Chapter 774: A Thousand Swords in One Thought

A thousand swords, one thought!

Thousands of sword strikes, like heaven and earth-shattering, stirring up the mighty wind and thunder.

Each piercingly sharp sword aura descends from the vast heavens, touching and resonating with all things in the world.

Lord, however, is slightly astonished. He had not anticipated that this sword technique would evoke a resonance with all elements of nature, and it seems even Earth next door appears to be responding to his will.

Boom!

The majestic spiritual pressure of the sword energy rises like colossal pillars reaching the heavens.

The sword aura penetrates the rusty-red atmosphere, reaching the brink of Earth’s collapse.

The will of the planet, the will of all things.

The cries of all living beings, their desire to survive, materialize tangibly, influencing everything in the material universe.

Lord’s temporal avatars are scattered across the planet.

Walking through mountains, ruins, the deep sea, the clouds... he seems to be everywhere and yet nowhere, like a fleeting dream or flash of lightning, both imaginary and real.

As the will of countless beings converges to a single point.

He feels vividly as though he exists within all things, embodying a delusion that he has become one with everything.

Humming—

The rusty-red ocean suddenly boils, and a cold, indifferent eye emerges.

That is the eye of Ghroth, awakening from a semi-conscious state, stirred only by sensing a near-lethal and terrifying presence from a ’kin,’ a force potent enough to plunge him back into slumber to shatter the planetary body that houses his spirit.

As Ghroth awakens, his overwhelmingly powerful consciousness sweeps across the planet.

Sands rise to the skies, and waves of mental turbulence cause Tony and others to suffer excruciating headaches, as if their heads were being branded with red-hot irons, bleeding from every orifice and screaming in agony.

"No... impossible!"

Enlil’s pupils shrink in terror, exclaiming, "The eighteen hundred temples are still intact; how could He awaken now?!"

Lord remains silent, but he guesses the cause.

Ghroth’s awakening likely ties to his "A Thousand Swords in One Thought." This is the first use of Bankai, unexpectedly stirring the will of Earth and forcibly gathering the intentions of millions of lives.

Briefly, the consciousness returns to calm.

Ghroth now understands all that has transpired. That vast, cold eye shifts slightly, locking onto Lord’s hundreds of avatars from afar, sending out a bizarre, sharp sound through the void: "It’s... you... still... not... dead!"

Enlil trembles all over, his gaze at Lord now filled with horror and awe.

If previously he merely suspected without concrete evidence, he is sure that Lord participated in ’The War in Heaven,’ a relic from eons past still surviving.

However, Lord, considered an ’ancient relic,’ is also shocked.

He never expected the Outer God Ghroth to actually recognize him, and seemingly quite intimately, as evidenced by the resentful look in Ghroth’s eyes, suggesting a bitter past encounter.

But... that’s impossible!

Lord knows Ghroth because he read about him in books in his previous life.

Theoretically, Ghroth was last active hundreds of thousands of years ago, long before the Lord’s transmigration. How could Ghroth possibly know him?

He thought finding the Akkadian civilization would solve the mystery troubling him.

Instead of clarity, however, he’s enveloped by a greater enigma. Complex clues emerge, leaving him feeling overwhelmed and slightly panicked for a moment.

"Hey—!!!"

Enlil’s roar snaps Lord back to reality.

"Regardless of who you are, since you were part of ’The War in Heaven,’ you must understand the peril of the ’Outsiders,’ right?" Enlil turns back to look at the boiling red sea, his eyes flashing decisively: "I have a request for you on behalf of Akkad."

Lord watches Enlil’s determined eyes, slowly nodding in agreement.

"We... have done many wrongs."

Enlil’s gaze darkens, fists clenched, his voice low: "Akkad’s fate was sealed towards destruction, whether through past glories or betrayals, all will fade with time. So I ask you... to carry on the legacy of the Akkadian civilization."

"How shall the legacy be preserved?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Lord does not refuse him, nor does he bear to.

Akkad has been a tragedy from the start. They never betrayed anyone, treating all beings with sincere hearts, sacrificing their race to protect the universe, only to be continuously betrayed and abandoned, leading to their ruin.

A race that from the beginning only wished to survive, Lord has neither the position nor the reason to criticize their right or wrong.

But at least... at least... grant Akkad the end it deserves.

Heroes who once protected the world should not die branded as sinners.

"There are twenty-two children in the temple."

Enlil looks towards the distant horizon, a bitter smile on his face: "They are the last Akkadians, bearing the purest bloodline, yet untouched by Ghroth. So I implore you... protect the last of Akkad, can you?"

"Your wish, I grant."

Lord declares solemnly, tearing through the void, forcibly connecting the barriers between worlds: "The upcoming battle is not one you can partake in. Return to the Soul Society."

As his words fall, the portal starkly opens.

The agonized Avengers and the twenty-two inheritors of Akkad’s bloodline are forcibly drawn into the suddenly appeared barrier.

With all concerns now addressed, Enlil’s face blooms with a smile: "Thank you. Let me express my gratitude in Akkad’s manner: thank you for sheltering us, laden with sins."

"They shall live in the ruins of Akkad."

Lord hesitates for a moment, then decides to reassure Enlil: "Cain, the cursed child of God, will take good care of those children, so rest assured."

"Cain... I see."

Enlil is briefly taken aback, then chuckles softly, shaking his head: "Currently, Akkad has no offerings to present to you, so allow me to use my remaining strength to clear the obstacles for you."

"And as for Cain... please don’t tell him you’ve met me."

"Let him think... we are all already dead."

"That is... Akkad’s... ultimate fate!"

Enlil raises his hands high, his veins bursting as he roars skyward: "Children of Akkad, King Enlil here beseeches our ancestors, once more... once more save... our world!!!"

The eighteen hundred temples burst forth with immense golden light.

The earth-shaking golden light erects columns reaching the heavens, stirring endless ripples in the void, accompanied by countless cries of battle.

"Ah! Kad! De!"

Ghroth screams, guessing Enlil’s intentions: "You... dare... betray me!"

"Betray? Hahaha..." Enlil laughs wildly: "We are the Akkadian people; how could we cooperate with you? Sealed for hundreds of thousands of years, has your brain been sealed, too? From the beginning... we never intended to cooperate with you!!!"

Those eighteen hundred temples, housing the spirits of Akkad’s ancestors, are vital to suppressing Ghroth.

Now, Enlil, as the last king of Akkad, forcibly activates the spirits within the eighteen hundred temples, awakening the remnants of ancestors from eons ago to once again battle for all living beings!

"We... are Akkad!"

"We are the children of God, destined to protect all living beings!"

"With blood as our sword, with soul as our spear, we fight till blood dries, we fight till the soul dissipates!"

"Ghroth... we are back!!!"

As Ghroth awakens, under the suppression of the vast golden light, he roars earth-shatteringly.

The planet’s surface cracks open, with scorching magma surging like a tsunami from the core, massive eyes bursting with infinite will, tearing countless dark rifts in the void, with the dazzling golden light consolidating and suppressing at the sea level!

"Quick! Now!"

Enlil, eyes red with rage, bellows: "Destroy him with us; end this all!!!"

"Goodbye..."

Lord’s eyes conceal sorrow as he finally declares: "A thousand swords, one thought!"

Buzz!!!

At this moment, the world becomes a sword.

Mountains and rivers rise, stars fall, grass and stones sway, the endless sword energy permeating the world like ink-dipped brushstrokes sketching a grand, boundless giant scroll.

The stars tremble, and the Big Dipper points here.

Hundreds of Lords raise their swords amid the terrifying killing intent, slashing down the heavens!

The star-studded mountains take shape, and the vast scroll slowly unfolds.

Like rivers, like abysses, like fires, like thunder... the majestic sword energy, one after another, tears through the heavens, mingled with the cries of millions of beings, bursting forth unmatched brilliance, like a rainbow sweeping across the sky.

Even the brilliance of the sun and moon cannot overshadow this ultimate sword brilliance.

If Zanpakuto creator Muramasa were here, he might sigh softly: If there is a pinnacle of swordsmanship, it ends here.

Boom!!!