"The warm-up is over!"
"Though this body cannot bleed or feel alive the way a living person does..."
"It does have its own unique qualities."
Madara spoke slowly.
His blood-red eyes abruptly changed, becoming deep purple eyes ringed with concentric circles.
The Rinnegan!
Xia Le narrowed his eyes slightly, staring into Madara's eyes. His earlier suspicion was now all but confirmed.
Clearly, Madara's real body could no longer sustain an intense battle.
Thus, through some unknown means, he had created this clone body resembling one produced by Impure World Reincarnation, endowed with his power.
The only questions were whether Madara or Zetsu had made it, and how much of Madara's power at his peak it could wield.
"A powerful man like you, trapped inside a dead body like this..."
"It seems like a silent mockery."
Xia Le spoke calmly.
Not a flicker of emotion stirred in his blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan.
So what if those were the legendary Rinnegan? His eyes possessed equally heaven-defying power.
Moreover, such intense combat was undoubtedly making him exceptionally familiar with how power was used in this world.
"Mockery?"
"It seems you and I see things the same way!"
Madara spoke evenly.
His opponent's words had not stirred his emotions.
They were both among the world's strongest. Losing composure over a few words would have been far too childish.
Then he slowly raised his right hand, spreading his fingers and aiming his palm at Xia Le.
"Universal Pull!"
An astonishing gravitational force erupted instantly. An invisible ripple spread through the space before his palm, reaching Xia Le in the blink of an eye.
Xia Le did not move, but with a thud, the force caught his body. His feet left the ground as he was dragged toward Madara.
Madara frowned slightly at the sight.
*It couldn't