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Before Odin could finish speaking, the doors to the hall were shoved open by an invisible force. A figure strode in briskly.
"Father, there's no need."
It was Heimdall. His eyes shimmered with golden light, his expression grave to the extreme.
"I searched the cosmic star map. There are no coordinates for that world."
The moment the video ended, Heimdall had activated the Eye of Heimdall. His sight pierced through the Nine Realms and stretched across the entire known universe.
He found nothing.
There was only one explanation.
Those beings didn't belong to their dimensional laws at all.
"Are you certain, Heimdall?" Odin's brows knit tighter. He needed absolute confirmation.
If they were entities from another dimension, then Asgard's power system hadn't truly been challenged. That thought alone eased his unease.
Heimdall gave a firm nod, his gaze unwavering.
"Good. In that case, there is no cause for concern." Odin exhaled at last. He cast a glance at his son, his tone snapping back to cold authority. "Thor, shouldn't you be preparing to wage war on the land of the giants?"
"Yes, Father."
Thor steadied himself and withdrew.
The World of Scissor Seven
"Ah Qi! Tell me the truth! Have you ever seen anything like that? Those world-destroying Saints?!"
Ji Da Bao practically twisted Wu Liuqi's collar into a rope, sweat pouring down his duck-like face.
Wu Liuqi's eyes darted wildly as he shook his head. "Of course not! If I had, I'd already be a puddle of blood! How could I still be here selling beef offal with you?!"
"Too scary! Ah Qi, listen to me! Stay as far away from monsters like that as possible!"
Ji Da Bao clutched his chest, still shaken.
The World of One Piece — Marine Headquarters
Inside the highest conference room of the Marines, the air felt frozen solid.
Every top officer, including the three Admirals, had fallen into deep self-doubt.
The power displayed by the Saints had shattered their understanding of the world and the limits of strength. The vastness of the sea and the wonders of the world had just expanded into unimaginable dimensions.
They realized something terrifying.
The Marines were not invincible.
"Ahem… let's return to the main topic."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku coughed lightly, trying to break the suffocating silence.
"No matter what, improving the overall combat power of the Marines remains our top priority…"
"No matter how much we improve, we can't reach that kind of level, can we…" Aokiji muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching.
For the first time, he doubted his strength as an Admiral. Could humans truly reach that height?
Akainu remained silent, his face dark as storm clouds. He stared at his fists.
His absolute justice had always been unwavering.
But after witnessing power that could casually erase a world, cracks had begun to form.
If such beings existed… could the justice he upheld—one that allowed even civilians to be sacrificed without hesitation—still be called justice?
He didn't dare think further.
Because once doubt took root, everything he believed in would collapse. And without belief, a man was no different from a corpse.
So Akainu chose to shut his mind.
The Whitebeard Pirates
On the main ship, Edward Newgate—Whitebeard, the "strongest man in the world"—sat alone deep in his cabin.
He had deliberately avoided his sons.
He didn't want them to see the fear buried in his heart.
When the golden arrow was fired, something cold and coiling wrapped around his heart.
Fear.
At that moment, the man who stood at the peak of the seas felt like nothing more than a speck of dust in the countless worlds.
A ridiculous speck who had arrogantly called himself the strongest.
The Saints' power was simply too vast.
Whitebeard knew with absolute clarity that even in his prime, even if he went all out, he would not be able to withstand that level of destruction.
They weren't even on the same dimensional plane.
Against them?
There wasn't even the faintest chance of victory.
The World of Naruto — On the Road Back to Konoha
Hiruzen Sarutobi kept drawing deeply from his pipe, exhaling thick clouds of smoke as if nicotine could calm the storm inside him.
The oppressive weight of the Saints' power lingered in his mind.
Even knowing they weren't from his world didn't help.
"They're too strong…"
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. The more agitated he became, the faster he smoked.
He even indulged in a foolish fantasy.
What if Konoha suddenly obtained some legendary treasure that could exponentially boost every ninja's strength?
The next second, he let out a bitter laugh.
"A treasure? Since when did you start placing your hopes in something so vague, Hiruzen?"
The Akatsuki — Land of Rain
"Pfft—!"
Nagato suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling violently.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the screen.
The residual pressure from the golden arrow… had reached him through the video itself?
How was that possible?
Yes, his body was frail.
But coughing up blood just from watching an image?
Reality offered no mercy.
Even the faintest trace of that leaked pressure had suppressed him to the point of internal bleeding.
"Nagato! Are you alright?!"
Konan rushed into the secret chamber, panic flooding her face as she saw the blood on the ground.
"I'm fine…"
Nagato struggled to breathe. But confusion filled his eyes.
"Konan… answer me. Am I the strongest?"
He had always called himself a god. That pride supported his rule over the Akatsuki, over every S-rank rogue ninja under him.
When all the powerful shinobi in the world bowed before him, fear had never touched him.
But today, he had been awakened brutally.
Just a trace of power leaking through a video made him cough blood.
If he faced them directly?
He didn't dare imagine the outcome.
And so, the faith that sustained him began to crumble.
Elsewhere, Black Zetsu trembled like a startled lizard as he accompanied Uchiha Obito through the entire video.
Obito's eyes were equally lost.
With beings that transcended dimensions like that, could he really complete the Eye of the Moon Plan? Could he create that illusory world just for Rin?
He wavered.
But he also knew that if he did nothing, everything would stagnate.
"Obito, Nagato's guard against you is at its highest level. What are you going to do?" Black Zetsu's voice was thin and anxious.
Though the Saints' power was terrifying, his obsession with resurrecting his mother eventually overpowered fear.
Obito remained silent.
The earlier Five Kage versus Uchiha Madara video had already thrown all his plans into chaos. Nagato wasn't stupid. His vigilance had likely reached its peak.
Even Black Zetsu found it nearly impossible to gather intelligence now, let alone Obito himself.
"I don't know," Obito said at last, voice low and harsh. "We take it one step at a time. If necessary… we eliminate the obstacle first."
The video finally ended.
Across countless worlds, reactions varied. But everyone longed desperately for the next one.
They waited.
And waited.
But the familiar, oracle-like notification window never appeared again.
Disappointment and regret spread through every universe.
Meanwhile, the uploader, Mason was grinning from ear to ear.
With just six videos, total views had already blown past the system's required target.
Forty million views.
More than double.
He decided to hold back for now. Six high-intensity videos in a row was enough. Updating too frequently could exhaust the audience.
He didn't want to ruin his hard-earned reputation through overexposure.
"With this much money, I should treat myself."
A notification popped up on his phone—the revenue share from the sixth video.
This was the core benefit of being the Administrator of the Multiverse Projection Platform.
Every view converted into cash and "World Points," a universal hard currency.
The conversion rate was simple.
1 view = 100 in cash.1 view = 1000 World Points.
His total views had reached 43 million.
That meant 430,000 in cash.
And a staggering 43,000 World Points.
Mason barely glanced at the money.
In a world where spiritual energy had revived and strength ruled above all, power determined everything. With enough power, wealth and resources would follow naturally.
What he truly cared about were the World Points.
He opened the backend of the platform, only to be greeted by a cold system message.
"Dear Administrator Mason: The World Mall is currently locked. You must publish ten videos and surpass a cumulative total of 100 million views before unlocking access."
"Please continue uploading extraordinary content that will drive billions of beings across the multiverse into frenzy!"
The message came from the so-called Smart Assistant Cat.
Mason felt a flicker of regret.
Just a flicker.
Then it vanished.
He stared at his stats panel, confidence blazing in his eyes.
Views skyrocketing. Likes exploding. Coins pouring in. Flowers flooding. Subscriptions surging.
He had officially stepped onto the fast track of life.
Once the mall unlocked, all the accumulated rewards would be released like a tidal wave.
The wait wouldn't be long.
"It's time to upgrade my life a little."
He changed into a clean, sharp outfit, stepped out, and hailed a taxi.
Destination: the heart of the city's most luxurious commercial hub.
Heart of Haicheng — the Mega Shopping Plaza.
The taxi stopped smoothly at the roadside. Mason stepped out calmly and walked toward the massive open square.
His flawless profile immediately drew glances from passersby like he was a celebrity under a spotlight.
This was Haicheng's landmark complex.
Above ground lay a sprawling public plaza for leisure and entertainment.
Below ground?
A massive bunker system, built like an underground fortress.
Its purpose was simple: protect citizens during sudden mutant beast attacks.
Mason took in the magnificent shopping center.
Once, when he was broke and struggling, this place had felt like a distant dream.
Now?
With his wallet full, he felt an unprecedented sense of confidence.
He briefly wondered what the underground shelter looked like. Was it any different from the damp, poorly ventilated holes he had once been forced to live in?
The thought passed quickly.
He wasn't worried about mutant attacks.
Patrol teams clad in standardized battle armor roamed the square, their powerful auras reassuring.
The higher-ups knew that iconic landmarks were prime targets for intelligent, high-level mutant beasts.
So elite Awakeners from the Demon-Slaying Guard and the Exorcism Bureau were stationed here around the clock.
Living in the city center meant real security.
"Plan of action," Mason thought. "Top-tier clothes first. Then a five-star feast. Finally, a maxed-out phone and computer."
He swore he would never touch instant noodles again.
As he stepped through the grand entrance, rows of dazzling luxury boutiques unfolded before him like a fairyland.
Mason swallowed hard.
Damn.
So this is how capitalism corrupts the soul.
"....."