Chapter 13

[Doflamingo: The solution's simple. Just have someone watch you while you sleep!]

[Neji Hyuga: This is where the branch family comes in...]

[Hinata: I won't let Father give that order! Father, what are you doing? Don't knock me out!]

[Child Emperor: Aren't you all getting a little too jumpy?]

[Child Emperor: I don't know the odds of an SCP-173 duplicate appearing, but the chance of one showing up near us within twenty-four hours must be tiny. Don't worry too much!]

[Orochimaru: I agree with Child Emperor. Rather than worry about SCP-173's duplicates, worry about someone deliberately spreading photos of SCP-096!]

[Luffy: Would someone really spread photos of SCP-173 on purpose?]

[Monster King Orochi: I'd gladly send the photos to the Hero Association.]

[Miko: What would happen if an Evil Spirit saw a photo of SCP-096? Would SCP-096, the Shy Guy, kill it?]

[Aizen @Miko: Give up on that idea! Just follow the method I taught you and train one step at a time. There's no need to take that risk!]

[Miko: Got it, Master!]

[...]

Aboard the Juxia!

"Damn it! Damn it! Pass on my orders! Cut off all communications across Yanhuang immediately!"

"Keep them cut off until the SCP Foundation recaptures SCP-096! And get as many Huaxia residents watching the livestream as possible!"

General Ducao panicked when he saw Orochimaru's comment in the livestream. As a veteran of war, he knew better than to place their lives...

In the hands of someone else's conscience.

If he put himself in their shoes, and he saw SCP-096's face knowing he was doomed, he might well send out its photo in desperation.

To as many people as possible.

Anything to buy himself time to escape. If he could hold out for twenty-four hours, perhaps the SCP Foundation would recapture SCP-096 and he would survive.

And since Earth was the SCP Foundation's birthplace...

It would surely be his first choice.

All Ducao could do was minimize that risk. After that, Yanhuang's survival would be in fate's hands.

Demon Castle.

After reading SCP-096's file, Morgana's first thought was to get hold of its photo and send it to that bitch Holy Kesha.

She wanted to see which was stronger: Holy Kesha or SCP-096, the Shy Guy.

Whatever the outcome...

Morgana would be delighted!

Angel Nebula, Meleon Celestial City.

"The Shy Guy?"

Holy Kesha froze when she saw the information on the livestream. SCP-173's bizarre ability had already left her stunned for a long time.

Especially when SCP-173, that little peanut, had used its conceptual neck-snapping ability...

To destroy any chance of Angel Yan's revival. Something so strange...

Left Holy Kesha silent for a long while. She raised the SCP Foundation's threat level to the highest rank!

"See its face, and it hunts you until you're dead?"

Holy Kesha immediately thought of Morgana. She was certain her dear younger sister would seize this opportunity and do everything she could...

To get a photo of SCP-096 and send it to her.

Then she would have to fight SCP-096 to the death.

Before, she would not have cared!

She would have been confident she could kill SCP-096. But after what happened to Angel Yan, she hesitated.

It was an SCP Foundation anomaly, after all!

It might have a conceptual ability of its own.

In the end, Kesha decided to turn the tables and send the photo to Morgana instead. It would come down to who got hold of one first!

Liyang Star, inside Liyang Celestial Palace!

"My loyal minister, I have made up my mind!"

Clad in an imperial robe, Leina sat on her throne and addressed General Pan Zhen below. "I am going to Earth!"

"No objection from you will change that!"

Leina's voice had a regal air, but she sounded less than sure of herself. There was something of a child sulking and pleading for permission in her tone.

Pan Zhen, clad in armor, paced a few steps across the hall. Then he spoke to Leina in exasperation:

"On an ordinary day, I'd let you make a fuss!"

"But this is no time for games! Even setting aside the threat of SCP-096, a single SCP-173 duplicate could kill you!"

"You will stay right here in Liyang Celestial Palace!"

"If anything happens, I can protect you!"

"Stop fooling around!"

Leina gave Pan Zhen no end of headaches.

She was thousands of years old and still acted like a child. When would she ever grow up?

Liyang Star needed a true Sun God.

Not a little girl who had simply grown older!

Leina had known Pan Zhen would say that, so she had prepared her answer. "General Pan, the SCP anomalies are precisely why I've decided to go to Earth."

When she saw Pan Zhen about to object, she raised a hand to cut him off and pressed on:

"Think about it, General Pan!"

"Earth is the homeworld of that so-called SCP Foundation. They must have safeguards in place there."

"The moment an SCP anomaly appears, the SCP Foundation will be there to contain it!"

"That makes Earth the safest place in the universe right now."

"Wouldn't you agree?"

Pan Zhen opened his mouth to argue, but on reflection, he could not say Leina was wrong.

After briefly weighing his options, he finally agreed to let her go. "Fine, you may go to Earth! But you must take Red Phoenix Guardian Yu Xu and Sacred Dragon Guardian Lei Yan with you!"

"And you must not contact the Foundation!"

"Otherwise, I'll come to Earth myself and drag you back to Liyang Star!"

Leina nodded so fast her head bobbed like a pecking chick. Once I'm on Earth, I'll be beyond his reach. I can do whatever I want!

Wait, I'm the emperor!

While the livestream's viewers each nursed their own schemes, the image began to change. The photo of SCP-096, the Shy Guy, slowly faded away.

In its place appeared Kuroto's slightly gaunt face.

Once Kuroto appeared on-screen, he skipped the pleasantries and pulled out an authorization document bearing the SCP Foundation's emblem.

He showed it to the viewers, then read aloud: "Because SCP-096, the Shy Guy, could cause a Keter-Class Disaster..."

"My colleagues are currently occupied with containing it."

"The Foundation has therefore decided to grant me special permission to release experimental footage involving SCP-096!"

"I will then announce the Foundation's response!"

Kuroto paused before continuing. "We will now release footage of an interaction experiment between SCP-096, the Shy Guy, and SCP-343, God!"

"I have authorization to explain the footage to everyone watching!"

"Here is my authorization document!"

As he spoke, Kuroto held up the document for the livestream's viewers to see.

Once he had shown it, the image changed again. Footage began to play of an interaction experiment between SCP-096, the Shy Guy, and SCP-343, God.

Interaction Experiment: Two Anomalies Clash! Was SCP-343, God, the God?

The livestream's viewers were stunned by Kuroto's announcement.

What the hell?

The SCP Foundation had contained "God"? Of course, everyone understood that SCP-343, God, was not the same kind of god as Holy Kesha, Morgana, or Death God Karl...

It was an anomaly.

Even so, it was shocking.

Anything called "God" was not to be underestimated, anomaly or not. It might even be more dangerous than gods in the usual sense.

And now the SCP Foundation was going to broadcast footage of an interaction experiment between it and SCP-096.

They had no idea what an interaction experiment entailed.

But it made clear that SCP-096 was no ordinary anomaly.

[Naruto: God? The old village chief was called the "God of Shinobi" too. How impressive can this one be?]

[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Naruto, be quiet! Stop embarrassing yourself! Please don't mind him, everyone. Naruto has never been one to watch his mouth.]

[Ichigo Kurosaki: I've never believed gods exist! As far as I'm concerned, "gods" are just powerful people!]

[Pig God: I'm starting to regret my hero name!]

[Empress: Looks like Naruto has dragged the conversation off course. It's remarkable! Whenever he speaks up, everyone ends up following his lead and agreeing with him, no matter how absurd his take is!]

[Whitebeard: Naruto, become my son!]

[Sengoku: Enough! Is this really the time for idle chatter?]

[...]

While Naruto's chatter sent the comments off track, the footage of the interaction experiment between SCP-096, the Shy Guy, and SCP-343, God, had already begun!

A room with a futuristic look appeared on-screen. In its center stood an old man in ancient Greek clothing, with white hair falling to his shoulders.

He was playing a cheerful melody on a piano.

For all the incongruity of the scene, it somehow felt sacred.

"Is that old man SCP-343, God? Is the Foundation joking? He looks just like Hua Ye's father—the one they call God!"

Morgana stared at SCP-343, God, then cried out in surprise.

After all...

SCP-343, God, looked uncannily like God, the ruler of the Angel Nebula two generations ago.

Even his bearing was exactly the same!

Morgana, Holy Kesha, and even Hua Ye, the Heavenly Scum King, could not help thinking that this was God, the Angel Civilization's former ruler.

As though sensing everyone's confusion, Kuroto spoke up at just the right moment. "That's right. This old man is the anomaly designated SCP-343, God."

"I'm not authorized to disclose its information."

"All I can tell you is that it truly is an anomalous entity."