Chapter 260: Hidden Unique Event: Advent of the Golden Erdtree
"[9527] truly produced some remarkable people, to get their hands on such a treasure. Tsk, in that case, the rumor that [9527] was besieged and its core members were wiped out in a mission world after obtaining the [Card]... was that also false information you deliberately released?"
Kaito Shirogane and Providence walked to a tree far from the campfire. Catherine hurriedly deactivated her mental scan and signaled to Mercenary Tao that she wasn't listening. Her face had changed dramatically the moment she heard the words "Golden Order."
Pain, Orochimaru, and Uchiha Itachi surrounded Danzo. Now that Danzo had lost that one Sharingan, he had no way to escape.
Only Hana Hiranaka, completely oblivious to what was happening, was still stewing the Tailed Beast meat. She had discovered that after the masked woman had idly tinkered with it, the meat, which had previously refused to cook, was finally changing color and releasing an aroma.
Providence did not deny Mercenary Tao's words. She only said, "That was simply the most suitable ending for [9527]."
The so-called "Golden Order" was a special law from the [Elden Ring World]. In that world, the Lands Between, under the influence of the Outer God [The Greater Will], was given a special law: the [Golden Order].
The [Golden Order] kept the world's laws stable, blessed life, and shaped the [Age of the Erdtree].
Under the [Golden Order], death was permanently banished from the Lands Between. All life would return to the Erdtree after death and be reborn with the Erdtree's blessing.
The remnants of the Golden Order's blessing would congeal into [Runes], which also possessed the power of life bestowed by the Erdtree.
The warriors of the Golden Order used this immortality and blessed power to end the age of the dragons, allowing the so-called "light of life" to shine.
The level of such an item was theoretically extremely high. Kaito Shirogane actually didn't quite believe that a team like [9527], famous in the first and second tiers, could obtain a world-level treasure.
He was more inclined to believe they had obtained something within that system.
Seeing the woman was impenetrable, offering no openings, Kaito Shirogane stopped probing.
"Speak. What can you give me?"
He naturally assumed that if Providence was coming to him for cooperation, she must be bringing him benefits.
Although Kaito Shirogane didn't think of himself as a demon, he knew that in the eyes of other Reincarnators, he wasn't exactly a good person.
Other than those who thought they could hunt him, very few Reincarnators of his level or lower were willing to approach him. While this woman felt reasonably strong, she was far from giving Kaito Shirogane any sense of pressure.
Therefore, this woman's approach must have a motive.
Kaito Shirogane felt that this [Providence], to some extent, was similar to the [White Mask] he had met in the Jujutsu Kaisen world. They were always scheming. The difference was that [White Mask's] malice was undisguised, while this [Providence] seemed to be walking a much broader path.
She was uniting Reincarnators to achieve her goals, not just plotting against them.
Providence looked back at the two Reincarnators (Catherine and Rampage) who were curious but didn't dare look over. She sighed internally at Mercenary Tao's deterrent power. They were clearly Reincarnators who had entered the same world, and their Nexus ratings shouldn't be that different, but their actual combat power wasn't even in the same league.
Providence held out her right hand. A seedling, glowing with golden light, appeared in her palm.
She stated frankly, "This is a seedling of the [Golden Erdtree]. I want to plant it in this world, wait for it to grow, and bring forth [The Greater Will], letting this world also enter the [Age of the Erdtree]."
The woman's voice finally held a trace of emotion, a slightly uplifted tone, as if she could already see this Naruto derivative world after it had entered the Age of the Erdtree.
Tsk.Kaito Shirogane looked at the seedling. His internal valuation of her items rose again. The fact that she could just take it out in this world meant this Erdtree seedling wasn't a unique, irreplaceable item.
If he only had one, Kaito Shirogane's logic dictated that he would plant it in the real world, or in a world he was confident he could always enter and ensure its growth.
"Ho. Very ambitious."
"Before Mr. Mercenary Tao arrived, I was planning to use Konoha as a foundation, seize its power, and then proceed slowly. I never expected Mr. Mercenary Tao to destroy Konoha in just a few days."
Kaito Shirogane listened to the woman's compliments. Her words held no flattery or artifice, which made even an outlier like him willing to let her continue.
He frowned, realizing this woman likely had some special ability.
"Mr. Mercenary Tao, I can help you cook the Tailed Beast meat. If you want to conquer the world and complete your special event, I can provide you with the most detailed intelligence. If you are interested in this world's various bloodlines, I can also research ways to obtain them for you."
"I guess you're about to say 'but'."
Kaito Shirogane's lips curled. He interrupted her with a teasing tone, and at the same time, his hand shot out, grabbing for her.
Providence instinctively twisted her body. Natural Energy, like an invisible arm, blocked his hand. But Kaito Shirogane's right hand vibrated, his figure vanished, and the next moment he appeared right in front of her. His right hand clamped around the woman's neck, his thumb pressing into her delicate collarbone.
"You'll say, 'but, in order for that Erdtree to grow, you need Mr. Mercenary Tao to do some things... for example, capture the Tailed Beasts... or resist the hostility from the story characters generated by the world's will...'"
Pfft!
Kaito Shirogane's thumb pressed down, piercing the skin over her collarbone. The blood that flowed was not red.
Providence sighed. She didn't struggle. She used her left hand to remove her mask. Her emerald-green eyes looked calmly at Kaito Shirogane, showing neither anger nor fear.
Kaito Shirogane looked at her, then stepped even closer.
"Interesting. You are very interesting, woman."
This woman... under this exquisite appearance, there was no human soul. She was like a precise doll.
Providence, seeing that Mercenary Tao hadn't killed her instantly, further revised her judgment of him. He was full of wildness, but also exceptionally cunning, with a clear sense of profit and loss. He was not the pure beast of slaughter that [Heartless] and the outside world described.
"This is a win-win option, Mercenary Tao. You can give me the Tailed Beasts you don't eat. In exchange, I hope you will eliminate the unstable factor, Uchiha Obito."
"As a separate reward, I will give you the location of Uchiha Madara's body. That way, you can have Orochimaru use Edo Tensei on him."
A small smile appeared in Providence's emerald eyes. The emerald-green blood, which contained golden impurities, flowed from her collarbone.
"And, Mercenary Tao, you entered this world a bit late. Sometimes, even for someone like you, I can use my control over the Nexus to influence your actions."
"I am not without options. I am seeking your cooperation because I want to cooperate with you... to walk into a more perfect timeline."
"This is the foundation of friendship, after all..."
[DD99115435 (Providence) invites you to join the Special Hidden Event: Advent of the Golden Erdtree (Hidden, Unique). Do you accept?]
[Event Description: Reincarnator DD99115435 has introduced the power of a new Outer God into this world, guiding it toward an unpredictable timeline. This is a multi-stage, continuous mission.]
[Phase 1 Mission: Protect the Golden Erdtree seedling until the end of the mission.]
[Phase 1 Reward: 1 B-Grade Singularity]
[Phase 1 Failure Penalty: This world's rewards will be reduced by 90%. Difficulty will be additionally increased upon future entry.]
As the woman spoke, her body softened and dissolved into a puddle of green liquid. This was likely some magical effect, not a Substitution Jutsu or Transformation Jutsu from this world. Kaito Shirogane looked at the golden specks in the green liquid, weighing her abilities and her words.
He returned to the campfire. Uchiha Itachi walked over.
"Danzo. Are we not killing him?"
His current state was very close to the Itachi from the original story who had massacred his clan—immersed in his own grand justice, having completely abandoned kindness and mercy.
Kaito Shirogane looked at Danzo, who was pretending not to care but whose heart rate was already spiking. He smiled.
"Still two days. We'll kill him in two days."
He spoke of Danzo as if he were livestock to be slaughtered, which made Danzo both furious and terrified.
[Special Trial: Ultimate Benevolence progress updated. Current: 6/7]
"Oh, actually, it's one day. I'll kill you in one day, Danzo..."
Danzo turned his head and met Mercenary Tao's eyes. The purple tint in them was unmistakable. Danzo's heart went cold. He was certain this wasn't an interrogation tactic or a psychological game.
This guy... was really going to kill him in one day.
His muscles twitched. Chakra flowed. He was about to use a Body Flicker.
Vmm!
The air seemed to empty. A cold blade hung a few dozen centimeters from Danzo. The three-tomoe Sharingan spun. Uchiha Itachi watched as Mercenary Tao—faster than him, with greater perception—appeared behindDanzo and grabbed his neck.
Itachi slowly sheathed his blade, confirming it again in his heart. Mercenary Tao was faster... he couldn't beat him as he was now...
Kacha.
Kaito Shirogane squeezed. Danzo's spine shattered.
Danzo's face filled with terror. He couldn't feel his body below his neck!
Kaito Shirogane casually tossed him by the fire.
"Don't worry. You won't die within this one day."
He sat down, thinking about the Golden Erdtree mission. He chose to accept. The mission didn't really require him to do anything; it was a gift.
Just then, a bird flew down, a scroll in its beak, and landed on Kaito Shirogane's shoulder. He opened it. It was a map, marked with a Sharingan symbol.
Kaito Shirogane knew this was Providence's doing.
That woman truly had unimaginable talent. Her real body was hidden somewhere, and her actions were meticulous. She had given him a lot, seemingly for free, but compared to what she stood to gain, it was nothing.
And, while she could have completed her plan alone, she was afraid KD'o Shirogane would engage in "pointless destruction." So she had come to him early, offering "goodwill" to ensure he, too, would profit from her actions.
This woman... her methods were far more cunning and terrifying than that [White Mask] who stole fate.
Kaito Shirogane tossed the scroll to Orochimaru, who caught it.
"Orochimaru, remember what you promised me?"
Orochimaru looked at the Sharingan mark on the map and frowned. He looked at the madman, Mercenary Tao, and asked again, "Are you really going to have me use you as the sacrifice for Edo Tensei?"
He still couldn't understand the point of such an act.
Kaito Shirogane, of course, wouldn't say that he was here to "stock up." If he could devour the Reaper, he could devour Uchiha Madara.
If the Sage of Six Paths wasn't "dead but not gone," Kaito Shirogane would have tried to assimilate him, too.
Tendo Pain opened his eyes.
"The Four Great Nations have declared war on the Land of Fire. The Four Great Shinobi Villages have already crossed the border."
He stood up from the campfire. This time, the war wouldn't be fought in the Land of Rain. But in war, it was always the common people who suffered most. As the one responsible, Nagato was not calm.
Kaito Shirogane understood Nagato's conflict, and he replied reasonably, "Then we'll make our move tomorrow."
Their current location was, in fact, not far from the Land of Fire's Royal Capital. They had been waiting for this moment.
(End of Chapter)
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