Chapter 25: One Cut, Two Halves!

The power of the Susanoo's fourth stage rivaled that of a Tailed Beast.

Even without ninjutsu, its raw physical might surpassed Goku's Great Ape form.

But the cost was steep.

Fresh blood trickled down Uchiha Hikari's cheeks again, and her entire body ached under the immense strain of the Mangekyō's burden.

"As expected, the fourth stage drains my ocular power insanely fast. My healing can't quite keep up…"

"But the pain seems to level off at a certain point—that must be the balance between damage and recovery. If I hold out just a little longer, it might stabilize... Even if not, this level of pain is manageable."

Then she realized something else.

Right now, the biggest limitation on her Susanoo wasn't physical strain—

It was chakra.

Activating the Susanoo required massive ocular energy, but maintaining it devoured chakra like a black hole.

And the drain was constant.

From the moment the fourth stage activated, Hikari could feel her chakra being siphoned away into the colossal construct.

However…

This type of exhaustion wasn't classified as "damage."

It was more like physical fatigue.

Hikari wasn't as chakra-deficient as Itachi or Kakashi, but she also didn't have the bottomless reserves of an Indra reincarnation. Plus, her body was only thirteen—still developing. Maintaining the fourth stage at her age was pushing the limits.

"Unless I use Yasaka Magatama to absorb chakra from others, I can only sustain this for…"

"About ten minutes."

"Any longer and I'll burn out."

ROOOAAARR—!!

Seizing her moment of distraction, the pinned Great Ape roared, wrapped its arms around the Susanoo's leg, and heaved.

The two titans clashed again.

But the Susanoo's durability gave Hikari a huge advantage.

Though this was her first time piloting a "mech" of this scale, she quickly regained control. Using the Susanoo's overwhelming strength, she flipped the beast back down—then grabbed its tail.

The Great Ape froze.

Without hesitation, Hikari raised her other hand, chakra condensing into a razor-sharp blade at her fingertips—

"One cut, two halves."

Swish.

The tail severed.

Goku instantly shrank, reverting to his normal form.

Hikari deactivated the Susanoo and descended from the air, stepping on its fading remnants to slow her fall. On the way down, she caught Goku to prevent him from crashing to the ground.

Her knees buckled slightly when she landed.

Not just from exhaustion—

But from a mild fear of heights.

The fourth-stage Susanoo stood nearly 40 meters tall—equivalent to a 13-story building. Looking down through its translucent "helmet" and then free-falling had been… nerve-wracking.

"Hikari! Goku!"

"Are you okay?! What the hell just happened?!"

Only after the battle ended did Bulma, Oolong, and the others cautiously emerge from hiding, wide-eyed.

Around them, Pilaf's castle was in ruins. The remaining structures teetered dangerously. As for Pilaf and his goons—they'd managed to escape and flee in their aircraft.

Hikari scanned the area, dismissed Pilaf, and turned to Bulma. "You're hurt?"

"Just a little. My leg got pinned by debris, but I'll be fine." Bulma hesitated, then asked, "But your eyes…"

"They're okay. Just looks worse than it is."

Hikari wiped away the blood and smiled.

Sure enough, her healing ability was still working, even after deactivating the Susanoo. With a short rest, her eyes would be back to normal.

Nearby, Yamcha and Oolong gawked at the destruction.

"Miss Hikari… you're kinda too strong."

"And Goku—are you guys even human?"

"..."

Well, technically...

Goku was a Saiyan.

And she came from another world—so yes, technically also an "alien."

As the tension faded, the group finally relaxed. They sat on a relatively intact patch of ground, shared food, and discussed what came next.

"We've already used the Dragon Balls this year, so we'll have to wait until next time to gather them again. What's everyone planning in the meantime?"

"Hm…"

While the others chatted, Hikari watched Bulma and Yamcha with mild amusement.

Maybe because she'd warned Bulma about Yamcha's future womanizing, their relationship hadn't progressed the same way as in the original timeline. They were friends—but not lovers.

Not that Bulma needed any help with her love life.

"If no one's in a hurry… why not come to my place?" Bulma offered. "I'll treat you all to a feast. You can head out whenever you want afterward."

Yamcha and Oolong exchanged glances and agreed.

As for Goku—still unconscious—he'd probably head to Master Roshi for training once he woke up.

Dawn slowly broke.

When Goku finally stirred, the group split up: Hikari and the others boarded Bulma's aircraft back to West City, while Goku flew home on the Flying Nimbus, Dragon Radar in hand.