Nobita's Time Heist

King Hundred Eyes clicked his tongue impatiently, pulled a bowl of fried tofu from his robes, and tossed it accurately in front of her with a clatter. The fox fairy's eyes lit up at the sight of the delicious food, and she plunged her head into the bowl, showing off with great fanfare, her tail wagging like a windmill.

"Alright, never mind that... I'll start after I finish eating. I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you everything, ooh ooh ooh..."

"They're really easy to deal with." King Hundred Eyes sighed, muttering to himself, "I wonder if they're even reliable..."

Chapter 314: Bearing the Name "Nobi"

"Aren't you an alien? Why not just use one of those predictive machines? Why do you have to use my old-fashioned methods? To be honest, when I do divination, I just put my hand on the paper and wave it around randomly based on my feelings. I don't even know what I'm pointing to..."

“It’s not as simple as you think,” King Hundred Eyes explained irritably. “In highly developed civilizations, the ‘future’ is a luxurious taboo. Among millions of civilizations, there stands a near-divine civilization. Because of their advanced technology, they are called the ‘Miracle Civilization.’”

"...As the undisputed leader of all forces, he manipulates the timeline of the pan-civilization sphere, including the present, the past, and the future. Everything related to time is subject to their manipulation and control—all for the benefit of the vast majority."

"There is a River of Time, a masterpiece that combines technology, magic, and mystery, flowing from infinite distances toward the divine civilization. Along the way, the river records and etches everything. The leader of that civilization sits on the riverbank, weaving the future trajectory of everyone in the pan-civilization sphere with his hands... Nothing can escape Him, nothing."

"Only on such a remote, lawless planet can each person's fate be determined by themselves."

The fox spirit was stunned for a few seconds. She suddenly realized that the starry sky hanging above her head was actually far more vast and dark than she had imagined.

Freedom to choose the future.

What sounds like a given is actually a scarce resource on the other side of the starry sky!

"That sounds...so depressing." The fox spirit's ears drooped, and she muttered softly, "Not being able to control your own future, it's not romantic at all."

"Who knows? Some people think this is a good thing. In this way, no matter what you say or do, the failure that ultimately leads to can be attributed to the river of time—since everything is predestined, then my failure is also justified, right? Just hand over the future, live a life according to the will of the leader of civilization, and be isolated from most of the dangers lurking in the universe. Such a life doesn't seem bad."

He sighed, his helplessness tinged with a bitterness he couldn't easily share with others. "But there will always be a small number of mavericks who refuse to accept their fate."

"In order to break free from the constraints of the river of time, they chose to take a risk, voluntarily leaving the prosperous pan-civilization sphere and venturing alone to the undeveloped barren lands of the universe to carry out their will... Within the pan-civilization sphere, these people are called 'god-betrayers,' while some weak civilizations that depend on the pan-civilization sphere call them space pirates."

"Eh... I see, it's more complicated than I thought..." The fox spirit swallowed the last bite of fried tofu.

"There is indeed a technology specifically for predicting the future. I've heard some veteran pirates mention it; it's a discipline called 'Space-Time Numerology.' The Divine Civilization conducts a qualification screening process, and only those who pass are qualified to learn this profound and unfathomable subject. After completing the course, they are promoted to 'Linear Analysts,' specifically responsible for sorting out the sacred timeline. Even a mere Linear Analyst's predictions about the future have an average accuracy rate of over 97.96%."

The fox spirit's tail drooped down. "I'd be lucky to get 20%..."

“You get what you pay for. I wasn’t really counting on you anyway.” King Baimu sighed, patted his knee, and stood up somewhat stiffly. “If you’re ready, let’s begin.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Fox spirit, fox spirit, please appear quickly and answer my questions..."

For the king of the demon realm to utter such lines was rather shameful. But the fox spirit was completely absorbed in her role, standing regally on the table, a red torii gate faintly appearing behind her, and the ghostly flames surrounding her growing ever stronger. Her tone was completely different from before, much colder, as if she had truly become divine because of the paper covered in writing.

"ask."

"That boy I played chess with, Hideaki Dekisugi... does he possess the talent to become a [Threadman]?"

Without uttering a word, the fox spirit slowly moved its front paw, which was holding the coin, until it finally stopped on a short and powerful inscription.

Yes.

"I knew it, I knew it the moment I saw him. It takes an exceptionally high level of intelligence and reaction speed to become a cable manager. It's such a pity that such a talent was born in this poor, remote place."

King Hundred Eyes shook his head with a sigh. Even he himself did not realize that there was a hint of fear in his tone when he was talking to himself just now.

No matter how talented Dekisugi is, he can't become a line arranger overnight, so this question has nothing to do with his current predicament. He always felt a bit of fear about the questions deep in his heart, and therefore dared not ask them immediately. Just like there's always a cold dish before the main course is served.

"Is Nobita Nobi human?"

……

After a long silence, the coin hadn't moved. The fox spirit looked at him calmly, as if asking why he would ask such a pointless question.

He is human!

King Hundred Eyes instinctively clutched his wound, which had been pierced by the silver sword but had already healed, and breathed a sigh of relief. But the questions weren't finished yet; even though the possibility was extremely slim, he still needed to clear all the landmines in his mind.

"Nobita, have you ever been to civilizations beyond Earth?"

The fact that the fox spirit's little paws didn't move during his almost breathless moment was enough to explain the answer.

"What kind of person is Nobita Nobi in the eyes of the civilizations he has encountered?"

Finally, the claws moved slowly, and after some maneuvering, they pieced together two words.

Savior.

"No wonder. I offered them space travel as a condition, but they didn't take the bait at all. At least that proves he's not a traitor to the gods..." King Hundred Eyes took a deep breath, gathering all his mental strength. Now that all the expected side dishes had been served, whether he liked it or not, he had to face this crucial question.

"The person who once attacked me, the former leader of the [Star Ring Pirates], Myoton Nobi Chiora, and the Earthling Nobi Nobita..."

Are they related by blood?

The workload seemed exceptionally heavy; the fox spirit's forepaws paused for a moment, not reacting immediately. In those few short seconds, Hundred-Eyed King experienced firsthand what the "tension" that humans often talked about felt like; his heart, which had never existed before, was about to explode.

Until the rubbing sound began, her little paws moved slowly, finally stopping on a clear answer.

No.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ha! Haha, hahahahaha... I knew it, how could that be!" King Hundred Eyes relaxed instantly, from sitting upright to leaning back in his chair, and spoke eloquently, "The universe is so vast, it's just that the pronunciations are similar, it's not worth making a fuss about at all. There are trillions of living beings in the pan-civilization sphere, so even if there are a few duplicate names, it's not strange."

"Speaking of which, although I don't know what race Muton is, there's no way he could be related to a native Earthling by blood. I'm just overthinking it all, hahaha..."

……

The fox spirit looked at him silently.

Those ethereal beastly eyes seemed to pierce right through him, seeing something far deeper.

Chapter 315: We Will Win!

When people unload their burdens, they inevitably speak without thinking.

With no outsiders in the room at the moment, and having just gotten rid of a worry in his heart, King Baimu, like an old man who liked to ramble on about the past, said in a deep voice, "That Muton, at the beginning, was just like us, a branded traitor. I met him once while wandering the sea of ​​stars. At that time, he was a very carefree guy, always saying things like 'Spring days are too short'... Ha... In the end, he still succumbed to the power and status promised by those in power and became their lackey."

"After donning the red robes of the [Nebula War God] and transforming himself into the guardian deity of the pan-civilization sphere, he turned around and began hunting down his former companions who had roamed the starry sea. Many of those who betrayed the gods became prey on his list. And I was just one of them... He didn't even remember my name."

"I asked him why he would shoulder the burden of freedom, and he said..."

"From the very beginning, there is no freedom. All people are born under shackles, and once they embark on their destined journey, there is no turning back. They can only run wildly on this road without stopping until they reach the end of their destiny."

“Unforgivable…this guy…” King Hundred Eyes gritted his teeth and roared, “I will absolutely kill him with my own hands!”

The fox spirit watched him silently, and perhaps it was this emotionless gaze that brought him back to his senses, making him realize that he was still in the ritual.

"However, now that it's confirmed he and Nobita aren't related by blood, I'm relieved. That's how it is in the pan-civilization sphere; it's best to be careful. There's a little story circulating among the God-Bearers: if you go out without checking the almanac and land on some planet, and accidentally step on a cockroach, and that cockroach happens to be the pet of some Nebula God of War, then you're out of luck."

"Well, that makes sense. A guy who pops out of such a desolate and remote place, even if he's been to space a few times, couldn't possibly have any connection with the broader civilization sphere, right?"

……

With the heavy weight lifted from his heart, Bai Mu laughed freely, but he didn't realize that this was actually a problem in itself.

However, the fox spirit's forepaw remained stuck on the word "no" and did not move.

"Whoosh—smack—!!"

A firework suddenly shot into the sky with a sharp whistle, then exploded in mid-air, transforming into a blue Doraemon pattern.

"What is this? A blue tanuki?" Hyakume naturally noticed the change as well and could easily discern the other's thoughts. Since the last trace of danger had been eliminated, he smiled quite freely and slowly rose from his chair. "Is this a declaration of war?"

The fox spirit's claws moved slightly and stopped on the word "yes".

"Then come on."

"Watch me grind you all into dust!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Perhaps drawing inspiration from the Mother of Insects' combat tactics, Xiao Fu designed the drone swarm to resemble a cascading ephedra, possessing immense deterrent power whether viewed from afar or up close. Meanwhile, the towering warships hovering overhead, like sharp swords, pressed forward slowly and steadily, casting enormous shadows.

Putting everything else aside, just witnessing this scene terrified most of the stationed monsters—such a primitive social structure simply couldn't withstand such an impact. Their current predicament was basically similar to that of the Native Americans who had just seen the warship. Having been forcibly conscripted into the palace out of fear of the Hundred-Eyed King, they naturally had no loyalty whatsoever, and screamed in terror as they turned and fled.

Standing at the highest point of the White Bone Palace, on the top of this skeleton's skull, and looking down, these fleeing monsters look like ants.

"...Heh...I did expect this, but oh well, we were never really partners who would entrust their lives to each other anyway..."

A jet-black torrent swirled and rose around Bai Mu, gradually transforming into a surging tide that replaced his black robe. His hands extended slightly, and nearly eighty meters above the ground, the pure darkness around him coalesced into points of shifting light and shadow. With both hands outstretched, Bai Mu, like a seasoned conductor, swung his arms with exhilaration!

"boom------!!!"

Dozens of torrents shot out simultaneously, like a torrential downpour, piercing through all the drones that came to probe in the first round.

This action sounded the clarion call for war. The Hundred-Eyed King waved his hands wildly in the wind, single-handedly unleashing a concentrated torrent that pierced through the swarm of drones in mid-air. Clearly, the art of killing with the eyes wasn't limited to flesh and blood; it could also be effective against steel and metal.

His eyes remained closed, allowing the drones to weave a net of fire in the air, raining down plasma and projectiles upon him. He simply waved his hands, and the black dots surrounding him gradually increased. With his own strength, he unleashed firepower that was in no way inferior to that of the enemy, gradually tearing a large gap in the drone encirclement.

"Heh, I must say, this is truly human aesthetics, always loving to create such large and useless things."

He spread his arms wide, his chest gaping open, as if to embrace something. Dark torrents gathered before his chest, forming a constantly spinning sphere. Like a spring compressed to its limit and then suddenly released, the solidified darkness shot out, an unprecedented column of torrent tearing through the air, destroying drones in its path, and hurtling straight towards the lead warship high in the sky.

Upon detecting the energy fluctuations, the warship silently deployed its shields, forming a flat protective shield composed of countless golden hexagons, like an eggshell protecting the center.

However, this formidable energy shield didn't last even a second before being pierced head-on by the torrent. The two were as if they were not even on the same level. The shield, which was strong enough to defend against most energy and kinetic weapons, was like a drawing made with a pencil in front of the torrent. The torrent picked up an eraser and gently erased it, creating a large hole.

The world seemed to freeze in that second.

"Thump—!!!"

A deafening explosion erupted from mid-air. As the saying goes, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down; the lead warship was pierced from below and instantly exploded into a firework. Once such a small arsenal exploded, it was unstoppable. Thunderous sounds echoed continuously within the warship, bursts of sparks erupted one after another, and fragments of all sizes scattered in all directions. The warship quickly lost its balance, unable to maintain even the most basic levitation, and slowly plummeted towards the ground, crashing headlong into a hillside in a dazzling burst of light.

Shooting down such a behemoth filled King Hundred Eyes with an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Once again, his actions confirmed his suspicions. The opponent was not a difficult adversary to deal with; otherwise, they certainly wouldn't have sent such a wreck to fight. His earlier worries were simply due to overthinking.

"Look at these things, still stuck in the outdated era where powerful ships and cannons equal strength. That's why we say humanity is no good. People with real space combat experience don't pin their hopes on 'quantity'. It seems that the so-called savior is nothing but a good-for-nothing who has never actually fought a war."

"If I can kill him once, I can kill him again..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Before he could finish speaking, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed. The Hundred-Eyed King disappeared from the top of the Bone Palace, and in his place appeared a black-bearded toy barrel.

……

"laugh!"

Before he could even understand what was happening, a sword suddenly appeared, piercing his chest and severing the lower half of his smile from his throat.

Chapter 316: A Distant Thank You

Be slow.

Many powerful individuals share this common flaw: once they've mastered a particular field to the extreme, reaching a point where they can defeat an enemy with a single move, they cease to value others, even developing the mindset that "it's fine to just play around with an opponent." Da Xiong and his group, of course, couldn't know that Bai Mu had already confirmed his identity again through the fox spirit's divination, thus lowering their guard against him. Therefore, their tactical preparations were still based on the fundamental premise that "King Bai Mu has become wary of their group." And to deal with an arrogant and powerful opponent, the best approach is to lay out easily achievable bait, letting him become arrogant and overconfident, believing his combat strength far surpasses the opponent's.

The drones and warships released first served primarily this purpose. These weren't really the fortress's true fighting force; they were all temporary modifications made by Xiaofu's construction robots, mainly for a flashy, decorative effect, to give the enemy a sense of accomplishment while defeating them. Therefore, the warships were intentionally designed to be large, emphasizing aesthetics, and they fulfilled their mission perfectly. When Hundred-Eyed King shot it down, his sense of triumph reached its peak.

The trap, which had been set long ago, was about to be activated at this very moment.

"【Exchange Furutae】--!!" Nobita took a furutae out of his pocket and draped it over the Blackbeard toy barrel he had prepared beforehand (a toy seen in karaoke, designed in the shape of a barrel with many grooves on the outside to insert toy swords. Only when the correct groove is inserted will Blackbeard pop out of the barrel, usually used to select the executor for games like Truth or Dare).

To prevent the silver sword from being replaced as well, Nobita deliberately held the hilt of the sword and only allowed the exchange wrapping cloth to cover the toy barrel itself.

"Exchange Blackbeard's toy barrel for Hundred-Eyed King!"

In the blink of an eye.

The Hundred-Eyed King who was replaced now had a sword in his chest.

……

"boom--!!"

His body exploded, transforming into a flock of noisy crows that flapped their wings and pecked at Da Xiong's face and eyes, forcing him to let go. They flapped their wings, trying to fly away, but heard a muffled thud—an invisible barrier, like a goldfish bowl, had been overturned and placed on the ground, preventing him from leaving. The crows, having hit the wall, cawed and huddled together; before their human form could even be pieced back together, they were already coughing incessantly.

"Ugh...cough! Cough cough cough..."

Having regained his human form, the Hundred-Eyed King, leaning against the edge of the protective wall, coughed a few times until black blood gushed from his mouth. Only then did he stare at the person before him in disbelief. Although his eyes were still sewn shut, his gaze still conveyed confusion. He couldn't understand how a sword imbued with a curse could cause him actual harm.

“Welcome. You came to see me before, so we're even now.” Da Xiong sheathed his silver sword and said slowly, “This is a cage we specially built for you. It seems to have used some very advanced materials and technology. Anyway, just think of it as a cage for keeping wild animals. I…”

"boom------!!!"

Without further ado, the Hundred-Eyed King raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike, transforming his Eye-Killing Technique into a torrent that slammed into the hemispherical shield. However, the expected scene did not unfold. The instant the two collided, a ghostly blue light emanated from the inner side of the shield. On what appeared to be merely a thin layer of light, a remarkably complex spell was revealed, using force in the opposite direction to completely deflect his attack, followed by a muffled thud, like a misfire.

The invincible black torrent vanished just like that.

"...??!"

This scene truly astonished King Baimu, shaking his worldview. He seemed to only then realize the unusual nature of the shield, reaching out to press it. It felt soft, like a bouncy substance such as cotton candy or jelly. But when he kicked it, it returned with a resounding "clang," a feedback of unparalleled hardness.

"So that's how it is... You, and that outdated Demon King, this is how you survived." Hundred-Eyed King's lips pursed slightly, his expression unreadable, whether from astonishment or anger. He turned again, his gaze towards Nobita icy cold. "Who broke my technique of killing with my eyes?!"

“He’s a friend of mine.” Da Xiong was not intimidated by the evil aura emanating from him at all. Instead, he took a step forward and said directly, “The universe and life are much bigger than you can imagine.”

"Heh... Hahaha... That's quite poetic. What nonsense are you spouting when you're facing someone who almost killed you 10 hours ago?" Rather than finding it laughable, King Hundred Eyes felt that the boy before him was hopeless, so he asked, "You don't actually think you can persuade me to give up with just a few words, do you?"