The widespread collapse of the energy shield was like tearing open a fatal wound in the already battered body of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Cold cosmic radiation and the aftershocks of the explosion poured in through the breach, instantly engulfing the transport ships and medical ships that had not been able to evacuate in time.
"Hold on! Don't let the gap widen! Reserves, all of you, move in!" Shikamaru Nara's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, but he still shouted desperately into the communication channel.
The remaining Shinobi World warships, like a wounded pack of wolves, blocked the breach with bloodshot eyes. They used their hulls, their remaining energy shields, and even self-destruction to try to slow down the speed at which the main force of the Ōtsutsuki Legion poured in through this gap.
But this is undoubtedly like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The Ōtsutsuki's God Tree Battleship surged forth like a flood bursting its banks, pouring in through the breach. Defensive units held massive shields in front, while ranged units unleashed devastating energy arrows from behind. Shadowless assassins leaped like phantoms in the Yin Shadow of the Shinobi World warships, reaping lives.
The situation took a sharp turn for the worse!
"Eldest sister!" Tenchu, the eldest son of Tsubasa Immortal King Tianyi, a valiant young man who had also reached the Peak Immortal Venerable, rushed to Tian Yu's side, covered in blood. "The left flank defense is about to collapse! Let me take men to..."
Tian Yu abruptly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on his younger brother, the one with the best chance of Immortal King. He saw the same resolute determination in Tenchu's eyes as he himself. He knew what Tenchu wanted to do.
"No!" Tian Yu practically roared, "It's not time yet! You are the hope of the family! You are..."
"Big Sister!" Tenchu interrupted Tsubasa, a smile mixed with sorrow and relief on his face. "Hope isn't something you wait for; it's something you fight for! Grandpa, Mother, Uncles, Brothers and Sisters... they're all gone. How can I live on alone? Besides, is there no Mirai for the Shinobi World?"
Tian Yu shuddered. Looking into her younger brother's clear and determined eyes, all the words of dissuasion stuck in her throat. She abruptly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, all that remained was endless exhaustion and a trace of the pain of being the eldest sister and the leader.
"Go." Those two words carried immense weight.
Tenchu laughed, a laugh as radiant as the sun. He turned to his equally wounded younger siblings— Tenpi, Tenka, Tenna, Tenbutsu, Tenkō, Ten'u ... and many more of the younger generation of the Ten Family —and raised his arm, shouting, "Children of the Ten Family! Follow me—kill!"
"Kill!!"
Without saying much, this most distinguished young generation in the Shinobi World, like their ancestors, fathers, and mothers, resolutely rushed towards the most dangerous breach.
They unleashed astonishing combat power, with various secret techniques —Sage Art, Dōjutsu, Taijutsu —blossoming amidst the enemy ranks, temporarily halting the Ōtsutsuki's offensive.
But the number of enemies was too great, and powerful figures emerged one after another.
Soon, Tenpi was struck by an energy cannon while protecting his sister Tenka, and was critically injured and on the verge of death. In his last moments, he smiled and said something to Tenka, then resolutely opened the Celestial Star Gate, transforming into a protective light that annihilated dozens of Ōtsutsuki soldiers in front of him.
"Brother!!" Tenka cried out in tears, but she swung the Kunai in her hand even more fiercely.
Next was Tenna, who shielded Tenbutsu from a sneak attack by the space teleportation unit, blocking the fatal attack with her own body, and then pulled the attacker along to open the Star Gate.
Tenbutsu, Tenkō, Ten'u... one after another, the sons and daughters of Tsubasa reached their limits in battle, and then unhesitatingly chose to bloom in their final moments. With their young lives, they fulfilled the will of their family and wrote their own heroic tale.
Finally, there was Tenchu. He faced the combined attack of three Ōtsutsuki -Domain Level powerhouses alone, his bones shattered and his Chakra nearly depleted. He turned back, glanced in the direction of his father, and then looked behind him at the dilapidated but still fiercely fighting Shinobi World battlefield.
" The Will of Fire shall never be extinguished!"
boom!!!
The most dazzling starlight erupted from his body. He burned everything he had, even drawing upon the power from his ancestors deep within his bloodline, transforming it into a Senju, thousand-armed phantom of a giant Buddha. The Buddha's thousand arms struck out simultaneously, wiping out the three Domain Level experts along with the thousands of the Ōtsutsuki Legion behind them with a single palm strike!
The light faded, leaving only emptiness at the gap.
But the most esteemed generation of the Ten Family was almost entirely wiped out.
The surviving Shinobi World warriors watched this scene, tears mingling with blood as they slid down their cheeks. Sorrow, anger, and an indescribable sense of sublimity surged within them.
"Even the adults and children of the Ten Family are... what reason do we have to live?!"
"Let's fight! We're all going to die anyway!"
"Long live the Shinobi World!!"
More and more ninjas, whether they were Golden Core Immortal Venerable or ordinary High Immortal or Kage Level, as long as their strength reached a certain level, or if they were piloting mechs that still had power, began to spontaneously and systematically launch suicide attacks. They might not be able to open the complete Celestial Star Gate like Immortal Venerable, but they could burn their Chakra, burn their life force, or even simply cover themselves with Explosive Tag bullets and charge into the enemy ranks...
This is a tragic and magnificent song of death, composed by all living beings.
The war, amidst devastating attrition, lasted for a full month.
The starry sky of Neptune Star Domain is no longer as cold and silent as it once was. Everywhere are the wreckage of warships, some as large as mountains, others as small as dust, floating densely together, forming a vast and boundless metal graveyard. The afterglow of the energy explosions flows like the aurora borealis among the wreckage, illuminating the frozen blood, broken limbs, and twisted metal.
The Allied Shinobi Forces are now at their last gasp.
"Report... The last batch of physical missiles... has been launched."
"Energy reserves... below five percent... only enough to maintain life support systems and minimal communication..."
"Rune Nuclear Bomb... Inventory cleared."
"There are fewer than twenty Immortal Venerable Level experts remaining... and most of them are injured..."
Inside the command ship, Shikamaru Nara listened to the reports expressionlessly. On the star map before him, the green dots representing the Shinobi World had become pitifully sparse and were compressed into the last few narrow defensive nodes. The red dots representing the Ōtsutsuki, although reduced by more than half compared to before the war, still resembled a red ocean, surrounding them from all directions.
With ammunition and supplies exhausted, the strong are almost wiped out.
After a month of intense fighting, the Shinobi World had almost exhausted all its conventional weapon reserves. The magnificent light of the " Celestial Star Gate," comparable to the Xingchen, was becoming increasingly scarce, like a candle flickering in the wind. Every roar of " Celestial Star Gate Formation - Open!" signified the fall of a peak Peak Immortal Venerable and the burial of at least one Ōtsutsuki Domain Level or even stronger individual.
It is precisely through such brutal exchanges that the Shinobi World has barely managed to survive until now.
But that's where it ends.
Although the Ōtsutsuki Legion's offensive had slowed, it remained steady. They seemed to have realized that the Shinobi World had reached its limit, and were no longer rushing forward. Instead, they were slowly squeezing and consuming the Shinobi World's last strength, like a millstone. The medical support units continued to operate efficiently, constantly sending wounded Ōtsutsuki warriors back to the battlefield. With this ebb and flow, the destruction of the Shinobi World seemed to be only a matter of time.
" Shikamaru, we..." Beside her, Ino Yamanaka, equally exhausted, spoke softly, her voice filled with helplessness.
Shikamaru looked up at the shattered starry sky outside the porthole and said slowly, "It's troublesome... but with a ten-thousand-fold difference in strength, we've done our best."
He picked up a special communicator and connected to the channels of all the remaining troops.
"To all soldiers of the Allied Shinobi Forces, I am Shikamaru Nara." His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve. "Our ammunition is exhausted, our energy is running out, and our comrades... are almost all gone."
The channel was deathly silent, save for heavy breathing and faint sobs.
"But!" Shikamaru's voice suddenly rose, "We haven't lost yet! As long as one person stands, the Shinobi World is not dead!"
"I command! All remaining units, abandon fixed defenses, break into smaller units, and launch a final assault on the enemy! Objective—kill as many enemies as possible! Even if you can only kill one more!"
Behind us are our homes, our families, and everything we love! We have nowhere to retreat!
"Gentlemen, it has been an honor to fight alongside you. Now, let us make... the final charge."
The order was given, but there was no enthusiastic response, only the light of engines reigniting on the remaining Shinobi World warships and mechs. Like dying beasts taking their last breaths, they adjusted their course and charged headlong into the boundless red ocean.
Inside the Shinki spaceship, Ōtsutsuki Sōichi yawned slightly.
"Oh? Is it finally coming to an end? It lasted a bit longer than expected, but that's all. Watching these ants struggle for too long gets a bit boring."
He slowly rose from the throne.
"Then let me, the Holy One, put an end to this farce."
The Tian Yu, whose mind had been taut, suddenly shuddered at this moment!
He's finally about to make his move!