— — — — — — —
The thick smoke from the explosion quickly dispersed, revealing Uchiha Kitaro standing unharmed. Surrounding him was an orange-yellow energy forming a skeletal frame, shielding his body.
Jellal's expression darkened. "Is this guy even human?"
He had already unleashed such powerful magic, and yet, despite everything, Kitaro showed no signs of running out of energy.
"Grand Chariot!"
Jellal soared into the sky, and behind him, seven magical orbs arranged themselves in the shape of the Big Dipper. The seven orbs linked together, forming seven beams of light that rained down from above, crashing toward Kitaro.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"This attack rivals the destructive force of a meteor! There's no way you can survive this!"
"Sorry, seems like I did."
Kitaro's voice rang out once more. Jellal turned his gaze toward him, only to see that Kitaro was still completely unharmed, the skeletal energy frame protecting him without a scratch.
Veins bulged on Jellal's forehead. "I refuse to believe this! There's no way I can't defeat you!"
Spreading his arms wide, he gathered an immense amount of magical energy, forming a black void—an abyssal sphere that seemed capable of swallowing everything into darkness and destruction.
"Oh? Playing with spheres? I'm pretty good at that too."
Kitaro smirked as he conjured an enormous Rasengan in his palm—one over twenty meters in diameter. The sheer presence of the attack was overwhelming, as if he were holding a miniature moon.
Seeing the colossal energy mass in Kitaro's hand, Jellal couldn't help but tremble. His own attack, barely a meter wide, now seemed utterly insignificant in comparison. But he had no choice; he had already committed to the attack.
More than that, he realized something chilling—Kitaro was toying with him. From the beginning, he had been leading Jellal into despair, showcasing his superior speed, the ability to fly, and now this overwhelming power. It was clear now: Kitaro wanted him to know that escape was impossible.
But Jellal was a Saint Wizard! He wouldn't lose to some cocky brat!
"Darkness Magic: Paradise of Sins!"
Jellal hurled his black sphere toward Kitaro.
In response, Kitaro launched his massive Rasengan.
One large, one small—the two energy spheres collided like colliding planets.
BOOM!
The sheer impact of magic against ninjutsu sent shockwaves tearing through the sky. The force was so great that the upper section of the Tower of Paradise was obliterated.
"Arghhh!"
Jellal was blasted away. The clash had proven Kitaro's attack superior.
"Damn it! Didn't you say your energy was running low?!"
Jellal, still struggling to gain the upper hand, was growing desperate.
Kitaro chuckled. "Oh, my energy is running low. The magic I used to redirect Etherion earlier probably drained more than three times the total amount you've used so far."
"..."
Jellal gritted his teeth. "Then how—?!"
"Simple. I just have a lot of energy." Kitaro smirked. "Sure, I burn through a ton of it, but I recover it just as fast. Honestly, by playing around with you, I've already fully recovered."
"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!! I refuse to believe it!"
"Ahh, people like you... Always lying, so you assume everyone else is lying too. Ever consider being a little more trusting? Maybe open your heart to honesty?" Kitaro said with an exaggerated, almost lecturing tone.
"SHUT UP!" Jellal roared. "You haven't won yet!"
The sky above darkened. Clouds parted, revealing a vast cosmic void, as though the entire universe was bending to his will.
"True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!"
From above, a massive meteor descended, hurtling toward Kitaro's location.
"A meteor? Now that looks familiar."
For the first time, Kitaro reached for the sword at his waist. Since coming to this world, he hadn't truly drawn his blade. Now, it was time.
Infusing his katana with chakra and Haki, he swung with a powerful slash toward the descending meteor.
SWOOSH!
A massive energy wave surged from the sword, slicing cleanly through the meteor.
CRACK!
The meteor split into two perfect halves, the cut so precise it was as if nature itself had been sculpted.
"H-how... HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!"
Jellal's eyes widened in disbelief. A meteor, cleaved in a single strike?!
The severed halves plummeted down, crashing into the sea and further destroying what remained of the Tower of Paradise. The once-mighty tower was now reduced to less than a third of its original size, cracked and crumbling, on the verge of total collapse.
"No... NO!"
Jellal trembled. "I can't lose! I have to create my free nation!"
"In my pain and fear, Zeref whispered to me, asking if I wanted true freedom!"
"Yes... I'm the only one who can sense Zeref!"
"I'm the chosen one! I'll build a land of true freedom alongside Zeref!"
"I CAN'T FALL HERE!!!"
Jellal's fingers traced symbols into the air, forming an intricate magic circle before him.
"BEGONE!!"
"Abyss Break!"
At that moment, the skeletal frame around Kitaro rapidly grew. In the blink of an eye, flesh and armor formed over it, wings spread wide. A thousand-meter-tall fully realized Susanoo stood towering before Jellal.
BOOOOM!
Jellal's magic collided with Susanoo. But when the dust settled, the colossus remained unmoved.
It stood there, unshaken, like a god descending upon the battlefield.
.
.
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