Chapter 862: Epilogue (Finale)

Chapter 862: Epilogue (Finale)



In the vast and desolate depths of space, Feng Ye's figure strolled quietly among the stars.

The world of Demon Slayer, along with Fairy Tail and Bleach, had been brought together by him, and with the experiences in the Demon Slayer world, he had discovered a better method to stabilize his personalities.

At this very moment, countless temporal shard avatars of himself, which he had dispersed, existed simultaneously in the worlds of Demon Slayer, Bleach, and Fairy Tail. Some lived as ordinary mortals, while others maintained his true will, living within the Fairy Tail Guild and the Soul Society.

In essence, these temporal avatars were all his true selves, a manifestation of the ability of the X-th degree of the Phantom Clock, allowing him to exist in the 'present' and numerous 'past' nodes, repeatedly traversing through them in a cycle.

Time flew in the world of Demon Slayer, as well as in the worlds of Fairy Tail and Bleach, each experiencing the passage of many years.

To those who accompanied Feng Ye, they could only perceive that he had been with them throughout these years. Yet, in Feng Ye's own experience, he had already lived through countless eras.

Most of the memories of these ordinary lives were sealed away by Feng Ye, with only a select few retained. These life experiences helped maintain the stability of his personalities.

As he strolled through the starry river, he navigated through time, traveling upstream, searching for the past. From time to time, he would devour stars to augment his power, continuing until he amassed the might of a thousand stars, and then ten thousand.

However, this material strength did not significantly aid him in his journey through the river of time. It merely increased his power, allowing him to accomplish more during his travels.

During this journey, he encountered beings like the creator god, Chaos.

He also came across peculiar life forms dwelling within the vastness of space.

Some of these beings possessed strength far surpassing his own, their power equivalent to over ten thousand, or even a hundred million stars, almost reaching the might of an entire galaxy.

Feng Ye had once been pursued by a star-devouring entity in the cosmos, but with the power of the Phantom Clock, even such a terrifying being was unable to trap or hinder him.

Among these beings, some had even touched upon the fundamental rules of the universe, their consciousness spanning both past and present. They could chase after Feng Ye simultaneously in the present and the past.

Yet, the furthest they could trace back was to the moment of their own birth.

Feng Ye, however, could travel further upstream along the river of time, back to a more distant past.

In the universe, there were star-devouring monsters that had amassed the power of millions of stars, and in the river of time, there were beings so indescribable that they seemed to exist in different dimensions, their life forms beyond imagination.

Feng Ye, with the power of the Phantom Clock, had also attracted the attention of these strange beings in the river of time, even provoking them to act. They froze time, entrapping Feng Ye within it.

But even these beings could only imprison him temporarily; they were unable to truly capture him or take away the Phantom Clock.

Time marched on.

On an unnamed day, the mist on the Phantom Clock dissipated once more, revealing the brilliance of the XI-th degree.

Feng Ye acquired the eleventh ability of the Phantom Clock.

As he had anticipated, upon activating this ability, he indeed possessed the infinitely accumulated power of the past and present. All the strength he had at every past node was converged in the present.

This was infinite power, for every second and every minute of the past could be divided into countless nodes, and at each node, there existed a version of him with the might of ten thousand stars. When all these strengths were combined, they achieved infinity.

However, what slightly differed from Feng Ye's expectation was that after mastering this eleventh ability, his own form also underwent an elevation. The world as he saw it transformed, and the lives he perceived were no longer confined to the spatial dimension but also existed in the temporal dimension. From birth to the present, they formed a serpentine shape of infinite length.

Each life was unique in this regard, some long and slender, others short and thick.

And among them, those like Feng Ye, who had transcended time, no longer appeared as infinite serpents in the temporal dimension but instead formed a ring, where the endpoint connected back to the starting point. There was no longer a beginning or an end, as the past and present became one, and every node represented the entirety and infinity.

Those terrifying beings that had emerged from the river of time and trapped him in the past were of such ring-like forms. Back then, he had difficulty discerning their true nature, but now he, too, had become such a being.

The river of time could no longer impede his progress.

Or perhaps, he had already reached the shore.

Traveling from the node where the worlds of Demon Slayer and Fairy Tail existed to the node of his previous world, "One-Punch Man," was a distant journey. In the past, he had walked for a long time without reaching it, but now, with just a few steps, he crossed an unimaginable expanse of time and arrived at the node of that world.

...

One-Punch Man World

D-City

In a bustling supermarket, a cacophony of screams erupted as shelves toppled over, accompanied by the shattering of the floor.

A three-meter-tall cockroach-like monster emerged, its head bearing a human face, and its limbs equipped with sharp scythes. With a single sweep, it decapitated several people closest to it, their blood staining the floor red.

"Yaaaaah!"

"It's... It's a monster!"

The terrified screams grew louder as people rushed to escape the supermarket.

The cockroach monster cackled in pursuit, shouting, "I am a Cockroach Soldier! We, the Cockroach Clan, shall rule over you humans! Your vitality pales in comparison to ours! We are the true masters of this planet!"

At the same time, outside in the city, the ground cracked, and one after another, more cockroach monsters emerged, their sinister laughter filling the air as they charged towards the nearby crowds.

Screams and cries of agony reverberated through the streets as people fled in all directions.

On one of these streets, in an empty space, a figure flickered into view, and one by one, more figures appeared, their attire varying greatly from modern styles.

Without hesitation, Maitake's body transformed into a fleeting shadow, gliding across the street and appearing in front of the mother and child. A sword appeared in her hand, brandishing it to block the incoming attack.

"A human hero? Your aura feels so different, and your vitality seems extraordinary. If I devour you, I might be able to ascend from a soldier to a marshal!"

The cockroach creature paused, its eyes gleaming with fanaticism as it stared at Maitake.

Just as it prepared to make its next move, its body suddenly froze, and its vision began to spin wildly.

"Huh?"

It stood there, its vision spinning closer and closer to the ground. During this, it noticed countless black lines silently appearing on its body before it exploded into pieces.

Was it slashed?

When did that happen?

With that final thought, its consciousness plunged into darkness.

The mother and child, who had been cowering on the ground, let out a sigh of relief as they witnessed this scene. They looked at Maitake with gratitude and said, "Thank you... Are you a hero? What's your hero name? We'll definitely vote for you when we get back."

Maitake's appearance was unfamiliar, and it was clear that she wasn't one of the well-known A- or S-class heroes. She was likely a B- or C-class hero, a level where public opinion and votes still held significant weight in determining their wages.

"I'm not a hero," Maitake shook her head as she turned to the mother and child.

At that moment, the distant figures that had gradually materialized into solid forms also turned their attention towards this commotion.

"We're already encountering a battle right after arriving?"

Hatsume looked around thoughtfully, taking in the surrounding skyscrapers. Although she had some prior knowledge about this world, it was evident that the technology here was several decades more advanced than in her world of Demon Slayer.

Wendy emerged from behind Hatsume, listening to the surrounding noises. "There are a lot of people in danger. We need to hurry and save them... Eek! Cockroaches!!!"

"How can you be scared of cockroaches? You're a powerful Dragon Slayer," said Yachiru, ruffling Wendy's hair affectionately. "Besides, cockroaches are kind of fun. They're resilient and not easy to kill."

Lucy couldn't help but interject, "Fun? We're not cats, Miss Yachiru."

Erza stepped forward, and her kimono transformed into armor in the white light. She drew her sword and said, "Anyway, let's get started. It's rare to encounter a battle as soon as we arrive, and I'm getting itchy for a fight."

"You guys are too noisy," said Soifon, rubbing her forehead. Standing next to her was Sui-Feng, casually observing their surroundings.

Just as the group was about to engage in the battle against the cockroaches, the ground roared, and the street exploded. A giant cockroach, standing at a height of ten meters, emerged from the shattered pavement.

"A strong group of humans! My children must have been killed by you. I, the Cockroach Marshal, will be your opponent!"

The giant cockroach bellowed, its voice deep and coarse, as it faced Erza and the others.

The appearance of such a massive cockroach sent shivers down the spines of Wendy, Lucy, and Levy, among others.

"Cockroach Soldier, Cockroach Marshal... What ridiculous titles," Lucy remarked, her face twisted in disgust. "I... I really can't handle these things. I'll leave it to you guys."

Before she finished speaking, the Cockroach Marshal had already launched an attack on the group. Its movements were far more formidable than those of the Cockroach Soldiers, and with a sweep of its giant scythes, invisible slashes flew towards the women.

However, before these slashes could land, the entire area in front of them froze and solidified. Countless fine threads appeared, as if slicing the space in front of them countless times.

"I don't like cockroaches either," said Byakuya, sheathing his zanpakuto calmly.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief but quickly added, "But still... that's so over the top."

The worlds of Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Demon Slayer were now interconnected, but they only visited each other occasionally. They were only familiar with the combat standards of the Soul Society, which far surpassed that of the Demon Slayer Corps at the moment. As for the Fairy Tail mages, they were still catching up.

Of course, those who had spent more time with Feng Ye, such as Acnologia, Meliodas, and the others, had strengths that far surpassed Lucy and her companions, rivaling some of the captains in the Soul Society.

Mitsuuri raised her hand. "Then, let's begin the cockroach extermination operation!"

"Alright!" Acnologia's voice echoed as Erza and the others, who weren't averse to cockroaches, sprang into action. They rushed towards the surrounding streets, eliminating the cockroaches that emerged from the ground.

Even the weakest among them, like Maitake and Mitsuri from the Demon Slayer Corps, had spent a significant amount of time with Feng Ye, and their strengths far exceeded that of the Cockroach Soldiers and the Cockroach Marshal.

The endless stream of cockroach creatures pouring out from the city was quickly eradicated one by one.

At the same time, many B-class and even A-class heroes from the Hero Association joined the battle, with some venturing into the cockroaches' lair to launch a counterattack.

As countless cockroaches were annihilated, a higher-level creature finally appeared.

BOOM!!!

Several towering skyscrapers crumbled, and the ground split open, forming a fissure hundreds of meters long. From the depths of the earth emerged an enormous cockroach, its size reaching nearly a kilometer in length.

"How dare you slaughter my people! I, the Cockroach Queen, will make you pay!"

The Cockroach Queen roared, her voice filled with fury.

With a casual swing of its limbs, invisible wind blades sliced through the nearby skyscrapers, cleaving them in two.

If they were facing a Ghost-level monster, they could still resist it with their combined strength. However, a Dragon-level monster was not something they could oppose, only S-level heroes could withstand it.

But compared to the heroes, Elusa and the others who were fighting didn't show any fear. Instead, their eyes lit up with excitement when the Cockroach Queen appeared.

"This prey is mine."

Elusa jumped up, her armor transforming into two wings, and she flew into the air, charging straight at the Cockroach Queen.

The nearby Shinra, Butterfly Ninja, and Mira stopped in their tracks, not competing with Elusa for the prey. Only Night stood in mid-air, looking thoughtful, "This world is quite interesting, creatures can grow to such a large size."

Boom! Boom!

Elusa and the Cockroach Queen's battle began.

Elusa's current strength had surpassed that of a general Saint-level magician after many years of growth. Her power was completely superior to the Cockroach Queen's, and she was able to cut off the Cockroach Queen's limbs one by one.

However, as a Dragon-level monster, the Cockroach Queen had a unique trump card. When she realized she couldn't win, she immediately summoned a large number of cockroach monsters from underground and began to devour them.

As she devoured the cockroaches, her wounds began to heal, and her strength increased, making it difficult for Elusa to defeat her in a short amount of time.

"Elusa's magic circulation is a bit stiff, otherwise, the battle would have ended already."

Mebis stood on a nearby rooftop, watching Elusa's battle from a distance while testing her own magic in this world. Although the One-Punch Man world had very open rules, there were still some differences between worlds.

However, Elusa didn't fall into a disadvantageous position, and the other girls who knew her didn't intervene.

The battle was extremely intense, shocking a group of A-level heroes who didn't know where Elusa came from or how she had such strong abilities, able to fight a Dragon-level monster on equal terms.

As time passed, the battle scene in D City was broadcasted live on the news.

Hero Association Headquarters.

In a spacious room on the top floor, a girl was lying on a sofa, bored, with her legs lifted up, revealing a seductive curve. Her green hair was scattered on both sides, and she was constantly changing the channels with a remote control.

The TV screen changed, and the scene switched to D City, showing Elusa fighting the Cockroach Queen. The Cockroach Queen was constantly devouring small cockroaches to evolve, becoming stronger, but Elusa was not weak, and she was also getting stronger as she adapted to the world's rules.

"Cockroaches, how disgusting."

Dragon Roll's face showed a look of disgust.

She wanted to instantly pull out all the cockroaches and crush them into a ball of meat paste, but D City was a bit too far away, and it seemed that Elusa could handle the Cockroach Queen.

Speaking of which, who was that girl? Her strength was already at the S-level, but she had never heard of her before.

Dragon Roll tilted her head, puzzled.

Just as she was thinking, she suddenly felt a weight on her body, and someone was lying on her back, sticking to her!

"!"

Dragon Roll's body instantly stiffened, and her massive psychic power was about to erupt, destroying everything around her. However, before her power could be released, it was instantly eliminated, disappearing without a trace.

The person who could instantly eliminate her psychic power was...

Dragon Roll's stiff body relaxed slightly, and she turned her head to look behind her, saying, "Hmph, didn't you say that when you returned, it would be the time you left? Why is there a three-month difference?"

Feng Ye's eyes were warm as he pinched her cheeks, saying, "I encountered some small accidents."

Dragon Roll pouted, then turned her body around, facing Feng Ye directly, and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying, "So, how long were you gone?"

Feng Ye smiled, "About a few hundred million years."

"For that long!"

Dragon Roll's mouth opened wide, revealing a surprised expression.

Feng Ye smiled, "I'm not lying to you."

Dragon Roll's gaze paused for a moment, then looked at Feng Ye, saying, "Then... weren't you very lonely for such a long time?"

"Um... not really."

Feng Ye shifted his gaze, looking at the TV screen.

Dragon Roll also noticed Feng Ye's gaze, and her eyes narrowed slightly, "That girl is someone you brought back from another world?"

Feng Ye nodded, "Yes, her name is Elusa, she's a magician."

Dragon Roll silently stared at Feng Ye for two seconds, then her hands forcefully twisted, and she switched positions with Feng Ye, sitting on top of him, staring at him with a puffed-up face, not speaking.

"You're so cute when you're angry."

Feng Ye smiled, then his eyes revealed a hint of loneliness, looking at the ceiling, whispering, "A few hundred million years is indeed a long time..."

Dragon Roll stared at Feng Ye's lonely expression for a while, then suddenly lowered her head, fiercely biting Feng Ye's shoulder, "I'll bite you to death!"

"Ow, it hurts."

Feng Ye held Dragon Roll in his arms, looking at the TV screen again, smiling slightly.

After a while, Dragon Roll didn't move, and Feng Ye whispered, "Although it's been a while, I'm finally back. Wait a bit, and I'll take you to other worlds to travel."

"Hmph."

Dragon Roll buried her face in Feng Ye's chest, only letting out a hum.

...

"I'm going to take revenge for last time."

Qiyu was standing in the courtyard, his face dark, looking at Feng Ye, clenching his fists, saying, "You know, last time I almost flew out of the solar system, staying in space for so long can cause permanent hair loss. To make you experience it, I've been training hard for three whole months, and I haven't gone shopping for three months!"

"Then let me see your training results."

Having experienced being knocked away by Feng Ye before and diligently training for three months since then, Saitama's strength had indeed grown in a bug-like fashion once more.

The sheer power of this attack caused Night Guy, Elusa, and the others who were not far away to reveal looks of shock.

Even though they had often accompanied Feng Ye as he traveled between different worlds, Saitama's punch was still beyond imagination. It seemed that even Acnologia, the Black Dragon King of the Fairy Tail world, would be directly blown to bits by this punch.

However, when this terrifying attack landed on Feng Ye, it quietly came to a halt in the next second. Such a formidable strike left no mark on Feng Ye.

Saitama froze in place.

Feng Ye patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "Alright, let's eat!"

Saitama stood there for a moment, scratching his head in confusion. But when he saw the hot pot that had been set up over there, he didn't bother to think about it anymore and called out to his disciple, Genos, to join the dinner.

...

One Piece World.

Wano Country.

Robin sat on a patch of grass, gazing up at the sky and enjoying the breeze.

Suddenly, Feng Ye's figure appeared, walking over from a short distance away, and sat down next to Robin.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Robin looked at Feng Ye, a strange glint flashing in her eyes. She felt that Feng Ye seemed to have become a little different somehow.

Feng Ye reached out and picked up the half-drunk fruit wine in front of Robin, took a sip, and gazed at the sky as he said, "Hmm, a lot of things have happened, but they're all over now. I'll tell you about it later."

"Okay."

Robin looked at Feng Ye and then smiled gently.

Although she didn't know what had happened, she would definitely listen attentively when Feng Ye wanted to talk about it.

...

Konoha.

On the rooftop.

Feng Ye stood quietly, and time quietly stopped for a moment before resuming its flow.

Kakashi, who had been inquiring about what Feng Ye had taught his son, Asuma, who had been cooking, Kurenai, and everyone else were unaware of what had just transpired.

Only Feng Ye looked around, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes as he murmured, "I'm finally back."

He had left from here.

After an eternity, he had finally returned to this place.

However, Kakashi, Kurenai, and the others didn't know what had happened, so he would have to recount the story once more.

Perhaps it would be better to let Mebis tell the story for him.

Feng Ye thought to himself as he quietly walked down from the rooftop, entered the house, and made his way to the kitchen. He then embraced Kurenai, who was cooking, from behind.

"I'm cooking, it'll be ready soon."

Kurenai paused, her cheeks reddening slightly, but she didn't resist Feng Ye's embrace.

After a while, when she didn't hear anything from Feng Ye and didn't feel him making any further moves, Kurenai turned her head in surprise and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Feng Ye snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the beautiful woman in his arms, a warm smile on his face. "It's good to have you all."

"You're acting strangely."

Kurenai shook her head as she looked at the peculiar Feng Ye. If she couldn't sense the connection between them, she would have suspected that the person in front of her was an imposter.

Feng Ye released Kurenai and said, "Call over Rin, Kakashi, and the others. Let's cook together and make more food. There will be guests coming later."

"Guests?"

"Yes, a lot of them."

Feng Ye smiled and turned away, disappearing from the kitchen, leaving Kurenai shaking her head.

...

On the vast river of flowing time.

Feng Ye stood quietly, his gaze drifting from the past to the future.

To be precise, for someone who had mastered the eleventh ability of the Phantom Clock, the concepts of past and future no longer existed. These concepts could be inverted at will, and he could exist at any point in time. Any point could be the present, the past, or the future.

It was like upgrading from two dimensions to three dimensions, and he had upgraded from three dimensions to four dimensions.

Even in this dimension, there were countless other beings of equal level. As far as his eyes could see, there were countless rings like him, existing on the shore of the river of time.

In fact, these beings composed the banks of the river of time.

"The final ability..."

Feng Ye's gaze turned inward, toward his soul.

The Phantom Clock had completely fused with him, and only the power of the final ability remained to be unlocked.

Having reached this step, Feng Ye had surpassed the level of the previous host. He also understood the origin of the Phantom Clock. The so-called 'Sand of Time' was the sand of spacetime, a fragment of this four-dimensional spacetime.

When he could fully master its power, he would become this four-dimensional spacetime itself.

Such a fragment was not difficult for a being of his level to obtain; it was like picking a piece off a wall. This was also why some of the beings he had encountered in the past, who had reached the 'Time Ring' level, had not persisted in pursuing him. They were merely curious about how he, who had not yet formed a ring back then, had obtained this fragment.

All the rings here possessed such power, and they all aspired to reach a higher level and become this four-dimensional spacetime itself. Many of them were ancient beyond imagination, yet they had not attained that level and had not mastered the ultimate power to become one with the high-dimensional spacetime.

"If, after an eternity of endless years, I can still maintain my self-awareness, I will reach that level."

Feng Ye murmured to himself.

The time required was too long, far longer than the eternity he had already experienced, multiplied by billions of times. It was still too far away, so for now, he needed to rest. The girls should have finished chatting by now.

Feng Ye disappeared from the banks of the river of time.

Only countless infinite rings remained, wandering on the banks, with ancient rings occasionally shattering and disappearing, and new rings climbing up from the infinite river of time.

———————

(End of the Book)

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end