[TL/N: New Book -
Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!]
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Despite her mental preparation, Terumi Mei couldn't suppress her awe when she saw the thousands of magical products available in the dimensional marketplace. The sheer variety left her stunned.
Examining the options one by one, she felt like a college student overwhelmed by the allure of online shopping, tempted to add everything she fancied to her cart.
But reality set in quickly.
Her meager 30,000 points were a stark reminder of her limited resources. With no other choice, she reluctantly entrusted Crocodile's recommendations and spent all her points on carefully selected items.
Unlike Rasa, who had immediately focused on the welfare of his people, Terumi Mei's current concerns were more personal. She still lacked the power and standing necessary to lead Kirigakure as its Mizukage.
Her dream of revitalizing the village would have to wait. First, she needed to claim the mantle of leadership.
Two major obstacles stood in her way: strength and qualification.
Though the Fourth Mizukage's "Blood Mist" policy had left deep scars on Kirigakure, it had also produced formidable shinobi—monstrous geniuses who now stood as her competition for the position of Mizukage.
Fortunately, the current village Chief Elder, Genshi, favored her candidacy. And now, with access to the mystical power of dimensional transactions, Terumi Mei was confident she could surpass her rivals and secure the position.
Once she became Mizukage, she could focus on her ultimate goals: revitalizing Kirigakure and tracking down the mysterious organization responsible for manipulating Yagura.
——
Half an hour later, with Crocodile's assistance, Terumi Mei completed her first dimensional shopping experience.
As Crocodile bid her farewell, his figure dissolved into fine sand and disappeared, leaving Terumi Mei alone with her newly acquired treasures.
Following his recommendations, she spent her entire 30,000 points:
Nihilego:
Her first and most expensive purchase was an Ultra Beast called Nihilego from the Pokémon dimension. It cost 15,000 points, including two additional evolution methods: bond evolution and maximalization.
Nihilego resembled a humanoid figure with an oversized head, storing highly toxic venom within. Though its current strength was only equivalent to that of an elite chunin (level 40), its potential for growth was immense.
Upon experimenting briefly with bond evolution, Terumi Mei immediately noticed an extraordinary change. Her Boil Release and Lava Release techniques were now infused with a potent poison, significantly enhancing their lethality.
With time and further transactions to unlock Nihilego's full potential, she estimated her combat power could triple within a year and a half.
For someone already at Kage-level strength—the pinnacle of Kirigakure's combat force—this sudden boost was nothing short of astounding.
Asauchi(*Nameless Zanpakutō):
Terumi Mei allocated her remaining points to purchase three Asauchi (2,000 points each), weapons from the world of Bleach. These mystical blades adapted to their wielder's soul, capable of evolving into powerful forms: Shikai and Bankai.
Though she wasn't accustomed to using weapons in battle, the adaptable nature of the Asauchi intrigued her. She kept one for herself and gifted the other two to her trusted subordinates, Ao and Chojuro.
Hearts of Enlightenment:
Finally, she bought three Hearts of Enlightenment (3,000 points each), items that facilitated personal growth through introspection. She kept one and gave the remaining two to Ao and Chojuro.
In a world where shinobi lived and died for their village, enlightenment was a priceless asset, and Terumi Mei intended to ensure her team was equipped to thrive in the challenges ahead.
With the transactions complete, Terumi Mei quietly slipped out of the village to avoid drawing attention. She carried her newfound treasures to a secluded clearing on the outskirts of Kirigakure, where she could begin exploring their potential.
For the first time in a long while, she felt a flicker of hope. The power of dimensional transactions had given her the tools she needed to rewrite her destiny—and perhaps the destiny of Kirigakure itself.
Terumi Mei retrieved one of the Enlightened Hearts. Following the subtle instructions resonating within her, she pressed the radiant artifact directly against her heaving chest.
Suddenly—
A dazzling, multicolored light erupted, brilliant yet fleeting, vanishing in the blink of an eye as though it had never existed.
But Terumi Mei felt it clearly—
A surge of immense power coursed through her body.
"Is this... the power of enlightenment?" she murmured, her voice trembling with awe. Her jade-green eyes sparkled as an unprecedented sensation swept over her.
As the realization dawned on her, she instinctively directed the newfound energy within her. Her bloodline limit reacted instantaneously.
"Boil Release: Hot Water Explosion Technique!"
With a sharp exhale—
Poof!
A torrent of corrosive liquid spewed forth from her mouth, surging like a voracious beast, consuming everything in its path.
"Huh? The solution's potency has increased!" Terumi Mei's expression lit up with excitement.
Peering closer, she noticed a faint purple aura of awakening power enveloping the dissolving fluid.
"Purple… could this be the enlightenment power of the cloud attribute?"
Her confident demeanor exuded a mature and commanding presence. As her long, wavy hair swayed gently in the breeze, Terumi Mei chuckled, twisting her waist seductively.
"This aligns well with my abilities. I'll make it mine."
"The enhanced cloud attribute power… combined with the venom of the Nihilego… and…"
She trailed off, drawing out a katana from her belongings. Despite having witnessed the incredible power of Pokémon and the Heart of Enlightenment, she hesitated for a brief moment.
The thought of awakening an Asauchi using its usual method unsettled her. After all, stabbing oneself without hesitation felt... unnatural.
Yet, the desire to harness this power overwhelmed her doubts. There was no time to waste. She couldn't wait for Ao and Chojuro to test its effects.
Gripping the snow-white blade, which glimmered faintly, Terumi Mei steeled herself. Without hesitation, she turned the blade's tip inward and plunged it into her abdomen.
Whoosh!
Another dazzling white light erupted, forcing Terumi Mei to shut her eyes instinctively. When she opened them again, she found herself immersed in a surreal world filled with boiling steam.
In reality…
The katana Terumi Mei had held in her hand suddenly vanished.
Instead, it was replaced by a long, purple whip radiating intense heat!
After a moment of silence, Terumi Mei opened her eyes.
Seeing gazed at the weapon and smiled alluringly.
"Let's work together, Violet," she whispered seductively.
Meanwhile, in another dimension…
"It seems the transactions in the ninja world are progressing smoothly," mused Leo, reclining on a sunny beach in the Pirate World.
Crocodile, who had been quiet for some time, had suddenly received a substantial influx of points, causing a satisfied grin to spread across Leo's face.
In fact, among the four dimensional merchants he sent out this time, the world where Crocodile lived was the most serious and easier to deal with…
Among the others, Nami had managed to complete a few smaller transactions thanks to her innate luck, though her gains paled in comparison to Crocodile's.
As for Robin and Doflamingo, they had been exploring their assigned world for over a month but remained in the reconnaissance phase. The two seemed lost, still searching for clues to uncover the world's unique supernatural powers.
This wasn't surprising. The worlds these two had entered were ranked just below the One Piece universe in terms of complexity—at least A-level worlds.
However, neither Robin nor Doflamingo had fully regained their strength and were cautious about making any reckless moves.
Leo, understanding their predicament, had advised them to prioritize safety over haste. After all, as dimensional merchants with near-infinite lifespans, they could afford to tread carefully.
Even so, Leo couldn't help but feel curious. What kind of worlds had they stumbled upon?
After briefly reviewing Nami and the others' situation reports and confirming their lack of significant progress, Leo shifted his attention back to his three investigators.
Unlike dimensional merchants, the investigators had undergone numerous updates and enhancements under Leo's design. These upgrades included cutting-edge functionality, allowing him to observe other worlds directly through their eyes.
First, he checked on Ace's status.
As time passed, the storyline in the Reborn World was nearing its conclusion. Tsuna, the protagonist of that world, had grown astonishingly powerful.
If not for the consistent influx of points Ace received—akin to a salary—it was likely Ace, despite being an investigator, would have been outpaced by his own "apprentice."
In any case, the tutoring world was not inferior to the pirate world in terms of level. In some respects, it even surpassed it.
As the main character, Tsuna's destiny far outshone Ace's. After gaining the power of dimensional trading, Tsuna's growth had accelerated exponentially, and his fortunes flourished as he carved his path to success.
Once the story in the Reborn World fully concluded, Leo planned to visit it again. He aimed to negotiate for the Vongola rings in Tsuna's possession, as well as several other sets of rings, by trading them for a significant amount of world energy.
Satisfied with the progress there, Leo dismissed the Reborn World's screen with a wave of his hand. Another screen materialized in its place, displaying Bartolomeo's situation.
The world assigned to Bartolomeo for investigation was classified as E-level—a seemingly ordinary realm with nothing noteworthy except for peculiar fluctuations that had caught Leo's attention.
Curious about these anomalies, Leo had specifically sent Bartolomeo to investigate. However, even he hadn't anticipated that this seemingly minor mission would yield far greater rewards than any other world.
New World
In a bustling modern city, Bartolomeo leaned lazily against a telephone pole, wearing a designer casual T-shirt. He let out a long yawn, clearly bored.
"Ahh, seriously," he muttered, "why hasn't that woman Sonoko shown up yet?"
"This annoying lady keeps me waiting every single time!"
"If Sir Leo hadn't asked me to study the laws of time in this world, I'd have ditched this boring place ages ago!"
Bartolomeo sighed, his tone dripping with frustration.
When he first arrived, he assumed this was just another run-of-the-mill E-level world, a quick investigation he could wrap up before moving on to the next.
But things took an unexpected turn.
During his initial investigation, Bartolomeo discovered glaring irregularities in the concept of time within this world.
For instance, one day it was a snowy winter, yet the next it transformed into a sweltering summer.
One day was February 14th, Valentine's Day. The next, it was December 31st, New Year's Eve.
At first, Bartolomeo assumed these bizarre shifts were just quirky customs or natural phenomena. But as he delved deeper, he found that while the inhabitants recognized the standard flow of time—one day following another—they were utterly oblivious to the abnormalities surrounding them.
Realizing the significance of his discovery, Bartolomeo immediately reported it to Leo.
Upon hearing this, Leo's curiosity was piqued. He ventured into the void to observe the world from outside its borders.
What he saw left him astonished. At the edge of this world, an intricate and foreign law of time enveloped the entire realm like an invisible barrier.
This law of time was not a natural part of the world but seemed to have been inserted at some point in its history. Due to the world's low level, Leo could clearly discern the law's structure—a revelation that filled him with excitement.
With the accumulation of primordial energy, Leo had conducted numerous experiments and gained some understanding of the rules governing the void.
Leo's observations had revealed that:
Each world is constructed through a combination of distinct laws.These laws are divided into basic laws and special laws—terms he coined himself.
Basic laws govern the foundational mechanics of a world, such as time, space, gravity, and life.
Special laws, on the other hand, introduce unique elements, such as the Devil Fruits in the pirate world, spiritual power in the Shinigami world, or the power of enlightenment in the Reborn world.
Through a mysterious confluence of events, primordial energy within the void crystallizes into these laws, forming various worlds.
While laws can be destroyed using world energy, creating or repairing them is exceedingly difficult.
For Leo, mastering these laws held immense significance. Understanding a law allowed him to modify items from different worlds at their core, transforming them within the familiar framework of his expertise. This would save him a considerable amount of energy in the future.
Moreover, should he one day create his own world, a deep knowledge of laws would be indispensable.
Now, with the conspicuous law of time before him, Leo was determined not to let the opportunity slip away.
As for Bartolomeo, what he had thought would be a simple, seven-day mission had turned into an indefinite assignment.
Now, he served as Leo's "eyes," observing the intricate workings of the time law up close while continuing his investigation.