Shun reached into the void and copied Tokiyomi's core Shinjutsu, "Time Control," while also extracting a transparent cluster of memories.
He lightly tapped his forehead with his fingertip, drawing the memory cluster into his mind. Instantly, he acquired a vast amount of rule-based information regarding time, and his insights into the flow of time and space-time manipulation rapidly sublimated.
At this moment, his understanding of the rules of time reached a new level, and his gaze grew deeper with the accumulation of space-time experience.
Immediately after, he used Ten Directions to re-deduce the future timeline, instantly gaining several new methods to deal with the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon.
Looking at the newly added future scenes, Shun chuckled. "Interesting, I can even set people up this way."
Having said that, he reached into the void and grabbed a few strands of the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon's aura.
Then, he activated Omnipotence, evenly coating himself and Kaguya with the extracted aura of the high-ranking members.
"Kaguya, I've extracted the aura of the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon and covered us with it. Now, the barrier within the palace will identify us as members of the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon and automatically ignore our presence. This will save us a lot of trouble."
Kaguya asked, "Is that even possible? So what should we do now? Deal with Kenshin?"
Shun nodded and casually opened a Spatial Gate.
A moment later, the two arrived at a misty area deep within the palace.
The mist here was an eerie dark gray, rolling constantly like flowing silk, tightly enveloping the entire area so that even the outlines of the palace's buildings were obscured.
Countless silver threads of Karma could be seen faintly through the mist, intertwining and tangling like living vines, constantly growing and writhing. Occasionally, the sound of faint energy collisions could be heard—the sounds of creatures that had wandered in, been ensnared by the threads of Karma, and self-destructed after their trajectories were forcibly rewritten.
Kaguya frowned slightly.
She could clearly feel that these threads of Karma contained a powerful corrosive force. With just a slight touch, a being's karmic trajectory would be forcibly distorted, eventually leading to destruction amidst endless confusion.
"This is Kenshin's Karma Domain."
The Karma fragment in Shun's palm lit up, and a soft white light spread out, carving a path half a meter wide through the dark gray mist. Wherever the light reached, those frantically writhing threads of Karma retreated as if they had met their nemesis. The originally thick mist parted to both sides like flowing water, revealing the bluish-black floor tiles beneath.
This fragment was not just a guide, it was the manifestation of a weak point in Kenshin's karmic chain, capable of temporarily dissolving the Karma Domain he had set up.
The two moved quickly along the path of light. The mist beneath their feet turned into nothingness the moment it touched the white light.
As soon as they stepped forward, the surrounding threads of Karma surged toward them like a tide, only to be dissolved by the white light half a foot from their bodies, vanishing into specks of starlight.
Shun kept his eyes fixed on the fragment in his palm throughout, constantly infusing it with Chakra to ensure the light didn't go out.
Kaguya observed the surroundings vigilantly, pale pink Chakra flowing at her fingertips, ready to respond to any variables that might arise.
Passing through the mist, an ancient hall appeared before them.
The hall was constructed from strange bluish-black stones. Above the entrance, two characters were carved: "Karma Shrine."
Dense gray threads of Karma were wrapped around the characters, each thread flickering with tiny runes that recorded the trajectories of the rise and fall of countless civilizations.
The two exchanged a look and simultaneously pushed open the shrine doors. The doors let out a soft "creak," breaking the dead silence of the place.
There were no extra furnishings inside the hall, only a seat woven from countless silver threads of Karma floating in mid-air. Beneath the seat was a rotating circular Karma formation, its runes changing constantly, reflecting countless blurred future scenes: the tragic destruction of planets, the prosperity of thriving civilizations, and the struggling figures of countless living beings.
Kenshin sat upon the seat, dressed in a gray robe, his gray-white hair falling over his shoulders and covering most of his face. His face was covered in fine wrinkles, each one seemingly etched with a different karmic trajectory. His gaze was incredibly indifferent, as if he had long since seen through everything in the world.
Most striking were his eyes—a pair of deep blue Nine Tomoe Rinnegan, with halos like threads of Karma flowing within the pupils.
Countless invisible threads of Karma were wrapped around him. With a light flick of his fingers, the light in the hall alternated between brightness and darkness, and the floating future scenes changed accordingly. He was deducing countless future possibilities.
As a member of the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon, Kenshin's core reliance was this Karma-type Shinjutsu.
It could forcibly bind a target's Karma. As long as he was injured, the bound individual would suffer the same injury. Even more terrifying was his extremely powerful vitality—he would not die even if his head was severed. It was this nearly unsolvable Shinjutsu that kept him firmly in his high-ranking position.
Seeing Shun and Kaguya barge in, Kenshin showed no sign of surprise. Instead, he slowly raised his head, his blue Nine Tomoe Rinnegan sweeping over them while his fingers continued to pluck the threads of Karma.
His voice sounded as if it came from a distant time and space. "That you would come here, kill Tokiyomi, and find me with a Karma fragment that restrains me... all of this was within my karmic deductions. I've long found that fellow disagreeable anyway."
Before his voice had even faded, his fingertip pressed down, and the threads of Karma around him abruptly tightened, aiming at the two.
Karma Binding, Activate!
Invisible threads shot out instantly, accurately winding toward Shun and Kaguya. In his perception, these two auras were those of the intruders, unaware that they had already been replaced by those of Mugen and Tamashi.
"Those who toy with Karma shall be toyed with by Karma. Do your worst, Kenshin. Let's see whose methods are superior."
Shun's golden Nine Tomoe Rinne Sharingan erupted with intense light. His figure flashed abruptly, leaving several afterimages in the hall like a phantom.
Golden Chakra condensed at his fingertip into a slender blade. The blade was not only wrapped in the power of Karma from the future but also infused with some rules of time.
This was his finishing move specifically designed against Kenshin's "future deduction." The rules of time allowed the attack trajectory to undergo a "space-time shift" at the last moment, breaking the established karmic prediction and preventing the original "cause" from corresponding to the deduced "effect."
His attacks seemed chaotic, but in reality, each afterimage corresponded to a karmic node around Kenshin. Each swing of the blade carried the momentum to tear through Karma.
The golden blade sliced through the air, leaving behind brilliant trails that caused the threads of Karma in the hall to fluctuate violently, making the floating future scenes become distorted and blurred.
Kenshin's eyes narrowed, his blue Nine Tomoe Rinnegan flashing. His fingers quickly plucked the threads of Karma in front of him, intending to use the bound power of Karma to cause a backlash.
"Since the binding is complete, your attack is just walking to your own death."
But just as Shun's blade was about to touch Kenshin's body, he and Kaguya beside him suddenly groaned in unison, their figures stumbling back two steps as a trace of blood leaked from the corners of their lips.
This was the disguise they had agreed upon beforehand, pretending to suffer a backlash from the Karma Shinjutsu.
"Have we really been bound?"
Shun intentionally showed a look of gravity, while in reality, his peripheral vision was locked tightly onto Kenshin's blue Nine Tomoe Rinnegan.
Seeing this, Kenshin's lips curled into a calm, cold sneer. "Attempting to defy Karma will only lead to reaping what you sow."
He relaxed his guard, and the threads of Karma around him loosened slightly.
This was the momentary opening!
Shun's figure suddenly surged forward and his golden Nine Tomoe Rinne Sharingan flared with light. The moment he locked onto Kenshin's eyes, the golden Chakra condensed at his fingertips transformed into two sharp energy spikes, which shot out like two streaks of light, accurately piercing toward Kenshin's blue Nine Tomoe Rinnegan.
"How dare you!"
Kenshin was both shocked and enraged. He tried to activate the threads of Karma to counterattack, but it was already too late.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two energy spikes accurately gouged out his pair of blue Nine Tomoe Rinnegan, which then floated in Shun's palm.
Almost at the same time, in another area of the palace, Mugen and Tamashi suddenly screamed, clutching their eyes with their hands.
Their Nine Tomoe Rinnegan unexpectedly exploded without warning, blood gushing from between their fingers. This was the backlash of the Karma Binding taking effect. The injury of Kenshin losing his eyes was transferred to the two whose auras Shun and Kaguya had substituted theirs with.
"What's happening? My eyes!"
"It's a Karma backlash! Who is targeting us?"
Mugen and Tamashi were both shocked and furious. They instantly sensed that the source of the backlash was coming from the direction of the Karma Shrine.
As members of the Otsutsuki Upper Echelon, although the injury of losing their Rinnegan could be quickly recovered, it required consuming a vast amount of Chakra. This sudden injury made them burn with rage.
Both activated their Shinjutsu simultaneously, launching a counterattack against Kenshin along the connection of the Karma threads.
"Kenshin! You actually dare to plot against us!" Mugen's voice carried overwhelming fury as black curse energy surged along the threads of Karma.
Tamashi activated a Soul Shinjutsu, and pale purple soul energy coiled around the Karma threads like a venomous snake, lunging straight toward Kenshin's soul.
Having lost his eyes, Kenshin was already in a state of panic, and facing the sudden counterattack from two fellow high-ranking members, he had no time to respond.
The black curse energy arrived first, instantly covering his entire body. His flesh began to rot at a speed visible to the naked eye. Beneath his gray robe, his skin rapidly shriveled and festered, emitting a foul stench.
Immediately after, the pale purple soul energy invaded his inner world. His soul felt a sharp pain as if being burned by intense fire, his consciousness began to blur, and his Soul Origin continuously withered away.
"No... it's the attacks of Mugen and Tamashi. Is this a trap?"