"Alright… here goes nothing." His voice was softer than usual, stripped of its bravado. "I wish to become able to use superpowers too. Anything. Mana, chakra, mutant gene… I don't care what it is. I just want the power for myself. Preferably mana..."
The night sky suddenly shimmered with an unnatural brilliance. Three shooting stars cut through the darkness, their blazing trails painting luminous scars across the heavens. For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath as though the universe itself acknowledged the wish Meliodas had made.
The sight was breathtaking, almost divine, yet it faded too quickly, leaving behind a stillness so profound that it felt almost mocking.
In Meliodas's hand, the enchanted ring began to crumble. Tiny shards broke away. His gaze followed the particles until they disappeared, absorbed into nothingness. He clenched his fist, waiting and anticipating something, anything. But there was no sudden surge of strength, no warmth of mana surging through his veins.
His body remained unchanged, as though nothing at all had happened.His jaw tightened. 'Did I really just waste it?' he thought, bitterness creeping in. A calm voice broke the silence.
"...Master," Makima's calm tone carried a hint of subtle curiosity, though her crimson eyes lingered on him with sharp precision. She hadn't felt the slightest shift in his being either, but she was not the type to assume. "Did you sense something? Any change… even faint?"
Meliodas parted his lips to respond, but before a word could form, Tatsumaki scoffed."Tch. I knew it." The esper floated a little higher into the air, her arms folded across her chest, her emerald hair twisting slightly in the breeze. "Something like wishing for power out of nowhere, it doesn't exist. Not in this world, not in any." Her eyes narrowed, sharp and unyielding. "Stars and flashy lights don't mean anything. It was a show. Nothing more."
Off to the side, Rem lowered her eyes to the ground. Her hands trembled faintly as she clasped them together at her chest. The stars had been beautiful, yes… but beauty meant little if it brought no change for her master. She had watched with quiet hope, wishing that perhaps this time things would be different, that Meliodas would finally receive the strength he deserved, the strength that matched his resolve.But now? Nothing.
"Damn it, at least I have another one..." Meliodas spoke.
He had expected this kind of result, but still, he was optimistic that it would work.
The system had always been strict, it never granted him personal power, only servants to fight at his side. The rule was ironclad. So why had he even hoped for something more? Why had he let himself believe this time might be different? So he lifted both his hands to the sky, making two middle fingers. "Fuck you, I'm going to reach the top with this. Who needs powers anyway!" He addressed the ROB that brought him to the new world.
"Alright, this changes nothing to our plans. Let's head back." Meliodas turned to leave as Kurogiri's portal opened in front of him.Suddenly, his head jerked up. His purple eyes flickered with sharp alertness, as if something invisible had brushed against his consciousness.The voice of the system rang clear in his mind.
[System Update complete.]
[New feature unlocked: Mission Rewards.]
[Missions may now grant Anime Powers, classified from F-rank to X-rank.]
[First-time use reward granted…]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: S-rank Ability.]
Meliodas' lips parted in shock. For a moment, he didn't move, simply letting the words replay in his head again and again. An S-rank ability… right out of the gate. His heart began to pound, a rush of excitement tearing through his chest until he could barely contain it.'No way… this is insane! An S-rank? First try? This changes everything!'
And then, unable to hold it in, he let out a booming, triumphant cry."YEEEESSSSSSSS!"His voice exploded through the clearing, loud and filled with raw joy. The sudden outburst startled everyone present.
Makima's voice was the first to cut the silence, calm yet edged with quiet curiosity. "…What was that about?"
Tatsumaki floated lower, glaring at him with her arms crossed. "What the hell are you screaming for? You almost gave me a heart attack!"
Rem's tone was soft, laced with concern. "Meliodas-sama… are you all right?"
Meliodas spun around to face them, a wide grin plastered across his face. His excitement was impossible to contain. "You guys won't believe it! The wish! It worked! I can now get stronger!" That got their attention.
Tatsumaki's eyes narrowed suspiciously, though her interest was clear. "Get stronger? How? You're saying you can just get new abilities on demand now?"Makima tilted her head slightly, the faintest curve forming at her lips. She didn't speak yet, simply observing.
Meliodas nodded eagerly. "Exactly! And get this, these powers are ranked. F-rank all the way to X-rank."
"And the best part? I just got my first-time reward. Wanna guess what it was?"
Tatsumaki scoffed, tapping her finger against her arm impatiently. "Spit it out already."
Meliodas' grin widened."An S-rank ability!"The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
Rem's blue eyes widened in awe, her lips parting slightly. "S-rank… from the very beginning… that's incredible, Meliodas-sama. Im very happy for you."
Tatsumaki's jaw clenched, though she tried to mask her surprise with a roll of her eyes. "Tch. Figures you'd get lucky, huh? Most people would struggle for years before touching anything that strong, and you just stumble into it?"
Makima finally spoke, her tone soft and measured, but her eyes gleamed with an unreadable light. "An S-rank reward as a starting gift… That's… extraordinary."
Meliodas scratched the back of his head sheepishly, though his grin never faded. "Yeah, this is huge! With something like this, our whole dynamic changes. Missions won't just be about money or reputation anymore, they'll be about gaining powers. Stronger and stronger powers."
Meliodas then turned his attention to the system, his heart still thundering in his chest from the earlier announcement. He pulled up the system interface only he could see, eyes flicking over the glowing text that unfolded before him."System," he said softly, voice steady despite the excitement still lingering within. "Gimme the S-rank ability."
The response was instant.
[Confirmed. Retrieving reward…]
[REWARD: Template – Satoru Gojo.]
[ANIME: Jujutsu Kaisen]
[Would you like to begin integration?]Meliodas' eyes widened. 'Satoru Gojo?' Obviously, he knew the name well, the pinnacle of sorcery. His mind immediately ran through every ability that name entailed. Limitless. Infinity. The Six Eyes. Domain Expansion. The thought alone made him grin like a child handed the keys to a candy store.But before he rushed into it, questions burned in his mind. "Wait… system, if I integrate with this template… am I gonna turn into Gojo himself? Like, appearance and all? Is it going to affect my personality?"The system's voice was cool and precise in his mind.
[Negative.]
[Integration does not alter the host's physical appearance or mental state.]
[However, due to this template's specific condition, the Six Eyes will be granted.]
[This means the host's eyes will adopt a sapphire-blue coloration.]
Meliodas nodded slowly, absorbing the words. "So… my eyes change, but I stay me."He paused, another thought sparking. "And what about the blindfold? The original Gojo needed it, right? To keep his powers from hurting him. Am I gonna have to wear one too?"
[Incorrect.]
[The original Gojo template is middle S rank]
[Host has obtained a High-End S rank.]
[This version retains Gojo Satoru's abilities at his peak while eliminating negative drawbacks. No visual impairment or self-damaging side effects will occur.]
Meliodas' grin widened. "So… full power, no limits. Hah. That's crazy! Better than I hoped for."
He didn't hesitate anymore. His answer was clear. "System… integrate the template."The world seemed to shift the moment the words left his lips.
A surge of foreign energy burst into his body, raw and yet impossibly refined. His purple eyes swiftly changed as they shifted into a sapphire blue color, they were absolutely beautiful. The Six Eyes.
Meliodas gasped, his vision expanded tenfold. He could feel, almost see cursed energy flowing in every direction. He blinked, then closed his eyes completely, only to realize his vision remained, as if he never closed them in the first place.
He staggered slightly under the overwhelming precision, chuckling under his breath. "…So this is Gojo's vision, huh? Damn. It's… beautiful."
Rem stepped closer, her hands clasped nervously in front of her chest. "M-master… your eyes… they've turned blue. Like a clear gem."
Makima tilted her head, watching him intently with a smile, but said nothing.
Tatsumaki floated closer, squinting at him. "What the hell happened to your eyes? Don't tell me you're about to pull some ridiculous stunt."
Meliodas smirked, turning toward her, his now sapphire gaze practically glowing. "Probably, I want to try many things. Makima, throw that rock next to your foot at me. Full strength."Meliodas ordered.
"Meliodas-sama. It would probably kill you-" Makima said, but Meliodas insisted."Just do it, it's an order."She decided to comply. She knew that even if he was hurt, Shoko would heal him, and if he somehow died, the contract would bring him back. So she picked up the rock and threw it with all her power, aiming for his arm.
A shockwave was created by the speed at which the rock traveled. Yet, unexpectedly, the rock suddenly stopped a few millimeters away from his arm. They were shocked.
Makima's eyes narrowed slightly at the rock hanging frozen in space. An invisible barrier forming in front of him. That was the neutral form of Limitless. Infinity.
"See this?" Meliodas said, his voice calm but tinged with excitement. "Nothing can touch me unless I allow it. Infinity itself… between me and everything else."
Tatsumaki's brows shot up, though she quickly masked her shock with a scoff. "So you've got a fancy shield. Big deal." But even she couldn't hide the flicker of awe in her emerald eyes.
Meliodas' smirk deepened. "That's just the start." He closed his fist, and the air around him twisted violently. A sphere of compressed energy swirled into existence in his palm, glowing with a light. "Blue," he muttered.
The small orb started dragging stones, dirt, and even the air itself toward it in a violent implosion. The ground cracked, debris ripping toward the center as though the world itself couldn't resist its gravity.
Rem gasped, clutching her skirt tighter. "It's… pulling everything in…"Meliodas released it, the implosion vanishing instantly. Before the others could fully process, he raised the same hand. Energy surged again, this time in reverse."Red."The air exploded outward, a shockwave blasting from his palm and sending pebbles on their feet backward. Of course, he was limiting its force not to hurt Rem next to him.Tatsumaki's eyes widened despite herself. "That… that's insane. You just repelled it all…"
Makima's calm smile lingered, though her gaze sharpened. "Attractive force… repulsive force… control over both. Impressive."
Meliodas wasn't done. He clasped both hands together, channeling cursed energy in a way that felt as natural as breathing. Blue and Red swirled in opposite directions before colliding, twisting into a new color, violet, unstable and terrifyingly radiant."Purple," Meliodas whispered.The orb crackled, radiating raw annihilation. He pointed it toward an empty stretch of land and released it.
The ground split apart, earth vaporizing as the energy tore through the field in a straight line, carving a path of utter destruction that stretched far beyond sight.The silence that followed was deafening. The smell of scorched earth lingered in the air.
Rem trembled, staring wide-eyed at the destruction. "…Master… this power… it's beyond anything…"
Meliodas lowered his hands, exhaling slowly. The thrill of it coursed through him, making his grin widen even further. "Heh… yeah. This is perfect."He could feel it now, strength that belonged entirely to him, not borrowed from his summons. He had always relied on others' powers. And yet, he wasn't reckless. His thoughts lingered on the ultimate technique, the trump card granted by this template. Domain Expansion.A smirk tugged at his lips, but he shook his head. "…Not yet. That one's for when it really matters."
"But I'm not done yet.." When he said that, Meliodas suddenly disappeared. He appeared above Tatsumaki, hanging in the air. "You're not the only one to fly anymore. And I can also teleport. Convenient, isn't it?"
"Ugh..." Tatsumaki scoffed, trying to ignore him.
Back to the system once again. Meliodas still had two missions he had completed and had not claimed the rewards yet.
[MEET AINZ OOAL GOWN WITHOUT DYING][REWARD: A RANK SUMMON/A RANK ABILITY]
[Complete the mission you received from Ainz Ooal Gown][REWARD: S RANK SUMMON/S RANK ABILITY]
"Two rewards available,"Meliodas noticed. 'A-rank and S-rank. But it seems that after the update, I can choose whether I want a summon or an ability.'
Tatsumaki's sharp green eyes narrowed on her master's face. "What are you giggling for? What's it saying this time?" she asked, her voice carrying curiosity.
Meliodas chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Well, it basically is saying that I can become busted as fuck. Makes me feel special, y'know?" His smirk widened as he leaned closer to the glowing screen. "An S-rank summon would be insane… but an S-rank ability might be even crazier."
Rem, who had been quietly standing behind him, clasped her hands together nervously. Her blue eyes widened in concern."Meliodas-sama… are you sure it's wise to choose without thinking carefully? A strong ally could be invaluable in this dangerous world." Her voice trembled slightly, betraying both her worry and her faith in him.
Tatsumaki interrupted, flicking her hair. "Allies are fine and all, but with the way Meliodas-sama works, he'd probably be better off with some flashy ability to save his own skin."
Meliodas turned toward her with a grin that showed no hint of offense. "That's called confidence, shorty."
Her face twitched, a vein practically popping on her forehead. "Call me that again..."The exchange earned the faintest smile from Makima, though she remained as poised as ever.
Meliodas tapped his chin, pretending to think hard, though his grin betrayed his excitement. "Alright… decision made. I'll take the A-rank as a summon. And the S-rank as an ability. Best of both worlds, don't you think? System, start with the S rank ability." The system interface flickered, confirming his choice.
TO BE CONTINUED —→