In the depths of heavy darkness, an awareness as silent and deep as a sunken lake slowly stirred, as though awakening from a long slumber.
White Boundless opened his eyes little by little. Dim light filtered through his retinas and reached his mind, yet the overwhelming weakness made even this simple act difficult. Several times, he could only force his eyelids open to a narrow slit.
Where is this place?
What… happened to me?
The last thing he remembered was that single punch that had sent him crashing down. After that, everything went blank. All that remained was the memory of his body being torn apart inch by inch, and the unbearable agony of his very soul shattering.
Had he not died?
Had he somehow survived?
"Ding. Magnetic Martial God System bound. From this day forward, you will roam countless worlds with the aid of this system."
"Enough nonsense. Get out of my head."
White Boundless roared, his brows knitting tightly. Whatever ridiculous system or unknown thing this was, the chaotic voice echoing in his mind was intolerable.
"Heh. As expected, tricks meant for ordinary people do not work on you."
The voice abruptly shifted into a soft chuckle. White Boundless instantly recognized it. It was his own voice, perfectly identical.
Yet it was clearly not him. He rarely sounded so frivolous, and even when he did, never with such casual ease.
"What are you?" White Boundless snapped.
"In the universe you came from, I have many names," the voice replied lightly.
"God. Deity. Buddha. The Will of the Cosmos. In the end, you gave me one definition. A Great Power."
"That is not important. What matters is that you should already be dead. I saved you because I want you to do something interesting for me."
White Boundless gradually calmed down. No matter how absurd this situation seemed, one fact was undeniable. At the moment his memory ended, he had truly been defeated.
He could accept defeat, but not without bitterness. If he had truly died and been brought back by this so called Great Power, that was not a bad outcome for him.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked calmly.
"Before you died, you killed someone. Do you remember?"
"No," White Boundless replied flatly.
If he were expected to remember everyone he had killed, his mind would have long since collapsed into chaos. It was not that he lacked the ability to remember. There was simply no need.
Even those he had killed deliberately were too many to count. As for those who died merely from being caught in the aftermath of battles between powerful beings, the number was impossible to calculate.
"Tch. Magnetic lunatics like you really are a problem," the Great Power muttered with a mix of irritation and resignation.
"Never mind. The one you killed seemed to be some sort of traveler or reincarnator. When he was about to escape, I noticed him. That allowed me to extend my reach into other universes."
"I cannot truly go to those worlds myself, so I need an agent. Someone strong enough, and with sufficient reason to act."
"So you want me to invade other worlds for you?" White Boundless frowned.
Who did he think White Boundless was?
Conquering and ruling a world was not impossible, but it depended entirely on the terms.
"There is no need to phrase it so unpleasantly," the Great Power laughed.
"To me, this is nothing more than entertainment. Even the most powerful of your White lineage could never understand what I mean. They were once my toys."
"Other worlds are simply interesting boxes of novelty. Perhaps not always fun, but always new. All you need to do is alter certain stories and complete tasks I assign."
"Do not worry. Our relationship is equal. Once I saved you and placed you into this world, I could no longer restrain your actions. However, if you wish to leave this world, or even return to your original one, you will still need my help."
"I can offer you a little assistance. And right now, you need power, do you not?"
At those words, White Boundless immediately examined himself.
Very quickly, he discovered that his magnetic field power was gone.
Not entirely gone, to be precise. It had regressed to the bare minimum, only enough to sustain electric current propulsion.
He vaguely recalled ancient records stored in the archives. A time before his ancestor Sea Tiger, when magnetic field power had not yet manifested in its true form.
In that era, power was measured in units of ten thousand rather than heavenly tiers. It was defined by the first being to awaken magnetic power, Lan of the Heavenly Way, along with his descendants and their destined rivals. It was then that magnetic power was formally classified.
Before full awakening, those with talent were divided into three levels.
The first level truly mastered magnetic power, forcing their cells into extreme friction to generate a powerful magnetic field that could influence the external world.
The second level was weaker. Through sheer will, the body's cells were driven to produce electrical current, known as electric propulsion.
The third level had not even mastered cellular control, relying only on instinctive bodily enhancements. Enhanced eyesight like an eagle, heightened hearing like a bat, so called special abilities.
White Boundless had only known this academically. For a genius of his generation within the White lineage, magnetic rotation had awakened as naturally as breathing. He had never experienced the first or second stage.
Now that his power had regressed to electric propulsion, he felt deeply unsettled.
He closed his eyes and attempted to force his cells into high speed friction to regenerate magnetic rotation. What once required no effort suddenly halted at the final moment.
The cause was not internal.
It was external.
As White Boundless opened his eyes, the Great Power's response followed instantly.
"Do you know where magnetic power comes from? Every universe has magnetic fields, but drawing upon them requires a beginning."
"Like throwing a stone into still water to create ripples. Without the initial disturbance, nothing follows."
"Do you really think there were no extraordinary geniuses before Lan of the Heavenly Way?"
"I know," White Boundless replied quietly.
He knew of ancient sages who were barely remembered in his era. Figures revered as divine in distant ages, yet in truth philosophers and warriors.
They had reached the legendary Star Breaking realm, a state that allowed one to sever fate itself and escape manipulation by those who could see the future. Yet without magnetic rotation, they still aged and died like mortals.
Even so, they left behind profound legacies.
"If magnetic rotation requires a source," White Boundless said, "then why was Lan of the Heavenly Way allowed to awaken it?"
"Because I allowed it," the Great Power replied calmly.
"Because I allowed it, he mastered magnetic rotation. Because I allowed it, others were born with unimaginable strength. Because I allowed it, these systems exist."
"If I do not allow it, your electric propulsion will never advance. Only with my permission can you break limits."
White Boundless fell silent, then let out a cold laugh.
"You are lying. You said this is not your universe. If every world has a being like you, and you cannot interfere freely, then why can you decide the rules here?"
The Great Power laughed softly.
"Sharp mind. If you relied on yourself, you could eventually recover magnetic rotation. But if you accept my conditions, I could restore your limit in an instant."
"No," White Boundless said without hesitation.
He would not allow an incomprehensible power to interfere with his body. And more than that, it was pride. What he had lost could be reclaimed by his own strength. He would never accept charity.
"Stubborn child," the Great Power said, amused.
"Very well."
"Then your only task in this world is simple. Completely kill a being named Muzan Kibutsuji. For your current state, it will be a challenge. In a sense, he is the strongest creature in this world."
"When you complete it, we will meet again."
The voice vanished entirely.
Only then did White Boundless realize his body had fully recovered. He lay before a vast estate, wearing nothing but a tattered old cloak torn into pieces.
He draped it over himself and prepared to leave, when a shadow suddenly appeared.
A man spoke harshly in a language White Boundless did not understand.
White Boundless frowned. He recognized it faintly from ancient linguistic archives, but had never learned it.
The middle aged man in dark clothing looked extremely irritated.
"Where did this beggar brat come from? This is a private estate."
White Boundless lifted his gaze and stared at him coldly.
The next moment, bones snapped.
The man's arms bent backward at an unnatural angle, pain exploding through his body as he found himself unable to scream.
"Normally, creatures that insult me like this are dealt with thoroughly," White Boundless said calmly.
"But today, I am merciful. I have questions. After that, I will end your pointless life. Be grateful."