"Momoshiki-senpai, you should give yourself some dignity."
Takemi calmly dealt with Momoshiki's attacks, while shaking his head slightly and speaking plainly.
"We have stood at the peak since birth. Precisely because of this, in order to stand higher and shine brighter than anyone else, we are more bound by rules."
Before his words finished, he instantly seized an opportunity, and the golden sword in his hand drew a peculiar arc.
Ding—
The long blade in Momoshiki's hand instantly shattered. With a reverse swing, the blade directly went towards Momoshiki's arm.
Pfft—
Blood splattered. Under Momoshiki's astonished gaze, one of his arms was severed.
"And you, like me and Isshiki-senpai, all aspire to reach a higher peak."
Takemi said calmly, while the golden sword in his hand waved once more. Momoshiki could only awkwardly use his giant axe to defend.
"The aspiration to reach a higher peak is a rebellion against 'rules'. Only dissatisfaction with the status quo is the driving force for progress, so…"
With a nimble sidestep, he dodged Momoshiki's axe that seemed to tear through space, and the golden sword in his hand shone once again.
"Senpai, join me honorably. Don't struggle like Urashiki-senpai and still use Karma, only allowing me to gain partial power. Let us ascend to the peak of the heavens together."
Crack—
Momoshiki's giant axe shattered at this moment, and he himself crashed heavily onto the ground once more.
The tremendous roar made the entire earth tremble, and even as Momoshiki crashed into the ground, huge cracks appeared in the earth.
The ground collapsed, and a deep pit hundreds of meters deep quietly appeared before everyone.
And amidst the dense smoke, Momoshiki was quickly struggling to get up.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
But as soon as he got up, he couldn't stop coughing wildly.
He himself had almost forgotten when he was last injured, and now he was experiencing a feeling he had never had before.
Death!
As an Ōtsutsuki, he rarely had such a feeling. But now, facing this clan member who had enlightened him, he had this feeling.
"No!"
Suddenly, Momoshiki thought of something. He raised his head, feigning ferocity, and roared at the sky.
"You're wrong, you couldn't have just absorbed Urashiki, you also absorbed Isshiki, didn't you?!"
"Although Isshiki-senpai was the first to break free from the shackles of rules, I greatly admire him."
Takemi's voice resounded across the sky. In an instant, the smoke dispersed, and he floated above the sky.
The Tenseigan Chakra continuously flowed around him, watching the disheveled Momoshiki like a god.
"But he was very undignified. In the end, he fled. Urashiki-senpai was similar. Only you can understand me."
At this point, Takemi looked at Momoshiki with a face full of 'respect'.
"Only you, upon hearing my thoughts, did not question them. Only you instantly understood the meaning of the 'Path to Godhood', and only you quickly put it into practice."
"I've said it, we are the same kind of people. We can contend for our respective dreams, but the loser should naturally become a part of the other."
"Momoshiki-senpai, our wills will become one, we will ascend the Path to Godhood together, and we will ultimately pierce through the entire sky."
"…"
Momoshiki didn't want to speak anymore. He originally thought he was already very crazy. But now he understood that there was someone even crazier and more thorough than him.
"Path to Godhood, piercing through the heavens…"
Isshiki gazed into the distance, his heart trembling incessantly. He clenched his fists and fell into silence.
But he, who had been contemplating the 'Takeshiki Path' and the 'Path to Godhood' back then, felt as if a seed in his heart was growing into a towering tree at this moment.
"It's over, it's over… Takeshiki is going to get stronger again."
Urashiki no longer thought about Momoshiki, he even wished Momoshiki would die quickly.
However, just thinking about Momoshiki dying at Takemi's hands, the fear in his heart intensified once again.
Takeshiki had already eliminated him once, and now he was even stronger, so wouldn't his revival just be a suicide mission?!
Especially since Isshiki had become so untrustworthy, he was completely distraught.
He felt that he might as well trust these natives, it was better than his own maddened clan members…
"Do you really think you've won?!" Suddenly, Momoshiki roared again.
He could devour others, but others wanted to devour him?
Don't even think about it!
Especially since he had found the 'Path to Godhood', how could he possibly be willing to become someone else's 'fruit'?
Amidst his roar, the golden Rinnegan on his forehead emitted a strange light.
In an instant, amidst a ground-shaking roar, a multi-headed giant beast, like a snake and a dog, burst out from underground with a thunderous crash.
Amidst the towering dust, it furiously roared at Takeshiki.
This giant beast was close to the Ten-Tails, and the aura it emitted, even from a distance, made all the ninjas feel a chill down their spines.
"Inukaitakerunomikoto?"
Upon seeing this, Takeshiki shook his head slightly, letting out a faint sigh.
"Senpai, why won't you give yourself some dignity?"
"Dignity?"
Momoshiki glared furiously at Takeshiki, his body rapidly recovering.
"The one who walks the 'Path to Godhood' will be me, not you! Do you really think you've got me cornered?!"
"Alas."
Takeshiki let out a long sigh, then suddenly he smiled.
"Actually, many things are already destined, Momoshiki-senpai, from what moment did you start…"
"Mistakenly believing you still had a chance?"
"You…"
Momoshiki still wanted to say something, but in an instant, he suddenly felt a vast surge of energy rushing towards him.
"This is…?"
At this moment, he wanted to dodge, but he was startled to realize that no matter how he tried to evade, it was useless.
That power was like a rope of fate, trapping him.
Hum—
A golden glow suddenly transcended time and space, instantly covering him and the giant beast.
Following that was an earth-shattering roar, accompanied by deafening rumbling, and the rising dust that completely engulfed the entire area.
The immense Chakra storm turned everything before their eyes into chaos, leaving only endless destruction and ruin.
In the distant town, Isshiki's eyes shone with extraordinary excitement.
'Piercing through the heavens?'
'Is this the future? Is this the power of the Path to Godhood?'
'It's over…'
Meanwhile, Urashiki, who had already distanced himself in the same space, had an incredibly pale face.
He knew Momoshiki was doomed, and Takeshiki would definitely become even more terrifying.
But at this moment, a thought couldn't help but surface in his mind.
'If there were no 'Path to Godhood', could I have survived here?'
As he pondered, his peripheral vision couldn't help but glance at Isshiki, who he had put a considerable distance between them.
He fell into deep thought, filled with anxiety and complex emotions.