Chapter 269
[200 PS REACHED!!! Next Goal: 300PS!!]
As the radiant sword light descended upon him, Madara's expression grew serious, but a wild grin spread across his lips despite the gravity of the situation.
"Hahaha! This is the thrill of battle that makes every pore come alive!"
Laughing maniacally, Madara shot into the sky, arms spread wide as if soaring. His Rinnegan flared to life, and the powers inherited from the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan were activated.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of metal assembling echoed as a massive blue warrior, formed from chakra, appeared, clad in heavy blue armor.
The moment the Perfect Susanoo materialized, Madara concealed himself within the diamond-shaped chamber in the head. With a mere thought, the giant Susanoo mirrored his movements exactly.
Clang!
Drawing its massive blade, the Perfect Susanoo unleashed its full power, slicing upwards with a diagonal slash to meet the descending radiant sword light.
Swish!
The faint blue blade light shot into the sky, its speed and force combining with the surrounding air to form a second layer of sword light. These two forces merged, maximizing both speed and power.
This was a strike capable of cleaving mountains and seas!
In the next instant, the sword light from Kyomu's finger collided with the Susanoo's blade, unleashing a brilliant flash of light, followed by shockwaves that rippled outward.
It was like the heavens themselves had thundered. The deafening roar shook both men to their cores, causing Kyomu's heart to beat a little faster.
But before the light, shockwaves, and airwaves could settle, Madara's Susanoo flared its wings, creating another powerful gust to distract Kyomu.
Madara's plan was clever, and indeed, he managed to catch Kyomu's attention.
However, Kyomu was no longer relying solely on his senses of sight, hearing, or smell to gather information about his surroundings. Instead, he was using his Space Perception Technique.
Through the subtle fluctuations in space, Madara's maneuvers were completely within Kyomu's grasp.
"Heh!"
Kyomu smirked inwardly, remaining motionless as Madara's four "invisible" shadows approached him.
The four shadows created by the Limbo: Border Jail moved swiftly, and as Kyomu feigned ignorance, Madara grinned wickedly from within the Susanoo's diamond chamber.
In the next second, Madara anticipated Kyomu's expression to shift from shock to despair, and finally, to the fear of death.
And of course, the beautiful spray of blood in midair.
"…"
However, just as Madara thought he had the upper hand, Kyomu suddenly moved, causing Madara's delighted grin to freeze.
With a swift motion—punching backward, twisting his waist, and swinging his arm—Kyomu executed a flawless strike.
"Break!"
Accompanied by Kyomu's confident growl, his fist, wrapped in purple lightning, struck the face of the shadow approaching from the front.
Thud!
The sound was like a heavy fist pounding against solid metal, and the shadow directly in front of Kyomu exploded into a cloud of dust.
But Kyomu wasn't finished.
Using the momentum of his punch, Kyomu powered his waist, launching a forward somersault and kicking out twice, both feet connecting with the chests of the two shadows on either side.
The force of his kicks erupted on the shadows' chests, and the resulting shockwave sent the two shadows flying.
However, since Kyomu's attack was a continuous combo rather than a single charged strike, the force of his kicks was somewhat dispersed, so the shadows didn't explode like the first one.
Even so, the two "invisible" shadows were sent hurtling over a hundred meters before they managed to stop.
Completing his somersault, Kyomu landed lightly, bringing his fists to his chest before spinning and delivering a punch straight to the fourth shadow behind him.
Thud!
Another resounding impact followed, and Madara's fourth shadow shattered just like the first.
But Kyomu's assault didn't end there.
As soon as he landed, Kyomu pushed off the ground with his toes.
Boom!
The ground beneath his feet caved in as Kyomu launched himself into the air, chakra surging within him.
With two of Madara's shadows already destroyed, the space they had sealed was no longer stable, allowing Kyomu to regain full control of his spatial abilities.
Swish!
Kyomu vanished from his original spot, reappearing instantaneously above the head of Madara's Perfect Susanoo, face-to-face with Madara in the diamond chamber.
First, a punch to say hello!
In Madara's startled eyes, Kyomu's fist crashed down, slamming into the center of the Susanoo's forehead, where the diamond chamber was housed.
The force of the blow sent shockwaves rippling through the air, shattering the massive armor of the Susanoo and sending it hurtling backward.
Crack, crack, crack!
The sound of shattering echoed as the Susanoo, now resembling a broken porcelain doll, began to crumble. Madara, who had been protected within, was suddenly exposed to Kyomu's relentless assault.
Swish!
With a flicker of light, Kyomu appeared above the tumbling Madara, raising his right leg high.
A downward kick!
Moving with lightning speed, even Madara's Rinnegan struggled to keep up, making it nearly impossible for him to react in time.
But Madara, armed with battle instincts honed to perfection, instinctively crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive posture, preparing for the blow.
Unfortunately, despite his foresight and his successful prediction of Kyomu's next move, Madara still took the full brunt of the kick.
Before the eye could see, a burst of compressed air erupted from Madara's chest, propelling him downward at a speed that rivaled a cannonball.
Boom!
Madara crashed into the ground, sending dust and debris skyward, burying him in a crater.
Despite the debris and smoke, Kyomu, hovering in the sky, could still sense Madara's position and condition clearly.
Not one to waste an opportunity, Kyomu gathered chakra as he assumed a one-legged stance and prepared to dive down to deliver another crushing blow.
Cough!
Madara, lying in the crater, coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining his clothing red.
The sharp sound of something slicing through the air reached Madara's ears, and before he could react, Kyomu's foot was already upon him.
Boom!
Another explosive impact followed as Kyomu's foot slammed into Madara's chest, driving him even deeper into the ground, deepening the crater.
Kyomu bent down, pulling back his fist, and aimed another punch at Madara's face.
But as he launched the punch, the remaining two shadows from Madara's Limbo: Border Jail rushed to his aid.
Each shadow wielded a black rod formed from Yin-Yang chakra, and they targeted Kyomu's vital points as they charged.
Forced to withdraw his punch, Kyomu sidestepped the shadows' attack. But they quickly pivoted, thrusting their black rods at Kyomu in a flurry of attacks.
Kyomu responded with equal speed, manifesting two black rods of his own using his chakra.
Clang, clang, clang!
A rapid series of metallic clashes echoed as Kyomu faced off against Madara's two shadows, not giving an inch.
In the art of weaponry, Kyomu now considered himself the unrivaled master in the Shinobi World. Even Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, would hesitate to claim superiority.
In this intense exchange, Kyomu faced off against Madara's two shadows, blocking and countering every move with precision and ease.
While the two shadows were the ones initiating the attack, they found themselves on the defensive under Kyomu's relentless counterattacks.
"How can you see them!?" Madara struggled to his feet, finally voicing the question that had been plaguing him.
But Kyomu wasn't in the habit of offering explanations during a fight. "You want to know? I'll tell you after I beat you."
With that, Kyomu's attacks intensified, raining down on both Madara's shadows and Madara himself.
Swish!
Abandoning the skirmish, Kyomu utilized his spatial abilities to teleport next to Madara's true body, thrusting his black rod directly toward Madara's side.
Ding!
A sharp sound rang out as a black sphere suddenly appeared, intercepting the path of Kyomu's rod.
It was the Truth-Seeking Orb.
Shinra Tensei!
At the same time as he blocked Kyomu's attack, Madara unleashed a massive repulsive force with his Rinnegan, pushing the limits of the technique.
Whoosh!
The invisible force came with a powerful wind, bending the black rod in Kyomu's hand nearly to the point of breaking.
Kyomu stomped down hard, channeling the repulsive force into the ground beneath him, keeping himself steady.
Boom, boom, boom!
However, the ground beneath Kyomu's feet buckled under the pressure, rising and compacting into a small mound behind him.
Kyomu had withstood Madara's full-force Shinra Tensei with his own body!
"You're strong."
From the beginning of the battle until now, Madara's tone finally softened, offering a rare acknowledgment. "Kyomu, I recognize you!"
"Madara, it's I who should be acknowledging you!" Kyomu retorted, raising his head against the force and locking eyes with Madara. "You are the first to withstand my physical strength."
"It seems you've underestimated me!"
Madara gritted his teeth, but instead of continuing the fight here, he leapt out of the crater, distancing himself from Kyomu.
The repulsive force dissipated naturally, and the Truth-Seeking Orb followed Madara as he moved.
Of course, Kyomu once again used his spatial abilities, teleporting ahead of Madara to block his retreat.
Madara was startled, his battle spirit undiminished, but he had already formed a judgment about the outcome of this fight.
"I cannot lose!"
Madara instantly dismissed the doubt creeping into his mind, preparing to unleash his full strength in one final, desperate gamble.
He retreated, arms outstretched, before clapping his palms together, directing the remaining Truth-Seeking Orbs and the two shadows to merge into one massive spear, its sharp point aimed directly at Kyomu's chest.
"Is this your strongest move?" Kyomu shook his head in disappointment. "Madara, it seems that without the Ten-Tails, you're only slightly stronger than the Ōtsutsuki who wielded the Tenseigan Chakra Mode."
As he spoke, Kyomu swung his black rod diagonally to meet the incoming spear.
Dimensional Slash: Obliteration!
This was Kyomu's most powerful technique since awakening his spatial abilities, and as his strength had grown, so too had the power of this move.
Where once it had only been effective at close range, now the space it covered extended to a kilometer, with its solidification effect multiplied fivefold.
In an instant, Madara's spear, hurled with all his might, was slowed to a crawl, like a snail inching forward.
"You've become very strong, Madara," Kyomu's voice echoed as Madara's eyes widened in shock. He could only struggle, unable to move, completely at Kyomu's mercy.
The black rod in Kyomu's hand descended slowly, the spear moving forward at an equally lethargic pace.
But Madara knew this was an illusion, a phenomenon caused by the extreme solidification of space.
Within the frozen space, time seemed to stretch endlessly, while for Kyomu, the swing of his rod remained as swift as ever.
With unwavering precision, Kyomu swung down.
Crack, crack, crack.
Cracks spread across the solidified space, and aside from controlling the flow of chakra within his body, Madara could do nothing.
The spear shattered!
As Madara's attack crumbled, the cracks continued to spread, engulfing Madara's body. His skin began to crack like a fragile porcelain doll on the verge of shattering.
Crash!
As Kyomu's black rod completed its strike, Madara's body, from the chest down, fragmented into tiny pieces, his flesh and bones consumed by the surrounding space.
Plop.
Madara's remaining body fell to the ground, the light in his Rinnegan fading.
He had lost, and it wasn't just a defeat—it was nearly a complete annihilation at Kyomu's hands. His pride had crumbled just like his shattered body.
He was nothing more than a joke!
Madara's eyes, now dull and lifeless, stared up at the sky, waiting for death.
But in the next moment, Kyomu's figure entered his fading vision. "Madara, I acknowledge you as the strongest in the Shinobi World! It would be a waste for you to die. How about becoming my subordinate?"
(End of Chapter)