The flames went out.
The enormous blood-red web that had blotted out the sky was ultimately reduced to black ashes drifting through the air.
Like a final eulogy offered to a life about to end.
Both of Rui's bodies trembled violently as his power burned away.
His skin was covered in scorch marks, and his demon blood evaporated in the intense heat, leaving him weaker than he had ever felt.
He raised his head.
He looked at the boy who was completely unharmed, whose clothes had not even been singed by the flames.
He looked into those scarlet eyes that reflected the firelight, cold beyond anything human.
Rage, humiliation, pride... all his emotions vanished at that moment.
All that remained in Rui's heart was the most primal terror of being utterly pinned down by a natural predator, with nowhere to escape.
He wanted to run.
To escape this place at any cost.
However.
Sasuke gave him no chance.
The instant that first thought occurred to Rui, blinding Lightning Release had already erupted from Sasuke's left hand again.
But this time, it was different from the earlier Chidori.
The violent lightning did not gather in his palm.
Instead, it extended abruptly from the tip of the jet-black Wakizashi in his hand with brute, unreasonable force.
Crackle!
Lightning Release flared.
In an instant, the blade, originally less than two feet long, became a sharp spear several meters in length, composed entirely of densely concentrated lightning.
Arcs of electricity writhed wildly along the shaft, producing a high-pitched buzz that set teeth on edge.
Even the surrounding air was ionized by this power, giving off a scorched smell.
"Chidori Sharp Spear."
Sasuke's icy voice sounded like a verdict pronounced upon this strike.
Giyu Tomioka's pupils constricted to pinpoints the instant he saw that lightning