NOVEL NEXT 228. Heavens
{People from different worlds, like myself, are here too?}
[Yes. I know it's very unsettling to hear-]
{Well...shit}
[That...was a far more reasonable reaction than what I expected. Aren't you concerned?]
{Oh, most definitely. There's just so much shit to juggle now, I can't even afford to waste my time freaking out about it-!?}
WOOOOO!
The very embodiment of the late "Rei Sano's" will named Notitia, who now assumed the former's form in this white space... His ethereal body had begun to flicker and fade even more now!
[Can't stay here much longer]
{Why are you fading exactly? All you mentioned was that my melding Rei's and Isshiki's chakra into one was the cause}
[I was created through you and Rei, the latter of whom has already ascended to the "Pure World". Now that his chakra is being consumed as materials to create a unique one just for you, there's nothing left to anchor me to this plane. I need to finish things before the Black Gem swallows me whole]
{Wait--What? It's...gonna eat you? Now you've lost me...again}
[Let me get to main point. Raymond, we need to temporarily sever our connection to the others]
Looking out into the distance, the reborn engineer gazed at the galaxies above him. The dazzling sight, representing the worlds of those unaffiliated with him, consistently mesmerized him
{By the others, you mean all those people with "Soul Spaces" of their own, working for the--um, Interloper?}
[When the Black Gem, your subconscious given form, consumes me...it'll take over my role. Inheriting everything that I am when I'm gone, just like with Isshiki's soul. Only when that's done can we-!]
{Time out! Y-You just glossed over something kind of important. How in the hell did I ever obtain Isshiki's soul? I get having his chakra due to incorporating his DNA, but there shouldn't have been anything else}
With this query, the ever-disappearing Notitia stepped away from Raymond, shooting a quick glance at the swirling lights dwelling outside the Soul Space
[Do you know how or why these foreigners, like the Interloper, are so powerful? What makes them different from this world's citizens on a fundamental level?]
Thinking back to his initial studies of chakra and its relationship with matter, energy, and people... Raymond noticed those untouched by the Sage of Six Paths were different due to one single factor...
{Their souls. We never received the gift of chakra, of Spiritual Energy from Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki}
[A half-right answer. What makes you different is indeed your souls, but it's not about chakra. Foreigners like you, your souls are of, shall we say...higher quality. Especially yours in particular, compared to the those out there...it's like a massive black hole]
{...Did you just take a shot at me?}
[Haaa...focus please. Let's start with Isshiki's soul. First question, how did you even manage to obtain it at all?]
{I can only assume it has something to do with my body's remodeling, via his machines and DNA. Right after I killed him}
[Ōtsutsuki digitize their genetic information into others, correlating to their parasitic nature. When the host's genome is completely changed to their liking, the alien takes over the body. When you entered that machine, altering your form for the first time, the process was the closest thing to a-]
{That damn stigma...Karma. But still, it's just me incorporating his genes to make myself stronger, I shouldn't have served as a reciprocal for him. I don't have any marks or seals on me either...}
Due to Isshiki having yet not met his future head of R&D, Amado, he attempted to use the giant centrifuge chamber in his lab to forcibly create potential "vessels"
All in hopes of increasing their compatibility with Karma, and hasten his transference
[I never said he used Karma on you]
{Huh?}
[The machine never worked for him since he lacked your technical expertise, hence all the failures he had. Its primary purpose was to create an immediate, compatible host, therefore bypassing the waiting process for Karma. It only worked for you due to the tweaks you made, albeit with my instruction]
{In other words, I became a perfect "vessel" for him...but how did he remain in this plane? Especially after what I did to him? Some things aren't adding up...}
Raymond remained skeptical at Notitia's claim. Wondering how Isshiki, after having been decapitated and reduced to nothing but dust and ash... could possibly be alive in such a state...
[Is it really so hard to believe? According to your knowledge of the future, isn't Obito Uchiha set on doing the same when he died? The last bit of chakra he had, bestowed upon his best friend...Kakashi Hatake]
{Ah! You mean...?!}
[His body may have been reduced in pieces, but the lifeforce of an Ōtsutsuki is more tenacious than a cockroach. Their chakra and souls can linger in the real world for some time, even after their bodies have been destroyed]
{His chakra sought me out, even after I destroyed him...!}
[Which wasn't hard considering you took in his flesh, also containing his chakra. Desperate to latch on to the nearest living thing that could contain him, you were the obvious choice. His soul was instantly drawn to you, but something unexpected happened in the process...]
{Does it have something to do with what you said earlier?}
[Yes. Outsider beings like yourself possess incredibly powerful souls of higher quality. Greater than any human or Ōtsutsuki. Judging from the information the Black Gem has provided, I'd say the place you hail from is on a higher scale. Like comparing a two dimensional being to a third...]
{If that's true, Isshiki definitely got more than he bargained for}
[Isshiki doesn't exist anymore. Instead of taking over your body, your soul easily managed to devour his, in its entirety. His "Will" completely eroded into oblivion, leaving nothing but his memories...memories your "Will" now contains]
{Everything?!}
Raymond smiled as if he won the lottery, for clarity had finally come at last. He always wondered how "Neo-Rei", or rather, the Black gem performed so much more efficiently than he whenever control was surrendered
How it could fight so much better, strategize better, knead chakra better...these questions remained unanswered until now. Since it had access to all of Isshiki's memories, it was naturally superior to him in every conceivable way. Over a thousand years worth of knowledge
The biggest treasure trove of information related to chakra and the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the planet, was now stored inside his subconscious... Inside this tiny, floating, black orb
He grew a little skittish at the revelation, like an impatient child, for such intel would undoubtedly make his life vastly easier
[Karma imprints DNA, muscle memory, even the instincts of an Ōtsutsuki, instantly making anyone into a veteran warrior. You may not have Karma, but thanks what you are, everything he had is now yours. Now, with the added benefit of not having to worry about an alien parasite taking over your body]
{"Neo-Ōtsutsuki"}
[You really are a genius to have figured it out so quickly. Since you're a foreigner, that makes you deadly to any body-snatcher or so-called immortal on the planet]
The ability to do, what no one else in world can do...consume and destroy a soul until nothing remains. He immediately knew what this meant, what this made him, what Notitia had in store for him all along...
The true meaning of the term, "Neo-Ōtsutsuki":...
To members of the Ōtsutsuki clan, Raymond was on track to becoming nothing short of their natural...Apex Predator
"There has to be catch. This seems too good to be true..."
[Your mind inadvertently utilized the In'yōton1Yin-Yang/Shadow & Light Style to create this "Black Gem". All in order to compile--or should I say, seal the memories left from Isshiki, strictly to avoid the risks of overloading. I shouldn't have to tell you but, the brain is like a computer, and while your alien one is stronger, you've yet to fully mature. All that information taken in at once could kill you, as you are now. To fully incorporate it, you'll have to decompress it a little bit at a time]
Raymond caught Notitia by surprise when he suddenly closed his eyes and stretched his arms out, emitting an aura of calm he'd never displayed before
Despite the new dangers of the mysterious Interloper, it's puppet agents scattered throughout the world, and the questionable "Helper" dwelling in Ryūchidō2Dragon Ground Cave... he was truly at peace
This substantial amount of truth thrown his way, had managed to clear the fog of uncertainty that plagued his mind for years
RUMBLE!
The world began to shake as the white environment continued to spread, encapsulating the area around them. The dimension was beginning to separate from the others as the "galaxies" appearance began to vanish
With this, Notitia's form began to distort even more!
[We're almost there. A new, singular chakra solely meant for you is about to be born. All traces of Isshiki's and "Rei's" chakra is about to vanish. Soon, this place will become an exclusive version of Kisshōten, just for you. You'll be able to come here anytime you like, without consequences, accessing the information the Black Gem has contained within]
{Any drawbacks?}
[Like I warned about overloading, take it slow. Absorb a little bit at a time, as to not kill yourself. Also, quit using Yin-Yang style to create and alter objects. Holding information is one thing, manipulating the laws of creation & destruction is another]
{Translation, it's only safe when my chakra is at the level of "Gods"}
[Precisely. Will Materialization should be fine, but don't press your luck. Just refer to the floating orb if need anything from this point onwards. Think you'll be okay?]
{I'm gonna be great. No more drawbacks, or annoying changes...things only go up from here. Honestly, I haven't felt this good in years}
[Jerk. You feeling great when I'm dying. All in all though, I could say the same. Despite being nothing but a formless entity, created for the singular purpose of "guiding" you... I'm genuinely happy right now]
Raymond wondered how Notitia could say such a thing, now that its existence was coming to an end... but the latter merely smiled back at him
Even as its form continued to vanish, even as the Black Gem took its time swallowing what remained of it's form... it was joyful
[The art of Repetition, taking things and making them your own. That is the truth of studying any form of art. Drawing, writing, fighting, shinobi, human interactions...it's all the same. You've continued to grow, becoming someone else entirely, becoming a better you...I was a bit inspired]
{Inspired? By me?}
[I'm Rei Sano's will incarnate, I have all his memories and desires. I know what he wanted more than anything, after the mysterious Helper told him his fate of being a nobody who died young...was to keep all that he held dear safe]
{...}
[His village, his friends, his family. He knew he couldn't do anything, but you... you became his hope. You! The one set to replace him! I thought that being a mere copy, I couldn't bother to care for the people here. But you, who's even more of a stranger to them than I, have risked your life for them. You changed, and I followed]
{...}
[Had you never admitted to caring for them, to seeing them as more than mere "characters", I never would've helped you. Nor would I have willingly allowed myself to be sacrificed like this, as to no longer hinder you...]
{As I thought, you have the last bit of Rei's chakra. Once it's gone, my own, "Raymond's" chakra can be born}
[Enough about "Raymond". There is no Raymond here. Raymond only exists in that other world, not this one. You, me, the original--no... we're all entity known as "Rei Sano". He's all of us, together...but it is only you that remains now. Our living legacy]
SIZZLE!
Notitia's form had nearly vanished from being devoured by the Black Gem, the "galaxies" in the distance had nearly vanished from sight, signifying the disconnection to the "Interlopers" conclave of connected souls
[There's more I could say, but you'll know everything thanks to this floating thing, once I'm gone]
{...}
[Hence, I'll only leave you with this, your real journey begins now. So Rei!]
{...Yeah?}
[Try not to be too much of an asshole...HAHAHAHA!]
ZUUUUUU...!
With its last words, Notitia was finally gone, and the space was now filled with nothing but white once again
{A dick to the end... Pffft! Heh!}