Chapter 812: Group Draw, Mercenary Tao and Kakarot
[World's Number One Gourmet Tournament Stage 1 has been triggered]
[Mission Description: Participants, please proceed to the designated destinations based on your assigned numbers to hunt for gourmet ingredients. Points will be awarded according to the Capture Level. The first place in each group will advance to the second round.]
[Mission Reward: Special Gourmet Food * 1, Advance to Stage 2]
Kaito Shirogane looked at the somewhat primitive box on the table in front of him. Inside were numerous balls with numbers recorded on them. This was probably also designed in imitation of the World Martial Arts Tournament in the Dragon Ball world.
Only, facing their group, this kind of thing was meaningless. Unlike those straightforward martial artists in the Dragon Ball world, Reincarnators, divine Contractors, and those mechanical lifeforms wouldn't honestly follow the rules.
SNOW quickly marked all the currently queuing plot characters and powerhouses from other factions. He prepared to memorize the numbers of Kakarot, the Gourmet Four Heavenly Kings, and others, and then have his Reincarnators try to avoid being grouped with them as much as possible.
Because there were many participants, they were divided into twelve groups. Theoretically, some Reincarnators could still make it to the second stage of the mission.
"Son Goku, in Group 8!"
"Straw Hat Pirates, in Group 5... Hmm, this one doesn't matter."
"Toriko, Group 9."
"Lady Crimson of the Void Paradise, in... Group 1!"
"The mysterious True God of the Void Paradise, assigned to Group 10."
A massive amount of information was quickly compiled and verified among the Reincarnators.
Non-top-tier Reincarnators were actually quite certain they couldn't enter the second stage. Even if they luckily made it, given some of the original plot directions of this world, they wouldn't dare participate.
Who could guarantee that the subsequent stages of this mission wouldn't arrange direct one-on-one duels between participants, or make them individually challenge those monsters with extremely high Capture Levels?
Therefore, the Reincarnator faction's goal was clear: ensure that top-tier Reincarnators like Yoko, Mercenary Tao, SNOW, and Aka had the opportunity to enter the second stage. Based on this, they would gather information and try to prevent high-sequence powerhouses from other factions from entering the second stage as much as possible.
Additionally, they would conduct hunts when the powerhouses were separated as much as possible.
Consequently, a large number of Reincarnators didn't even participate in this drawing phase. They directly abandoned this highly rewarding special event, choosing to stay out of it.
They waited until the information of the participating Reincarnators was confirmed, and then participated in the besiegement of a certain destination.
Yoko listened to Fenrir's intelligence summary without any expression. On the other side, Ritsu was also relaying this information to Lord Mercenary Tao.
A smile played in Kaito Shirogane's eyes. The simpler the thing, the easier it was to cheat. But precisely because it was too easy to cheat, it was also very easy to be exposed.
Kaito Shirogane was very curious about how that person from the Machina Court would arrange him and Yoko.
Those mechanical lifeforms should also know very well that he and Yoko were the strongest participants present, aside from those plot characters.
Any high-level participant from the Machina Court or Void Paradise assigned to his and Yoko's group would have difficulty even surviving, let alone advancing.
Therefore, in this situation, the best solution for the Machina Court, having gained the advantage in the overarching plot trend and participating in hosting the tournament, was naturally to arrange him and Yoko into groups with other powerful plot characters.
The answer was already clear in Kaito Shirogane's mind. He walked to the drawing box.
He reached down. Sure enough, the next moment, the balls inside the box automatically began to roll. Kaito Shirogane's gaze shifted, looking at the robot emitting a faint blue-white light.
Emperor Ultron... this guy was indeed more brainy than that Extinction Monarch. It's just a pity...
With merely a thought from Kaito Shirogane, the balls flying and moving rapidly in the box due to magnetic force and electric current completely stopped.
Not only that, for Kaito Shirogane, he didn't even need to see the balls inside the box to "see" the numbers on them.
With a thought from Kaito Shirogane, a ball flew directly into his palm.
But the next moment, BANG!
An explosion erupted from the box, and piercing alarms sounded simultaneously.
On the other side, Son Goku, Luffy, Toriko, and others who had finished drawing their numbers had also gathered together as if by destiny. The three gluttons hit it off almost immediately and were chatting very happily.
This kind of affinity was something Reincarnators and divine Contractors could not achieve.
The three looked simultaneously at the site of the explosion.
"Ah, it's that weird guy?!"
Luffy also saw through the smoke and recognized the person in the explosion.
Luffy had severe face blindness, but he could actually remember Kaito Shirogane because that extremely special feeling was something no one else had ever made him feel.
Therefore, he called Kaito Shirogane "that weird guy."
In this regard, Son Goku was quite lacking, or perhaps because the current Son Goku was simply too powerful. He just scratched his head, feeling the white-haired guy looked somewhat familiar.
Toriko, however, felt a bit of an oppressive aura from the other party. An explosion of that level naturally wouldn't have any effect on him either.
But that white-haired guy stood perfectly still, not even his clothes or hair shifting. Moreover, the calmness in his expression made one feel at a glance that this was a powerful guy.
Through the smoke, Kaito Shirogane met Emperor Ultron's gaze.
Those electronic eyes flickered a few times and looked away, seemingly feeling that he had already won this round.
"Humans are ultimately not rational enough. Possessing power breeds arrogance."
Ultron was very calm. Subsequently, members of the organizing committee quickly ran over and announced that because contestant Mercenary Tao used a special ability during the drawing process, causing the drawing box to be damaged, the subsequent drawing would use an electronic drawing system.
As punishment, contestant Mercenary Tao would have half an hour of hunting time deducted in the upcoming first-round challenge.
The Reincarnators' expressions all changed drastically at this moment. Changing the drawing rules and using electronic drawing was practically leaving themselves at the mercy of the Machina Court.
Several flying devices rapidly descended from the sky, projecting light to form a massive projection screen hovering mid-air.
Kaito Shirogane's appearance was shown on the screen. This holographic projection was very advanced, capturing Kaito Shirogane's appearance, details, and even expression vividly.
The numbers next to it flashed and quickly stopped.
"Contestant Mercenary Tao, Group 8!"
This result also left SNOW and the others looking astonished, then gloomy.
Lord Mercenary Tao was assigned to Group 8, the same group as Kakarot!
This was the worst possible outcome, practically guaranteeing that the Reincarnator faction's strongest combatant would be eliminated in the first round.
In this world right now, no one was a match for this Kakarot.
According to the internal calculations of the Reincarnators, the current Kakarot probably came from the timeline after defeating Majin Buu!
That was an entirely unmatched domain. Destroying a world was as simple as eating and drinking for this Kakarot.
It could even be said that if everyone else in this venue added together, as long as Kakarot willed it, he could completely instantly kill everyone.
"This—"
Ritsu's expression was also ugly at this moment. The Machina Court's baseness and ruthlessness made her very unwilling.
Kaito Shirogane turned around, a disdainful smile on his face.
He tossed an object, and he himself had already started walking towards Kakarot.
Ritsu instinctively caught the object, only to find it was a ball. On this ball, the number [8] was clearly written.
Ritsu's pupils shrank. Looking again at Lord Mercenary Tao's retreating back, she was full of disbelief.
His Lordship... actually grabbed the number [8] ball himself? In other words, even if the Machina Court didn't play those tricks and he drew directly, His Lordship would still be in the same group as Kakarot?!
What exactly is this...
Ritsu didn't believe for a second that with Lord Mercenary Tao's strength, he would be unable to draw the ball he wanted. Even for her, doing that wouldn't be very difficult.
Did His Lordship want to draw the same group as Kakarot himself...?
Emperor Ultron's electronic streams also flashed wildly at this moment. This information was captured by the ubiquitous robots in the venue, and he immediately began high-speed calculations.
Emperor Ultron absolutely didn't believe the top trump card of the Infinite Dimensional Space would actively make a suicidal choice. Then, by doing so, the other party must have a way to deal with Kakarot?
Just what does he have to do to snatch a more powerful and delicious prey from in front of that kind of Kakarot?
A massive amount of calculations began to busy Emperor Ultron's cognitive core, and he started to lower his arrangements for other events.
Fortunately, at this time, the plan had been implemented smoothly. The subsequent drawing was completely the result he had arranged in advance.
Yoko ultimately drew the number for Group 1, in the same group as Lady Crimson of the Void Paradise. The moment this result appeared, Lady Crimson also immediately looked towards the other mysterious True God of her faction.
Ouranos's expression was indifferent, as if everything had nothing to do with him. He was assigned to Group 10.
Ultron's plan was cold and decisive, but it very much suited Ouranos's preferences. He even entertained the thought of cooperating with Ultron long-term.
"What do we do, Yoko? Do we need to change the plan?"
Aka subconsciously asked. But after speaking, he himself was slightly stunned. He didn't know when it started, but as the Fifth Seat of Destiny, he was actually consciously acting in the capacity of her subordinate.
Before making a decision, he would subconsciously seek Yoko's opinion.
Even, as long as Yoko agreed with his plan, he would feel that the plan and scheme were excellent and highly feasible.
Aka was also a top-tier Reincarnator, a high-ranking member among the Chosen Ones. Having been exposed to top-tier power, he understood at once: his presence was completely overwhelmed by Yoko.
Unknowingly, he had been reduced to Yoko's vassal.
As Aka's expression changed drastically, Yoko seemingly didn't notice. She merely watched Mercenary Tao's back as he walked towards Kakarot. With a slight thought, she understood the crux of it.
In this drawing phase, regardless of what others did, the one holding the initiative must be the Machina Court, which could participate in the hosting rights.
Unless plot protagonists like Kakarot or Toriko raised doubts, but the time was too short; Reincarnators and divine Contractors simply didn't have time to farm enough reputation.
The only one who had a chance to change this was herself!
If she reported this to Ichiryu right now, it could probably bring about a change, but it would delay the official start time of the first stage.
Currently, she and Mercenary Tao were the strongest among the three major factions. But if time dragged on, powerful Spaces like the Machina Court and Void Paradise could naturally deploy more powerhouses.
This would be disadvantageous to their side.
Mercenary Tao, precisely because he had seen through everything, proactively chose Kakarot, thereby mocking the capacity of the mechanical race.
Of course, Mercenary Tao had probably truly prepared a way to deal with Kakarot.
Unlike Sousuke, Yoko could accept sacrifice and darkness. For the ultimate victory, she was willing to pay any price.
Therefore, she also guessed Mercenary Tao's approach in her heart.
Kakarot was strong, unimaginably strong. That was true.
But precisely because Kakarot was too strong—so strong that he could simultaneously know about various events happening in extremely distant places and had the ability to resolve them—he was actually easier to target.
According to intelligence, besides being a martial artist unparalleled in the Infinite Dimensional Space, Mercenary Tao also seemed to be an extremely strong summoner.
Capable of summoning several powerful [Fierce] tier plot characters.
And right now, those plot characters were clearly not by Mercenary Tao's side.
A distinct smile appeared on Yoko's lips. She increasingly realized that both the real world and the Infinite Dimensional Space desperately needed this evil, cruel King of Monsters.
When humanity was in an absolutely disadvantageous situation, a cruel and powerful guy like this could instead provide a greater sense of security.
Yoko even felt the heavy burden on her shoulders lighten slightly.
Before her eyes flashed images of a black sun hanging in the sky, the Pacific Ocean evaporated, and the Eurasian continental plate stomped to pieces by a terrifying Star God.
She absolutely would not allow that future to arrive!
"Yo, Mr. Son Goku. We've been assigned to the same group. How... unlucky~"
Kaito Shirogane waved at the group, like old friends reuniting.
In the distance, members of the Machina Court, as well as True Gods like Lady Crimson and Ouranos, watched this scene coldly.
Dealing with a plot character of Son Goku's level was very dangerous.
They also didn't believe that this God of Martial Arts, who looked quite brutal, would have much affinity with these three "hot-blooded" plot protagonists.
Even if switched to Absolute Good, affinity was something that couldn't be changed.
Toriko, with his robust muscles, looked at the equally muscular Kaito Shirogane scrutinizingly. Traces of [Gourmet Energy] did indeed exist within the other party's body, but it was very weak.
Son Goku, however, was a bit embarrassed. Among the three, he was the one with the least impression of Kaito Shirogane, yet the other party proactively greeted him.
Son Goku was amicable to others and had almost no temper outside of combat. Thus, he hesitated for a moment and picked up the conversation.
"Oh, then let's do our best together, Tao... eh? Mercenary Tao?"
Only then did Son Goku notice that the other party's name was exactly the same as the world's number one assassin in his memory.
Kaito Shirogane revealed a mischievous smile, while inwardly making arrangements for the various Yin Spirits he had deployed in advance.
Son Goku, who can save the world at any time... just go save the world more during crucial moments~
High above a certain megacity, Satoru Gojo felt somewhat bored. He yawned, a bit troubled by the will appearing in his Sea of Consciousness. His host seemed to have gained some new power, and his influence over the Yin Spirits had grown stronger.
Even a resurrected Cursed Spirit like him would still be affected.
He looked at the dense crowds of humans below and the bustling city. The malice in his heart rapidly grew.
That was both the influence of [All the World's Evil] and his current hatred for these weak, ugly humans. He was already the true King of Curses; there was no need to consider anything else.
In another massive city, Madara Uchiha sat atop a skyscraper, his gaze indifferent.
This group of powerful Yin Spirits had long been dispatched to various places by Kaito Shirogane in advance, precisely to stir up a frenzy at crucial moments.
This kind of thing was originally most suitable for the people of the Machina Court to do. But Emperor Ultron chose to join the organizers, thereby losing the chaos that was the easiest for their faction to profit from.
Kaito Shirogane looked back at that robot, significantly downgrading his evaluation of the Machina Court.
An overly rational cognitive logic could indeed demonstrate advantages up to a certain stage. But in the late stages when strength grew increasingly powerful, this cognitive logic lacked breakthrough capability, lacking the possibility to break deadlocks and reverse everything.
Ultimately... weaklings.