Did I Arrive Too Late?

A Parasyte has appeared in the world, on the east coast of the Bay of Naples, Europe.

"Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Bomb!"

Terrifying energy converged from the maw of the massive, golden Nine-Tailed Fox, blasting a giant, tens-of-meters-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex straight into the air, sending it crashing like a small meteorite into the heart of Mount Vesuvius.

"BOOM!"

The massive explosion left the volcano teetering on the brink of collapse; had the volcanic lava not already transformed into a Calamity Behemoth, this strike would likely have triggered a full-scale eruption.

Even though the dinosaur-like Calamity Behemoth was clad in lava armor, it could not withstand the combined blast of Sage Art and the Tailed Beast Bomb.

[World Quest: "Hunt the Calamity Behemoth", Difficulty: B, Completed.

Reward: 40,000 Contribution Points.]

Minato Namikaze was thrilled upon hearing the system prompt. Previously, he had completed a few rescue missions that only rewarded a few hundred to a few thousand points. Now, eliminating the source of this Calamity Behemoth had granted him a staggering 40,000 points!

Though he didn't know the final conversion rate for these points or what other rewards might follow, he was certain that gathering enough to resurrect Kushina would no longer be an issue. At the thought, his heart burned with fervor.

Just then, the Assistant System in his mind chimed again:

[Current Calamity Behemoth elimination progress: 24/25.

Rescue mission progress: 90%.

Optional Quests:

1. C-rank quest "Light of Africa": Help the people of Africa evacuate. Mission location: [Image]

2. A-rank quest "Support": The Calamity Behemoth Hanba is being temporarily held back by Reincarnators, but its terrifying strength makes it difficult to eliminate! Go support the African battlefield. Mission location: [Map]

Note: This is the final quest of the World Quest series; difficulty is high!]

Minato carefully read the missions and decided to accept the second one.

Now that the Main God Space had descended, how could he protect the people and things he cherished if he didn't rapidly increase his own strength?

With his resolve hardened, Minato teleported to a nearby military camp that was observing the battle.

"I need to go to the following location. Have your commander come and speak with me!"

Faced with a superhero akin to a savior, Minato's request was executed with the highest authority by the European Union commander.

Just over ten minutes later, Minato boarded a plane provided by the EU and sped toward Africa.

The African battlefield was already a scorched wasteland, littered with corpses.

A green-faced, fanged zombie, Hanba, danced through the air, besieged by many:

The tall, glowing figure was Kizaru; as the most mobile person present, he was the primary force pinning Hanba down.

Another man, Haki fully unleashed, wielding a black blade wreathed in golden Haki to deflect Hanba's razor-sharp claws, was Red-Haired Shanks.

Because their area-of-effect skills risked friendly fire, the Six Paths of Pain stayed on the periphery, using Shinra Tensei and various ninjutsu to harass Hanba.

Orochimaru's team and the Raikage used various ninjutsu to assault Hanba; in direct combat, they were still slightly inferior to the powerhouses from the sea.

Providing support from the sidelines were Gin Ichimaru and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, captains of the 3rd and 12th Divisions of the Gotei 13 from the Bleach World.

Mayuri had single-handedly eliminated the Desert Giant Python in the Middle East, while Gin had been lucky enough to have his beginner mission upgraded directly into a World Quest.

They were the only two Reincarnators from the Bleach World currently in the Parasyte world. After clearing the Middle Eastern Calamity Behemoth and completing a few rescue missions, they had traveled all the way to the African front.

Almost everyone currently participating in the battle possessed strength at or above the third tier. Many weaker Reincarnators couldn't even withstand the shockwaves of the fight and could only watch from afar or focus on the "Light of Africa" rescue missions.

Also kept outside the fray were the United Nations coalition forces. With the Calamity Behemoths across the globe being eliminated one by one, this final, seemingly most powerful monster had become the target of every nation.

It was fortunate that the creature had first appeared in the sparsely populated regions of Africa. Had this terrifying Hanba appeared in the densely populated cities of the Eurasian continent, it would have been a catastrophe!

On the African continent, although it had caused a drought spanning hundreds of miles, it had emerged in the Central African Highlands, where almost no one lived, so casualties were not as high as one might imagine.

The casualties were primarily caused by the initial attempts of the joint international forces to eliminate it, only to be burned to death by the fires it summoned with a wave of its hand. Fortunately, the Reincarnators arrived in time to take over the battlefield. Otherwise, with current military firepower, they would likely have had to pay a horrific price for even a sliver of hope in fighting this monster.

At this moment, the supreme commander of the human coalition and a group of staff officers were gathered together, watching the battle from afar via satellite. He had already received authorization from the permanent members of the UN Security Council to launch humanity's ultimate weapon—nuclear missiles—if necessary!

After all, no national leader wanted to see such a mobile, disaster-class monster reach their own territory. No matter the cost, it had to be eliminated on this African battlefield! For now, however, they could only pin their hopes on these mysterious visitors to successfully take down the monster.

In the chaotic melee, Hanba fought two against one, holding the upper hand against Kizaru, an Admiral, and Shanks, who possessed the budding aura of a Yonko.

If not for Deva Path Pain repeatedly interfering with gravitational forces and the various attacks from others on the sidelines, Kizaru and Shanks would have long since been burned to ash.

Though Hanba held the advantage, it was incredibly frustrated. Every time it gained the upper hand and had a chance to severely wound Kizaru or Red-Haired, an unexpected attack would always arrive.

Sometimes it was gravitational force, other times lightning or fire, always stalling it for a moment. This gave Kizaru and Shanks a chance to catch their breath.

If it tried to break out of the encirclement to deal with the others, Kizaru and Shanks would desperately block its path. Furious, it roared and shrieked, forced to attack only those standing directly before it.

Kizaru and Shanks had their own grievances. Despite Hanba's lean frame, it seemed to possess a passive aura; its entire body radiated intense heat, making it like a scorching human torch, with flames following its every movement. Any normal person who came within a hundred meters would immediately lose all the water in their body and die.

Even Orochimaru and the others from the Ninja World were affected. Since their bodies were not significantly superior to ordinary humans, approaching within a hundred meters required them to expend massive amounts of Chakra just to prevent their bodily fluids from evaporating, making it impossible to fight!

As for the two captains from the Bleach World, while their unique physiology prevented them from losing moisture, their mobility fell short of Red-Haired and Kizaru. Furthermore, Gin Ichimaru and Mayuri Kurotsuchi appeared to be holding back their full strength.

As for Doflamingo and Pain, the former's String-String Fruit was easily incinerated by the flames controlled by the Hanba upon close approach. Even when coated in Haki, he could only endure for a moment longer; after all, his Haki intensity still lagged behind that of Kizaru, Red-Haired, and the others.

Pain's puppet body lacked moisture, but it was ill-suited for a group battle. Only Deva Path Pain remained to pin down the Hanba, while the various techniques of the other paths proved almost entirely ineffective against it!

Orochimaru observed the various Reincarnators while simultaneously unleashing ninjutsu to restrain the Hanba. He spoke to Kisame.

"Kisame, is that puppet-controller the leader of the Akatsuki organization?"

After Kisame used a water current to extinguish a burst of flame, he explained, "On the surface, yes. He is called Pain, and he claims to be a [God], possessing the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths."

Orochimaru let out a scoff.

"[God]? Hahaha, surely he will abandon such a ridiculous title once he becomes a Reincarnator. To claim divinity beneath the Main God is laughable."

Contemplating the various abilities Pain had displayed in this battle, Orochimaru continued.

"I fear that even the Sage of Six Paths himself would not dare call himself a sage if he came to the Main God Space. However, these Rinnegan do have some merit."

Orochimaru mulled over these thoughts, his signature tongue unconsciously flicking out to lick his lips.

Just as the two were conversing, the situation on the field shifted once more.

The Hanba, having been besieged for quite some time, seemed to grow enraged. A massive burst of flame erupted from its body, enveloping it entirely.

Thanks to the effectiveness of their Observation Haki, Red-Haired and his companion anticipated the move and quickly retreated from the Hanba.

Bathed in crimson flames, the Hanba tilted its head back and let out a long howl toward the scorching sun.

As it howled, the sun in the sky flared with a sudden, intense brilliance, as if the heat and light it radiated had increased by a massive margin!

The entire world felt as though it had been plunged into a burning hell, leaving everyone with the sensation that they were about to be roasted alive. The other Reincarnators scattered in the distance were forced to retreat even further.

The earth seemed to steam, the ground cracking from the drought. Withered grass and trees ignited instantly. Wherever the eye could see, the land was a sea of fire—a living purgatory!

Seeing this, the combatants launched a barrage of attacks to stop the Hanba.

"Divine Departure: Wisdom King Slash!"

"Ultimate: Yasaka Magatama!"

"Nine Heavens Dragon-Tiger Break!"

"Water Style: Super Giant Shark Bomb Jutsu!" With his Zanpakuto in its Shikai state, Kisame's ninjutsu was amplified. A giant water shark fused with a dragon-tiger strike formed of lightning, creating a powerful composite attack that surged toward the Hanba.

The various attacks and crowd-control measures of the others also rained down upon the creature.

"Asura Path: Laser Cannon!"

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

"Sixteen-Shot Sacred Bullet: God Slayer!"

"Shoot Him: God Spear!"

"Binding Way #79: Nine Sunlight Bind!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi opted for control; his Bankai, Golden Ashisogi Jizo, had already been damaged in the fight against the Desert Giant Python, so he settled for using a Binding Way to pin the target down.

A terrifying array of attacks blanketed every inch of space around the Hanba, and with various binding skills landing directly, it had no room to dodge.

However, as a Calamity Behemoth evolved from drought, the Hanba carried a trace of the aura of the ancient mythological monster Hanba, placing its essence half a step into the fourth-tier threshold.

An ancient saying goes: "When the Hanba wreaks havoc, it is like scorching fire!" Both the terms for 'scorching' and 'burning' refer to fire!

The essence of the Calamity Behemoth Hanba represents the natural disaster of drought itself!

As the saying goes, "Dryness is drought. Nothing dries all things like fire."

Nothing can induce heat and drought more effectively than fire. This Calamity Behemoth was capable of exerting rudimentary control over the laws of fire!

The countless terrifying attacks—whether it was the lightning-fast lasers, the peerless Haki-infused slashes, or the mutated ninjutsu fused with exotic energies—were all swallowed by the cloak of flames surrounding the Hanba the moment they drew near!

"Are our attacks useless? Damn it!"

"They were all swallowed up!"

"What kind of fire is this?"

"What? It's impossible to break through its defense!"

Watching from the sidelines, the countless spectators felt as though they had fallen into an ice cellar, an unprecedented sense of despair rising within them: Can we truly fight such a powerful monster?

The Hanba, however, gave them no time to react.

Once their attacks were consumed by the flames, the fire on its body surged and swirled. In an instant, a massive Flame Divine Dragon, dozens of meters long, coalesced from the flames on its surface. It danced around the Hanba, circling above the crowd with a terrifying, oppressive weight.

The dragon opened its maw, and within it, countless energies converged—ninjutsu fluctuations, Haki, and Reishi—all bound together by individual flames.

The dragon unleashed a torrent, and countless flames flew out to form a massive Flame Golden Lotus. The searing heat seemed to incinerate the very heavens and earth, encompassing everyone present and leaving them with a sense of inescapable doom!

"No, it's that terrifying fire that absorbed our attacks!"

"Damn it, it's too late!"

"We're done for, there's no escaping this!"

The people on the field seemed plunged into despair; facing this terrifying Flame Golden Lotus, everyone was about to be burned to ash!

The massive Flame Golden Lotus seemed to incinerate space-time and all things in heaven and earth, descending like a falling sun and causing the hems of everyone's clothes to catch fire.

Just as this strike, which threatened to burn everything to ash, was about to descend upon them—seemingly slow yet actually lightning-fast—a Kunai wrapped in golden energy streaked through the void from afar. It arrived later but struck first, as if piercing through time and space to hit the Flame Golden Lotus directly.

In that moment, time and space inverted, and space shifted.

In an instant, the space around the Flame Golden Lotus was twisted into a vortex; before anyone could even react, the lethal lotus had vanished without a trace!

A figure draped in a golden Chakra haori stood with their back to the crowd. Black energy patterns flowed across the golden energy cloak, and the person stood proudly before them like a leaping golden flame!

At the same time, deep in the desert hundreds of kilometers away, space distorted, and the massive Flame Golden Lotus crashed down with a roar.

"BOOM!"

The earth shook and the mountains swayed. A massive explosion, akin to the end of the world, erupted in the distant desert. The intense light and heat obliterated countless forests and structures along the way, and even from hundreds of kilometers away, the crowd could feel the terrifying nature of that energy.

With this single strike, the entire Sahara Desert was transformed into a dead zone! The scorching flames seemed inextinguishable, turning the entire Sahara Desert into an endless Fire Domain!

It was hard to imagine; had that strike landed on the scene, everyone present would surely have been doomed!

Seeing this, Orochimaru licked his lips in excitement, murmuring to himself, "This kid, he truly lives up to his name!"

The golden figure, still standing with their back to the crowd, turned around and revealed a gentle smile, like a spring breeze soothing the despair that had just gripped everyone's hearts.

"Am I late?"