**Chapter 56: The First Huey & The Sword of Yama**
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The sealed dimension was a void of swirling energy, the air thick with tension as Bartoni and Huey faced off. The glowing red cross on Huey's forehead pulsed ominously, casting an eerie light across the battlefield. Bartoni's sharp gaze locked onto the symbol, his expression hardening as he muttered under his breath, "A cross symbol? So, this is what you've become…"
He raised his head toward the sky, his deep voice echoing through the void. "Arise, Great Sword of Yama."
The space above him ripped apart, the fabric of reality tearing like paper as a colossal black blade descended from the heavens. The sword's presence alone was suffocating, its weight not bound by physical mass but by the ominous aura of absolute death. The ground beneath Bartoni's feet cracked under the sheer pressure, the air around the blade distorting as if recoiling from its touch.
The Great Sword of Yama hovered mid-air, its black-steel surface gleaming ominously. The weapon radiated an invisible force that devoured the very essence of the air around it—a blade that turned anything it touched to death.
Huey let out a slow chuckle, his crimson cross pulsing faintly as he examined the weapon. "The legendary sword of death…" he murmured, his tone dripping with mock admiration. "Sensei, I see you're taking this seriously."
Before Huey could finish his sentence, the blade vanished from mid-air. His eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise breaking through his smug demeanor. **FWOOM!** The sword reappeared above him in an instant, a spectral blur of cursed steel slicing through the air at an impossible speed.
**SLASH!**
The moment the Great Sword of Yama connected, Huey was instantly erased. His entire being disintegrated into dust, leaving nothing but void in the air where he once stood. **CRACK!** The blade plunged into the earth, tearing the ground apart in a wide 360-degree crater, ripping open space itself with the force of the impact.
**KABOOOOOOM!**
A colossal shockwave erupted, sending debris and dust flying in all directions. The sheer weight of the attack shattered the air itself, creating a deafening silence in its aftermath.
Bartoni's eyes narrowed as he gazed into the settling debris. "Oh, Huey… May you rest in peace."
He stood still, scanning the ruins before him. But as the smoke cleared… there was nothing. No trace of Huey. Not even a single speck of dust. Absolute nothingness.
Bartoni exhaled sharply, gripping the hilt of Yama tightly. His instincts screamed danger.
—**RUMBLE.**
Without warning, the earth beneath him exploded.
From below, colossal wooden roots burst from the ground, writhing like ancient serpents, their movements swift and predatory. **FWOOSH!** One of them slammed down, aiming to crush Bartoni where he stood.
**WHOOSH!** Bartoni backflipped away, his grip tightening on the Great Sword of Yama. In one swift motion, he swung the blade—**SLASH!** The cursed steel sliced through the massive root, severing it completely.
But the next attack came before he could even regain his footing. **BOOM!** From beneath, another root exploded upward, this time branching out into 300 smaller roots, each writhing like grasping hands, shooting toward Bartoni with terrifying speed.
Bartoni's eyes glowed with determination. He raised Yama high above his head. "Arise… A Thousand One Yama."
The Great Sword of Yama trembled—and then, from its single form, hundreds of identical blades burst forth, multiplying like shadows in the night. One sword became ten, then a hundred, then a thousand.
With a single thought, Bartoni commanded them forward.
**SHHHHHRIIIIIIING!**
The swords swirled around him like a storm, slashing through the incoming wooden roots, erasing them instantly before they could regenerate.
The battlefield trembled under the relentless collision of ancient powers.
The storm of blades hovered above Bartoni, waiting for his next command as he scanned the area. Then, from a distance, Huey's body began to materialize.
Standing atop the rubble, his figure flickered into existence, a playful smirk on his lips. "Sensei," Huey chuckled. "You're getting old."
Bartoni exhaled slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you stop playing around? If you're really serious about this, bring out the First Personality."
Huey's smirk widened. "Ahh… my First Person. The one you always hated."
The playful glint in Huey's eyes sharpened, and Bartoni's grip on his blade instinctively tightened.
But in the back of his mind, questions swirled.
How had Huey survived the Sword of Yama?
Bartoni had watched him disintegrate. His body had been erased completely, not even a single molecule remained.
He frowned. "How did you survive that attack? I saw you disappear."
Huey chuckled darkly, his glowing cross pulsating again. "Now, now, Sensei… where's the fun if I just tell you?"
Bartoni's eyes narrowed. Before he could respond—
**BOOOOOOM!**
The ground exploded once more.
From the depths of the earth, something massive began to emerge.
A deep, primal growl echoed through the battlefield.
Wooden scales, the size of ancient boulders, rippled across the battlefield. A colossal wooden dragon, its form carved from living trees, began to rise from the ground, its body entwined with glowing red veins of Shen energy.
Its eyes, burning with eerie dark radiance, locked onto Bartoni with a gaze as ancient as time itself.
Standing atop its head, Huey grinned.
"Let's see if your precious Yama can erase this."
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