A torrent of golden reishi, so brilliant it defied description, roared out from Hiroki's palm!
The torrent was not a straight line; its exterior was entwined with countless violent deep-blue lightning serpents and crimson karmic fire, emitting a shrill shriek like tearing silk!
Its diameter expanded to several meters the moment it left his hand, its core a pure, heart-palpitating destructive energy!
Wherever it passed, the Spirit Sealing Stone ground was instantly plowed into a charred deep trench, and the dissipated energy shockwaves slammed hard against the defensive Barrier at the edge of the testing ground, causing blinding ripples!
The entire underground space shook violently, and dust fell from the ceiling!
The terrifying pressure even caused Izumi, in the distant control room, to subconsciously take a half-step back!
BOOM—!!!!
The golden torrent, moving at a speed faster than the eye could track, slammed heavily into the spiritual energy target at the end of the testing ground, which was protected by multiple layers of space-solidified Barriers and was over ten meters thick!
There was no stalemate, no exploding fireball! Only a massive roar as if the heavens themselves had shattered!
Blinding golden light swallowed everything!
The incomparably sturdy target vanished and vaporized silently, like ice and snow under a scorching sun!
In its place, only a massive charred crater over twenty meters in diameter remained, its edges flowing with a molten-like crimson glow!
The Spirit Sealing Stones around the crater showed strange crystallization, and wisps of violent electric arcs still leaped and hissed at the bottom of the pit!
A thick, inescapable scent of ozone and the burnt smell of reishi spread through the air.
Inside the testing ground, everything was a mess.
The fifty squad members were scattered about, their faces as pale as paper. They sat slumped on the ground, exhausted, gasping for air, their white uniforms soaked in sweat, their eyes filled with the daze and disbelief of survivors.
The spiritual power in their bodies was almost drained dry, but there was no physical damage! This meant... the technique was a success? Was it they... who had collectively released that terrifying Hado comparable to a Captain-level strike?
Hiroki slowly withdrew his hand and stood at the edge of the massive charred pit.
He looked down at his palm, then up at the terrifying deep pit still emitting green smoke, feeling the residual, unexpectedly high concentration of destructive reishi in the air.
He had only used Level 10 Spiritual Pressure as a primer and harmonizing core, merging it with the spiritual power of the fifty members—which wasn't even that large—to finally release the "Combined Version of Flying Dragon Strikes Thieves Shaking Heaven Thunder Cannon."
Its instantaneous destructive power had actually surpassed the level of a single person performing a Hado above number ninety with full strength!
More importantly, although the process was fraught with danger, it indeed verified the feasibility of the Combined Kidō architecture!
"It worked... it really worked!"
"We... we released Hado 88?!"
"God... I'm not dreaming, am I?"
After a brief, deathly silence, there was a complete explosion of emotion after extreme suppression!
The limp squad members struggled to climb up, gazing at the charred pit still radiating terrifying heat waves. Some tremblingly reached out to touch the scalding crystallized rock at the edge of the pit, while others pinched themselves hard, followed by an explosion of ecstatic shouts:
"Success! We succeeded!"
"Combined Kidō! This is the power of Combined Kidō!"
"The Kidō Corps... the Kidō Corps is going to rise!"
"Wuwu... all those years... the days of being mocked in logistics... are finally over!" A middle-aged squad member couldn't help but wail loudly, tears and snot flowing, as if venting all the contempt and grievances he had suffered over the years due to his low strength.
The way they looked at the black-robed figure in the center of the field had completely changed. Fear had faded, replaced only by fervent worship and the gratitude of having found a way out of a desperate situation.
Izumi walked quickly to Hiroki's side and handed him a recording board, the dense data on it still flickering: "Sir, the final destructive power assessment reached a peak energy level of Hado 94!
Energy dissipation rate is 27.8%, far below the catastrophic threshold predicted by the theoretical model!
Node synchronization rate increased to 89% at the moment of the explosion!
Core technique architecture stability... exceeded expectations!"
Hiroki took the recording board, his gaze sweeping over those cold numbers that contained infinite possibilities.
A very faint arc, yet one carrying absolute control and ambition, finally curled at the corner of his mouth.
Success! And this was just a preliminary test using a "motley crew"!
If these fifty nodes were replaced with fifty Uchiha elites who had undergone Hollowfication modification, possessed powerful spiritual pressure, and were absolutely obedient... "Very good."
"Organize all the data and establish a standard process model. Repair the testing ground... as soon as possible."
He glanced at the massive pit that was still smoking.
Turning around, the hem of his black robe swept across the charred ground as he walked toward the exit of the testing ground, leaving behind a wave of survivors' cheers and whispers still shocked by that magnificent destructive power.