Without any flair or tricks, Terado charged straight toward Haruto Saito. His hands were empty, his hidden weapons depleted, yet he rushed forward without hesitation!
With his Byakugan activated, Haruto could clearly see Terado's every movement, no matter how fast he was!
Haruto moved as well!
Charging straight at Terado!
The two figures closed in rapidly, colliding in an instant!
Haruto raised the Blade of Heavy Mountain, striking toward Terado's face—there was no curse mark defense on his head! But Terado's hands moved like shadows! With his left hand, he reached out and slapped the side of Haruto's blade, deflecting the force of his monstrous strike. His right hand moved like lightning, seizing the Blade of Heavy Mountain in a firm grip—he had stolen Haruto's weapon in an instant!
Everything happened within a fraction of a second. As the two fighters closed in, Terado disarmed Haruto with his bare hands and immediately slashed back at him!
Boom!
Haruto was sent flying, blood spraying into the air!
At that moment, the dark mist surrounding Haruto dissipated, revealing a massive wound torn across his torso. His Black Armor had been cut open!
Like a cannonball, Haruto crashed to the ground a hundred meters away, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
"Is this really the end?"
Haruto stared at the sky, his mind blank. He had already considered the possibility of this outcome. Even while burning his life force to the extreme, Terado retained overwhelming combat strength—Haruto wasn't even a match for him in a direct clash!
Pain wracked Haruto's body. His injuries were severe, and even his Black Armor had been broken. If not for his incredibly tough ribcage, Terado's slash might have cut him in half. Several of his chakra pathways were severed, making it difficult to circulate his energy. Many of his jutsu were temporarily unusable, and his Byakugan deactivated on its own.
Terado appeared before him like a ghost, holding the Blade of Heavy Mountain with a cold, sinister smile.
"I won't miss."
That same chilling phrase.
Haruto's mind raced. He could still fight back—he had his Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)! He could also unleash a Rasengan instantly. However, both techniques would cause chakra fluctuations, alerting Terado. With his reflexes, Terado would undoubtedly evade such attacks, and with his sheer strength, Haruto would struggle to restrain him.
What to do?
"Brat, do you remember what I just told you?" Terado, his blood-soaked figure resembling a crazed killer, crouched down slowly, staring at Haruto with an increasingly eerie voice. "I will cut off your flesh piece by piece. I will crush all your bones. I will make you beg me… beg me to end your suffering."
He was serious.
Terado knew he was dying. But he wasn't in a hurry to kill Haruto—he didn't want to waste his remaining time simply waiting for death.
Haruto lay motionless, pretending to be too injured to move, staring wide-eyed at Terado. His body seemed twisted and broken, but in truth, it was not. His bones were intact.
This was his best chance. He could activate Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis immediately. As long as one bone spike struck Terado's face, he would die instantly!
But the same problem remained.
Terado had a high chance of dodging it!
Haruto had to strike back eventually, but he needed the right method. He had to find the perfect moment—not just to retaliate, but to kill Terado. Otherwise, a failed attack would only be a desperate struggle.
"This sword of yours is quite nice. A bit wide…" Terado lifted Haruto's Blade of Heavy Mountain, his gaze sweeping across its edge. "But perfect for slicing meat—huge, thick slices. And it's very sharp..."
Terado seemed completely at ease, savoring the moment, his voice carrying a strange excitement.
Haruto continued to stare at him.
He could see both excitement and exhaustion in Terado's eyes. How could he not be tired? After suffering a devastating counterattack, he had burned his life force completely, sacrificing all hope of survival to win this battle. He had fought for so long. He was exhausted.
Haruto thought of a possibility.
A highly risky counterattack. If he failed, he would die—immediately. But given the circumstances, this method had the highest chance of success.
A gamble with his life on the line.
Victory meant survival.
Defeat meant death.
Haruto's right hand twitched slightly, as if in spasm.
"Brat, are you ready?" Terado's gaze shifted from the blade to Haruto's face.
"Have you ever heard this saying?" Haruto spoke weakly.
"What?" Terado asked.
"Villains die because they talk too much," Haruto said seriously.
"Oh?" Terado blinked in mild surprise.
Snap!
A crisp sound.
As Haruto raised his right hand, he snapped his fingers. His fingers spread, revealing a dangling pendant. Terado's gaze instinctively followed the pendant, his vision caught by the mesmerizing spiral it created.
Haruto whispered, his voice like a demon's lullaby: "Sleep."
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Haruto unleashed his full mental energy without restraint. Even though he wasn't close to Terado's ear, his voice pierced straight into Terado's mind like a needle. A crushing wave of drowsiness overwhelmed Terado's already exhausted consciousness.
S-rank Forbidden Jutsu—Hypnotic Magic!
Terado's expression stiffened. His eyes blinked once, unfocused—then he collapsed onto Haruto's body.
Success!
Terado had been on the verge of collapse for some time, forcing himself to stay alert. The moment he was hypnotized, his exhausted mind completely relaxed, plunging him into deep sleep.
Haruto's vision darkened. He immediately seized the Blade of Heavy Mountain with his right hand while his left retrieved a Basic Healing Card from his inventory. His movements were lightning-fast—by the time he raised his sword, he had already placed the card in his mouth and crushed it.
But then… he hesitated.
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over his mind.
He had pushed himself to the limit using Hypnotic Magic. His mental energy was nearly depleted…
His arm, still gripping the Blade of Heavy Mountain, went limp. The sword fell to the side. His eyes closed involuntarily, his consciousness slipping into darkness. His head tilted… and Haruto fell into unconsciousness.
The night was dark, the sky churning with heavy clouds.
The devastated forest lay in ruins, littered with craters. The flames that once engulfed the fallen trees had been extinguished by the rain, leaving wisps of smoke rising into the night. The air was tinged with the faint scent of blood. After the fierce battle, everything had returned to silence.
Stillness.
The curse marks on Terado's body faded rapidly. Though his life force was no longer burning due to his sleep, the wounds he had suppressed with sheer will began to deteriorate at an alarming rate.
Boom.
A deep, rumbling impact shattered the quiet.
Boom.
Another tremor rippled through the earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From the base of a collapsed mountain ridge—where a rockslide had formed a massive pile of boulders—something stirred. Heavy stones began to shift, dislodged by some unseen force. The previously solid rock formation cracked open, becoming more unstable.
Boom.
Rumble!
The boulder pile burst apart from within, sending debris flying. Amidst the swirling dust and shattered stone—a figure emerged, leaping from the rubble.
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