Chapter 122: Resolve

21 hours before Gojo appears in Bangkok

……………………………………dark………。

Hurts... can't think... what... where am I...?

I fought with everything I had.

"Bwahh!"

I broke the surface. The sea? Nighttime sea...? I was underwater the whole time...?

My head was clearing up… bit by bit.

I lost to the Black Knight... am I dead now...?

That moment—

I realized I couldn’t beat the Black Knight, turned my back, and bolted.

But I knew his speed was faster than mine, so I sliced off my left index finger with the remaining blade of the broken sword.

And I tossed it toward the river, putting myself out of the Black Knight’s line of sight. I’d already confirmed there was a major river before reaching this UN facility.

Something that big would’ve been noticed, right?

My memory blurs from there...

It was a gamble... just a fingertip’s worth—less than one percent of the body. There was no guarantee it’d regenerate, but somehow, thanks to the goddess’s blessing or the effect of “Cradle of Life,” I survived.

Anyway, it's night now... means it took a damn long time to regenerate.

I floated up into the air and moved over to the coast.

I dried off with fire and wind magic, then opened a pocket dimension to pull out clothes.

At that moment, my eyes lock onto something inside the pocket dimension.

I’d cut off my left arm just in case, tucked it into a pocket dimension where time froze—nothing. Not a flicker.

In a space where time had stopped… could even activate? …That was close. If I hadn’t been able to regenerate from my finger, I’d have been dead for sure.

After putting on my clothes, I teleported straight to someone I trusted to check the current situation.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

[Chūgoku・Sichuan Prefecture, Chengdu "Shuza" Headquarters]

Leo and the others were heading toward Bangkok... I couldn’t sleep, even though I had to start preparations for the invasion of India tomorrow.

“Wang, go to sleep already.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Liu calls out to me, watching me lost in thought in the facility’s lounge. Sure, thinking won’t change what I have to do.

I’m staring out the window, mulling things over... and then—something feels off.

“What...?”

I step outside, drawn toward the strange sensation. There, seated at the base of a tree, is someone. I’m about to speak when—

“…Wang?”

A faint voice answers. I freeze. One second—then I know.

“Gojo?! Is it really you?! Gojo?!”

I rush over, crouching down to look at Gojo’s face. He looks worn down, but there’s no mistaking it—definitely Gojo Shōmon.

“Thank god… I thought I’d never find you here…”

“Pull yourself together!”

I support him under the arm and lead him to the dorms. I seat him in a chair so I can hear what he has to say.

“Sorry… still not back to full strength.”

“Tell me—what’s been going on? What happened to you?”

I listen to Gojo’s rough summary. Even hearing about his insane skill level, it’s not surprising. He’s always been like that.

“Anyway… glad you’re back. A world without Gojo? That’s just hopeless.”

“Tell me what happened after I fell. How long has it been since then?”

Now I explain the current state of the world. Four days since Gojo collapsed. Monsters everywhere. The Leader’s appeared. The kids joined up with Leo and headed toward Bangkok.

“So… Noah and the others…”

“Honestly? They were stronger than I expected. No surprise—they’re your students.”

“…So Leo and the others want to fight right away?”

"No, he said he’d wait until nightfall. The Black Knight’s strength increases during the day, apparently."

"Beating the Black Knight will be tough…."

"Will we stand a chance next time we fight him? It’s night now—won’t Gojo be stronger than before?"

"No… even at night, it’s still even. If the Leader’s with him, it’s even worse. And I’ve been thinking—something’s off about the Black Knight."

"Off? What do you mean?"

"He’s nothing like any enemy we’ve faced before… I can’t explain it. But his sword—it doesn’t feel like rage or hatred. It feels… sad."

"I don’t know much about the Black Knight, but right now isn’t the time to dwell on that. If you can stop time, why not stop it first and then move in to take him down?"

"I thought of that too… but when I analyzed his unique skill, it didn’t say ‘suppress abilities.’ It said ‘seal all influence, effect, and impact.’"

"What does that even mean?"

"Nothing can affect him—no matter what. That means…"

Gojo’s face hardens.

"He can move even when time is frozen."

"Impossible…"

"Wang, how long until sunset in Bangkok?"

"Sunset? The time difference is negligible… maybe about nineteen hours?"

"Nineteen hours…"

Gojo then cracks open empty space and pulls out something that looks like a card.

"What’s that?"

"A职业 board… something that came from the Gacha I told you about earlier. As we level up, it gets stronger. Wang, do you know how many ‘Leaders’ have appeared in the world?"

"Not exactly, but the ones we’ve recorded are China, Japan, America, Russia, France, Britain, Bolivia, and India. There could be more, but we can’t tell with the current situation."

"Seven countries, not counting China..."

What do you think you're doing?

"Right now, there are fifty-three job cards total."

With that, Gojo’s face hardened, as if making up his mind.

Take down the Leaders of seven countries within nineteen hours, and max out the职业 board as much as possible.

Started spouting off something completely absurd. Seven countries in nineteen hours...? Come on, that’s way too much, even for you.

"Gojo, you're still recovering, right? You can't possibly be serious about this in your current state?"

"Sure, it might be reckless... but there's no time to relax. They probably don't know I can get strong fast. Wang, I need a favor."

"What? Say anything you want."

My stomach’s growling too loud… Anything to eat around here?

For a split second, I went limp... but yeah, if I hadn’t eaten anything, I wouldn’t have any strength, would I?

I went to the dorm where the members were sleeping and screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Get up, you lot! Get the food ready right now!!"

The member, jolted awake, staggered out into the hallway, dazed and confused. Liu also woke up, looking puzzled, and asked.

"What's wrong, Wang? Did something happen!?"

Gojo’s back. Start making dinner!

"Gojo?!"

The other members, hearing that, were skeptical at first—but when they peeked into the lounge and spotted Gojo, they went wild.

"Real!"

Gojo's here!!

Liu rushed over to Gojo, trying to start a conversation.

I kicked the back of one of the crew members and yelled at them to get dinner ready already. The meal, made by a few guys working together, was a lot, but Gojo was devouring it at an insane speed.

After stuffing myself so full I’m about to burst, I set down my chopsticks and start gearing up for battle.

First, head to India. If we take down India’s “Leader,” the Wang will be free to move, right? I need you to go to Bangkok.

We just gotta regroup with Leo and the others, right?

While I’m fighting the Black Knight, hold down the Leader. I’ll get to you as fast as I can—trust me in the meantime.

"Don't underestimate us, Gojo. We'll take down the Leader ourselves. You focus on the Black Knight."

I stepped outside with the crew to see Gojo off.

I'm off then.

Saying that, Gojo rose into the air and vanished into the night’s darkness.

Liu, tell the Chinese government to get us a plane unaffected by the communication outage—we’re heading to Bangkok, now!

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Moving at high speed, I use Thousand-Mile Eye to check in on India. Half-beast monsters everywhere—rampaging through human towns, tearing everything apart.

...Is that an Indian monster?

I pull the职业 board from the alternate space. I’d hesitated at first, wondering what to do, but then I figured... there’s no other choice. I touch the surface.

Became a hero. The biggest thing? My "Growth Acceleration" skill keeps getting stronger.

As we neared India’s capital, New Delhi, monsters started appearing in my vision. I unleashed flames around my body, summoning five massive fire dragons.

Flying alongside me, we move forward, burning everything on the ground to ash.

I kept the flames controlled, burning only the monsters, since there were houses and people nearby. That’s when “fire magic” really comes in handy.

While felling hundreds of monsters, I search for the aura of the "Leader," and suddenly I find a place where the "mana" is especially intense.

Activate Thousand-Mile Eye—.

...That one, huh?

There, the "Leader," sat in the center of a massive congregation of monsters, right in front of a grand mosque. A beast with an elephant's head and four arms.

"Acting like a king, huh?"

I activate鉴定—.

Ganesha

Divine Species Lv2686

Not exactly impressive... just finish this fast.

"Summon— Phoenix!!"

The summoned phoenix spreads its wings and soars toward Ganesha. Following right behind, five fire dragons descend, latching onto the phoenix.

Explosive flames spread across the entire area—giant flaming birds descend from the sky.

The monsters in front of the mosque sense the disturbance—but it’s too late. The firebird devours them all, swallowing Ganesha into a whirlwind of flame.

A scream—something like a final agony—echoes through the air.

But even so, the "Leader" is still alive. I lower the phoenix back to its original size, raise my right hand to the sky.

"Thunder Emperor!!"

A bolt of lightning pierces Ganesha straight through the crown of his head.

The shockwave unravels the swirling flames—Ganesha stumbles, making a soundless cry.

I pull out the Dragon Ash Blade I got from the kids, summoning it from the sub-space, wrapping the blade in flame.

With a flash, I teleport right in front of Ganesha’s eyes, then slash down with the flaming magic sword—straight from the top of his head to the ground.

"VOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!"

After one final roar, Ganesha vanishes—turning into black smoke…

"Teem!"

A magic circle flashes into existence—then vanishes instantly.

"Huh? What…?"

I scan the spot where Ganesha vanished—no "magic core" there either.

Wait... was there never a magic core to begin with? I recall Wang's words. The black gem floating in the sky... was that the "magic core"?

If so, then the "Leader" appearing now... is a fake. A counterfeit Leader. A simulation. I check my status through鉴定.

Hero Lv99

【Class Skills】

Light's Blessing Rank C → B

Acquired Skills: Growth Acceleration (I) ×2

Acquired Magic: Light Magic (I)

No magic core, but experience points are still coming in... whatever. Eventually, I'll destroy that black gem. For now, though, I gotta clear out the monsters across the region.

First one...

I open a pocket dimension and teleport instantly with the phoenix.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

That day, people hiding from monsters, praying in fear, suddenly learned the "Demon King" had been defeated.

At the same time, rumors spread of a human flying through the night sky, firebird and flame dragon at their side, tearing through the darkness.

"Gojo! It's Gojo!"

"Our prayers reached the heavens!"

The rumor spread in the blink of an eye. Everyone was certain—strongest psychic, Gojo Soumen, had come to save them.

Eventually, people in India would begin calling Gojo the reincarnation of the legendary hero Rama... though the man himself had no idea.