Chapter 166: Colorless King! Golden King!
"Hmph!"
Kokujoji Daikaku remained unhurried in the face of the combined assault. His aura didn't just burst forth; it exploded.
It was as if a universe of revolving stars materialized behind him, crackling with golden lightning and internal flames. In an instant, a shockwave of pure, explosive vibrational energy radiated from his body.
Simultaneously, every city building within a radius of several kilometers, centered on him, was completely pulverized by the impact, collapsing into dust and rubble.
The members of the various clans, who had already retreated more than ten kilometers away, could still feel the terrifying, earth-shattering power from afar.
Mikoto Suoh, Reisi Munakata, and Nagare Hisui used their own powers to block the devastating impact.
Reisi Munakata frowned deeply, his hand on the hilt of his saber. The combined efforts of five Kings—and even with Mikoto Suoh, who had become noticeably stronger at some unknown point—could not seem to land a single harmful blow on Kokujoji Daikaku.
His power was just too overwhelmingly strong.
As for why the five of them were fighting the Second King, Kokujoji Daikaku... it was because he had suddenly and grandly declared that he would kill all other Kings.
If the Kings did not appear, he had warned, he would simply kill everyone else first. Thus, the Kings had no choice but to gather here and engage him in this desperate battle.
"Hahahaha! My power! It is the strongest!"
Kokujoji Daikaku laughed maniacally, his voice booming over the city, reveling in this destructive power.
"Lieutenant…" Weismann watched him from above, his face etched with a deep, sorrowful gaze.
A group of people watched the battlefield from a safe distance.
"Shouldn't we go help Mikoto-san?" Misaki Yata, dressed in his HOMRA street clothes and holding a skateboard, clenched his fists, wishing he could rush to the center of the battlefield.
Fushimi Saruhiko, a new member of Scepter 4, sneered from nearby. "Misaki~, you don't seriously think this is a battle we can interfere with, do you? A pawn like you would be evaporated before you took ten steps."
"You bastard!" Misaki bristled, angered by Fushimi's mockery. He was once his friend, yet now a traitor to HOMRA.
"Misaki, now is not the time to argue. He's right; we can't intervene in this battle," Izumo Kusanagi said, watching the distant melee with a grave expression, a cigarette hanging from his lips.
"Yes, that is… a battle of six Kings." Awashima Seri, the Vice-Captain of Scepter 4, stood tall, her proud posture rigid with tension. Her eyes held an unspeakable worry. Others might not know, but she was well aware of the identity of that elder—the Golden King, the pillar of their world.
At that very same moment, the Doomsday Chat Group sent out a notification.
[System: Ding! Detected Mikoto Suoh's contact with Abnormal Doomsday factors, initiating Doom Companion!]
[Doom Companion: Four-person journey]
[Companion Time: 1 hour]
[Companions: Ren, Mikoto Suoh, Rory Takakura, Kiana]
[Companion Mission: Kill the mutated Colorless King.]
And.
[Doom Companion: Doom Termination]
[Companion Time: Unlimited]
[Companions: Unlimited]
[Companion Mission: Clear a wisp of the Light of Ruin.]
In the classroom, Ren, who had nothing better to do, immediately noticed the new Doom Companion alert. He also immediately sent a message, asking about the situation.
[Ren: "Mikoto Suoh, how are things on your end? You've triggered an alert."]
The result was no response.
[Kiana: "What is Doom Companion?"]
[March 7th: "It's like world-hopping! You get to travel to another member's world!"]
[Kiana: "Huh? For real?!"]
[Rory Takakura: "But I don't have any abilities... Will I just be a burden?"]
[Momonga: "There's a big shot here, so you have no worries, Rory-san."]
[Momonga: "Ren-san, our big shot, what do you think?"]
[Ren: "I'm looking at it with my eyes. Mikoto Suoh hasn't replied, which means the situation on his end is likely urgent. Let's go first and assess."]
[Rory Takakura: "Okay, Ren-san."]
[Kiana: "Can we really, really cross worlds? This is so exciting!"]
[Tendou Kisara: "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and cross over. And remember to stream it for us!"]
...
Ren, who had just crossed over, materialized on a broken, debris-strewn street. He was immediately hit by the smell of smoke, ozone, and concrete dust.
He looked around, seeing a city in ruins, battered beyond recognition.
With a quick glance toward the center of the power fluctuations, he saw them. Six Kings. Five against one, and the opponent was… Kokujoji Daikaku?
"What's going on? The mission says the opponent is the Colorless King."
"Um, Administrator-san, hello." A sweet, slightly timid voice rang out beside him.
He turned his head to see a short-haired girl with bright pink hair. She had light pink short hair, blue eyes, and looked gentle and beautiful. She wore a light pink short top, pink stockings, and hot pants, with a large golden snowflake-shaped ornament on her lower abdomen.
"Hello, Rory Takakura. You don't need to call me Administrator-san; Ren is fine."
"Oh, oh. Ren-san." Rory Takakura nodded obediently, though she looked overwhelmed by the destruction.
"We really crossed over?! This is insane! Ren, are we here to fight?" Kiana appeared on his other side, already holding her baseball bat and looking pumped.
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You're quite informal."
Kiana blinked her big, innocent blue eyes. "Didn't you just say to call you Ren?"
"That's true. This is fine," Ren smiled. He didn't dislike such a straightforward personality, even if Kiana was a bit of a thick-skinned idiot.
"As for fighting…" Ren pointed to the dilapidated battlefield, which was exploding with various dazzling lights and earth-shaking impacts. He gestured, "Do you want to go?"
"…"
Kiana glanced at the apocalyptic battle, then at her own ordinary baseball bat. She pouted, whistled innocently, and looked away. "You go ahead. This young lady... thinks she can't win."
"You're honest, at least," Ren shook his head, amused.
"Hmm?"
As he shook his head, Ren's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a runaway white cat with glaring, mismatched eyes in a corner of the street, secretly watching them.
"A cat?"
He immediately recognized this particular cat. It was Neko.
The runaway white cat with glaring eyes hid in a spot untouched by the battle, staring at the three people who had suddenly appeared from thin air.
"Are those three people ghosts?" The white kitten was very confused.
Shaking her head, she decided she had to run; the battle was too terrifying.
Just as she was about to turn, her vision suddenly blurred, and she vanished from her spot!
"Eh? Ren, where did you get that kitten from?"
Kiana's eyes widened, looking at the small, fluffy white cat that had suddenly appeared in Ren's hand. He was holding it securely, its fate in his grasp.
Rory Takakura was also very curious. "I didn't see Ren-san holding a cat just now."
"I found a lost kitten, so I grabbed it," Ren said simply. His fingers began to expertly scratch the chin of the kitten he had teleported over.
The kitten twisted its body frantically and waved its paws, trying to break free and resist. Ren was completely unmoved by this weak resistance.
The kitten realized this wouldn't work, and its mismatched cat eyes widened. A strange, illusory power was released, attempting to impact Ren's brain, but it dissipated without a trace, like water hitting a hot stone.
"An illusion ability? And memory modification?"
Ren became interested. This cat was indeed that 'irregular.'
An irregular is different from a King. They are born with special abilities and can use their power independently without relying on a King. They are unaligned ability users, often animals or people with unmastered powers.
Because their abilities are innate, they cannot be bestowed upon others, and thus they cannot form clans. Nor can they become Kings through their own abilities.
Because their power is not guided by a King, they are not restricted by the characteristics of the seven clans and possess a more diverse range of ability types.
However, often, irregulars who do not belong to a clan but possess special powers... due to a lack of knowledge about their own power, they are easily dominated by it and end up using it to commit crimes.
This cat was a powerful irregular. But Ren knew her true identity; she was actually a human girl, just with the ability to transform into a cat.
"You'd better stay here quietly for now. If that battle's shockwave affects you, you'll die," Ren said softly, tucking the kitten into the crook of one arm.
"…"
This time, the kitten didn't struggle. Instead, she looked up at Ren's face, feeling the secure grip. There was a strange… sense of safety.
Rory Takakura, who knew she couldn't interfere in the battle, silently started a live stream on the side.
[System: Ding! Rory Takakura has started a live stream!]
[System: Exusiai has entered the live stream!]
[Exusiai: "Wow, it's so exciting as soon as I enter! What a light show!"]
[Lia: "The city is so destroyed; the battle must have lasted a long time."]
[Momonga: "What are those giant greatswords floating in the sky?"]
[Reinhardt: "Mr. Mikoto Suoh has explained this. That sword is called the Sword of Damocles, and it is a symbol of a King's power."]
[Reinhardt: "He said there are a total of seven Kings on his side. Mr. Mikoto Suoh seems to be the Third King, the Red King."]
[Bronya: "The Red King, crimson flames. A fitting ability."]
[Esdeath: "An interesting display of power. But that old man is far stronger."]
[Tendou Kisara: "So, does that mean the other swords represent Kings of different colors and different powers?"]
[Reinhardt: "In terms of power, there are indeed stronger and weaker ones."]
[Nami: "That old man is so strong, fighting five people by himself! It seems only Mikoto Suoh can fight him head-on; the others look a bit disheveled."]
[March 7th: "Could that old man be our enemy, the Colorless King? But he seems to be shimmering with golden light."]
[Ren: "He is the Golden King."]
[Ren: "But he is also the Colorless King."]
[Tushan Honghong: "Two Kings in one body?"]
Ren's Star Pupils had already seen through everything. The spirit and soul residing within Kokujoji Daikaku's body... were not his own.
As for who it was?
That was naturally the Colorless King, who possessed the ability to "interfere," allowing him to enter different people's bodies, seize their consciousness, and even merge personalities.
However, he was not simply the Colorless King. Normally, the Colorless King would not have the power to seize Kokujoji Daikaku's body, the strongest King.
But he was an Anomaly.
By dominating his memories, Ren discovered that the Colorless King had been illuminated by a strange, corrupting light. Then, his power grew exponentially, and he gained the ability to seize the body of the strongest King.
Moreover, under this power, his thoughts were influenced and changed, twisting his desires into pure, mindless destruction and ruin.
That beam of light... it was the Light of Ruin.
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Dedicated Fan"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]