Inside the life-support apparatus, Nagato's emaciated mind went blank for an instant.
The shared-vision link had been brutally severed by an incomprehensible force.
Before Animal Path Pain's consciousness completely dissipated, the last image she transmitted was a blue-white beam that pierced through heaven and earth.
That light was far too dazzling.
"Urgh..."
Nagato let out a suppressed groan as the black metal tubes covering his body shuddered violently. The mental shock made his already frail vision go dark for a moment, as though that beam had pierced his brain as well.
He blankly raised a hand and stared at his trembling fingertips.
One Pain had simply... evaporated?
"Nagato!"
Konan immediately sensed his pain. In a flash, she appeared beside him and supported his swaying body.
"I'll go myself." A trace of killing intent colored Konan's voice. "Whoever it is, they must pay for provoking the Land of Rain."
"Stop!"
Nagato's voice abruptly rose, stopping Konan as she was about to leave. He had already recovered from his initial shock, and determination surged within his Rinnegan.
"Don't throw your life away! You can't defeat them. That wasn't ninjutsu."
"To protect the Land of Rain, we still have to rely on Yahiko's body."
Above the battlefield, a figure slowly descended alongside the pouring rain.
Orange short hair, a hard and indifferent face, and strange Black Rods embedded in his body.
Deva Path Pain.
He floated in midair, expressionlessly overlooking the black army below. An invisible, suffocating pressure enveloped the entire valley. Even the raging wind and rain seemed to become docile beneath his will.
The Iron Flow Brigade, which had been advancing efficiently moments ago, fell into an eerie silence.
Inside the command post.
Jiraiya stared fixedly at that familiar yet unfamiliar face on the screen, as if struck by lightning.