Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of muffled explosions erupted inside the Fearless Giant. Armor plates burst apart across its frame, circuits and pipes snapped, and energy fluid sprayed like blood.
Its massive body swayed violently before it dropped to one knee, barely keeping itself upright with the Ship-Splitting Sword.
A cold electronic alarm echoed through the cockpit, which was on the verge of collapse:
Warning: Structural damage exceeds 80%... core reactor output unstable... external armor 87% compromised... weapon systems offline... life support system... Estimated time until complete shutdown: 47 seconds.
Inside the cockpit, Child Emperor looked calm. He reached into a cracked storage compartment beside him, took out a lollipop, deftly unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.
The sweetness spread across his tongue, carrying a familiar hint of Sunagakure.
He glanced at the dots on his screen marking Boruto and the others as they sped away, then at the dark-red Susanoo outside. It was drawing its great sword, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Fearless Giant," Child Emperor said, his voice utterly steady, as though completing his mission had set him free. "Initiate final protocol: self-destruct."
Final protocol confirmed. Self-destruct initiated. Reactor overload commencing... nuclear bomb safety disengaged... fusion core forced ignition... Countdown: 3... 2... 1...
At the end of the countdown, Child Emperor murmured, "Master, I hope you're right... Boruto, everything from here on rests with you."
He swallowed the last mouthful of saliva, still sweet from the lollipop.
Outside, a pure-white light bright enough to eclipse the sun erupted from the ruined body of the kneeling Fearless Giant!
The light instantly swallowed it, along with the dark-red Susanoo standing close enough to strike its final blow!
VMMMM!!!!!
A terrifying roar beyond anything words could describe, beyond even the bounds of sound, accompanied