The air in the chamber didn't just feel heavy, it felt solid. It was a physical weight, pressing against Arthev's lungs, turning every breath into a struggle against drowning.
The beast was a nightmare of obsidian and violet light. It was massive, serpentine, and silent. Its scales pulsed with a rhythmic, sickly glow, and when it shifted, the stone floor groaned in protest. This wasn't a Soul Beast. It was a natural disaster compressed into seven meters of hate.
Arthev stood frozen, the crimson of his Three-Tomoe Shinragan spinning frantically. He gripped his kunai until his knuckles turned white.
'Yo, kid,' Shukaku's voice scratched against his mind, losing its usual mockery. 'Big bastard, huh? No exits. Sealed room. I'd say run, but... well.'
Arthev didn't smile. He couldn't. The killing intent radiating from the creature was paralyzing.
"Running isn't an option," Arthev whispered, his voice tight.
The beast moved.
There was no roar. No wind-up. Just a blur of violet light. A claw the size of a man swung through the air, releasing a crescent of pure energy.
Body Flicker.
Arthev vanished.
BOOM!
The shockwave tore a trench through the solid rock where he had been standing a microsecond before. Arthev reappeared ten meters away, skidding on the dust, sweat stinging his eyes.
'Fast,' Arthev thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. 'Too fast.'
He snapped his wrist, launching a shuriken. It struck the beast's flank with a spark, clink and bounced off like it had hit a diamond wall.
'Tough hide,' Shukaku grunted. 'Physical attacks are useless. You need to hit it with something that breaks bone, not skin.'
"I know!" Arthev hissed.
His hands blurred through seals.
"Wood Release: Binding Roots!"
The floor shattered. Thick, thorny vines erupted from the stone, wrapping around the beast's torso and limbs, the thorns seeking purchase in the gaps between scales.
For a second, the beast halted.
Then, it just... flexed.
SNAP.
The wood exploded into splinters. The beast didn't even roar, it just thrashed its tail. The shockwave hit Arthev like a physical wall.
He was thrown backward, slamming into the stone wall.
CRACK.
Arthev hit the floor, gasping. His side burned broken ribs. Definitely broken.
'Kid, stop messing around!' Shukaku barked. 'That thing is brushing you off like dandruff! Use the sand! Bury it!'
Arthev stumbled to his feet, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. "Fine."
He raised a hand. The dust in the room stopped settling. It began to spin. The floor cracked as gallons of sand poured from his own soul storage, swirling into a frenzy.
"Sand Burial!"
The sand roared, a tsunami of grit crashing down on the beast. It wrapped around the creature, compressing, crushing, burying it beneath tons of pressure. The chamber fell silent, save for the shifting of the dune.
Arthev watched, chest heaving. 'Did that work?'
RUMBLE.
The dune exploded.
It wasn't a gradual escape. It was a detonation. The beast stepped out of the falling sand, its violet eyes glowing with irritation. Not a scratch. Not a bruise.
'Damn it,' Arthev thought, fear finally piercing his calm. 'Rank 14 against... whatever this is. It's impossible.'
The beast lunged.
Arthev didn't have time to weave a seal. He barely had time to think. He drew on the deep reserves, pulling on the tenant in his soul.
Tailed Beast Cloak.
Crimson energy erupted around him, forming a bubbling, chaotic shroud. His speed doubled. He threw himself to the side, the beast's claw missing him by inches. The wind pressure alone flayed the skin on his cheek.
'Harder!' Shukaku yelled. 'Hit it with the ball!'
Arthev gritted his teeth, forcing a clone to spawn from his shoulder. The clone distracted the beast for a fraction of a second, just enough.
Arthev sprinted, the blue sphere of erratic energy screaming in his palm.
"Rasengan!"
He slammed the sphere into the beast's jaw.
BOOM!
The impact was blinding. Arthev was blown back by the recoil of his own attack, tumbling across the stone. He looked up, hoping, praying to see blood.
The smoke cleared.
The beast shook its head. There was a small scorch mark on its chin. That was it.
"You have to be kidding me," Arthev wheezed.
The beast looked at him. Truly looked at him. And for the first time, it seemed insulted.
Violet energy flared. The pressure in the room multiplied.
'Incoming!'
Arthev's eyes burned. The Three-Tomoe Shinragan spun so fast they blurred.
Snap.
A vision. He saw his own death, a claw ripping his head off.
Reality.
Arthev ducked. The claw passed through the space his head had occupied a millisecond ago.
Snap.
He saw a tail whip crushing his legs.
Reality.
He jumped, tucking his knees. The tail smashed the floor beneath him.
'I can see it,' Arthev realized, adrenaline flooding his system. 'I can see the attack before it happens!'
He weaved through the barrage, a dance of death. Dodge. Duck. Slide. He was untouchable.
He saw an opening. The beast overextended.
'Got you!'
Arthev flickered behind the beast's neck, a second Rasengan charged and screaming. He drove it into the spine.
CRACK.
A scale fractured. The beast howled, a sound that shattered eardrums.
Arthev grinned ferally. "I hurt y—"
Snap.
The vision came. But it was too fast. Too big. The tail wasn't just whipping, it was sweeping the entire room.
Reality.
CRUNCH.
The tail hit him mid-air.
It felt like being hit by a train. Arthev folded. His left arm snapped like a dry twig, bone jutting through skin. He was launched into the wall, sticking there for a second before sliding down, leaving a smear of red.
He hit the ground, unable to breathe. His vision swam.
The beast didn't wait. It roared, a blur of violet rage, and thrust its claw forward.
Arthev tried to move. His body refused.
SHLLUNK.
The sound was wet.
Arthev looked down. A massive obsidian claw was buried in his chest. It had punched through his sternum, missing his heart by millimeters, but tearing through everything else.
Blood welled up in his throat, choking him.
'Kid!' Shukaku's voice shattered the haze, screaming in pure panic. 'You're done! That thing just cored you! Summon me! NOW! Or we both die here!'
Arthev's vision greyed. He slumped forward, his body held up only by the claw impaling him.
'Summon...'
He coughed, blood splattering the beast's arm.
'Fine...'
With the last dregs of his consciousness, he slammed his bloody palm against the beast's scale.
The air ignited.
Arthev's body became a gateway. The remaining Soul Power in his system detonated, fueling the bridge between the vessel and the beast.
ROAR!
The ceiling cracked. The chamber groaned as 150 meters of sand and fury exploded into existence, forcing the serpentine beast to recoil.
A shadow swallowed the room.
Shukaku towered over the scene, his massive, rotund body pressing against the walls of the chamber. His single tail lashed, shattering the stone floor. He looked down at Arthev's broken body, then at the serpent.
'Stay down, landlord. I'm driving now.'
Shukaku's amber eyes locked onto the violet beast, and his grin vanished.
"This power..." Shukaku rumbled, his voice shaking the foundations of the ruin. "Rank 93. A Titled Douluo equivalent."
The One-Tail bared his teeth.
"Finally. A fair fight."
To be continued...