Tobi, hovering nearby, smirked after hearing Ashveil's words.
"Deidara‑san, did you hear that? Ashveil just called you out. As a senior, you really are disappointing…" Tobi murmured, his tone dripping with mockery.
Deidara's face flushed with frustration. He was still Tobi's senior, yet in Ashveil's presence, he had been humiliated repeatedly. Leading others now felt like an impossible task.
There was nothing he could do. Compared to Ashveil, his combat strength was negligible. Of course, Tobi, that scoundrel, would take every opportunity to belittle him. Veins bulging on his forehead, Deidara remained silent, knowing that speaking would only worsen his embarrassment.
Meanwhile, the Six‑Tails' rage intensified. Its eyes blazed with fury as a strange transformation rippled across its body.
Corrosive gas erupted, hissing violently. Thick acid fog spread rapidly, consuming everything in its path. Trees, mountains, and rivers corroded under the mist's merciless touch.
From above, Deidara and Tobi watched nervously. Even Ashveil, formidable as he was, faced a dangerous challenge against such lethal, pervasive gas.
But Ashveil remained calm. Conqueror's Haki surged from within him, a radiant force pushing outward in all directions. The corrosive gas recoiled, suppressed entirely by the overwhelming aura.
The dense fog, now controlled by Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki, surged toward the Six‑Tails. The Jinchuriki's confident smirk faltered, astonished at Ashveil's ability to dominate the toxic mist with sheer willpower.
It was too late for escape. The acid clung to Utakata's body, sizzling as Ashveil's Haki neutralized it, while the beast's own corrosive power was drawn back into itself. The Six‑Tails writhed in agony, its skin burning from its own energy.
Deidara grinned, surprised. "I never thought that Six‑Tails could be undone by its own abilities. Ashveil doesn't even need our help."
"Don't get any ideas, Deidara," Ashveil said lightly, a faint smirk on his face, "if you interfere, I won't forgive you."
Deidara froze. The sheer power of Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki made any thought of intervention reckless.
Above them, Ashveil's hand ignited with molten magma, heat radiating and agitating the air around him. Both Deidara and Tobi watched in awe.
"Is Ashveil about to use that move?" Deidara murmured, recalling the devastating effect it had on Son Goku.
Tobi's expression mirrored his shock. Ashveil's abilities were far beyond anything they had witnessed, leaving a vivid memory of his prior feats.
On the ground, the Six‑Tails sensed the shift in the air and tensed. The rising heat and the power radiating from Ashveil stirred a deep unease within the beast. Its opponent possessed abilities far exceeding any enemy it had faced.
Seizing the moment, Utakata condensed a massive Tailed Beast Ball in his mouth, aiming to strike first. Energy crackled violently as the enormous orb shot skyward like a blazing comet, ready to annihilate everything in its path.
Ashveil, floating calmly above, merely smiled. A Tailed Beast Ball? This was no threat to him. How could the Six‑Tails imagine he feared such a display?
Without hesitation, Ashveil released the molten magma from his hand, infused with Conqueror's Haki. The combined force surged toward the Six‑Tails, a devastating attack poised to overwhelm the beast entirely.
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