Nobita's Time Heist

“You’re an ambitious person, even though we haven’t known each other much, I can sense that. Xiaoshan told me that everything you’re doing right now is to get back on your track and recreate your ambition.” Regardless of whether the other person was being sarcastic, Da Xiong always expressed his will with the utmost sincerity. “My past experiences have taught me something… that excessive ambition will ultimately not end well.”

In a way, this is true arrogance.

"We humans may have our flaws, but when faced with a life-or-death crisis, we will do anything to bite back. Even if we can only bite off one of your ears, we will not let you achieve your wish in peace."

"If you think that you don't care about this last bit of a desperate attack because of your so-called ambition, then come on."

……

The Hundred-Eyed King sneered, said nothing, and fired a cannon. The torrent struck Nobita, and the eerie blue magic seal reappeared, neutralizing the potentially deadly spell with a muffled thud. Having given his final warning, Nobita wasn't surprised and, without further hesitation, took a few steps back. The light membrane recognized him, allowing him to easily step over it, leaving only the Hundred-Eyed King trapped inside.

"This is the first time we've tried to combine technology and magic to create this energy level shield specifically designed for you. After this battle, your signature move is nothing special in our eyes."

A coil-like device began to charge, and amidst a rising shriek, intense light condensed at its tip into a tiny point of light, aimed at the inside of the light membrane.

"Xiaoshan once said that all civilian technology advances during wartime. From this perspective, what if this war actually spurs advancements in human technology..."

"I must also express my gratitude to you on behalf of future generations of humanity."

“Buzz——!!!”

With a sharp, piercing sound, a beam of light shot out from the top of the coil and entered the light membrane. In just one second, it bounced more than 100,000 times on the protective wall of the light membrane, carving out countless bright spots of light. Hundred-Eyed King instinctively tried to raise his hand to block, but his arm turned to ashes the moment he raised it. He glanced at the severed area in astonishment, then his body went limp and he was about to lean forward—it turned out that the frequency of the beam's refraction was too high, almost like a slashing attack, shattering his lower body.

"what……"

In a moment of carelessness, the laser pierced his body millions of times, silently turning him into ashes before he could utter a single syllable.

Chapter 317: The Black Sun

"Turn him to ashes!" Seeing the opponent who had caused them so much trouble turn into a wisp of gray in the bright light, Fat Tiger couldn't contain his excitement. He clenched his fist and swung it violently, "Wow, that... what... what beam...!"

"High-energy helium atom splitting beam."

Dekisugi stared intently into the light membrane, his expression far from relaxed. "Everyone, don't let your guard down. Whether it will work or not is still uncertain. My information is that apart from attacking his 'Heavenly Eye' itself, no other method can directly harm him."

"This is already quite remarkable progress." Shuten-dōji rarely showed a somewhat frustrated expression. Looking at the technological marvels surrounding her, she realized for the first time how fragile her "demon" body was. "Back then, when I fought him, I couldn't even destroy this false physical body. His magical power seemed inexhaustible, constantly unleashing his eye-killing techniques. I could only retreat, and in the end, I was still hit..."

"Breaking this deadly spell has extraordinary significance for the entire demon realm!"

"Speaking of which, when Nobita stabbed him just now, he did vomit blood, right?" Suneo keenly caught the blind spot. "No matter how powerful the creator of that Demon God Chess game is, he couldn't possibly know about other universes, could he? The Silver Sword comes from another universe, could it be related to that?"

"Really?" Asur frowned in distress, muttering to himself, "I've never heard of this sword being that powerful..."

"No matter what tricks he tries, we can handle them! There are so many weapons in the fortress, just bring them all over him and poke them all out. Once all his eyes are blinded, it won't matter which eye is his weakness!"

Da Xiong stared blankly. Within the light membrane, ultra-high-energy helium atomic rays were constantly bouncing and refracting at a frequency of tens of thousands of times per second, moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Da Xiong knew very well that if he dared to take a single step inside, he would be instantly pierced by countless rays and reduced to ashes. This was a forbidden zone for life; from a scientific point of view, no carbon-based life could survive in such an environment.

But for some reason, he always felt uneasy. It was like the feeling of about to wake up from a nightmare, but then something choked him, making it very difficult to breathe.

……

In his mind's eye, he saw those eyes, sewn shut with gold thread, suddenly open in the darkness, snapping the threads cleanly with a force so strong. The whites of these eyes were black, while the pupils were a pristine white—this strange contrast left a deep impression on Da Xiong. The owner of the eyes, hidden in the darkness, stared intently at him, a silent mockery in his eyes. It was as if he were laughing at him for his reckless attack, so presumptuous and without any regard for the consequences.

"A very interesting little toy, Nobita. If it were a race like yours with no quality to speak of, you would probably have been completely wiped out."

"You should all disappear from this world along with it."

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.

Nobita couldn't find the words to describe this scene; if he had to, he would say "release."

The release of quality, a complete release.

A jet-black, viscous substance surged forth instantly, filling every space within the light membrane in the blink of an eye. High-energy helium atomic rays continued to blast forth, but even at a frequency of tens of thousands of times per second, they were no match for the ever-flowing black liquid. The latter had transcended the realm of science; it seemed to be pouring out continuously from some other dimension. It resembled a liquid, a gel-like semi-solid, or solidified muscle and rock, constantly expanding and endlessly multiplying its kind, pressing its mass onto every surface area of ​​the light membrane.

In a flash, Nobita couldn't help but think of the incredibly dangerous "Double-Up Liquid." He had used it to increase the size of chestnut buns before, but he never finished them. Finally, in fourth grade, Nobita personally experienced just how terrifying the "exponent," the devil in mathematics, really was.

At this very moment, this viscous black liquid was replicating itself even faster than the multiplier! In just a few seconds, before his companions could even react, he had already created several small cracks in the earthquake-resistant floor tiles.

Without any magic, just sheer mass, this thin membrane of light was like a balloon overfilled with too much hydrogen, expanding to its maximum tolerance.

A deep laugh emanated from the writhing mass of black liquid, mocking the dumbfounded crowd.

"Yes, yes, that's the right expression."

"This kind of expression is most suitable for your race!"

……

"Thump—!!!"

In an instant, the solidified black liquid struck with all its might, shattering the ground that had bound him and overflowing continuously. The Hundred-Eyed King released his true form; the more human-like appearance was gone, replaced by a strange substance resembling the materialization of chaos. It had no limbs, no torso, no facial features, only countless eyes embedded in this pitch-black body, slowly opening and gazing down at Nobita and the others.

"When exactly did you develop the illusion that you could stand up to me? All that happened before was just me playing along with you out of boredom."

His voice became extremely deep, as if tens of thousands of people were speaking at the same time, filling the surroundings with an eerie echo.

"Did you think that building a metal cage would completely lock me up inside?"

"Hahahahahaha..."

Amidst arrogant laughter, the Hundred-Eyed King's massive body slowly rose, taking flight without wings, and pierced through the cage specifically designed for him. In an instant, the view became incredibly expansive—for various reasons, Da Xiong and his companions had placed this laboratory at the very top of the fortress. The dome shattered, leading directly to the heavens without any obstruction.

Without the constraints of space, the Hundred-Eyed King's expansion rate increased exponentially, and in no time, it became a dark cloud hanging over the fortress. The shadow cast by its enormous size could even cover the entire fortress.

Countless roots, like Jack and the Beanstalk in a fairy tale, inexplicably and wildly grew, forming rings around this enormous black sphere, much like the rings around Saturn, protecting the Hundred-Eyed King's true form at the very center. The exact number of eyes on it was impossible to count; they were densely embedded in this indescribable, twisted flesh. An unprecedented aura of malevolence rose from his body, radiating like sunlight to every corner of the demon realm.

Like a black sun rising slowly.

"This design... looks a lot like the Throne Angels in the Bible."

"Angels?" Shizuka had never heard of this before and couldn't help but shudder. "Really? I thought angels were all winged and looked spotless."

"That image was created after being deconstructed by later generations and combined with contemporary revivalist ideas. Actually, the earliest angels all looked quite strange. Among them, the Thrones are regarded as the chariots of God, and the description is similar to them." Dekisugi explained to everyone, "Countless rings are inlaid together, covered with eyes. Once you sit on it, you can instantly move to the other side of the world."

"Who cares if he's an angel or some other monster!" Fat Tiger clenched his fist, his voice rising sharply, "Let's get him!"

Chapter 318: You are Ganon?

"Boom————!!!"

"Boom————!!!"

"Boom————!!!"

……

The cannons throughout the fortress turned in unison, aiming at the ever-expanding black sphere directly above. After a smooth charging sound, countless cannons fired simultaneously.

Kinetic and energy weapons alike were unleashing a barrage of attacks into the sky, like a reverse downpour. This fortress truly lived up to its name as a steel behemoth; once fully operational, the firepower it unleashed was simply terrifying. Each subatomic bombardment shell was enough to carve a hole in the mountaintop, but when they landed on the surface of this black sun, they vanished without a trace, leaving only a few muffled, insignificant thuds within its surface.

"Something's not right." Dekisugi stared intently at the constantly changing readings on the screen, his expression shifting slightly. "It seems like the energy he's unleashing is being stored in his body; the energy level isn't rising noticeably... It's being neutralized as nutrients, and instead, it's being converted into more mass! We can't keep going, stop now!"

"Hahahaha—!!"

A muffled, thunderous laugh surged forth, bursting forth with an incomparably powerful magic, enough to shake one's very internal organs.

"You are human after all. Your mindset is still stuck in the rudimentary stage where cannons and firearms are considered good. To put it another way, you're not even at the kindergarten level. Do you really think that in space warfare, you can win by relying on these powerful ships and cannons, or a sufficiently dense and imposing fleet of warships?"

"Wrong! Utterly wrong."

"Often it's one person, one weapon, a magic that hasn't yet appeared in the world, a super short, large-scale curse... The more unbelievable something is, the more it has the power to end everything. You're right, Nobita, the universe is far bigger than you and I imagine. Therefore, there are all sorts of strange differences in our views on combat. The most outrageous thing I've ever seen was a mercenary army that roamed the stars and was unmatched, but was killed by a special kind of spore powder."

Even through the screen, a sense of foreboding rose in Nobita's heart. This sphere, saturated with darkness, had expanded to the point where it wouldn't be surprising if it exploded at any moment.

"Let me wait for you, and set an example!"

……

"Bang------!!!"

The black sun exploded in an instant, from which countless pitch-black shadows flew out, like snakes, like dragons, or like every twisted and ferocious creature in the world. They laughed wildly, and on each shadow, countless eyes blinked simultaneously, instantly blocking out all light and plunging the entire arid red earth continent into darkness.

For some reason, seeing this scene, Nobita suddenly remembered a fairy tale he had read long ago: the moon was a giant egg, originally much larger than it is now. Because it was too close to the sun, it absorbed too much heat. This egg developed life from within, and one day it burst open, releasing countless dragons. Therefore, all dragons in the world were originally creatures from the moon.

strangeness.

Why did you suddenly think of this at this time?

His past memories suddenly became blurry; he couldn't even remember where he had seen this absurd story.

Where is it...?

……

"Drip! Drip! Drip!"

"Warning! Warning! Unidentified signal source detected connecting to the fire control system, system overwritten... Please immediately... Please immediately... Please immediately..."

The authoritative voice that once commanded the fortress suddenly went mad, repeating its words several times. Then, its voice became inexplicably drawn out and distorted, and its tone shifted, emanating from the screen with an arrogant, cold laugh.

"Just die already, hahaha! Nobita, I really have to thank you guys for providing me with such a great toy..."

"To die by the very creation of your own people is one of the few joys in your lives."

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.

"Beep! Beep beep—!!"

Amidst the hail of gunfire, the jeep's horn blared loudly. Thanks to its unusual construction compared to ordinary vehicles, the Jeep was spacious enough that even with a large group of people inside, it wasn't too cramped. This was one of the few times the Jeep felt threatened; it floored the accelerator, engine and tires working at full speed, hurtling through the fortress. The exhaust roared incessantly, and the rapid pace inevitably caused bumps and jolting; Fat Tiger, being the tallest, bumped his head several times.

But the US dollar dared not relax for a moment, constantly accelerating to its maximum speed. In mid-air, the actual combat drones had already woven a net of fire, raining down a hail of bullets. No matter how skillful the US dollar's movements were, it was impossible to dodge them all. Inevitably, a few plasma bullets hit its body, making the standard metallic ricocheting sound.

Against kinetic weapons like bullets, the US dollar could easily withstand them with its armor, not even getting a scratch. Only large-caliber weapons, such as special armor-piercing rounds or high-explosive rounds, might be able to inflict some damage. However, these drones were specially designed by Xiaofu for actual combat, and their firepower is extremely powerful. A single plasma round fired is enough to cause the US dollar a similar "painful" sensation.

To prevent the people inside from getting hurt, he forcibly suppressed the urge to transform and hide, and simply held his breath, rushing forward with all his might.

The deeply suppressed metallic sound was still caught by Nobita, causing him great heartache, but he could only gently stroke the steering wheel with his hand.

"This is bad. I didn't expect him to have this trick up his sleeve..." Xiao Fu bit his nails in frustration, his previous smugness vanished instantly, and even his three-cornered hairstyle looked limp. "I made so many weapons, but they all ended up benefiting him."

“Well, this wasn’t Honekawa-kun’s original intention either.” Dekisugi’s tone was somewhat apologetic. “In the end, this tactic was devised by Nobi-kun and me. We didn’t think it through enough at the time. We originally planned to deplete his life force, and we never considered this possibility. If I had brought back enough information, this wouldn’t have happened…”

"Alright, you two, stop this!" Shizuka was decisive enough to break the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the car with a single sentence. "Don't rush to admit defeat. We haven't lost yet. Even if he controlled so many machines, the US dollar is still on our side. This means that there must be some flaw in his move."

"It's related to the soul."

Asur was quite certain. He curled his fingers and tapped on the jeep window. "American dollars have a strong will of their own, something those mere weapons can't compare to. Hundred-Eyed King's possession technique can only work on inanimate objects. Otherwise, why go through all that trouble? Why not just possess our bodies and make us commit suicide?"

"But... even knowing that, the situation is still very difficult." Xiaofu leaned against the rear window, looking through the thin glass at the inescapable net laid by the drones, and sighed, "We can only stay huddled inside the fortress. The firepower of these drones is enough to give us a run for our money. But once we go out, all sorts of cannons and missiles will be flying towards us. At that point, I'm afraid even US dollars won't be able to withstand it."

This cage, built for the enemy, has now imprisoned them instead.

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.

"...?"

Nobita never participated in their discussions.

Amid the din of gunfire, he pressed his ear against the car window, listening intently to something.

……

In the distance, there seemed to be the sound of the earth shaking.

Chapter 319: Yamata no Orochi

"Ok?"

Suddenly, King Hundred Eyes sensed something was wrong, and all the eyes on the ring turned to the other side of the horizon.

Amidst the billowing dust, something incredibly oppressive seemed to be approaching. It instantly captured all his attention, making him completely forget about even the little toy he had just acquired. The next moment, not only him, but even the fortress system he had just obtained began issuing him extremely clear warnings.

"High-energy, high-quality organisms have been detected approaching. It is recommended to deploy fire support systems for a probing strike. Overall control has been activated..."

"boom----!"

A beam of light came from the horizon, moving much faster than he had expected.

Before the defense system could be activated, it directly pierced through the body of the Hundred-Eyed King suspended in mid-air, instantly melting a portion of the rings into a gaseous state and erasing them.

Countless eyes zoomed in and out simultaneously. Upon closer inspection, the beam of light was no ordinary beam; it was a convergence and gathering of countless strands of dark blue flames, forming a ray of light that was almost pure radiance. These dark blue flames seemed to have an effect on the Hundred-Eyed King's indestructible body. Upon contact, the pitch-black flesh instantly crumbled, hissing like ice cubes doused with hot water.

A thick, dark cloud drifted in from the west, its powerful demonic aura, strong enough to rival his own, rising slowly on the horizon. After centuries of silence, its reappearance instantly alerted King Hyakume. Since taking control of the demon realm from Shuten-dōji, he had always maintained a degree of restraint, ruling only the northern Red Earth Continent and never provoking this demon god.

King Hundred Eyes knew that if he were to fight him, even if he could win, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. Since the latter hadn't expressed any opinion on his taking over the demon realm, it was best for them to avoid each other, pretend nothing had happened, and each go about their own business.

He hadn't expected that the other party would suddenly attack at this crucial moment, joining the fray and biting him hard.

"Master! Master—" Musashi's voice came from a very distant place, echoing with the wind, and actually reached everyone's ears, "I have come to help you!"

……

At this moment, the powerful earthquake had already affected the interior of the fortress; even those sitting in the car could feel it. Nobita quickly put on his [X-ray glasses], wanting to see what had happened outside. But as soon as he put them on, the layers of metal walls of the fortress became transparent in his vision, and he was immediately startled by what he saw.

What came into view were enormous, vertical pupils, like red lantern fruits. It seemed as if blood was about to overflow from them, and just by looking into them, one could feel the ferocity and cruelty hidden within those pupils.

Da Xiong didn't have a deep understanding of snakes, nor was he particularly interested in traditional myths and legends; he had only heard about them from others. However, when he saw those eight pairs of vertical pupils flashing red light, and that enormous body covered in moss, cypress, and cedar trees, stretching across the earth like a mountain, he roughly guessed its true identity.