You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"call!"

The girl with long orange hair blinked, smiled brightly, and waved her hand, saying, "That's up to your imagination~"

Chapter 422 As expected, numerical superiority is still the most reliable method.

This is a world that is clearly in motion, yet remains unchanged.

The cycle repeats endlessly, like running on a snake with its tail between its legs in the courtyard, with no end in sight.

Above, there is a clear blue sky and still clouds; below, there is a vast, unblemished sea, as smooth as a mirror. In a daze, the sky and the sea are indistinguishable, even if they were upside down.

That was a horizon that stretched to the very end of the field of vision and never intersected.

There wasn't even a ripple; it was calm, even deathly still, as if the whole world had been frozen in colorless crystal.

pop~

Tiny bubbles rose from the depths of the sea, causing ripples on the calm surface. The slightest tremor made the reflection of the clouds in the water sway, and the ever-changing outlines gradually turned into shadows, from which the human figure then emerged.

It doesn't resemble a physical object; rather, it's more like a still ink painting, merely imprinted on the "water surface."

He should have remained in this state without realizing it, but at a certain moment, "he" slowly opened his eyes, like an ancient ghost awakening from amber.

As his body stretched out, countless ripples instantly spread across the pristine sea. First an arm, then his head and chest, half his body… little by little, he was “salvaged” from the sea.

Then, dressed in simple white clothes, looking like a patient, he stood on the water and looked around blankly—there was nothing there.

There is nothing here except the sky above and the sea below, and the only thing you can observe is the distant horizon.

No matter where I went, the scenery was exactly the same, without any change. Occasionally, I could hear what sounded like people whispering in the distance, separated by thousands of barriers, but when I calmed down, I realized it was just my imagination.

He didn't know how long he had been here, or when he had gained consciousness. It seemed that he had been in this state from the very beginning... Time had been so long that even his mind was rusting, and he was no longer willing to think or have any extra desires.

Looking down at the water, I didn't see any reflection.

He slowly bent down and put his palm into the water. At that moment, his body was like light, incredibly "folded" and reflected on the water, extending as if he himself were the reflection.

As long as you keep moving forward, you can gradually enter into it, transforming from a physical entity into a non-existent phantom, returning to the original realm... That will surely put your mind at ease.

but!

Something was wrong—he suddenly stopped.

I forgot some very important things!

Ripples spread out beneath his feet, and golden light spread into the distance. Each flash brought a change in light and shadow, revealing a series of bizarre and fantastical scenes as they rapidly rotated.

"..."

It turned out to be the case.

The man suddenly realized something, and the blank look on his face disappeared.

"If captured, will their will be altered under the influence of [Origin]?"

These words were like a signal; the moment they landed, the sea beneath his feet suddenly split open!

The thunderous roar echoed across the sea and sky, and the violent tremors struck the entire world. The sea surface shattered like a broken mirror, forming countless dark cracks. The seawater, which could have easily submerged the cracks, seemed to be frozen, showing no signs of movement.

The world collapsed at an unimaginable speed, and "he" standing on it began to fall—no, not fall.

On the contrary, it's on the rise!

An irresistible attraction descended from the sky, causing him to lose control of his body and inexplicably fly towards the sky.

The feeling was like the world was upside down, with the sky below.

Countless mirror-like fragments of the sea fell with him, stretching towards the boundless sky, their reflections flashing before his eyes.

Some things were familiar, some were unfamiliar, but they all gave him a sense of bewilderment, as if he was about to grasp something but could not quite grasp it.

In that instant, his eyes suddenly changed, and he decisively reached out and grabbed a shard of mirror. Looking back, he saw that it reflected only complete darkness—

Zheng!

Suddenly, the fragment melted like ice in Iori's hand, turning into a "heavy" liquid that kept changing shape.

Ignoring the collapse of the outside world and not caring where he would end up, I focused all his attention on this dark substance. As his spirit continued to rise, the changes in the liquid gradually became regular, and finally, under Iori's will, it condensed into a sphere that seemed to be able to devour all light.

Even though she couldn't see anything, Iori stared intently as if bewitched, letting her body be swallowed by the void...

Just as he was about to fall into the depths of that boundless space, a sliver of golden light suddenly burst forth from the core of the black sphere, like a spark within a dark crystal, giving the entire black sphere a translucent quality.

At this moment, Iori could no longer ignore the increasingly powerful gravity. Her mental energy dispersed, and her body emitted a hazy white light, attempting to dissipate from this collapsing world.

His consciousness completely blurred, but at the last moment, he vaguely saw a slender, transparent hand radiating golden light touch the black ball and cover Iori's hand.

"Even without a name... I am you..."

……

"call!"

Iori, dressed in white and lying on the bed, suddenly woke up, his hand raised as if to grasp something. The illusion of falling upside down still lingered on his body, making it difficult for him to distinguish between dream and reality.

He held his breath for a while before slowly coming to his senses with his eyes wide open. Even in his current state of mind, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"As expected... it has nothing to do with strength."

[Origin] is truly a difficult thing to grasp. The awakening process itself is not difficult, and there is even a very mature technology for it. However, to be unaffected by [Origin], to only enjoy the power it brings, and to ignore the negative effects... is almost impossible.

This thing isn't something that can be accomplished simply by being powerful; the strength of one's soul is also a secondary factor. Instead, it's related to the philosophical concepts of "id" and "ego."

If placed within the world of cultivation, then the main test would be one's "Dao Heart".

"I now……"

The rise and fall of my chest gradually subsided, and the chaotic thoughts in my mind gradually cleared up.

Iori realized that the most crucial factor in the training process was whether or not she could preserve her "self" from being eroded by the [Origin].

However, since the "origin" is closer to the "original" than the self-awareness developed later in life, the difficulty is self-evident.

Most people cannot escape the erosion of primal impulses. For example, some people's origin is "eating". Under the influence of this concept, they will have a big appetite. Once they can't control their instincts, they will become cannibalistic beings.

Furthermore, this thing is practically a "strong-targeting" weapon!

Human self-awareness begins in infancy and is formed through continuous "force feedback" from the external world. Therefore, the strength of the forces one wields gradually alters one's perception of the world.

The strong are not bound by the same constraints as ordinary people, and the stronger they are, the more constrained they become. Even under normal circumstances, many people do not care about laws or morals, but rely solely on their inner bottom line and principles to restrain themselves.

What the origin erodes is instinct and cognition!

If a strong person believes themselves to be a "beast" and tries to live like a beast, then without stronger violence to restrain them, it is easy for them to "unite knowledge and action" and completely change themselves.

This is also a case of "a large ship having difficulty turning around".

Because of his experience with the Cave of Garan, Iori was very determined and thus escaped unharmed.

Through this exploration of the [Origin], he also confirmed a fact: this thing can indeed bypass the restriction of the "true name" and directly awaken the power deep within the soul.

It's much more dangerous than Bankai; it's simpler to just kill the monk directly.

In addition...

"Even if you can't remember my name, am I still a part of you?"

Iori recalled the last scene in her mental world, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

"Although Bankai isn't that important to me, even just for that sentence, I have to go to the Spirit King Palace and reason with the Hyosube!"

call!

She got up, her clothes swaying with the momentum, like a cloak brushing against the golden bed. In the blink of an eye, Iori was dressed, and her clothes had changed into her favorite style.

His movement caused the surrounding environment to change instantly. Golden light illuminated everything, and dense magical energy filled the entire space, almost like liquid.

This is actually inside an ultra-high-level magic furnace!

As Iori walked out, the people waiting outside all looked over at her, their eyes filled with anticipation, worry, or relief.

"Thank you for your hard work in guarding this place."

Iori glanced around and asked with a smile, "Nothing happened, right?"

"No, it's very quiet, and the magic fluctuations are very stable."

Sera asked gently, "Did you find anything?"

Their duty here is to prevent the situation from getting out of control. Both Athena and Sera are connected to Iori's mind. If Iori's self-awareness becomes confused, they will use the magic furnace core to awaken her... Fortunately, the whole process is relatively stable.

"I guess so, although we don't need it for the time being."

Iori pondered for a moment, "However, with this experience, we can continue to explore in the future."

"Since you're alright, let's get to work."

The petite, silver-haired girl leaned against a stone pillar, not even glancing at Iori, and said, "The foundation stone laying project is all ready and can be started at any time."

"That's really good news."

Iori didn't seem to care about the goddess of wisdom's cold attitude and maintained her gentle, endearing smile.

This is a magnificent hall, paved with pure white foundation stones. Tall Roman-style columns support the dome, which is decorated with stained glass depicting the structure of the solar system. The surrounding area is arranged with the constellations of the zodiac, arranged like clockwork.

Standing in the center of the main hall and looking in all directions, one can see the boundless universe and starry sky, with all kinds of beautiful colors that are breathtaking.

The place where Iori and the others were located was a golden ship with a futuristic feel. The mechanical creation that could originally travel through the stars had been modified into an altar-like structure, with patterns outlined using mercury and jade as mediums, connecting the entire hall and allowing extremely pure magic to flow within it.

At the highest point of the altar was where Iori had just slept—a throne surrounded by golden flower buds.

The entire palace is located in the infernal world of "Shadow Reality," or more precisely, on its satellite celestial body. Its scale is so vast that it is probably unmatched on Earth, even surpassing the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs.

To build this grand hall and its accompanying temple complex, Iori not only personally took charge, but also enlisted the help of Athena, Sera, Hippolyta, and the death goddess girls from another world. From aesthetic design to magical engineering to physical strength, everything was impeccable.

Iori has put in a lot of effort for this, but thankfully she will be rewarded today.

Once the Mechagod Core obtained from Chaldea successfully dominates the entire "Purgatory" magic corridor, it can unleash extremely powerful forces, and it is even possible to turn the entire satellite into an armed fortress or a space starship.

Of course, the satellite itself is an important hub for maintaining the magic cycle, and Iori has other uses for developing it, and there are no plans to move it away from "Purgatory" for the time being.

"Alpha and the others are all in position, the obelisks have been inserted into every magic node, and the large network has been successfully constructed."

Beatrice reported the situation to Iori, still finding it unbelievable.

Previously, Iori revealed information about parallel worlds and even took them with her on a journey, which was already surprising enough. But who would have thought that they could use another world as the organization's base!

This incomplete satellite was originally unsuitable for human habitation, but it was transformed by Iori and the goddess under his command into a state with an atmosphere and a moderate concentration of magic.

(The Machine God comes with its own planetary environment modification program, which Athena, as the Earth Mother Goddess, finds quite convenient to use.)

This is too exaggerated!

In comparison, the Diablo Cult is still researching some kind of demon cell, trying to obtain the blessing of immortality through a hideous method... They're not even in the same league as this man before them!

Of course, Beatrice, who leads the Seireitei, doesn't think much of the Order either. If Iori hadn't been busy assigning tasks and couldn't find the time, the Shinigami girls would have wiped out the Order long ago!

"In that case, let's get started."

Iori nodded, and his clothes automatically unbuttoned and slipped off smoothly, exposing his upper body.

Aside from Sera and the two goddesses, the girls present subconsciously shifted their gaze, but some couldn't help but steal glances, their rosy cheeks looking quite adorable.

Iori paid no attention to any of this. He walked up the metal staircase that automatically extended from the altar step by step. At the same time, the magic circuits that were spread throughout the ship and the main hall suddenly lit up, with their efficiency increasing by more than a hundred times!

The radiance of ether extended along the pre-set path, connecting various nodes on the satellite. The obelisks guarded by the Death Maidens were activated, and various runes lit up in turn, finally condensing into a dazzling starlight at the tip.

At this moment, the entire satellite came to life, and the flow of magic was its breath!

hum!

hum!

hum!

As if in response, the invisible cycle that permeated the entire Purgatory World finally began to fluctuate!

Iori suddenly felt as if her body had disappeared, and she was transformed into another form, looking down at the world from a high place, as if she could turn the world upside down with just a thought!

Under Iori's unseen gaze, an immense dragon vein, far exceeding the scale of "Akatsuki," was slowly taking shape...

Chapter 423 The Hueco Mundo Conquest Begins!

"Overall... is the art style worth around 20 to 30 points?"