The changes in the giant python seemed to have affected the black shadow as well. Its body stood motionless, like an idle machine. The once-boiling sea of sand had gone still—only a pool of black water remained, eerily calm.
Chinano continued to gather energy, her chakra steadily building. Karin and Zixu funneled chakra into her like a pair of tireless engines feeding a bottomless abyss. Hatsuizumi wasn't standing idle either. Her chakra reserves weren't enough to support a full attack, but she had her own trump card.
A terrifying suction force erupted from Hatsuizumi. Though chakra in the air was scarce, she still managed to extract what little remained. But compared to the black python, it was nothing—the python was overflowing with chakra. How Kaguya managed to control such a beast was anyone's guess. But Hatsuizumi wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. Chakra poured from the python's wounds, pure and untainted. Hatsuizumi absorbed it like a vacuum, filtered it through her body, and fed the purest essence into Chinano.
Around Chinano's palm, truth-seeking orbs of various colors began to spin like planets in orbit. Each orb was condensed to an extreme, no larger than an ant, but the energy within them was staggering—even Kaguya would be impressed.
But such power came at a price.
Chinano's body couldn't withstand the growing pressure. Just when it seemed she might collapse, Zixu stepped in and took the burden from her. Chinano focused on forming the orbs, while Zixu carried them. Their teamwork was seamless.
Meanwhile, green flames burned wildly across Karin's body. The brighter the flame, the dimmer her life force became. She was literally burning herself up.
"It's alright…" Zixu murmured as he held the massive orb forged from dozens of smaller ones. He turned his gaze to the black shadow, steeling himself.
Kaguya, having secured control over the writhing python, left the battlefield. She was heading to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
The black shadow's body flickered between illusion and reality. As Zixu approached, he summoned Rosinante—his strongest ability. The battlefield darkened. Black winds howled, the ground turned to liquid shadow, and the rain transformed into writhing serpents.
Zixu looked like a lone boat adrift on a black ocean.
"This scene... I've seen it before," he muttered. Memories surged from deep within. When he first came to this world, he had a dream just like this. At the time, he thought it was just a nightmare. But now—this wasn't a dream. This was the Silence Fruit's ability: spatial stagnation.
Snap!
Zixu snapped his fingers. Instantly, the black snakes froze midair, and the ground-water stopped its churning. Everything—time, motion—came to a halt. Except for him.
He leapt from raindrop to raindrop, inching closer to the black shadow standing atop the massive wave.
With his free hand, Zixu pulled out a small iron sphere and hurled it at the shadow. It struck true—but instead of bouncing off, it was swallowed by the fluid-like form.
"Die."
No need for speeches. He wasn't taking chances. Zixu locked a sealing chain onto the shadow before driving the Truth-Seeking Orb into its chest. The fluid body couldn't cushion the attack—the force was absolute.
The black shadow hissed like boiling tar under the sun. Its body dried and hardened rapidly, sealing itself within a crust of dark crystal. The surrounding space twisted violently. The stillness shattered like glass. The shadow's body was sucked into a vortex created by the Orb.
Zixu barely managed to escape. But even from a distance, the aftershock slammed into him like a cannonball, blasting him into the ground and leaving behind a crater.
Kaguya reappeared.
The giant python shrieked and convulsed wildly, as if something inside it had snapped. Its size was so enormous that every movement sent tremors across the land. And now it had gone berserk. The world itself seemed to shudder.
Thankfully, Zixu had seen it—the black shadow twisted apart, torn to shreds by the vortex. There was no way it survived that.
Now came the final battle.
Zixu and Kaguya locked eyes. No words. No need. They both launched forward.
The Truth-Seeking Orb and Kaguya's blood-red steam clashed violently. The explosion was deafening. Neither side backed down. Kaguya had overwhelming power, but Zixu brought refined experience and a battle-hardened body. It was a balanced fight—for now.
Kaguya's raw attacks were deadly, but Zixu never gave her the opening she needed. Forced to rely on massive, area-covering ninjutsu, she tried to restrict his movement.
And that's when Hatsuizumi and Chinano saw their chance.
Together, they began draining Kaguya's chakra, weakening her by the second.
Meanwhile, the black snake's body was growing branches—thick, gnarled vines that slowed it down. Its movements became sluggish. The air grew darker, heavier.
Sensing death approaching, the python thrashed with everything it had left. But it was too late.
The endless darkness that once cloaked the battlefield began to fade—not because it was dissipating, but because it was condensing.
A new black figure appeared—faceless and formless. The python stopped resisting, as if resigned to its fate. Without its control, the branches pierced its flesh and grew uncontrollably, devouring it from the inside out.
Soon, the battlefield was covered in towering green vegetation. Chakra-fed plants surged skyward, turning the area into a primordial jungle. The warriors were dwarfed beneath the canopy.
The black shadow grew darker, thicker—more solid. Kaguya's expression changed. Confusion clouded her eyes. The python had tried to absorb part of the Sacred Tree, and though it failed, it had still formed a connection.
Kaguya was the Sacred Tree's vessel.
The black shadow—the byproduct of that attempt—shouldn't have affected her. But somehow, it was.
Darkness crept up Kaguya's arm. Her shadow stirred, and then lashed out from behind.
Zixu narrowed his eyes.
"So the phantom from before... was it a clone? Or can this thing spawn infinite shadows?"
He looked down. Darkness had started spreading along his arm too.
"Damn it…"
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