"Sōkyū Hatake... you think you control everything. You think you're the player in this world, and everyone else is your pawn."
"But now, I'll make you understand... you, too, are nothing more than a piece on a larger board. And today, I, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, will remove that piece with my own hands!"
The instant those words fell, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki moved.
He moved so fast that he left a distorted afterimage in the air. Almost no time passed before he appeared less than three meters in front of Sōkyū Hatake! His right fist, wrapped in pitch-black chakra like liquid metal, hurtled straight toward Sōkyū Hatake's face with force that threatened to tear space apart!
It was a blow with nothing held back, concentrating all the power he unleashed after lying dormant for a thousand years!
Sōkyū Hatake's eyes brightened slightly the instant he saw that fist.
It was the excitement a hunter felt only when his prey finally bared its true fangs!
"Bang!!!!"
Where the fist swept past, the air compressed and tore, releasing a deafening sonic boom. Just before the fist reached him, Sōkyū Hatake slid half a meter sideways like a phantom, evading it by a hair.
The punch struck the ruins behind him. Mountainous piles of metal plates and concrete blocks exploded and scattered as though struck by heavy artillery! A crater more than five meters across appeared in the rubble!
"Good reflexes." Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's voice rang out. He had already appeared diagonally behind Sōkyū Hatake, sweeping another punch toward him!
This time, Sōkyū Hatake did not dodge.
He raised a hand, meeting the sweeping, heavy punch with his palm.
The instant palm and fist collided, an immensely deep, muffled boom erupted. A visible ring of shock waves spread outward from their point of contact, plowing through the