A/N: I BACK! Kyoto was so much fun. Climbing the Fushimi Inari took everything out of me.
Boom!
Both attacks exploded, creating a massive void, completely devoid of monsters or shadow soldiers. As the dust began to settle, Kuro caught sight of the shock on Bercus's face.
Bercus stumbled back, his feet skidding slightly in the aftermath of the explosion. His breath came in ragged gasps as his mind tried to process what had just happened.
"H-HOW!?" Bercus's eyes were wide with disbelief. "That energy... How the hell is a brat from the first floor using the White Dragon Clan's power!?"
Kuro simply shrugged.
"Guess? And why would I tell you?" He replied, his tone casual despite feeling drained from using his recreated Burst Stream of Destruction.
Bercus clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The arrogance in Kuro's words infuriated him.
With a heavy exhale, Bercus appeared to make up his mind. He fixed Kuro with a cold stare and slowly closed his eyes, as if accepting the inevitable.
"You leave me no choice. If destruction is what you want, destruction is what you'll get," Bercus declared, his voice firm.
Dark energy radiated from him, enveloping his form. His silhouette grew larger and more monstrous as his body began to shift. His wings expanded, and his humanoid figure twisted into something more lizard-like.
Kuro watched in stunned silence, a deep sense of dread washing over him as the pressure around Bercus intensified to an overwhelming degree.
The ground beneath Kuro's feet trembled as Bercus's transformation was completed. His once-human form now resembled a dragon.
His size was immense, with a sleek body. The body is covered in a mix of dark, almost metallic, scales that glisten with hints of purple, blue, and silver, as if they reflect the stars of a vast galaxy.
The wings are large and somewhat ethereal, made up of translucent, shimmering energy that looks like a nebula or cosmic cloud.
Bercus's eyes glowed a deep violet, and his mouth curled into a cruel, predatory smile. "Since I was forced to use this form, the tower will now detect me. Before it could do anything, though, I would get rid of you and the last remnants of the White Dragon Clan."
Despite the overwhelming aura of power, Kuro stood tall, gritting his teeth. He'd felt pressure like this before, but never quite this intense. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"You'll need more than that to bring me down," Kuro muttered under his breath, though even he wasn't sure if he fully believed it. He recalled all his shadow soldiers toward him to face Bercus.
"Kisara, prevent the monster horde from interrupting me." Kuro sends a telepathic message to Kisara.
"Sure thing. I doubt they want to stick close to your fight anyway." Kisara nodded as she stepped forth.
Bercus's laugh rumbled like an approaching storm when he heard Kuro's words. "You're in over your head, kid."
Without warning, the dragon's wings unfurled, sending a shockwave of force through the air. The ground cracked beneath Kuro's feet, and the trees around them were uprooted, tossed aside like paper in the wind. The sheer destructive force of Bercus's transformation was like nothing Kuro had ever felt before.
The air crackled with dark energy as Bercus raised one massive clawed hand, the ground shaking beneath his feet. A blast of shadowy power began to form in his palm, swirling with destructive intent.
Kuro didn't flinch. He focused, channeling chakra around his feet. With a sudden, violent motion, Kuro lunged forward toward Bercus.
His shadow soldiers followed as they lung themselves at the gigantic dragon.
Bercus's eyes narrowed in response, a cruel grin forming on his lips. He swung his claw down, attempting to crush Kuro beneath its immense weight.
But Kuro wasn't there.
In a split second, he vanished into a blur of shadow, reappearing behind Bercus's massive frame. Before the dragon could react, Kuro thrust his katana forward.
The katana collided with Bercus's scaled hide with a resounding clang that shook the earth as sparks flew from the impact.
Bercus turned around as he swung his tail at Kuro.
Kuro brought the katana in front of him to defend himself. He then felt a giant force ram against the blade as he was sent flying across the battlefield.
Bercus let out a roar as he gathered energy around his mouth. He then shot a laser-like attack at Kuro.
Kuro could sense the attack heading his way. He couldn't dodge the attack. Left with no choice, he used Shadow Exchange to switch places with one of his shadows.
Boom!
Kuro reappears behind Bercus as he watches a giant mushroom cloud appear from his previous location.
His forehead was drenched in sweat as he looked at the aftermath of the attack. "That was way too close."
Kuro steadied himself, forcing his aching body to focus. Bercus's roar echoed in the distance, vibrating the air with raw fury. He could feel the malevolent energy radiating off the dragon as it turned toward him, violet eyes glowing with unrelenting hatred.
"You can run," Bercus growled, his voice a deep rumble that seemed to vibrate the very air. "But you can't hide forever."
Kuro didn't respond. He couldn't afford to waste words. Instead, his grip on the katana tightened. His mind was racing, his body already moving into a defensive stance, ready to strike again if the opportunity presented itself.
Bercus began to float toward him, his wings creating violent gusts that scattered the dust and debris around them. His body rippled with dark energy, and with every beat of his wings, the pressure in the air grew heavier.
"You're weak," Bercus stated as he prepared another laser-like attack while disregarding the shadow soldiers. Their attacks do little to no damage to him. "These little creatures you summon. They are useless against someone truly powerful. You rely on them too much. Now, you pay the price." Bercus launched another attack.
Kuro gritted his teeth as he cast Shadow Exchange once again. He could feel his body screaming at him.
Boom!!
Kuro reappears further away from Bercus as he watches another gigantic mushroom cloud appear from his previous location.
"HAHAHAHAHA! WEAK! You're pathetic!" Bercus laugh.
Kuro could see him gathering energy for another attack. 'Just how many can he fire!?' He screams in his head. Just as he was preparing to use Shadow Exchange again despite his body protesting, he saw that Bercus was not aiming at him. Instead, he was aiming toward the north.
Kuro was confused at first before he realized that it was where the base was and where Brian and Anne were being treated.
"NOOOOOO!" He screamed as he activated Shadow Exchange, this time to appear in front of the attack.
Kuro braced himself as he used all his chakra to form a defensive barrier around himself. His shadow soldiers throw themselves in front of the attack.
Gluttony appeared to eat the attack. Tank and Barbarian appear as they use their shield and great sword to block the attack. Yonshi, Sanji, and Niji appear behind them as they launch attacks to weaken the attack.
The rest of the shadow soldiers appear behind them to act as a meat shield to weaken the attack.
When the attack hit Gluttony, he was able to eat a little of the energy before he got obliterated.
Tank and Barbarian did not fare any better as they too got obliterated in seconds, followed by the rest of the shadows.
When the attack reached Kuro, it had gotten a little weaker, but not by much.
Booom!!!
Kisara, who was holding off the horde, felt her contract connection with Kuro weaken considerably.
In a panic, she turns to see a giant mushroom cloud where she can faintly sense Kuro.
She wanted to rush toward him, but the monsters were getting in her way. She wanted to transform back into her dragon form, but couldn't as she hadn't recovered enough energy from her long imprisonment.
Meanwhile,
"Hahahahaha!" Bercus' laughter echoes throughout the battlefield. "You seriously use yourself to protect those weaklings. Hahahaha!" He made his way toward Kuro's body.
Kuro lay sprawled on the cracked earth, his body battered and burned from the intensity of the blast.
"I... I protected them." The thought echoed in his mind. The agony he felt was irrelevant. "I guess this is as far as I go." He looked up toward the burning sky and the giant claw that was heading toward him.
He closed his eyes. "Sorry, mom, dad. It seems I would no longer be able to meet you all. Sorry, old lady Mito. I hope you don't get mad for calling you old one last time."
He could feel wind pressing against him as the claw made its way closer.