CRACKLE!
Rising from the crater where the impact had buried him, Karna stood once more. The massive explosion triggered by their collision had reached a level of violence that even he couldn't entirely ignore. Yet, thanks to [Kavacha and Kundala], the damage had been drastically mitigated. Aside from a few superficial scuffs, he looked perfectly intact.
Even those minor scratches vanished in seconds, healed by his natural recovery.
"Impressive..."
"You are the second person I have encountered who can match the Perfect [Susanoo] in a direct clash."
Madara's voice rained down from above. Karna looked up to see the blue giant still towering over the earth. However, the titan was not as pristine as before; cracks ran through its skeletal torso, and its massive blade was chipped. It had been pushed back a significant distance by the force of the explosion.
Yet, as blue chakra flowed into the damaged sections, the [Susanoo] restored itself to its full, terrifying glory in an instant. Standing within the titan's crown, Madara looked down at Karna with growing interest.
The previous clash had been truly remarkable. Even the Perfect [Susanoo] couldn't completely negate the damage from such a concentrated release of power. But for Madara, it was a minor issue. As long as he had mana to burn, he could reconstruct the giant's body indefinitely.
To find an opponent in another world comparable to Hashirama Senju... it was a delightful turn of events.
"This war... it seems it won't be boring after all."
Karna summoned his golden lance back to his hand. Seeing Madara's battle spirit ignite, he showed no intention of yielding.
***
Nearby, Minato flickered back onto the battlefield using [Flying Raijin]. He immediately realized that the situation had worsened,the terrain had been rearranged so violently that many of the seals he had placed across the wasteland had been destroyed or buried.
A vast, scorched crater stretched before him, the landscape resembling a disaster zone rather than a battlefield. Seeing the two monsters preparing for another round, Minato found himself momentarily paralyzed, unsure how to even approach.
Madara's chakra giant... if that was truly the power of the Uchiha's [Sharingan], it was beyond comprehension. That level of might had transcended the very definition of a "Shinobi." It was hard to imagine any ninja surviving a direct strike from that blade.
If the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had been able to defeat such an opponent, he must have been a literal god.
Moreover, Madara was safely encased within the titan's head, high above the ground. Minato couldn't even get close. A [Rasengan] would likely fail to even scratch that armor, and attempting a sealing jutsu against a target of that scale was pure fantasy.
'Assassin, withdraw for now.'
Hearing Amakusa's telepathic command, Minato's silhouette vanished from the area instantly.
***
"Hmph. Let's go again!"
Without a shred of hesitation, Madara drove the Perfect [Susanoo] forward, swinging its massive blade in a wide, horizontal arc.
WHOOSH!!
The mere air pressure from the swing was enough to create a howling gale that scoured the earth. Karna didn't stay still. He blurred into motion, shooting forward like a golden streak. Before the giant blade could connect, he had already dashed between the titan's legs, his lance wreathed in solar fire as he slashed at its ankle.
REEEEEE!
Madara felt the balance of his construct falter. He realized instantly that Karna had used his spear to sever the [Susanoo's] lower limb.
CRASH!!
The massive blade stopped mid-swing, its momentum instead carving a deep horizontal trench into the earth,a fissure that resembled a canyon dividing two cliffs. But before the [Susanoo] could even tip over, Madara had already funneled chakra into the leg, regenerating the damage.
"You've already figured out a strategy to handle [Susanoo]?" Madara asked, turning the colossal body to face Karna once more.
Karna remained silent, though he privately disagreed. The [Susanoo] was not slow by any means, but he was simply faster. To break through that defense, however, required him to concentrate his magical energy into a single, piercing point. Even severing an ankle was a significant expenditure of effort, let alone reaching the main body.
With an inexhaustible supply of mana from his Master, this had become a battle of attrition.
Karna judged that he could take a direct hit from that blade and survive, but it would still wound him. He needed an opening to deliver a strike that could penetrate the giant's core.
"That Noble Phantasm you released earlier..."
"It doesn't seem like something you can fire in rapid succession, does it?" Madara noted, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Karna tightened his grip on his spear, his senses on high alert.
"Unfortunately for you... for me, using the Perfect [Susanoo] is as natural as breathing. I can swing these blades as often as I like."
The [Susanoo's] wings unfurled, lifting the titan into the air. A second colossal blade manifested in its left hand.
"Let's see just how long you can keep dancing!"
Without a care for the devastation he would leave behind, Madara unleashed a flurry of titanic slashes. The right blade struck first, aimed directly at Karna on the ground.
KABOOM!!
Karna shot into the air to evade the first strike, but the resulting shockwave caused the very earth to scream in agony. The left blade followed immediately, a horizontal sweep designed to catch him mid-flight.
SWISH!
The speed was far greater than before. Karna raised his spear in a desperate block, bracing against the hundred-meter blade.
BANG!!
Karna was swatted out of the sky like a fly, smashed into the ground with enough force to create a web of deep cracks across the plain. The resulting pressure wave scoured the surroundings, a testament to the titan's unparalleled power.
"Normally, that would have been the end," Madara muttered, crossing his arms. If this opponent was as durable as Hashirama, however, he couldn't use normal standards.
Suddenly, a pillar of solar fire erupted from the crater. Karna rose through the flames, appearing relatively unscathed despite the direct hit. Seizing the moment where Madara was high in the air, he took aim and hurled his divine spear for the second time.
"O Brahma, curse me... [Brahmastra]!"
He aimed squarely for the [Susanoo's] head.
"Excellent combat instincts!"
Madara didn't have time to parry with his blades. The opening Karna had found was perfect. Instead, he forced the [Susanoo's] wings to wrap around the front of its body, creating an improvised shield.
BOOM!!!
A deafening roar echoed through the sky as the crimson spear hit home. Solar fire washed over the heavens, staining the atmosphere a deep, bloody red. The [Susanoo's] wings disintegrated into blue ash in an instant, the sheer heat and force threatening to consume the rest of the construct.
Karna had poured an immense amount of magical energy into this second strike, ensuring it had the power to breach even that absolute defense. Only with a Master as capable as Amakusa could he afford such a 'luxurious' display of power. He rarely had the opportunity to be this extravagant with his Noble Phantasms.
Thick black smoke filled the air, obscuring the sky and leaving the world in a state of suffocating uncertainty.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]