"Crackle, crackle, crackle!"
"Pfft, pfft, pfft!"
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Thousands upon thousands of black bolts of lightning, like rain and waterfalls, streaked through the air in tiny flashes of black light, blanketing the sky and ground as they slanted down from midair and crashed into the earth.
At once, amid muffled booms, grass clippings flew and dirt sprayed everywhere. As the black lightning kept falling like meteors, rings of dust rose amid the grass and soil. In the blink of an eye, they swallowed the small clearing, no more than half a meter across, along with the young man who had not even finished turning his head.
"Tap!"
At that moment, Dodai, who had retreated rapidly, landed on the ground. He staggered back several steps before steadying himself, swayed once, and finally came to a stop two or three meters from the dust-shrouded clearing.
His eyes remained fixed on the dust-filled clearing, caution and lingering fear evident in his gaze.
Lord Third Raikage? As Dodai fixed his gaze on the thousands of lightning bolts whistling down from the sky, he immediately knew that this Lightning Release, which only the Third Raikage could wield, had come from their Third Raikage.
Great! Lord Third Raikage is all right!
That thought surfaced in his mind, and his racing heart gradually relaxed. The terror gripping him eased with that breath of relief. Knowing that the Third Raikage was unharmed finally gave him something to hold onto.
Taki Chiba's punch had been far too terrifying. It had nearly shattered the invincible image Dodai held of the Third Raikage. Once that image had crumbled, unease and fear had followed close behind. Coupled with the pressure radiating from Taki Chiba, which resembled that of a tailed beast, Dodai had lost his mind in an instant, thinking only