Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 154 Beast Chapter: "Binding Gods is Also Binding Oneself"

Under the scorching sun, the black mud and the pitch-black souls encased within it opened their eyes, causing the dark red sky that blanketed various regions to shrink.

It slowly condensed into a black lotus flower about two meters in size, with black mud flowing continuously in the starry sky until it stopped changing shape.

Gradually, the lotus buds bloomed, and the black mud at the buds gave that soul a pure white shell.

"Did it work...?"

He spoke in a way that was neither affirmative nor negative, and the sound he made was like that of a man and a woman speaking at the same time.

Although his consciousness had been covered by tens of thousands of malicious attacks, Ming's consciousness still managed to regain control of his body when he received the memories etched into his new physical form.

He stood up; his face had vanished, and even his closest relatives probably wouldn't recognize him. He scanned the distant, ethereal stars, then looked at his own hands. The texture was like a pure white biological shell, some patterns resembling flowers—very strange.

"No...it didn't work! This is very different from what I imagined, or rather, this is not what I wanted at all! And the power is also..."

His voice trembled, and his mind began to wander. He carefully recalled the process of climbing and realized that he had not succeeded in climbing the crown... Even though he was no longer dead, he could not cross the wall called death.

"Why! Why! Why?! Ahhhhhh!!!"

"Having given up everything, is this all I got in return? How... pathetic."

Just as Ming roared, the sun behind him and the earth in front of him dimmed, gradually being covered by a black domain. The ground became like a chessboard, and the surrounding space became chaotic. Only the tree behind Ming still emitted a sacred light.

Sensing the changes around him, Ming's thoughts instantly calmed down.

"The changes in this space, that [tree], is it... is it a wheel..."

"Angel of Law, [Paradise of Reincarnation] (Ain Soph)"

In the instant Ming was stunned, a mosaic in front of him, predominantly blue, spoke in a voice that was completely inaudible.

Ming's pupils contracted slightly. Although the voice was muffled, he could still tell who it was. He had expected that the commotion he had made would be discovered by her, but he did not expect it to happen so quickly.

They didn't even have a chance to escape after their defeat.

"So you've come after all... Should I call you 'Phantom' or Miss Takamiya Mio?"

Ming tried to appear calm as he asked, but the oppressive feeling this amusement park gave him was terrifying, making him feel utterly incapable of overcoming the challenge now that he had failed to climb it...

"How ugly. Although your resentment stems from me and this matter arose because of me, I'm sorry, please close your eyes and face death. You've crossed the line."

"Then I'll at least finish you off before I die!!"

Ming shouted, and his white armor surged instantly, attacking Chonggong Mio as if it were alive.

Those flower-shaped carapaces transformed into sharp blades, carrying Ming's anger and resentment, and fiercely stabbed towards Chonggong Mio.

However, with a mere wave of his hand, a blue light flashed, and the blades vanished like bubbles.

"No, I'm in charge of the rules in this space."

Phantom spoke calmly, intending to use Paradise to crush Ming directly, but Ming did not give up. The golden Spear of Longinus appeared beside him, shining with golden light.

"Is it a product that imitates [Paradise]? I didn't expect it to adapt to the rules of [Paradise of Reincarnation] in this way."

"Go to hell, you damn idiot, Mio Takamiya!"

He gripped the spear in his hand and thrust it forcefully at her. The strange sensation it exuded gave her a sense of ease, unlike when he was dealing with others, where she could remain completely still.

Golden light flashed, and at that moment, Mio Chonggong's figure flashed, instantly appearing in front of Ming, and she raised her hand to strike.

Ming felt an immense force strike him, leaving him no time to dodge. The next second, half of his body was instantly sliced ​​off.

The next moment, Ming was able to regenerate perfectly, and Mio seemed to understand something.

"You still possess the immortality you stole from me? How pathetic. This one strike could have killed you without any pain."

There seemed to be some regret on her face, which was barely visible.

"If that's the case... using the [Hall of All Things] wouldn't really make much sense, would it? In that case... we'll just have to erase your existence."

Muttering to himself, Phantom was still thinking, but Zhou Shen was already engulfed by countless black flames, interspersed with icebergs falling from the sky and a giant in front of him wielding a giant bow and firing the Eternal Spear at him.

But for Phantom, this could be considered the strongest attack among the artificial spirits, yet it was like child's play in front of it. So why would an adult get angry at a child?

"Want to make one last struggle before disappearing? Then let me grant your wish."

The phantom raised her hands, and everything around her was shattered by the pure spiritual energy. Then, two transparent ribbons floated out from her sleeves.

Two transparent ribbons, like nimble snakes, instantly wrapped around Ming.

Ming's body was shattered time and again after being touched by the ribbons, but thanks to the immortality he stole from that tree, combined with the Flame of Regeneration, he was restored to his original state.

"Hatred... Why have I endured so much pain, having abandoned all sense of humanity! Why! Why... can't I even tear the hem of this woman's dress... I'm so unwilling to accept this!"

3295 times, each time a struggle on the edge of life and death, his body had been tortured beyond recognition, as if repeatedly crushed by a merciless road roller.

His eyes were filled with despair, a powerless struggle against fate and a deep fear of the future.

Every attempt felt like groping in the dark, yet no light could be found.

Ming's body was knocked down on the black and white floor by sheer force. He tried to get up, but the Spear of Longinus, which he used to adapt to the Paradise of Reincarnation, had been shattered by the powerful force, and he himself was pressed to the ground by the power of the rules.

It's as if I was once treated as a puppet by fate, yet powerless to resist myself...

Phantom knew the shift in Ming's emotions and understood that He could hardly continue to resist. She then slowly raised her hand, and white light condensed in her palm, symbolizing nothingness and emptiness.

Ming felt as if his body was being crushed by a mountain, completely unable to move. His vision was blurred, and he could only vaguely see the white light radiating a sacred aura pointing directly at him.

The white light was like the light of judgment from heaven, carrying endless majesty and power, which made Ming feel a deep fear.

He was even hit and didn't even have a chance to see her, but he just couldn't move.

"Get moving...get moving...don't stop here! Don't stop here, get your body moving..."

"Close your eyes, Okamine Mei."

The moment that loving voice rang out, the white light of the so-called angel of nothingness enveloped him.

"I'm so unwilling to accept this..."

Just as the white light was about to engulf Ming, his thoughts returned to the past, to that afternoon 25 years ago, when that girl confessed her love to him from the bottom of her heart.

All the efforts he made 25 years ago were destroyed in an instant. Ming was extremely unwilling to accept this, and he kept abandoning his principles... He searched for a way to become stronger, and when he saw her path, even though he was no longer afraid of death, he could not gain recognition...

"I'm not reconciled... If I'm just turned into nothingness like this, then I won't even be able to see her anymore..."

Parts of Ming's body had turned into many white dots and disappeared in Paradise. Then, the malice sewn onto his body and a large number of souls also disappeared one after another...

This holy light was so sacred that even as the body was gradually reduced to nothingness, there was no pain; it was very peaceful... and one could choose to disappear from this world peacefully.

"But... my principles absolutely forbid me from collapsing so easily. There are still people waiting for me to see. I've let down so many people, and I'm not a good person myself... But right now, I'm just clinging to life for my principles!!!"

As the soul is touched by the holy light, memories begin to blur, but that smile that has existed in the deepest part of oneself countless times has never changed.

"Nothingness... is nothing more than this... I died the day I failed to save Sawa... She saw me as a hero, but I failed to save her..."

"I'm so tired. Maybe that's just an excuse I used to use to show my love for her... I'm selfish. Maybe I only sought revenge to fill the void in my heart... I need someone to trust me, to understand me, and to depend on me unconditionally... That's why she became more and more sacred in my heart."

And the guilt I feel for her appears in my dreams every day; I haven't been truly alive... Perhaps this is the real death, but I only realized this in the moment when my body was collapsing and my soul was about to dissipate...

What an utterly pathetic guy!

Faintly, the tree at the center of the Paradise of Reincarnation trembled slightly.

As the light faded, all that remained were some scattered Reversal Spirit Crystals and a pure white Second Spirit Crystal floating in the air.

Seeing that Ming had passed away, Mio slowly flew down, looking at the reversed fifth spirit crystal that belonged to Ming with some guilt, and used the ribbon to wrap the second spirit crystal, taking back the spirit crystal that originally belonged to Honjo Nia.

"To be honest, I can understand your hatred, but I don't want you to ruin my resurrection plan, so I'm sorry... Oh, is it that child? It seems I'll have to give this back to her."

She beckoned with her finger, and the other reversed spirit crystals flew toward her, but they all stopped abruptly just before returning to her hand.

"Um..."

On the destroyed Spear of Longinus, a golden particle of light emerged, which then multiplied to resemble Ming's soul in his previous life. Even some of the spiritual power in the [Paradise of Reincarnation] recognized it and became part of his soul.

Black mud surged forth, reshaping the pure white lotus shell. Then, cracks appeared one by one, the pure white lotus shell shattered, and out emerged a calamity, the Beast, resembling an angel.

Five Reversal Spirit Crystals came to his side, and Ming opened his eyes again.

"How could this be... that he could still appear after being attacked by the [Angel of Nothingness]?!"

Ming and Mio exchanged a surprised glance, and Ming slowly spoke in his original voice:

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, [God], but I have transcended death, and what stands before you now is the complete [me]!"

As Mio witnessed this person constantly being reborn before her eyes, her expression beneath the mosaic was no longer indifferent.

At this moment, Ming's body seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious power, radiating a dazzling and divine light.

An angelic halo appeared above his head. Not only that, he became androgynous, his long golden hair cascading to the ground like a waterfall, and five enormous demon king wheels revolving around him.

These demon kings, rotating in turn, exuded an aura different from before, forming a stark contrast with the holy light emanating from Ming's body.

In the state of Mio Ming, it is like the soul itself, but it is also different. However, in a certain form, one can feel the same formation technique as oneself.

A hint of wariness flashed in Mio's eyes. She hadn't expected that Ming could be reborn after being hit by the "Angel of Nothingness," and that his strength seemed to be even greater than before.

"It seems you really are a troublesome fellow, even capable of actively upgrading your own soul. If we don't deal with you, it looks like the resurrection plan will have to be delayed."

As soon as the words were spoken, a lotus-shaped angel, the size of a palm, appeared. The petals opened, and a graceful young woman emerged from the center of the flower, gathering energy that represented death.

“Same to me, that’s what I think too… Mio Takamiya.”

Longinus reappeared before Ming, golden spiritual energy constantly swirling around the gun before finally aiming at Takamiya Mio, who was also facing him with a lotus-shaped angel.

"【Sanctuary of All Things - Lei Pao】!"

"【Lance of Longinus - Holy Punishment】!"

Two powerful beams of energy collided instantly, unleashing a devastating burst of light that shook the entire Paradise of Reincarnation.

In the light, Ming and Mio's figures appeared and disappeared, both of them fully controlling their skills, trying to suppress each other.

The Spear of Longinus in Ming's hand shone with an even more intense golden light, each line seemingly containing boundless power.

Meanwhile, the Myriad Manifestations Sanctuary - Bud Cannon summoned by Mio Takamiya was equally formidable, with the energy of death crashing against Ming's defenses like a surging tide.

Unfortunately, because Mio was only in a phantom state at this time, she was unable to use her full strength. Therefore, in the contest between the two energies, Ming gradually became able to overwhelm his opponent.

Just as Ming was about to completely suppress Chonggong Mio, the rules of the Samsara Paradise suddenly underwent a strange change.

The surrounding space began to distort, and the icebergs, flames, and other attack elements that Ming had shattered actually reformed, forming a huge barrier that blocked all of Ming's attacks.

Just as Ming was focused on charging forward, Mio suddenly appeared behind him like a ghost.

Mio raised her hand and stepped forward, piercing Ming's body without him noticing.

"It seems you're still one step behind, Okamine Mei."

Mio spoke wearily, and Ke Ming turned to look at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Since you have no way to kill me, you chose to find the core within me? Sorry, I don't have that. All I have is a link to [ ], or rather, you're the one who's far behind!"

"Takamiya Mio!!!"