Araki lay in a pool of blood, his fate unknown. Konan hovered in the air, her paper wings fluttering lightly, her icy killing intent almost tangible as it locked firmly onto Ling and Xi. The two injured Amegakure guards struggled to retreat to one side, awe and fear in their eyes.
Through Xi's efforts and the Fragment's resonance, the node tower was already riddled with cracks, its energy in turmoil, but it had not been completely destroyed. Only one final step remained, yet Konan's sudden appearance had mercilessly interrupted it.
Despair drowned Ling and Xi once more like an icy tide. Even at their peak, they would have struggled to contend with a core member of the Akatsuki, let alone now, with one still badly injured and the other's strength exhausted.
"The only price for defiling the domain of a god is death." Konan's voice was utterly flat. She slowly raised her hand, and more explosive tag paper gathered around her like a white storm poised to strike.
Ling shielded Xi behind him, his Sharingan spinning furiously as he tried to find a chance of survival, but the absolute gap in strength rendered every trick useless. He could feel the Fragment against his chest trembling violently under the nearby Ryūmyaku's rampage and Konan's immense pressure. Its resonance was stronger than ever, almost bursting out of his body!
Was... was he going to die here?
No! Never!
A fierce desire to survive and an inexplicable agitation erupted deep within him! He slammed his hand against his chest, no longer suppressing the Fragment's resonance. Instead, he actively channeled that searing, immense Yin Release energy, pouring it into his eyes along with the power of the Jōgan, regardless of the consequences!
"Eye of Purification and Erosion, open!"
Humm-!
It was as though some shackle had been forcibly broken! The scarlet pinwheel patterns in Ling's eyes suddenly warped and elongated, merging completely with the flowing, glasslike radiance to form an entirely new pattern, more complex and more uncanny! Insight far clearer and deeper than before flooded his mind. Every flow of energy around him-including the minute changes in the chakra within Konan, the points of energy conflict inside the node tower, and even the raging pulses of the distant Ryūmyaku core-became as clear as the lines on his palm!
At the same time, however, a tearing agony shot through his eyes, and blood began to seep into the edges of his vision! He had forcibly overdrawn his power, pushing beyond his limits!
"Hmm?" Konan seemed to sense the unusual aura coming from the strange patterns in Ling's eyes, and her movements paused slightly.
Now!
Enduring the agony in his eyes, Ling shouted hoarsely to Xi behind him, "The third Runes from the left at the top of the tower! Hit it with everything you've got!"
It was the weakest and most crucial fulcrum in the entire node's energy structure, which his evolved Eye of Purification and Erosion had discerned in an instant!
Though Xi did not understand why, she felt an instinctive trust in Ling's judgment. Gritting her teeth, she gathered the last trace of Uzumaki chakra in her body at her fingertip, turning it into a pale red beam that shot precisely toward the Runes Ling had indicated!
At the same time, Ling turned all the chakra remaining in his body, along with the raging Yin Release energy channeled from the Fragment, into an ink-black shock wave and blasted it at the same spot!
Their powers, one red and one black, converged in midair, producing a wondrous resonance that multiplied their force!
Konan's expression shifted slightly. Her paper wings beat sharply, and countless explosive tags cascaded down like a waterfall, attempting to intercept them!
BOOOM-!!!
The violent explosion was deafening!
Yet the center of the explosion was not where Ling and Xi stood, but at the top of the node tower!
Xi's Uzumaki power and Ling's Purification and Erosion Yin Release struck that most crucial rune fulcrum simultaneously, like two precise scalpels! Already on the verge of collapse, the tower could no longer withstand the force attacking it from within and without. Its upper third exploded with a thunderous crash! Countless fragments inscribed with runes flew in every direction!
The ghostly blue light went out in an instant, and the energy connection between the tower and the Ryūmyaku was forcibly severed! An even more violent surge of dark purple energy erupted from underground. Without this auxiliary node to channel it, the Ryūmyaku's rampage instantly intensified! The entire valley shook, the tremors even reaching distant Amegakure, where some buildings groaned under the strain!
At that moment, the omnipresent sensory pressure of the Rain Tiger at Will Technique showed a distinct, localized disruption and weakening!
"We did it!" Xi slumped to the ground in exhaustion, but a smile of relief appeared on her face.
Konan hovered in midair, looking at the collapsing node tower and the increasingly uncontrollable Ryūmyaku. At last, a clear trace of anger appeared in her icy eyes. The paper around her danced wildly, her killing intent stabbing toward Ling and Xi as though it were tangible!
Though the node had been destroyed, their situation had not improved. Instead, they had thoroughly enraged this "angel"!
Ling knelt on one knee, blood streaming ceaselessly from his eyes, his vision blurred. His chakra was completely depleted, and he did not even have the strength to stand. Facing the furious Konan, he had no power left to resist.
Was... was death inescapable after all?
Just as Konan was about to sweep down her wings of death-
A golden flash appeared without warning in front of Ling and Xi, like sunlight tearing through the gloom!
As the light faded, a figure with dazzling blond hair stood proudly with her back to them, wearing a Hokage cloak bearing the words "Fifth Hokage." Merely by standing there, she radiated mountainlike chakra and unquestionable authority, forcibly pushing back Konan's icy killing intent!
"You lay a hand on my people from Konoha," Tsunade slowly raised her head, fury burning in her amber eyes, her clenched fists cracking, "and did you bother asking me?"
Beside her, space rippled slightly, and the silver-haired Anbu Kakashi appeared as well. The kunai in his hand gleamed coldly, his lone eye fixed warily on Konan.
On a more distant cliff, Jiraiya's figure also appeared silently. His expression was grave as he looked down at the out-of-control Ryūmyaku and the two opposing sides.
Konoha's strongest fighters had finally arrived at the last possible moment!
Looking at that familiar golden-haired figure's back, Ling finally relaxed his taut nerves. Overwhelming weakness and the fierce pain in his eyes swept over him, and his consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
Before he lost consciousness completely, he seemed to hear Tsunade's commanding voice echo through the valley:
"The Akatsuki's 'angel'? Today, let me see just how tough those wings of yours really are!"
Before you continue