeyo's side in an instant, catching him before he could topple over completely.
"You really are quite the little monster," Ajuka said with a wry smile that held genuine warmth beneath the helplessness. "At this rate, I'm not sure I'm even qualified to continue being your teacher."
"Mm... Ajuka-sensei," Takeyo mumbled, barely conscious. "I need... to sleep for a bit. Please... send me back."
After managing those few words, his body finally surrendered to its need for rest, entering a deep dormant state.
Although he bore no visible external injuries, the internal damage to his spiritual pathways was significant. More critically, he'd consumed a catastrophic amount of both spiritual and mental energy.
"Very well."
With a soft sigh, Ajuka opened a transfer circle and gently transported Takeyo back to the human world.
"Rest well," he murmured, his eyes reflecting an unusual determination. "You may not have much time to rest in the near future."
Since Takeyo had demonstrated this level of strength, Ajuka had already decided to upgrade all his training courses to the highest difficulty level. Even if it meant his student wouldn't sleep for weeks, he would compress years of education into months.
"Lord Ajuka?" Tannin had finally recovered from his state of shock, approaching the Satan with newfound respect in his tone. "Are you absolutely certain... that he's truly your disciple?"
Most beings didn't understand the full implications of what they'd just witnessed, but Tannin, as one of the former Dragon Kings and a current Ultimate-Class Devil at the pinnacle of Underworld society, knew exactly which two transcendent devils existed in their world.
And that boy, Takeyo, had just broken through a transcendent-level being's magical and physical defenses. The implications were staggering.
"He is indeed my student," Ajuka confirmed, gazing thoughtfully at the space between dimensions where the pocket dimension was slowly dissipating.
"Lord Ajuka," Tannin said, his voice carrying absolute conviction, "I saw the future of the Underworld in that young man. No... I saw the future of this entire world."
Ajuka's lips curved slightly. I've already said as much, he thought to himself.
In any case, today's test had proceeded smoothly, perhaps more smoothly than he'd anticipated, given the dramatic conclusion.
With a gesture, Ajuka released his hold on the dimensional space, allowing the artificial battlefield to collapse back into the dimensional gaps from which it had been formed.
Meanwhile, in the Hindu Pantheon's divine realm, a teenage boy with the appearance of a junior high school student, his hair a striking mix of dark blue and black, arrived at Brahma's residence and found the Creator God in meditation.
"Hey," the newcomer said without preamble or respect. "Do you know where that bastard Vishnu has gone?"
Brahma opened his eyes slowly, his expression serene despite the casual rudeness of the address. He shook his head gently.
"I don't know his precise location. I only know that he's been restless ever since those abnormal fluctuations occurred in the Far East."
As the Creator, Brahma held no grand ambitions for power or conquest. He was content to maintain his role and observe the cosmic balance. However, he was well aware that many within their pantheon harbored various schemes and aspirations. Indra, for instance, was one such deity. And Shiva, standing before him now, could certainly be counted as another.
Seeing that Brahma genuinely didn't know Vishnu's whereabouts, the young man who was actually the God of Destruction glanced toward the sky, his sharp eyes seeming to pierce through dimensions.
"I've searched everywhere, but he's still missing. I think, "
"You think he's probably on that island in the Far East?" Brahma finished the thought, a glimmer of understanding passing through his ancient eyes. "I think so as well."
"Most likely investigating that phantom manifestation," Shiva said, his casual demeanor not quite hiding the seriousness beneath. "After all, that phenomenon has significant connections to him."
Others might not understand the full implications, but how could they, members of the Trimurti, remain ignorant? It was only natural that Vishnu couldn't sit still after sensing such a disturbance.
"What do you believe it is?" Brahma asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.
"A higher-dimensional existence," Shiva stated with certainty. "An entity that exists on a level above even us, what some might call a 'god among gods.'"
Despite his reputation as a battle-loving deity, even Shiva couldn't summon the slightest desire to fight against an opponent of that caliber. The difference in their existential levels was simply too vast.
It was the first time in his existence he'd felt such overwhelming powerlessness. When facing even the Infinite Dragon God Ophis, he wouldn't feel his life was in danger, partly because Ophis held no hostility toward anyone except Great Red. But when he'd merely gazed upon those incarnation phantoms, he'd experienced a suffocating brush with death that had shaken him to his core.
"Will the wheel of history turn once again?" Brahma sighed, his voice carrying the weight of countless ages.
Yet the truth was far more ominous than even the Creator God suspected. This wasn't merely about history's wheel turning, it was about history's very framework beginning to crumble.
When facing an enemy capable of cutting down even Great Red and Ophis in a potential future, the structural foundations of their world's history were already starting to fracture and decay.
The gods were simply the first to sense the coming storm.
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