"Sakazuki!" Sengoku shouted furiously from behind him, but his voice could not keep up with Akainu.
Akainu charged into the air. His right arm had turned entirely into magma, and churning lava gathered into a searing torrent in midair. Like a Red Dragon roused from slumber, it roared down toward Uchiha Fugaku.
"Great Eruption!!!"
Endless magma crashed down, blotting out the sky.
The sea below evaporated under the intense heat, sending white vapor billowing skyward. Within a few breaths, all moisture had been stripped from the air, and even the wind became unbearably hot.
The Marines below stared at the crimson figure charging alone toward the enemy ranks, then at the torrent of magma filling the sky. For a moment, they froze.
Someone shakily picked up his weapon.
He was a young ensign, blood still smeared across his face. His fingers would not stop trembling, but he tightened his grip on his rifle anyway.
Beside him, a veteran silently picked up a broken sword from the ground. Its blade was chipped in several places, but he still clenched it in his hand.
One after another, the soldiers who had been sitting slumped with their heads bowed slowly, silently rose to their feet.
Their movements were slow, but none of them looked back anymore. Every one of them looked ahead.
At the magma, at the crimson figure who had charged out alone.
But even more of them did not move.
They simply kept their heads bowed, saying nothing.
They had long since laid down their weapons, and they did not pick them up again.
A young soldier crouched in a corner of the ruins, his face buried between his knees, his shoulders trembling faintly.
A man from his hometown gently rested a hand on his shoulder. He offered no words of