Fortunately, his son was not involved in the siege of Saigoji Youmu. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unbearable.
"Hehe, are you scared or distressed?" Saigoji Youmu laughed, sarcasm evident in his voice. "When you decided to surround and kill me, you should have been mentally prepared."
Onoki and the Third Raikage remained silent. At this point, there was nothing more to say. The relationship between the two parties had become irreconcilable, leaving only war as the option.
"I'll go first; you support me," the Third Raikage said, black lightning enveloping his body. After alerting Onoki, he charged at Saigoji Youmu. Now, he had no intention of fighting alone.
Onoki didn't respond but silently floated to a higher position.
Zrazla. Thunder flashed. In the blink of an eye, the Third Raikage appeared before Saigoji Youmu.
"Heavy Storm." Saigoji Youmu extended his left hand forward, instantly forming a sturdy ice shield.
Boom. The Third Raikage's powerful elbow struck the ice shield.
Click. The ice shield withstood the Third Raikage's attack without even trembling; only a few ice chips fell to the ground.
His attack blocked, the Third Raikage's expression remained unchanged. He had already experienced the defensive power of Saigoji Youmu's ice earlier.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain." The black lightning intensified, rapidly converging on the Third Raikage's right hand. Shaping his right hand like a knife, he slashed heavily at the ice shield.
Simultaneously, Onoki in the sky made his move.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb." Bang bang bang. A massive earth dragon broke through the ground, spewing several mud bombs.
The Third Raikage and the earth dragon's offensive came from both sides, sandwiching Saigoji Youmu in the middle.
Saigoji Youmu's expression remained calm. Even facing the pincer attack of two Kage-level powerhouses, he showed no fear.
Ignoring the Third Raikage's attack, Saigoji Youmu gripped his western sword tightly and swiftly swung at the mud bombs launched by the earth dragon.
A larger ice shield blocked the mud bombs' path.
Bang bang bang. A series of collisions sounded. The attacks from both sides were simultaneously blocked.
"So hard... ice." Onoki and the Third Raikage frowned. They found it hard to imagine how fragile ice could possess such strong defensive capabilities.
"It's my turn." Powerful ice elements surged, and the surrounding temperature began to drop.
Click. Two sharp icicles protruded from the surrounding icebergs, aiming at the Third Raikage and Onoki in mid-air.
"Well." Boom. Due to the close proximity, the Third Raikage was hit head-on by the icicle and slammed into the iceberg.
On the other side, Onoki, being farther from the ice shield and floating in the air with more dodging options, easily evaded the icicle's attack. However, Saigoji Youmu's assault didn't end there. Another icicle extended from the mid-air icicle, stabbing at Onoki.
"What?" Onoki was shocked. It was the first time he'd seen such a peculiar ice technique. However, as a Kage-level powerhouse, he wasn't easily hit. Quickly turning, Onoki dodged the icicle again. Nonetheless, his vigilance remained high, focusing on guarding against the surrounding icicles.
As expected, more icicles protruded, this time two.
"Damn it." "Addressing the symptoms but not the root cause; I have to destroy these icicles," Onoki cursed inwardly.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique."
Below, while Onoki was entangled with the icicles, Saigoji Youmu and the Third Raikage engaged in close combat.
Bang bang. Pong pong. Shadows intertwined. Both were masters in melee combat, their combat skills evenly matched.
Bass. The western sword slashed across the Third Raikage's waist, producing a sound like steel scraping.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain." The Third Raikage, cut by Saigoji Youmu, didn't even frown. He backhanded a knife strike toward Saigoji Youmu's head.
Saigoji Youmu raised his arms, holding the western sword in front of him.
Boom. Crash. Click click click. The fierce wind blew Saigoji Youmu's clothes, and the ground behind him shattered under the powerful impact of the Third Raikage.