Chapter 191: Slash Release – "Crimson Demon!"
Over the Land of Rain lay a surface of battered ruins half-submerged in water.
The Four Pillar Flame Barrier still stood at the perimeter.
Above, the sky remained an eerie, pallid white.
Momoshiki's new form had also undergone a vast change.
No longer clearly male or female, his features had become a peerless porcelain visage, exquisitely beautiful.
Long, snowy-white hair draped down his back like a flowing milky way.
His nails had turned from black to deep violet, dotted with faint blue sparks like the starry cosmos.
The originally enormous pair of horns had compressed into two small, jet-black horns—delicate yet stunning.
Where his golden Rinnegan had been, now a purple hue spread across, dyeing them into a purplish-gold.
Around him, pale violet flames billowed, endowing him with a lofty, intangible aura.
Boom!!!
The mere act of opening his eyes unleashed a mighty pressure, stirring a shockwave!
An oppressive divinity!
Bang—
Madara raised his black staff in front of him to shield against that shockwave. His brow furrowed. "So is this still Momoshiki? How should I address you now, oh 'strong one'?"
That figure slowly lifted both hands, surveying them. Even his voice was androgynous as he spoke:
"Call me Yagetsu.
'Ōtsutsuki Yagetsu, a servant of the Divine One.'"
"Yagetsu Manifest"–Momoshiki cast a calm glance at Madara. "You… devoured Kaguya?"
"This world is out of control…"
Whoosh!
Hashirama instantly appeared beside Madara, frowning. "This fellow… may be even stronger than Kagami was three years ago!"
…
Three years ago…
Madara's expression darkened slightly.
Truth be told, as of now he felt no insurmountable pressure from this "Yagetsu." Receiving Kaguya's data had granted him many over-the-top abilities.
But if Hashirama said so, that made him more wary.
All along, Madara's true target was Kagami, not these so-called Ōtsutsuki.
Could he still muster enough strength to take on Kagami if he fought this Yagetsu first?
…
"You're wondering about the next fight you'll face after me," came a cool voice. Madara's pupils narrowed.
He heard Yagetsu say quietly, "Indeed, my ocular powers can read your thoughts.
This is real ocular might!"
Whoosh!!
With just a casual wave of Yagetsu's hand, vast swaths of the water's surface transformed into shrieking dragons that rose in an onslaught.
"Senpō: Gōka Metsukyō!"
"Senpō: Retsu Fūshō!"
Although that might simply be "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation" plus "Violent Wind Palm." But for them, a typically advanced pair of ninjutsu from older times—
At these monstrous power levels, they became unbelievably destructive.
Wind fueling fire soared into a monstrous conflagration, slamming against the watery dragons, erupting with an earsplitting boom!
…
That single exchange alone shredded the Four Red Yang Formation.
Such terrifying momentum forced Shisui to drag Obito and retreat yet farther.
Were he inattentive, the aftermath alone might have required using Izanagi to survive.
If this were happening in Konoha or Iwagakure, Shisui might have staked his life, but in these circumstances…
A faint smile tugged at Shisui's lips.
Possessing Flying Thunder God demanded extremely keen perception, and he'd now perceived something else.
---
When the steam dissipated, Yagetsu surveyed the two men, his voice carrying a trace of human-like perplexity:
"I see that both Isshiki and Urashiki have died, and Kaguya still slumbers on the moon.
Each Ōtsutsuki is an invaluable asset.
You are Kaguya's descendants, and your evolutions are sufficient…"
"I permit you to follow Momoshiki, to join the Ōtsutsuki clan."
…
Hashirama let out a short laugh, pressing a hand against the symbol on his new armor.
"I'm the last clan head of the Senju; I can only refuse your invitation."
Madara sneered with disdain.
"Kagami calls your kind a bunch of 'insects' at best—any talk of recruiting me is laughable.
A trifling alien dares speak to me of 'joining'? Preposterous!"
Madara swung his staff, releasing an intense wave of chakra.
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless colossal fists rained down, leaving no gaps.
Bolstered by Sage energy, it shook both heaven and earth.
Yagetsu's expression stayed calm. He raised his own arms, unleashing a flurry of intangible blows to clash with Madara's intangible fists.
Slam!
Hashirama clapped his hands. Tens of thousands of thick wooden spears erupted from the earth, stabbing upward, then bending to aim downward like savage lances.
At their tips, the wood turned from greenish to inky black, exuding an aura of lethal poison.
A grand-scale advanced form of "Wood Release: Hell's Rebellion."
"Sage Art: Wood Release—Immovable Myō-Ō, Forest of Ten Thousand Torments!"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Like raging Vajra hurling thousands of black-wood spears from the sky, they targeted Yagetsu with unstoppable momentum.
Just then, Yagetsu's expression shifted for the first time.
He parted his lips, turning to look in one direction.
Hashirama and Madara both perceived something, turning likewise.
Far in the distance, the pallid sky had been slashed by a black–crimson crescent moon.
A solitary figure hovered between sea and sky.
No showy adornments.
A loose black robe, bare feet, hair loosely draped behind.
His posture was so relaxed, as if he'd simply stepped out his own front door.
Chilling, scarlet eyes scanned the three men below.
He uttered no words.
Then a downpour of black–red slashes—like a violent thunder-shower—descended from him!
The boundless punching illusions, or the unending forest of wood lances, were all promptly shredded to nothing!
…
"What are you doing, Kagami!!" roared Hashirama.
"Shouldn't we first defeat that invader?! I used a huge chunk of chakra on that technique!"
"Don't display your idiocy," Madara growled. "Why assume Kagami is an ally?"
From up high, Kagami's gaze locked with Madara's.
"Though we already exchanged words, guess this is our first formal reunion, Madara."
Madara's scarlet eyes narrowed.
"You really could've come a bit later, y'know. In just a short while, I'd have killed that Ōtsutsuki. Then I was coming for you."
…
"…And who are you?" Yagetsu demanded. For the first time, that unearthly voice contained hints of confusion. "You're clearly human, yet you give me…a sense of familiarity.
And…why can't I read your mind?"
Kagami waved two fingers lightly.
Ssk—
A pitch-black slash abruptly crashed onto Yagetsu's shoulder.
The sheer force hammered him down to one knee, making it impossible for him to straighten back up.
So heavy!
How could it weigh so heavily?
Yagetsu strove to stand, feeling as though entire mountains pressed upon him. A tremendous heaviness, pain, numbness, even an onslaught of drowsiness battered his mind—
What is this?
Yagetsu resisted the urge to collapse, glimpsing black runes crawling across his body, glowing with a murky aura.
"Slash Release—Crimson Demon (Shuku-ma)!"
…
"Now he can't interrupt our talk," Kagami murmured, descending onto the battlefield, a faint smile tugging his lips.