Marvel Multiverse System

The monstrosity before Yuri was colossal—something even the veterans of the 18th floor wouldn't dare face alone. The parasitism of the Jewel-Fetus had culminated in a grotesque, yet strangely beautiful creature. A massive, octopus-like being with tentacles sprouting from a Piranha Plant, writhing with a will of their own. Atop the creature was the upper body of a woman with translucent green skin, emerald hair flowing like serpents, and golden, pupil-less eyes—an unmistakable mark of a Demi-Spirit in her final form.

Yuri faced the creature without fear. His eyes gleamed with a wild light, the Hunter's Mark pulsing intensely on his neck as he smiled.

With a deep breath, Yuri activated the Transparent World.

Time seemed to slow down.

In his vision, the Demi-Spirit became a living map—the blood flow in the tentacles, the woman's uneven breathing, the muscle tension before every strike. Everything was exposed. No secrets remained between them.

"This should be enough to push me to level 4."

The creature didn't hesitate. Three tentacles shot out like fleshy spears, slicing through the air. The impact shattered bamboo trees like they were dry leaves. But Yuri had already moved.

"Thunder Breathing: First Form – Flashing Thunderclap!" He immediately used Thunder Breathing to advance at high speed.

What followed were several minutes of stalemate, with Yuri effortlessly slicing through the Demi-Spirit's tentacles—only for them to regenerate each time.

The adventurers stopped in their tracks. Those who had been running turned back in disbelief.

"Is that... Yuri Winters?!" whispered a level 4 warrior, eyes wide.

"But he was just recently promoted to level 3..."

"This isn't something a level 3 could do!" exclaimed a mage, nearly dropping her staff.

In the clearing, Yuri slammed his foot into the ground, causing a wall of wood to rise from the earth.

The Demi-Spirit's tentacles slammed against the living shield, which regenerated even as it was destroyed.

She howled in fury. Her massive, pillar-like legs coiled and struck the ground like guillotines. Yuri dropped between them and, using the Transparent World's perception, dodged every blow with inhuman precision. He saw the creature's muscles contract milliseconds before each strike. It was like dancing among blades.

"You're stronger than you look..." Yuri muttered.

"Kekkijutsu – Compass Needle!" Yuri instantly began to use his other powers.

"Kekkijutsu – Crushing Style: Ten Thousand Shining Willow Leaves!"

He dashed forward like lightning, his fist wrapped in a vortex of golden and green energy, veins bulging with the power of the Kekkijutsu. Mokuton roots sprouted from his feet, digging into the ground, amplifying his striking force. His eyes, immersed in the Transparent World, locked onto the exact point where the creature's structure was most vulnerable—a tiny fissure between scales, hidden beneath thick layers of spiritual flesh.

With a muffled shout, Yuri raised his fist and struck downward with all the force in his body, as if trying to shatter the heavens.

"Saishiki: Manyōsen Yanagi!"

The impact echoed like thunder.

Yuri's fist struck the ground, and for a moment, everything went silent. Then, a shockwave of pure kinetic energy burst outward from the impact point, like a ring of golden light expanding in all directions. The earth shattered like glass, leaf-shaped cracks spread for dozens of meters, and columns of stone and soil were launched into the air.

In the moment of the explosion, Yuri vanished in a flash.

The next instant, he reappeared before the Demi-Spirit's clone, still recovering from the last strike.

It didn't have time to counterattack. It barely managed to shift its spiritual core before Yuri's blade struck it directly.

—BOOM!!

The impact was monstrous. The creature's scream echoed like a profane lament. Its long, thick, python-like legs were severed instantly, flying in opposite directions before crashing to the ground, trailing greenish blood and steam.

But the monster retaliated.

Tentacles burst from its back and lunged at Yuri.

Tiona, struggling to hold back the plant monsters, nearly threw her twin-bladed sword to block the incoming strike aimed at Yuri.

Riveria hesitated for a second, but continued her incantation.

"Yuri, be careful!" Lefiya cried out, her voice filled with panic.

But the next scene left everyone breathless.

Yuri began to execute each of the forms of the Hinokami Kagura in sequence.

From the first to the twelfth form, Yuri completed the sacred dance without pause, each strike fiercer than the last—like a dragon rising from the depths of hell.

With eyes glowing in the vivid hue of the Transparent World, he read the enemy's moves before they happened. Each slash was like a dragon spreading its wings amid a storm, striking the monster's vital points with lethal precision.

His blade never faltered. With every rebound, it came back stronger, faster. The flow of battle was his.

Instead of weakening at the end of the sequence, Yuri shattered all expectations—his sword knew no fatigue.

With each strike, his power grew. It was as if the momentum of the fight fueled his strength. Ten units of energy became twenty. Twenty became fifty.

Not even Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the legendary creator of Sun Breathing, would have imagined such a wild and refined execution of the Kagura dance.

Yuri unleashed the thirteenth form of Hinokami Kagura—but instead of stopping, he continued.

"Hinokami Kagura: Fourteenth Form – SUNSETTER!" he roared.

The wind howled like a storm's cry.

Flames and compressed air spiraled into a crimson-golden cyclone. A flaming dragon, born of wind and fury, rose from the ground as if reaching for the heavens—not in supplication, but in declaration.

The dragon roared.

And in the explosion that followed, all of the Demi-Spirit clone's tentacles were reduced to ashes within seconds.

His black blade, now shining with solar and electric hues, pierced the enemy's chest with a sharp, final sound.

The creature let out one last sound—a whisper—before shattering into purple and blue fragments, like the remnants of a dream dissolving at dawn.

Its body vanished.

All that remained was an amber magic stone, floating in the air.

Yuri grabbed it precisely as his knees gave out slightly. He gently dropped to the ground, breathing deeply, sweat dripping from his face.

"Level 4... More than deserved," he whispered with a tired smile.

"Who would've thought I could actually create a new form of Hinokami Kagura in the middle of a battle?" He chuckled.

(End of chapter)

"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."