At the heart of the shinobi alliance battlefield, the storm of chakra surged once again.
Explosions echoed across the war-torn plains as the world trembled under the clash of titans.
Eighteen years had passed since Hinata Oden and Kaido of the Beasts last faced each other — and now, fate had brought them back to the same battlefield once more.
On another front, Lady Linlin, matriarch of her clan and wielder of monstrous chakra, braced herself against none other than Rokushiki, the ruler of the sea and former supreme leader of the underworld.
But even she knew — her strength alone could not compare to that of the former overlord.
And so, as the clash of powers continued, the tide of the war shifted yet again.
It wasn't only Linlin who wanted to curse the heavens.
Even the Hidden World Government — the unseen force manipulating this war — was thrown into chaos.
Their strategy had been simple: the enemy of my enemy is my ally.
They had planned to let Kaido and Linlin exhaust themselves battling Rokushiki, then turn and use their power to eliminate Fairy Tail — Sugisawa Yuuto's growing faction that had become a thorn in their side.
But now, that plan was shattered beyond repair.
"Damn it! Damn it all! There's a third undead!"
The leader of the Heavenly Knights, Figaland Garin, snarled, his face contorted in fury.
"Even if Oden hadn't been resurrected," muttered Marshal Sengoku, his voice grim, "as long as that man gives the order, at least two more can intervene on that battlefield."
"The real problem isn't the undead themselves," said Commander Kong, his brow furrowed, "it's that man. If we can eliminate him, those resurrected from another era will disappear."
A mocking laugh broke the tension.
"Je-he-he-he-heh! Sounds like a great plan — too bad it's impossible for you to pull off!" jeered Shiki the Golden Lion, his chakra-infused voice carrying across the warzone.
"Don't underestimate the World Government," retorted Elder Peter, one of the five ruling elders. "An empire that's endured for eight hundred years won't be toppled by a handful of rebels and three undead warriors!"
"Three?"
Sugisawa Yuuto smiled faintly.
"Who told you there were only three?"
"Nani?!"
Elder Peter's expression twisted in shock. His heart pounded violently in his chest as an ominous premonition crept up his spine.
Clap!
Yuuto brought his hands together.
A pulse of eerie chakra spread outward — cold, ancient, and heavy with the weight of countless souls.
The Forbidden Art: History of the Dead was reawakened.
In the next second, chaos erupted across the battlefield.
"Ahhhh!"
"What's happening?!"
"Why… why is this bastard still alive?!"
"That guy — I killed him myself!"
"Wait — wasn't he one of the White Fang's men?!"
Cries of disbelief rippled through the ranks of shinobi and soldiers alike.
All around them, figures began to emerge from the dust and smoke — faces from the past, bodies that had once been buried deep in the earth.
"They're all… undead!"
"The dead have risen!"
"It's an army of the fallen!"
Voices of terror filled the air.
Yet mingled among them were gasps of sorrow, even joy.
"That's… that's my brother!"
"My brother… you've come back too!"
The battlefield became a storm of emotion — horror, disbelief, and painful reunion blending into one endless roar.
Within moments, a vast army of the dead stood revived upon the war-torn land — drawn forth from the memories of those still living.
Enemies they had once fought… comrades they had once lost — all had returned under the power of Sugisawa Yuuto's forbidden art.
Then, amidst the chaos, Marshal Sengoku turned — and froze.
His body trembled, his vision blurred as tears welled up unbidden.
Because standing behind him… was his son.
"Rosinante…" he whispered, voice breaking. "You're… Rosinante!!!"
The great strategist Vice Admiral Crane gasped, her eyes wide.
"Wait! Don't go near him, Marshal Sengoku! That's the enemy!"
But Sengoku didn't hear.
He stumbled forward, his towering frame shaking as he reached out — arms wide — and pulled the resurrected Donquixote Rosinante into an embrace.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Rosinante!"
The voice of the once-calm Marine Marshal cracked with grief as tears streamed down his face.
Far away, in the islands of Sabaody, another heart broke.
Trafalgar Law, the young surgeon of death, fell to his knees, tears flooding his eyes.
"Mr. Corazon…!"
His voice trembled.
"I have to see him… I will see him!"
And so, across land and sea alike, the dead continued to rise —
drawn by the will of Sugisawa Yuuto, the man who had rewritten the very laws of life and death.