With his strength about to receive a boost, Ninja World Makiya was in high spirits as he rubbed his hands and approached the crowd.
"Oh, you're here?" Soul Reaper Makiya waved, his voice tinged with excitement. "Come quickly, Brother Egg seems to be hatching."
"Really?" Ninja World Makiya had originally wanted to sync the newcomers' memories first, but hearing this, he immediately joined the circle of onlookers.
Memories and strength could be synced at any time, but Brother Egg's hatching only happened once. The three of them had been waiting for a long while.
In the middle of the crowd, an oval-shaped rainbow flame continuously expanded and wriggled, occasionally bursting with streaks of fire. Although they called him Brother Egg, he was actually just an egg-shaped fireball; this Makiya had always been enveloped in these impenetrable, oval-shaped rainbow flames.
The rainbow flames flowed with light, expanding and contracting with the rhythm of breathing. After continuing this for a while, all the flames suddenly retracted toward the center, as if a black hole inside was devouring everything.
Mysterious fire patterns flickered in and out of view, all surging into the interior along with the rainbow flames. All the Makiyas widened their eyes, witnessing 'Brother Egg's' hatching day together.
The patterns dissipated and the fire extinguished, gradually revealing Brother Egg's true form: a... phoenix?
Is it a phoenix?
The creature before them—this chicken... this flamingo... this phoenix was fiery red all over. Its tail feathers and crest were a dazzling gold, while its underside was covered in pure white feathers. The tips of its wings were tinged with emerald green, and a green ribbon around its neck radiated the aura of life. Its beak was brilliant gold, its pupils crimson, and its sharp talons were solid black.
The newborn phoenix was a bit small, not even half the height of a person. Its nimble eyes looked around as it flapped its wings, scattering life-filled rainbow flames. Its golden beak opened and closed, letting out the first cry of a sacred beast:
"What are you all surrounding me for? Make way, make way, it's a bit stuffy."
"...Eh?" Makiya x7.
The newborn phoenix pushed through the crowd with its golden beak, flapped its wings, and took to the sky. It soared freely in the soul space, diving and flipping. It even intuitively performed maneuvers like the Bell and the Cobra, ending with a falling leaf drift before smoothly leveling out and landing lightly in front of the group of Makiyas.
"Whew... refreshing!"
Phoenix Makiya shook his body briskly and curved one wing forward in a bowing gesture. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Ho-Oh."
After 'hatching', more memories automatically surfaced in his mind, including his innate abilities and species name.
"It's actually Ho-Oh!" Ninja World Makiya thought aloud. "No wonder I synced that fire talent earlier. That explains it."
"After I crossed over, I was soaked in a ball of fire. It was comfortable, but being in pitch darkness without any sound was really boring. Luckily, I met you guys and shared your memories." Fear flickered in Ho-Oh Makiya's eyes. "I've been living off your memories lately; otherwise, I definitely would've gone crazy from being stuck in that dark room."
"Was Ho-Oh born from fire?" one of the newcomers interjected.
"Who knows? The original work never said, so let's just assume so." Soul Reaper Makiya shrugged. He didn't care about the details; as a workplace slacker, he was only interested in things that affected him directly. "Ho-Oh's base stats must be high, and the skills you can learn are powerful. You need to step up soon and become our powerhouse."
"Ahem, theoretically, I was just born!" Ho-Oh emphasized that he was still a baby. "I don't even know what my world is like yet or which Pokémon series it is. Let's take it slow; there's no rush!"
"Come to think of it, I remember Ho-Oh has a resurrection talent or something. Why wasn't that synced to us?" Navy Makiya said with a look of regret. In any world, resurrection was an incredible ability. Unfortunately, due to different world laws, Ho-Oh's talent didn't take full effect on them.
"Anyway, has everyone shared yet?" Ninja World Makiya looked at the four newcomers. Their appearances were all different, making it hard to tell which world they came from just by looking. There were too many possibilities in the multiverse.
"Of course, just waiting for you." Soul Reaper Makiya approached and slapped Ninja World Makiya on the shoulder. Four sets of memories and power began to sync.
The first memory made Ninja World Makiya's spirit jolt. This one had crossed into a Wuxia Fusion World. Initially, he struggled to adapt and nearly died several times. After painful reflection, he temporarily abandoned the worldview shaped by nine years of compulsory education. Relying on his foreknowledge, he successfully seized two opportunities to become a decent expert in the martial world. He was currently plotting to obtain the Dugu Nine Swords.
The second memory wasn't long, but it was just as substantive. He had woken up in the British Empire in 1989, staying in an orphanage called 'Start'.
Being precocious and sensible, Makiya easily gained the favor of the orphanage's matron, who was determined to find him an excellent adoptive family. Just as Makiya was fantasizing about using his knowledge of future events to make a fortune, he met a friend named Harry Potter on Christmas Day in 1990. That night, Makiya fell asleep in a state of shock and excitement, only to wake up in the mysterious space.
The third Makiya wore a black trench coat and handsome sunglasses. His expression was cold, and he gave off a bloody aura. Ninja World Makiya had a guess about his identity, and upon seeing the memories, his guess was confirmed.
Black-clothed Makiya had crossed into late 19th-century America as a child in an ordinary Chinese family in Chinatown. He grew up peacefully, excelling in school, and became a doctor after graduation—the kind of 'perfect child' neighbors always talked about.
Just as he was settling down to live out a decent, peaceful life, he saw a black figure flash past his eyes on his way home from work. Then, his elderly parents stood frozen for a moment before their bodies wriggled and transformed into two white men who drew guns and chased after the figure.
This terrifying scene triggered his memories. It wasn't until three days later, when a bald man in black arrived to reveal the truth, that he finally confirmed he had crossed into a movie world. For over twenty years, he had been living inside the Matrix. What followed was natural: Makiya chose to accept the truth, becoming a proud hacker traveling between reality and the virtual world to find a way to liberate all of humanity.
The fourth's experience was even more significant. He had crossed into the world of Sword Art Online and become an NPC in the phenomenal virtual reality game S.A.O. Simply put, he was a piece of code whose main responsibility was to sell weapons and armor to players.
Perhaps due to the crossing, Makiya was able to open the player interface. He gained experience by running the weapon shop, and picking up different weapons would unlock various skill trees. Fearing that the programmers would discover his anomalous code, Makiya had been staying dutifully in the main city, not daring to go anywhere.
Heaven only knew if some balding guy in front of a computer would hit 'Enter' and delete him instantly. It was better to be cautious.
With the arrival of the four newcomers, everyone was excited. Except for the quiet Hacker Makiya, who only chipped in occasionally, the others chatted incessantly.
"Everyone, keep chatting. I have something to do, so I'll be heading out first," Soul Reaper Makiya suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention.
"What's wrong? Are you about to achieve Shikai?" Navy Makiya asked with concern.
Shikai had always been Soul Reaper Makiya's obsession. He had thought that after entering the mysterious space, he would quickly be able to communicate with his Zanpakuto, but he hadn't expected that even after so much time, there was still no movement.
Time flowed differently in each world. Time in the Soul Society moved quickly. Soul Reaper Makiya's natural talent was average. Through years of accumulation and cultivation, he had reached the upper limit of his physical body. To further improve his Rei'i and Reiatsu, he had to rely on his Shikai and Bankai, aside from his cheat.
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, he simply couldn't hear the voice of his Zanpakuto.
"Shikai? I think I'm starting to feel something, but I don't know if it's an illusion," Soul Reaper Makiya shrugged.
"Good luck! You'll definitely succeed this time!" Navy Makiya encouraged him, and the other Makiyas chimed in with their support.
The Makiyas shared in each other's glory. If Soul Reaper Makiya became stronger through Shikai, it would benefit them all.
Before leaving, Soul Reaper Makiya made sure to grab a handful of Ho-Oh Makiya's essence to sync the strength and talent he gained after hatching.
"Do you think he'll succeed this time?" Wuxia Makiya asked, peering out after Soul Reaper Makiya left.
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