Boom!!
A heavy kick slammed hard into the side of Mōryō's face!
The immense force wrenched Mōryō's head sideways. It subconsciously released its grip on Hyūga Kawa's ankle, lost its balance, and staggered backward!
But quickly, it snapped its head around, glaring fiercely at Kawa.
"Human!!"
The repeated setbacks thoroughly ignited Mōryō's savage nature. It let out a non-human roar, filled with venom and brutality, directed at Kawa.
It suddenly raised its hand toward him, and the space around its body rippled with countless waves again. It looked as though countless deadly, purplish-black tentacles were about to shoot out at any second!
Those tentacles were its former limbs, stored in a different dimension after it reconstructed its body with a 'Void' structure!
That was its most powerful and familiar strength, outside of its current body!
However, just as the spatial ripples were about to solidify into an actual attack.
Hyūga Kawa slowly raised his hand, and the seemingly ordinary bell on his wrist lightly shook.
Ding-ling!
An invisible yet profound ripple spread out with the clear and ethereal chime.
The spatial ripples that were about to unleash the tentacles were instantly smoothed out, vanishing without a trace, as if gently caressed!
"What?!"
Mōryō's movement froze abruptly. Its eyes widened in disbelieving shock, and its voice became hoarse with astonishment: "That is... the Miko's..."
Swish!
Before it could finish its words, Kawa's figure reappeared before it like a ghost. The distance was so close they were practically face-to-face!
He lowered his center of gravity, clenched his right hand into a fist, and fully drew his arm back, the muscles taut like a drawn bowstring!
His breath was scorching hot. Beneath his deceptively light-colored clothing, his heart pounded violently, and surging power rushed through his veins!
Kawa's current state was based on the Miko's power, combined with the principles of the Sage Mode and the 'Seele Schneider' (Blut Vene) and 'Hirenkyaku' (Hollow Step) from the Bleach world.
He was injecting the spiritual energy from the 'Hōgyoku' into his body, allowing for an all-around boost to his physical strength, defense, speed, and healing ability.
He called his current state the "Blood Shroud Mode."
He was incredibly powerful in this state, but this was his first attempt, and there were still some aspects that weren't perfectly coordinated.
Therefore...
"The only thing you can do now,"
Kawa's voice was low, yet filled with undeniable excitement, "is fight me in a raw, fist-to-fist brawl, so I can get accustomed to the current power and speed of this body!"
The instant his voice fell, his fist shot out like an outgoing cannonball!
Mōryō's battle instincts were also pushed to the limit. It roared almost simultaneously and punched out as well!
The two fists collided solidly in the air!
Rumble!!
A brutal, non-human force was unleashed without reservation!
A visible white ring of air blasted out violently, centered on the two figures, sweeping up dust like a surging tsunami!
Crack!!!
With a skull-jarring crack of breaking bone, Mōryō's arm twisted at a bizarre angle. Its body tumbled backward at an extremely high speed!
Mōryō forcefully stabilized itself, its feet plowing two deep furrows into the ground before it managed to stop near the rock wall, having mostly shed the momentum!
The injured, twisted arm swung by its side and instantly recovered.
Kawa was also thrown back several meters by the recoil, landing steadily. The fist that had clashed with Mōryō was bruised and bloody, with the skin torn open.
But quickly, the grotesque wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. The flesh writhed and restored itself completely.
"Damn it!!"
Seeing this, Mōryō's rage finally peaked. It slammed its fist into the rock wall behind it, leaving a deep pit and causing broken rocks to shower down.
I can't let this continue!
Mōryō no longer hesitated. The pair of dark, bat-like wings on its back fully spread open, and a much stronger aura surged from its body!
Its body slowly floated up, stretching out in the air. A layer of black exoskeleton, like an insect's carapace, rapidly covered its surface, making it look even more hideous and terrifying!
The fingers on both hands became longer and sharper, transforming into razor-sharp claws that shimmered with cold light!
"That's more like it."
A look of excitement appeared in Kawa's eyes as he looked at Mōryō, who had completely transformed into a monster in the distance.
"A monster should look like a monster!"
Saying this, the veins around his eyes bulged. He slightly lowered his center of gravity, and gripped the hilt of the ring-pommel saber at his waist in a reverse draw posture!
The next second, the pure white wings behind Hyūga Kawa fiercely flapped!
Boom!!
His figure vanished from the spot instantly, like a spring compressed to the extreme suddenly snapping and shooting forward!
The terrifying, sudden burst of speed even shattered the ground where he had been standing. Cracks spread out like a spiderweb, and a savage gust of wind immediately kicked up the dust!
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, while bandaging their wounds, had been watching the two closely.
But the moment Kawa's saber was drawn from the sheath, the sudden flash of cold light from the blade briefly stung their eyes!
Almost simultaneously, Mōryō's bat wings flapped violently. It turned into a streak of dark light, carrying a brutal aura, and fiercely met the charging Kawa!
By the time Hiruzen and the others involuntarily blinked, the two figures had become two hazy afterimages in the air.
Their hair was pulled taut by the oncoming gale. The two figures, one white and one black, were like whipping ribbons, making it impossible to distinguish who was ahead, or who was faster!
All they could hear were two terrifying shrieks in the wind. Anything that stood before that screech would be mercilessly torn apart!
The next moment, the dust cloud between the two was cleaved open by a sharp, cold light!
Saber and claw finally clashed.
Clang!!
A metallic clash so sharp it felt like it would pierce eardrums instantly echoed throughout the underground space!
Sparks flew, bursting like a shattered silver vase, spraying between the two, exploding and scattering in the dimly moonlit space!
The combined impact of the sonic boom and wind pressure formed a shockwave that swept across the entire space!
"Ugh!"
The surrounding people painfully covered their ears. A clear ringing noise filled their ears, and they felt their brains vibrate within the buzzing sound!
The ground beneath Hyūga Kawa and Mōryō could not withstand the downward force and instantly cracked and collapsed!
"Come on!"
Kawa's lips curled into a grin. Lightning surged over his body, engulfing him in an azure electric arc.
In the distance, the Fourth Raikage, who was supporting Darui, instantly narrowed his pupils upon seeing this.
Raiton Chakra Mode (Lightning Release Chakra Mode)?!
"Roar!!"
Mōryō let out an angry roar, suddenly exerting force. Its crossed claws, which were locked against the blade, scraped hard across the edge!
Screeech!!
An ear-splitting screech of friction sounded. Sparks rained down like fireflies, smashing onto the ground!
The two figures separated abruptly, only to switch positions and violently collide again in the very next second, moving even faster!
A frantic series of slashes and bites, like a full-throttle meat grinder. Saber and claw continuously slammed together, raising a chilling, sharp wind howl!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Within a single breath, from the perspective of the surrounding observers, even though the moonlight overhead clearly illuminated the scene, and even though they stared intently...
They couldn't make out the specific movements of the two. They could only see two blurry streaks of light instantly changing positions, making it impossible for them to intervene.
All they could see were sparks raining down from the collisions between the blade and the sharp claws!
Their ears were assaulted by a constant, dense stream of jarring metallic explosions and the sharp noise of friction that blended into a continuous shriek!
The sharp airflow generated by the clash of saber and claw acted like invisible blades, leaving countless deep marks on the surrounding rock walls and ground, like the savage ravages of a beast's teeth and claws!
However, as the battle between the two grew faster and more intense...
Mōryō quickly realized that three deep wounds had already appeared—at its eye socket, its neck, and its heart...
The opponent's saber was gradually breaking through its defense, as if using it as a whetstone, constantly refining and adapting to this new level of power and speed!
"Strength no less than mine, and speed no less than mine!"
Mōryō's inner dread grew wildly like weeds: "This human..."
The instant a slight opening appeared in its focus due to the fear!
Hyūga Kawa, who had been briefly repelled and distanced, suddenly looked up!
He actually threw the sharp ring-pommel saber in his hand. It shot out like a silver lightning bolt, aiming straight for Mōryō's face!
Mōryō's expression changed. In a hurried motion, it raised its exoskeleton-covered arm to block!
Clang!
The ring-pommel saber was fiercely deflected, but the force caused Mōryō to stumble, instantly revealing a huge vulnerability in its posture.
"I've got you!" A look of excited delight, like a hunter spotting prey falling into a trap, flashed in Hyūga Kawa's eyes!
His figure appeared before Mōryō. His arms instantly lashed out, moving so fast they seemed to disappear, leaving countless afterimages!
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Countless heavy fists, like a torrential downpour, instantly rained down on Mōryō's chest and face. Every punch contained the force of the Gentle Fist, possessing extreme penetrative power!
Kaka! Crack!
Mōryō's hard black exoskeleton let out sounds of breaking under the dense bombardment, unable to bear the load, and countless fragments scattered everywhere!
Is this the Gentle Fist?
Is this the Gentle Fist of the Hyūga Clan, which seemed so soft and weak?!
Every observer held their breath, staring intently at this once-in-a-lifetime moment, engraving the unbelievable slaughter into their minds.
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