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"But there's no other way."
Kaito looked at Enma Daiō, whose face was identical to his own, and smiled without a trace of concern.
"I need your help."
"This King knows. That is why I have appeared before you."
Enma Daiō lay sprawled lazily on the ground, one hand propping up his head while the other reached behind to scratch his backside. His bare feet, having kicked off his wooden clogs, rubbed against each other idly.
"At least pretend to have some dignity as the Lord of the Underworld, will you?"
Kaito frowned at him in dissatisfaction.
"Hah. This King is you. Don't you know what kind of person you are?"
Enma Daiō remained unmoved, staring back at him.
"This King is merely exhausted from endless duties. What's wrong with taking a break?"
"Hey! You're just a wisp of spiritual energy!" Kaito rolled his eyes. "What 'break' are you even talking about?!"
"What do you know?" Enma Daiō rolled his eyes even harder. "Life requires a sense of ceremony. Even if this King is just a wisp of energy, I must express my burning desire to rest!"
"I can't believe I'm arguing with myself like this…"
Kaito covered his face with his hand.
"This King can't believe it either. I'm so ruthless I'm even mocking myself." Enma Daiō chuckled. "Truly a ruthless person."
"Alright, let's get to the point."
Kaito's expression turned serious.
"This King already knows what you're thinking."
Enma Daiō remained lying on his side.
"Though the exact effects are uncertain, this King believes it's worth a try."
"The Taizan Fukun Ritual." Kaito unrolled the scroll again. "This secret technique arrived at just the right time."
"It must have been Seimei's doing." Enma Daiō speculated. "After all, he's the only one who knows this King's true nature."
"I thought the same." Kaito placed the scroll between them. "Especially given my current situation—having a true, unique doppelganger—there's so much room for manipulation."
"Hmph. This King is no mere doppelganger."
Enma Daiō curled his lip.
"Fine, I'm the doppelganger, happy?"
Kaito didn't care about such meaningless titles.
"Alright, since this King already knows your intentions…"
Enma Daiō's reclining body floated into the air.
"I shall lend you my strength."
As soon as the words fell, his form dissolved into a wisp of blue smoke that merged into Kaito's body.
Kaito's black eyes faintly glowed with a purple light as he assessed the changes within himself. Then, his hands swiftly formed a series of seals.
"Tenpō Tonrō, Ichiyō Shinkun, Ten'nai Kyomon, Chisei Shinkun, Tenchō Rokuzon…"
As he chanted, a flowing purple light enveloped his body.
The incantation was neither hurried nor slow. When it ended, his hands froze in a final seal.
The purple light dispersed. Kaito steadied his mind, sensing that the already-deep connection between him and Enma Daiō had grown even stronger.
The technique he was now practicing was a special art from the Taizan Fukun Ritual—
The Art of Borrowing Fate.
Here, "fate" did not refer to life or lifespan, but rather to one's destiny.
Though Enma Daiō could be considered another version of Kaito, the two were fundamentally different.
Now, as a "doppelganger" who had ascended to the position of a true god of the underworld, Enma Daiō's destiny was incomparable to Kaito's mortal existence.
Though Kaito could borrow Enma Daiō's power, it was not inherently his own.
As a true deity—moreover, the ruler of the underworld—Enma Daiō had been forged through sacrificial offerings that accelerated his maturation by the world itself. With the remnants of the previous Enma Daiō's divine power and body as his foundation, his strength had already diverged drastically from Kaito's.
Most importantly, the essence of his soul, having ascended to godhood, had transcended mortal limitations by several orders of magnitude.
By using the Art of Borrowing Fate, Kaito could temporarily receive the blessing of a divine destiny from Enma Daiō.
This blessing was no trivial matter—it could instantly accelerate his cultivation several times over, nourish his soul at an unprecedented rate, and amplify his spiritual power.
---
The Underworld – Enma's Court.
Enma Daiō, who had been writing at his desk, paused briefly before resuming with even greater speed.
"What's wrong?"
Madara, ever perceptive, noticed even this slight change.
"It's about Kaito."
Enma Daiō answered without looking up.
"He's currently in seclusion, training."
"Training?" Izuna, who had been helping Chiri organize documents, turned around. "I thought that kid was busy building a space defense for the planet. Does he even have time to train now?"
"After returning to Ōeyama, Kaito didn't even attend the celebratory banquet," Enma Daiō explained. "He left everything to his paper clones."
"What's really going on?" Madara raised an eyebrow.
"Kaito realized he's become too reliant on Ryūmyaku's energy," Enma Daiō continued. "Considering that future battles may take place in other dimensions or outer space, he can't afford to keep consuming Ryūmyaku crystals every time."
"I see." Madara nodded. "What he truly needs is power he can fully control."
"And while the planet's Ryūmyaku is vast, its energy isn't inexhaustible," Izuna added.
"From the planet's perspective, the amount Kaito borrows is negligible," Enma Daiō shook his head lightly. "But the fact that his combat ability plummets outside the planet's sphere is indeed a problem that must be resolved."
"Hmph."
A displeased snort came from below the platform.
Without looking, Enma Daiō spoke.
"Obito? Do you have something to say?"
"You people!!!"
This was the real Obito, stomping his foot in frustration.
"Tch. Quiet."
Madara shot him an annoyed glance.
"Damn it!!!"
Obito, seething, looked ready to charge up the steps.
"Obito!!!"
A brown-haired girl with two purple markings on her cheeks grabbed his hand from behind.
"Obito, don't cause trouble for His Majesty."
"Rin!"
Obito turned to look at Rin's upturned face, and his anger immediately subsided by half.
"Rin…"
A blush crept onto the grown man's face.
"I'll listen to you."
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Izuna's voice drifted down from the platform.
"How pathetic. A grown man acting like a lovestruck fool over a girl."
"You bastard!!!"
Obito's fury reignited, and this time, even Rin couldn't stop him from storming up the steps.
"What 'Majesty'?" He pointed at Enma Daiō and roared. "I'd recognize you even if you turned to ash, Kaito!! Dying by your hand was one thing, but what's the meaning of this fake in the living world?! Make him disappear!!"
"And you!!!"
He turned his finger toward Madara, his voice even louder.
"You're the one who deceived me! You're the one who got Rin killed!!!"
"Tch."
Enma Daiō finally set down his brush and looked up at the raging Obito.
"Silence."
The moment their eyes met, Obito's voice cut off abruptly, his spectral body freezing in place.
"You're too noisy, Obito."
Enma Daiō's voice was cold.