Chapter 131. Is Ryomen Sukuna became Muzan 2.0?
Celestial Curtain.
Samsara World.
[No one knows when it started, but this war is no longer between humanity and the myriad races….]
[It has become a massacre among the myriad races themselves.]
[Elves and Dwarfs.]
[Fairies and Beastmen…..]
[Compared to humans—those weaklings who were never even worth noticing—their greatest enemies are in fact each other.]
[An unprecedented great chaos.]
[A magnificent scene that is hard to even imagine.]
[Continents shattered, sinking into the oceanic abyss.]
[The broken remnants of dead continents floating with tsunamis that obscure the very sky.]
[Shattered corpses of Titans and Dragons continuously fall from the sky to land and sea, breaking mountains, crashing into deep oceans.]
[Radiant auroras flare from outer space, as if something colossal is surging forth, shaking half the planet.]
[It is the clash between those who have reached the limits of their species, between Supreme Beings and planetary rulers, slaughtering each other, proving who is right through the most direct and overwhelming "logic."]
[The starscape, plateaus, oceans, forests… everywhere is a battlefield.]
[Dragons, Elves, Flügel, humans… all are killing, killing until madness consumes them.]
[Because of rage—rage at the strong oppressing the weak.]
[Because of hatred—hatred borne from blood debts that have lasted forty thousand years.]
[Because of envy—envy over why you get to live in happiness.]
[Tearing off the masks, ripping apart all pretenses, exposing the deepest obsessions within their hearts, and unleashing them violently.]
[Releasing all the pain and fear that have accumulated over tens of thousands of years.]
...
Reality.
The entire world fell into dead silence.
All were silent!
Everyone—human, god, demon, spirit—held their breath, clenched their fists, and watched in stunned stillness the unprecedented great war—one that had never existed in the past, and perhaps never would appear again in the future—unfolding right before their eyes.
...
[Outer space.]
["Look closely….."]
[A woman radiant like the goddess of beauty Venus stood tall amidst the vast cosmos, her gaze calmly looking down upon the pitiful battlefield of flesh and blood beneath the starry sky.]
[With a casual wave of her hand, a brilliant aurora sliced from the North to the South of the entire planet.]
["...How pathetic."]
[The Supreme Being glowed with a gentle light, not denying it, simply erasing that radiance with ease.]
[Indeed.]
[Compared to the vastness of the cosmos, to the infinity of the universe, living beings have always been pathetic like this.]
["Look…."]
[The Empress, who seemed eternally lofty and untouchable, was now gazing at the ants slaughtering each other on the ground, a look of sorrow appearing on her face.]
["How pitiful."]
["So a Bodhisattva like you is needed to deliver them then?" The Supreme Being lightly waved his hand, casting down a galaxy that instantly engulfed everything in sight.]
["You're far too arrogant, Kaguya."]
["Arrogant?"]
[Kaguya gently smiled, then her expression became serene: "The one who's arrogant is you, Supreme Being at the peak of humanity——Raku Sou."]
["Tell me, have you truly seen through the falsehood of this world?"]
[The Supreme Being of No Darkness remained silent.]
...
But in reality, humans could no longer stay calm.
"She… what does she mean by that? Didn't they say the Mental Corridor is absolute? That it's the core of Beast's Authority, something that transcends even the world, that not even a Beast could interfere with?"
Mouri Kogoro gulped hard.
Even though he had been removed from the stage early on, that only served to highlight his dignified presence.
Right now, he was sitting in a conference room with a group of people he would normally only look up to—and what's more, he was seated at the head of the table.
"Maybe it's because… even without bringing any power at all, just a sliver of spiritual will is already enough to transcend the entire world."
Beside.
Thanks to clinging to Uncle Mouri, Conan was able to sneak into this high-level gathering. He let out a quiet sigh.
Three hundred and seventy million reincarnations, huh.
If one's will never collapses, just how dazzling would the resulting light become?
"So what about the Eternal King? With this level of presence, he must've seen through it all too, right?"
Uncle Mouri gave his signature dumb bean-eye look.
Conan and the others all rolled their eyes in unison.
Isn't it obvious? That's the Eternal King!
But...
Across the entire world.
Countless beings—some not even human—turned their eyes toward the Supreme Being within the world of Samsara.
If he had already seen through the falsehood of this world, then all his love, hatred, obsessions, ideals—everything—would collapse in an instant, becoming nothing more than a farce.
If not driven mad, then his spirit would surely be crushed.
...
["History? Just a lie."]
[The Empress coldly declared, brilliant auroras blazing from her body.]
["Love?"]
["Obsession?"]
["Hatred?"]
["…..Life is nothing more than a joke."]
[A pure white halo rose above her head, divinity blazing like fire, so bright it was unbearable to look at.]
["The world?"]
[She waved her hand indifferently.]
["…..Utterly meaningless!!"]
[The radiance above her head instantly expanded, spreading across the starscape, engulfing the entire planet. The whole world flickered for a moment, like a disrupted television signal.]
[A sense of grandeur and sorrow spread alongside it.]
[In this illusory world of Samsara, all endings and annihilation existed within a single thought of that true, real self.]
[The world is but an illusion.]
[History is but a lie.]
[All stories are nothing more than prewritten scripts…]
[Meaningless.]
[Worthless.]
[No future, and no true past.]
...…
In reality, everyone remained silent.
Those with sharper minds began to wonder if their own world might also be just a dream within some great being's mind.
Mostly, it was just far too terrifying.
Brain in a vat was supposed to be mere fiction, but for a being at that level to construct a false world—could an ordinary person even tell what was real and what wasn't?
Hzz~~
The more they thought about it, the scarier it became. The more they thought, the more panicked they felt.
What the strong cared most about was the meaning of their existence, their intrinsic value—that was the anchor they used to stabilize their sense of self.
Otherwise, after living too long, they'd truly turn into a Demon King.
"The important thing is whether that person can endure it or not."
As one of the powerful, Nurarihyon, who was usually so magnanimous, now furrowed his brow as he looked up at the Celestial Curtain.
"At their level, strength and weakness are no longer clearly distinguishable. What matters most is the clash of ideals—the strength or weakness of the soul."
The next moment—
...…
[The magnificent, radiant being standing in the heavens slowly extended her hand.]
[Her voice was bright and clear, resonating with the cosmos, as if tinged with a faint sense of anticipation.]
["Come now, onii-chan, sacrifice this meaningless false world, sever those fake emotions, and walk with me toward the truth!"]
[Silence.]
[For a long time.]
[Raku Sou sighed.]
["Yes."]
["This world was always an illusion."]
["We are souls born within falsehood, destined for destruction, bubbles fated to vanish."]
[Raku Sou smiled gently, reaching out to catch a speck of stardust in his hand.]
["But still..."]
[As he released his hand, that light transformed into a radiant spirit, circling the Eternal King a few times before flying toward the planet.]
["...Life is so beautiful."]
[He looked at the enemy before him, a trace of guilt in his gaze.]
["Kaguya, my little sister… during those five years, I taught you so many things, tried my best to help you become human."]
["But I forgot—you're not human to begin with."]
["For someone born as an immortal race like you, it's incredibly difficult to understand that the mere existence of life already carries meaning."]
["Flowers bloom, then wither."]
["Stars may shine brightly, but that light too will one day fade."]
["This world, this universe, will also perish someday."]
["Compared to all that, a human life… is no more than the blink of an eye."]
["But in that fleeting moment, people laugh, cry, fall in love… they hate someone, and then love someone else."]
["Life is the encounter with the world."]
["So romantic, yet so short."]
["But to them… those loves and hatreds, those bursts of laughter, those tears and sorrows… those things are meaning itself!"]
["Even if it's all an illusion."]
["In the most important moment of their life—that moment… was already eternal."]
...…
"No wonder he's the Eternal King—he stays composed even in a reality so soul-crushing."
"Yeah, logic clearly says it doesn't matter to regular people whether the world's real or fake."
The crowd in reality grew stirred.
That's right.
Just moments ago, they were panicking, uncertain if the world was real or not—yet thinking again...
Of course.
Whether the world is real or not, what the hell does that have to do with small fries like them?
As long as the world feels real enough, then to them, it is real.
So what if the powerful can control it?
They only need to live a life that brings them happiness.
"No wonder he's the Eternal King—talking back to her like that, right to her face."
...…
["Hmph. Weak words. You understand nothing."]
[Strong beings cannot be persuaded with reasoning—let alone a Beast like Kaguya.]
[She calmly declared:]
["I am not human. I am a god—the one who rules over the land, transcending all things."]
["I will surpass illusion, and become the deity that touches the ultimate truth."]
[From her long, waterfall-like hair emerged a crown, and two long spiral horns coiled upward to the heavens.]
[Dark wings unfurled behind her, resembling a Heavenly Robe, seeming to blanket the galaxy itself.]
[Her voice, like a divine proclamation, echoed in layers, resonating with the entire world.]
["I am the God of War, the Undefeated King!"]
[BOOM!]
[Like an Ancient God reborn, boundless radiance erupted forth.]
[Storms!]
[Auroras!]
[Under that overwhelming power, even the flow of celestial mechanics was thrown off balance.]
["You're strong, Kaguya."]
[Raku Sou stood face-to-face with Kaguya as though confronting a resurrected War God. He gave a faint smile, and reached into the void—drawing forth a longsword wrapped in blazing white fire.]
[This was the Star-Forged Holy Sword — Ildolore Del Pianeta (Sorrow of the Planet).]
[Forged from the planet's primal instinct to save itself.]
[It was never meant to be wielded by a human like him—but all other races had already sided with Kaguya.]
[The planet had no choice left…]
["Star-Forged Holy Sword, is it?"]
[Kaguya sneered coldly, reaching out her hand…]
["Even the planet itself fears me—why would I fear a sword forged by it?"]
[Then she struck downward!]
[Infinite radiant light transformed into colossal spears that tore through the stratosphere and rained down like a storm of divine wrath!]
[In that instant, their brilliance even outshone the stars.]
["Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am The Invincible."]
["Damn right."]
[Raku Sou effortlessly suppressed the planet's dissatisfaction transmitted through the holy sword in his hand. With a single swing, even a God King would tremble.]
[It was like the rhythm of celestial mechanics, like all things striving for freedom beneath a sky of cold mist—imbued with the truth of life itself.]
[In just a few strikes, he had cleaved apart every single spear in the heavens.]
[Raku Sou looked at the girl who was once his little sister—now his enemy.]
["The game ends here. So then…"]
[He pointed his sword straight ahead.]
["Let's settle this, Kaguya!"]
[Words were meaningless, but everything in this world had one ultimate answer.]
[That answer was—violence.]
[Divine authority, order, principles, ideals—none could surpass the blade, none could defeat the fist.]
[The greatest battle this world had ever seen erupted.]
...
Everyone in reality stared in wide-eyed silence.
The clash between Kaguya and the Eternal King had only flashed across the galaxy for a brief moment, with most of it occurring within Kaguya's Cycle World.
It was difficult to perceive the full extent of the destruction directly.
...
The Federation.
In a luxurious manor.
A young noble with beauty so haunting it bordered on inhuman clicked his tongue softly.
Utterly absurd.
Either of those two—each was a natural disaster beyond the sum of humanity, demons, or gods—absolute rulers without question.
Undisputed overlords.
Even though he was ranked among the top fifteen transcendent forces of the world, if he so much as brushed against the aftershock of the aftershock, he'd be meeting his ancestors immediately.
Dead to the point even Death couldn't wake him up.
This was a difference in essence.
"But… is that the scent of a World Origin? Could it be that the Star-Forged Holy Sword truly exists somewhere in this world?"
"Eh, whatever. What the hell's it got to do with me."
"Drink, drink."
The great youkai, once a divine sovereign in the Middle East during the medieval era—Huo Ming—hugged two young girls, kept playing music, kept dancing.
Since he'd already stepped off the stage, he might as well stay a quiet backdrop.
If the sky's going to fall, that's the juniors' problem now.
(Note: Sorry, I couldn't find any existing official reference for the above character, so I kept the name in Chinese: Huo Ming.)
...
Western Europe.
In a rather ordinary ancient castle.
"World Origin, is it? Hisss… Oh, my dear Satan, what a divine scent—what kind of treasure from which world is this?"
A sinister young man rose out of a coffin, his face twisted in fervent ecstasy.
"Hissss… the concentration is that intense… don't tell me Gaia came here in person?"
Usually, a World Treasure was like the world plucking a single hair.
But this kind of absurd intensity—fuck, that's like chopping off a whole arm.
The progenitor of the vampire race, one of the Twelve Houses, lord of all things bizarre—Amondelas—was on the verge of madness.
"I see the vision… a unified planet, all of humanity basking in the light of the King of Gods, the God above all gods."
"All beings rejoicing, demons paying tribute."
"That person… is me."
"I get it now. I've slept for over five hundred years… to wait for this very moment—where—uh…"
Amondelas was sniffing around like mad, then raised his head and saw the Celestian Curtain, and the sheer majesty made him instantly sober.
He quietly lay back into the coffin.
And began sealing the lid.
Seal it for good!!!
(Note: tthis one too.)
...
Tokyo.
Ryoumen Sukuna— who had just taken over the body of an idiot and gone out for some fresh air—immediately pulled his neck back in.
And swore, for the next ten years—
No—fifty years—he would absolutely not step outside again!!!