"Roar!!"
Under the bright night sky, a large moon hung high.
Accompanied by several roars, two colossal monsters, each as massive as a mountain, stood towering over the land.
One of them was golden yellow, resembling a giant tanuki crouched on the ground. Its body was barrel-like, with purple patterns spreading from its abdomen to its limbs. Its thick, powerful limbs exuded overwhelming strength, and its massive tail, covered in diamond-shaped spikes, shook the earth with every movement.
The other was deep purple, resembling an enormous serpent. Its body stretched at least two to three hundred meters long, with eight massive heads that swayed menacingly. Its crimson eyes glowed with malice as it hissed at the giant tanuki before it.
This scene, far beyond the comprehension of the surrounding humans, left the citizens of the Land of Demons wide-eyed and fleeing in panic.
High above, standing atop the head of Shukaku's Avatar, Rasa gazed in awe at Mōryō.
"So this is your true form!"
Compared to Orochimaru's Eight Branches Technique, this was the real Yamata no Orochi!
At this moment, the pressure emanating from the demon Mōryō surpassed that of most opponents Rasa had faced. In terms of chakra volume, Mōryō was no less than a tailed beast.
It seemed that even before the Ōtsutsuki arrived in this world, there were many powerful beings. Meanwhile, Mōryō, now fully revealing its true form, looked at the monster Rasa had created with disdain.
"Shukaku? Just a cheap imitation. Watch me destroy you!"
Instantly, five of Mōryō's heads reared up, and deep purple chakra gathered in their mouths, transforming into flames, lightning, earth, wind, and water.
Boom!
A fiery dragon, a lightning-wreathed dragon, a mud-formed dragon, a wind-blade-wrapped dragon, and a water-flowing dragon surged toward Shukaku's Avatar.
"Oh? You can even use the five elemental ninjutsu?"
Mōryō hadn't been able to use elemental ninjutsu in the past. But after Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's arrival, part of its natural energy was corrupted into chakra. By devouring the bodies of countless ambitious individuals and gaining the power of the ninja sect passed down by the Sage of Six Paths, Mōryō had learned to use ninjutsu.
Rasa, intrigued, didn't hesitate. Under his control, Shukaku's Avatar raised its arms, forming a massive golden shield to block the incoming attacks.
"Shukaku's Shield!"
Boom!
The five elemental attacks collided with Shukaku's Shield, creating a massive shockwave.
However, as the defender, Rasa felt the impact on the shield and relaxed slightly.
"As expected!"
Compared to the Tailed Beast Ball, which compresses chakra into a high-density energy sphere for a high-speed, high-destructive attack, these simple ninjutsu attacks were no longer a threat to Rasa.
Although the sheer volume of chakra made each of these jutsu comparable to an A-rank ninjutsu capable of altering the terrain, they were still too weak.
Moreover, they weren't the kind of combined elemental ninjutsu that utilized the cycle of elemental strengths and weaknesses.
Such techniques were only effective against ordinary shinobi. And Rasa had long since transcended the level of an ordinary shinobi.
"In that case…"
Rasa channeled senjutsu energy directly into Shukaku's Avatar beneath him. Instantly, the power of Shukaku's Avatar surged, and it swung its massive shield-arm, swatting away Mōryō's elemental attacks.
Since the two monsters were already close, Shukaku's Avatar closed the distance in an instant. The enormous shield swung like a flyswatter, slamming directly into one of Mōryō's heads.
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed like the tolling of a giant bell.
!!!
Caught completely off guard, Mōryō was dazed by the blow. Its massive body toppled to the ground, causing an earth-shattering tremor that obliterated the surrounding forest.
"Damn it!!!"
As Mōryō struggled to recover, it saw Shukaku's colossal form looming over it like a mountain, ready to crush it.
Mōryō had always been confident in its strength. In its view, aside from the monstrous Ōtsutsuki clan and a few other ancient beings like itself, it had no rivals on this earth. Yet, this human shinobi had just delivered a devastating blow right from the start.
This only fueled its rage further!
Its massive body twisted with incredible speed, dodging Shukaku's crushing weight. At the same time, its serpentine form coiled rapidly around Shukaku's body, binding it tightly.
The immense force caused Shukaku's Avatar to creak and groan, as if it were on the verge of shattering.
"Oh?"
This surprised Rasa.
After all, Shukaku's Avatar, enhanced by the Magnet Release, was essentially a solid block of iron, far more durable than ordinary stone. Yet, under the crushing force of Mōryō's serpentine body, it was beginning to crack.
As expected of an ancient being, Mōryō's physical strength was truly impressive.
While Rasa was still processing this, Mōryō reared its heads once more. Chakra gathered again, and the five elemental ninjutsu were prepared.
However, this time, it wasn't just ordinary elemental ninjutsu. Mōryō infused its attacks with natural energy, making them far more potent.
Unfortunately, Shukaku's Avatar wasn't a living creature. It couldn't feel pain, and Mōryō's constricting coils didn't hinder its movements. Instead, as if nothing had happened, it extended a massive claw and grabbed the head that was preparing to use Lightning Release.
Before Mōryō could unleash its jutsu, Shukaku's shield-arm transformed into a giant blade and swung down, severing the captured head in one clean strike.
"What!?!"
The head that had been charging Lightning Release was instantly severed. At the same time, the other four heads unleashed their jutsu, this time aiming directly at Rasa atop Shukaku's head.
However, the attacks were once again ineffective. Shukaku's massive tail swung down like an umbrella, shielding Rasa from the onslaught.
Boom!
Though Lightning Release was no longer a factor, the combined explosions of Fire Release, Wind Release, Water Release, and Earth Release created a massive cloud of smoke that filled the sky. The deafening roar made the citizens of the Land of Demons clutch their ears in pain.
Amidst the white smoke, a golden greatsword emerged, slashing furiously at Mōryō's remaining heads.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed against scales. Amidst Mōryō's furious roars, four more of its heads were severed, adding to the one that had used Lightning Release. In total, five of its heads capable of using ninjutsu were now gone.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
This scene, akin to a myth come to life, left the terrified citizens of the Land of Demons wide-eyed and kneeling in awe.
At this moment, the golden tanuki wielding a greatsword had become a divine protector in their hearts, a god slaying the demon Mōryō to save them.
Meanwhile, Mōryō, now severely weakened, had no choice but to release its hold on Shukaku and retreat rapidly, putting distance between itself and Rasa.