Chapter 353: Sealed
Just like before, the armored figure spoke to the empty space in front of him, then turned and swung a punch backward.
Again and again, the cycle repeated.
Perhaps because it lost the sustaining energy from the armored figure, the silver ["Ultimate Eraser"] gradually faded until it disintegrated into scattered light and disappeared.
"[Izanami] is indeed formidable," Zane remarked, revealing the blood-red triangle in his eye. He knew that using [Izanami] didn't require the full activation of the [Mangekyo Sharingan].
Just as in Naruto, [Izanami] requires the caster to make physical contact with the target twice.
After successful contact, the timeframe between the two touches would repeat endlessly on the target.
The first contact between Zane and the orange-armored figure was direct physical contact. Using the [God's Absence], Zane had hidden himself behind the armored figure, who instinctively swung a punch at Zane's body.
The second contact occurred just as the armored figure pulled the trigger—Zane blinked into position, briefly touching his body.
Although the figure faded quickly, it was still enough for Zane to complete the [Izanami] cycle.
Unless the target can overcome their deepest inner conflict, they will be trapped in this repeating loop indefinitely.
Although Zane wasn't sure what inner conflict the orange-armored figure might have, the repetitive actions confirmed that the technique had taken hold.
"Now, it's time to seal him, even if he's just a projected dream from the future."
"Still, it must have taken this member of the Celestial all of his conscious power to manifest here."
"In other words, sealing this orange-armored figure means that even if he breaks free from [Izanami] later, he won't be able to leave, and his body will eventually wither and die."
For even a Celestial member, falling into unconsciousness is different from willingly entering slumber. Once all conscious control is lost, the body can no longer absorb cosmic energy to sustain itself.
The blood-red triangle kept spinning.
A long-nosed tengu lifted Zane into the air.
In his left hand, a misty, ethereal longsword appeared.
With perfect precision, he stabbed the armored figure, now briefly visible through the repeating cycle.
Then, a vortex of light pulled the figure into the blade's body.
[Mangekyo Sharingan - Sword of Kagutsuchi]!
Five translucent, crystalline divine essences leaked from the sword.
"Only five, a pity," Zane muttered.
He knew the orange-armored figure's remaining essences were likely still in his true body, twenty thousand years in the future.
But he also understood that it wouldn't be long before that body, devoid of consciousness, would begin to lose its life force.
As Zane had foreseen, many millennia later, in a desolate region of the universe, a lifeless giant head floated in space.
The creatures that inhabited it called it "Knowhere."
According to their own accounts, this giant head belonged to a Celestial member who mysteriously died here long ago.
After its discovery, their ancestors settled here for generations.
The universe lay in ruins, ravaged and torn, silent after the tumultuous battles.
Slowly, fragments of starlight began to glimmer, like dawn breaking through the endless darkness.
After several intense clashes, even Zane, who possessed the [Omnipotence] energy envied by the Celestial, felt mentally exhausted.
He hadn't expected it. The Celestials, once the supreme beings of the Marvel Universe, had lost eight members at his hands in just a few days.
Counting the planetary life form he encountered earlier, that made a total of nine.
Except for Ego, the other eight had all been members of the Celestials since the dawn of the universe.
Among them was the Judge Arishem, a seventh-dimensional leader of the Celestials, and five of the strongest combat team members.
Zane understood that this all happened after he gathered the six Infinity Stones, which had significantly empowered him.
On top of that, his system's lottery skill, along with energy conversion from the [Magic Furnace], helped him quickly ascend to a higher level, enabling him to absorb more energy as he fought.
"Which is why gathering the spoils of war is crucial," Zane mused, summarizing his thoughts.
With that in mind, he drifted over to the five Celestial essences released.
He felt it was a shame, as the slumbering Celestial was only a dream projection from twenty thousand years in the future, so Zane couldn't acquire his essence.
The silver device [Ultimate Eraser], which the Celestial had created in his dream and could potentially destroy a universe, was similarly out of reach—perhaps it didn't even exist in reality.
"Five perfect essences—excluding those of the Destruction Celestial and Arishem.
Even if I give one each to Rocket, Groot, Skynet, and Little Bone, there'll still be one left."
Zane brought the five crystalline essences to his hand, carefully examining each for impurities.
He planned to give each one to his teammates—since Lorna had succeeded, he was confident the others would manage too.
Once that happened, his team would be a true alliance of gods, with every member reaching at least the sixth dimension in power.
Zane, however, didn't consider absorbing another essence himself. He felt that his Death Essence suited him well.
Moreover, the darkening walnut core in his mind made Zane feel his essence was somehow unique.
It seemed different from the Celestial's essences, even to the point of creating some repulsion.
Remembering how the Celestial kept mentioning that he "bore the shadow of a certain lord," Zane had his suspicions about who that might be.
He guessed it was the true Goddess of Death, who shared his affinity with death.
One of the five primordial gods of the Marvel Universe, Death was the origin and end of all souls—the being behind all tales of "King Yama" and the Grim Reaper.
In the original lore, she was notorious for sowing seeds of death everywhere to absorb more souls.
This even drove Thanos to annihilate half of the universe's life, all due to his love for Death and willingness to fall under her spell.
Zane had every reason to believe that the Death Orb he encountered was also a trap set by Death herself.
Even Hela, the bloodthirsty self-proclaimed "Goddess of Death", could well be Death's covert creation.
Based on the Celestial's strength level, Zane was convinced that Death, as one of the five primordial deities, wouldn't be weaker than all the Celestials he fought combined.
He didn't know why Death hadn't yet appeared before him.
But Zane had a feeling that day wasn't far off.
Thus, he needed to start preparing in advance. The essences of the Destruction Celestial and Arishem were among his contingency plans.
With that, Zane placed the newly acquired five essences into the [Kings Treasury].
*************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is Lord_Immortal_0170