Chapter 99: Eye Contact!
The core of the explosion on the sea surface was a chaotic hellscape of superheated steam and roiling waves.
The seawater, scorched by the high temperature of Suzaku's Vermillion Nova, let out a high-pitched, sizzling wail as if the ocean itself were screaming in pain. Thick white steam, dense enough to obscure the sun, rose in columns, transforming the entire battlefield into a world of blinding white fog where visibility was reduced to zero.
The sea breeze howled, attempting to disperse the mist, but the heat was too intense.
Suddenly, a change occurred in the atmosphere.
HUMMMMM...
A deep, resonant vibration shook the air molecules. It wasn't sound; it was spiritual pressure.
A spectral blue light pierced through the white mist like a lighthouse beacon cutting through a storm.
Immediately after, a silhouette of grandeur difficult to describe with mere words slowly emerged from the steam.
It started as ribs—massive, translucent blue ribs forming a cage. Then came muscle, woven from pure Chakra. Finally, armor plated over the form, creating a giant composed of pure energy.
It had a face as ferocious as a demon, with glowing yellow eyes. It exuded an awe-inspiring yet terrifying aura, like a god of war descended to the mortal realm.
Susanoo.
In the hollow pentagonal crystal on the giant's forehead, Uchiha Madara stood silently. His arms were crossed, his long black hair dancing wildly in the rising updraft of Chakra.
His crimson Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly, locking onto the tiny figure hovering above the water not far away.
"So that's it..."
Madara's voice boomed, amplified by the giant construct. It carried a hint of understanding, but even more, the excitement of having his fighting spirit finally aroused after decades of stagnation.
"Fire Release is ineffective against you... you eat flames. And you can detect my movements before I make them... Is this the so-called 'Observation Haki'?"
He curved his lips into an arrogant, bloodthirsty smile.
"Interesting! Very interesting!"
Madara uncrossed his arms.
"Then, let me show you the true fighting style of the Uchiha clan! Let's see if your 'Haki' can withstand the power of a God!"
The moment his words fell, his will transformed into reality.
"Susanoo!"
ROAR!
The spectral blue energy giant let out a silent roar towards the sky. Massive waves of blue Chakra surged upwards, dispersing the steam clouds in an instant.
Its giant right hand, formed from condensed energy, suddenly clenched. Blue flames coalesced.
A greatsword—a wavy-bladed Kris—over a hundred meters long materialized out of thin air. It hummed with the power to sever mountains.
The next moment, this demon god leaped up from the water surface. Its massive body obscured the sunlight, casting a shadow that covered the ocean for miles.
"Die!"
The greatsword swung down. The air pressure alone created a valley in the ocean below. It aimed directly at Suzaku, intending to crush him like a bug.
Facing this world-destroying strike, Suzaku merely looked up at his leisure.
"Tsk tsk, Susanoo..."
A nostalgic smile graced his face.
"Seeing it in reality, this oppressive feeling is truly something else! It's much bigger than on a screen."
He muttered to himself, "Back in the games, what did I use to break a Susanoo defense? Ah, right. Piercing damage."
Despite his grumbling, there was no delay in his movements.
"[System Weapon: Fire-Tipped Spear]!"
With a thought, a magnificent long spear appeared in his hand. It burned with golden flames that seemed to have a life of their own. The shaft was crimson, wrapped in gold dragons, and the tip radiated a heat that warped the air.
The Fire-Tipped Spear.
The difference in size between the spear and the Susanoo sword was laughable. Like a needle against a skyscraper.
However, when Suzaku gripped the burning long spear with both hands, facing the demon god's sword descending upon him...
He didn't retreat. He didn't dodge.
"Hah!"
He advanced. He charged upstream, meeting the blade head-on with daring arrogance.
On the deck of the Pola in the distance, everyone watched with bated breath.
"He's going to get crushed!" Akame whispered, her hand over her mouth.
They saw the scene clearly: The towering blue demon god swinging a sword that could cut an island, and beneath it... a tiny golden speck, charging upward with unyielding determination.
Then, impact.
"BOOM...!!!"
A colossal sound, as if the sky itself had shattered, exploded between heaven and earth!
The tip of the Fire-Tipped Spear precisely struck the edge of the Chakra greatsword.
Time seemed to come to a standstill.
The impossible happened.
That disproportionately tiny long spear, burning with golden flames and coated in invisible Armament Haki, actually managed to forcefully block the mountain-like greatsword in mid-air.
It stopped it dead. Not an inch further.
CRACKLE-HISSS!
At the point of contact, golden fire and blue chakra clashed wildly. A visible circular shockwave spread in all directions, flattening the waves below.
The sea surface, which had just barely calmed down, was once again stirred up by this terrifying force. Monstrous waves, even more violent than before, surged outward.
"It... it blocked it?" Akame's eyes widened, her brain struggling to process the physics. "How can a spear stop a giant?"
Beside her, Albedo's eyes were shining with brilliance. A smile of both pride and fanaticism lit up her face.
"This is the true power of Lord Suzaku!" she said, her voice dreamy. "Size is irrelevant to a Supreme Being. How can a mere construct of energy contend with the Ruler of Fire?"
At the center of the battlefield.
Inside the Susanoo crystal, the arrogance on Uchiha Madara's face vanished for the first time.
His eyes widened.
"What?"
He could clearly feel his power—his Chakra—continuously flowing from Susanoo's arm into the greatsword. He was pushing with enough force to flatten a Tailed Beast.
But that power was like a clay ox entering the sea. It was completely neutralized before that tiny spear tip.
"Brat... you can actually withstand my Susanoo with physical strength?!" Madara growled, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"Good power," Suzaku's voice came through the roar of energy, calm and mocking. "But this massive size is just a more conspicuous target, Madara! You're wide open!"
Suzaku suddenly exerted force with both arms. The muscles in his back coiled.
"Fire-Tipped Spear · Flame Thrust!"
The golden flames on the spear flared up, turning white-hot.
BOOM!
The flame energy compressed to the extreme at the spear tip suddenly erupted. It didn't spread out; it formed an incredibly condensed spiral shockwave, like a laser drill.
It surged upstream along the Susanoo's greatsword.
CRACK!
The spectral blue Chakra greatsword, starting from the point of contact with the spear tip, shattered.
Cracks spread like a spiderweb across the entire blade in an instant.
SHATTER!
The massive sword exploded into motes of blue light.
"What?!" Madara's eyes narrowed. "He broke the construct?!"
He decisively controlled the Susanoo to release the crumbling hilt.
The massive left arm of the giant swept horizontally, bringing a violent wind pressure to strike Suzaku like a flyswatter.
"Too slow!"
Suzaku's figure had already transformed into a golden-red stream of light. He dodged the attack with a speed far exceeding the arm's sweep, flying right over the giant hand.
"Large volume means slow movements! This principle applies everywhere!"
Suzaku chuckled. He descended like a meteor.
The Fire-Tipped Spear in his hand was like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair. He pierced directly towards the Susanoo's chest armor—directly toward Madara.
"Arrogant!" Madara snorted.
"Yata Mirror (concept)!"
The Susanoo's chest armor instantly thickened. The blue light intensified, forming a dense shield of ribcage and plating, attempting to withstand the blow head-on.
However, the moment Suzaku's spear tip touched the armor...
"Fire-Tipped Spear · Piercing Star!"
The golden flames on the spear shaft compressed inward to an extreme degree. The color changed from golden-red to incandescent White.
SWOOSH!
There was no deafening explosion. Only a sharp, piercing tearing sound, like hot knife through butter.
That seemingly indestructible Susanoo armor was easily pierced through by the divine spear. It created a clean hole.
The spear tip continued its momentum, aiming directly for Uchiha Madara inside the cockpit!
"!!"
Madara's Sharingan spun wildly. He saw the future—death.
In the nick of time, he shifted his body slightly to the left. At the same time, he forced the Susanoo's internal bones to proliferate, creating a second layer of defense.
Clang.
The spear stopped inches from his face.
But it wasn't a complete miss.
A strand of spiky black hair was severed by the extreme high temperature and sharpness carried by the spear tip. It slowly fell, burning into ash before it hit the floor.
Their first close-up gaze.
They were meters apart, separated only by the fading energy of the Susanoo.
In Suzaku's eyes was burning fighting spirit. A golden fire.
And in Uchiha Madara's crimson Sharingan...
The initial disdain had been completely replaced by profound solemnity. And deeper than that... a glimmer of excitement ignited. The kind of excitement only present when encountering a worthy opponent after years of boredom.
"Hah..."
Madara chuckled.
"To be able to push me this far... to break my absolute defense..."
Madara's voice was low and full of power.
"Brat, I admit it! You have the right to speak to me! You are not a weakling!"
He stepped back, dissolving the damaged ribcage.
"But if you think this is the limit of the Uchiha... then you are greatly mistaken!"
"Susanoo: Second Stage!"
Before his words finished, the massive skeletal giant suddenly contracted.
It didn't dissipate. It compressed its massive Chakra to an extreme degree.
From the previous translucent blue skeleton, it transformed. Muscles wove together. Skin formed. Armor plated over the skin.
It became a solidified, four-armed warrior god covered in Tengu Armor. It held four wavy blades.
The oppressive feeling not only did not weaken but became even more suffocating. The sea beneath them depressed into a bowl shape.
"Oh? Armored Susanoo?"
Suzaku's eyes lit up. He landed on the sea surface, looking up at the armored giant before him. He wasn't afraid. He was becoming even more excited.
"Good. Very good."
FWOOSH!
Golden-red flames surged around him. They were no longer confined to his body surface.
They condensed behind him, taking shape.
A pair of massive Vermillion Bird Wings, entirely composed of holy flames, unfurled from his back, obscuring the sky.
As the wings flapped, heat waves rolled out, evaporating the surrounding seawater into white steam instantly.
Suzaku twisted his neck, emitting a crisp crack. He pointed his Fire-Tipped Spear at the legendary ninja.
"Let me see," Suzaku grinned, "to what extent the Asura of the Ninja World can truly reach!"
"Come!" Madara roared. "Let's dance!"
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