All Factions

When the Firebird unleashed its sky-blazing flames, Yokai across the Shinobi World seemed to sense something and turned toward its direction. Even Kaguya, guarding near the God Tree, opened her Byakugan to investigate...

At the bottom of the pitch-black deep sea.

A colossal creature slowly opened its eyes. Two pairs of lantern-sized pupils lit up, dispersing the surrounding darkness and revealing part of its body.

It was a gigantic Turtle Snake over a hundred meters long. Its heavy black shell was covered in savage, hard bone spikes. The snake body extending from its tail coiled along the tortoise body, its snake head level with the turtle head as both stared toward the Firebird.

Within the ancient forest to the west.

A streak of azure lightning suddenly flashed out from deep within the dense woods. Immediately afterward, a massive serpentine creature with deer antlers, azure scales covering its body, and five claws on its belly floated steadily above the ancient forest. The long whiskers at the corners of its mouth and the mane on its neck danced in the wind. Its pale azure eyes crackled with lightning as it curiously examined the disturbance around the Firebird.

Deep within the northern rift valley.

A white afterimage flashed past, instantly stirring up fierce winds within the valley.

"What kind of opponent did that Firebird provoke? It actually used even its trump card?"

A young girl's voice drifted through the air. Its owner was a huge snow-white tiger with wings growing from its ribs. While lightly licking its snowy right forepaw, it curiously extended its senses toward the Firebird's location, debating whether it should go take a look...

Within the capital of the Land of the Shrine Maidens.

A Shrine Maiden in ceremonial robes knelt upon a cushion. A trace of eerie purple-black flickered through her pure eyes. A vague sense of unease arose in her heart, and worry filled her sacred face for the second time. The first had been the day that strange tree was born a year ago...

"The Yokai of this world will soon meet their end, and the gods will eventually fade away!"

This prophetic revelation appeared in the Shrine Maiden's mind, and she spoke it aloud.

"Hehehe, what nonsense are you talking about? With your divine power and my strength combined, no one in this world can stand against us!"

As a deep and sinister voice rang out, a purple-black monster condensed before the Shrine Maiden. It let out repeated strange laughter, utterly refusing to believe the "prophecy" she had spoken of!

"Besides, our powers have yet to fully merge. Once they do, the Land of the Shrine Maidens will have long since ruled this world under our leadership..."

The purple-black monster formed a hand, then clenched it tightly before the Shrine Maiden, as if the entire world rested in its palm.

"Mōryō, you're far too arrogant!"

The Shrine Maiden looked at the purple-black monster before her. Pity appeared on her sacred face. It would never understand how terrifying this world was. It was not a world that some insignificant monster like it could dominate...

"Hmph! If I hadn't been accommodating you, I would have conquered this world long ago!"

The monster named Mōryō immediately snorted upon hearing the Shrine Maiden's words. Yet there was a helpless note in its voice, as though something peculiar had happened between it and the Shrine Maiden...

The Shrine Maiden glanced at Mōryō but said nothing. Still, she had made a certain decision in her heart!

Beneath the capital of the Land of the Underworld, above an empty altar, floated an illusory figure clad in loose, deathly pale robes. His entire body resembled that of a shriveled corpse. From his head, which bore a savage ghostly face, grew a pair of symmetrical blood-red abyssal demon horns. He lounged against the invisible air, lazily combing the gray hair hanging from his head with black fingers as he spoke to the blurry shadow before him. "Evil God, it seems you still can't descend in your true body?"

"It doesn't matter. I have already spread my doctrine. As long as there are endless believers worshipping me and offering me enough energy through sacrifice, it is only a matter of time before I descend upon this world." The blurry shadow called the Evil God spoke, then added in a sour tone, "You descended into this world many years before me. I never expected you to establish a nation here that worships you under the name of the God of Death. What a surprise!"

"Heh, they're merely native humans who worship violence and slaughter. The nation they built is nothing more than a drop in the ocean of this world..."

The savage, ghost-faced man called the God of Death replied indifferently, as if the existence of that nation meant nothing to him.

"As expected of the God of Death!"

The Evil God chuckled, though no one knew what he was thinking.

"By the way, an even more powerful existence descended upon this world a year ago. If you wish to descend here, you should hurry. I can sense that some unpredictable event will occur in this world at some point in the near future! Especially the disturbance born from the Firebird today—it has made my premonition even stronger..." The God of Death suddenly recalled something and spoke solemnly to the Evil God. There were few people in this world with whom he could join forces, and the latter was undoubtedly the most suitable. Thus, he urgently hoped that the Evil God could descend soon.

"Mm, I'll do my best!"

Seeing the solemn expression on the God of Death's ghostly face, the Evil God answered seriously. Then the blurry shadow vanished into thin air, leaving the God of Death floating alone above the blood-red altar. Soon, his nearly three-meter-tall figure slowly faded away as well...

Deep within a mountain range filled with Natural Energy, a yellow-skinned toad with lively eyes seemed to sense something and gazed in a certain direction, but its view was blocked by the towering mountains.

"The era of Yokai and gods is about to pass, yet the remnants of that era will continue on..."

After murmuring this, the yellow-skinned toad hopped toward the mountaintop...

Deep within an unknown underground cave, dense Natural Energy drifted through an ancient temple in the form of tangible mist. Inside, a huge snow-white snake uneasily writhed its body.

"This world is truly about to change!"

The snow-white snake spoke in human language. It had felt this way ever since that strange tree began growing a year ago, but the feeling had become even stronger today!

This was where countless slugs lived. Under the slugs' unique bodily fluids, only trees with a deathly pale color resembling white bones could survive. The monotonous environment was filled with stillness and loneliness.

"Is this world about to descend into turmoil once more? How exciting..."

A massive slug seemed to sense something, openly voicing its thoughts.

Kaguya, guarding beside the God Tree, activated her Byakugan. However, limited by its range, she could not see what was happening over there. Though she had wanted to investigate, she worriedly glanced at the God Tree and ultimately did not leave.

Kaguya knew that the God Tree was still only a sapling. Once it lost her protection, it could very likely be destroyed by the Yokai wandering nearby!

This had happened frequently ever since the first day she planted the God Tree, which was why Kaguya did not dare stray too far from it.

"They're just a bunch of native Yokai. Once the God Tree bears fruit, I'll suppress and kill every last one of you!"

Sensing the auras of many Yokai wandering nearby, Kaguya could not help muttering to herself.

In truth, after Kaguya planted the God Tree, the Yokai living on this planet could all clearly sense that Natural Energy was being devoured and digested by that strange, parasitic tree!

After all, the Natural Energy on this planet was fixed to a certain extent. There was absorption, and there was decomposition. Yet when that suddenly appearing strange tree devoured Natural Energy, it only took and never gave anything back!

This was what caused the local Yokai to become hostile toward Kaguya. A year ago, many Yokai had joined forces to destroy the God Tree. Yet in reality, every Yokai that entered within a thousand li of the God Tree—regardless of rank or strength—vanished without a trace. Thus, the area within a thousand li of the God Tree became a forbidden zone for the Yokai. Those unwilling to give up only dared wander around beyond that range. The moment Kaguya tried to leave the God Tree, they would immediately destroy that parasitic tree...

Yuzuru, enveloped by the Firebird's towering flames, naturally had no idea that his battle with the Firebird had drawn the attention and senses of many forces throughout the Shinobi World. These included Yokai, gods, intelligent beings cultivating Natural Energy, and Kaguya, the Ōtsutsuki who had planted the God Tree...

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