Chapter 86: The First Scene of the Genesis of the Strong
The black and red light blazed, arrogantly displaying supreme power and authority!
The battle to decide the future and the fate of the world had begun.
Many combatants unleashed their full potential, striking at Mo Yu with everything they had. Among them were many Captains of the Gotei 13; they knew that against an opponent of Mo Yu's level, they often had only one chance to strike.
To their horror, beneath that black and red radiance, all their attacks were instantly dismantled and blown apart. Those unfortunate enough to be slow to dodge—or those simply not suited for direct combat—were pulverized in an instant, reduced to molecular-sized mists of blood and bone!
At that moment, a silent, frantic, and eerie laughter began to echo between heaven and earth—not through sound, but directly within the hearts of everyone present!
Mo Yu's body as the Hell-Soul King was far more than a mere cosmetic "special effect skin." His current existence was the physical manifestation of Hell itself descending upon the mortal realm. Every gesture and movement was an expression of Hell's mandate.
As slaughter and destruction commenced, the consciousness of Hell grew increasingly excited, as if cheering or laughing manically. It hungered for rivers of blood!
This eerie laughter from Hell's will was not without effect. Many whose minds were not resilient enough felt their hearts grow restless and irritable. Countless distracting thoughts surged within them, making it impossible to focus on the battle.
Aizen, however, was unaffected by the laughter. He was merely distracted by other thoughts:
"The Soul King has grown stronger again. Is this power a realm that sits even above Ultimacy!?"
It was no wonder Aizen thought this. The force Mo Yu unleashed was on a completely different level from what Aizen had felt before.
The Absolute Realm emphasized mining one's internal strength. Ultimacy—whether achieved through self-sublimation or borrowed from the world—was more about the expansion and variation of "Quantity."
Take Aizen's Kido Punch, for instance. At the Absolute Realm level, it was a spell-punch of shifting reality. After plundering Hueco Mundo and rising to the level of Ultimacy, the most direct manifestation was Aizen's spiritual pressure—which was already ten times that of a normal Captain—spiking by dozens or even hundreds of times, resulting in devastating destructive power.
But the fists thrown by Mo Yu now were entirely different. To Aizen, they felt more like the mining and breakthrough of "Quality," thoroughly shattering the boundaries of common sense and sublimating into the realm of Miracles.
To put it simply: Mo Yu's current strikes were incredibly "Heavy!"
If measured by pure output, he was only at the 70-80% Absolute Realm level. On an ordinary powerhouse, that level of output would be enough to collapse a few mountains or level half a small city. But in Mo Yu's hands, this output was so "Heavy" that it felt as if it could punch straight through the thousands of kilometers of the Earth's crust to deliver a brutal hit to the planet's core!
The output and the specific destructive power were completely disproportionate. It couldn't be explained by common sense; it could only be described as a Miracle!
Aizen's mind was sharp. In an instant, he glimpsed the secrets of Mo Yu's power.
A high-completion, high-purity Soul King Surge naturally transcended the constraints of worldly laws and stepped toward the realm of Miracles. As for whether this counted as a higher level above Ultimacy, Mo Yu didn't have time to think about it.
Because a second Miracle was already shining before his eyes!
Ichigo Kurosaki took a single step forward and seemed to vanish from existence. A brilliant radiance erupted, followed by an uncountable frequency of attacks that slammed into Mo Yu along with the light.
"Bring it on!"
There is a saying: one trick to rule them all. Driven by the Soul King Surge, Ichigo's speed had transcended the limits of common sense. How fast he moved was no longer determined by reality, but by how fast Ichigo wanted to be!
As the God of Fighting, Mo Yu might not have infinite growth, but he possessed the wisdom to learn from every experience. Having already tasted Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho Endless Shun-Goku-Satsu, he had naturally devised a countermeasure.
He clenched his fist, drove the Soul King Surge, and punched out with full force toward his surroundings!
Black and red light erupted, followed by a localized collapse. Pitch-black fissures appeared within the radius of the impact. The incredible "Weight" in the punch was enough to crush and detonate space itself!
He countered Ichigo's miraculous "Speed" with a "Weight" that reached the realm of Miracles! I've smashed the road; let's see how you run.
The effect was there, but it didn't come from Mo Yu's strategy or any tactical counter. It was simply that Ichigo, as "Potent" as ever, didn't bother to evade at all. Instead, he sped up, charging even more excitedly.
In an instant, they collided. There were no massive aftershocks this time because both knew they were meaningless. Only more concentrated, condensed power could efficiently reduce the other to dust.
Mo Yu felt as if he were in a hurricane. Uncountable fists struck like raindrops—though that was a poor metaphor, as Ichigo's fists were far more savage and swift.
In an instant, it wasn't just a matter of being bruised and swollen. Mo Yu felt his heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys were being blown apart. That wasn't a description, but a fact: Mo Yu's chest had collapsed entirely, nearly bulging out the other side.
Ichigo didn't fare much better. He dropped out of his "Endless" state, half his body nearly ground to pulp.
Such injuries were tragic, but to elite powerhouses, they were mere trifles! In the next heartbeat, both operated Reishi Recomposition, using matchless battle intent to beat the injuries until they were forced out of their bodies.
However, both Mo Yu and Ichigo noticed something bizarre. After their direct collision, the Soul King Surge they possessed stalled, as if entering a cooldown period.
"Tsk. Unverified power is a nuisance. To think it has such a flaw."
Mo Yu narrowed his eyes. He didn't need Omniscience to analyze this; the mystical nature of the Soul King's body allowed him to see the root of the problem.
A high-purity, high-completion Soul King Surge contained incredible power that allowed a powerhouse to stand above worldly rules. At its core, the Surge wasn't exactly a "power," but rather a "Limit-Break Permission" granted by the foundation of the world!
This wasn't an extra buff of power or authority like the Monk had; it was closer to a specific exemption and response. To put it bluntly: the world had added these powerhouses to its "Whitelist." It allowed them to exceed limits and even actively assisted them, unconcerned if the underlying logic of the world's laws was shaken.
But the world's audit for this permission was strict and full of restrictions related to status and actions. For the Soul King—the "God"—to slay evil spirits and create a world, the permission was granted instantly. For the Messiah—Ichigo—to liquidate karma and save the world, the world also responded with blessings.
But when God and the Messiah got into a passionate brawl, the world scratched its head, and the final result was that both their permissions crashed simultaneously.
The world was not a sapient being, so it didn't stay locked forever. Mo Yu felt the Soul King Surge was just on cooldown. It would recover, but it was still a hassle. Given time, he could fix this flaw, but he didn't have time now.
Injuries could be recomposed, but the pain of being wounded did not diminish. This sensation flowed through the link between the Hell-Soul King's body and Hell's will!
The eerie laughter instantly shifted into a wail of agony. This wail made many powerhouses frown; the scream was far louder and more influential than the laughter. For a moment, many felt their minds grow heavy, as if they were on the verge of going mad.
A wail filled with pain was the truest sound of Hell, for everything in Hell was saturated with it.
"Hell, you bastard! Your Purity is too low! Stop the wailing and give me some festive battle BGM!!!"
Though the screams helped him in battle, Mo Yu found them tiresome and beneath his dignity. He raised a fist and slammed it into his own stomach. After a heavy spray of blood, the wailing in Hell stopped abruptly, replaced by a flickering, tragic, yet bizarre tune.
[Two tigers, two tigers, running fast, running fast...]
Under the combat BGM of a "National Style" rendition of Two Tigers sung soulfully by Hell, the battle continued. The powerhouses saw an opportunity: the unstoppable Miracle Power Mo Yu had just displayed seemed to have vanished.
"Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū (Black Pine Suicide)!"
Shunsui Kyoraku acted first. If his Shikai used "Children's Games," his Bankai was an "Adult Drama." A giant female silhouette made of unknown black substance bloomed behind him. Darkness spread across the ground, transforming into pitch-black shadow-pines that rapidly spiraled around and entangled Mo Yu.
Mo Yu felt his body grow heavy, as if a thousand weights were pressing on his body and soul. He felt the suffocation and pressure of falling into a pitch-black abyss. But he didn't mind; he was actually quite expectant.
In the Bleach anime, there are many cool Bankai, but Mo Yu appreciated Shunsui's most. Not because it was the strongest, but because it had "flavor." It wasn't just power; it was a re-enactment of the past—the pain and sorrow engraved in the deepest part of Shunsui's soul!
The core of the Bankai was not Shunsui, but that giant black female shadow. The shadow of a woman who lived in a suffocating family, feeling the pressure crush her mind and body day by day.
"Act One: Tereshizā no Wakachiai (Hesitance in Sharing Wounds)..."
Shunsui whispered. In the next instant, wounds appeared on Mo Yu's body—the exact injuries Shunsui had taken earlier while dodging the Soul King Surge strike. They were now mapped onto Mo Yu. This act was more than just reversing damage.
Shunsui wasn't the only one attacking. Other powerhouses struck Mo Yu simultaneously. Mo Yu's attitude was to never refuse or defend; he took the hits. After the exchange, he bore new wounds—and those wounds appeared simultaneously on Shunsui.
In the past, Shunsui could feel the suffocation and pain in that woman's heart and was willing to share her burden. But those thoughts were separated by an invisible, vast boundary; they could never truly be spoken, only sent from afar.
"Act Two: Zanki no Shitone (The Pillow of Shame)..."
Irregular black spots appeared on Mo Yu's body, spreading and devouring his frame. These spots symbolized an incurable, terminal illness—the one that woman suffered, and the shame that surfaced in Shunsui's heart. Unattainable desires, the inability to let go—the resulting despair began to manifest.
"Act Three: Dangyo no Fuchi (The Abyss of Severed Water)..."
Despair transformed into an ocean, enveloping both Shunsui and Mo Yu, forcibly draining their power. In the depths of despair, she and he both found their resolve and made their choices. She wore fine robes, stepping into the freezing water with unprecedented beauty. He, who always wore a straw hat to hide his expression, set the hat aside. With a gentle, resolute smile, he reached out his hand.
Follow him, or follow her!
Shunsui closed his eyes as if returning to that day. The resolve born from despair ultimately led back to despair. Shunsui set down his blade. He lifted a finger; ethereal threads coiled between his hands. They were threads of Reishi, but more than that—they were the threads of love woven from despair, the noose between his neck and hers.
On that day, she smiled at him. She didn't ask him to follow, nor did she follow him. She rejected everything with a smile, turned around, and vanished into the water. And he just watched—watched in despair as the woman he called sister-in-law sank into the lake of despair.
Shunsui whispered: "A woman's love is cruel; she ignores the shouting man. Shining at his throat are the white threads soaked in attachment. At least with these hands, I shall sever the tangled silk of longing. Here, it ends."
The noose of despairing love spanned the distance, coiling around Mo Yu's neck.
"Final Act: Itokiri Hasami Chizome no Nodobue (Thread-Cutting Scissors: Blood-Stained Throat)..."
A tragic tearing and severing followed the thread, transferring into Mo Yu's throat—splitting flesh, gnawing bone, and seeping into his soul. It was a story saturated with despair from beginning to end.
"The story is good, very poetic. I can understand the weight of your forbidden love for your brother's wife," Mo Yu said, resisting the combined might of the others with one hand while gripping the noose at his neck with the other. He exerted thousands of pounds of force, snapping the threads of despair bit by bit. "But I have to say: if you want to commit lovers' suicide, please find a woman. Using this move on a man... it's a bit disgusting."
The Bankai called Black Pine Suicide was essentially a story of a double suicide. As a spectator, it was a fine tragedy. As a participant, Mo Yu was not interested.
Rule-based abilities are strong, but they have a downside: the rules are not one-sided. Following the link of power, the snapping of the threads mapped onto Shunsui's soul as well. But Shunsui didn't care. His face was calm, though his eyes held an unshakeable despair.
The despair intensified, finally summoning the Miasma of Calamity from Hell! More despair flowed from his hands, his body, and his soul, transforming into eerie black threads that coiled around Mo Yu, cutting and strangling him.
His spiritual power was mutating, evolving into the Dark Absolute Realm—the power that symbolized calamity. There was no hot-blooded madness or potent shouting. He was merely calm and despairing, dragging everything in his sight into the lake of despair deep within his heart to re-enact the scene of withering and burial.
The infection of Hell's miasma and the mutation of power were not blessings, but curses. Hell took this chance to push Shunsui toward eternal torment. The one torturing Shunsui was none other than his own inner despair.
But Hell's chaos and madness were laid bare here. Seeing a chance to inflict torment, it ignored all logic—even if the victim gained power as a result and could harm Mo Yu, the symbol of Hell. This damage flowed back to Hell's will, making it sing its Two Tigers BGM completely out of tune from the pain.
Mo Yu didn't mind; he felt this showed Hell's Purity was increasing, which deserved praise. Simultaneously, the first result of the King of Fighters finals was produced.
Shunsui Kyoraku's despair was hammered deeply into the body of the Hell-Soul King!
The Soul King's vessel was once the materialization of the Chaos World. After falling to Hell and becoming the Hell-Soul King, His body shared that same link with the realm of Hell. At this moment, the King's body was the World Bubble!
This despair hammered into the vessel, through the link between the body and the world—and driven by Mo Yu's deliberate push—began to form a "Phenomenon."
Amidst the debris of the Three Worlds scattered across Hell, an anomaly occurred in the Soul Society zone. Despair spread like sludge. A giant black pine tree erupted from the ground, instantly breaking three hundred meters in height. Its posture was somewhat coquettish; at a glance, it looked feminine. Its branches swayed like slender, dancing fingers, and noose-like vines hung down, swaying in the wind.
There is no death in Hell. The residents vaporized by the falling worlds had already respawned. Some of the most common "Soul-Lost Corpses" happened to respawn near this black pine. The vines reached out, looped around their necks, and hung them!
Soon, the black pine was decorated with rows upon rows of hanging corpses. This was only the beginning. A scent of despair radiated from the tree, turning into sludge-like lake water that spread along the roots, attracting other despairing husks to join the "burial."
What should the New World after eons of tribulation look like? Mo Yu had ideas, but he delegated the decision-making power to the powerhouses swinging their fists. This wasn't laziness; he simply disliked being an "overbearing God" who controlled every detail.
The powerhouses did not disappoint. Shortly after the war of Genesis began, the contestant Shunsui Kyoraku had used his matchless despair to complete a "Bid" for a landmark project on Mo Yu's body. Construction was immediate.
The future New World Ark would have a Lake of Despair that called to all who were lost, and a Despair Black Pine standing upon it, fluttering in the wind with its harvest of corpses!
As for what specific use it had... that was hard to say. At the very least, as a unique landscape, it would make an excellent "tourist attraction."
End of Chapter
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