After deducing Uchiha Hikari's "identity," Xia Mi's confusion only deepened.
As the noble First-Generation Earth and Mountain King, she wasn't unfamiliar with the other three Dragon Kings. After all, in a sense, they were like siblings.
Though it had been ages since the dragon era ended and they last met, the deep, primal dragon aura embedded in their bloodlines was unmistakable.
When unawakened and living as humans, they could hide it somewhat.
But once they reclaimed their power and authority, it shone as brightly as a firefly in the night.
Yet…
Xia Mi couldn't tell—couldn't even sense—which of the other three twin pairs this girl belonged to!
What unsettled her even more was that, despite the battle's intensity, Hikari showed no signs of dragon transformation. She was still fighting with a fragile human body, her skin unchanged, not a scale in sight!
What did this mean?!
Was she, a mighty Dragon King, not even worthy of forcing her opponent to reveal their dragon form?
Did this fused Dragon King look down on her that much?
For a fleeting moment, Xia Mi felt a pang of grievance.
Then…
Uchiha Hikari seized the brief lapse, slashing forward with her blade!
Swish—!!!
Her Eighth-Tier Instant erupted, a supersonic slash tearing through the air with a fiery glow, aimed straight at Xia Mi. Caught off guard by her distraction, Xia Mi reacted a split second too late, raising her giant scythe to block.
A deafening explosion rang out as both weapons shattered, metal fragments spraying everywhere!!
Amid the flurry of iron shards, blood flashed!
Hikari swung a powerful fist, landing a direct hit on Xia Mi's chest!
Boom!!!!
The immense force from her slender arm sent the Dragon King plummeting from the sky like a meteor!
Mid-air, Xia Mi spread her arms, unfurling menacing bone wings as she chanted in dragon tongue. Her death domain expanded once more, creating a massive vortex of air around Hikari, dragging her down toward the platform below!
Spirit Command: Eye of the Wind King!
With two loud thuds, both figures crashed onto the platform, one after the other.
The moment Xia Mi stabilized herself, she crouched and slammed a fist into the ground!
Boom—!!!
In a piercing blast, the platform's surface shattered, the ground twisting like serpentine bones, splitting open into a bottomless fissure in the blink of an eye!
This was the innate ability of the Earth and Mountain King: finding the "eye" of any structure's weakest point, striking it with devastating force, and destroying it instantly. In theory, she could obliterate an entire mountain with one punch!
As Hikari stumbled slightly, teetering toward the crevice, Xia Mi struck the ground again!
A powerful shockwave erupted from the point of impact, spreading through the fissure. Countless rock spikes and rebar shot up from the churned earth, twisting into a massive, jagged spiral cage, trapping Hikari inside like a bird in a thorny prison!
Caught in a kill zone.
Hikari let out a soft breath. "Looks like relying solely on Spirit Commands to fight a Dragon King is a bit much…"
Though Xia Mi was jokingly called the "weakest next-generation," she was still a Dragon King—only "weak" compared to others who wielded full power and authority.
And then there was her lovesick side…
Even in her battle with Chu Zihang, Xia Mi had held the upper hand, her eventual defeat more like throwing the fight on purpose.
Her thoughts lasted only a moment.
The next second…
Hikari closed her eyes, then opened them.
Her contact lenses had been lost in the fierce battle, revealing her fiery, ruby-red eyes, blazing like the Sharingan from Naruto.
"…The Third Power, Susanoo!!!"
Her pupil power surged.
A dark red aura flared around her, instantly forming a towering crimson giant that enveloped her. The steel and stone "cage" gripped the chakra-forged Susanoo like thousands of hands, but even the third-stage Susanoo struggled to break free momentarily.
But that was all.
Standing within Susanoo's head, Hikari looked up through the tangled steel jungle, locking eyes with Xia Mi above the crevice. "Want to keep going, Jörmungandr?"
"…"
Xia Mi's pupils constricted, her expression shifting subtly.
What was this?!
Another Spirit Command?!
Or some alchemical creation of the Bronze and Fire King?!
And what were those comma-like marks in her eyes?
This mysterious sibling—brother or sister, she couldn't tell—was pulling out tricks she'd never seen before…
The aura began to fade.
Hikari leaped out of Susanoo, landing on an intact part of the platform.
"The power I've shown should be enough to convince you to sit down and talk, right?" she said. "But if you want to keep going, I'm game—though it'll be a fight to the death."
After their clash, Hikari had a clearer sense of Xia Mi's strength.
She was strong.
Far stronger than Uesugi Etsu or the Genji brothers.
In terms of pure taijutsu, even Naruto's Might Guy before opening the seventh gate would likely lose to her. Her "explosive acupuncture" ability surpassed Tsunade's monstrous strength, capable of one-shotting any Kage-level ninja. Given the chance, it might even shatter Susanoo.
Hikari was confident she could win, but it'd cause a massive scene.
And if Xia Mi dragged Fenrir into performing a "Shiva Karma Dance," things would spiral out of control…
"A temporary truce? Fine. But I want to know who you really are," Xia Mi said.
She hadn't reverted from her dragon form, still eyeing Hikari warily, her golden eyes filled with caution—and a hint of fear.
She couldn't fathom why Hikari hadn't shown a single sign of dragon transformation. It made her suspect Hikari was toying with her, not even using her full power.
Hikari smirked. "If I said I'm just a human, would you believe me?"
"Do you think I'm as dumb as Fenrir?" Xia Mi retorted.
"…Is it really okay to say that in front of your brother…?"
"It's fine," Xia Mi replied casually. "He doesn't get it."
"…"