Chapter 375: Dust Settles
BOOM!
The instant spear tip collided with cube bottom, it produced a far more muffled, more terrifying explosion than metal striking metal.
The chakra spear proved formidable indeed, but Daikokuten's black cubes were Yin-Yang Release's pinnacle creations—indestructible.
Ultimately, the blood-colored spear suffered the energy construct's weakness. The black cube shattered it on impact.
The spear fractured inch by inch from its tip, transforming into countless blood-red light particles.
The cube—slowed by this desperate strike—had its descent trajectory deflected slightly, missing the head's vital point. But still carrying incomparable force, it slammed viciously into Susanoo's right shoulder armor.
CRASH!
The shoulder's chakra armor, bones, and sinews instantly disintegrated under the black cube's crushing force, transforming into countless dark-red energy fragments that shot outward like volcanic eruption.
The several-hundred-meter giant's body shook violently, tilting leftward—nearly losing balance.
But the next moment, the Mangekyo pattern in Yasushi's pupils spun madly. Massive chakra surged from his body, pouring into Susanoo.
At the shattered right shoulder, flesh-like chakra veins rapidly regenerated. Bones extended. Armor covered. In moments, it recovered completely. The complete Susanoo's swaying body also stabilized once more.
The energy construct's powerful recovery displayed itself fully. However, maintaining the complete Susanoo already consumed enormously. Rapidly repairing critical damage drained chakra like opened floodgates.
The chakra flow allocated to the Amber Purifying Pot inevitably experienced momentary reduction.
Though the reduction amplitude wasn't large, for Isshiki—resisting suction with full strength and extremely sensitive to power changes—this undoubtedly proved a ray of light in darkness.
The opportunity came!
Golden light flashed in Isshiki's black eye. No longer pursuing instant kills, he shifted to continuous harassment and attrition.
His hands waved repeatedly. One massive black cube after another appeared in midair like meteor rain, continuously crashing from different angles with tricky trajectories toward Susanoo's head, joints, the arm holding the pot, and other critical positions.
He didn't seek heavy damage from each strike—only forcing Yasushi to constantly split attention for defense and consume chakra for repairs, thereby continuously weakening the Amber Purifying Pot's suction and creating opportunities for escape.
BOOM BOOM BOOM...
Black cubes fell like endless hail, slamming against the blood-colored giant's body.
Shoulder armor shattered. Chest bones cracked. Arms... Each impact brought localized disintegration. Chakra fragments flew like blood rain.
But the next moment, even more violent chakra surged from Yasushi's body, rapidly filling and reshaping damaged areas.
Susanoo resembled a giant continuously hammered yet continuously self-healing—maintaining control over the Amber Purifying Pot and suction on Isshiki through cycles of destruction and rebirth.
Yasushi knew Isshiki's purpose but had no alternative methods temporarily—could only constantly defend passively.
The complete Susanoo's size proved too large. He simply couldn't dodge the dense black cube attacks—only cycling repeatedly through shattering and repair.
Both sides fell into stalemate momentarily, competing over who lasted longer.
The sustained intense consumption made Yasushi feel chakra reserve strain for the first time.
Though his chakra quantity far exceeded normal people, a humanoid tailed beast ultimately wasn't a tailed beast. Maintaining complete Susanoo for such high-intensity offense and defense while simultaneously driving the Amber Purifying Pot at full power—this consumption resembled a bottomless pit.
Yasushi couldn't help beginning to pant slightly.
'Tch, still not enough chakra after all.'
Yasushi sighed silently in his heart, growing increasingly covetous of the miniature Ten-Tails in Isshiki's possession.
Fortunately, Isshiki's situation proved even worse. Allocating chakra to dojutsu naturally left him somewhat powerless when resisting the Amber Purifying Pot's suction.
So although the suction on Yasushi's side weakened, Isshiki's body "anchoring" strength also diminished. He still drifted bit by bit toward Yasushi. Currently, advantage remained on Yasushi's side.
Worse yet, as massive chakra consumed, Jigen's body had already approached its limits. His chest emitted crisp cracking sounds.
Even without initiating "Karma resurrection," this body would be used up completely.
'Should I resurrect?'
This thought appeared in Isshiki's mind once more.
But he still hadn't found a suitable "vessel." Forcibly completing resurrection within Jigen's body merely amounted to drinking poison to quench thirst.
This body nearing collapse fundamentally couldn't bear his complete form's power. Resurrection meant destruction.
This was tantamount to suicide—merely the difference between dying sooner or later.
Must he follow that foolish clanmate's footsteps—sealed somewhere, waiting for rescue or opportunity that might arrive who-knows-when?
Their group failed bringing back the Chakra Fruit. The clan would definitely send people to investigate.
But so many years had passed. Why hadn't those clanmates reacted yet?
What kind of efficiency was this?
Between life and death lies great terror—even for the Ōtsutsuki clan, no exception.
Momentarily, weighing options, calculations, unwillingness, resentful fury, even a trace of barely perceptible panic boiled and intertwined in his heart—making final decisions extremely difficult.
But soon, someone made the decision for him.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A voice filled with bone-deep hatred suddenly rang out behind Isshiki. Following it came overwhelming, massive repulsion.
Nagato!
During their stalemate, he'd forcibly broken free from the four black receivers that pierced his limbs.
Though black receivers could suppress people's chakra, he still possessed the Rinnegan. He retained some restraining ability against the receivers.
At the cost of his entire body tearing, he forcibly moved his broken-boned, severed-tendoned body, breaking free from the receivers.
At this moment, he resembled a demon crawling back from hell. Half his body twisted and deformed. Blood soaked his robes. Only those Rinnegan burned with terrifying purple light, locked deadly onto Isshiki's back—converting all remaining chakra, even that exchanged by overdrafting life, into this final revenge strike.
This force proved the final straw breaking the camel's back. It instantly shattered the power balance between Yasushi and Isshiki, forming perfect "combined attack" with the Amber Purifying Pot's powerful suction.
Isshiki's pupils contracted. His body instantly lost control—twisting and deforming like a doll pulled by tremendous force. Like an arrow leaving its bow, he flew involuntarily toward that pitch-black jar opening.
By this point, even if he wanted to completely unseal his power, it was already too late.
'Should've branded Nagato with Karma first!'
This regretful thought flashed through his mind. The next moment, darkness completely swallowed all his senses and consciousness.
Seeing Jigen's figure vanish into that rotating dark vortex, Yasushi reacted with swift hands—immediately slamming the Amber Purifying Pot's lid shut.
"Click." A light sound. The suction vanished. Everything on the field returned to calm winds and still waters, declaring everything's conclusion.
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