The Shinobi World.
Returning in a hurry from World No. 1, Shinji descended directly onto his Flying Fortress.
Although he now had the Research Institute, this mobile Flying Fortress remained his key secret base. Karin, Hikari, Shion, Neji, Kimimaro, Ryuzetsu, Chino, and others conducted their daily training here.
Shinji went straight to Shion's cabin and found her practicing the condensation of her Magic Ring.
Several months had passed, and Shion's training had been remarkably effective. This was due not only to her hard work but also to her inherent advantages as a Shrine Maiden. She could now integrate eight different Magic Circles into one entity. With just a little more effort to increase the number of integrated circles to ten, she would be able to create a Magic Ring unique to herself!
Seeing Shinji, Shion hurriedly stopped her training. "Shinji!"
Shinji walked into her cabin and flipped through her daily training log. As he turned the pages, he nodded in approval. "Not bad, not bad at all!"
"Of course!" Shion immediately looked pleased with herself.
She certainly had the right to be proud. According to the biographies Shinji had brought back from the Sixth Ring World, the youngest Sorcerer Supreme in that world's history had only succeeded in creating a Magic Ring near the age of forty.
Shion, on the other hand, was only thirteen or fourteen.
Of course, for mages in the Sixth Ring World, just advancing from a low-rank mage to a high-rank mage required at least ten to twenty years of accumulation. Shion, however, was born with unparalleled Shrine Maiden chakra. After fusing with the demon Moryo and becoming a Complete Shrine Maiden, her raw power instantly surpassed that of a Sorcerer Supreme. That was why her progress in cultivating a Magic Ring was so rapid.
Additionally, without the presence of Karin and Hikari, Shion would undoubtedly have slacked off during this period. But things were different now. She, Karin, Hikari, and Sasuke were all secretly competing to see who would step into the Six Paths Level first. As a result, Shion, who was usually somewhat lazy, hadn't dared to relax for a single moment, terrified of losing to the others.
Shinji put down the log and explained the situation: he needed her to go to the Sixth Ring World to assist in the battle against a Hegemon.
Hearing that she was going to fight a Hegemon, Shion instantly perked up, rolling up her sleeves. "Finally, it's my turn to take the stage!"
Shinji warned, "The opponent this time is the Plague Hegemon, and the Reproduction Hegemon might also interfere. The risk is extremely high!"
"I'm not afraid!" Shion declared.
Shinji felt a bit helpless. "In any case, once we're in the Sixth Ring World, don't act recklessly. Follow my arrangements for everything!"
"I know, I know!" Shion leaned in close to Shinji, tugging on his sleeve. "Shinji, when do we leave?"
Shinji thought for a moment. "Pack your things. We leave immediately!"
"Yay!"
Shion hurried off to pack her luggage.
Shinji stepped aside, watching her bustle about the room.
The reason he was in such a rush to take Shion to the Sixth Ring World was primarily because, by that world's standards, Shion wasn't technically a true Sorcerer Supreme yet. He wanted to bring her there early so the existing Sorcerers Supreme could guide her and accelerate her progress in creating her Magic Ring.
Furthermore, the construction of a Magic Tower required the presence of the mage who would inhabit it; otherwise, work couldn't even begin.
Watching Shion carry several large and small bags on her back, Shinji chuckled softly. He then activated the power of his Lamp to open a spatial rift.
After absorbing all the Embers from the Lamps of the six World-Ending Society members, the capabilities of Shinji's Lamp had improved significantly. The speed at which it opened spatial rifts was much faster than before.
Moreover, with the dramatic increase in the quantity of Embers within the Lamp, Shinji discovered he could use these excess Embers to delay the Terror Hegemon's erosion rate on the Shinobi World. He couldn't accurately assess the specific effect yet, but barring any accidents, dragging it out for another year or two shouldn't be a problem.
The Sixth Ring World.
Before long, Shinji arrived in the Sixth Ring World with Shion.
Among the remaining five Sorcerers Supreme, Shinji was most familiar with the Twilight Star Sorcerer Supreme in the Tower of Wisdom, so he led Shion directly there.
Naturally, it was "Arcane" who received them. After exchanging pleasantries with Shinji, his gaze fell on Shion standing behind him. He asked curiously, "Captain, who is this?"
Shion was curiously observing the Tower of Wisdom. Hearing Arcane ask about her, she showed none of the timidness of a newcomer. She introduced herself brashly, "I'm Shion! I'm here specifically to help you beat up the Hegemon!"
"Help us beat the Hegemon!?" Arcane froze for a moment, then looked at Shinji. "Is she the one you mentioned before..."
"Mm." Shinji nodded slightly.
"This..."
Arcane's expression became quite colorful.
Unlike Shinji, who always wore black robes and a mask, Shion wore no disguise. Anyone could see at a glance that she was a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl. Arcane found it impossible to believe that this wet-behind-the-ears child was the "Sorcerer Supreme" Shinji had spoken of.
Shinji explained, "She is a bit young, but she is indeed qualified. Never mind, you'll understand once you see your teacher!"
Out of trust in Shinji, Arcane didn't question it further. He turned and led Shinji and Shion toward the top of the Tower of Wisdom.
Upon reaching the top floor, they met the Twilight Star Sorcerer Supreme, who was still maintaining the Magic Ring.
Seeing Twilight Star's Magic Ring, Shion couldn't help but click her tongue in wonder. "One, two, three... seventeen Magic Circles. That's amazing!"
Arcane's expression changed slightly.
Once Magic Circles were integrated into a Magic Ring, it was impossible to distinguish them by appearance alone. The fact that Shion could count the number of Magic Circles integrated into Twilight Star's ring just by looking was, in itself, astonishing.
Twilight Star nodded to Shinji first, then looked Shion over. Smiling, he said, "I sense the aura of magic on you. Could you cast some magic for me to see?"
"No problem!"
Shion agreed casually. With a wave of her hand, Magic Circles appeared one after another above her head.
Soon, eight layered Magic Circles hovered over her.
Twilight Star nodded gently.
For someone of Shion's age to maintain eight Magic Circles at once... in the history of the Sixth Ring World, she was an unprecedented super-genius.
Arcane's mouth hung wide open, his eyes filled with shock.
Although Shion hadn't reached the level of a Sorcerer Supreme as Shinji had claimed, this level of magical proficiency placed her second only to the five Sorcerers Supreme in the entire Sixth Ring World.