BOOM!!!
Every high-rise in its path shattered apart one after another!
At this moment, Naoya had already surpassed ordinary Special Grade cursed spirits!
"HAHAHAHA!"
Drunk on the ecstasy of limitless power, Naoya's manic laughter thundered through the air.
"So after staying by that Lord's side for so long, this is all you can do?!"
"A piece of trash will always just be trash!"
His writhing insect-like body suddenly burst forth with six octopus-like arms, agile and grotesque!
BOOM!
Maki's face darkened as she planted her stance firmly, raising her blade with both hands to block.
Her arms, legs, and shoulders were already streaming with blood.
Even the Dragon Bone gripped tightly in her hands trembled violently, cracks beginning to spread across it.
Crushed beneath overwhelming force, her bent legs carved long trenches into the ground.
BOOM!
Another of Naoya's arms lashed out, instantly smashing Maki into a nearby skyscraper!
"So this is all you've got…"
"I guess the only thing worth looking at about you is that somewhat decent face of yours."
Ignoring Naoya's taunts entirely—
Drenched in sweat, Maki deliberately suppressed her presence, hiding within the corner of the ruined building.
Against Naoya's near-sonic-speed charges, the current Maki still had no way to respond.
Especially with a cursed spirit's abnormal physiology…
Even severed limbs regenerated immediately.
"You think hiding means I can't find you?!"
Hovering in midair, Naoya roared as he slammed straight into the entire building!
BOOM!!!
The reinforced concrete skyscraper collapsed like a tower of toy blocks!
Before the building fully caved in, Maki was forced to burst out from the wreckage!
"You heretic who dares defy divine will—I'll tear you apart piece by piece!"
With a furious roar—
A gigantic fist wrapped in bulging muscle smashed toward Maki's head!
CRACK!
BOOM!
The Dragon Bone she raised shattered instantly from the impact, and Maki coughed up blood as she was blasted away!
But before she could even stabilize herself—
Naoya's body, moving at sonic speed, instantly caught up to her!
"Die, trash!"
The fist powerful enough to pulverize Grade 1 cursed tools rapidly filled Maki's vision!
At the very brink of death—
A violent shockwave exploded forth!
BOOM!!!
Half of Naoya's body caved in as he crashed into a deep crater below!
"You?!!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously—one shocked, the other furious!
As his writhing flesh regenerated at high speed, Naoya roared hysterically:
"I get it now! I finally get it!"
"You saw how powerful I am and got scared that Lord-sama would stop favoring you, so you attacked me!"
"Just like that old man Naobito—you're terrified I'll steal your place!"
White Zetsu couldn't be bothered responding to the idiot's delusions.
Right now, his mood was rather poor.
"Watch carefully, niece. That's not how Heavenly Restriction is supposed to be used."
BOOM!
Naoya's sonic-speed charge erupted once more!
Just as Maki was about to shout "Look out!"—
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
With a casual leap, White Zetsu stepped through the air itself, effortlessly evading Naoya's living cannonball attack!
"Don't just see with your eyes. Feel with your heart."
"That body of yours can perceive far more than surface-level traces."
BOOM!
A powerful kick in midair sent ripples spreading through empty space itself!
Moving at a speed no less than Naoya's, White Zetsu smashed away most of Naoya's writhing body with a single punch!
Where his fist passed, thick purple blood exploded everywhere!
Maki stared blankly at White Zetsu's overwhelming display, her heartbeat racing uncontrollably.
She could feel it—
That was the same Heavenly Restriction as hers.
And yet vastly more powerful.
No cursed energy.
Just pure physical ability.
Pure violence.
His words echoed repeatedly within her mind:
"Feel with your heart…"
Recalling the way White Zetsu stepped upon empty air, grasping the void itself—
A faint realization slowly dawned within her.
Almost unconsciously, she reached out toward the empty space before her.
BOOM!
Flesh and blood splattered everywhere while Naoya screamed in fury!
Yet White Zetsu handled the overwhelming enemy effortlessly, even finding time to continue instructing her.
"Like smelling sunlight with your nose…"
"Or seeing sound with your eyes…"
"Use your heart to experience everything in this world."
"Some things can only be seen by people like us."
White Zetsu's patient guidance echoed through Maki's mind like the voice of the Dao itself.
Her soul seemed to leave her body, drifting through boundless emptiness.
With vacant eyes, Maki murmured softly:
"Things only we can see…"
Sensing White Zetsu's troublesome strength—
Sensing Maki rapidly growing stronger—
Naoya's fury exploded violently!
BOOM!!!
Six arms.
Ten arms.
Hundreds of arms!
From the enormous insectoid body over ten meters tall, countless writhing tentacles burst outward!
White Zetsu effortlessly dodged through the storm of attacks, occasionally seizing fractions of a second to counterattack and rip Naoya's limbs apart!
"Jealous! Jealous!"
"You're all jealous of my power!"
"You're afraid the gods will favor me instead!!!"
Driven completely insane, Naoya suddenly extended an arm toward distant Maki!
BOOM!!!
Another storefront exploded apart!
But when Naoya looked toward where she had been—
Maki was gone.
Where?!
He scanned the surroundings frantically, but there was no trace of the heretic anywhere on the streets below!
Turning back—
Even White Zetsu had disappeared.
Naoya froze for a brief instant before erupting in rage, destroying every surrounding building in sight!
High above the city, hundreds of meters in the sky—
Maki floated in midair with her arms spread wide, an expression of pure exhilaration on her face.
At this moment—
Maki had officially entered a state of complete selflessness.
Eyes could not perceive the shape of wind.
Noses could not smell the temperature of weather…
So she pushed her sense of touch to its absolute limit.
Every pore in her body transmitted information to her—
The enemy's position.
The enemy's movements.
Back then, she had needed glasses just to see curses…
But now, everything around her—
The entire environment itself—
She could perceive far more than just Naoya.
The omnipresent air.
The currents flowing throughout empty space.
And even White Zetsu in the distant streets below…
Currently posing dramatically.
At the end of the silent street, White Zetsu stood with one hand in his pocket, his back facing the world.
As if sensing Maki's gaze—
Without turning around, he casually raised a hand and waved goodbye.
There was an indescribable air of effortless coolness to him, like a master who departed after accomplishing his deed without seeking recognition.
Maki pursed her lips into a smile.
"He really is getting more and more theatrical."
"But… thank you."
Slowly opening her eyes—
The chaotic void before her and the flowing air currents now seemed to possess tangible form.
She could step on them.
Touch them.
"I FOUND YOU!!!"
Naoya roared from below as a triple-sonic-speed attack shot upward!
Skyscrapers in its path were blasted open with enormous holes, yet Naoya's momentum never slowed!
BOOM!!!
The air exploded with violent shockwaves and surging transparent waves!
Traveling over a thousand meters per second, Naoya turned back in shock.
In that instant—
That heretic had actually grabbed the air itself with her bare hands to evade his killing blow!
Naoya couldn't understand it—
But he knew that useless woman was becoming stronger.
Veins bulged across his exposed muscles as murderous intent surged to its peak within his eyes!
Meanwhile, Maki below simply immersed herself blissfully in…
This entirely different world.
The air surrounding humans possessed different "surfaces" due to differences in temperature and density.
And now that Maki had pushed the five senses of the human body to their absolute limits—
She could perceive the existence of those surfaces.
She could walk through the sky with her body alone.
Turn in midair.
Grasp the air itself with her hands.
Seeing the joy on Maki's face, Naoya—driven utterly mad—unleashed his final technique!
"Domain Expansion: Time Cell Moon Palace!"