Antares spoke telepathically, his voice echoing directly in Shanks's mind. "Onii-san, I should also take my leave. I was waiting for your return, but now I must head to Konoha's side and destroy the Akatsuki forces as soon as possible."
Shanks nodded firmly. "Very well. Go, and let the Akatsuki know just how powerful we Uzumaki truly are."
Antares gave a final nod. Standing atop the rooftop, he underwent a sudden, breathtaking transformation into a giant red dragon. Crimson scales shimmered under the light as his massive form expanded. A large black hole tore open in front of him, violently distorting the surrounding air. Without another word, he plunged into the vortex and vanished from Uzushiogakure.
…
On the other side of the world, in the Land of Sea, Makima stood calmly at the apex of the Daimyo's mansion. Her expression remained utterly unreadable as she surveyed the chaos below. White Zetsu clones and ninjas modified with Hashirama cells were tearing the city apart. Smoke drifted upward and the distant groans of collapsing structures echoed through the air, yet she did not flinch.
Without hesitation, Makima summoned her primary devils: the Future Devil, the Spider Devil, the Snake Devil, the Angel Devil, and the Punishment Devil.
One after another, they materialized behind her.
Their towering forms dwarfed the mansion itself, instantly casting an oppressive aura over the battlefield. The Punishment Devil was a particularly grotesque sight—its body manifested as a mass of fused human upper bodies, layered and twisted together in an unnatural, writhing shape. The mere sight of it was enough to make ordinary men lose their minds.
Makima didn't spare them a glance. She instantly commanded the Future Devil, "Specify all future attack locations."
The Future Devil complied, transmitting the precise future coordinates of the enemy advance. Streams of precognitive information flowed directly into Makima's mind, mapping out every route, movement, and point of conflict before they even happened.
Armed with this foresight, Makima leaped from the roof. She landed effortlessly on the ground below, the impact light despite the staggering height. In one fluid motion, she slammed her palm against the earth. A massive summoning circle erupted from her hand, its intricate markings expanding rapidly across the terrain.
A series of deafening, concussive booms echoed through the plaza as numerous summoning beasts materialized through thick smoke, effectively surrounding the battlefield.
Turning to the Spider Devil, she ordered, "Create portals to deploy them according to my plan."
The Spider Devil obeyed without delay, tearing open multiple dark tears in the fabric of reality. These pitch-black openings allowed her summoned forces to instantly step through and reinforce various critical battle points across the city. In this world, these devils possessed power far beyond their original capabilities in the Chainsaw Man universe.
With the pathways established, Makima commanded the rest of her forces to strike. The Angel Devil moved forward with eerie serenity, the Snake Devil advanced with overwhelming malice, and the Punishment Devil descended like a living nightmare. The Spider Devil continuously shifted them across the field, repositioning her forces through fresh portals whenever the enemy tried to regroup.
The tide of battle turned instantly. What had been scattered, chaotic destruction was rapidly replaced by a calculated, lethal counterattack.
Having issued her orders, Makima leaped back onto the roof of the Daimyo's mansion. Standing tall, her coat billowing lightly in the wind, she calmly observed the unfolding carnage.
Everything was going exactly according to her design.
The White Zetsu and modified ninjas were utterly outmatched, systematically torn apart by the devils. The Punishment Devil was especially devastating; the Angel Devil had outfitted it with an array of divine weapons forged from the absorbed chakra of the now dead White Zetsu. Spear-like constructs, glowing blades, manifested within its many hands, each strike landing with cataclysmic force.
Furthermore, because these invaders had committed grave sins—slaughtering innocent civilians and leveling homes—the Punishment Devil's conceptual strength swelled. Every swing of its grotesque arms shattered the earth, carrying an eerie sense of absolute judgment that wiped out entire platoons at once.
Seeing that her deployment was flawless, Makima decided to accelerate the slaughter. She stepped off the roof and joined the fray herself.
Moving seamlessly into the chaos, she immediately took control of several enemy squad leaders. Their expressions blanked out for a fraction of a second before they turned their weapons on their own comrades. The enemy's chain of command collapsed instantly; formations broke apart as high-tier combatants turned on one another in a frenzy of friendly fire.
Amidst the self-inflicted chaos, Makima struck.
Golden Adamantine Sealing Chains, coated in a sinister black aura, erupted from her, whipping through the air with terrifying velocity like living serpents. A White Zetsu would charge, only to be impaled by a golden link a second later. A modified ninja would attempt a counterattack, only for multiple chains to blindside him from impossible angles, skewering him instantly.
The chains danced without pause—extending, retracting, and piercing with absolute precision. Wherever Makima walked, a trail of corpses followed. The enemy could mount no meaningful resistance. Her arrival had brought the entire war zone under absolute control.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Land of Sea were busy evacuating the surviving civilians to safer zones. Guided by frantic military personnel, the terrified citizens hurried through the ruined streets, casting disbelief-ridden glances back at the devils and animals fighting on their behalf.
When news reached the Daimyo that the invasion had been halted and that the forces attacking his nation were being annihilated by Makima and her summons, he finally let out a breath he felt he'd been holding forever. At least for now, the Land of Sea had survived.
…
In the Land of Hot Water, another ally nation, Gildarts had arrived.
The moment his boots touched the ground, he unleashed his signature Crash Magic. White Zetsu clones and modified ninjas were instantly reduced to neat cubes of flesh, raining dead onto the earth.
He showed absolutely no mercy, turning the battlefield into a one-sided massacre within seconds. The earth cracked violently beneath his stride; every casual wave of his hand brought absolute ruin. Groups of enemies rushed him, only to vanish moments later, their bodies shattered into cubes by the overwhelming strength of his crush magic.
Knowing the Land of Hot Water was one of their strongest allies, Gildarts had zero intention of holding back. Anyone foolish enough to face him met the exact same swift end. They couldn't even withstand a single casual blow. That was the terrifying reality of Gildarts Uzumaki's power.
Even the enemy squad leaders possessing S-rank strength were helpless against him. They tried everything—direct assaults, coordinated ambushes, and desperate ploys. One group attempted to bind him using Wood Release, causing massive, thick roots to erupt from the dirt and wrap tightly around him to crush his bones.
It was entirely useless.
Gildarts didn't even blink. With a subtle flex of his posture, the constricting wooden roots shattered into countless fragments like fragile glass.
Another wave immediately followed. A barrage of high-level ninjutsu—explosions, elemental torrents, and synchronized jutsu—rained down on him from all directions.
Gildarts didn't even bother to turn around. Before the magical elements could even graze his coat, they were entirely neutralized by the dense, crushing aura radiating from his body. His chakra pressure acted as both an impenetrable shield and an invisible pressure over his enemies. The closer they tried to get to him, the heavier the atmospheric pressure became.
For long-range targets, Gildarts unleashed his devastating spell: All Crush.
When activated, a colossal, blinding white beam surged from his hand. It was a torrential river of compressed destruction itself. As the massive wave of Crash Magic tore across the landscape, everything in its path ceased to exist. The ground split into deep ravines, trees were vaporized, and every ninja caught in its trajectory was obliterated instantly, leaving behind nothing.
Logically, the best move for the surviving squad leaders was a full retreat. Yet, they didn't dare flee. Their absolute orders were to keep invading the Land of Hot Water and, above all else, prevent the arriving Uzumaki sibling from interfering elsewhere.
They had to stop Gildarts here, no matter the cost. And so, bound by orders, they continued to throw themselves into the meat grinder—even though, with every passing second, they were simply being massacred by Gildarts.
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