A massive wall of light, stretching as far as the eye can see.
With Futsunomitama in hand, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts that struck the wall of light, causing it to tremble and ripple.
Despair and fear intertwined, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami's face became even more distorted. He cursed Amaterasu, cursed Omoikane-no-Kami, and cursed everything about Takamagahara.
He couldn't understand why the gods, who had been relatively harmonious in the past, were so cold and indifferent today.
Madara Uchiha wore a mocking smile, his arms crossed, looking down at Takemikazuchi-no-Kami below.
"How cowardly! It's a disgrace to the gods."
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami suddenly turned around, his eyes bloodshot, like a beast driven to the brink of despair.
"What do you know! You outsiders have no idea what Takamagahara is! We've guarded this place for thousands of years, not so that people like you could come and destroy it!"
"Protect?" Madara's laughter deepened. "You keep your own people out, and you call that protecting them? That's laughable."
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami trembled all over.
"You are the disaster! The Ōtsutsuki, the God Tree, and Takamagahara could have held on! It was you! You ruined everything! I will kill you! Kill you all!"
He decided to stop running. Lightning was squeezed out of his body, as if he were setting fire to the last bit of his life.
He charged toward Ban with lightning speed.
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami's figure exploded on the spot, leaving only a white line.
Shinsei stood at a distance, his Mangekyō Sharingan fully activated, but he could only catch a fleeting afterimage.
The smile on Madara's face was still there when the sword arrived.
The Amenonuhoko was not in Takemikazuchi-no-Kami's hand. It appeared out of thin air behind Madara, as if it had emerged from another dimension.
Ban tilted his head, the spear tip grazing his earlobe, pulling down a strand of black hair. He raised his hand to grab it, but the spear had vanished.
The next instant, it pierced down from the top of Ban's head; Ban rolled to the side, the spear embedded in the spot where he had just been standing.
The ground exploded, lightning shot into the sky, and the entire sea of clouds shook.
"So fast!" Madara squinted, a hint of annoyance on his face. Mikata Raijin's fighting style was just like that kid Shinsei's —purely overwhelming opponents with speed.
He almost crashed his car.
Before he could even regain his footing, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami was already right in front of him. He reached out and summoned the Amenonuhoko, which reappeared, this time facing him directly.
Madara raised his arm to block. The lightning struck his arm, scorching the skin that Susanoo hadn't had time to cover into a charred black.
Madara gritted his teeth, and instead of retreating, he advanced, grabbing at Takemikazuchi-no-Kami's throat with one hand.
But Takemikazuchi-no-Kami was faster; he ducked and circled behind him.
The Amenonuhoko pierced out from the shadow of the stigmata, like thunder rising from the ground.
Ban coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Very good." Madara wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his knuckles, the purple in his Rinnegan glowing as if it had been set ablaze.
"Hahaha... This is the kind of speed that makes me take you seriously! So, let's welcome your final dance!"
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami did not stop; he transformed into a bolt of lightning and continuously moved around Madara.
The Amenonuhoko appeared from all directions—left, right, up, down, front, and back—as if six spears were attacking simultaneously. Madara could only retreat.
As he retreated, he looked down at his feet. His Rinnegan slowly rotated, the purple hue beneath his eyes growing increasingly intense. Suddenly, he stopped.
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami's spear was already at his back.
At that very moment, something invisible seemed to move behind Madara.
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami didn't see it. He only saw that Madara didn't dodge.
But his spear missed its mark. Not by striking the afterimage, but by being pushed away by an unseen force.
His entire body was thrown to the left, as if he had been slapped hard by a hand from the shadows.
He crashed into the wall of light, creating a spiderweb-like crack.
" Limbo: Border Jail."
Shinsei whispered in the distance. He couldn't see the Mangekyō, but he could sense the moisture in the air. The thing was right next to Shinsei.
More than one, like a shadow without a shadow.
Ban stood up. Blood was still seeping from his shoulder, but he no longer intended to chase after them.
"You're quick," Ban said. "You're of no use before these eyes."
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami still wanted to move. The Amenonuhoko had just leaped out of the space and hadn't even landed in his hand when he froze.
His chest felt like it had been pierced from the front by something—not a knife, not magic, but another mark from Limbo: Border Jail.
It came from directly in front of Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, its hand passing through his chest and lifting him high above.
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami wanted to shout, but only a few rumbles of thunder escaped his throat.
Madara's true form slowly turned around and glanced in Shinsei's direction.
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami fell from mid-air. Before he even hit the ground, Shinsei had already disappeared.
He appeared beside Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, placing one hand on his chest and grasping the ball of white light that had just emanated from his body with the other.
The Mangekyō spun wildly as if struck by lightning, trying to devour the power of Takemikazuchi-no-Kami.
Shinsei gritted his teeth, used Sealing Jutsu to compress the ball of lightning into a bead, and put it into his sleeve.
"I killed him!"
Ban's voice came from behind, as if it were rising from the ground.
Shinsei didn't reply, nor did he turn around.
He grabbed Kaguya, and with a series of Flying Thunder God from his feet, he disappeared several miles away.
Madara Uchiha felt like his chest was about to explode with anger at Shinsei!
He was the one who killed Mikata Raijin with his own hands, but before he could absorb Mikata Raijin's power, Shinsei beat him to it.
A frenzied hunger surged from his Rinnegan, Madara Uchiha's face slowly contorted into a grimace as he raced after Shinsei had gone.
The light over Takamagahara was still white, like an old scar that refused to fade.
Before the temple, the gods had already gathered.
Outside the Amaterasu Palace, a dense mass of heads stretched all the way down the long steps.
No one shouted for it to be beaten, nor did anyone kneel down in worship.
He just stood there, staring at the closed door, as if waiting for an explanation.
It's as if she's Amaterasu for Amaterasu to admit it herself, that she no longer Takamagahara.
The wind blew down from the sky, so cold that it made people's noses sting.
The area in front of the temple was already crowded with gods and immortals, and more and more people gathered, all looking angrily in the direction of the temple.
It seems that with the deaths of Takemikazuchi-no-Kami and Susanoo, everyone's fears found an outlet.
At first, only a few war gods were cursing, but more and more people joined in. They surrounded Amaterasu Palace, their voices rising and falling.
What was Great Goddess Amaterasu doing when Takemikazuchi-no-Kami died?
Why aren't any reinforcements being sent?
"Has Great Goddess Amaterasu stopped caring about Takamagahara a long time ago?!"
Should we still believe her?
" Amaterasu, come out! Give us an explanation!"
" Amaterasu comes out!"
" Amaterasu, come out quickly, or we'll break in!"
" Amaterasu, abdicate!"
The crowd fell silent as everyone stared at the sage who had called for Amaterasu's abdication.
The immortal's face stiffened for a moment, but in the end, anger prevailed.
He continued shouting.
" Amaterasu abdicates!"
Gradually, people joined in the chanting, "Amaterasu abdicate!" and the voices grew louder and louder.
Amidst the boundless roar, the temple doors slowly opened to both sides.
The creaking Gate of Opening somehow drowned out all other noises.
A tall woman in white strolled out of the temple.
Her face betrayed no emotion, her gaze calmly fixed upon the gods.
Are you talking about me?