The black shadow paused, frozen midair. He couldn't understand why Zixu would abandon his system—nor why Zixu still retained the Fruit's abilities.
"The bound dragon is finally free..." Zixu murmured, flexing his limbs. Though much of his power had been stripped, he felt lighter, unrestrained. The system had taken a lot from him—but it had also been holding him back. Now, abilities that were once locked away flooded his mind like mushrooms sprouting after rain. While he had been enjoying the system's conveniences, he hadn't realized the restrictions it imposed.
Hatsuizumi, standing nearby, had been silently building up her strength. Now, she finally revealed her hidden trump card.
This strange summoning beast had been with Hatsuizumi since she was a child. At first glance, it seemed useless—doing nothing but devouring energy endlessly. But she knew better. This creature harbored terrifying energy.
Imagine what would happen if a being that had absorbed chakra and energy for over a decade suddenly released it all at once.
Summoning magic was a form of space-time ninjutsu, and both aspects were terrifying. The energy her summoning beast absorbed seemed stored in a pocket dimension—hidden, coiled, waiting. If Chu Quan detonated that energy in the real world, it wouldn't just destroy the black shadow; it could potentially shatter this entire space.
Zixu's eyes narrowed when he saw her summoned beast released. He didn't want Hatsuizumi to use it. He wasn't sure what Chun Qiu's real capabilities were, but if this was anything like that world, where one needed the Will of Heaven's approval to go back in time successfully, they couldn't afford to gamble. After all, they didn't possess a guaranteed trump card like "Spring and Autumn Must Succeed."
Hatsuizumi caught the look he gave her and understood immediately. Still, she didn't dismiss Chun Qiu. Instead, she summoned a swarm of other insects.
The newly released insects formed a ring around Chun Qiu. Core insects took their positions at the base, while thousands of smaller ones slotted around them, building a structure—layer by layer—until they formed what looked like a compact, multi-tiered Immortal Gu House.
Zixu, caught mid-battle with the black shadow, paused when he noticed the construction. He had trained Hatsuizumi to be relentless, meticulous—a model worker. But he didn't expect this. She had built an actual Immortal Gu House.
Chinano and Karin entered the Gu House, each managing a portion of its functions while channeling their chakra into the structure. Karin, having recently overdrawn her chakra to awaken Zixu, could only handle low-drain systems.
With Chun Qiu as its core, the Gu House looked like a pagoda—dense, layered, and radiant. As soon as it stabilized, it shot toward the black shadow, aggressive and violent like a battering ram.
Hatsuizumi waved her hand. Zixu, no longer hesitating, leaped into the structure. Without a word, he poured his chakra into it. The Gu House's tough surface grew a layer of shimmering, flexible dragon scales—scales that looked both indestructible and alive.
With everyone inside, they drove the Immortal Gu House directly at the black shadow.
The shadow stood confused, unmoving, watching the iron fortress barrel toward him.
Crack—! The sickening sound of bones breaking echoed out. Despite having absorbed Obito, Kaguya, and others, and theoretically possessing enough defense to ignore such attacks, the impact broke through his expectations—and his body.
"Heh... been waiting to catch you off guard," Hatsuizumi sneered, baring sharp little fangs.
Each of Chun Qiu's attacks carried fluctuations of space and time, bypassing the shadow's intangibility. Zixu's sage chakra neutralized Kaguya's formidable defense. Meanwhile, Chinano quietly activated the Tenseigan, freezing the shadow in place and siphoning some chakra to restore Karin.
The tide had turned.
Above, the long-absent Roran and the floating whirlpool country in the Sky finally reappeared, hovering ominously in the clouds. Their sensors immediately picked up the chaotic energy below.
The whirlpool country had grown. Its surface area had expanded nearly tenfold—it now cast a massive shadow even while airborne. Though Zixu's flame cloud no longer supported it, Neji and the others had found substitutes. The chakra from Impure World Reincarnation was limitless, though the process had broken a few of them mentally. Overall, though, it was a resounding success.
The Roran had been rebuilt and upgraded. With its power system fully stabilized, it no longer needed to carry the whirlpool country. Instead, it sat docked atop it like an aircraft carrier command center.
"Report! Two massive energy signatures detected below!" came a crisp voice from the monitoring station.
Neji sat cross-armed, his receding hairline forming an M-shape. He muttered under his breath, "The black python that ruled the world for over a year… it's finally crumbling. Plants are growing out of its corpse."
Exactly one year had passed since Zixu and his team vanished. And now—this power. It had to be them.
"Send a perception team immediately," Neji ordered. Still, a part of him remained cautious. Was this truly their return… or another trick of Kaguya?
Back on the battlefield, the shadow had lost control. Furious, he unleashed a barrage of black chains from his body, trying to capture the Immortal Gu House, assimilate it, and slowly digest its occupants. If he could consume them, their resistance would be crushed.
He may not have Zixu's part of the system anymore—but he believed he alone now was the system. How could he possibly lose?
Zixu and his crew dodged the chains relentlessly. The Gu House's defenses held, but just barely. Every chain cost them chakra, time, and coordination. They knew—once they stopped, they were doomed.
"Zixu!" Karin called out, her voice sharp. "We can't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, one of us is gonna get hit. You've gotta come up with something—fast!"
Zixu didn't answer. He shifted the Gu House's course, steering it straight into the black shadow once more.
Chains wrapped tighter around the fortress. The bugs that made up the structure began dying, falling apart in droves. Chu Quan gritted her teeth, constantly replacing them. Zixu, now out of options, activated his final trump card.
A heavy, suffocating aura spilled from the Gu House. The chains froze mid-air, locked in place. Even the black shadow stood paralyzed in the eye of the storm.
Flames rose around the Gu House—not ordinary fire, but soul-burning flame. The crystal-clear blaze didn't scorch physical matter, but everywhere it passed, the chains dissolved into black mist, fading to nothing.
Now, the Immortal Gu House was no longer a fortress—it was a blazing comet of spiritual vengeance.
Zixu gave the order.
And with unstoppable momentum, the fireball smashed into the black shadow's immobile form.
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