"As I expected..."
Having guessed correctly, Shinji felt no triumph, only a sense of depression.
The thought of the World-Ending Society's black-robed leader worshiping this Hegemon with the piety of a devotee, only to be abandoned and have his world devoured by the very entity he served, filled Shinji with an overwhelming sense of irony.
Beside him, the leader—whom Shinji had kept as a "living coordinate"—stared blankly at the scene, murmuring, "Why... why is this happening?"
"What did you think a Hegemon was?"
Shinji seemed to be addressing the leader, yet also talking to himself, silently reminding himself never to underestimate a Hegemon's greed.
"I regret it!"
Tears streamed down the leader's face.
Only in this final moment did this insidious and cunning man reveal true emotion.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, Shinji let out a soft exclamation.
He sensed something unusual about the speed of the Hegemon's erosion. Normally, when a Hegemon begins its assault, a world protected by a spatial barrier shouldn't show immediate anomalies. It usually takes three to five years before apocalyptic signs begin to manifest.
Yet, in the leader's world, the sky was already dim, thunder rolled ominously, and there was a palpable feeling of impending doom, like a storm about to break.
Based on Shinji's experience, this didn't look like a fresh invasion; it resembled a world that had been eroding for at least three years.
Thinking of this, Shinji glanced at the leader beside him and asked in confusion, "It's already laid its hands on your world, yet you were still working for it?"
"What?"
The leader looked bewildered.
Without his Lamp, he had lost his status as a Lantern Bearer and was no different from an ordinary being in this world. Consequently, he couldn't sense the extent of the Hegemon's erosion.
Seeing this, Shinji realized the truth.
The Hegemon's active erosion might have just started, but it must have secretly polluted this world long beforehand. Once the erosion officially began, the speed far exceeded the norm.
The pitiful leader, despite being the Lantern Bearer of this world, had been completely kept in the dark. Now, he was utterly lost, unaware of what was happening.
Shinji had no patience for such a stupid and wicked man. With a casual slap, he sent the leader flying, killing him upon impact with the ground.
After disposing of the leader, Shinji used Spatial Gates to tour the world and assess its condition. He found that, much like T33 previously, this world was on the brink of collapse. Without external intervention, it had at most one or two years left.
Understanding the situation, Shinji hesitated no longer. He chose a remote forest, transformed the Ten-Tails within him into the God Tree, and planted it.
Rumble...
In an instant, a colossal tree piercing the clouds appeared in the world.
Because the spatial barrier was still intact, the Hegemon outside didn't immediately notice Shinji planting the tree. For now, both sides remained in a temporary peace.
Standing at the top of the God Tree, Shinji looked up at the sky.
This peace wouldn't last long. As the Hegemon continued its erosion, the spatial barrier would weaken. Eventually, it would detect the aura of the God Tree.
Fortunately, Shinji didn't need much planetary energy. If he drained it at full power, he should be able to fill his quota in one or two months.
Without interference, this world could last another year or two. However, with Shinji's God Tree planted, its lifespan would plummet. One or two months would likely be its limit.
On second thought, Shinji mused, "If even the leader's world was secretly polluted, the worlds of the other five members probably aren't any better off. I need to plan ahead!"
If everything before was speculation, Shinji was now certain: the worlds of all World-Ending Society members had been secretly polluted by the Hegemon they worshiped. Once the Society lost its value, these worlds would become the Hegemon's meal.
The leader's world was merely the beginning. The other five worlds wouldn't escape either!
Thinking of this, Shinji's expression grew solemn.
Hegemons grew stronger by devouring worlds. The thought of the Society's backer devouring six worlds in succession made Shinji uneasy.
"No matter what, I must stop this guy!"
Shinji's face darkened.
All he could do now was snatch food from the tiger's mouth—reduce the power gain of this Hegemon as much as possible.
Though it wasn't his first time doing this, this instance was clearly different. He would likely have to snatch food six times in a row, so he needed a solid plan. Otherwise, instead of stealing the food, he might end up eaten himself!
Quickly, he assigned numbers 1 through 6 to the worlds of the Society members. The leader's world was designated World No. 1, while the others were World No. 2 to No. 6.
Currently, the Hegemon was targeting World No. 1. Including the impact of Shinji's God Tree, World No. 1 would last at most three to five months—possibly less. Therefore, Shinji had to start laying the groundwork for the other five worlds immediately.
"I have two Ten-Tails in hand. I could plant God Trees in two worlds simultaneously, but..."
Shinji shook his head.
Although he had two Ten-Tails, one was currently sealed within Obito. Until he sacrificed Obito to the God Tree, he couldn't extract the small Ten-Tails from him. Furthermore, that small Ten-Tails was a juvenile; its absorption efficiency would definitely be lower than Shinji's own God Tree.
"Looks like I'll have to take it one step at a time," Shinji thought.
In two months, once the God Tree in World No. 1 was full of planetary energy, Shinji could sacrifice Obito to obtain a Chakra Fruit.
After that, both Ten-Tails would be freed. At that point, he could plant God Trees in two different worlds simultaneously, increasing the efficiency of his theft.
"But then I won't have enough sacrifices..."
Shinji felt a bit troubled. He had gone through so much trouble to create one sacrifice, and now it seemed insufficient. However, he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. The most critical task right now was curbing the Hegemon's power expansion.
He looked up at the sky. Back in T33, he had snatched food from the Reproduction Hegemon once, and it held a grudge. This time, he was going to rob the World-Ending Society's backer six times. He wondered just how much that Hegemon would hate him by the end...