Madara had been thoroughly beaten into terror, yet a strange smile suddenly crossed his face.
Twilight faded, and night fully shrouded the battlefield in the Land of Iron. A cold moon rose from the clouds, spilling pallid light over the devastated earth. Chilly winds swept loose stones across the battlefield with a bone-chilling howl. Deep craters and fissures scarred the ground, while lingering Six Paths chakra mingled with fiery reiatsu, making the air across the battlefield thick and oppressive.
Madara knelt on the cold ground, both eyes permanently blinded, the cracks in his Six Paths Cloak still spreading. The burning deep within his soul continued to rage, making every breath an agony that tore at his heart and lungs. Yet all the fear on his face vanished at that moment, replaced by a strange smile filled with mad calculation.
Holding Ryūjin Jakka, Chiya walked toward Madara one step at a time. Less than twenty meters separated them, and the loose stones on the ground trembled faintly with every step. His reiatsu remained steady as ever. Flames capable of scorching causality still wreathed Ryūjin Jakka in its Bankai state. His gaze was calm and indifferent, as though Madara were nothing more than a pathetic clown struggling at death's door.
At the side of the battlefield, Kakashi and the Five Kage watched the battle intently, their bodies tense and their chakra already gathered. They could clearly feel Six Paths chakra surging through Madara again. Though far weaker than at his peak, it still carried the power to devastate heaven and earth. Everyone held their breath, unsure what other trump card Madara Uchiha, cornered beyond escape, would reveal.
Tens of thousands of the Allied Shinobi Forces gripped their weapons, ready for battle. They watched the two figures at the center of the battlefield