The slash swung by the human-beast skeletal horse was swallowed the instant it touched Ron's fist.
The golden chakra fist, wrapped in senjutsu and Haki, was like a beast opening its jaws. It chewed apart and crushed that purple-black blade light, then continued roaring toward the skeletal horse's main body without losing momentum.
Facing the shockwave bearing down on it, the human-beast skeletal horse showed no intention of retreating.
Its four hooves stomped fiercely in the air, stabilizing its body. The long blade in its hand spun half a circle, then it slashed straight down at the shockwave.
Thud.
A violent muffled sound exploded in midair. The instant the shockwave and blade edge collided, a visible ring of air spread outward in every direction.
Ron did not immediately follow up with a second blow. His gaze passed over the roiling smoke and confirmed that Linlin's figure was gradually going farther away. Farther and farther.
Only then did he lift his head and look toward the gray sky.
The dark clouds were still rolling. Purple-black lightning flashed faintly between them, like a great snake slowly turning over.
He did not rush to attack. Instead, he seemed to really be appreciating the scenery as he looked at that low, heavy sky and softly sighed. "What weather... it really puts me in a good mood."
Swish!
A sharp sound of tearing air suddenly approached from the side.
At the edge of Ron's vision, a huge spider leg wrapped in surging black flame stabbed down at him like a black spear falling from the sky.
Because the distance was too close, dodging would have been the safest choice. Second best would be defending.
But Ron did not dodge, and he did not defend. He only gave a soft "Hm?" Then the curve of his mouth widened sharply, and he charged straight toward the descending spider leg.
Saint Saturn saw this and his gaze narrowed slightly, as if surprised by this "all offense, no defense" style of fighting.
Then a low smile appeared on that huge spider face. "I truly like that way of fighting."
Bang!
The next second, the heavy leg struck Ron's rising body and pressed him brutally back to the ground.
Boom!
A loud explosion blasted across the ground. The earth shook violently, and rolling dust rose around the point of impact.
Ron's body was pressed into the ground, cracks spreading in every direction beneath him.
"Hehehehahaha!"
From the center of the smoke, laughter exploded out first.
Saint Saturn's gaze darkened sharply.
Then came the whistling sounds of fists.
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
With each punch that landed, the spider leg shattered like ceramic. The cracks climbed higher and higher, rushing straight toward Saint Saturn's abdomen.
Tap, tap, tap!
At that moment, the human-beast skeletal horse stepped through the air. The long blade in its hand slashed repeatedly, sending sword energies wrapped in black flame fanning out in front of Ron like a net being woven and pulled tight.
Ron wove through the dense sword energies, dodging what he could and ramming directly through what he could not avoid.
Sword energy struck his body and left thin wounds, but those wounds healed the moment they appeared, before even blood could seep out.
In the blink of an eye, Ron's figure had risen above Saint Saturn. He looked down from above at that huge spider face.
"I heard you say you really liked my way of fighting... Actually... I like it too," Ron said with a sneer.
"Hmph." Saint Saturn sneered. "Don't be so proud. Do you think you've succeeded?"
Whoosh!
A fierce wind pressure suddenly approached from behind Ron.
At some point, the bird-headed, serpent-bodied monster had circled around behind him. Its enormous talons spread open, and the Haki-covered claws were like black curved blades as they grabbed fiercely at Ron's back.
That strike landed solidly. The sharp claws raked across Ron's back, and a tremendous force slammed his whole body down toward the ground.
Boom!
Another loud explosion sounded, and smoke rushed into the sky.
The Five Elders gave him no chance to breathe.
Shockwaves fell from different directions at the same time, like five massive cannons firing in rotation, bombarding that area of churning smoke without pause.
Boom, boom, boom...
One violent explosion after another rang out. Smoke and fire intertwined, completely devouring that area.
Suddenly, a dark-red sphere of light rose fiercely from deep within the smoke, like a swelling sun.
The Five Elders' faces changed almost simultaneously.
They scattered in every direction at extreme speed.
But the bird beast's position was too awkward. It had no way to dodge.
And then... it took that Tailed Beast Bomb head-on.
First, a blinding white light exploded between heaven and earth. Only afterward came the sound.
Boom!
A ferocious shockwave poured out from the center of the explosion like a bursting flood.
"Damn it!"
The remaining four Five Elders almost muttered at the same time.
"This really puts me in a good mood!"
"It puts me in such a good mood!"
Ron's voice rang out from within the smoke again.
Then, with a whoosh, a figure shot from the smoke into the air. The airflow dragged behind him lifted the smoke on the ground into a huge tail trace.
After that, he did not deliberately choose a target. He only glanced at the closest one, Saint Saturn, and rushed through the air toward him.
"Daytime Tiger!"
Without any extra movement, he blasted a Daytime Tiger directly at Saint Saturn.
An enormous gray-white tiger head manifested in his hands. It opened its jaws and swallowed toward Saint Saturn in an instant.
Then it pushed Saint Saturn's body all the way toward the sea.
Under that power, Saint Saturn's body twisted, collapsed, and shed limbs piece by piece.
In the final instant before his body completely broke apart, it transformed into black mist and vanished from the path of Daytime Tiger's impact.
The gray-white tiger head, having lost its target, still could not stop its momentum and charged straight toward the sea ahead.
Boom!
In that instant, the entire ocean was torn open into an enormous ravine. Seawater rose high on both sides like two ascending walls.
Huge waves piled up along the sides of the trench, growing taller and thicker until they formed a visible arc of water, standing high above the sea.