Accompanied by the System's notification, Cloud slowly opened his eyes.
Within them were no longer human emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. Nor the indifference and arrogance of the divine.
Only a deep chaos as vast as the cosmic sea of stars, containing all things.
He simply sat there, yet the entire Moon lay under his "domain." He was no longer merely a powerful fighter.
He had become the Law itself.
"So... this is what being a god feels like?" Cloud raised his hand, studying his palm.
He could sense that his palm was composed of countless "energy strings" smaller than quarks, constantly appearing and vanishing. He could even see how every vibration of these "strings" resonated with the entire universe.
"It's a bit... boring." He sighed.
When you've seen through the essence of everything, many things become dull.
Just as he prepared to stand up, dust himself off, and return to Earth to continue his "simple and unassuming" harem life—
He suddenly "saw" it.
Within his "Cosmic Vision," he perceived a hidden temporal-spatial gateway nestled in the cracks between countless timelines—one that didn't belong to this universe, filled with "paradox" and "distortion"!
That gate connected to a higher-dimensional space called "Those From the Past."
And right now, countless forces filled with malice and greed were seeping through that gate into his world.
"So... this is the root cause?"
Cloud's eyes flashed with understanding.
Looking at that sealed gate radiating ominous energy, his face broke into a smile like a mischievous kid who'd found a new toy.
"A gate? I love breaking down doors."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing one finger at the gate.
"Dimensional Breach: Spiritual Energy Revival!"
A force beyond description—one containing the laws of "Creation" and "Space-Time"—instantly crossed infinite dimensions and slammed into that temporal-spatial gate!
He didn't destroy the gate. Instead, he forcibly opened another "hole" beside it!
This "hole" functioned like a cosmic-scale "pump," beginning to frantically drain the pure "primordial spiritual energy" accumulated over countless years from the higher-dimensional space of "Those From the Past" directly toward Earth!
He was using the enemy's power to nourish his own world!
This move was so brilliant even the System couldn't help but pop up a [666] comment!
And with this influx of "extraterrestrial spiritual energy," an unprecedented "Spiritual Revival" sweeping the entire globe quietly began on Earth...
...
While Cloud leisurely conducted his "drainage project" on the Moon, the KOF arena on Earth had transformed into a living hell.
After backstabbing and devouring Magaki, Shion's power had reached an unprecedented, despair-inducing peak!
He alone was suppressing every fighter present!
Kyo Kusanagi's Orochinagi was deflected with a casual spear flick, scattering into mere sparks.
Iori Yagami's Ya Otome couldn't even approach his body before being frozen by an invisible spatial force.
K', Kula, Terry, Ryo—everyone's attacks were like scratching an itch, unable to inflict the slightest damage.
"Too weak... you're all just too weak!"
Shion hovered in the air, each swing of his crimson spear claiming several fighters' lives, blasting them into bloody mist!
Like a death god on high, he harvested these lives that were mere "ants" in his eyes!
"It's over... everything is over..." The fighters looked at this apocalyptic scene, their eyes filled with despair.
At that moment, Cloud finally "saw" this scene.
"What the hell?! We're getting robbed at home?!" He shot up from the lunar surface, a flash of anger in his eyes. "I've only been in seclusion for how long? How did we get base-raided?!"
[DING! Earth-ending crisis detected! Main quest forcibly updated!]
[Quest Name: Return of the King!]
[Quest Requirements: As this world's "hidden boss" and "savior," how can you tolerate some other "wild monster" running wild on your turf?! Now, immediately, at once—descend before them in the coolest, most stylish, most unexpected way possible, then show that androgynous freak what true cruelty means!]
[Quest Reward: Depends on your level of showmanship!]
"Showmanship? Now that's my specialty!"
The anger in Cloud's eyes instantly transformed into eager excitement. He glanced at Earth, 380,000 kilometers away, then at Shion who was slaughtering everyone and constantly teleporting.
A mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Trying to run? Not so easy."
He closed his eyes, his powerful "Cosmic Divine Sense" instantly locking onto Earth!
He began analyzing Shion's abilities, predicting his every movement trajectory, calculating the landing point of each spatial jump.
Then he extended his hand and lightly drew one "X" after another in the void.
"Spatial Law: Fixed-Point Anchoring!"
On Earth, Shion—in the middle of enjoying his massacre—suddenly felt his entire body seize up!
To his horror, he discovered that the space around him seemed to be nailed in place by countless invisible "stakes"! His prized ability to freely traverse space had... failed?!
He was like a video game player hit with a "freeze spell" by a GM—he could only watch helplessly, unable to move!
"This... this is...?!"
Just as terror gripped him, the sky above his head split open without warning.
It wasn't a spatial rift—it was the entire sky, like a sheet of glass shattered by a giant hand from beyond the universe!
A pillar of chaotic light composed of "Destruction Law"—impossible to describe in any terms—shot down from that crack, landing precisely on Shion.
No screams. No explosion.
Under that pillar of light, Shion's body rapidly decomposed and dissolved like snow under blazing sun, finally breaking down into elementary particles and vanishing completely.
From start to finish, he hadn't even seen who attacked him.
Dead silence filled the arena.
Everyone stared slack-jawed at the chaotic pillar that had descended from heaven and instantly killed the "demon king" Shion, their minds going blank.
"Wh... what was that just now?"
"Did... did God himself intervene?"
"No... this aura... this familiar yet strange feeling that makes you want to kneel and sing 'I Surrender'... it's... it's him!"
Kyo Kusanagi, Maki Kagura, Mai Shiranui... everyone who knew Cloud felt tears of joy welling up!
Cloud!
That man!
He was back!
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"