I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 229 "Flame Form" and the Gods

This question no longer needs an answer.

Just as Esdeath had been diligently researching how to break Susanoo.

Uchiha Hikaru was also pondering the solution to "Mahapadma".

She devised two plans.

Firstly, he could travel to the Jujutsu Kaisen world through Yuujin Itadori in the group chat to absorb the power of "Magical Demon Lord"—

The essence of the secret technique "Mokpapatama" is not actually manipulating time, but rather using the ice and snow power contained within the "Demon Essence" to create an extremely low-temperature environment, thereby freezing an area and creating an effect similar to time stop.

Therefore, as long as one has sufficient cold resistance and can move freely even in absolute low temperatures, then the "Mokpa Temo" will be defeated without any further attack.

In the original work, Tatsumi used this principle to counter this move.

The same principle applies to "Demon Void".

If this thing could adapt to Sukuna's "Space Slash" in the short time after its first encounter with him, then theoretically, it's only a matter of time before it adapts to "Mahavagga".

only……

"Makoro" is not an ordinary cursed spirit, but a shikigami of the Fushiguro family. Uchiha Hikari and Itadori Yuujin are just ordinary friends. Suddenly running over to the Fushiguro family and asking them to summon a shikigami for her to eat... Even she herself felt it was a bit outrageous.

Therefore, Uchiha Hikaru devised a second method—

That is...

In-depth development of "Fire and Thunder God".

Speaking of which, the "Fire and Thunder God," a spiritual weapon born from the Mangekyou Sharingan, first awakened when she first went to the world of Akame ga Kill! to fight Esdeath. On that occasion, Uchiha Hikaru almost subconsciously used her "Thunder God" aspect, symbolizing ultimate speed and violence.

And now...

In the same battle against Esdeath, Uchiha Hikaru tried to use the "Vulcan" aspect.

Taking advantage of the ever-changing nature of "Fire and Thunder God," Uchiha Hikaru did not transform it into a weapon like a sword this time. Instead, he transformed it into a veil, completely covering himself. Then, using this intensely burning flame, he separated himself from the range of "Mahapadma" and escaped from the frozen spacetime.

If this move were to be given a name, it would be—

"Flame Form!"

—In contrast, Thor's other form is naturally his "light form".

"call……"

Uchiha Hikaru let out a soft breath.

With this movement, her body trembled slightly like a flame, silently melting the ice blade on her chest. The resulting liquid evaporated completely before it could even drip, dissipating into the surrounding air.

Esdeath, who was holding the ice blade, seemed to feel the heat wave as well. She subconsciously pulled back her burned fingers, then squinted and looked at Uchiha Hikaru with a scrutinizing gaze, hesitant to speak.

In his "Flame Form," Uchiha Hikaru is essentially an incarnation of flame, with a body surface temperature reaching thousands of degrees.

If she hadn't intentionally controlled it, her clothes would probably have been instantly burned away by the "Fire and Thunder God," not to mention the ice blades pressed against her.

"...Sorry, Xiao Ai."

Uchiha Hikaru stood still, looking at Esdeath's face, which was flushed red by the flames, and gave an apologetic smile: "This time, it seems that I still won."

"..."

Esdeath's eyes flickered a few times before she finally sighed and chose to concede defeat.

She actually had some energy left, and could even unleash the "Ice and Snow Demon" again, but it was pointless.

"Ice Demon" can at best be on par with Susanoo, while "Mahapadma" is completely countered by "Flame Form". Until she develops a new technique to counter "Flame Form", even if she challenges it ten more times, the result will probably be the same.

Now that we have the intelligence we wanted, it is time to use it to start a new round of "arms race".

However, that should be some time away.

As Esdeath's fighting spirit subsided, Uchiha Hikaru closed his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, the color of his hair and skin had faded, returning from the deep red that had been surrounded by flames to its former pale white.

After doing all this.

Uchiha Hikaru glanced discreetly at his cuff, where a fresh burn mark was clearly visible.

"...It seems I should spend more time familiarizing myself with 'Flame Form' when I have free time."

Compared to his "Light Form," Uchiha Hikaru's control over his "Flame Form" is not yet very stable.

There's nothing wrong when she's standing still, but if she engages in high-intensity combat in this form, there's an inevitable risk of her clothes getting burned. To avoid unexpected situations like running naked in front of Esdeath, she needs to train her control over the "Flame Form" properly.

Hmm... just to be on the safe side, it would be best to make myself a set of fireproof clothing.

—The fur of the East Sea Cloud Dragon has a certain flame-retardant effect. I'll find someone to help process it and weave it into a set of close-fitting sweaters and pants. That should have a good effect.

……

at the same time.

The audience below the ring were all a bit confused.

Including Master Roshi, none of them were exempt from the "Mahapadma," so during the brief moment time froze, their minds and bodies truly ceased functioning. Therefore, from their perspective, it seemed as if Uchiha Hikaru and Esdeath were fiercely battling one second, and the next second the latter suddenly appeared to have conceded defeat, ending the match—which seemed somewhat inexplicable.

but……

It doesn't really matter.

After all, the intense battle between Uchiha Hikaru and Esdeath before "Mokpa Temo" was already worth the price of admission.

Next came the awards ceremony and group photo session.

According to the rules, the top three finishers in the martial arts tournament will receive medals.

The champion will receive a one-time prize of 50 Sony dollars and a gold-plated trophy engraved with the words "Number One Master in the World".

Well...

Money wasn't a concern. Uchiha Hikaru had recently raided the Red Ribbon Army's headquarters and reaped considerable profits, so he didn't need to worry about money for the time being.

But the trophies and medals still have some commemorative significance.

Holding two items, Uchiha Hikaru posed for photos with Bulma, Erii, and the others, then handed them the trophy and medals so they could pass them around. He stretched and glanced at Esdeath beside him, saying, "The match is finally over. Let's go get something good to eat later. It's on me."

"..."

Esdeath was looking down at her "silver medal" and remained silent.

Instead, Goku scratched his head and tentatively asked, "Hikaru-neechan, can Krillin and I go too?"

"Um?"

Uchiha Hikaru smiled slightly: "Of course, I'm talking about everyone. After this match, everyone will soon be going their separate ways, and we don't know when we'll meet again. So we should take this opportunity to get together."

"Yay!"

As they were talking, Uchiha Hikaru felt a figure approach her and gently nudge her arm: "Hikaru-san, look over there..."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Uchiha Hikaru glanced back and saw it was Tanjiro.

The latter pointed in one direction: "I just saw someone over there... a cat, it looks like Master Cat Sage has arrived."

"what?"

Uchiha Hikaru paused slightly, then looked up in the direction Tanjiro was pointing.

Hmm... I didn't see it; my view was blocked.

After subtly activating the Flying Technique and slightly raising his body, Uchiha Hikaru once again scanned his surroundings and quickly noticed a white figure in the corner of the audience seats. It was none other than the Cat Sage sitting there with his cane.

Next to him was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and glasses.

It seems that he noticed Uchiha Hikaru's gaze.

The cat licked its whiskers, still sporting a squinty-eyed expression.

The middle-aged man nodded to her, then stood up and slowly turned to walk away.

"This person..."

Uchiha Hikaru narrowed his eyes slightly, a thought forming in his mind.

The appearance of the cat sage surprised her a little.

After all, this lonely old cat rarely leaves Korin Tower. In the original work, it always had Yajirobe deliver Senzu Beans to the Z Fighters on its behalf. But leaving the top of the tower to watch the World Martial Arts Tournament... at least this was the first time Hikaru Uchiha had seen it.

As for the middle-aged man following the cat sage, he seemed even more unfamiliar.

Even if Uchiha Guang went through the entire Dragon Ball manga in his mind, he couldn't remember where the other person had appeared.

However, Uchiha Hikaru still had some guesses about the middle-aged man's identity—

(Could that middle-aged man be an incarnation of a god?)

Kami possesses the ability of "mind control." In the original work, he once used this technique to possess "Mr. Shen's" body to participate in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. He attempted to seal Piccolo Jr. with "Evil Containment Wave" at the tournament, but failed and was instead sealed by the opponent. He was only able to escape after being rescued by young Goku.

and so……

The cat sage has already visited the heavenly god and told him about his group's situation.

The answer is unknown.

But there's no rush.

After all, if the other party is truly a god, and is here to observe their group, then they will definitely come looking for them again after the competition is over. All Uchiha Hikaru has to do is wait.

……

That evening.

The group enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at another upscale restaurant in the city.

With Goku, the big eater, around, Hikaru Uchiha quickly spent all 50 yen he received from the martial arts tournament. He even had to take an extra 100 million yen from his own pocket to pay off the bill.

Bulma originally wanted to help share the burden, but she refused.

"Well, it's okay, I'm quite wealthy now. I got a lot of spoils from the last time we wiped out the Red Ribbon Army, and I haven't spent much of it yet."

"what?"

Bulma blinked, leaned closer, and whispered, "I've been wanting to ask this for a while... Hikari, did you really wipe out the Red Ribbon Army in just one week? They're a notorious world-class army. I heard that even the Earth's king sent troops to try and eliminate them, but they failed..."

"No, actually we only used four days..."

Uchiha Hikaru corrected him.

In fact, the annihilation of the Red Silk Army did not cause any stir in the outside world.

Aside from a few areas directly oppressed by the Red Ribbon Army who sensed something amiss, most of the remaining regions and people were unaware that the army had vanished. However, as time goes on, these things will likely be gradually discovered. Whether a new organization will replace the Red Ribbon Army at that time is a matter for the Dragon Ball world to decide.

Uchiha Hikaru has already overstepped his bounds once; the rest can be left to Goku and the others.

That night.

The group returned to the hotel.

Bulma enthusiastically sought out people to play poker.

Yamato was the first to respond, while Kikyo and Erii were half-heartedly pulled over.

Uchiha Hikaru had fought Esdeath during the day and was a little tired, so he went back to the bathroom to shower and take a bath. After the fatigue subsided, he changed into clean clothes and returned to the living room, intending to grab a Coke from the refrigerator to quench his thirst. Just then, a knock came from outside the door.

"Um?"

Why is someone coming so late?

After a slight hesitation, Uchiha Hikaru went to the door, looked out through the peephole, and then opened the door. He saw the Cat Sage standing outside, licking his paws: "Hikaru, is it convenient to talk now?"

"The matter you and Tanjiro asked me to inquire about last time has been resolved. That person wishes to meet with you."

"Oh?"

Uchiha Hikaru slightly raised her head, her gaze passing over the Cat Sage and looking towards the corner of the corridor. There she saw a weathered old man in a white robe with green skin standing there, looking at her with a serious expression.

"Come in and talk."

Uchiha Hikaru stepped aside, turned and walked inside, then opened the refrigerator, took out several glasses of juice and water, and placed them on the table: "What would you like to drink?"

"...Thank you, but no need."

The god sat down on the sofa, glanced at the cat sage beside him, and then slowly said, "I've already heard some things about you from the cat sage... I never imagined that there were other worlds besides ours, and that you could travel freely between them. It's truly unbelievable."

"really."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded.

From a certain perspective, she also found the existence of chat groups quite incredible.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the god got down to business: "...I heard from the cat sage that you and that kid named Tanjiro want to borrow the Dragon Balls?"

(End of this chapter)