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"Six blades? Fascinating. Truly fascinating."
Hyūga Hyakusen's battle spirit surged as he watched Umino Yoru wield three pairs of swords, each arm gripping a deadly weapon.
"FIGHT!"
With a roar, bones erupted from Hyakusen's knees, shoulders, arms, and palms—eight blades in total, turning his body into a living porcupine.
"Shikotsumyaku – Dance of the Willow!"
Despite his muscular frame, Hyakusen moved like wind-blown willow floss—fluid, precise, and without a single wasted motion. His bone blades lashed out in a seamless, devastating assault.
"Breath of Wind – Fourth Form: Disordered Fish Slash!"
Yoru's three-way sword formation clashed against Hyakusen's onslaught, yet neither gained the upper hand.
"Incredible combat instincts..."
Yoru's eyes sharpened. Hyakusen wasn't relying on set techniques—pure, unfiltered instinct guided his movements, effortlessly dismantling Yoru's swordplay.
This level of raw battle sense… I've never seen anything like it.
And his physical prowess? Even Might Dai paled in comparison.
It must be related to his bones.
Yoru's mind raced. If he could decipher the Hyūga clan's bone-strengthening secrets, his own skeletal structure—and overall physique—could reach new heights.
"White Blood Demon! You dare distract yourself in battle with me? DIE!"
Enraged by Yoru's apparent disregard, Hyakusen intensified his assault.
"Shikotsumyaku – Dance of the Camellia!"
Bone blades sprouted from his arms, reversing the momentum and forcing Yoru onto the defensive.
"Breath of Wind – Fifth Form: Water Blade Barrage!"
No more holding back. Yoru channeled water-natured chakra into his six swords, weaving an impenetrable storm of slashes.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Hyakusen's bones shattered—only to regenerate instantly. The man laughed, his bloodlust growing.
"Shikotsumyaku – Dance of the Larch!"
Now, his entire body bristled with hardened bone spikes, dense enough to resist even the sharpest water blades.
"Breath of Wind – Sixth Form: Infinite Illusion Willow Sword!"
Yoru's six blades swayed like willow branches, casting Hyakusen into a genjutsu trance—
But the moment Yoru struck, instinct took over.
Bone spikes erupted from Hyakusen's vitals, blocking every lethal strike.
"Even illusions are useless against this monster?!"
"Against a fighter like this… deception means nothing."
Only one option remained.
"Breath of Wind – Seventh Form: Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin!"
The six blades—Weightless Greatsword, Twin Midnight Swords, Arm-Extending Longblade—merged into a single, spiraling greatsword. Chakra-forged water blades swirled around it, forming a colossal, rotating drill of destruction.
"Hidden Tri-Blade Release!"
Yoru spat out three concealed swords, fusing them into the vortex for added power.
"Shikotsumyaku – Dance of the Iron Thread Flower!"
Hyakusen met the challenge head-on, manifesting his ultimate weapon—a spear of hyper-hardened bone.
BOOOOOOM—!
The drill and spear collided, scattering sparks and shattered fragments in a deafening explosion.
"HAHAHA! I WIN!"
Though his bone spear splintered, it regenerated faster than Yoru's attack could destroy it—until finally, the Ten Thousand Swords shattered.
The spear's remnants rammed into Yoru, hurling him backward.
"Cough…! In taijutsu, you're superior."
Sticky syrup armor cracked away, leaving only minor bruises. Had that spear struck at full force, even triple-layered armor wouldn't have saved him.
"Come at me together!"
Hyakusen grinned, twirling his regenerated spear, ready to take on Yoru and the four Swordsman Puppets.
"Unnecessary."
Yoru unsealed a massive scroll.
"Release!"
WHOOSH—!
A tidal wave of living syrup surged forth, swallowing Hyakusen like a desert burial.
Inspired by Jōshū the Fierce.
For a syrup master like Yoru, replicating this technique wasn't hard—the real challenge was the cost. Maintaining the syrup's "living" state demanded constant chakra infusion.
(Thankfully, it was reusable.)
Hyakusen, ever the brute, tried to slash his way out—only to be ensnared, dragged deeper into the sticky abyss.
Yet even submerged, he fought, bones elongating like pillars as he struggled upward.
"Syrup Burial!"
Yoru slammed his palms onto the syrup, chakra surging.
The liquid twisted, forming a whirlpool that sucked Hyakusen into its depths.
But then—
A chill shot down Yoru's spine.
He teleported behind a puppet—
"Shikotsumyaku – Early Fern Dance!"
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A forest of blue-white bone erupted—spires taller than trees, impaling everything in a 500-meter radius.
The puppets barely shielded Yoru in time.
"WHITE BLOOD DEMON! DIE!"
Hyakusen's body fused with the bone forest, lunging forward—
"SHING!"
His ultimate spear pierced Yoru's chest—
Only for the "Yoru" to melt into syrup.
A decoy.
The real Yoru had already retreated.
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