Returning from the Other Shore, Volume Five: About a Certain Boss (Part Two)

One day, we will overcome everything.

One day, I will have everything.

One day, I will get rid of everything--

Even when her body could no longer hold on, even when all her strength was exhausted, even when her supernatural abilities were suppressed, even when the hideous face of the World Will was close at hand, Jili did not succumb to death, never.

Just as he roared in extreme resentment, that person appeared and stood in front of him.

Its mere existence was enough to make the World Will obediently retreat.

Jili had never seen such a powerful being.

The wounded Ji Li Jili forgot the pain in his body.

My entire brain is focused on one question.

What exactly is this man?

He turned around.

His murky, dark gray eyes reflected Jili's blood-stained face.

"Are you very resentful?"

"That's what the white-haired, one-eyed man asked."

"Nonsense..."

Don't you want to die?

"Of course I don't want to die..."

"Do you want power? Power that even you, in your current state, can only dream of, unparalleled power."

"--Of course! I'll give you anything, as long as it's not your life or soul!"

You don't need to give me anything.

"What's the meaning?"

"You don't need to pay any price; just pray to me for power."

"... Eh?"

Faced with the puzzled Jili, someone who had once been a demon smiled slightly.

"Let me introduce myself. My surname is Yu, and my given name is Zai Suo. Some people have interpreted my name as 'the place of a fleeting moment.' If you pray to other demons, you must pay a corresponding price, but when facing me, who has transcended the ironclad rule of equivalent exchange... power is something you can have as much as you want. You don't need to give me anything. This is not a transaction."

"..."

"Of course, you could give me some financial assistance, but since we don't use the same currency, forget it. Just consider it a donation from me out of pure goodwill. So, have you thought it through?"

Those were truly unremarkable words, but for some reason they possessed a fatal attraction, like a moth-attracting lamp in a dimly lit room.

But--

"Give me a straight answer... What should I give you in exchange for power strong enough to overwhelm the World Will?"

"It seems you didn't hear me clearly," Yusuo Zai shrugged. "I already said you won't pay the price, and I have neither the intention nor the obligation to lie to you—"

"Stop joking!"

Jili rudely interrupted Yusuo Zai.

"Do you really think I'm stupid! Gain always comes with loss; power gained without paying any price is meaningless!"

"No, power itself is meaningless; it is the person who uses power who gives it meaning."

"--Precisely because I am the one who gives meaning, I will not acknowledge the power that others give away for free!"

"..."

The two fell silent.

Just as Jili simultaneously annoyed by "what is this guy doing?" and anxious about "what would happen if I really angered this powerful being whose background is unknown", Yusuo Zai suddenly laughed.

In that instant, Jili felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

Mingming Yusuo Zai simply grinning and smiling naturally; there was nothing wrong with it—it was an extremely normal smile.

But a nameless fear pierced through Jili's heart.

It was as if, in the distant heavens, an unknown, colossal being had opened its massive maw to the world below.

"Very good."

Clap, clap, clap, Yusuo Zai clapped.

"Excellent, absolutely fantastic! I initially thought you were just another major bug, but now you seem like a pleasant surprise. The fact that you can 'reject my proposal on your own terms' alone is enough to demonstrate your value. Let's cooperate then!"

"... ah?"

"I said, if we cooperate, I will teach you how to obliterate the World Will and even reach a higher level—but this is by no means a handout. I will only provide technical guidance; you will be the one to carry it out!"

"Since it's a collaboration, it should be a win-win situation... but what will you get in return?"

"Once you succeed, my goal will naturally be achieved."

I hate being used by anyone.

Trust is built through repeated interactions of using and being used.

"... Specifically, what should I do?"

"Well..."

Yusuo Zai scratched his head, making his already messy hair even messier, as if he was only now starting to think about this problem.

"... Do you know what World Crossing Gate is?"

"I've seen it in some rare books... It seems to be something made by an old madman called the Craft God, though I'm not really interested. Apparently, that door has the function of traveling to other worlds, but what's the use? Even if I get to other worlds, won't there still be new World Will chasing after me?"

"The World Crossing Gate isn't something so simple," Yusuo Zai, waving his finger. "I'll tell you the truth about it later. Until then... you should gather the seven people."

"... Seven people?"

"Seven extremely powerful individuals, standing at the pinnacle of what superhumans can achieve in this world. They should ideally be the most powerful beings in the world besides you. Do you understand?"

"Tch, that's easy! Just—"

"No matter what method you use, it's best to wait until three thousand years from now before taking any action. Until then, just live a peaceful life."

"Huh? Why do we have to wait so long? I can wait, but the World Will can't. It will kill me before that happens! Anyway, let's just build that World Crossing Gate! Even without your help, as long as we can find the blueprints left by the Craft God, figure out the manufacturing process and what materials are needed, the rest will be very simple!"

"--The blueprints are in my hands, but I won't give them to you now. I must wait for the right time. I advise you to give up. Besides, there's plenty of time anyway, so you don't need to rush to gather all the members. Find these two people first—" Yusuo Zai handed over two sketches he had drawn himself, "--and then wait peacefully for three thousand years. Once you receive my message, you can send a subordinate to 'retrieve' the blueprints."

"You--!!!"

"Look, these are the two guys. This one named Gustav will become incredibly powerful in time, and this ability in the Void Realm can help you hide yourself and prevent the World Will from finding you. It's that simple."

"--That concludes the whole story."

"..."

I thought it was some kind of side story.

Now I obediently kneel in this chaotic world and listen to him speak. He just restored my broken body and mind to normal with just one look.

I learned at least one thing: this guy's strength is absolute; he's being kind by not resorting to violence against you, so never take advantage of him.

"The World Crossing Gate was built by a demon Demon King from the demon realm who loved to travel, using materials from the human realm. Calling it a portal isn't quite accurate; it's more like a passageway."

"A passage connecting two worlds..."

"No, in today's context, it can connect far more than just Spirit Star and Earth."

"... Huh?"

Is it possible to connect more than one place?

"The Ten Demon King —because you named the strongest being in the Demon Emperor, so the ten beings below him will be called Demon King — the Void King, who holds the number one position, was so powerful that even I would have had a hard time killing it in three minutes at its peak. It's truly an incredibly formidable creature."

Is he too weak, or are you too strong?

"It's not hard to guess its intention; it probably wanted to try and connect the human realm and the demon realm. Unfortunately, before the passage could be fully formed, the Demon Emperor and the God Emperor clashed. That was a catastrophe for both the divine and demon realms. Half of the ten Demon Kings of the Demon Realm and half of the twelve Divine General of the God Realm were caught in the crossfire and died. The World Crossing Gate was also destroyed along with the shattering of the human realm. But what's interesting is... the six parts that originally made it up all fell into the world of Spirit Star when the human realm collapsed. That's why I'm so concerned about Spirit Star."

So that's how it is. This is what Luo-chan meant when she said, "It seemed like a battle, a terrifying battle powerful enough to destroy dimensions... It affected many places... A huge entity shattered," and that's when they separated...

"So... recreating the World Crossing Gate is also your goal? But what does that have to do with the Leader?"

"Once the Demon Realm and the Human Realm are united, what do you think will happen to the World Will of a mere fragment of the Human Realm?"

Uh... it's not hard to imagine.

"It's like a local thug from a small third-tier city barging into the headquarters of an international mafia... He's bound to get a severe beating."

"It's more than just tragic. The Demon Realm also has its World Will, and its power far exceeds your imagination. There's no room for two World Will in a world that's connected to each other. The World Will of the human realm, this fragment of Spirit Star, will be directly swallowed up by the Demon Realm, leaving not even a trace."

"But won't the World Will make things difficult for 'big bugs' like us?"

"No," he waved his hand. "The higher the level of a world, the closer it is to the primordial chaos of all things, and the more lenient its rules become. Moreover, the stability of the Demon God Realm far surpasses that of the Human Realm. The major flaw in the Human Realm is not enough to pose a threat to those two realms."

"This also ensures the safety of the major bugs... I see! That's why the Leader cooperated with you! As long as the World Crossing Gate is built, not only can the World Will here be indirectly erased, ensuring your own safety, but it can also give him a wider world to freely explore!"

"That's true, but that's not our focus going forward."

Yusuo Zai clasped his hands together, and a glimmer of light seemed to appear in his murky, dark gray single eye.

"Didn't I just mention that? 'That was a catastrophe for both the realms of gods and demons, with half of the ten Demon Kings of the demon realm and half of the twelve Divine General of the God Realm being caught in the crossfire and dying'... In other words, five of the ten Demon Kings of the demon realm died."

Which five?

"█,███,█████,██,███."

"... Can't understand."

"Humans cannot understand their names, so let's just call them titles: First, the Void King; Fourth, the King of Mischief; Fifth, the King of Plague; Seventh, the King of Insects; Eighth, the Blood King."

"King of Blood..."

I shuddered when I heard that title.

It wasn't a bodily reaction.

It was my ability, my blood, that suddenly accelerated its flow just now.

It's like whispering "Yay!"

"You realized it? It's impossible for you not to realize it; I believe you understand."

Yusuo Zai laughed.

It was a sinister, devilish smile, a far cry from his usual calm smile.

"During that catastrophe, when the Demon Emperor God Emperor attacked the human realm, the remnants of the King of Plague, the King of Insects, and the Blood King's powers were also brought along. After the human realm shattered, they drifted in an ocean composed of 666 fragments! The remnants of the King of Plague and the King of Insects only recently found a home in a magical world, but the Blood King's remnants entered the fragmented human realm where Spirit Star is located two hundred years ago!"

Two hundred years ago.

This was during Blood Fiend's childhood.

"That's right! A. Warrensding was the first owner of those remnants of power, and she gained even more possibilities through them! And you—"

He pointed at me.

It felt like something erupted from my left eye socket.

"--The heir to the Blood Fiend, the second master of the remnants!"