The red cloth swished, sheathing the Demon Blade. Reinhard replaced the Demon Blade at his hip; the man holding the rabbit talisman slumped.
Finished…
He encountered a formidable opponent!
Reinhard shot out countless threads, aiming to bind the man with the rabbit talisman.
At that moment, a throwing knife sliced through Reinhard's threads!
"Good evening."
A playful voice echoed from afar. Reinhard turned and saw a man in a waistcoat, his face painted like a clown, holding a throwing knife, approaching.
This was Arthur Morgan; he had previously infiltrated Kitsune.
He was the Chaos Insurgency's top operative; of course, he was the most infamous top operative.
If Reinhard remembered correctly, his ability was summoning throwing knives.
Such a simple, unassuming ability.
Reinhard flicked his wrist; countless threads attacked Arthur from all directions!
Arthur smirked; two daggers appeared in his hands. He didn't throw them; he used precise cuts to sever all the threads!
That's illogical.
How could he cut through Reinhard's threads?
Normally, Reinhard's threads could easily sever steel; even when encountering blades, the blade would be cut.
But now, Arthur used ordinary daggers to cut through Reinhard's threads!
Reinhard instantly adjusted his strategy, attacking Arthur with everything he had!
His ten fingers moved simultaneously; all his puppets attacked Arthur instantly!
But Arthur was incredibly agile; he threw knives while slashing with his daggers, once again deflecting all the threads!
Reinhard retracted his threads; The Clown spun, scattering dozens of throwing knives, severing several threads!
Their battle was spectacular; Reinhard, wielding his threads, was like a pianist; Arthur, a swordsman!
But there was a major problem!
Arthur's strength had increased dramatically!
Based on his performance, he had likely reached the mid or perhaps upper echelon of 3rd Step?
Not only his abilities but also his physical strength had increased.
Physical strength was understandable; the Chaos Insurgency had many ways to enhance physical abilities, but his abilities seemed enhanced as well?
In an instant, Reinhard considered six possibilities.
First, 009 fissioned something powerful.
Second, Arthur ate superpower candy.
Third, Arthur experienced all of 009's objects, transforming himself into a superhuman.
Fourth, Arthur Awakened.
Fifth, Arthur obtained a potion.
Sixth, all of the above!
Arthur Morgan pressed his attack, his smile widening. "That was fun, wasn't it? Why aren't you drawing your blade? Didn't you one-shot that hundred-man unit commander?"
"Think you don't need the Demon Blade against me? I've evolved from a funny knife-thrower to a terrifying one! I think you should show me some respect!"
Arthur closed the distance, unleashing dozens of throwing knives!
Reinhard's threads were completely ineffective against the throwing knives; he frantically retreated, leaping into the air!
Unexpectedly, Arthur moved with terrifying speed, appearing before him in a blur!
Reinhard grabbed the Demon Blade, about to unsheathe it, when The Clown suddenly shouted!
"Boss, you're here?"
009?
Reinhard turned, but no one was there.
Arthur Morgan laughed. "Fooling you!"
That bastard!
Reinhard turned, but it was too late; Arthur's dagger was less than a centimeter from his chest!
But…
The wind… tore through him!
A terrifying whirlwind erupted from Reinhard's body, directly striking Arthur, sending him crashing to the ground!
Crash!
Arthur hit the ground; the flesh on his chest was torn away by the powerful wind!
Simultaneously, the Demon Blade was unsheathed; threads wrapped around the blade, striking at Arthur!
Arthur rolled away, quickly creating distance.
"Magic?"
A Serpent's Hand member… using magic?
Besides Kitsune and the traitorous right-hand man, who else could use magic?
Wait…
There was one person… who wasn't in the unit at the time!
After the rebellion, one person from the right-hand man's unit escaped unnoticed!
"So it's you!"
Reinhard descended from the sky, his threads guiding the Demon Blade into his hand.
He recognized me?
Of course not; Arthur didn't recognize Reinhard, only that someone from the right-hand man's unit had escaped.
During their intense fight, the man with the rabbit talisman had been forgotten.
Watching the two powerful figures battle, he tried to escape several times, but Reinhard's threads always stopped him.
Until now; the threads restraining him seemed to have broken.
The man cautiously reached forward; indeed, only a few threads remained; he could probably avoid them.
Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed the rabbit talisman and darted away!
But after taking only two steps, he found himself facing another group of robed figures in black.
These figures wore the same robes as Reinhard, but they emanated a putrid odor and had lifeless eyes!
One robed figure stood atop the building, holding a human-skin book and observing those below.
"Ha ha, I'm not as good-natured as Seth."
"Kill."
With that, the lifeless Serpent's Hand members lunged at the man!
The man tried to flee, but Reinhard and Arthur had converged on him!
This path only had two ways out; now, both were blocked…
Finished!
"Afraid of the dark?"
A terrifying whisper echoed in the man's ear; in an instant, absolute darkness consumed everything!
The darkness enveloped a large area; within it, everyone was disoriented.
When the darkness dissipated, the man with the rabbit talisman had vanished.
The others reacted, realizing what had happened.
"Absolute Darkness?"
"A nightmare?"
…
Several days later.
Kitsune headquarters, United Nations.
Fan Ye brought a man who encountered his second uncle.
"Second Uncle, what are you doing here?"
"Uh… having tea. Yes, do you still have that object?"
"Here…"
The man raised the rabbit talisman; his uncle nodded repeatedly. "Good… good…"
"No, Second Uncle, what's going on?"
As the man was confused, Fan Ye answered.
"That object is an Object; we are the agency responsible for its recovery, control, and management."
"Publicly, we're the United Nations Security Bureau. Or GPA, as you may know."
"Our highest decision-making body, the O5 Council, has launched a new initiative: deploying Objects into actual combat, forming a team known as the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches."
"So I'm honored to be a part of…"
Fan Ye interrupted before the man could finish.
"No, you're mistaken. We told you this because you're involved."
"Including your uncle. Because you came into contact with an Object, you must remain here to cooperate with our experiments or work here."
"You're not candidates for the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches; don't overthink it."
....
One day, Mei unexpectedly took the Lance of Longinus from 009.
She then refined it into a potion and gave it to Arthur, triggering his second evolution.
The Lance of Longinus's ability is Absolute Penetration; however, its effects on Arthur were altered.
It not only retained Absolute Penetration but also gained Absolute Severance.
This evolution propelled Arthur's abilities to a terrifying level!
Even Reinhard's threads could be severed by Arthur's blade!
Of course, if Reinhard used the Demon Blade, it too would be severed by Arthur.
However, Arthur's evolution wasn't perfect. His original ability allowed him to teleport knives within a certain range.
Now, he can only teleport knives to points of contact on his skin.
The two new absolute abilities had weakened his original ability.
But overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
After all, he's the only person with two absolute abilities!
Furthermore, Reinhard's guess was correct; Arthur used 009's Objects to enhance his physical strength.
He's now one of the strongest below 4th Step, potentially capable of facing a 4th Step entity using his absolute abilities.
Any entity with absolute abilities can, to varying degrees, engage in cross-tier combat.
Absolute abilities are the only attributes capable of achieving cross-tier combat.
But while Arthur evolved, 009 became unbalanced.
After all, the material for Arthur's evolution was his divine weapon.
Mei broke his Lance of Longinus and put it in a potion, but she didn't give him the potion!
Mei gave The Clown the potion because she had always been interested in his ability.
Unfortunately, this evolution didn't enhance his original ability; it merely grafted on absolute attributes.
To compensate 009 for the perceived unfairness, Mei gave him the Black Arrow.
But as a potion.
The Black Arrow has two absolute attributes: Absolute Indestructibility and Absolute Hit.
009 is already immortal; adding Absolute Indestructibility seems fine…
Huh?
Wait, there's a problem!
009 uses self-destruction to fission objects; if it can't destroy itself…
Doesn't that mean the two attributes conflict, causing 009's fission ability to disappear?
Damn, 009 seems to be evolving in reverse.
But Mei reconsidered; perhaps this is for the best.
Currently, 009 has fissioned over a thousand entities.
Regardless of their usefulness, they are a major nuisance.
And 009 inherited the Black Arrow's Absolute Hit attribute; that's…
Wait, Absolute Hit seems to have a problem too.
009's projectiles don't have the Absolute Hit effect; however, he has the Absolute Hit effect when he propels himself!
This is Mei's second hypothesis: 009 has become the Black Arrow!
If so, 009 is truly evolving in reverse.
Whatever, it doesn't matter.
Mei only cares about killing, not cleaning up; 009 will simply grow wildly on its own.
...
Kitsune, in addition to recovering Objects, had retrieved five talismans.
These five talismans were immediately deployed, controlled by five different individuals; they were the second team under the Ten Days.
For twelve earthly branches, collectively known as the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.
Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai.
These are the twelve hours, corresponding to the twelve zodiac animals; however, the earthly branches do not use animal terms.
This doesn't affect Kitsune's use of this team.
The talisman recovery operation was proceeding smoothly; the Ten Days were rapidly deployed into combat.
On a large bridge in London, the Chaos Insurgency was retreating after recovering the Rat and Horse talismans.
Kitsune pursued relentlessly; to cut off their pursuers, the leading Chaos Insurgency member destroyed the London bridge.
"Oh, that's satisfying!"
"Let's give them another 'Happy Birthday'!"
009 had once fissioned a ballistic missile launch station.
This station periodically produces continent-spanning TNT cruise missiles; they're called Happy Birthday!
Normally controlled by a real-time computer, 020, the Chaos Insurgency has a hidden circuit—the Happy Birthday launch sequence.
This is the missile launch command!
Another missile fell from the sky; a massive explosion completely destroyed the London bridge; the vehicles pursuing the Chaos Insurgency plunged into the river!
However, numerous helicopters were still pursuing; a Chaos Insurgency member in a green uniform raised a machine gun and opened fire on the helicopters!
They fired wildly through the city, showing no restraint.
Several armored vehicles charged through the city, but Kitsune didn't return fire.
"Rotor damaged; B20 requesting emergency landing!"
"B31 requesting fire authorization; enemy fire is too intense!"
"But there are civilians below!"
"Deploy Heavenly Stems to secure the battlefield!"
Heavenly Stems?
At that moment, a figure landed on the rooftop.
Behind him was a colossal, bowing figure; this figure was bluish-green, with a cold expression.
"Jia Wood, Ji Earth."
Upon receiving the command, the figure in the sky descended!
The colossal bluish-green phantom behind him also swooped down; several Jia-marked armored vehicles sped through the city!
Jia Wood landed precisely in the path of the vehicles!
The vehicles were bearing down on him; Jia Wood raised his hand; the colossal bluish-green phantom grabbed the lead vehicle, lifting it into the air!
"What the hell?!"
Someone fired; the colossal green phantom's eyes widened; it smashed the vehicle into the following armored car!
BOOM!
A massive explosion; flames erupted!
The vehicles behind screeched to a halt, but a second later, a massive, dark brown phantom emerged from the ground!
The phantom's hands were clawed; rock transformed into sharp spikes, lifting several vehicles high into the air!
The bluish-green phantom waved its hand; countless tough, vine-like appendages pierced the vehicles, ensnaring and killing the occupants!
Kitsune soldiers quickly arrived, apprehending the Chaos Insurgency members.
"Recovery successful."
Jia Wood clasped his hands in front of his chest; it had been surprisingly easy.
At that moment, a slender woman approached. "Victory report for the first battle; you fought well."
Her title was Ji Earth; they were a team.
They each had a colossal phantom behind them; their phantoms differed in appearance and color.
But ordinary people couldn't see these phantoms.
Ji Earth playfully tapped Jia Wood's arm. "Congratulations on our first victory; drinks tonight?"
Jia Wood glared at her. "I have training tonight; next time."
...
The Ten Days share a common trait: a colossal humanoid phantom behind them.
These phantoms correspond to different elemental properties; Jia and Yi represent Wood, one yang and one yin; yang is strong, yin is more yielding.
Why not pair them by element?
Zero conducted many experiments, pitting them against each other in pairs.
He discovered that their abilities were sometimes compatible, sometimes conflicting.
Conflicting abilities, when paired, suppressed each other; this wasn't just about abilities; their personalities clashed.
For example, Zero initially paired Jia Wood and Geng Metal.
Jia Wood, being yang, was strong; his Wood abilities weren't as gentle as Yi Wood's. Geng Metal was also yang and strong.
Together, their abilities didn't complement each other; they hindered each other.
Most importantly, neither would yield.
Later, someone within Kitsune offered Zero a suggestion.
This person said their ancestor was a geomancer; they knew something about this.
Jia Wood and Geng Metal clashed; according to the theory of five harmonizations and four clashes, this pairing is a yang clash.
They suggested that the Heavenly Stems should be paired by gender: yin and yang harmonization.
Zero wasn't familiar with this, so he consulted them on how to arrange the five teams.
The suggestion was:
Jia and Ji; Yi and Geng; Bing and Xin; Ding and Ren; Wu and Gui.
"Sir, it's quite simple."
"Jia Wood is the first of the Heavenly Stems, pure yang; Ji Earth is humble, pure yin. One high, one low; this fits the hierarchy of the five harmonizations and four clashes."
"I don't understand."
"Uh… that's okay."
…....
Kitsune headquarters, United Nations.
Two more talismans had been recovered; no one was surprised anymore.
"How many is this?"
"Seven."
"I mean the Objects. What's the current number?"
"Uh… 147?"
"Didn't you say 147 last time?"
"Uh… 148?"
"Are you just making up numbers?"
"Shouldn't you check and compare? Your work ethic is appalling! Ignoring your lack of initiative, your attitude…"
"Okay, okay, stop yelling! I'll go, alright?"
Meanwhile, after returning to base, Jia Wood went to the training ground.
Another member of the Heavenly Stems team was already there: Ren Water.
The last of the Heavenly Stems is Water; Ren Water is yang, Gui Water is yin.
Jia Wood was a veteran core member of Kitsune, with extensive experience in recovery operations; he was a seasoned recovery specialist.
Ren Water, however, was different; his experience was limited; he had only participated in two recovery operations.
He was always at the back of the pack during training, but he was also the most diligent. Jia Wood always saw him at the training ground.
Seeing Ren Water drenched in sweat, Jia Wood approached. "You haven't eaten yet?"
Ren Water turned. "Uh… I ate."
Jia Wood shook his head, handing him his dinner.
"Have mine. I don't feel like eating tonight."
Ren Water accepted the food container. "…Thank you."
Setting down his equipment, Ren Water sat on the steps; Jia Wood sat beside him.
"I feel your power is steadily increasing; you've surpassed 1st Step, but your performance remains so underwhelming."
Ren Water chuckled wryly. "I don't know…"
"By the way, how was your mission today?"
Jia Wood reflected. "Too easy. Before becoming a Heavenly Stem, every recovery mission was a life-or-death struggle."
"I never dared to be careless. This time was unusually smooth."
Ren Water opened his food container. "If my performance wasn't lacking, I would have joined you…"
Jia Wood patted his shoulder. "Don't worry; your time will come."
From afar, an instructor carrying a food container passed by and witnessed this scene.
But the instructor shook his head. "Sigh…"
This instructor was the geomancer who had advised Zero; he understood the Ten Days better than anyone in Kitsune.
And precisely because he understood them so well, he suspected Zero and the Ten Days.
He wondered if Zero had deliberately selected these ten individuals; everything was too coincidental.
Their personalities perfectly matched the Heavenly Stems' astrological characteristics.
"Jia Wood is the leader, the first of the Heavenly Stems; he's the perfect big brother."
"Ji Earth is of humble background, beautiful in appearance and figure, yet secretive and cunning."
"Ren Water, if your personality also corresponds to the Heavenly Stems, it's truly terrifying."
Ren Water possessed the most extraordinary destiny among the Ten Days; he was of humble origins yet possessed the greatest wisdom, employing ruthless and shameless tactics, willing to sacrifice anything to reach the top, destined to ultimately stand at the apex.
Logically, using abilities to match destinies wasn't rigorous.
But he had checked their birthdates.
Each person's destiny corresponded to their birthdate!
This was too strange!
Therefore, he suspected Zero selected these ten based on their birthdates or something else…
"Sigh."
The instructor shook his head and left silently.
The other individuals' personalities matched their destinies; Ren Water's behavior was unusual.
It felt staged.
"Based on the five harmonizations and four clashes, pairing him with Ding Fire—someone knowledgeable and refined, a gentle and virtuous woman—should improve his performance."
Ren is older, Ding is younger; Yang Water and Yin Fire; this is a large-small harmonization.
The instructor's pairings were the best combination of complementary abilities and harmonious destinies and personalities.
Jia and Ji: Hierarchical harmonization.
Yi and Geng: Hard-Soft harmonization.
Bing and Xin: Sun-Moon harmonization.
Ding and Ren: Large-small harmonization.
Wu and Gui: Moistening-nourishing harmonization.
These are astrological harmonizations; the five harmonizations are based on yin and yang, not the five elements.
As for the four clashes, that's another matter.
....
In a smoke-filled military base in Africa.
Arthur was playing blindfolded knife throwing; Swordsmith watched until the chaplain rushed over.
"Where's the Boss?"
Arthur casually threw a knife. "Over there, playing with the flying man."
"Flying man?"
"Yeah, he's flying over there."
Arthur pointed; 009's figure flashed in the air.
"What's up?"
"Big trouble!"
"Tell me."
"White Walker went to the Arctic!"
"So what?"
"Have you forgotten what's in the Arctic?!"
Hearing the chaplain, Swordsmith jumped. "Oh, is it dinner time?"
Chaplain: "…"
"The Arctic contains our Mausoleum!"
"If someone finds it, do you understand the consequences?!"
Hearing this, Swordsmith slapped his thigh. "We should have dinner."
"I'm old; I get hungry."
Slap!
The chaplain slapped his face. "The Mausoleum is our lifeline!"
"It's fine if the Mausoleum is destroyed, but if the Mother Coffin is destroyed, then we're finished! The Boss can't fission anymore!"
The Mother and Child Coffin—009's fission products.
This is a secret known only to the highest echelons of the Chaos Insurgency.
Or perhaps, this was the information gleaned from the person captured by Kitsune; only the Chaos Insurgency high command could use this!
It's essentially a Mother Coffin; placing a person inside creates a Mausoleum.
The Mausoleum is carried out; the person inside is released; a skeleton remains inside.
As long as the skeleton within remains intact, the released individual becomes immortal!
This is the Chaos Insurgency's greatest secret—immortality for all!
To prevent discovery, they placed the Mother and Child Coffin in the Arctic and established an ice base there.
The Frost King's presence in the Arctic is unexplained; it's unclear if his target was the Mother and Child Coffin!
At that moment, 009 suddenly descended before them!
"A large-scale operation is necessary."
"Depart immediately; take one hundred thousand troops and Happy Birthdays; we're going to the Arctic!"
...
"Urgent intelligence: The Chaos Insurgency has deployed a force of one hundred thousand troops to the Arctic; 009 is believed to be among them!"
"How do you know?"
"We intercepted a Chaos Insurgency hidden circuit."
"The circuit's password was… 1234."
"Are they kidding?" x2
…
Both Chaos Insurgency and Serpent's Hand intercepted this circuit; neither side understood.
Even a child wouldn't set such a simple password.
"Could it be intentional?"
"Perhaps they deliberately let us know, to lure us into a trap!"
"I think something's wrong; it feels like a setup."
"Could this be a reverse trap?"
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe they're busy with something and don't want us involved, so they sent this message, making us think they've set a trap to deter us."
"This reverse thinking is possible."
"Or, we're overthinking; maybe they just set a simple password."
"That kind of simple-minded approach is very much in line with the Chaos Insurgency's style."
"Something feels off; I prefer to assume the worst."
"Regardless, if 009 is there, this could be an opportunity; we can't miss it!"
"If 009 dares to show himself, everything will be easier."
.....
In Serpent's Hand's headquarters, Cain, holding the Ghoul Book, pondered. "I think we should go."
"What do you think?"
Two others were present, also in black robes—the other two leaders of Serpent's Hand.
One was called Abel, the other Seth.
Of course, these were just titles.
Abel nodded. "We should investigate. This is a large-scale operation; if it involves something crucial, we can't miss it."
"But how do we get there?"
"Fly?"
"Air travel is our weakness; if the Chaos Insurgency is waiting, we'll be walking into a trap."
"What do you suggest?"
"I suggest we go by sea."
"Our ground forces are strong…"
"But the Chaos Insurgency isn't weak."
"Besides, going by sea doesn't guarantee we won't be ambushed."
"A sea voyage takes too long; the enemy will have time to prepare. I think we should parachute in; a swift attack will catch them off guard!"
"Not a good idea; parachuting leaves no escape route."
Abel and Cain suggested sea and air travel, respectively, but neither could convince the other.
At this point, Reinhard, who had remained silent, spoke.
"Since neither of you can convince the other, let's vote."
"Those in favor of going by sea, raise your hand."
Abel raised his hand; Reinhard didn't.
Perhaps he favored air travel?
"Those in favor of going by air, raise your hand."
Cain raised his hand.
"Those in favor of not going, raise your hand." Reinhard raised his right hand.
Huh?
Cain and Abel exchanged glances; Reinhard pointed at each of them. "The result is clear: you go by sea; you go by air; I'm not going."
What?
Was that what the vote meant?
...
Leaving the Serpent's Hand base, Reinhard prepared to return to Asia for a rest.
Asked why he wasn't going to the Arctic, Reinhard said, "That's messy; I don't want to get involved."
It looked like a huge fight, inevitably attracting various powerful figures; he valued his life.
He didn't want to participate in anything related to the main storyline.
The previous few times… were pure accidents.
Although Reinhard now possessed a potion series, his perspective hadn't changed: survival was paramount.
He became a monster to better survive.
Returning to Asia meant no Object recovery missions for a while.
But Reinhard still kept his disguise; he didn't want Zero to see his face, or to discover he was still alive.
Zero believed his death was the best outcome.
Today, in a good mood, Reinhard encountered the boy again.
What kind of coincidence was this?
Reinhard approached the boy, who was sitting by the curb, drawing something.
Reinhard leaned closer; the boy was drawing a five-starred red flag.
Noticing Reinhard, the boy turned.
Reinhard waved and sat beside him.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
The boy turned to a page in his sketchbook; it showed two characters.
Police.
That's a dangerous profession.
Reinhard shook his head. Thinking about it, he still didn't know the boy's name.
"What's your name?"
The boy meticulously wrote two characters on his sketchbook.
"…Yang Lin?"
"What's your father's name?"
The boy was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
The surname Yang made Reinhard think of someone, but it couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?
Just as Reinhard was about to speak, darkness enveloped him.
Suddenly, unfamiliar memories flooded his mind.
These weren't his memories; fragmented scenes flashed before him like a flickering projector.
Being chased by Fish-Men in school… infiltrating a skyscraper with police officers, surrounded by countless Fish-Men.
Narrowly escaping the skyscraper, encountering an attack by The Hollow in an ambulance, nearly losing his life.
Facing 006 and narrowly avoiding mutual destruction.
These were Enko's memories?
Reinhard covered his forehead; the memories overwhelmed him.
Among those memories, he saw a scene.
A man visiting a mother and child; the child's face?
"Save him…"
A whisper echoed in Reinhard's ear; he saw a blurry image. "I owe them…"
Reinhard shook his head, but the image persisted.
"So, what was that? An obsession?"
"Save him…"
After leaving that unexplained fragment, the images in Reinhard's mind vanished.
Save him?
Save who?
Reinhard looked at the boy, Yang Lin. Save him?
How? He was standing right in front of Reinhard.
Whatever. Then…
Reinhard stood up. "Kid, you want to be a police officer? Come, I'll teach you a couple of moves."
He didn't understand Enko's obsession; if it meant Yang Lin would face danger, then what profession wasn't dangerous?
He couldn't save him every time he was in danger.
As the saying goes, give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
Reinhard decided to teach him a few moves; if he encountered danger, he could use these moves to save himself; that would count as Reinhard saving him, right?
.....
A month later.
Arctic. The Chaos Insurgency arrived first.
Upon arrival, they discovered the ice base had been overrun; there was no sign of life.
As they approached, the base was surrounded by a dense mass of White Walkers.
The white, shambling corpses turned their heads; they appeared to be former Chaos Insurgency members, judging by their uniforms.
Arthur led the way, twirling a throwing knife; before them sat a colossal figure of ice.
Frost King. Chero.
He had finally endured a month and fallen asleep.
But his sleep caused his powers to weaken.
Was this what Mei meant when she said terrible things would happen if he slept?
The conscious Frost King organized his thoughts. His abilities consisted of two parts, one in the Reason World, the other in the manifest Mist World.
His body was unremarkable; his ability was Absolute Freezing.
Even as an absolute ability, it was somewhat weak on its own.
This brings us to Frost King's second ability.
His second ability resided in the Reason World; it was a creature called Heavenly Dog; it was one with Frost King.
Heavenly Dog's ability was simple: it could grow and shrink; its destructive power and defense were at the 4th Step level.
Otherwise, it wouldn't exist in the Reason World.
However, although Heavenly Dog only exists in the Reason World, it can interact with the manifest world through Frost King.
Theoretically, others can't see or attack Heavenly Dog, but Heavenly Dog can attack them.
Conversely, Frost King can extend his abilities and himself into the Reason World through Heavenly Dog.
But there's a fatal flaw: Frost King can't see Heavenly Dog because his psychic power hasn't reached 4th Step; he can't perceive the Reason World.
In this state, Heavenly Dog cannot attack the manifest world through him.
Therefore, Frost King understands Mei's reason for keeping him awake.
He also understands the rules of the Reason World.
It's not that only 4th Step psychic power allows Reason World perception; low Reason values also allow it!
Prolonged sleep deprivation causes psychic fragmentation and instability, lowering Reason.
This can also allow Reason World perception.
In this state, Frost King and Heavenly Dog are one.
Heavenly Dog is his Reason World body; Frost King is his manifest world body; his body is divided by the potion.
Simply put, their abilities are linked through their dual nature.
Theoretically, Frost King's manifest body should possess 4th Step physical strength, and Heavenly Dog should possess Absolute Freezing.
Superficially, they are distinct entities.
But they're always in the same place; Heavenly Dog is always on Frost King, in a state of quantum superposition.
In short, the more constrained Frost King is, the stronger he becomes.
Seeing the large force of Centaurs below, Frost King struck the ice beneath him; the massive ice shattered, and he appeared behind Arthur.
"Where's 009?"
Arthur was startled; when did Frost King appear behind him?
He twirled his knife, turning to strike!
But Frost King vanished.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be so dramatic! At least let me take a swing at you. Don't worry; I just want to try a cut."
"Just one cut."
Frost King reappeared in the distance. Before he could speak, a figure suddenly appeared in the sky, carrying a missile!
"Happy Birthday!"
Frost King vanished; the missile landed, obliterating a group of White Walkers!
In the explosion, a figure sped away—009!
He charged towards Frost King, a crazed look on his face, a terrifying grin splitting his lips!
"Feel the power of my new abilities?!"
After his evolution, 009 conducted various experiments with his abilities, discovering a new fighting style.
He didn't need to expend so much effort devising strategies!
He simply needed to cover himself in explosives and detonate them on his targets!
Or perhaps, he could carry Happy Birthday missiles, using himself as a guided missile for a guaranteed hit!
And because he possesses Absolute Indestructibility, he's unharmed by explosions!
Not a single hair is harmed!
However, explosions take time; even 0.1 seconds is enough for Frost King to use Absolute Freezing.
Therefore, 009 devised a specific counter-strategy for Frost King!
He lunged, grabbing Frost King's wrists; due to his Absolute Indestructibility, even if Frost King froze time, he couldn't remove his hands!
For safety, 009 threw a fission product—a golden rope!
He called it the Binding Heaven Rope; it bound their hands together, adding an extra layer of security!
At that moment, 009 set his target on the Sun, then leaped into the air!
"Enjoy this! This is my special Sun Operation!"
Swish!
The two figures shot towards the sky; their destination was the Sun!
Yes, 009's new strategy was to use Absolute Hit to drag his opponent into the Sun!
He was immortal; even the Sun's energy couldn't harm him!
But Frost King wasn't; even with a 4th Step body, plunging into the Sun would be disastrous!
009's initial speed wasn't fast, but it was constant.
A slight exertion maintained this constant initial speed!
This initial force didn't diminish during flight; the stronger the force, the faster the speed!
As they sped through space, Frost King froze time.
But there was a problem: he could freeze 009, but 009's Absolute Indestructibility meant Frost King couldn't even pry his fingers loose!
Absolute Indestructibility meant his form couldn't be altered!
Even without that attribute, during time stop, forms couldn't be altered!
Frost King froze time ten times, but couldn't free himself from 009's grip, especially with the rope!
009 had truly prepared a grand spectacle!
And so, Frost King paused in mid-air…
No, that wasn't possible.
Frost King was fully conscious, disconnected from the Reason World; he couldn't think of a solution immediately.
He could only keep freezing time.
After contemplating in the sky for about two hours, Frost King realized something.
What kind of outrageous ability was this?
In his current physical state, he couldn't survive the vacuum of space, let alone the Sun!
At that moment, Frost King noticed a dark figure in the distance, hand outstretched.
Zero?
Frost King unfroze time; simultaneously, Zero grabbed both 009 and Frost King!
"Goodbye."
Boom!
A loud explosion; Frost King and 009 vanished from the sky!
Zero's wings fluttered; he exhaled.
Finally, he'd resolved the headache that was 009.
Yes, he'd sent 009 to another world.
Unfortunately, Frost King was also sent there.
But this was good for Zero; one less monster.
Nightmare, her wings fluttering, approached Zero. "It was… that easy?"
009 was just exiled?