Watching his comrades seamlessly and resolutely cover for him, Sasuke felt a surge of battle fervor igniting within him!
In that moment, his eyes saw nothing else—only the tumor-like mass just ahead!
"Go to hell!"
Sasuke roared as he charged forward.
He didn't worry about his footing, knowing vines would rise to support him. Nor did he fear the tendrils, trusting his comrades to block them one by one!
Whoosh!
In an instant, Sasuke, clad in the Akatsuki's hooded red-cloud cloak and eagle mask, transformed into a streak of black light, hurtling straight toward the tumor!
Sensing the threat, the tumor contracted violently, frantically urging its tendrils to attack Sasuke.
But its countless tendrils were either entangled by Karin and Yakumo's 'Wood Release,' slowed by Ido's Koryugan dojutsu, repelled by Haku's 'Water Lily Goddess,' or blocked by the combined form of Neji and Kimimaro!
In that critical moment, not a single one of the tumor's terrifyingly powerful tendrils could reach Sasuke, who had nearly become a blur of black light!
Boom!
Amid everyone's anticipation, Sasuke didn't disappoint. Like a spearhead, he pierced the airborne tumor, unleashing a massive explosion.
Splatter! Splatter! Splatter!
The tumor, compressed to its limit, was instantly penetrated by Sasuke's 'Chidori,' infused with 'Amaterasu' black flames. It rapidly expanded before violently bursting apart.
Flesh and blood sprayed everywhere, accompanied by a cascade of gore, like a blood waterfall!
On the distant cliff, Shion froze for a moment before exclaiming joyfully, "Did it work!?"
Shinji didn't respond, his gaze still fixed on the scene, though inwardly he was slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected the tumor, capable of contending with his fully realized 'Susanoo,' to be defeated so swiftly by his subordinates' combined efforts!
"Have they grown this strong?"
After a brief moment of reflection, Shinji quickly refocused, holding his breath as he stared intently at the shattered tumor.
On the chaotic battlefield, the air was thick with the stench of blood and flesh from the tumor's destruction, permeating the heavens and earth.
Karin and Yakumo stood calmly beneath dense tree canopies, which shielded them from the falling blood.
Haku activated his 'Water Lily Goddess,' extending its arms—one to block the blood rain for himself, the other to shield Sasuke, who was panting heavily nearby.
Neji and Kimimaro, in their combined form, landed under a protruding rock ledge, using it to block the cascading blood from above.
Each relied on their skills to avoid even a drop of blood, but the eerie scene of blood mist and splattering gore instinctively put them on edge. None dared to let their guard down, all warily watching the tumor.
After spewing vast amounts of flesh and blood, the shattered tumor seemed to lose its ability to float, beginning to plummet.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the massive tumor slammed into the ground, half landing on the surface and half collapsing into the cavern below.
As its own weight tore it apart, the hundred-meter-tall tumor, like a towering building, began to rip open from the breach Sasuke had made. The tear grew larger, causing part of the tumor to fall into the cavern and part to remain on the surface.
Split in two, the tumor's aura rapidly weakened. Its flesh shriveled and aged in moments. In the blink of an eye, the two massive chunks, each still dozens of meters large, were reduced to mere husks.
Sasuke, his face still pale, stood up. "Tch, don't tell me I actually took it down?"
Haku hesitated before saying, "Judging by the blood-flesh conduit in the tunnel, it should have absorbed the blood-flesh essence of four cities' citizens. It shouldn't be this easy to destroy."
After reaching the 'Upper Rank' level, ghosts were notoriously hard to kill. There were even rumors in the Demon Slayer Corps that a few exceptionally powerful ghosts could survive decapitation by a Nichirin Blade. In Haku's view, this tumor, having absorbed the essence of hundreds of thousands, shouldn't have been defeated so easily.
"I'll check it out!"
Sasuke tossed out the words and lifted his leg to approach the shriveled tumor.
"Careful!"
"Don't get too close!"
Almost simultaneously, Yakumo, with her Koryugan, and Neji, with his Byakugan, shouted warnings!
Sasuke immediately halted, warily eyeing the shriveled tumor.
Crack!
At that moment, the husk of the half on the surface was forcibly torn open from within. A naked man with waist-length black hair stepped out.
He twisted his neck, scanning the surroundings. His sharp gaze swept over Karin, Yakumo, Sasuke, Haku, Neji, and Kimimaro before he sneered coldly, "Hmph, so you've chased me all the way here…"
Hearing the man's words, the group tensed.
There was no doubt.
This man was likely the target of their counter-invasion into the Demon Slayer world—the mysterious figure, the Ghost King!
On the cliff, Shinji, far from worried, felt a surge of relief. "Finally found this guy!"
While Karin, Yakumo, and the others below might not be entirely certain of the man's identity, Shinji, as a fellow 'Lampbearer,' was convinced that this man emerging from the tumor was the same mysterious figure he had faced in the Land of Grass.
"Such powerful chakra…"
Shion's brow furrowed slightly.
As a shrine maiden of the Ghost Country capable of glimpsing fragments of the future, Shion's sensitivity to chakra was exceptional. Even from this distance, she could sense the formidable chakra emanating from the man.
Shinji said calmly, "In the last battle in the Land of Grass, this guy used some unknown device to drain all the chakra from the demon Moryo and an artificial Tailed Beast."
"No wonder I feel an instinctive aversion to him!" Shion paused before asking, "Should I act now?"
"Wait a moment!"
Shinji waved his hand, still uncertain of the man's condition.
On the battlefield, the mysterious figure spread his arms, greedily inhaling the air with a sinister grin. "What a sweet scent!"
The group's expressions shifted.
With the tumor's destruction, the air was filled with a pungent stench, oppressive to all present.
The mysterious figure scanned the group and said, "Akatsuki, thanks to you, I've broken free from that damned mutation! As a reward, why don't you all become part of me?"
With that, he lunged fiercely at Sasuke, the closest to him.