Chapter 139: Invincible on Earth

Madara Uchiha gazed down at the ground. Unlike Earth, with its blue skies and white clouds, this planet resembled a giant, porous ball of dirt. Like rats, the various races had burrowed countless holes into it, and the Intergalactic Black Market was hidden right at its core. Because of these myriad tunnels, the planet looked like a honeycomb from the outside.

Madara began to gather his energy, preparing to deliver a final blow to the Eight Kings and their subordinates. The Eight Kings and their men lay sprawled in the deep crater, buried in the dirt and looking utterly disheveled; they were still bewildered as to how they had been knocked into the pit in the first place. Was there no "start" signal? Regardless, the mask of civility had been torn off, so they would no longer hold back.

"Attack!"

The Eight Kings scrambled out of the dirt, barking orders at their followers. They exchanged glances and decided to join the fray themselves—if he wanted to fight dirty, they would show him the power of numbers. Previously, they had intended to let their subordinates handle the work, but they had changed their minds.

Sixteen figures took flight. Just as they emerged from the crater, their heads barely clearing the rim, Madara Uchiha—having finished charging his attack—flashed to a position directly above them and slammed his fist down!

The sixteen of them had barely reached the edge, unable to even assess the situation, when a fist came crashing toward them.

BOOM!

A blinding, brilliant cyan light erupted, forcing everyone nearby to shield their eyes as a thunderous roar echoed out. The power of that single strike was immense!

As the light faded, they turned back to look. Madara Uchiha stood to the side, his expression placid. The crater, however, was now bottomless. Those with the ability to see through matter realized it was no longer just a crater—it was a hole that had pierced straight through the planet.

With that single blow, Madara had punched through the globe, sending the Eight Kings and their subordinates flying out into deep space. Some suddenly understood why Madara had been staring at the ground earlier; he had seen the existing holes, gained some inspiration, and decided to add one more.

...

The meeting between the Eight Races and Earth was a matter of great interest to the myriad races of the universe. While the Eight Races often represented the collective interests, they did not hold direct control over any single species. They had formed the Intergalactic Black Market, acting merely as representatives of the broader interests of the myriad races. Even with their immense power, the Eight Races were no match for the combined might of all the other races.

Every faction had its own expectations regarding who would lead the allied forces, so they watched this meeting closely. The Wolf-Headed Tribe was a mid-tier race among the cosmic species, and at this moment, the Wolf King was drinking with the Tiger King, Lion King, and Elephant King, who were similar to his kind.

The Wolf King raised his glass, the red wine within shimmering. It was a premium brew fermented using chakra, potent and rich in flavor. "At this meeting, the Snake King is likely to secure the position of leader for the allied forces. Once that happens, heh heh, we’ll all be set," the Wolf King remarked.

The Tiger, Lion, and Elephant Kings raised their glasses as well, clinking them against his. The Tiger King added, "Once the Snake King takes command, as races that follow him, we’ll surely secure favorable positions in the upcoming war—minimal casualties and plenty of spoils."

The Elephant King nodded. "That’s the logic. And if we lose the war, we can just surrender."

They threw their heads back, drained their glasses, and laughed heartily. Having witnessed the subordinates of the Snake King who had obtained Earth's power—and having contributed to that effort themselves—they felt confident that obtaining the leadership position was a certainty. They gathered to drink and celebrate in anticipation.

Unlike other races that held deep grudges against the Otsutsuki clan, the Wolf, Tiger, Lion, and Elephant tribes, along with the Snake tribe, had no such animosity. They were simply dissatisfied with the current status quo and the distribution of power, which had driven them to join the Intergalactic Black Market. To them, war was an opportunity to grow and prosper; if things went poorly, they could simply defect. They stood to lose nothing either way.

Suddenly, a subordinate rushed in, panting and looking panicked. The Wolf King remained calm, picking up a red, bean-shaped morsel and chewing it slowly before asking, "What is it?"

"The... the Eight Kings... they’ve been... beaten!"

"Hm? What do you mean?" The Wolf King was bewildered, as were the Tiger, Lion, and Elephant Kings.

The Elephant King used his trunk to drain his glass, then sprayed the contents into the subordinate's face, his voice cold. "Speak clearly."

The subordinate wiped his face, getting a taste of the potent wine, which sharpened his senses. He stopped stuttering. "Exactly as I said. The Eight Kings and their subordinates were beaten right out into space!"

He then recounted the events at the meeting room in detail, leaving the kings shocked beyond measure. Earth... only Madara Uchiha had come? And he had single-handedly launched the Eight Kings and their entire force into space?

Given their level of power, such a clash shouldn't have been fatal, but for Madara to take on sixteen at once—even with the advantage of a surprise attack—and send them flying into orbit was a sign of a staggering gap in power. Earth was far stronger than anyone had imagined!

The Wolf, Tiger, Lion, and Elephant kings were only a small fraction of the myriad races, but word was spreading rapidly. Other races received the news one after another, reacting with the same level of shock. Earth was simply too fierce! In an instant, they extinguished their own ambitions, realizing that Earth was unstoppable and would undoubtedly be the leader of the allied forces.

...

Back on Earth, while the honeycomb planet was in turmoil, it was a quiet day. Kabuto Yakushi and Shikamaru were busy researching and analyzing the power systems of the myriad races, while Orochimaru had locked himself in his laboratory.

Shikamaru, wearing protective goggles to shield his eyes from splashes and toxic gases, was dissecting the corpse of an alien. "Kabuto, what do you think Lord Orochimaru has been researching for the past six months?"

For half a year, ninety-nine percent of Earth's research power had been focused on the myriad races' power systems, with the remaining one percent on miscellaneous tasks. Orochimaru had not participated at all. Shikamaru knew Orochimaru had been collecting samples of various powers, but he had never seen the results of his work.

Kabuto, casually removing an organ from the corpse on the table, replied dismissively, "Who knows? Just focus on the task at hand."

Shikamaru didn't press the issue and returned to the dissection, but he suspected that whatever Orochimaru was studying had to do with breaking the Sage of the Six Paths' sealing techniques. But what exactly was it? How far had it progressed? The uncertainty left him feeling uneasy.

...

Inside Orochimaru's laboratory, the man himself stood before an unfurled scroll. The contents looked like a vibrant, splash-ink painting, every color representing the power of a different race. Orochimaru was just now adding the energy of the final race to the scroll.