Temari: "Father!"
Kankuro: "Father!"
Gaara: "..."
Seeing this scene, the hearts of the people in the Hidden Sand Village clenched tightly.
Onoki: "What a terrifying power. To be able to cause the earth to cave in so horribly relying purely on sheer brute force..."
A: "Rasa is in danger..."
[Spurt~
Deep within the Desert, Rasa violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.
If it were purely brute force, that Honkai Beast's strength still wouldn't have reached his body. But alongside the sheer physical power, a tremendous surge of electrical energy radiated deep into the earth like an electromagnetic pulse.
It could even travel along the Chakra he had extended, spreading all the way to his body!
Although, due to the heavy insulation of the earth, it had become extremely weak by the time it reached him.
But for a fragile human body, it was already unbearable.
Furthermore, this power seemed to accelerate the Erosion of Honkai Energy within his body, making his already dire situation even more perilous!
"Although I couldn't lead the Beast Tide away, a large portion of them were killed by that Honkai Beast. The remaining Chunin and Genin of Sunagakure should be able to handle the rest, which means..."
Rasa forced himself to stay alert. Ignoring his injuries, he returned to the surface once more.
"...As long as I lure this Honkai Beast away, the Hidden Sand Village will be safe!"
By now, everyone could clearly see that the Erosion phenomenon, which had initially only appeared on Rasa's left hand, had spread to his neck. This was a highly dangerous sign. Once the Erosion reached his brain, the best possible outcome would be dying on the spot.
And the worst outcome would be turning into a Puppet of the Honkai!
"I have my dignity as a human being, too!"
Rasa slapped several Explosive Tags onto his own chest, then looked toward the Honkai Beast that had forced him into this dead end.]
A: "It looks like Rasa already knows he won't be making it back."
Onoki: "Sigh~ Facing such a terrifying monster, this is already the best outcome."
Onoki: "Never mind me for a moment, I remember another herd of Honkai Beasts was heading toward the Land of Earth. Sigh~ I just hope the Land of Earth's situation is a bit better."
["Come on, didn't you want to kill me? Then follow me!"
"Roar!"
As if sensing the provocation, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast chased after Rasa, charging toward the depths of the Desert.
Behind them, scattered Honkai Beasts followed the trail they left behind.
Meanwhile, some of the clumsier Honkai Beasts spun around in place for a while before randomly picking a direction and lumbering forward.
Rather than advancing with a purpose...
...this severely depleted herd of Honkai Beasts now looked more like they were roaming aimlessly!
When the number of Honkai Beasts reached a certain threshold, they would develop a very subtle ability: the capacity to sense the nearest town containing a large human population and surge in that direction.
And this was a Beast Tide!
Conversely, when the number of Honkai Beasts fell below a certain threshold, they would lose this ability, only spinning in circles or wandering aimlessly!
Obviously, separated from the Emperor-class Honkai Beast and with their numbers drastically reduced, these Honkai Beasts had now lost that ability.
But at this moment, Rasa didn't know any of this!
Rumble!
The Emperor-class Honkai Beast, wreathed in lightning, chased the tiny figure in the sky.
In the sky, Rasa also knew his mission was to hold the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's aggro.
Therefore, he couldn't get too far away, nor could he get too close. He even had to attack the Emperor-class Honkai Beast from time to time to prevent it from losing interest.
And amidst all this, he had to make sure he didn't die.
Because one wrong move and he would be struck by the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's lightning. If that happened, it wouldn't be a question of death or dismemberment, but whether he'd leave an intact corpse behind.
Actually, not leaving one behind would be fine. What he feared most was precisely leaving an intact corpse behind.
In a place so thick with Honkai Energy, leaving an intact corpse was not good news.
That was why Rasa had stuck Explosive Tags on himself—to give himself a dignified end.
Rumble~
The thunder behind him was getting closer and closer.
It wasn't because the Honkai Beast was getting faster.
"Is my speed dropping?"
Rasa looked down at the constantly trembling Gold Dust beneath his feet and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The Chakra in his body was dwindling, and the Honkai Energy Erosion was becoming increasingly severe.
Yet, he didn't know how far he needed to lure the Honkai Beast behind him before it could be considered safe.
All he could do was lure it a little farther, just a little farther...
Gradually, Rasa's consciousness began to blur.
Even the things before his eyes seemed covered by a veil, making it hard for him to see clearly.
"What's going on? Is there something wrong with my eyes? Or have I consumed too much Chakra, and I'm about to pass out?"
Rasa subconsciously reached into his ninja pouch, wanting to pull out a Military Rations Pill to replenish his Chakra.
However, he grasped nothing but air.
Because his previous attacks had all been large-scale—attacks easily capable of destroying half or even an entire Ninja Village—the Chakra consumption was astronomical.
And to recover his Chakra as quickly as possible, he had swallowed Military Rations Pills by the handful.
Now, the Military Rations Pills in his pouch were long gone.
"Is this... as far as I go?"
Rasa smiled bitterly. The Gold Dust beneath his feet finally dispersed, and his body fell powerlessly toward the ground.
But even so, a stream of Gold Dust still coiled around him, slowing his fall as much as possible and preventing him from crashing directly into the earth.
Rasa lay on the yellow sand, scorching hot from the sun. Feeling the vibrations coming from the ground, Rasa knew that his destiny had arrived.
"I really... didn't expect this. To think I would die in a place like this."
With blurred vision, Rasa looked at the thunderclouds in the sky, which were spreading due to the presence of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
At this moment, this layer of dark clouds was incredibly hazy in his eyes; he couldn't even make out the lightning dancing within it.
And on his face, the Erosion of Honkai Energy had reached his eyes, spread to his forehead, and even sunk into his hairline.
One could imagine that even the inside of his skull had begun to show signs of Erosion!
Yet, under such circumstances, Rasa could still maintain a basic level of conscious lucidity. This was enough to show just how resolute the willpower of an elite Ninja truly was.
Rumble, rumble, rumble~
The vibrations beneath him drew closer and closer. When they finally stopped, a massive, mountain-like silhouette loomed over him.
Rasa could faintly make out a Honkai Beast, its body overflowing with dense Honkai Energy that formed purple patterns on its surface, standing directly above him.
Then, he saw this "mountain" raise its foot, stomping down heavily toward him!
With his still-functioning right hand, Rasa used his very last sliver of Chakra to activate the Explosive Tags on his chest!]