"Why can he get in, but I can't..."
Oboro pondered a question.
He led a group of strangely shaped intelligent creatures, wandering aimlessly through the Dark Continent.
The creatures now following him were no longer the 'stones' from back then, but another species.
A species influenced by him, infected by his soul power, and evolved.
Similar to the black-robed skeleton encountered in the city within the house, they had all entered a state similar to 'undead,' their physical bodies dead, but their souls still alive and preserved in the world.
Due to the continuous absorption of souls, Oboro's physical body had become incredibly strong. Even with the improvements in armor and magic power, his body had undergone some changes, albeit very slowly. However, due to the accumulation over a long period, the amplification from individual souls no longer seemed as significant.
His food chain position had risen from upper to top-tier, and from top-tier to king-level.
His comprehensive attribute evaluation had also changed from Monarch to Overlord.
But he still hadn't found the 'gate.'
His powerful body had made his life energy incredibly abundant, and the range of the black mist he could spread was unimaginable.
Oboro had now become a perpetual motion machine that evolved automatically, requiring no thought.
Everywhere he went, the area would be enveloped and submerged by the black mist. All souls within, whether large or small life forms, bizarre entities, or rule-based species, would die silently.
The dropped souls would be automatically absorbed, requiring no active effort from him.
His energy passively absorbed everything.
Some species would go extinct, while others would 'evolve.' This was also one of the characteristics of Dark Continent creatures; their genes were so powerful that they could even fuse with souls. The difference was that this time, the 'person' sowing the seeds was Oboro himself... He had become like the Queen Chimera Ant in the human world, like devouring human flesh and blood, selecting genes and creating 'species.'
A form of 'reproduction' by proxy.
It had even spread among some Dark Continent creature species.
There was a terrifying human who, accompanied by the 'eternal night,' would appear anywhere in the Dark Continent at any time. When he appeared, the sky and the earth would turn black, and the sea of souls would transform into a bridge to hell, taking them to a new world.
These messages and thoughts were all perceived by Oboro from the souls of various life forms.
Rumble!
Suddenly, a lightning strike, capable of shattering a city, descended from the black and red interwoven sky.
The giant lightning bolt was also crimson. Strangely, after falling, the lightning did not dissipate but connected heaven and earth, forming a flowing energy source like a waterfall, seemingly fixed in the air. Immediately after, countless strange flying and walking creatures approached. Some large birds soared into the sky and actually stood on the lightning, pecking at it as if it were food.
On the ground, some large life forms were also absorbing the lightning...
This lightning was a form of energy.
Whether it could be absorbed and transformed depended on the individual's life energy strength... Oboro was now quite certain that he was in the inland region of the Dark Continent. The further he went and the longer he stayed, the more he saw, and the more accustomed he became to all sorts of miraculous phenomena.
His arrival caused the creatures that were feeding to scatter like startled birds.
The entire horizon was obscured by the continuous ghost mist.
The scene was horrifying.
"Don Freecss."
Oboro muttered.
Initially, he thought it was his own route or location that was different from others, which was why he hadn't found the 'gate.' But now, it seemed that wasn't the case. The 'gate' guarded by the gatekeeper, or rather, behind the wall it guarded, was actually a territory filled with advanced intelligent life forms.
The ecosystem and food chain within were the same as Oboro had previously perceived from memories: humans were at the lowest end, a melting pot of genes.
However, in the Dark Continent, their position was like a city within the human world.
He had lost track of how long he had been traveling, but he was certain he had surpassed Don Freecss's depth of exploration... Powerful strength brought speed!
Although the Dark Continent was vast and boundless, he was now essentially 'invincible.' Traveling solely by physical strength, he could cover unimaginable distances overnight. Even so, after such a long journey, he still hadn't found the 'gate.'
Oboro now understood that to conquer further and achieve his goals, he needed to 'enter the city.'
He couldn't wander in the 'wilderness' anymore.
He needed to find the Demon King's territory, that is, the Demon King's city... and the domains of other high-level life forms.
But there was still no result.
Oboro was certain Don Freecss had already entered the city...
Perhaps a city here was as large as the entire human world, but in the Dark Continent, it was not obvious, just a region... The size of the territory depended on the power of the ruler. Oboro had considered changing routes, returning to the edge of the coastline, finding Netero and Beyond's path, and trying that.
However, he had now abandoned that idea.
The reason he couldn't find the gate wasn't the route, but rather... someone didn't want him to 'enter the city.'
He was being 'excluded'!
As for the human world, he could no longer return.
With his current strength, simply appearing on human land might cause all life in the human world to die from his instinctive soul pressure.
The difference in his own energy was too great.
With that thought, Oboro stopped.
His mind stirred, and vast soul mist converged from all directions like rolling waves. After a long time, it was reined back into his body.
Upon closer inspection, on the vast land, many things that had been transformed into soul life forms were now approaching him.
These life forms would become animals or plants with strange powers in the Dark Continent, thereby evolving new food chains and environmental ecosystems.
From initially integrating into the food chain, then destroying it, and now creating food chains, single-handedly forging new genes... Oboro had not been infected.
He had become the 'source of infection.'
He withdrew his gaze, slowly looked up at the dark, deep sky, like an abyss.
And at the lightning bolt that had not yet disappeared.
It was actually a 'stairway,' a ladder to the sky. At the very top of the lightning, there was a suspended landmass, extremely large.
That... was a city, and the location of the gate.
However, Oboro knew very well that if he approached... the gate and the 'city' would disappear.
Because this was not the first time he had sensed an 'opportunity.'
"How long has it been? Decades? Centuries?"
Oboro's eyes were somewhat dazed.
In his hand, he clutched a diary.
It was the diary Gebuwich had given him, recording some of their early experiences upon arriving in the Dark Continent, including Gebuwich's inner thoughts. Oboro used to read it when he was bored or felt lonely... But later, he felt nothing anymore, as if it had become a habit, just flipping through and reading instinctively.
Because, in the depths of his being, he had a premonition that if he were to throw away this diary... he would lose something.
Therefore, he had kept it with him all along.
Oboro ignored the army of souls following him and continued to walk forward.
Like a robot, executing some command.
But this time, it was different from before.
A black dot spiraled down from the sky and appeared before his eyes.
Upon closer inspection, it was a large, naked, fleshy sphere with wings.
"Supreme King, it is an honor to meet you."
After landing, the fleshy sphere retracted its wings, blinked its eyes, and bowed its body forward, as if paying respects.
A guide.
Oboro instantly understood the other party's identity.
Unlike the guide summoned by another gatekeeper that he knew of, which was a headless human figure.
"Aren't you going?"
Oboro said calmly.
He was asking the other party, and its master behind it, if they would use some energy or rules to keep him out or away from themselves.
"Your arrival causes us fear, but my master does not wish to antagonize you... He sent me to inform you that if you wish to create your own territory in the Dark Continent, he will help."
The fleshy sphere said.
"The advanced genes of human evolution have been almost entirely divided among you... Are you willing to share them with me?"
Oboro lowered his eyebrows, his voice icy.
"…"
The fleshy sphere was speechless.
"It's the Demon King, isn't it?"
Oboro questioned again.
"…Yes…"
The fleshy sphere replied.
So it was...
Oboro knew that there were many powerful beings like the Demon King in the Dark Continent, and some were even superior to him.
And the Demon King, having existed in the Dark Continent for a long time, must have had its own circle... Therefore, his arrival and appearance could easily be spread through the Demon King's mouth.
The reason he was being excluded was simple: fear!
Those overlords were afraid of him, a human who came from the Island in the Lake to this continent.
Looking at it this way, although the Demon King was terrifying and its use of energy was profound, it couldn't compare to Oboro!
The Demon King could also control souls but couldn't absorb them!
It was like Nen abilities. The Demon King was someone with a deep understanding and mastery of Nen abilities, with peak Nen output and techniques, but its 'Nen ability' itself was weak... In the Dark Continent, this translated to a lack of strong talent. But Oboro was different... he could absorb infinitely, grow infinitely, with no bottlenecks.
The Demon King had only glanced at his soul and determined Oboro's dangerousness.
It could also 'see' his desire for conquest.
However... at that time, Oboro was not yet very strong... and had a high probability of perishing in the wild.
Furthermore, the two were not enemies, and the Demon King didn't seem to take him seriously.
But it must have been watching him through some means, otherwise, it wouldn't have passed on information about him to other overlords.
Although Oboro had grown to this point, he was certain that on this continent, there were beings far more powerful than himself and the Demon King... He was still far from the pinnacle.
Even so, it was enough to make some beings comparable to the Demon King feel fear.
Through the conversation with the fleshy sphere, after confirming the Demon King's 'weakness,' Oboro even felt that if he found the Demon King now... he could 'devour' it.
"Having the ability to create one's own species is a form of qualification..." Oboro glanced back at the soul entity approaching him, lost in thought.
Besides the soul, his control over rule-based power had also become extremely profound, just not yet applied to a target for structuring.
"So... they are also afraid."
Oboro suddenly spoke.
His tone couldn't hide his disappointment.
It was like looking forward to a fight with a strong opponent for a long time... but then, before even stepping into the ring, the opponent privately offered peace or conceded defeat.
This was... exceptionally disappointing.
"I have no interest in the weak..."
Oboro's gaze swept past the fleshy sphere and looked directly at the sky.
As his lips moved, a soul will, like a sharp, giant sword, shot towards the heavens.
Even the crimson lightning bolt was pulverized into dust and dissipated into wisps of electricity.
"Strictly speaking, you are not truly human... You do not belong to this world. You are a product of an alternate dimension. True humans cannot achieve what you have. To the Island in the Lake, you are no different from us; you are an unknown."
"If not for this, you wouldn't even have had the chance to set foot on this land."
After a moment, a massive mental wave swept down from the sky, responding.
"Heh."
Oboro smiled.
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