Following Kagami's command, the first nine shikigami he had subdued reappeared in the sky. Under his control, they merged into a single, ferocious chimera beast. This new creature possessed the characteristics of all nine shikigami, and the aura it exuded was several times stronger than any of them individually. The chimera raised its head and let out a deafening roar before charging toward Mahoraga.
Mahoraga crawled out of the pit, its right arm transforming into the massive Sword of Extermination as it clashed with the chimera. In the ensuing battle, Mahoraga was torn in half by the chimera's claws, but it healed almost instantly, the Dharma Wheel above its head spinning as it adapted to the attack. The chimera's next claw strike was completely ineffective.
The battle between the two was incredibly fierce, the shockwaves from each collision seeming to tear at the fabric of space. This was exactly what Kagami wanted. Only through constant battle could he test the limits of these shikigami. He noticed that as the chimera continued to fight, its own aura was still increasing. However, despite the chimera growing stronger, the damage it dealt to Mahoraga was steadily decreasing. Each of its attacks was quickly adapted to, rendering them useless the second time.
The battle grew more and more intense, but Mahoraga seemed to be handling it with increasing ease. Soon, the Dharma Wheel completed its final rotation, signaling that it had adapted to all of the chimera's attacks. As it did, Mahoraga's skin seemed to grow even darker.
Seeing this, Kagami knew the chimera could no longer harm Mahoraga. "Alas," he mused, "no wonder no one in the Zenin clan has been able to subdue Mahoraga for thousands of years. Even a chimera formed from nine shikigami is no match for it." He was about to recall the chimera and finish the battle himself, but he was a step too slow.
The moment the wheel finished turning, Mahoraga vanished with incredible agility, dodging the chimera's attack. It reappeared at the chimera's side and, with a casual wave of its claw, the Sword of Extermination pierced through the chimera's defenses and destroyed its core. With a final roar, the massive body of the chimera exploded into a shower of shadowy fragments. With its core destroyed, all nine shikigami that formed it perished as well.
Kagami felt a pang of regret. He had wanted to leave a few shikigami for Sukuna to play with, but Mahoraga had destroyed them all. After killing the chimera, Mahoraga turned its gaze back to Kagami, the green ghost-fire in its eyes burning with endless cruelty and murderous intent.
"You're quite capable," Kagami said, "but you're still a long way from defeating me with this level of strength." Though Mahoraga was now several times stronger than when it was first summoned, he still didn't take it seriously.
Ignoring Kagami's words, Mahoraga charged. A hint of excitement flashed in Kagami's eyes. This was the moment he had been waiting for. "Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
As the words fell, Kagami's figure vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Mahoraga. "Black Flash!" he roared, his right fist gathering a huge amount of cursed energy as black lightning danced across his knuckles. He threw the punch, and the Black Flash struck Mahoraga directly in the abdomen.
BOOM!
The moment his fist made contact, countless currents of black lightning surged into Mahoraga's body, raging within and destroying everything. With a deafening roar, half of Mahoraga's massive body was blown apart. Any other creature would have been killed instantly, but with its tenfold amplification, Mahoraga's regenerative ability was terrifying.
Just as Kagami thought he had dealt with it, the scattered fragments on the ground began to wriggle and reassemble. At the same time, Mahoraga's aura grew even stronger as it completed its adaptation to Kagami's attack.
"I didn't expect it to recover from such an injury," Kagami noted, a hint of solemnity in his eyes. "It seems the only way to kill it is to completely destroy it without leaving a trace." He decided to stop holding back.
While Mahoraga was still recovering, Kagami attacked again. His eyes grew cold as he flashed in front of the still-recovering shikigami. "Particle Style: Rasengan!" he roared, a two-meter-wide white Rasengan forming in his hand, emitting a heart-pounding energy. The chakra system and the cursed energy system were completely different. Even if Mahoraga could adapt to anything, it would still take time. This one move, condensing most of his senjutsu chakra, was enough to reduce it to ash.
Mahoraga's huge body trembled, sensing an unprecedented threat of death. It roared and instantly shot backward like an arrow, trying to evade the fatal blow. But a playful smile appeared on Kagami's lips. He had anticipated this. In their previous clash, he had quietly placed a Flying Thunder God mark on it.
The next second, the technique activated. Kagami instantly teleported behind Mahoraga, the Particle Style: Rasengan in his hand pressing hard against its back. Mahoraga had no resistance to this power from another system. The Rasengan made contact, and its entire body was decomposed bit by bit, turning into specks of starlight before dissipating into the air.
The strongest shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique, Mahoraga, had been successfully subdued.
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