Faced with deadly attacks coming simultaneously from two tricky angles, Hashirama Senju's battle instincts, honed at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World, were completely roused. He abandoned those large-scale Wood Release techniques that required time to prepare, and his fighting style abruptly changed. His hands flashed through seals before his chest in a smooth, flowing sequence.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Several clouds of white smoke burst forth, and three Wood Clones identical to Hashirama Senju instantly appeared around him, each carrying the First Hokage's unique aura. Without pausing for even a moment, they charged Julian from different directions. Their wooden kunai and short blades struck in perfect coordination at every joint and connection in Julian's armor.
It was an exquisitely coordinated assault, intended to use superior numbers and taijutsu coordination to rapidly dismantle the enemy's defenses and expose an opening.
However, what they faced was a killing machine born for war.
More often than not, Julian had faced xenos armies dozens of times his own number.
Countless streams of data raced across his scarlet lenses, and he had already locked onto the true target. In his eyes, those Wood Clones were nothing more than harmless distractions. He ignored the clones attacking from the sides entirely, his massive body continuing to charge toward Hashirama's true body with unstoppable momentum.
The Power Sword and Adamantine Staff swung out in broad, sweeping arcs.
There were no techniques, no finesse—only the purest, most primal brute force, enough to crush steel.
"Slash!"
One Wood Clone tried to block the Power Sword with a short blade, but the instant it touched that blue energy field, its entire body and weapon were silently cut apart. The high-temperature energy vaporized the wound cleanly, leaving behind not even a splinter.
Another Wood Clone leaped high