Deidara ultimately paid a heavy price for his youthful arrogance.
Or rather, from the very beginning, he never should have underestimated that woman.
Ignoring Black Zetsu's warning and turning to leave was the worst decision Deidara had ever made.
And the price… was an arm.
He didn't even see clearly what happened—just felt a wave of bone-chilling cold sweep over him.
The droplets in the air, under that woman's single finger, seemed to transform into the sharpest blades in the world.
They sliced cleanly across the sky, leaving behind a faint, terrifying scar in midair.
Even the clouds above were shredded by that one gesture.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, it was Black Zetsu who reacted first and shoved him away.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have just been his arm that was severed—it would've been his head.
"What the hell kind of ability is that?!"
Deidara clutched his severed arm and collapsed to his knees in pain, cold sweat pouring down his pale face.
The pain from the wound felt like it had drilled straight into his bones, stabbing deep into his very soul.
It was as if thousands of ants were gnawing at his flesh and blood.
Even Deidara, used to pain, couldn't endure it—his face turned pale, lips purple, and his whole body trembled slightly.
"I don't know."
Black Zetsu stood beside him, still rattled and silently thankful.
Thankfully, that woman's target wasn't it—it was Deidara standing next to it.
If it had been the other way around, it would've been dead for sure.
"Her ability is strange… it doesn't feel like any ninjutsu I've ever seen, and it's definitely not senjutsu either…"
Even with Black Zetsu's thousands of years of experience, it still couldn't understand what kind of power that woman used.
It seemed completely disconnected from the power system of shinobi —outside the framework of chakra that Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had established.
As if it was a path… no one had ever walked before.
Suddenly, the giant bird beneath them trembled violently and plummeted from the sky.
"Deidara, hurry up and make another flying one!" Black Zetsu shouted in panic.
The C2 giant bird they were riding had already lost one of its wings and was struggling to stay balanced in midair.
But if they kept falling like this, Black Zetsu had no doubt they'd soon be back in her attack range—and once that happened, the two of them would be slaughtered by that woman.
"Shut up, I'm already molding one!" Deidara gritted his teeth through the pain of his severed arm, snorted coldly, and reached his left hand into the pouch at his waist.
"Buy me a little time!" he shouted at Black Zetsu. "Have the reanimated First and Second Hokage stall that woman for a bit!"
"I'm already on it!"
Black Zetsu used his will to command the just-revived First and Second Hokage to intercept Erii.
If they had been at full strength, maybe they could've delayed her.
But Black Zetsu had implanted control Seal Tags into their bodies, weakening them by more than two-thirds. How could they possibly hold off Erii like this?
Erii flicked her finger lightly and murmured, "Word Soul: King's Blaze."
Boom!
An intensely hot flame compressed into a single point before erupting into a violent and terrifying explosion.
The First and Second Hokage, who had just charged forward, were instantly swallowed by the blast and turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
With the troublesome pair of reanimations gone, Erii turned her gaze back to the two falling figures in midair. A trace of impatience shimmered in her cool, distant eyes.
"You two… are really annoying."
Hearing her comment, Sasuke— a girl with sharp eyes and a quiet pride—felt a bit conflicted. She wasn't sure whether to feel frustrated… or flattered.
Just before the C2 dragon hit the ground, Deidara grabbed Black Zetsu and leapt off, the two of them crashing into the grass in a messy heap.
"This is all your fault! What now?!" Black Zetsu glared at Deidara angrily. If this brat hadn't insisted on showing off, they would've escaped long ago. There'd have been no need to end up in this sorry state.
Deidara's eyes widened in horror as the woman calmly raised her hand again. A cold shiver ran down his spine. A shadow burrowed into his mind, and panic surged like a flood.
"Cut the crap! Stall her for me!" he shouted hoarsely.
"You want me to stall her with my life?" Black Zetsu snapped back, his voice rising in disbelief. "What the hell was Onoki thinking, sending an idiot like you?!"
But it was already too late for arguing.
The woman's patience, tested time and again, had finally run dry.
Though "Adam" had told her to spare their lives... he hadn't said she couldn't teach them a lesson they'd never forget.
A low hum filled the cavern. Then—words.
Ancient and majestic, the language of Dragon Runes echoed across the crumbling cave ceiling like the distant toll of a divine bell.
In an instant, the entire world around them changed.
Blistering heat erupted into the air. Scorching winds howled, searing everything in a radius of hundreds of meters. The broken ground shimmered. The cave's shattered walls glowed red.
"What... what is this?!" Deidara staggered backward, clutching his chest.
The heat was unbearable. Each breath was like sucking molten iron into his lungs. His vision swam. His skin felt like it would peel off.
Black Zetsu, though lacking a physical body in the same sense, felt his will bending under the crushing pressure.
And at the center of the inferno stood the woman.
She chanted softly, her lips moving in a cadence that made no sense to them—yet sent ripples through the world.
Her clothes fluttered though no wind blew. Waist-length red hair danced behind her, flames rising with every strand.
Above her head, five burning rings floated silently.
They shone with divine brilliance. Each one emitted a terrifying aura. Together, they were like a miniature sun descending upon the earth, pulsing with heat and judgment.
The air grew heavier.
The flames surged.
The sky itself seemed to bend to her power.
One layer of fire rose. Then another. And another.
Nine layers of flame in total—each one golden, divine, and terrifying.
A blazing tower of fire pierced the sky, like a ladder built for gods and monsters.
At its peak, a colossal dragon-shaped shadow circled slowly, its roar rumbling through their bones.
The chant reached its climax.
The woman's eyes remained closed. Her hand was still raised.
The nine-layered flame tower pulsed, alive and terrifying.
Then—crack.
A fissure formed at the base of the inferno.
Deidara's instincts screamed.
"This is bad!"
The moment of silence was more terrifying than the roar that came after.
But by then... it was already too late.
The power that had gathered into a towering pillar shattered!
The nine-tiered tower began to crack from the very bottom, emitting a crisp, explosive sound, breaking apart like jade or porcelain!
Its pure, glass-like body was riddled with cracks as if hit by a tremendous force. The energy swirling within the fiery ring finally found an outlet to escape!
Boom!!!
A terrifying blaze erupted violently, like a dam breaking, flooding the sky with overwhelming fire!
Soon, the remaining eight tiers of the tower shattered one after another. The flames poured down, colliding with each other, triggering a staggering elemental reaction!
The destructive power of the explosion expanded exponentially!
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