Crack!
After their blades met, the Buddha Venerable of Twin Dragons Encircling the Sun formed from Zatoichi's sword intent was annihilated between heaven and earth!
Then... sword intent as vast as an endless world swallowed everything!
When they came back to their senses, the two of them were no longer in Takamagahara!
Crack! Crack!
The twin blades in Zatoichi's hands shattered together, and his body was severed at the waist, falling to the ground in two halves!
"This place... is..."
Kibutsuji stood with sword in hand, looking around in confusion, before suddenly understanding!
"So that's how it is!!"
Zatoichi asked, "My Mind's Eye was destroyed by your sword intent during our exchange. Could you tell me what happened?"
Kibutsuji said, "Old sir, have you heard of 'String'?"
"String?"
"String is the reference point of time and space. The birth of space and time is founded upon String. The higher the level of spacetime, the stronger the String supporting it becomes. Especially Takamagahara's spacetime String—almost no force can destroy it!"
"Then how does this so-called String relate to the spacetime we are currently in?"
"I suspect that our clash just now slightly shook Takamagahara's String. Then, the sword intent of my Three Thousand Great Worlds left a small imprint upon it. Like a projection, this spacetime came into being..."
"In other words... your sword carved out a new era?"
"You can't put it that way. I couldn't have done it by myself; the old sir deserves some credit too."
Kibutsuji lowered his head in thought. "Fortunately, that was the case. Otherwise, with Shōdo Island completely gone and no foothold left for us, we would both have become dead souls in the Heaven-Piercing River..."
Zatoichi said, "To witness such a miracle alongside you, I have no regrets even in death!"
Dead Luo's