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"Homologous device detected. Synchronizing itinerary from parallel unit."
In a stark, silent room humming with alien technology, the abrupt announcement hung in the air. Qianyu blinked. So did Isshiki. The scene turned instantly, painfully awkward.
Why did the Karasuki activate now? Was it Madara's doing?
Qianyu could have dug a three-bedroom apartment with his toes. God, of all the times—
His plan had been simple: slip into Isshiki's secret base, quiet as a ghost, and maybe take the guy out clean. Instead, right at the critical moment, his phone rang. Well, his reality-altering time-space device rang. Same difference. He felt like the idiot in those action movies who forgets to put his phone on silent before a heist.
But could he really leave the Karasuki behind? No. It was too important. He'd never imagined the damn thing would ring on its own.
No time for that. Focus. Qianyu's expression hardened as he watched the Ōtsutsuki across from him slowly rise to his feet.
Behind Isshiki, two dozen or so glass incubation pods stood in neat rows. Children floated in pale green nutrient fluid. Among them—Konan and the others who'd been taken.
"So the Karasuki is with you," Isshiki said, a flicker of surprise in his voice. He gestured at the pods behind him, a strangely genteel motion. "These children are all… special. Given time to mature, perhaps one or two might become suitable 'vessels' capable of bearing my full power."
His gaze sharpened, fixing on Qianyu.
"Of course, the most special one… is you."
"Me?" Qianyu kept his voice level. No need to rush. If the guy wanted to talk, he'd talk. Intel was intel. "How so?"
Isshiki let out a low chuckle. "I've been watching you for some time, Qianyu. You know how unique you are."
He spread his arms, a gesture of supreme arrogance. "Take a creature like Madara Uchiha. A trace of our diluted bloodline, forcing his mortal frame to contain our power. On the surface, he seems close to us. In truth, he is a defective product. A… mongrel."
"But you." Isshiki's voice grew fervent, his eyes burning with a covetous light. "You are different. You can perfectly harmonize with the power of our clan. As if you were born with the purest Ōtsutsuki blood. As if that power was always meant to be yours!"
He took a step forward, his composure cracking with excitement.
"Because I failed to deliver the God Tree fruit on schedule, I am condemned by clan law to remain on this barbaric rock for millennia to atone. For a noble, it is intolerable."
"Now, my chance has come. You can redeem my failure. The Ōtsutsuki God is very interested in you. If I can present you to Lord Shibai, he will pardon all my transgressions!"
The Ōtsutsuki God?!
Ice shot down Qianyu's spine. He knew the concept from another world's lore—the Boruto timeline. A being who had devoured countless worlds, evolved beyond all others of his clan, the apex existence approaching true godhood… The sheer scale of that power was unimaginable.
"Do not attempt to rewind time," Isshiki warned, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. He placed a hand on one of the pods behind him. "That trick won't work here. Leave, and I will erase these children from existence itself. From the root."
Qianyu was his ticket back to the "High Plain." He would present this prize to Lord Shibai himself. It was why he'd risked moving in his weakened state to take the children—to create leverage.
Damn it. Should I retreat…?
The thought flickered, but it was too late.
The space around him rippled violently. A figure in a dark robe stepped through the distortion as if crossing a threshold.
A crown of horns. Three eyes, each distinct. A tidal wave of chakra crashed into Qianyu's senses, and his face paled.
One instant. That was all it took. The gap between their power was vast. As vast as the gap between himself and Madara was now.
This was the strongest existence of the Ōtsutsuki clan in the present era. The one called God.
Ōtsutsuki Shibai.
"You… truly resemble him."
Shibai's voice was a low resonance, holding an unfathomable emotion as his gaze fell upon Qianyu for the first time.
Swish.
That was all it took. A single look.
Qianyu's consciousness snuffed out like a candle. His body went rigid, then tipped backward.
"Incredible…" Isshiki breathed, his heart surging with awe. The abilities of Lord Shibai were divine miracles. A word. A glance. Enough to unleash unmatched might, enough to effortlessly subdue beings on their level. This was the realm every Ōtsutsuki strove for, hungered for, devoured worlds to reach!
"…Hm?"
A soft sound of puzzlement escaped Shibai. He had clearly sealed this space. Yet, the moment Qianyu lost consciousness, his form simply… vanished.
"A contingency plan? To perform a spatial transfer even under your suppression, Lord Shibai…" Isshiki's voice held a note of genuine, grudging admiration. "Truly terrifying. To have grown to such heights in so short a time."
His expression softened into a smile. "But he has been struck by your ocular technique, Iputono. He should dissipate soon enough."
Why Lord Shibai was so interested in Qianyu, why he had employed his ultimate killing technique at first sight—these were not Isshiki's concerns. He was finally leaving this backwater planet. Returning to the High Plain.
Iputono. Shibai's supreme ocular power. A perfect prison constructed from the victim's own memories and cognition. Once struck, the consciousness and soul would slowly rot within that cage, the physical body fading away in tandem. Without exception.
Humans lived shackled by their own obsessions. No one could break through their own cognition. The stronger the will, the stronger the self-imposed bars of the prison. Qianyu clearly lacked the power to force his way out of Iputono. His only fate was to scatter into nothingness.
"No. This child is special. I will not rest until I witness his utter annihilation with my own eyes."
Shibai's murmur was quiet, but it carried absolute finality. He raised a hand. A shimmering portal of distorted space-time bloomed before him. He stepped through without hesitation. Isshiki hurried after.
Swish.
The world they entered was a hellscape of crimson mountains beneath a sickly green sky. Isshiki had just enough time to register a flash of movement—a slender figure clutching Qianyu's form, vanishing again in another spatial jump.
"Amenominaka! That woman, Kaguya!"
Elation surged through Isshiki. This was his fortunate day! Not only was he returning to the High Plain, but he also had a chance to exact revenge on that treacherous wench who dared to ambush him all those years ago!
Swish.
Led by Shibai, they jumped again. Isshiki had to admit, Kaguya's control over Amenominaka was exceptional. She was managing to stay just ahead of Shibai's pursuit.
But it was temporary. The terrifying depth of Shibai's chakra allowed him to jump endlessly, heedless of the cost. Kaguya could not keep this up. She would slow. She would fall.
"Lord Qianyu… what should I do…?"
Holding the unconscious form, Kaguya's voice was a ragged whisper, her mind a storm of utter despair.
An insidious power was at work. Like an eraser on a chalkboard, it was steadily wiping Qianyu away. His right arm was the first to go, becoming translucent, then fading into nothingness. The erasure crept steadily inward, consuming his shoulder, his side.
It wouldn't be long. He would be gone. Erased.
"Lord Qianyu! Please, wake up!"
Kaguya's body trembled, a tremor born of primal fear. The Ōtsutsuki clan showed no mercy to traitors. Without Qianyu, she would be devoured alive by the two beings hunting her.
Chapter 149: Return to Earth? Reality & Illusion?
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