Inside the Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals.
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
The four demons threw themselves against the walls of ice trapping them, but no matter how hard they struck, they couldn't shatter a mirror with a single blow. At most, they could leave one or two cracks in its surface.
The moment those cracks appeared, Haku repaired them from within the mirrors.
"Damn it!"
"That wretched ninja!"
"When we catch him, we'll make sure he doesn't get off easy!"
The demons cursed one after another.
They had realized that although their flesh could regenerate endlessly, their strength was limited. They couldn't break through these mirrors that radiated icy cold.
Of course,
the demons didn't know that the ordinary-looking mirrors were actually the result of combining the water and wind Chakra natures—a Kekkei Genkai!
Their strength was far beyond that of ordinary ninjutsu using a single Chakra nature.
However, Haku, hidden inside the mirrors, wasn't nearly as relaxed as he seemed.
The demons he had trapped never tired and didn't fear injury. Even if the impact broke their arms, they recovered in an instant. That meant he had to keep spending Chakra to repair the mirrors.
He glanced at the sky, his face as gloomy as the night.
There were probably still six or seven hours until dawn. He wasn't sure he could last until sunrise.
As if they had seen through Haku's worry, one of the demons taunted him. "How much longer can you hold out? I can smell fear on you. You're already terrified, aren't you?"
Haku replied calmly, "Even if I die, I won't let you leave here alive!"
At that moment, one of the demons—with the crossed-out words "Lower Five" carved into its eye—turned to the other three and said, "Give me some of your Chakra. I'll use my Blood Demon Art to break this brat's ice!"
The other three demons were unhappy, but they couldn't think of a better plan. One by one, they let the demon devour part of their bodies.
"Disgusting!"
Watching the demon gorge itself on the others, Haku felt sick.
After devouring parts of the other three demons, its Chakra surged. It roared, "Blood Demon Art: Ghostly Shadow!"
The demon who had activated its Blood Demon Art became a blur and slammed into Haku's mirror at incredible speed.
Crack!
With a sharp snap, four or five cracks appeared in the mirror the demon had hit!
"Not good!"
Haku didn't dare conserve Chakra. He immediately formed Hand Seals and re-created the mirror.
Seeing that the attack had worked, the other three demons shouted, "Hurry up and smash these stupid ice blocks! I'm hungry!"
The demon who had used its Blood Demon Art cackled. "Don't worry. I'll finish off this ninja in no time!"
Demons didn't need to worry about running out of Chakra. As long as they ate enough people, they could replenish it quickly.
So the demon pushed its Blood Demon Art harder and harder, burning through its Chakra as it launched wave after wave of attacks against Haku's mirrors.
Bam, bam, bam.
Under the unrelenting assault, more and more of the mirrors inside the ice dome were damaged. Haku was only eight or nine years old and couldn't withstand such a drain. Before long, his Chakra was depleted.
Boom!
At last, with a thunderous crash, the damaged mirrors set off a chain reaction, and the entire ice dome shattered in an instant.
The four demons grinned savagely as the ice dome that had trapped them for so long finally collapsed.
But as the ice shards and freezing mist gradually cleared, their cruel expressions suddenly froze.
Beyond the shattered dome stood a colossal yellow, upper-bodied giant!
"My lord!"
Seeing Shinji and Karin standing beneath the yellow giant, Haku—who had fallen to the ground—felt his despair turn to joy.
"Well done!"
Shinji nodded at Haku, then activated Susanoo and grabbed the demon that had devoured parts of the other three.
He glanced at the remaining demons.
"Aaaah!"
In an instant, the three demons were swallowed by Black Flame. They wailed as they turned to ash.
The demon caught in Shinji's Susanoo stared in horror as its three companions burned to nothing. "Th-that black stuff... What kind of flame is that?"
Shinji ignored the demon's question and immediately cast a genjutsu on it, interrogating it. "Why did you invade the Shinobi World? What are you after?"
Faced with Shinji's Mangekyō Sharingan, the demon offered no resistance. It immediately went blank and answered dully, "We came here to..."
Pop.
Halfway through its answer, the demon suddenly exploded.
Shinji frowned. "So that's how it is."
He had already suspected that the mysterious Lantern Bearer had tampered with the demons who'd invaded. Perhaps they couldn't be interrogated for information.
Now that he had tested it, his suspicion had been confirmed.
The exploded demon didn't regenerate. Just like a demon beheaded by a Nichirin Blade, it turned to ash.
Shinji looked toward the spot where Enmu had been. The demon was nowhere to be seen, so he asked Haku, "What happened to that one?"
Still shaken, Haku came back to his senses and answered, "Not long ago, it suddenly turned to ash and disappeared, just like that demon."
Shinji nodded thoughtfully.
Back in the dream, he hadn't really used Amaterasu on Enmu. Ninjutsu couldn't be used in dreams.
He had only used his Mangekyō Sharingan to create the illusion that he was activating Amaterasu. He hadn't expected Enmu, a demon who manipulated dreams, to be burned to death by that illusion inside a dream he had created.
Injuries to the body in the real world were reflected in dreams.
And injuries to the spirit in a dream were reflected back in the real world.
So Enmu had literally scared himself to death. What an irony!
"Including the Drum Demon, were there six demons invading the Shinobi World?" After a moment's thought, Shinji instructed Karin, "Sense the area. Are there any demons left in town?"
After facing such a desperate situation, Karin had become much more composed. At his words, she immediately activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura and sensed the area. "I don't think so."
[Invasion successfully repelled] [Rift closed.]
The Lantern Bearer's voice sounded in Shinji's ear at just the right moment.
"Phew."
Hearing the Lantern Bearer's confirmation, he let out a breath of relief. This defense against the invasion had been a close call. He and his newly formed team had nearly been wiped out.
[Loot detected.] [Analyzing loot.] [Loot: Dream Construction.] [Loot: Small Drum (can change the spatial layout of buildings).] [Loot: Haste (Nintaijutsu transformed from a Blood Demon Art).]
As he watched the Lantern Bearer bring one glowing orb after another before him, a smile finally spread across Shinji's face. "What a haul!"
The second update is here! I heard comments might be working again! I'm still asking for recommendations and monthly votes! Please keep helping out!
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