Clang.
Someone's weapon fell to the ground, but its owner didn't even notice.
Someone else collapsed onto the sand, unable to get back up.
"Is that thing... really a jutsu?"
The words came in a whisper as cold sweat trickled down the speaker's forehead.
They stared overhead. Despair surged over them like a tide, drowning every last one.
High above, a meteor thousands of meters across was slowly descending through the clouds, bearing enough force to wipe out everything beneath it.
Its vast bulk blotted out the sun. A dark red glow burned across its surface, while the air compressed around it into a visible shock wave.
"Heh... you've got to be kidding..."
Someone gave a quiet laugh, their voice hollow with despair.
"Is this the power of a god...? There's no escaping it."
Someone spoke weakly, and a Kunai slipped from their hand.
"How is this possible?! Why did I have to face an enemy like this?"
Someone roared in despair, their voice hoarse and ragged.
"No... I don't want to die... My wife and kids are waiting at home... I don't want to die!!"
Someone knelt sobbing, both hands digging into the sand.
All those emotions tangled together until only one feeling remained.
Helplessness.
Ōnoki was the first to recover.
He shot up from the ranks and called to everyone in his deep, aged voice.
"Enough of that defeatist talk! It's not over yet! Are you really going to throw your lives away without trying?! Do whatever you can!"
His voice rang across the battlefield with a force that brooked no argument.
Then he flew straight toward the falling meteor. Against its enormous mass, his elderly body looked no bigger than an ant.
Gaara came to his senses too.
He swept both hands forward. The sand beneath him