Kasumi Kyōbu took the string of prayer beads made from human skulls from around his neck and held them aloft. With a sudden twist of his wrist, the beads began floating in midair.
The grotesque skull beads unexpectedly radiated a holy light. The bizarre contrast made them appear even more mysterious.
"Evil God, this is the world in which my master exists. How dare you run rampant here!"
"Die!"
Kasumi Kyōbu roared, issuing his final warning to the Evil God.
Unfortunately, most Evil Gods were not exactly known for their intelligence. This creature named Wu, which had been born from a Six Paths Artifact, was clearly one of the less intelligent ones.
The moment Wu saw Kasumi Kyōbu’s prayer beads, it felt disgusted. The eyes within the beads seemed to see through everything about it, which greatly displeased the monster.
Wu opened its enormous mouth, the only mouth on its body, and blasted out a surge of energy. It intended to destroy the prayer beads.
It seemed that all the creatures created by the Sage of Six Paths were this straightforward. The monster was like this, and so were the Tailed Beasts. If words failed, they simply fired an energy blast!
Seeing this, Kasumi Kyōbu shouted and grasped the prayer beads with both hands as he began chanting.
"Then Multitude-Heaven Treasure, King Kādaga, bind all evil with the mantra—Uchiha Style Taijutsu: Jade Collapse!"
In an instant, the prayer beads erupted with brilliant light.
The radiance intertwined into a barrier that surged toward the monster’s energy blast before enveloping the attack.
That’s right.
This was Taijutsu—Taijutsu that combined physical strength with energy!
The barrier could envelop an incoming energy-based attack, convert that attack into power of its own, and then reflect it back at the enemy.
It was the ultimate technique of the Uchiha Style Taijutsu: Body Technique, merely being performed through the aid of a treasured artifact.
Kasumi Kyōbu firmly believed that even a pure close-combat fighter who relied solely on his fists could carve out a place for himself in the world.
All he needed was to master the amplification of Fear and learn how to utilize Ki.
As for Tenzen, who responded to long-range attacks with blades and sword aura, he was a traitor to Taijutsu. His so-called Uchiha Style Taijutsu: Blade Technique was nothing more than a heretical branch of Taijutsu.
Today, Kasumi Kyōbu would prove the superiority of the Body Technique.
This monster before him would offer its life as the sacrifice that would make the Body Technique famous.
Unfortunately, Kasumi Kyōbu was somewhat overconfident.
After all, the creature before him possessed Six Paths-level power.
It was the kind of power that could allow even an ordinary person to challenge a Kage.
Calling it a divine artifact would not have been an exaggeration.
The barrier successfully enveloped the energy, but Kasumi Kyōbu could not convert the power of Wu’s blast.
His Jade Collapse Barrier was like an inflated balloon pierced from within by countless fine needles. In an instant, it shattered into countless fragments.
Kasumi Kyōbu spat out a mouthful of blood, and the burly man’s expression immediately became much weaker.
Fortunately, although the energy destroyed his barrier, it had also exhausted itself in the process and dissipated into the sky.
But Kasumi Kyōbu knew that he had lost that exchange.
His strongest technique had only barely managed to withstand a casual attack from the monster.
This was not an opponent he could face alone.
The monster whose attack had been blocked by Kasumi Kyōbu seemed to become enraged as well.
Since they could not communicate because they spoke different languages, the monster simply began screaming at the top of its lungs.
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
As the monster roared, countless beams of light erupted in every direction, raining down across the battlefield.
The entire battlefield was subjected to a devastating bombardment.
The Grass shinobi caught in the attack were all killed by this completely unexpected disaster.
Fortunately, there were relatively few Uchiha present, and the Red-Eyes had already withdrawn far from the battlefield, so they were not caught in the attack.
More than a dozen Uchiha had avoided injury thanks to the defensive nature of their Fear Armor, but they still looked rather battered.
They immediately gathered around Kasumi Kyōbu and anxiously asked the blood-spitting man:
"My lord, are you all right?"
At this moment, even if Kasumi Kyōbu wasn’t all right, he had to say that he was.
That was the first requirement of being a tough man.
He was the leader of the Uchiha—the source of courage for these Uchiha.
The burly man shook his head.
"I’m fine. But I need your strength."
"Uchiha, let the Evil God experience the power of the gods and demons! Concentrate your strength and give it to me!"
"Understood!"
The shinobi answered in unison and immediately spread out.
They began releasing the power of their Fear.
Their Fear connected together, forming a barrier, and then flowed toward Kasumi Kyōbu.
Seeing this, the Red-Eyes surrounding the battlefield began chanting sutras.
"Within the Sutra of All Things, not a speck of dust remains. Neither tongue nor argument; thunder turns and lightning races. Unfolded within the hand, what Dharma is beyond its reach? Across the Three Realms, nothing escapes."
"Om."
"Ku?ika."
"Dhātu."
"Mantra of the Willow-Branch Hand!"
"Vam."
As the final syllable left their mouths, the earth suddenly split open.
A gigantic stone statue slowly rose from beneath the ground.
The statue was indescribable.
One could vaguely make out a humanoid form, yet its appearance could not truly be described.
It represented the ultimate wisdom and profound understanding of all things throughout time.
It understood the solution to every problem in the world.
It was the answer to every mystery.
Everything in existence was boring and meaningless to it.
Perhaps only playing with others could make it feel excited.
The suffering of others was its offering.
Who could have imagined that the reckless Kasumi Kyōbu would actually be favored by such a god?
"My God, solve the problem before me!"
Having summoned his god into the mortal world, Kasumi Kyōbu longed for the deity to be praised by all.
The deity known as Shinra Metsugyō merely waved a hand.
The energy emanating from the monster immediately disappeared.
"My God, you truly are invincible! Please help your faithful servant destroy this monster!"
Seeing how effortlessly his god had neutralized the monster’s attack, Kasumi Kyōbu regained his confidence.
Yet Shinra seemed to have no intention of doing anything further.
A voice that seemed to resonate directly within the mind echoed through the air:
"The deluded are lost in enlightenment; the enlightened are enlightened by delusion. Delusion and enlightenment share one essence. Only the enlightened can understand."
With that, Shinra disappeared, leaving Kasumi Kyōbu standing there in complete confusion.
Seriously wounded and lying on the ground, Bu Ru Lunhui saw this scene and burst into laughter.
Earlier, Kasumi Kyōbu had mocked him.
Now it was finally his turn to mock Kasumi Kyōbu.
"Is this the god you so devoutly believe in? It’s no different from the monster I summoned! You went through all that trouble just to get a single sentence!"
Lying on the ground, barely able to breathe, Bu Ru Lunhui finally witnessed something that brought him joy at the end of his life.
He did not care if he died.
As long as he could drag the Uchiha down to hell with him, that was enough.
"Shut up!"
Having been deceived—or at least bewildered—by his god, Kasumi Kyōbu was somewhat irritated.
But that was what faith meant.
He did not blame his god.
Unfortunately, there was no way for him to calm down and contemplate the meaning behind his god’s words in the middle of the battlefield.
And Wu, whose attack had just been nullified, certainly had no intention of giving Kasumi Kyōbu time to think.
The monster was even more enraged after having its attack erased.
It threw back its head and let out a tremendous roar.
The heavens seemed to respond to its call.
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck the monster.
But this was not divine punishment.
It seemed to be granting the monster additional power.
Everyone could feel it.
The monster had become even stronger.
Its body began visibly expanding.
Larger.
And larger.
Wave after wave of poisonous gas poured from its body. Lightning shot in every direction along its massive frame, while energy blasts periodically erupted from its hideous flesh.
Its enormous size made the monster even more oppressive.
And it no longer bothered using attacks that had already proven ineffective against Kasumi Kyōbu.
It seemed to have a much simpler idea now.
It wanted to crush the tiny insects before it with its enormous body.
The giant beast slowly advanced toward Kasumi Kyōbu.
With every step, the earth trembled.
It was as though a gigantic mountain were walking toward a swarm of insects.
The god that took pleasure in playing with the suffering of others had toyed with Kasumi Kyōbu, leaving him with no time to complain.
Now he had to find a way to protect the clansmen behind him.
"Release!"
"Om."
"Arira."
"Dhāra?ī."
Kasumi Kyōbu performed the Vajra Hand Seal, preparing to sacrifice himself to save his comrades.
A monster this terrifying was simply beyond the power of ordinary humans to resist.
"Run!"
"This time, my recklessness has put you all in danger!"
Kasumi Kyōbu ordered his subordinates to retreat.
But not a single Uchiha was willing to abandon him.
"We will give our lives for our lord!"
Loyalty was the pride of the Uchiha.
A glory more precious than life itself.
It seemed Kei’s indoctrination had worked remarkably well.
The monster, however, seemed to enjoy watching humans struggle in the face of suffering.
It did not hasten its steps simply because these insignificant humans were no longer capable of resisting.
Instead, it continued advancing slowly, seemingly savoring the expressions on their faces as they confronted absolute despair.
The Immovable Vajra could withstand an attack from a Tailed Beast.
But Kasumi Kyōbu was far too weakened now.
And the enemy before him was not a Tailed Beast.
The Vajra Seal was smashed through by the monster’s physical strength alone.
The monster stopped directly in front of Kasumi Kyōbu and the other Uchiha.
The surrounding flowers and grass rapidly turned yellow and withered upon coming into contact with the poisonous gas. Countless plants rotted away as the toxic fumes swept over them.
The monster stopped.
It simply stood there, staring down at Kasumi Kyōbu and the others.
Its enormous body, poisonous gas, and lightning shooting in every direction created an overwhelming scene that enveloped everyone present.
The Uchiha might be about to suffer their first defeat!
The extreme of fear was anger.
The Uchiha were human, after all.
They were no exception.
"Let’s fight the Evil God to the death!"
This might be Kasumi Kyōbu’s final strike.
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