Fighting to the Death

The shockwave from the violent explosion rapidly spread in all directions.

The immense force that nearly destroyed everything completely could not possibly be blocked by ordinary means.

Even in his fully transformed tailed-beast state, Mizuki could not emerge unscathed. Even the true forms of the Nine Tailed Beasts would likely have fared no better here.

At the very center of the explosion, Mizuki, who had borne nearly the full impact, could no longer maintain his massive tailed-beast form in the blink of an eye.

The rapidly fading giant turned into crimson chakra, only to be scattered and dissipated completely by the powerful shockwave.

Only a thin layer of golden power protected the front of his body. This was senjutsu chakra compressed to the utmost limit in Sage Mode, forming a dense protective layer after being merged with an earth-nature Chakra Shield.

The massive incarnation of Kokuō, the Five-Tails, was shattered. Exposed directly to the shockwave, Mizuki was blasted skyward by the force rising from below, shooting into the heavens like a cannonball, like a flaming meteor.

Though the blast had left Mizuki thoroughly disoriented, he at least remembered to keep his defenses from collapsing.

The buffering provided by his fully transformed tailed-beast body, along with the force being dispersed as he was blasted into the air, prevented him from being killed on the spot.

In Sage Mode, his formidable physical attributes also played a major role.

Breaking through the black mushroom cloud, Mizuki was launched high into the sky. After tumbling several times, he finally steadied himself. Three pairs of translucent wings extended from his back and fluttered as he hovered in midair, looking down at the lingering smoke and dust below.

"That really was a completely unrestrained rampage..."

In the past, Mizuki had always relied on intelligence, flight, and