Chapter 123: Bedraggled
[Void Jump]!
The Void Mantis teleported, appearing instantly behind Dodai. A hideous, human-like grin stretched across its face as its two black scythes flashed with a ghostly green light.
In the next instant, it raised its scythes and slashed viciously at his neck.
But Dodai, who was bent over spitting magma, actually began to smirk.
He glanced backward out of the corner of his eye. He had been prepared!
The Void Mantis's scythes sliced straight through his body, but the sensation was like cutting through air. The Mantis's expression shifted slightly.
Realizing it had missed, the Void Mantis vanished into the air again.
The essence of an assassin is a one-hit kill. If the strike misses, retreat a thousand miles.
Besides, apart from the few square meters under Dodai's feet, the entire battlefield was covered in magma. The Mantis had nowhere else to land.
But Kael's arsenal wasn't limited to ground-to-ground combat. The Thunder-Wind Eagle possessed air-to-ground capabilities.
So, even though the battlefield had been completely transformed to favor Dodai and his men, preventing Kael's ground-based summons from getting close, Kael wasn't out of options.
Countless bone-white Wind Blades spat from the mouth of the Thunder-Wind Eagle high in the air, flying toward Dodai's group like thousands of razor blades.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A continuous bombardment echoed through the area. The rock wall in front of Dodai trembled constantly, but showed no signs of collapsing.
But just then, the Void Mantis appeared behind Dodai again. Its cold pupils were wide, and the air around it seemed to twist—it had just emerged from the void.
The next moment, its dual blades fell like a torrential storm.
[Five-Hit Lightning Combo]!
Dodai only had time to parry behind his back with his kunai. He hadn't expected the Void Mantis to attack now, while the Wind Blades were still raining down from the sky.
Is this guy not afraid of friendly fire?
The frustrated thought flashed through Dodai's mind.
BAM!
The next moment, he was blasted away by a tremendous force, smashing face-first into the rock wall in front of him!
Having succeeded, the Void Mantis was unforgiving. It parried the attacks of the other Cloud ninja with one arm, kept moving, and used its other arm to strike at Dodai, who was pinned against the rock wall.
"Lord Dodai!"
The surrounding Cloud ninja cried out in alarm, attacking the green mantis frantically to drive it away.
[Void Slip]!
Countless attacks passed through empty air. The next moment, the Void Mantis was in front of Dodai.
Dodai had recovered his breath slightly, but he felt that terrifyingly dangerous aura behind him again.
He grabbed a ninja sword from the ground in a backhand grip and slashed downward without looking back.
The Void Mantis instantly crossed its left arm over its chest, blocking the sword with a clang, while its right arm punched straight at Dodai's chest.
BOOM!
The rock wall exploded. The blow shattered the wall behind Dodai and sent him flying backward, straight toward his own magma.
There is no such thing as being immune to one's own ninjutsu.
Especially a large-scale Kekkei Genkai like Lava Release. Even the caster couldn't touch it.
With Dodai knocked out of the circle, the surrounding Cloud ninja no longer held back. They furiously launched Lightning Style attacks at the Void Mantis. Exploding blue lightning covered the ground for over ten meters.
But by this time, the Void Mantis's [Void Slip] cooldown had ended.
Its green figure suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving the sky full of lightning to crash into itself, weaving blue sparks.
Meanwhile, Dodai, who had been knocked back over ten meters and was about to fall into the magma below, gritted his teeth to save himself.
His hands formed seals like blooming flowers, completing the jutsu in less than a second. He then slammed his palms toward the magma less than two meters below him.
A fierce gale erupted from his palms.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
Borrowing the powerful recoil, Dodai's body flew upward into the sky.
He stepped on the only remaining, teetering, charred tree trunk. With one stomp, he shattered the already burnt wood, but having borrowed the leverage in mid-air, he stabilized his body and shot straight back toward the small safe circle of Cloud ninja.
Without the ability to fly, Dodai could only use this seemingly wretched method. But the effect was undoubtedly good. Despite his injuries and the unbearable pain, he managed to land back on solid ground.
"That was close!"
Dodai looked visibly shaken.
He knew best how dangerous his own Lava Release was. Falling in, or even just dipping a foot in, would result in being melted into a puddle of marrow in the next instant!
Boiling marrow!
The kind that even an ant would find too hot to drink!
"Are you alright, Lord Dodai?"
"Lord Dodai is coughing blood!"
The dozen Cloud ninja surrounded Dodai, looking at him with concern.
Dodai just shook his head slightly, his expression grave, unwilling to speak.
He looked up at the figure faintly visible on the giant eagle's head in the sky, and his pupils constricted slightly.
At this moment, Kael's offensive had paused. His summons had consumed too much chakra, especially the Thunder-Wind Eagle, whose reserves were now bottoming out.
"This guy's summons are too difficult to deal with... But fortunately, they don't have endless chakra like Tailed Beasts, or we wouldn't need to continue this fight!"
Dodai no longer had the confidence he once did about surviving this, or leading his men out alive.
Only after personally experiencing the terror of Kael's summons did he realize he had underestimated his opponent.
"Can we even make it back to the village...?"
A bitter taste filled Dodai's mouth. He asked himself this question, but couldn't give an answer.
He only knew that they couldn't give up hope, nor could they give up resistance. Judging by the fact that Kael had stopped attacking, his summons weren't omnipotent either.
Whether it was his Lava Release or the summons' own lack of chakra, these were things Kael had to worry about and guard against.
"Perk up! That guy has used all his tricks. There's nothing to be afraid of!"
He turned to the Cloud ninja behind him and spoke calmly.
"Yes!"