Haruki and Pakura's gazes met.
Three seconds later.
Boom!
A violent surge of Cursed Energy exploded without warning on the armor of Pakura's arm. This seemingly sudden strike was several times more powerful than the first punch. The armor on Pakura's arm made a crisp cracking sound.
Clatter!
It fell to Pakura's feet like broken scrap metal.
The delayed Cursed Energy strike brutally shattered the armor on Pakura's arm. It made her hands go numb.
Pakura's expression changed. Her gaze towards Haruki was filled with solemnity.
This young man in front of her was stronger than she had imagined.
"It seems I underestimated you."
She had been careless just now. She would absolutely not make such a foolish mistake of underestimating an enemy again.
Haruki's figure appeared in front of Pakura once more, raising his fist again.
Pakura's expression was calm, Haruki's movements reflected in her pupils. Cursed Energy condensed and compressed on Haruki's fist, and a piercing bird cry seemed to come from the air, as black lightning flashed on his fist.
Pakura felt the power of this punch, she dared not take Haruki's punch head-on as she had just done. She stared at the approaching Haruki, radiating intense killing intent.
[Ding!]
[System detected Pakura's killing intent value +3000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Sukuna's rank has risen to 89.9…]
Pakura quickly formed hand seals.
The air was instantly filled with countless fiery red needles that shot towards Haruki. The air heated up, and Haruki felt enveloped by the shadow of death. He instantly retracted his fist and flashed backward.
The dense fiery needles were like a torrential downpour covering the entire sky.
Haruki could almost imagine how many Amegakure ninjas would die under this move.
He stretched out his hand, and a strong blue light emanated from his palm. A thick layer of ice condensed in front of him. An ice wall nearly five meters high and half a meter thick separated Pakura and the Sunagakure ninjas, including the diagonally shooting fiery needles.
Takinawa and the others knelt on the ground, their chests heaving violently, and a strong scent of blood permeated their coughs. Their bloodshot eyes looked forward.
Against the backdrop of that colossal ice wall, Haruki's figure appeared extremely small. But it was this small figure that stood in front of them at the crucial moment.
[Ding!]
[System detected Takinawa's gratitude value +3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Kyoraku's gratitude value +3000]
[Ding!]
…
[Currently collected gratitude value totals 270,000. Your Cursed Spirit Land God's rank has risen to 98.04%]
The fiery needles struck the ice wall, scorching small holes into it. When the last fiery needle hit the ice wall, the ice wall instantly melted into fragmented ice pieces.
A black shadow flashed quickly before Haruki's eyes.
Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!
Pakura attacked Haruki in front of her without warning. Four scorching light spheres, the size of basketballs, appeared around Pakura.
The light spheres shot towards Haruki, and wherever they passed, the reddish-yellow sand and stones instantly sizzled and turned into dust.
Haruki's pupils reflected the incoming fireballs.
Frost Calm!
The Cursed Energy within him surged out.
A visible storm of extreme cold air, like the breath of a giant dragon with its head held high, roared out, meeting the scorching light spheres shooting towards him.
Sizzle—
Rolling white smoke rose into the sky.
Pakura's eyes narrowed, and she increased her Chakra output.
One of the light spheres reappeared within the white smoke, accelerating abruptly, tearing through some of the cold air, and carrying residual high temperature directly towards Haruki's face.
[Ding!]
[System detected Pakura's killing intent value +3000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Sukuna's rank has risen to 90.02%]
Haruki drew his sword. The moment the light sphere approached, the long sword in his hand precisely struck the side of the light sphere. With a muffled thud, the light sphere did not explode but was instead dispersed by his seemingly ordinary long sword.
"How is that possible?!" Pakura's pupils constricted violently.
How could her scorch release ninjutsu be broken by just a single sword like that? Could this not be an ordinary sword?
What Pakura didn't know was that the sword was indeed an ordinary sword, what was extraordinary was Haruki's Cursed Technique—Ratio.
Whether it was space or objects, weaknesses could be forcibly created. However, Haruki had no need to tell Pakura his information. He had no interest in conversing with enemies before or during battle.
He looked at the flowing liquid mercury beside him, and an idea surfaced in his mind. The mercury extended into a long river, sliding towards Pakura.
Pakura formed hand signs, and a scorching light wall made of intense fire condensed in front of her.
The mercury collided with the high-temperature light wall, rapidly evaporating. A large amount of highly toxic mercury vapor instantly enveloped Pakura.
She instantly felt a stinging sensation on her skin, and her breathing became somewhat difficult.
"Poison mist?"
Pakura immediately held her breath. As a Sunagakure ninja, she was not unfamiliar with poisons. But she couldn't immediately discern what kind of poison was in the steam before her.
Within the pervasive mercury vapor, countless tiny mercury needles condensed into shape. The needles pierced the air, blocking all of Pakura's escape routes.
Pakura's heart tightened. If she used Scorch Release now, the toxins in the air would only worsen. But if she didn't use Scorch Release, these sharp needles would pierce her body, leading to deeper poisoning.
She gritted her teeth, and a shockwave emitting intense firelight roared outwards, centered on her. The terrifying high temperature instantly vaporized the mercury needles in the air.
The poison mist enveloped Pakura. She frowned, she couldn't drag this out any longer. Her pupils rotated, and her figure rapidly shot out from the poison mist.
Haruki held his long sword horizontally in front of him, ready to meet the attack. However, Pakura's figure swiftly swept past him.
What did that mean?
Haruki quickly turned around. Pakura's back was reflected on his retina. The kunai in her hand stabbed towards Takinawa's chest. The tip of the kunai glinted coldly under the moonlight.
Haruki understood what Pakura wanted to do. She wanted to defeat him on a psychological level.
He then thought, wasn't this a great opportunity for him to earn affection points live?
Takinawa looked at the figure that was extremely close to him. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips.
He knew he no longer had the strength to fight. Dying on the battlefield was a good end. The only regret was not being able to get Haruki out.
Pfft—
The kunai pierced through flesh and blood, and a familiar figure appeared before Takinawa's eyes. His pupils trembled, and bloodshot veins covered the whites of his eyes.
Haruki had appeared in front of him, his shoulder pierced by the kunai. Takinawa even saw the tip of the kunai. Blood dripped down.
"No!"
[Ding!]